The King's Vampire

by Brenda Stinnett

  Elizabeth ran to him. “Charles, I’m so sorry you’ve gotten involved in all this.”

  “If it isn’t my favorite vampire,” he said, taking her hand and kissing it.

  “Did Julian do this?” Darius asked.

  “Yes. I must say he’s not the handsomest fellow I’ve ever come across. If I’m going to look like him, I don’t fancy becoming an immortal or psychic vampire, after all.”

  “Let’s get out of here before he returns. This may be a trap.” Darius shoved Charles and Elizabeth in front of him, gesturing for them to climb the rope ladder. “Hurry up.”

  Elizabeth, the first one to climb up, screamed when she saw a shadow moving alongside her. Looking up, she saw a demon hovering over her head. He gripped her wrist, trying to tug her off the ladder. Darius fired a purple flame of energy at the demon, and he gave an inhuman shriek that scratched across Elizabeth’s nerves. The demon imploded in mid-air as Darius threw another bolt at him. She scrabbled up the ladder faster.

  “These demons are worse than the Dutch, eh?” Charles said in a voice that shook. Darius gave him an unceremonious shove to get him to close the gap between him and Elizabeth.

  She pulled herself back onto the dirt-packed floor of St. Paul’s, and the men followed quickly behind her.

  The rain had ceased, while the moon remained partially hidden by roiling clouds, and the sky maintained its peculiar shade of green.

  Heart in throat, Elizabeth watched moss grow out of the ground, cracking the entire width of the church. In the center, the earth caved in, creating a hole six feet wide. A purple glow radiated from that center, and from its depths, six demons crawled out. An inhuman moan continued incessantly from the gaping chasm. The seventh demon to creep from the abyss was Julian.

  His fury unleashed in an inhuman shriek when he saw them. “How dare you interfere with my plans for the king?” Julian moved so quickly toward them, Elizabeth hardly realized what was happening. He spread his wings, now surrounded by a luminescent cloud of deep purple, and drew his great reptilian head nearer to Charles, who recoiled.

  “Oh my God, no, my God, no,” Charles said slowly.

  Out of nowhere, a figure with white-blond hair and skin paler than death lunged between Charles and Julian.

  “Michael,” Elizabeth screamed.

  “Get out now, Your Majesty,” Michael said between gritted teeth.

  “Ods fish, Sir, I’ve fought Oliver Cromwell’s men, and I believe I can fight these devils.”

  “I don’t believe your Majesty understands the nature of the demons,” Michael said, lashing out with his sword toward the nearest creature.

  “Fighting is fighting, demon or no.” Charles pulled out his own sword and attempted to lop off the head of a demon that was coming toward his left side. The demon took on the form of a dragon-like serpent and knocked the king’s sword from his hand

  Stunned, Charles remained frozen to the spot. Julian shouted out, “Don’t destroy the king.” He cast a fog-like cell around him, and there Charles remained imprisoned.

  Elizabeth started to race over to the king, but Darius held her back. “He’s probably safer there than in the middle of the battle.”

  Just as Darius spoke, two hideous creatures reached out to grab Elizabeth, but Darius sent bolts of energy through their necks, causing them to implode into a dust that increased the rotting smell tenfold.

  “These demons are more powerful than the others,” Elizabeth managed to gasp out. “I can’t thrall them at all.”

  “Stay behind me then,” Darius said.

  Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Michael engaged in battle with Julian. He slammed his sword against one of Julian’s wings and it crumpled, but the demon continued to lash out at Michael, finally gripping his throat with his talons.

  “Michael needs our help.”

  Darius rushed to the immortal vampire’s aid just when Julian picked up a half-burned wooden beam lying beside him, plunging it into Michael’s heart.

  The shriek of agony that escaped Michael’s lips wrenched through Elizabeth. She dashed over to her former husband’s side, and tried to distract Julian by grabbing hold of his wings. Julian gripped her by the throat and lifted her in the air.

  With a roar of fury, Darius swiped at Julian’s talons with the sword, forcing him to release Elizabeth. He then pushed her out of the way, causing her to stagger back as he plowed into Julian, shooting flames of energy at him.

