The_Vampire_With_the_Dragon_Tattoo (Love at Stake #14) Page 0,96
you into being a concubine."
She turned pale.
Dougal groaned. As desperate as he was to find Leah, he couldn't allow an innocent girl to endanger herself.
"Jia," a voice called from the palace. The Grand Tiger descended the steps. "You will not go. I will."
"Grandfather, no!" Rajiv shouted.
The Grand Tiger gave him a stern look. "I will go. They will not suspect an old man who begs to be their servant."
"But Your Eminence - ," Rajiv started, but his grandfather waved him into silence.
"I grow tired of sitting on the throne all day," the Grand Tiger said. "I wish to end my days doing something useful for my people." He turned to Dougal and motioned toward Angus. "Tell your leader that I will infiltrate Master Han's camp and spy for you."
"What's going on?" Angus asked in English.
"His Eminence wants to spy for us." Dougal clenched his prosthetic hand. "This isn't going to work. It could take days to get a spy established in a camp and weeks before he could learn anything useful. We need to act now!"
"I understand yer - " Angus halted when bright lights suddenly lit up the sky. "What the hell?"
"It's a sign from the heavens!" the Grand Tiger exclaimed. He rushed down the remaining steps and knelt in the courtyard.
Rajiv rushed to his grandfather's side, and Jia took the other side, her dagger still drawn.
Dougal held a hand over his eyes as the light grew stronger and closer.
On the riverbank, were-tigers gathered, pointing at the sky.
The light divided into seven balls of fire that zoomed down to the courtyard, then hovered just inches above the stone pavement. Each fireball took on the shape of a man. Tall men, each one holding a sword extended toward the sky. Their figures flickered in the heat of the flames, then with a whooshing sound, the flames receded, rushing up their bodies and down their extended arms, till only their swords were left ablaze.
They wore pants and sleeveless tunics of royal blue. Gold bands circled their upper arms and wrists, and their chests were armored with breastplates of gleaming gold. Each one had shoulder-length hair, held back with a slender gold circlet that crossed their foreheads.
One stood in front of the other six, and when he turned his sword of fire, pointing it down to the ground, the others followed suit. They all lowered their arms, and when the tips of their swords tapped the pavement, the fires extinguished with another swoosh.
Rajiv and Jia fell to their knees beside their grandfather, and all three bowed.
Dougal leaned close and whispered in Chinese, "Does this happen here often?"
Rajiv shook his head. "Never."
"We are blessed," the Grand Tiger whispered.
Angus cleared his throat. "Welcome."
The leader gave them a curious look. "Fear not, dear souls. The Heavenly Father loves you greatly."
Dougal exchanged a look with Angus. "They must be angels."
The leader bowed his head. "You are correct. I am Briathos, commander of the Epsilons, fifth unit of the God Warriors."
A surge of hope swelled in Dougal's chest. "Then you've come to help us?"
Briathos sheathed his sword. "Our mission concerns the demon, Darafer."
"Great!" Dougal strode toward them. "Let's go. We need to rescue Leah."
Briathos held up a hand to stop him, then turned to Angus. "You will gather your forces here so we can attack."
"Right." Angus retrieved his sat phone from his sporran. "Rajiv, go wake up the shifters."
Rajiv dashed off to the guesthouses, while Angus quickly made some calls.
The Vamps teleported in, and after listening to Angus's quick explanation, they gawked at the angelic newcomers. Dougal studied them, too. The more he stared at them, the more solid they became, and the more detailed. Briathos had blue eyes and golden brown hair. The others behind him had hair ranging from blond to black.
What Dougal found strange was that if he looked away, then glanced back, their images seemed to shimmer for a few seconds before sharpening into focus once again. It was as if they were there, but not really there. He tried to recall everything Marielle had said about them. Most likely, they wouldn't kill Darafer but send him back to hell. That was fine with Dougal, as long as Leah was safe.
Connor approached him, smiling. "We'll be able to find Leah now."
Dougal nodded, then stepped toward the angels. "How is she? How is Leah?"
Briathos hesitated. The Epsilons behind him exchanged looks, then their leader finally answered, "Her guardian angel is in contact with us. She is . . . alive."