Game of Vampires: Winterfest (Wicked Fae Games Book 2) by Donna Berdel

Author:Donna Berdel [Berdel, Donna]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Mary Stone Publishing
Published: 2023-06-14T16:00:00+00:00

Chapter

Twenty-Three

I didn’t know what the hell a Cu Sidhe was, but if it was scary enough to stoke fear in Roman’s eyes, I didn’t want to stick around to find out.

Panic gripped my heart like a vice. I bolted back toward the clearing—where I’d left Maria and the other contestants—screaming at the top of my lungs. “Everybody run!”

A pack of black, doglike creatures burst from the trees surrounding us.

There were five of them, and they were huge. Larger even than dire wolves. Their thick bodies were bulky, with wide-set, muscular front legs that could put a bodybuilder to shame. Fiery, red eyes burned from their black, shaggy faces.

And like an idiot, I was leading them straight to the others.

With a curse, I took a sharp right. I plunged through the snow, Cleo at my side.

Lunging and snapping their enormous jaws, the Cu Sidhe gave chase. They stopped short of drawing blood, though, only grazing our heels. Toying with us.

Their behavior had a strange familiarity to me, like dogs herding sheep on a farm. But exactly who were the hairy creatures herding us toward?

Gulping down fear, I ran with all my might, pushing my legs as hard as I could. I needed to distract them long enough to give the rest of our group a fighting chance to flee.

Somewhere nearby, an engine revved. A machine of some kind was incoming. What were the odds of it carrying a battalion of soldiers to rescue us from our plight?

Probably zero. I watched too much TV.

To my left, Cleo darted for another line of trees. I followed, hoping the denser terrain of the forest might help me shake them.

A snowmobile appeared on the slope just as I burst across the tree line.

“Atta boys!” the rider called out. “Drive them back to the lodge. We need them ready for tomorrow’s game.”

I snuck a quick glimpse over my shoulder. The snowmobiler was the young vampire I’d spotted in Serenity’s office, back when Owen led us there before the first game started. On that occasion, he’d worn an immaculately tailored suit. Today, it looked like a hiking store had thrown up on him. Pale gray snow pants, a cobalt-blue ski jacket. A coordinating beanie. Taken all together, the outfit struck me as incongruous somehow. Maybe it was the cheerful little snowflakes on the hat. A snowmobile-riding vampire siccing bloodthirsty fairy dogs on humans should be required to dress in all black with EVIL emblazoned on his jacket in giant letters.

I cut back into the trees. “We can’t go back there. To the lodge.”

Cleo raced past me. “What? Why not?”

“That’s what these dogs are doing.” Panting, I craned my neck to peer over my shoulder. The pack was hot on our heels. “Herding us back so we can play more of their games.”

“But we can’t stay out here.”

“Hide!”

One of the great, snarling beasts pounced out from behind the trunk of a tree ahead of us. I pivoted to the left and stumbled. In the distance, Maria called out. The dog’s head whipped in that direction.

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