Bidden by the Vampire: A Victorian Vampire Suspense by E.E. Everly

Author:E.E. Everly [Everly, E.E.]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Emrys Pumpkin Press
Published: 2023-08-04T04:00:00+00:00

Chapter 37

Not For Your Living Soul and Hers!

Shiningwood, Forester Abbey, after the moon’s apex

Altogether, the latches fly out of their catches and crash against the doorjambs. Fisher pulls me behind him, lantern in hand, as we back up slowly to the outer door.

Quincey’s heavy oak door creaks open. The first we see is a hairy paw, longer than that of a dog. The dewclaw is pronounced, the nails on the beast long and curled.

As the leg emerges, the bend of the appendage tells me it’s a hind leg. As a claw, not a paw, curls around the upper part of the door, to pry it open, I see that the beast is bipedal. His skin brown under brown hair.

“Oh, Quincey,” I murmur.

Fisher pushes against me, urging me to the entrance, but he is just as entranced with horror as I am. Our progress is slow, and I support the concept of sudden movement not being of our best interest.

Quincey’s chest is broad, muscled. His shoulders hunched as if he’s sulking. He sniffs the air, his lips curling back to reveal his sharp teeth.

“Why, Quincey,” I say sardonically, “What big teeth you have.”

This makes him cock his head and huff a breath that’s odorous enough for me to smell from several meters away.

“Mina,” Fisher says, “if we get to the outer door, we can bar it.”

“Unless that latch magically lifts as well.”

Quincey takes a hulking step toward us, his long forearms hanging to his knees, his front paws revealing razor-sharp claws. His entire body is defined sinew and coarse hair.

Another door creaks open. This draws his attention. Upon seeing a black werewolf emerge, Quincey drops into a crouch and howls.

I press my palms to my ears as the wail cuts through me. The other wolf follows suit, his claws clicking on the floor, his body coiled as if ready for action.

A scream builds up inside me, the command, the menace of their howls wounding me.

Several other wolves howl within their rooms.

I cannot hold my scream back. It rips from my throat as the wolves continue their mournful calls.

Fisher grabs my hand and runs. He gets us to the door and throws the latch up just as I hear the race of paws on the stone and the snort of urgency.

We push through to the hidden alcove and slam and latch the door behind us. The angry thuds of their bodies hammer against the wood, not to be drowned out by the snarls of the wolves themselves.

Fisher and I wait, our hearts pounding. Through the ivy, I sense the courtyard lit with lanterns, indicated by the way the dark of night is dimmer from them.

Men creep about as if on the lookout. They have only to follow the beat of the wolves thrashing at the door to find us.

Out here, I hear the heightened murmurs of the mob in the courtyard and Van Helsing’s gentle imploring, and Jonathan’s and Arthur’s urgent pleadings.

“Mina! The latch is lifting!” Fisher whispers.

Together, we throw our weight into lowering the latch.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.