Out of Time 01 - Out of Time

his napkin and pushed back his chair. “Shall we?”
    Knowing she had little choice, Elizabeth agreed and followed King out of the dining room and down the main hall. They veered into the wing King had avoided earlier. He stopped at a dark paneled door and took a small key from his pocket. He opened the door and waited for Elizabeth to enter first. The room was dark and there was a thick odor of strange spices. King stepped in behind her and turned on the overhead light.
    She blinked to let her eyes adjust to the sudden light. It was like stepping into the Egyptian section of the British Museum, at least according to the brochures she’d seen. Artifacts ranging from small statues to a complete sarcophagus filled the room. Large, limestone blocks were piled in one corner. The paint had faded, but the images were still clear.
    Despite her fears, her curiosity couldn’t be contained and she walked further into the room. “This is amazing.”
    King closed the door. “Beautiful, aren’t they?”
    “Yeah,” she said and moved to keep her distance as he crossed to the small table in the center of the room.
    He picked up a small statue and held it reverently in his hand. “A shabti,” he said and held the brightly painted figure for her to see. “They’re said to come to life once their master is awakened in the afterlife. Do you know much about Egyptology?”
    “A little.” In her research with Simon, she’d studied some of the ancient beliefs about eternal life. They’d managed to acquire a few artifacts for his collection, but the market for them was ridiculously overpriced. Even their few visits to the local museums couldn’t compare with the collection in this room.
    “I’m something of an enthusiast,” he said in gross understatement. “They believed that a person never truly dies. Eternal life. Quite an intriguing concept.”
    “I suppose.”
    “You wouldn’t want to live forever?”
    “I guess there might be perks, but no.”
    King smiled enigmatically and set down the small statue. “They believed that the soul, even after death, remained in the body. Remained there awaiting judgment, until granted entrance to the underworld by Osiris.” He waved his hand at the table. “All of this, elaborate ointments and rituals, would secure the soul even in the face of human mortality.”
    “That’s interesting,” Elizabeth said and eased her way toward the door. “Really quite a collection, and thank you for sharing it with me, but it’s late.”
    “Time is irrelevant,” he said, “if you want it to be.”
    She definitely didn’t like the sound of that. “I don’t understand what you mean.”
    “Don’t you?” he asked and walked slowly toward her. “Surely, you’ve sensed it.”
    She backed up against the door and tried the handle, but it was locked. “I’d like to go now.”
    “I haven’t shown you everything.”
    “I’ve seen enough. Please, unlock the door.”
    He stopped in the middle of the room. “Don’t be frightened.”
    He closed his eyes and Elizabeth couldn’t stifle her gasp.
    His face changed. Thick, corded veins bulged out on his forehead, slicing over his temples and popping out along his neck. Swollen and pulsing, the deformities stripped away any illusion of humanity. His mouth gaped open and his incisors grew before her eyes, grotesque fangs like a serpent’s, curved and wicked. Finally, he opened his eyes and they glowed like amber lit from within. It wasn’t the face of a man anymore.
    It was the face of a vampire.

Chapter Twenty Two
    “H oly crap!”
    Elizabeth shrank back and tried to push herself through the door. King’s yellow eyes glowed brighter. His nostrils flared as he tilted his head up and stole her scent from the air, a predator finding its prey. He took a step forward, and she flattened herself against the door as tightly as she could. Her blood pounded in her veins and she knew he could sense it too. Slowly, the rhythm of her beating heart was pulling him closer.
    “King,” she whispered, barely able to get the word past her dry throat.
    He took another step, closing the distance between them. His bulk blocked out the light, and his face fell into shadows. Only the surreal glow from his eyes filled the void between them. He raised one hand, the gloved fingers stretching out and nearing her face.
    She was going to die. She pressed her palms against the door, as she raised her chin, one final act of defiance. Then, King’s hand halted