Chapter 9 Excerpt

Hi everyone. I know I haven't been blogging or posting recently, but I have had my hands full with blizzards and other life adventures. I think things have finally settled down so I am able to share another excerpt with you. Enjoy!


“I think we have a problem,” I answered without looking at Adam.

“And what problem is that?”

“Other vampires.”

“And that’s a problem?”

I raised my finger to my lips again. I had no time to answer his questions at the moment. I hoped that the other vampires wouldn’t notice us, but considering the group I was a part of, I figured that was probably as likely as jumping over the moon. Finally I nodded. “It could be,” I whispered. I edged to the right, trying to see the six. I saw the one and that’s when another flew at me. The others followed.

I whirled away from the one and parried the stake he was holding. I looked around and saw the other five fast closing in.

Fear raced through me as I struggled to stay calm and remember what I was taught. This had been the first time I had been attacked since I had become a vampire. In seconds, I weighed our situation. We were outnumbered, Adam was new and had no idea how to use any of his powers, and I was weak and inexperienced myself. I hadn’t felt this vulnerable in months ... almost a full year.

A few feet from me Adam tensed. “Not good, is it?”

“Not good,” I agreed, watching the six. They attacked again, three going after Adam, the other three going after me. I had never seen any of them before. I parried my first attacker and dragged him down to the ground. I turned just in time to fight off my second attacker. The third man came at me seconds later. I had barely managed to fight him off when the other two came at me again. After I threw a punch, one of them kicked me in the ribs hard enough to crack a couple. I doubled up cursing. As surprisingly well as I was fighting, I knew I didn’t have the strength left to fight off three of the attackers on my own.

I struck out again, and as I did so, remembered something Samuel had told me the first night I had gone out alone. “If you need help all you have to do is scream out to us with your mind.” I suddenly recalled his words with startling clarity. When we left earlier; he, Mary Anne, and Matthew were still at the house. The other four had gone out, hunting I assumed. Weakly fending off another blow, I screamed out telepathically to my housemates. < Samuel! Christy!> I shouted out a name from both groups not knowing which was closer.

I glanced at Adam, holding up fairly well– or at least as well as one could expect from a newborn vampire, and then refocused on my own fight. As I fought I looked for an escape route as well. I saw several openings but couldn’t get to them.

Presently, one of my attackers pulled out a knife as well. “Wonderful. The insane pointy teeth people have knives as well as stakes,” I grunted to myself. They launched themselves at me in a move I hadn’t expected. Their stab slashed open my arm and I weakened further.
I cradled my hurt arm against my body and continued to fight. I had no choice. I knocked one of the stakes from the hands of my attackers. I rolled away from another assailant and picked up the stake. I turned and threw it at one of Adam’s attackers. It went right through the heart. “All right,” I whispered. I turned again just to be hit square in the face. I staggered and fell to the ground.

This is great, I thought silently. I become a vampire and now I die.