Rise of the Dark Sun (The Blood Lust Plague Trilogy Book 1) by Kendall Pearce Page B

to your puny lifespan. You cannot defeat me, Micah. I will crush you!” As the man spoke, he lifted Micah off the ground and pummeled him back into the wall.
    Micah kicked and thrashed wildly, trying to get in a shot that would help his dying advantage, but there was nothing he could do. Even when he made contact with the man, he seemed unaffected.
    “Let her go…” Micah gasped, “Please…She has nothing for you.”
    The man laughed . “You lie. She has everything for me and you know it! You cannot keep it all for yourself, Micah. You must share her.”
    “No…” Micah swallowed hard, hissing through bared teeth.
    The man just continued to laugh.
    Samantha tried to stand up, but every time she tried and felt as though she made any progress, a wave of nausea would consume her, and somehow she would find her way back to the floor, never remembering the fall.
    Taking his axe and putting the blade to Micah’s throat, he said, “Once you’re out of my way, I will hunt down Constance and kill her so that she will not stand in my way . But fear not; your beloved Samantha will live a long and miserable existence as a slave: her blood sold and splattered, all at the whim of the highest bidder. It is a terrible life you have condemned her to, Micah. I hope you are proud of yourself and of your parting gift to the woman you claim to love.” With that, the man pulled the axe away and thrashed Micah down, onto the ground. Micah had little time to react before the axe was thrust into the air, above his head, ready to come down and execute him with a powerful, painful blow.
    Samantha watched this in horror and helplessness. Her heart was breaking and her will was stronger than ever, but her body would not move. Even before the axe fell, she felt hot tears of hate and mourning flow from her eyes and drip down he r cheeks.
    Then, something that could only be described as unthinkable happened. A blade ran through the other man’s neck, severing his head. As his body fell, the axe loosened from the dead vampire’s grasp, clanging to the space on the floor from which Micah had barely escaped.
    Micah staggered over to Samantha and held her close to him, burying his head in her shoulder . “I am so sorry…” he whispered.
    Although, now knowing that he was safe from harm, all Samantha wanted to do was succumb to the spell of exhaustion which consumed her. So, finally returned to the safely of Micah’s arms, Samantha fell asleep.
    Behind the lifeless, headless body of the vampire, whose head held eyes wide open, a gaping mouth and exposed fangs, another vampire stood, his fangs also protruding. He moved over to Micah and offered him his hand.
    With the arm that was not holding Samantha, Micah shook the other vampire’s hand. “Thank you. There is nothing in this world that I can do to repay you enough for what you have just done,” Micah said, looking down at Samantha.
    “No need. He was a criminal. He needed to be punished. My name is Simon and I am with the Vampire Government. I came tonight to ask you to come to the Vampire Consulate. Your…Samantha has created quite a stir with her research. It has been a long time since a Quencher has taken a genuine interest in our cause, and we would like to offer her protection.”
    Micah still did not like the sound of that, but realizing that, given the situation, he could not argue that Samantha needed protection, Micah knew he had to agree. “We will be there,” Micah assured Simon.
    “Come tomorrow night and bring Constance. She has been chosen to be Samantha’s appointed guardian,” Simon said, helping Micah pick Samantha up off the ground and placing her in her bed.
     
    The next night, after the meeting at the Vampire Consulate, Micah was left feeling scared, hurt and left out. “Why couldn’t I have at least gone in to the room?” Micah demanded, laying a sleeping Samantha on the bed and covering her with the blankets.
    “Because it is not their way,” Constance