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)
Elek was already lagging behind, allowing Odon to take the lead on his side. Frisi hissed and clacked his nails together, allowing a long stream of poisonous breath to escape toward Benedek while at the same time reprimanding Elek. The master vampire’s eyes suddenly widened, and he called out a warning, but it was too late. A large wolf sprang out of the trees and hit Odon full in the chest, claws ripping through the chest wall, the long snout tearing through muscle to get to the heart.
“Do you see?” Benedek asked, his voice even lower, so if the master vampire wanted to hear, he would have to give the hunter his full attention. “What did you do that made you such a powerful enemy that they would send you to your doom?”
Elek should have crept up behind Benedek. That was the plan. He had stopped and was staring in fear and awe at the saber-tooth wolf. His mouth was wide open in a soundless scream of sheer terror. Drool ran down his chin as saliva flew from his mouth in long streams of thick yellow-green poison. Tiny parasites wiggled in the strings and plopped to the ground each time the drool became long enough.
The master vampire looked at his pawn with disgust. He had given up watching the fight between Nicu and Odon as if he knew it was a foregone conclusion that Odon was doomed.
He waved his hand toward his remaining pawn. “This is what we have come to.”
Benedek shrugged and glided a step closer. “Your choice, Frisi. You took what you thought would be an easy hit and ran into five experienced ancients. You are already dead.”
“I have information to trade for my life.” Frisi’s voice turned sly.
“I do not trade information for the life of the undead.”
“Even when it involves your lifemate?” He indicated the wolf, now in the process of tearing apart Odon. “Or his? Or any of the others? You are traveling with a specific destination in mind. You will not reach that destination. The word has been sent to stop you.”
“What is the return to entice a master such as yourself? It must be huge for you to bother. You have never answered to anyone and yet you allow yourself to be used. It was your choice, Frisi,” he added to ensure the master vampire believed Benedek respected him.
Vampires were notoriously egotistical, particularly master vampires who wanted everyone around them to understand they were still living on earth due to their capabilities and clever, cunning wits. Flattery often got them talking, revealing things they wouldn’t ordinarily impart—especially to a hunter.
Benedek didn’t care about injuries to himself. Fighting a master vampire, it was inevitable to sustain wounds, but the thought didn’t cross his mind. Being injured, even severely, didn’t matter to him, despite knowing he had a lifemate. He couldn’t force himself to meet the dawn because he’d vowed to take down as many predators as possible. He didn’t renege on his vows or compromise his code. By stalling, he was giving Nicu time to defeat Odon and allowing Mataias, Tomas and Lojos to ensure that all the vampire underlings were destroyed.
They were hunters. Egos weren’t involved. They destroyed vampires and predators as fast and as efficiently as possible. No one cared who had the most kills or how experienced the vampire. They got the job done as quickly as possible with the least amount of damage to themselves. It made sense, especially when traveling fast, to use all resources, including all of them going up against the most experienced fighter.
“I was promised Carpathian blood for me and every one of my followers.” Frisi hesitated and then a look of cunning came over his face. “Allow me to go and I will tell you the plans to kill the woman in the village you seek. The one who is lifemate to one of you. Give me your word of honor that I will be unharmed.”
Benedek’s answer was a full-on attack. He moved with blurring speed straight at Frisi, the assault so unexpected that the vampire was unprepared as Benedek hit him hard, driving forward, impaling the undead on his outstretched knife hand. Frisi shrieked his fear and hatred and then spat poisonous venom at Benedek’s face and neck. His hands went up, those sharp talons made of steel, raking Benedek’s neck to open wounds to allow the venom to enter his bloodstream.
Frisi screamed for Elek to join with him, to attack the Carpathian hunter from behind. Benedek didn’t glance to his left or right, or even care if the pawn would attack his back. His only goal was to destroy Frisi. His only thought was to kill him and send him to the other world, where someone else could judge his sins. That wasn’t his job. It wasn’t personal. It was a matter of justice.