Free Carpathian 20 - Dark Slayer by authors_sort Page B

flesh burning away from the acid blood pouring over her.
    â€œMmm, sisar —sister, you taste delicious,― he whispered, a contemptuous smirk in his voice. “I have not tasted Carpathian blood in a long while. Perhaps I will keep you to myself instead of sharing your delightful taste with my brothers.―
    Ivory clawed at his face, trying to gain enough leverage to get him off her. She dared not take the wolves off the ghoul, afraid the child wouldn’t get away. Her knee came up into Sergey’s crotch, the heel of her boot raking down his leg to smash into the side of his knee. His bite deepened, tore at her flesh as if he were trying to consume her.
    She fought to stay conscious through the pain, drawing both hands back and smashing her fists to either side of his jaw, driving through bone. His mouth blew open in a screaming gasp and he lifted his head.
    Gary fired the crossbow, hitting the vampire in his right eye.
    The boy? Ivory gasped as she dropped to the ground, blood pumping from her mangled shoulder. She dissolved as Sergey reached for her, his claws going through vapor. Droplets of blood followed her across the snow as she streaked away from Sergey.
    Gary backpedaled when the vampire snarled and turned to look at him with one glowing eye. “I sent him back to the village.
    I couldn’t leave you behind.―
    â€œYou will wish you were never born,― Sergey promised him and reached up to yank the arrow from his eye. Black blood poured down his face. The vampire didn’t bother to wipe it away; instead he bared his savage teeth at the human.
    Ivory materialized over the ghoul, slicing through his neck with one hard stroke, sending the head bouncing obscenely across the slope. The wolves pinned the thrashing body to the ground, holding him there while she gathered energy from the sky.

    Move! Already she hurled the bolt toward the soulless creature, striking just as the wolves leapt back, in a move they’d perfected countless times.
    Orange-red flames erupted, turned black, a foul stench filling the air as the carcass burned. Ivory kicked the head into the flames and faced the vampire over the rising fetid smoke. Her sides heaved for air; her body was covered in her blood—and his. Trails of blackened flesh streaked her shoulder and went down her arm, but she faced him stoically, with one eyebrow raised.
    â€œYou look a little worse for wear there, brother,― she commented. “You must be getting old and feeble to allow a human to creep up on you like that.―
    As she spoke she circled around to try to put her body between Sergey and the human male. The man had risked his life for her and he was still standing there, waiting for another shot, when he had to know that her crossbow wasn’t going to take down a master vampire. She’d rarely had dealings with humans, but she had to admire his courageous stand, even though she feared for his life.
    â€œOne of mine for one of yours, little sister,― Sergey hissed, his body suddenly moving with blurred speed.
    Even with her specially coated metal in him, she could barely follow his path, the master vampire moved so quickly. She saw him grasp little Farkas and slam the wolf ’s body over his knee. There was an audible crack and the animal screamed.
    Cackling, Sergey threw the wolf away from him so that the body hit a snowcapped boulder where the animal lay broken and panting in pain.
    The metal arrowheads fell to the ground in pieces, and already the vampire’s body was regenerating, while her own grew weaker from blood loss. She dared not close off the wound and trap parasites in her where they could take hold. For a moment she just faced her brother, trying to decide the best way to get luck on her side—it was the only possible chance she had of defeating the vampire.
    The air around them charged with electricity, making the hair on the back of