smile darkened, and he circled closer. "Your entire life has been leading up to this moment."
Mavis knew what was coming, what had to happen next. She looked around for some weapon to defend herself but found nothing.
"Here's an idea," said Mavis. "Why not get to know a girl before you go all the way?"
Rapiarre stopped swimming and hung suspended just a few yards from Mavis. "But that would be like talking to a glass of wine," he said. "Why bother?"
Mavis took a step back and bumped into the altar. Time to play one last card.
"It's not too late to change," she said. "Let me tell you about Jesus Christ."
"I've already been born again," said Rapiarre. "Let me show you how it happened."
With that, he suddenly lunged at her.
Mavis ducked under the altar, barely escaping Rapiarre's grasp. Peeking through a slot between the slab and base, she saw him wriggle around for another charge.
He knows where I am! He'll get me this time!
But what could she do? Her only option, other than hiding under the altar, was to run for it...and she didn't have much hope of outrunning him in the thick atmosphere.
Through the slot in the altar, Mavis watched Rapiarre flash toward her, clawed hands extended. Then, he shot up out of view.
A heartbeat later, the Lampreyus dropped down beside her, upside-down and grinning. Mavis screamed.
"Don't be afraid, my love," said Rapiarre, touching her cheek with one ice-cold finger. "This is a gift."
Mavis cringed, squeezing herself into as tight a ball as she could. Anything to protect her throat from those fangs.
"This is holy." Rapiarre swung down right side up to face her, obsidian eyes glittering. "I will raise you from the dead. You will learn the true depth of your faith."
He leaned closer and licked his lips. "You will learn the true power of my love."
Mavis was seized by the urge to lash out, to do anything in a last-ditch desperate effort to save herself. She willed her muscles to bolt into action...but they wouldn't cooperate.
I'm paralyzed.
Rapiarre's forked black tongue snaked out and slithered around Mavis' lips. When his tongue slipped past her lips and fluttered around inside her mouth, Mavis wanted to gag.
But she couldn't move a muscle.
Rapiarre withdrew his tongue and nuzzled the side of Mavis' face. "So sweet," he whispered in her ear. "So juicy."
Then, his head slid down between her neck and shoulder. Purring like a cat, he lapped at a spot on the side of Mavis' throat.
This is it. He's going to turn me into a vampire.
And Mavis couldn't even scream or shut her eyes against the impending nightmare.
Â
*****
Â
Chapter 24
Â
Rapiarre licked Mavis' throat for what seemed like the hundredth time. By then, the panic had built up inside her to such a peak that she was ready to jump out of her skin.
Just get it over with!
As if in response to her thought, Rapiarre stopped purring and licking. "And now we join as one, my beloved," he whispered.
Then, she felt him draw back, and she heard him hiss. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw his mouth snap open wide, exposing fangs and rows of jagged teeth.
Oh my God! Here it comes!
Then, suddenly, Rapiarre sprang away from her in a fizzing, glittering cloud of atmosphere.
What now? Still toying with me?
But as Mavis regained the ability to turn her head, she saw that Rapiarre hadn't left her on his own. He'd been forcibly removed...and the remover was not yet done with him.
A giant of a man, seven feet tall and bursting with muscle, had his hands locked around Rapiarre's slender neck.
The Lampreyus pried at the man's hands with his claws, but they wouldn't let go. He thrashed the man with his blue-scaled tail, but the man wouldn't flinch.
"She's mine!" Rapiarre's voice was a pinched-off squeal. "You can't have her!"
The man's deep laugh boomed through the cavern. "What did you say, little leech?" Suddenly, the man wrenched Rapiarre's neck hard to one side.
Mavis heard a loud crack, and Rapiarre went
Mavis knew what was coming, what had to happen next. She looked around for some weapon to defend herself but found nothing.
"Here's an idea," said Mavis. "Why not get to know a girl before you go all the way?"
Rapiarre stopped swimming and hung suspended just a few yards from Mavis. "But that would be like talking to a glass of wine," he said. "Why bother?"
Mavis took a step back and bumped into the altar. Time to play one last card.
"It's not too late to change," she said. "Let me tell you about Jesus Christ."
"I've already been born again," said Rapiarre. "Let me show you how it happened."
With that, he suddenly lunged at her.
Mavis ducked under the altar, barely escaping Rapiarre's grasp. Peeking through a slot between the slab and base, she saw him wriggle around for another charge.
He knows where I am! He'll get me this time!
But what could she do? Her only option, other than hiding under the altar, was to run for it...and she didn't have much hope of outrunning him in the thick atmosphere.
Through the slot in the altar, Mavis watched Rapiarre flash toward her, clawed hands extended. Then, he shot up out of view.
A heartbeat later, the Lampreyus dropped down beside her, upside-down and grinning. Mavis screamed.
"Don't be afraid, my love," said Rapiarre, touching her cheek with one ice-cold finger. "This is a gift."
Mavis cringed, squeezing herself into as tight a ball as she could. Anything to protect her throat from those fangs.
"This is holy." Rapiarre swung down right side up to face her, obsidian eyes glittering. "I will raise you from the dead. You will learn the true depth of your faith."
He leaned closer and licked his lips. "You will learn the true power of my love."
Mavis was seized by the urge to lash out, to do anything in a last-ditch desperate effort to save herself. She willed her muscles to bolt into action...but they wouldn't cooperate.
I'm paralyzed.
Rapiarre's forked black tongue snaked out and slithered around Mavis' lips. When his tongue slipped past her lips and fluttered around inside her mouth, Mavis wanted to gag.
But she couldn't move a muscle.
Rapiarre withdrew his tongue and nuzzled the side of Mavis' face. "So sweet," he whispered in her ear. "So juicy."
Then, his head slid down between her neck and shoulder. Purring like a cat, he lapped at a spot on the side of Mavis' throat.
This is it. He's going to turn me into a vampire.
And Mavis couldn't even scream or shut her eyes against the impending nightmare.
Â
*****
Â
Chapter 24
Â
Rapiarre licked Mavis' throat for what seemed like the hundredth time. By then, the panic had built up inside her to such a peak that she was ready to jump out of her skin.
Just get it over with!
As if in response to her thought, Rapiarre stopped purring and licking. "And now we join as one, my beloved," he whispered.
Then, she felt him draw back, and she heard him hiss. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw his mouth snap open wide, exposing fangs and rows of jagged teeth.
Oh my God! Here it comes!
Then, suddenly, Rapiarre sprang away from her in a fizzing, glittering cloud of atmosphere.
What now? Still toying with me?
But as Mavis regained the ability to turn her head, she saw that Rapiarre hadn't left her on his own. He'd been forcibly removed...and the remover was not yet done with him.
A giant of a man, seven feet tall and bursting with muscle, had his hands locked around Rapiarre's slender neck.
The Lampreyus pried at the man's hands with his claws, but they wouldn't let go. He thrashed the man with his blue-scaled tail, but the man wouldn't flinch.
"She's mine!" Rapiarre's voice was a pinched-off squeal. "You can't have her!"
The man's deep laugh boomed through the cavern. "What did you say, little leech?" Suddenly, the man wrenched Rapiarre's neck hard to one side.
Mavis heard a loud crack, and Rapiarre went
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