Carpathian 13 - Dark Destiny

sideways. In that instant, the vampire reversed directions and was on her, his face a vicious mask of hatred, his breath fetid, the bloody dagger he had pulled from his chest in his fist.
    Destiny spun to face him, her hand going for his wrist. He was wounded, had suffered severe blood loss, so she was confident she was the stronger of the two. She trapped his wrist and wrenched his hand back toward him. Ducking to avoid talons coming at her face from above, she drove the knife into his chest a second time.
    The vampire roared with hatred, tearing at the dagger. Destiny whirled to face a second attack from behind. A monstrous lizard was climbing up out of the bubbling pool, saliva dripping from its formidable jaws. Its long tail, which had already scored a hit against her leg, knocking her aside earlier, was swinging Generated by ABC Amber LIT Conv erter, http://www.processtext.com/abclit.html
    ominously. The creature looked much like a Komodo dragon, with clawed feet and a peculiar swinging gait. Its speed was incredible as it rushed her. Destiny had no time to seize the heart from the vampire; she had to dissolve and scatter her molecules through the noxious vapor in order to save herself.
    The vapor in the chamber was heavy and carried in it some kind of trap she had never encountered before. Immediately it seemed to latch on to the molecules of mist, soaking them up like a thirsty sponge.
    Panic flared in her, a sudden realization that she had been careless and was now caught in a trap.
    Shape-shift into one of the birds. Nicolae's magical voice was calm, steadying. Close by.
    Destiny did so instantly, taking the image from his mind rather than from her own, not realizing she had automatically reached for him, shared with him her peril, allowing him to "see" the trap and the chamber through her. She flapped and screeched right along with the rest of the strange creatures, all the while eyeing the vampire below her.
    To her horror, the giant reptile shifted into human form, becoming a tall thin man with a beaked nose and graying hair. He reached out casually to the other vampire, helping him to his feet. In Destiny's mind, Nicolae went very still. Vampires traveled together at times, but they used one another, sacrificed one another. In all the long centuries of his battles, Nicolae had never witnessed one vampire helping another.
    "Come, my dear, I grow tired of this little charade," the taller vampire said. He clapped his hands and the birds fell from the air, plummeting into the bubbling pools to scream impotently as they disappeared under the surface. "Vernonneeds blood. I think you had best supply him, since you were the one to cause his distress."
    Destiny settled to earth, shape-shifting to her true form as she did so. "Well, well, it's old-friend week, I see," she said, smiling coolly at the two vampires. She kept her eyes fixed on the taller one. He was strong and without a single wound and very, very dangerous. "I'm surprised a big bad vampire such as you would associate with a weakling likeVernon . He seems a bit out of your league. Three times I scored a hit on him—a bit much, don't you think?" There was taunting amusement in her voice. Her face was a pleasant mask, confident and serene, while inside, her brain was working out a way to escape. The hunter was now the hunted, but she would never, ever allow herself to be taken alive by such monsters.
    Vernonsnarled at her, exposing his long fangs. "You won't be smiling when I drain the blood from your veins." Spittle ran down the side of his mouth and he coughed, holding his hands over his wounds.
    "Now, now,Vernon , she does have a point. A mere woman and she stuck you like a pig." The taller vampire smiled, exposing his sharp incisors. "No need to get nasty with her over your own incompetence."
    Look for something more. Another perhaps. It seems unreasonable that they would be in the same lair, but he is drawing your attention for a reason. They are afraid of you. You have twice plunged a dagger into one of the undead and you are a woman, a puzzle to them. Look with more than your eyes but do not turn away from him. Destiny sensed Nicolae at the cave's entrance, and her heart began to beat much faster.
    Do not show fear, even if it is of me. They will think you weak, and you want them worried. They have never encountered a female hunter before.
    She had to trust Nicolae; she had no choice. He had hunted her for years, wanting her for himself or for