Eternal War Rising to the South: The Beynok Vampire Series by Erika Bradshaw Page A

room, I watched him push through the individual battles going on all around. He was the tallest thing I had ever laid eyes on, wearing dirty war-stained rags for clothes. He was covered in blood, and his pitch black eyes told me he was hungry as hell for me. I guess I would be angry, too, if I’d shown up with the numbers he did and hadn’t achieved a kill yet. His numbers were growing smaller, and the odds rolled to our favor. I could sense his desperation and his failure in leading this shameful army.
    The giant vampire was closing in on me as he walked through the middle of a battle between El and a Vendennare. He took El completely by surprise as he wrapped one of his hands around her throat and snapped it. His black eyes latched onto mine. “I am here for you, princess,” he said.
    He launched his body through the air toward me. Sorin was on the stairway, only a few steps above me. He pushed me down, out of the way, and the giant vampire landed on top of him.
    I saw the vampire lunge, stabbing Sorin in the chest, just missing his heart. A need to protect him surged through my body. I was headed to Sorin’s rescue when a pain in my back took me to my knees. A werewolf had clawed me, and deep. I rolled over on my back quickly as I went down. I knew that was the only way I could defend myself. He was quickly on top of me, snapping at my face. My legs were still intact, and I had to use them. The adrenaline traveling my veins helped me to enclose its neck with my legs and squeeze. I heard the crack of the bones and knew I had snapped its neck. I’d have to finish it off later. Right then, I needed to get to Sorin.
    When I turned, Sorin and the giant vampire were nowhere in sight. I looked around the room at my teammates. They were finishing off a couple of remaining Vendennares and one werewolf. Where was Sorin? Oh my God, where was he?
    Vladimir was at my side. “What’s wrong, Anya? We’ve won. Why do you look panicked?” He was shaking my shoulders. “Anya, we’ve won. Are you hurt? Are you saddened by the loss of El? She’ll rise again. It’ll be okay.”
    I could only manage to say, “Sorin.” I needed to lay eyes on him. I felt desperate.
    “I’m here Anya.” I pulled my shoulders out of Vladimir’s grip, turned, and saw Sorin at the entrance to the back porch. A breath of relief pasted through my lips and my heart beat again at the sight of him. Corbin and Serenity were standing behind him. The room fell silent and a clarification needed to be made, and fast, between the three remaining vampires and my team.
    “Vladimir, say something.” I had to stand between the three vampires and my team.
    “Fine, I will.” He looked at the others and said, “They were here tonight to help us. Our fight isn’t with them. They’re not the enemy, at least not today.”
    I faced Sorin again. I couldn’t go to him as I wanted. It wouldn’t be right to do something like that in front of my team or to do something like that ever. Vampires and every other species except humans are our enemy. In their eyes, that would be a betrayal. I could never allow my team to feel that way about me. Could I?

 
    10 – Choices
     
    Vladimir allowed Sorin and his friends to stay down in the basement for the day. By the time the battle ended, dawn was too close to turn them out. The truce would end at dusk, and Vladimir had no qualms about saying so.
    Sorin, Corbin, and Serenity had chased away the vampire that wanted me dead so badly. They said the giant vampire’s name was Gallagher, and he was a high-ranking vampire in their society. It was hard to believe they even had a society. I thought they were all savages. I never thought having the inside scoop on vampire life would be possible, but Corbin and Serenity were eager to share, and I wondered why.
    I helped clean up and made sure the bodies left were dead for good, meaning I severed their heads from their bodies. It was ten in the morning, and by this time, most of our