Total pages in book: 155
Estimated words: 142916 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 715(@200wpm)___ 572(@250wpm)___ 476(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 142916 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 715(@200wpm)___ 572(@250wpm)___ 476(@300wpm)
Demons were incredibly dangerous, even the lesser ones. Silke didn’t try to invade or push her way into his brain. She didn’t look at his memories. Instead, she kept her energy low-key. She was searching for something, but it wasn’t him or any of the ancients. It wasn’t even Raik.
Benedek found himself growing tense. He had a bad feeling, and it was increasing. His gut reaction always heralded a bad scenario. Tora had woven strong safeguards. It wasn’t as if a vampire could get into the house, so what was coming?
He felt the change in Silke. All of them did. He was connected to the other ancients, and each of them had a visceral reaction to the flow of energy moving through their minds. This was still low and barely felt, but being so connected to her, Benedek felt power moving through him. Through all the ancients. He knew by their reactions they hadn’t expected a human woman to wield that kind of power when she stayed low-energy. What would she be like when she used every bit of power she had stored in her?
The ominous feeling grew in direct proportion to that subtle flow of energy. It took some time before he realized her energy filled his mind. Filled every space in the room. That was how slow and low-key she was. At no time did she try to hurry. When the ancients fought in battle they could be still and patient for hours, if need be, but they preferred a direct confrontation. Just get the job done and move on.
Benedek wished he could chance reading her mind. He already found her intriguing. Different. He didn’t want to distract her, and she seemed sensitive to their presence.
Without warning there was a swell of nearly overwhelming power. The energy engulfed and targeted the prefrontal cortex of his brain. He felt the other ancients’ shock. Like him, that part of their brain was completely surrounded by her power. It was as if she’d thrown a golden lasso and captured each of them. He still wasn’t certain what she was doing, so he stayed quiet and waited.
“Come to me,” Silke commanded in a whisper. Her voice may have been low, but it was authoritative and seemed to blast through his brain, rocking him. “Leave your host and come to me now.”
He felt a curious wrenching at the prefrontal cortex, as if she had hooked a piece of his brain and was slowly reeling it in. Her demeanor hadn’t changed in the least. Her facial expression appeared soft, serene even. He couldn’t hear an elevated heartbeat. She could have been drinking tea and chatting with her friends.
Whatever she pulled at in his brain tried briefly to fight her. He wasn’t doing that, and it alarmed him. Had she managed to call to the parasite the vampire had placed in his body? If so, she was doing the same to every ancient who had been infected. The revelation hit him too late. Not a vampiric parasite. They had expected the vampires to infect them with parasites. It was normal during a battle, but something else had slipped in with the parasites.
Demon. They each had a demon inside of them. Silke was calling to the demon in Raik, not realizing that there were four other demons responding to her command. He couldn’t warn her. That would distract her and possibly get her killed. The only thing he could do was wait until she dragged the demons from their brains and the creatures were out in the open. Only then would he be able to aid her.
Benedek was never tense going into a battle. He had every confidence after centuries of taking on master vampires and their lesser pawns. He found himself, for the first time in two thousand years, with his gut in knots and his lungs deprived of air. It shouldn’t have mattered to him. He didn’t know the slayer, but something about her drew him, compelled him to protect her. More, he was becoming proprietorial of her. He wanted her safe. Slaying demons wasn’t the safest of occupations.
* * *
—
Silke centered her attention on Raik, determined to pull the demon out without allowing it to harm its host. The serpent thrashed and snapped as she drew it from the delicate brain, keeping it completely surrounded so its vicious bite couldn’t kill Raik or cause brain damage. The pull on her strength was draining. Seriously draining. Worse than anything she’d ever experienced. That didn’t bode well for the coming battle. The serpent was exceptionally strong.
She took a breath and began to pull again, keeping her energy consistent despite the fierce resistance. It took her several deep breaths to realize, as she relentlessly extracted the demon from Raik’s brain, dragging it toward the man’s mouth, that the serpent wasn’t the only one. She felt the fierce fight from several directions in the room. At least four other points. For just that moment when the realization hit her, her heart accelerated. Automatically she slowed it.