  She knelt down beside Michael. Fumbling, she ripped off a piece of her shirt and pressed it against his chest. “You can heal yourself.” But his blood pooling on the dirt told a different story.

  “No. I can’t heal because it’s holy wood from St. Paul’s.”

  He said something else, and she had to lean closer to hear him. “What?”

  “I’m sorry I stole your soul and made you a vampire. You deserved much better. I wish I’d told you what happened to Christine before and not have waited so long to tell you.”

  “Don’t speak of it now,” she said, “just rest.”

  “The thing that makes me saddest is I shall never be with you again. But there’s one thing I wanted even more.”

  “What’s that, Michael?”

  “I wish with all my being you could forgive me.”

  Fighting back tears, Elizabeth said, “It’s too late for me to regain my soul, so I’ll never make it to heaven. I do forgive you, and I do understand what made you do what you did.”

  Weakly, he grasped her hands. “You’ve always had an old soul, too beautiful to be destroyed forever.” He took a gurgling breath. “My own soul is lost. Forgive me, Elizabeth. Love me just a little.” He drew his last breath.

  For a brief moment, she prayed, “Lord have mercy. Christ have mercy.” She placed her head against his icy forehead.

  Just then an explosion caused her to turn in time to see Darius, with both arms raised high, shooting red and orange flames of the purest energy at Julian. The demon flipped forward over Darius’s head, kicking his sword out of his hand and attacking him from behind, choking him with those horrid talon-like hands, although Darius managed to knock Julian away. Now there were eleven demons closing in and twenty more came streaming out of the chasm.

  Elizabeth noticed one of the demons scrabbling out of the abyss looked more human than the others. Suddenly, she realized why. She shouted, “Darius, one of the demons is Obadiah the witch finder,” although she wasn’t certain he heard her.

  She grabbed another half-burned wooden beam before running forward and jumping into the middle of the demons, standing back-to-back with Darius. The demons were closing in on them, even though Darius managed to implode three of the closest ones. In anguish, she thought, surely this isn’t the way it’s supposed to end. They couldn’t die now.

  Chapter 36

  Elizabeth heard a rumbling sound outside the ruins. When she looked up, she saw the immortal vampires, with Amelia leading the charge, surging into the remaining rubble of the church.

  Looking down at the great fissure in the ground, Amelia declared loudly, “It smells like hellfire and damnation here.”

  “Amelia,” Elizabeth managed to gasp, “I thought you’d left.”

  “Did you think I could abandon my little sister to these wretched psychic vampire demons?”

  “She made us come back,” Godfrey said gloomily. “Trust me. I did everything to persuade her not to return.”

  “Ever the hero, eh Godfrey,” Amelia said. “Toss me a sword, Godfrey, my brave warrior.”

  He threw her a sword she gripped in her hand, battling her way toward the center of demons where Elizabeth and Darius were surrounded.

  “Darling, how do we kill these wretches if we’re not demon slayers?” Amelia said when she finally reached her friend.

  “We can wound them with swords and knives,” Elizabeth said breathlessly, “but they are too strong to thrall. The only way we can implode them is to hit their throats straight on with enough force to c
rush them. Don’t let them get close enough to suck away your breath.”

  One of the demons shot a blast of flame at Amelia, hitting her leg and causing her to cry out in pain, slapping her leg to put out the flame. Darius blasted a force of energy at the demon, imploding him into rotting dust.

  The immortal vampires charged against the demons, pulling back like the tide, and then charging in again. Out of the corner of her eye, Elizabeth saw Godfrey had spotted Obadiah the witch finder, and he was heading in his direction.

  He shouted to Digby and Greaves, “Come fellows, there’s the bloody witch finder what tried to roast the two of you and killed Selena and Serena so horribly. Let’s get him.”

  They hurled themselves upon Obadiah, stabbing him in the throat again and again until he disintegrated into black powdered dust.

  “Way to fight,” Amelia cheered Godfrey on. Just then, she spun around and lopped off a demon’s wing, rolling away on the ground to avoid the sparks of energy he shot in her direction.

