“Finn has his son, Jelte, and Lucas has his boy, Sem. We were using them to protect the boats with spears, harpoons and guns. It helped for a couple of weeks and then this happened.” He held up his arm. “Sea monster came up from under the boat and sank its teeth into my arm. Jesse grabbed me and stabbed at the monster’s neck with a spear. It broke away from me and disappeared. I treated the wound right away, but after a couple of days, it started to get red and swollen, even my hand.”
Knock now, Tora.Silke was beginning to feel a sense of urgency. When the knock came and Raik stiffened, she hastily assured him with a cheery smile. “That will be Tora with all the things we’ll need to knock out this infection.”
Chapter
4
Thunder boomed loudly. Dark clouds veined with lightning rolled across the night sky. The way the clouds looked as they rolled and boiled continuously seemed to be an ominous warning to the five men emerging from their sleep. Each had gone to earth apart from the others, as was their way.
Benedek awoke ravenous. Desperate for blood. The need consumed him. Whispers of temptation rebounded in his head. He found himself bursting into the turbulent sky even though he was aware the storm had been manufactured.
Benedek,Mataias cautioned.There are eyes in the clouds.
I am aware. My need for blood is all-consuming. I must find a town or city and indulge.He didn’t feel as if he had a choice. Need roared through his veins. He felt as if he hadn’t fed in centuries. It seemed as though feeding was all he could think about.
I, too, awoke starving,Nicu admitted.I saw the storm was not natural, and it didn’t matter to me. I cannot think of anything but feeding.
That sent a huge red flag to Benedek. It was insane that he felt so hungry and that the impulse to find sustenance was so overwhelming that it was more compulsion than instinct.
I also woke starved,Lojos said.I must feed immediately.He had also taken to the sky.
That really alarmed Benedek. Something was terribly wrong.Could compulsion be buried in the storm itself?
I am moving as fast as possible toward the small city,Tomas said.Hunger beats at me. The need for blood is paramount.
Wait!Benedek forced his brain to work when all it wanted to do was urge him to feed.Tomas, Lojos, Nicu, we’re caught in some kind of hideous trap.
He’s right,Nicu confirmed.We can’t give in to this compulsion.
Before we go to the city and get the blood we need, we must figure out what is happening to us,Benedek advised. He told the others what he knew to be true, but the thought of delaying feeding only deepened his craving. Every cell in his body urged him to continue with his flight. He needed. He wouldn’t survive if he didn’t fall on his prey and rip out their throats to get at the rich, hot blood.
The moment the thought entered his head, he was appalled. Shocked. He didn’t ever think that way. He didn’t feel anything other than the dark rush during battle. He had stopped hearing whispers of temptation to rip out throats centuries earlier. Why was it happening all over again and with such ferocity?
He forced his body to slow down.We need to talk,he told the others.Look for a place we can get together out from under the eyes of the storm.
I’m not certain I can wait,Lojos admitted.
I will lend my strength to yours,Mataias said.We cannot be lost after fighting for our honor all these centuries. Let me join with you, brother.
I fear whatever spell I’m under would have a chance to taint you as well, Mataias,Lojos protested.Better to lose one than all of us.
That is not the vow we took, Lojos.Mataias was firm.I will join with you. Open yourself to me.It was a firm, calm command.
Benedek was grateful at least one of his brethren could still think clearly. He took for granted his ability to always remain under perfectcontrol. The whispers of temptation to turn vampire had disappeared so many centuries earlier, the intensity of the drive had faded into his memories. Even accessing his memories, he had never had such a compulsion to feed or an urge to kill while feeding.
Ancients didn’t feel. It was that simple. He shouldn’t be experiencing such out-of-control emotions. He shouldn’t feel as if he had no choice but to feed on fresh blood, yet the thought consumed him, just as it did the others. Even Nicu, who was extremely strong, felt the effects of the compulsion.
Benedek spotted a boulder jutting out from the side of a mountain. A crack ran along the edge and straight through the boulder.If there’s a cave, we might be able to shelter out of sight of those watching eyes.
I’m close,Nicu said.Let me check it out. I don’t like the feeling of being herded. That’s the way it feels to me.
Benedek found it interesting that Nicu used the terms “feels” and “feeling.” They were ancients. They shouldn’t be feeling anything.
Why the storm if they aren’t throwing lightning spears at us?Tomas asked.
Benedek thought that was a good question. There was no doubt the storm was orchestrated by a vampire. Why weren’t they being attacked? There was far too much mystery about this bizarre situation. He’d been battling vampires and demons for centuries. He believed he’d seen it all. There hadn’t been anything new in all that time, and now, unexpectedly, when he was seeking his lifemate, a bizarre event was unfolding.
Nicu broke off from the others, shifting to mist to drop from sight, so the spies in the clouds couldn’t follow where he was going.
