Page 44 of The Shadow of the Count

“We will.” Don straightened away, squaring his shoulders. “Is it dark yet?”

He was clearly through dillydallying.Peter didn’t blame him. It was time to take action rather than sit about talking themselves out of it.

“Getting there. Let’s arm ourselves.”

They all grabbed their weapons of choice from the supply Jeb had gotten together, grimly silent. This part they knew. They had done it more than once. Clark passed out crosses and medallions, arming them spiritually as well as physically.

“Any last words, preacher man?” Jeb teased Clark.

“Don’t listen to anything he says. He’s starving, and he’s driven by it.”

“Lyle, you mean?”

“Yes. He’s going to beg, seduce, and try to make you guilty.” Clark was listing off things, counting them on his fingers.“He’ll do anything to convince us not to take him out of this world, but you must remember, Lyle’s real spirit is already gone. This is but a twisted shadow attached to demon hunger.”

“Are we sure we need to bring Don?” Peter wasn’t sure it was a great idea to subject his lover to this.

“I’m afraid so. We need to make sure, if none of the rest of us can know for sure, it’s him… I’ve only seen him—” Clark cut off, but Peter remembered the dream. Clark had seen Lyle being killed.

“I’ll go. Peter will have my back. I know he will.”

“I will.” Peter looked about. “We all will, Don.”

Douglas nodded, eyes flashing. “I love you, brother.”

Don nodded. “Then we will prevail.”

Peter hoped so. He knew that this might shatter his lover, though, who was barely clinging to his nerve.

Please let this not be Paris all over again.

Fifteen

Donnie hefted his shovel and marched along behind Jeb, who had insisted on leading the way to the crypt in the small cemetery on Lyle’s family estate, making sure no one attacked them on the way.

Jeb was always their first line of defense.

Peter was next to him, with Charles and Douglas following, and Clark, as always. Clark had on a huge slicker, and he seemed somehow bigger than life.

He was in his element, just as he and Peter had been, more so, in Egypt. Though Clark Chambers never seemed fully at a loss.

And Jeb was in man-of-action mode.

Charles and Douglas just looked worried for him. His brother was there to help him, and he knew it.

They slipped into the crypt, and as soon as Jeb’s flashlight swung around, Donnie gasped.

The lid of the coffin was pushed aside, the box itself empty.

A soft curse came from Jeb, who turned in a circle, shining the light slowly over the whole place. “We too late, Clark?”

“Did someone steal the body?” Douglas asked, horror dawning on his face. “Tell me we didn’t bury the man alive.”

“No. He’ll be back,” Jeb said. “He has to return to his burial soil.”

Clark nodded to the Texan. “You’ve done your reading.”

“Jeb can read?” Peter teased.