  Elizabeth realized she’d been paying too much attention to what the others were doing and Julian had managed to break her away from the others and now had her cornered in a deep recess of the ruins. She couldn’t even see Darius or Amelia for the dust and the flames enveloping her.

  He spread his wings out, blocking her from the view of the others and creating an impenetrable blanket of darkness surrounding them. She heard the battle between the immortals and the demons, but she could see only Julian, his clotted breath resounding in her ears, his stench filling up her lungs. The chasm vibrated and rolled, she heard the moaning of agonized creatures coming from the abyss, and the moss-like tentacles broke the chasm open even wider.

  “Look down, Elizabeth. See what awaits those who are damned for all eternity.”

  “I don’t want to see,” she said in a small, choked voice.

  “What will happen to you if you can’t recapture your soul? A psychic vampire demon may one day turn you into one of us. We are growing in power, you see.”

  She turned her head away so he couldn’t consume her breath. What indeed would happen to her if she couldn’t regain her soul? A dark, purple light emanated from Julian’s wings and the glow seemed to spread out in tentacles. Elizabeth exhaled sharply when a crushing weight pressed down upon her chest. She became mute and paralyzed with fear and a roaring filled her head. The pressure increased while the sounds around her grew louder and more discordant.

  The outside edges of Julian’s wings now darkened and the black tentacles reached out to her and wrapped around her chest, squeezing tighter and tighter. “I beg you to stop,” she said.

  “What will you do for me if I do stop?” Julian’s eye sockets glowed red and he stared into her eyes.

  “Tell me what you want.” The tentacles released her, and she drew in deep, healing breaths.

  “I want you to give me Darius. I want his life force.”

  “I have no power to give you that.”

  “You do have that power, Elizabeth. You have a field of pure energy surrounding you. Because Darius loves you, you can attract him into this force field, and I can destroy his body form while taking in his life force.”

  “And if I don’t?”

  “You’ll never regain your soul and I’ll make you my own psychic vampire demon. I have the power now. You’ll belong down there.” He pointed down into the abyss where demons writhed and moaned. “Go ahead. Call him to us.”

  Unable to trust her voice, Elizabeth nodded. She closed her eyes, letting the forces build up inside her, allowing her deep yearning to cry out to Darius. When she dared open her eyes, she saw Julian had lowered his wings and the darkness had disappeared. She could see all the carnage and commotion taking place in what was left of St. Paul’s while the immortal vampires continued battling the psychic demons. Flames and ash rose up to the sky. A blinding flash of lightning lit up the rubble and thunder rumbled in the distance.

  Elizabeth’s heart stopped when Darius burst through the flames, brandishing his jeweled sword.

  “Julian,” he roared, and he leapt between Elizabeth and the demon.

  She watched black tentacles coming out of Julian’s wings, worming their way toward Darius. She saw him catch his breath and glance in her direction with a look of surprised betrayal. He knew her so well—he knew she’d intended to betray him. Shame made her eyes sting and guilt dug into her chest. How could she have done such a thing?

  A whisper echoed in her heart. Elizabeth shook her head and listened closely. She realized God hadn’t given up on her. He was still safeguarding her soul. She closed her eyes and concentrated until a ball of energy formed inside her chest.

  In her inward mind, she saw her baby girl and her sister smiling at her with their arms outstretched. A white-hot energy pulsed through her veins, and with strength she didn’t realize she possessed, she released the energy into the air. She held her breath and watched the white light expand until it had swallowed up Julian’s dark tentacles.

  “How dare you break our agreement?” Julian tossed a bolt of lightning at her and Darius.

  They ducked out of the way, and Elizabeth said, “Our vow is with God—not with the devil’s demons.”

  Chapter 37

  Julian drew closer, and with each bolt of energy Darius hurled, the demon met him with an equal power. Darius could destroy the other demons, but felt helpless against Julian. Even though his great wings were singed from his previous battles, he grew stronger.

  Darius threw his cape around Elizabeth in an effort to protect her from the flames. His arms and shoulders were already blistered by flames.

