Page 51 of The Vampire Curse

I look to the sky through bare tree branches. The gray clouds have cleared. What I’d thought was cloud coverage was the lowering sun leaving behind the muted bruised purples of twilight. And with it, the song of birds has faded.

Demon shit. I let myself get distracted and stopped paying attention to the light.

The sun dips lower with every passing second. If night comes and I am still in the forest, the demons will rise, and they will possess me. I will not live to see another sunrise.

I dig my heels into the horse’s side, urging him to go faster, but as night slithers in, I know I won’t make it.

I moved too slow. I failed to take in account that I’d lose light faster within the cover of trees.

Hooves thunder beneath me, matching my pulse as it pounds inside my veins.

The road smooths out, and I’m pushing the horse as hard as I can. His sides heave and sweat foams on his neck, but we can’t risk slowing.

“I’m sorry… just hang on a little longer,” I murmur. “You can do this.”

The trees thin out, but the sun has already dipped below the horizon, and darkness swallows the world faster and faster. The howling and cries of high demons heralding the night surround me on both sides. It draws nearer on the left. I guide the horse to the right, but they close in again...Fuck. They'reherding me. With every passing second, they close in with the speed of the growing shadows.

A break in the trees forms ahead, and I can see the manor's outline against the starry sky.

Under the voice of demons comes the sound of the wolves singing. If they belong to Oliver’s pack, they are too far to do anything to help… but even if they were, they couldn’t banish the demons.

I sit lower into the saddle and chance a look over my shoulder.

Lesser demons, half-formed, follow like impenetrable black fog, swallowing up the road behind us. It swirls and dances, billowing in and out as they attempt to take form. Two greater demons nip at our heels.

The horse swerves from side to side. I can practically feel the second the animal realizes the demons have come out.

Two pairs of glowing red eyes loom as their unnaturally long arms and gnarled fingers stretch out. They rise up slowly gaining ground. The two demons split up to flank us.

My heart leaps into my throat.I’m not going to make it.

A deep howl, unlike anything I’ve heard before roars from behind. I debate the merits of looking back and reluctantly turn my head.

Two massive eyes, glowing like molten iron, rise from the black cloud of lesser demons. Limbs form out of the mass, branch-like and twisted with more joints than anything should possess. It grabs hold of the trees, pulling itself up, up, up… wood splinters in its grasp. Their back arches, emaciated with a spine that juts out.

They raise their still forming head, a sickening mix of human and animal. The charred skin stretches across its bones and tendons, dry and painful.

Shit. Damn my luck to the Otherworld.

All my life, I’ve only seen the partially formed sentient masses of power that make up lesser demons.

Somehow, I have managed to catch the attention of a greater demon. Again.

The demon looks around as if called into being by the activity of the others. They spot me and grin. Sharp pointed teeth jut out at every angle. If the demon had lips, they would have been shredded from the expression.

Its massive hands slam down on the ground, sending a shudder through it. The horse stumbles.

I cry out, waiting for the impact of hitting the ground, but the horse regains his footing and keeps running.

“Deliccciousss morssssel hooow I’ve missssed yoooou,” the demon’s voice rasps.

My eyes burn from tears forcing their way up. I would recognize the timbre of that voice anywhere.

The demon is large—so large, that even crouching and bracing on their hands, their back brushes against the branches of tall trees. Boughs snap and fall to the ground. The demon takes two lumbering steps closer and sniffs at the air. Their feet splinters the newly fallen branches into kindling.

“Iii haaaave beeeen waiiiting…” The long, black tongue licks at its nonexistent mouth. “Ssssuuuch a looong tiiiime foooor yoooou to retuuuurrrn.”

My body quakes as I cling to the horse’s silvery mane. Then we are out of the trees, nearing the open gates of Alaric’s property.