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could move. Julian whirled immediately and went for the second target, his fist slamming into the wall of
the chest, driving through muscle, bone, and sinew until he reached the one thing that could destroy the
lesser vampire. The corrupt, pulsating heart was in the palm of his hand when he withdrew it from the
chest, stepping back quickly from the screaming undead.
The tainted blood spewed everywhere as the vampire insanely spun around in circles before falling to the
ground, where he convulsed hideously. Julian was moving again, drawing energy from the lightning arcing
from cloud to cloud overhead. The bolt hit the writhing body, incinerating it immediately. The flames then
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jumped to the heart where Julian had tossed it. In seconds the lesser vampire was nothing more than
smoking ashes. And Julian simply vanished as if he had never been.
Desari's breath slammed out of her lungs when the clawed fingers of the ancient vampire circled her
neck. His touch was vile, making her skin crawl. The air around him was foul, and she didn't want to
breathe it. Julian had destroyed the other vampire so quickly she was barely aware he had done so
before he dissolved, leaving no trace of himself anywhere. She was completely confident in him. She
didn't stop to think why, but she knew with a certainty beyond anything she had ever known that he had
not deserted her.
"Why have you been stalking me, old one?" she inquired softly, using her voice as the weapon it was.
The musical notes raked at the evil one.
The vampire flinched and hissed, his poisonous talons pinching her skin in warning. "You will not speak,"
he ordered, spitting and growling as the words burst out of him.
"I am sorry," she replied gently, her voice soft with innocence. She was determined to give Julian every
advantage.
The vampire was turning her in every direction, using her slender body as his shield, all the while keeping
a razor-sharp talon pressed over her jugular vein. The tip pierced her skin, sending a thin trail of blood
trickling down her neck onto the white silk blouse she had donned on shifting. Her captor desperately
scanned the forest around them. He could find no trace of Julian.
Above their heads, the owls began to shift their weight. Two of the mountain lions screamed, the
human-sounding cries eerie. Other animals paced restlessly, outside the invisible circle Desari had
created. Their eyes glowed fiercely as lightning continued to arc among the clouds.
"Your hero has deserted you," the vampire taunted her, his hate-filled eyes searching the night endlessly.
"You believe that I need him to save me? I am an ancient. I can defend myself. Besides, you do not wish
to slay me. You have not stalked me time after time simply to rid the world of my presence." Her voice
was like velvet, the notes musical. "You have challenged two of the most powerful ancients I know to get
to me. You would do this and then slay me? I do not think so, old one."
His fingers tightened around her throat with bruising force, threatening to cut off her air. She laughed
softly, tauntingly. "You think to frighten me with your empty threats? Your stench is more likely than your
fingers to take my breath from me."
The undead hissed in her ear, spat curses and threats, but suddenly he screamed, dragging her
backward and spinning wildly, attempting to escape the flames erupting all over his rotting clothing and
flesh.
The vampire wrenched Desari's hair cruelly in retaliation for Julian's unexpected assault. But as he did
so, the owls launched themselves from every direction, a hundred strong, talons extended, going directly
for the vampire's glowing eyes. The beating wings created a swirling frenzy of leaves and twigs and pine
needles, obliterating sight. Desari ducked as the owls rushed at the vampire's head. A huge owl, his
feathers soaked in blood, materialized out of thin air, strong, curved talons outstretched. They bypassed
the vampire's eyes and went straight for its chest. Even as the talons bore into flesh, the other owls were
raking and slashing at the vampire's face, keeping him howling and off balance, unable to use his power
and ancient skills.
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Desari dropped to the ground and covered her head, but not one of the birds even scratched her. Julian
had orchestrated the battle perfectly, giving the undead no time to harm her. She lay perfectly still,
forgetting for the moment that she, too, could disappear. The sound of ripping flesh was terrible, the
screams of the vampire unearthly. It wasn't until his foot touched her that Desari remembered to dissolve
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