  “Don’t fight for me. Leave me to my destiny.” She tossed aside his cape and clutched the holy wood from St. Paul’s, keeping the demons from completely closing in on them. Still, Darius kept on fighting the relentless demons.

  Elizabeth must have sensed he was going to fight for her until the bitter end, because she drew away from him. “Leave,” she begged him. “Why should you want any part of a soulless creature like me? I don’t deserve your loyalty after betraying you.”

  The demons crept closer, and Darius drew her so close he tasted the salt of her tears. “How can you think so little of me you would imagine I’d abandon you? Don’t you remember when I had no soul, and yet you loved me?”

  Her breath caught on a broken sob. “Darius, I’m so sorry, I can’t . . .”

  He pressed his finger to her lips. “Nothing matters but the fact I love you and you love me.”

  Bestial howling interrupted them and the demons closed in, but suddenly twelve snarling wolves charged Julian and the eight psychic demons halted. Darius watched the wolves dive at the demons, their sharp teeth ripping into the throats of the rotting corpses.

  As the demons battled the wolves, Darius again wrapped Elizabeth in his cloak and dragged her away from the desperate fight.

  “Don’t Lance and the others need our help? How can we desert them?”

  “Let’s not distract them. Follow me.” In three quick strides, he pulled her away, and then dragged her out into the churchyard.

  “What are we doing? Running away?”

  “We must find a stone large enough to cover the abyss.”

  “How will that help?” She stared suspiciously. It was apparent to him she wanted nothing more than to plunge back into the battle in order to save the shape-shifters.

  Darius found an enormous flat stone that must have broken off from a mausoleum. “This looks like it might be the right size.” When he tried to lift it, he found it too heavy, even for his great strength. “I’m going to need your help.”

  Elizabeth leaned down to help lift the immense stone, but a huge shadow crossed over them. When she spun around, Julian grasped her by the throat, lifting her off the ground with one claw-like hand.

  Watching Julian’s scaly hands snake around her slender, porcelain neck, Darius let out an anguished scream that thundered to the heavens. Again and again he’d tried to protect
those he loved, and yet he was doomed to failure. He raised the jeweled sword to strike at Julian’s heart, but the demon shot out a bolt of energy that knocked the sword out of his hand and flung him on his back.

  A dark cloud blocked his view of Julian and Elizabeth. Darius tried to sit up, but a leather-clad foot pressed down upon his throat and his eyes met the hawk-like face of his former emperor. “Would thou die a coward’s death?” he roared. “Have you forgotten your heritage from a lion’s womb? Remember our ancient past where those such as Emperor Constantine ruled the world. He would never forget to whom he owed his greatest allegiance.”

  “Forgive me, Emperor.”

  “Don’t ask my forgiveness. Now get up and show the world where your power lies.”

  “I’ll try.”

  “Don’t try—do it. Evil is never allowed to triumph over good.” Charlemagne released him and tossed back his mighty jeweled sword.

  Darius, with sword in hand, charged toward Julian, who kept Elizabeth clutched to his chest. Blood streamed down onto her breast from gashes Julian had made along her throat. The redness of the blood against her milky white skin caused a fury to coil in his heart that made him roar even louder than Charlemagne, “Release her, you devil, or you’ll die a thousand deaths.”

  Darius watched Elizabeth seize the claw-like hand holding her by the throat and trying to rip it away, but Julian held tighter. She gouged his horrid, blood-red eyes, but he gave his horrible laugh.

  “Give up, Darius, or your beloved is worse than dead. You’re the weakest demon slayer I’ve ever known.”

  With a roaring in his ears, Darius spread his legs wide like two giant oaks and raised both arms, causing purple and blue flames to flash from his fingertips through his sword. The force caused Julian to drop Elizabeth and fight back. The energy blasting between them made the air snap and crackle with their rage.

  “Lord have mercy,” Darius shouted out, slicing through one of Julian’s leathered wings. It dropped to the ground and Julian shrieked in agonizing pain. Still, the demon battled on, shooting hot flames toward him.