Carpathian 03 - Dark Gold

him deep within the earth was filling the air with its stench.
    
    Aidan proceeded through the basement door into the kitchen of his home, warped vibrations and tones seeming to bounce through his being before he could identify them as Joshua's laughter, Marie's musical voice, Stefan's deeper baritone. The knowledge that the three were still safe gave him a measure of comfort. Whatever was in the air, whatever was stalking those he loved, had not penetrated the safeguards of his home.
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    The sun blazed through the huge windows, and Aidan instinctively veered away from the rays.
    He had no eyes, no skin to burn, but he felt the wrenching agony all the same. When every survival instinct screamed at him to go back to the safe, cool earth, far from the burning sun, the stench of evil impelled him forward.
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    Over the centuries, he had often lived in proximity to humans, more so than most of his kind, yet it never failed to astonish him that they had so few warning systems, or if they did, that they completely ignored them. The air was thick with the stench, the disturbance so great it had penetrated his chamber below the rich earth, intruding on his deep sleep. Yet Marie was singing Generated by ABC Amber LIT Conv erter, http://www.processtext.com/abclit.html
    in the living room as she dusted his jade collection, and Stefan was humming as he tinkered with an engine in the huge garage, one of his many hobbies. Aidan wanted to call to him, to warn him, but in his energy-consuming formlessness, he didn't dare try. He moved through the garage and back into the house, homing in on Joshua in the kitchen.
    
    The child was the obvious target of the madness aimed at both Alexandria and Aidan. Aidan sped toward him, the bright sunlight sapping his energy. His mind rebelled, flinching from the brilliant rays, but he forced himself through the light to reach the boy.
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    Joshua was playing with the puppy, his eyes dancing, his blond curls bouncing, the picture of boyish joy. He had no idea he was in deadly peril.
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    Even as Aidan observed, the dog ran to the door, whining softly, and Joshua glanced about, looking for Stefan or Marie, who had told him in no uncertain terms not to go outside. Snapping a leash on the puppy, he opened the door and rushed into the garden.
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    The heat of the sun pierced Aidan's very soul. He felt as if he were on a skewer, roasting, burning. He followed the boy anyway, putting aside the pain.
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    "Come on, Baron," Joshua insisted. "Hurry it up." The little boy looked around again to make sure he was alone. "Baron's a dopey name, but Stefan really wanted you to be called that. He says it will make you noble, whatever that is. I'll ask Alexandria. She knows everything. I wanted to call you Alex. That would have made her laugh."
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    "Joshua!" Vinnie del Marco appeared, his large frame intimidating, his arms folded, his face stern. "Weren't you given orders? Soldiers get court-martialed for less than this."
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    The air was thick with the stench now. Aidan could see that Vinnie felt safe in the garden as he teased the boy, the high wall around them, the security system in full force. He had no perception of the danger lurking so close. Vinnie bent to scratch behind the puppy's ears.
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    A rush of wind, sound, and movement displaced Aidan, knocking him sideways as a blurred mass leapt the fence. A furred, powerfully muscled beast hit Vinnie squarely in the chest, its huge gaping jaws going for his throat.
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    "Run, kid! Get in the house!" Vinnie yelled just before the animal tore open flesh and sinew.
    Blood sprayed into the air, showering Joshua and the puppy as they stood frozen to the spot.
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    The boy said one word, whispered it softly like a prayer amid the ugliness. "Alexandria."
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    A second animal hurtled over the wall and rushed at Vinnie, and its dripping fangs closed over his leg. With a vicious twist of its massive head, it audibly snapped bone, and Vinnie's screams filled the air. Rusty charged around the corner, gun in hand, but Joshua was in his line of fire. A third animal sprang from the wall onto his back, teeth clamping tightly around his shoulder.
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    Aidan could hear Stefan running, but he knew the vampire had laid his trap all too well. The beasts were sacrificial pawns. Stefan would shoot them to save the two men from the crazed animals, but by then the human puppet moving over the wall had scooped up the terrified child and tugged him back over the