Dark Peril Page 0,165

at the foot of the building, under the eaves, out of sight of the guards. He went up the side of the building fast, skittering up the wall like a lizard, leaping onto Felipe's back, teeth tearing at his neck. The first shot got him through the back of his skull, the second through his back and straight through his heart. His form shattered, he spun around, face covered with blood, eyes blazing madly, looking toward the forest. He leapt into the air, beginning to shift when the lightning struck him, incinerating him so that ashes rained down into the mass of frenzied vampires ripping and tearing, gulping bright, hot blood.

Solange wiped the sweat from her face, her stomach lurching. She'd never seen anything like the chaotic bloodbath taking place. The undead devoured everything in sight, tearing at each other, snapping and biting like a wild pack of starved animals. She was used to the laws of the forest, but this was something altogether different. Sweat dripped into her eyes and she reached again to wipe it away. Her cat leapt just as the muffled sound of powerful wings from above registered. She rolled from the cradle of the tree, catching a liana and using her forward momentum to carry her to the next tree. She'd lost the rifle, but her crossbow and arrows were around her neck and she had a knife strapped to her thigh.

The harpy eagle screamed as it missed, the huge talons snatching empty air. Razor-sharp, the size of a grizzly bear's claws, she would have been seriously injured had the large bird managed to sink those talons into her.

Solange, talk to me.

Dominic's calmness steadied her. She fit an arrow into her crossbow and studied the night sky. The eagle was circling, preparing for another attack. Lightning forked the sky, allowing her to see the huge bird coming closer.

A little glitch. Your friend Akos sent the harpy eagle after me. He's directing the attack. You might want to take him out for me so I don't have to shoot this beautiful bird.

Do not take chances, Solange. Shoot it if you have to.

Solange timed the bird's attack, allowing her cat to guide her reflexes. As the eagle approached, soaring low in the canopy, dropping rapidly, the heavy wingbeats were a warning in her head. She waited, counting silently to herself. She didn't want to kill the magnificent creature, not when she knew a vampire was using it to attack her. Ordinarily the bird would never have done such a thing--unless she was too near a nest.

The talons nearly raked her face as she ducked back, but the bird had no way to turn, the branches too close and severely limiting the maneuverability of the eagle. The wings used powerful strokes to gain enough height to clear the branches and rise once more into the roiling sky. Heavy black clouds lit up around the edges with the sizzling lightning, revealing the eagle as it circled around toward her once more.

She tracked the bird with the crossbow, but something in her refused to kill it. There'd been too much killing today. She could still hear the screams, the terror, the sound of gunfire, and knew the remaining men were being slaughtered. All of those working at the laboratory had been fully aware that they were targeting women for kidnap, rape and death. She didn't have to like the manner in which they were dying, but at least they had chosen their own path. The harpy eagle was being forced into unnatural behavior.

Dominic hissed at her. I cannot find Akos. Kill the eagle and get to safety quickly. I will track him.

A warning. A command. Worry. Dominic thought the vampire was coming after her. She thought it more than likely the undead was using the opportunity to escape.

She braced herself to obey, watching as the eagle made its approach and then dropped fast out of the sky, talons extended for the grab. She timed the dodge a second time, realized those claws were larger than she had thought, and hurled herself out of the way. She flung her hand out, expecting to catch the liana she had marked for her safety rope, but she missed it, her palm scooping empty air.

There was no shifting in midair; all she could do was make herself as limp as possible and try to find soft vegetation. She landed hard, her air whooshing from her lungs, leaving her gasping for breath and unable to