Free Once Upon a Twist by Michelle Smart, Aimee Duffy Page A

had time to comprehend what was happening, a hand grabbed her ragged dress and she was lifted off her feet and thrown unceremoniously belly down across an enormous horse.
    “Hold on,” James yelled, leaning his body forward to protect her.
    But positioned as she was with her arms and head dangling over one side of the horse’s back and her legs the other, there was nothing for her to cling onto and no time for relief at her unexpected yet timely rescue.
    In the suddenness of it all, she had dropped Scratchy.
    Vaguely she was aware of riders accompanying them and the sound of swords carving the night air followed by dull thuds. Yet still those grunts followed in their wake.
    They would never be able to outrun them she thought in despair. The magnificent horse was galloping so fast the road beneath her head was a cobbled blur. She had no idea how close they were to her home, could only pray they were nearly there. Then she realized the grunts were diminishing…
    Maybe they had a chance.
    “Get ready to jump off,” James ordered.
    Jump off? She was lucky she hadn’t already slid off and crashed head first onto the cobbled ground.
    Sooner than she expected, they came to a halt. James dismounted and pulled her down, wrapping a strong arm around her waist to keep her upright. Which was a good thing as her belly was rolling.
    His terrified stead cantered away, closely followed by the dismounted soldiers’ horses. Even if they wanted to flee further they could not. With their horses gone, they were stuck.
    She heard an intake of breath and lifted her head. The front door to the house was wide open.
    “Jonas and Sebastien, come in with us,” James said, dragging Ella like a ragdoll up the steps. “Matthew, Gustave and Phillipe, you are to guard the front. I’m going to get Ella in the cellar.”
    “No!” she screeched, spinning out of his hold and staring in terror at the dozen undead who were close enough for her to see the red in their eyes under the moonlight. “We have no time – we need to fight them .”
    She had no weapon.
    James must have had the same thought because he drew her behind him, sandwiching her between him and Jonas.
    “Have you got a spare sword?” she asked at the same moment the nearest creature, who had streaked ahead of the others, pounced, leaping a good ten feet at Matthew, who swung his sword. Before the soldier could get a good enough aim he was knocked off his feet, the creature’s teeth already sinking into his face before his head smashed onto the ground.
    Gustave and Phillipe both took a quick step backwards, back onto the steps of the house.
    We’re all going to die, Ella thought. There were too many of them. They were all going to die and it would be all her fault.
    “Fight!” James roared, dashing forwards and slicing his sword through the feasting undead’s neck. Without missing a beat he then sliced it through the neck of his felled comrade and snatched Matthew’s fallen sword, jumping back up the steps and thrusting it into Ella’s hands. Not that she would be able to use it. Her prince and his soldiers had formed a perfect circle around her.
    She was effectively blocked from seeing anything, which made everything much worse. Her hearing became hyper-sensitive. She could hear every slap of running foot, every leap, every whoosh as the pack of creatures pounced and soared into the air, and every dull thud as they impacted…
    The circle around her parted slightly, allowing her to see between James and Sebastien’s shoulders at the very moment one of the creatures soared into the air and hit an invisible barrier, sparks flying in all directions upon its impact.

Chapter Nine
     
     
    James stared in amazement at what was unfolding two steps below his feet.
    “What is happening?” Jonas asked.
    He shook his head, keeping a tight grip on his sword. “I don’t know.”
    “It must be Christell’s enchantment,” Ella said, stepping between them. “She had it so I