Leah steeled her nerves, preparing herself for the impending attack. Dougal would be so disappointed if she didn't do a kickass job of defending herself.
Lord Qing zoomed forward, and she whipped out the spoon, aiming at his chest. Suddenly, she was tossed back onto her rear, and the spoon went flying through the air. Shocked, she watched it shoot straight into Darafer's hand.
He laughed, showing her the spoon. "You were going to defeat me with this?"
She scrambled to her feet.
Darafer's smile disappeared, replaced with a cold, harsh glare. "You will be attacked. The only way to stop it is to join me."
Lord Qing pounced on her with vampire speed, pushing her back onto the ground. She struggled, but his superior strength kept her pinned down. His fangs popped out, long, lethal, and sharp.
Guang giggled. "Bite her, bite her!"
Leah shook her head, but Lord Qing pressed down on her and held her head still.
She gritted her teeth. This wouldn't kill her. Think of it as a blood donation. She'd donated before. It was no big deal.
"I can stop him," Darafer whispered. "You know what to do."
She bit her lip. Darafer wasn't going to let her die. He wanted her alive.
The fangs scraped her neck.
"Stop," Darafer said.
Lord Qing hissed, opening his mouth to bite.
"I said stop." Suddenly Darafer was inside her cell, and with a flick of his hand, Lord Qing fell back.
Darafer gave her an annoyed look. "You won't join me to save yourself?"
Lord Qing stood, his eyes glowing. "You promised me blood," he hissed with his fangs still protruding.
Darafer motioned to the next cell. "Feed on him. Drain him dry if you want."
Guang gasped, then screamed when Lord Qing teleported into his cell. "No! Save me, master!"
The vampire leaped on him and sank his fangs into his neck.
With a sick churning in her stomach, Leah looked away. But she could still hear the sucking noises.
"He's going to die, you know." Darafer crossed his arms. "Since you refuse to save yourself, maybe you'll save someone else. I'll stop the vampire if you ask me to. If you agree to join me."
Leah squeezed her eyes shut. How could she agree to be evil?
"It's hopeless, you know," Darafer whispered. "If you let him die, I'll just bring in more to kill. Maybe a few children could change your mind."
"Stop."
"Hmm. It might be too late for Guang. I think he's a goner."
"Stop!" She rose to her feet.
Darafer smiled. "Are you agreeing to join me?"
"I will not let you kill anyone." She lifted her chin. "But get this straight, demon. You might force me to do evil, but I will never agree to it. I have free will, and you can't take that away from me."
Darafer's eyes narrowed. "You think so?" His face grew harsh and ugly. "You think you can outsmart me with your precious free will? I'll show you how weak and pathetic you are!"
He morphed into a large black wolf with glowing red eyes. With a snarl, he advanced toward her.
Leah ran, but there was nowhere to go. Soon he had her cornered. God help me, she thought just as he pounced.
She cried out when his jaws clamped down on her shoulder.
Chapter Thirty
Dougal paced impatiently in the courtyard at Tiger Town. The were-tiger men had agreed to help them attack one of Master Han's camps, but the idea of spying didn't appeal to them. None of them wanted to be separated from their families for the months the job might require. Only Rajiv's cousin Jia had volunteered.
"Absolutely not!" Rajiv fussed at her in Chinese. "It's too dangerous."
"I'm going!" Jia ascended a step on the staircase leading to the palace so she could stand eye to eye with her cousin. "My parents were slaughtered by Master Han, so I have every right to seek revenge. Just as much as you!"
Rajiv planted his hands on his hips. "You're too young and pretty. The vampire lords will want to feed on you."
"Let them try." Jia drew a dagger from her belt.
"They're stronger than you!" Rajiv yelled. "They'll force 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."
Dougal's heart stuttered. Something was wrong. Terribly wrong. "If you're able to get involved, then that means Darafer has broken a rule?"
"The decree of free will has been violated," Briathos said quietly. "A child of God has been forced into evil."
