Free Vampire Elite by Irina Argo Page B

could survive another five minutes! “Please ... a bag ... I’m going to be sick.”  
    Panicking, she turned to Antar who was sitting next to her. Hmm, bad idea; if she threw up, she’d vomit all over him. She turned to face forward again. The looking-at-the-tree thing had been a total bust. She tried to hold very still, taking deep, gulping breaths.
    She felt Antar’s large, warm hand on her back, moving in soothing circles. Then he yelled to Shaula. “Hey Shaula, I have an idea. Open the door!”  
    He yanked his shirt off, and before Arianna had time to wonder what was happening, grabbed her around the waist, her face pressed against his shoulder. His lips whispered into Arianna’s hair, “Don’t be afraid, just hang on tight and think of flying with angel’s wings.”  
    Then ... he just jumped. Out of the helicopter . Pure survival instinct had her throwing her legs around his waist.
    “See you in the village!” he yelled back as they swept away.
    Arianna screamed into Antar’s chest. Gravity pulled at her like a bowling ball. She braced herself for the inevitable: smashing into the earth and exploding like ripe watermelons. But they just kept drifting ... What was going on? Cautiously, she opened her eyes and forced her face away from Antar’s chest.  
    Above her, two colossal shapes were silhouetted against the navy-blue sky. Antar’s wings. They sprouted out of his back like the wings of a giant bat or dragon from some sci-fi movie. Other than the wings, his body looked the same. Seeing it all in action, working just fine, Arianna allowed herself to relax and enjoy the ride. She sighed with pleasure. Seriously, her life was becoming a fairy tale.  
    They were floating above the world. Beyond the mists of brilliantly peach tinged clouds skimming by, billions of stars winked to life. Antar held Arianna effortlessly in his strong arms. She probably could have let go entirely, but she wasn’t taking any chances, clinging to him with a vehemence that would have embarrassed her if the situation had been any less crazy.  
    Finally she allowed herself to look down. They were gliding over a mass of green vegetation and what looked like an inland version of a gigantic river delta that encompassed hundreds of islands. The water appeared as strips of black against the lush dark velvet-green of the trees, and the sun’s last glimmers airbrushed the treetops and splashed mirror-like reflections onto huge patches of river. It was beyond breathtaking.  
    “What’s that?” Arianna shouted.  
    “Anavilhanas!” Antar shouted back.

Chapter 9
    Aldeia Alada, Anavilhanas Archipelago, Brazil
    Eventually, Antar started drifting downward, taking his time, catching the wind and updrafts, the sensation what Arianna imagined hang-gliding to feel like. The closer they came to the jungle, the more Arianna could distinguish small cabins nestled in the vegetation along the riverbanks. Antar swooped down and landed softly, close to one of the larger structures.  
    “What are you doing?” Arianna yelled, panicking. Lowering her voice, she added, “... letting humans see your wings.”  
    “They’re not humans,” Antar laughed. “It’s Aldeia Alada, the village of the winged demons.”  
    Stunned, Arianna looked around. The entire village had been built to integrate with the jungle. Several wooden bungalows were raised high above the ground on sturdy poles fixed with thick rope. All of the bungalows were interconnected with raised wooden-planked walkways like bridges. Their roofs were covered with vegetation. Here and there she could make out demons flying through the dark sky above her, and she heard the shushing of wings.  
    A group of the demons surrounded them and began enthusiastically speaking a foreign language; Arianna didn’t know whether it was Portuguese or some winged-demon tongue. Antar appeared to be very well liked by the demons, who clustered around him—especially the females, several of whom