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Chapter 195
The four vampires headed back toward their cavern. With several hours left before dawn, they were in no particular hurry, especially Kristi and Marcio, who trotted side by side. Dara and Genevieve were not in any rush to leave the cool, fresh open air either, so they did not begrudge the slow pace of their companions.
Eventually, with less than an hour before the gray fingers of dawn began to paint the eastern horizon, they arrived near the entrance to their sanctuary. Marcio drew to a halt a few hundred feet from the opening, out of sight of anyone who might be watching from inside. The others stopped beside him.“We’re here,” he told Kristi. “The entrance to our cavern is just ahead.”“You live underground?” Kristi asked, surprised.Genevieve grinned. “Where did you think we lived, in some beautiful glass house in the middle of the woods? You’ve been watching too many movies.”“I, uh, hadn&rRelated chapters
Leesa's Advent Chapter 196
Sunday night, it was all over the news. Just as Leesa had foreseen in her dream, zombies had attacked people in a mall in Columbus. Fortunately, the police managed to destroy the creatures before they hurt too many people. At least one of the cops had known enough to shoot for the zombie’s heads, and the other cops had followed his example. At first, the officers had tried to stop the things by pulling them away, but after one policeman got his arm ripped open by a vicious bite, the police had turned to their weapons. The wounded officer was being held under close observation at a local hospital. The media had not been allowed to see him.Only one person had died—an Ohio State football player who had been at the front of the group of shoppers trying to hold the door closed against the zombies. The authorities were not calling them zombies—the official line was they were people who had been ravaged by some fast acting flesh-eating bacteria—but the most
Leesa's Advent Chapter 197
The next week passed fairly uneventfully, for which Leesa was profoundly grateful. She practiced her magic every evening, caught up on her schoolwork, and even managed to somehow score an A on a history test, despite the tumultuous weekend and missed class time of the previous week. Without Dominic to help her—and without the extra magic from underground in the volkaane settlement—her progress with her magic was slow. But at least it was steady.The zombie story in Ohio had died down, at least on the television news. It was still all over the internet, of course. The bodies had been spirited away to a hidden government research lab, but that didn’t stop the bloggers and conspiracy people from posting their opinions. The most popular explanation for the creatures seemed to be secret medical experiments gone awry. Other theories included a toxic waste spill, a terrorist attack, aliens from outer space, a plague of some kind, and even global warming, though Lee
Leesa's Advent Chapter 198
The ride in Rave’s arms was much different this time. The speed was still thrilling and the strength in his arms kept Leesa feeling loved and secure. What was missing was his heat. Without his amazing warmth, she was forced to keep her face buried against his chest and her hands balled up in the sleeves of her windbreaker for protection against the cold air that whipped against her skin. Despite the cold, she couldn’t think of any other way she’d rather travel, especially with the feel of his heart beating strongly against her cheek, giving her a feeling of reassurance she sorely needed right now. She pressed her face more tightly against his breast.She was less disappointed than usual when he finally put her down on the path outside Balin’s cabin. For the first time, the ride had felt just long enough, rather than way too short. She didn’t like the feeling at all. She hoped they got to the bottom of all this quickly.The door to Balin&rs
Leesa's Advent Chapter 199
For the first time since way back at the beginning of their relationship, Leesa felt a bit awkward around Rave. That was totally normal, she told herself. Balin had just given them permission to do what she had been longing to do for months—kiss for as long as they wanted without worrying about her safety. They were both pretty inexperienced with this stuff, so it was only natural to feel a little nervous. She gave Rave’s arm a squeeze. “Talk about a silver lining,” she said, smiling. “I’m just sorry it had to be because of something like this, with your fire being weakened.” “I’m not,” Rave said. He reached up and tenderly brushed a few stray strands of Leesa’s hair away from her forehead. “I told you I would give up my fire for you. I meant it.” Leesa sighed. Even without his heat, she still thrilled to his touch. “And I meant it when I said I would never let you do that.” Rave gently cupped her head in his strong hands, his fingers entwined
Leesa's Advent Chapter 200
By the time Balin returned, Leesa and Rave were sitting in front of the fireplace, holding hands and talking quietly. The slow burning fire was mostly embers now, but neither of them had felt the need to add any wood. A pewter mug of water—half empty now—rested on the chair beside Leesa. The bearskin rug was back in its usual place in the middle of the floor. To Leesa’s disappointment, Rave had put his shirt back on.True to his word, Balin knocked and waited to be invited in before entering.Once inside, his eyes swept the interior of the cabin before fastening on Leesa and Rave. Leesa was sure he noticed some kind of change in his sleeping mat and in the position of the bear skin. If he did, he didn’t say anything about it.“I trust you two enjoyed your time alone?” he asked, smiling.Leesa returned his smile. She was pleased to discover she did not feel awkward at all.“Yes, Rave was very comforting,&rdq
Leesa's Advent Chapter 201
Waiting with Rave on the side of the lightly traveled highway, Leesa spied her mom’s car approaching in the distance. A moment later, she could see Bradley behind the wheel. She smiled and waved to him.Bradley swung the car in a tight u-turn and pulled over on the shoulder in front of Leesa and Rave. He switched off the engine and climbed out. He was wearing a jeans and a gray sweatshirt, which he zipped halfway up against the chill.As soon as he came around the front of the car, Leesa bounded forward and enveloped him in a tight hug. She hadn’t seen her brother in almost a week and as usual, was happy to see him. Until Rave, Bradley had always been the most important person in her life. Ever since his return from the vampire caverns, her time with him had become especially precious.Finally, she let go of him and stepped back.“Thanks for coming to get me,” she said.“No problem.” Bradley nodded hello to Rave
Leesa's Advent Chapter 202
Thousands of miles away, the Necromancer pushed his heavy body away from his magical table and leaned back in his favorite chair. Unlike Leesa, he was having no unusual problems with his magic, but he was just as frustrated and impatient. Sensing his mood, the four novitiates watched him closely, hoping he would not take his discontent out on them. Each had felt his wrath before, and it was never pleasant.The Necromancer had just listened to his black waziri lieutenants report that although they remained on Dominic’s trail, the wizard was still managing to elude them. Apparently, a hundred years on the run had taught Dominic a number of tricks that the black waziri had so far been unable to overcome.The Necromancer decided it was time to make an adjustment in his plans. He turned to two of the novitiates, Makenzi and Matthew.“You two will be joining your masters in America,” he said. “I am bringing Viktor back here, to help me with my
Leesa's Advent Chapter 203
Sunday evening, Leesa was alone in her room, studying her psychology book. She wondered if there was anything inside that would tell her why she was missing Rave so fiercely already, when she had just seen him the day before. She was used to going days without seeing him, but guessed that her feelings had something to do with having no idea how long it might be until she saw him again.A soft knock sounded at her door. She wondered who it might be—she wasn’t expecting anyone. She knew it wasn’t Cali, because Cali’s knock was louder and faster, as if the door was an obstacle that needed to be removed as soon as possible. Leesa closed her book and crossed to the door. When she pulled it open, she found herself staring into an unfamiliar face.The woman was a few inches shorter than Leesa, with long, wavy silver hair cascading down across her shoulders. She was wearing a knee-length, dark red knit sweater jacket over black pants. Her unlined face w
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