A chill swept down Dougal's spine. "Who?"
Briathos regarded him sadly. "Leah Chin."
"No!" Dougal roared. He clenched his hands and shouted his rage to the heavens. Blood rushed to his head till he thought he would explode. With another shout, he smashed his prosthetic hand into the tiger statue, demolishing its head.
"Dougal!" Connor pulled him back. "We need to stay strong."
He shoved Connor back. "He should have taken me!" The damned demon should have taken him. Not Leah. She hadn't even wanted to learn how to shoot, she'd been so fearful of hurting someone. How could she survive surrounded by evil? How could he have failed her so completely?
"Everyone, prepare yerselves," Angus ordered. "We're going into battle."
The Vamps and shifters rushed off to the nearby building where extra weapons and ammo had been stashed.
Dougal strode toward the God Warriors. "How can I save her from evil?"
Briathos sighed. "There is no cure for a demon bite."
Dougal's prosthetic hand snapped into a tight fist. "He bit her?"
"He took the shape of a black wolf and bit her. She has been infused with evil. The only way to save her is to return Darafer to hell. Then she will return to normal."
"Then let's do it!" Dougal drew his claymore. "Where is she? Take me to her now!"
Briathos regarded him calmly. "All will be revealed in due course."
"What? What the hell does that mean?"
Briathos arched a brow. "It means all will be revealed in due course."
"I want to go now, dammit!"
"Dougal," Connor whispered. "Be respectful to the angel."
"I'm going crazy!" Dougal shouted, then turned back to Briathos. "Where is she?"
"You will have your answer - "
"When?" Dougal yelled.
Briathos frowned. "Soon."
Dougal stalked away, shouting his frustration. What did soon mean to an angel? A thousand years?
The Vamps and shifters returned to the courtyard, armed to the teeth. Rajiv's cousin Jia had joined them, armed with a sword and three daggers.
Headlights glowed in the distance as a vehicle approached the village. Were-tigers gathered around the jeep as it came to a stop on the riverbank.
"Dougal, behold." Briathos motioned to the jeep. "Your answer has come. And Leah's good work has been rewarded."
The were-tigers escorted the driver of the jeep up the stairs to the courtyard.
He was dressed in black with a long, hooded robe. When he pushed the hood back, J.L. gasped.
"Wu Shen?" J.L. approached him. "What are you doing here?"
"Who is that?" Angus demanded.
"He's one of Master Han's top officers," Dougal explained.
Wu Shen gave them all a wary look. "I trust you will not kill me since I come with valuable information. I know where Dr. Leah Chin is being held."
"Why should we trust you?" J.L. asked. "You could be leading us into a trap."
Wu Shen lifted his arms. "I carry no weapons. I am at your mercy. My sister and her family were from the village that Dr. Chin saved. My niece, Yu Jie, told me how they were enslaved. I will take you to Darafer's camp."
"How many men does he have?" J.L. asked.
"Forty-five soldiers," Wu Shen replied. "Several servants. And Lord Qing is there."
Rajiv sucked in a breath. "Did you hear that, Grandfather? I will avenge my father."
"I will come with you," the Grand Tiger said.
"Me, too," Jia added.
"How far away is it?" Dougal asked in Chinese.
"About three hours by car," Wu Shen answered.
"Or three seconds if you travel with us," Briathos added, then gave Dougal a wry look. "Will that be fast enough for you?"
Leah jerked awake, her vision blurred with a red haze, and her head pounding with a constant throb of raging emotion. Hate. Hate. Hate.
Anger slithered through her veins. Fury scorched her skin, hot and relentless. She wanted death. Destruction. Suffering.
She jumped to her feet and stretched. A surge of power rippled through her muscles. She was strong. Invincible. Her heart thundered in rhythm to her pounding head.
Hate. Hate. Hate.
She glanced over at the neighboring cell, where Guang lay, his throat ripped out, his clothes drenched in blood.
And she smiled.
"That's my girl." Darafer moved from the shadow, his eyes gleaming with pride.