Carpathian 21 - Dark Peril

did so, a group of vampires rushed the bloody techs. Giles shouted to his lesser vampires to intercede, to form a wall between the humans and the hungry vampires, even as the master vampire began to retreat.

    The first of the undead ripped the nearest wounded tech open, falling on him, gulping the rich, hot blood.
    Guards on the roof opened fire. The sound once again reverberated through the forest and Kiral jerked, spinning around. He glanced up toward the canopy, exposing his fangs. A volley of shots rang out. Men screamed in horror. Blood spattered across the yard. Vampires tore into one another, ripping through Giles’s guard to get to the feast.

    Lightning pounded the ground, striking Kiral, incinerating him on the spot. One vampire caught in the crossfire between the guards and the lightning strikes went down, bullet holes in his head, while the other half of his body burned. He dragged himself blindly across the ground toward the pooling blood while the others trampled him to get to the humans who had huddled together in an effort to protect themselves.

    Dominic’s clone pushed, shoved and clawed his way with the frenzied pack of the undead, eager to get at the blood spraying into the air and over the terrorized humans. The guards fired into the mass, adding to the chaos. Lightning forked and struck and thunder rolled, adding to the terrible din.

    Dominic flowed across the ground, slamming his fist into the heart of the nearest vampire, his speed so fast he was a mere blur. He took the heart, and just that fast incinerated it before switching directions and rushing Giles. The lesser vampires were torn to shreds, desperately trying to join the feast and get to the well of blood to repair their torn bodies. He caught Giles just inside the line of massive trees.

    Dominic struck hard, slamming his fist deep, fingers seeking the ultimate prize. The master vampire twisted away, raking his talons across Dominic’s face, digging furrows down his jaw and to his neck. He leaned down and sank his teeth deep, forcing Dominic to retreat. The two stared at one another, blood dripping from Giles’s mouth and hands and running black down his chest. Dominic’s neck and face bled freely.

    Giles licked his lips. “How can this be? You are one of us.”

    “I am Dragonseeker, you fool,” Dominic said, contempt in his voice. “Did you really believe I would choose to give up my soul and join your despicable ranks?”

    Giles snarled, revealing his bloodstained teeth. “You are responsible for this mess.”

    Dominic shrugged. “Of course. But you will be blamed.”

    Deliberately the vampire sucked Dominic’s blood from his fingers. “You have the parasites. They answered my call.” As he spoke he took a step to his left.

    Dominic didn’t wait for the attack; he struck fast and hard, slamming a bolt of lightning at the spot where Giles’s next step would take him. The master vampire shrieked as the white-hot energy burned through his shoulder and down his side, hip and leg, a laser beam sheering one quarter of the body completely off, cauterizing as it burned through the rotting flesh.

    Giles went down, rolled, reaching for his severed body, clawing at it, trying to drag it to him as Dominic leapt on him, driving his fist deep once again, fingers burrowing through decomposed flesh and tissue to reach the withered heart. An ominous crack was his only warning. A spear slammed through his back, impaling him, driving him down to the ground and pinning him there. Roots burst through the vegetation to wrap around his throat and tangle around his body, holding him.

    Dominic exploded energy outward, burning through the woody roots. Even as he did so, root structures formed a caged of finned, thick wood, holding him prisoner. It was a delaying tactic only, a chance for Giles to repair his rotting body. Dominic braced himself and shoved the spear through his body, cauterizing the wound as he did so. The pain washed over and through him. He heard the echo of Solange’s shattered cry and pushed her out of his mind, afraid she would feel the mind-numbing pain.

    He forced his body under control, rolling, seeing the multitude of bats staring at him with hungry eyes.
    They dropped, covering his face and head, biting ferociously as he exploded the cage of roots outward to allow his release. He managed to get to his knees, flinging the biting creatures aside and staggering a little as he got his legs under him.

    Giles