Intrusion Read Online Free Page B

options, neither one quite
close enough when the first vampire came around the corner of the
rusted crane just ahead of me.
    The other two were only half a stride behind
him, and the trio slowed just long enough to confirm that I was by
myself.
    The one in the lead was a tall, dark-haired
male with some kind of straight sword held loosely in his left
hand. At his right was a shorter, ultra-slender, man with a pair of
small axes. A redheaded woman with some kind of curved cutlass
rounded out the trio.
    "Liz, get the vehicle, we'll take care of this
one."
    Liz opened her mouth to argue, but
the taller man cut her off with a hiss.
    "The master can't hold the others off for
forever."
    I crouched and moved slightly,
retaining just enough presence of mind to try and lure them more
optimally past Dom's hiding spot. The woman took off again at a
run, heading parallel to the fence in the opposite direction from
where I'd found the rod we'd used to bar the gate.
    I noticed her only peripherally, instead
focusing on the two men who'd spread out slightly as they advanced
on me. The fear hadn't left, not really, but it'd managed to loosen
some of the control I normally kept on my beast, and she knew
exactly what she wanted to do to these two.
    We moved up slightly, judging the distance
between us and the vampires as the first one walked past Dom. It
was going to be tricky. Too close and I risked having to fight the
leader before Dom had a chance to take down the short guy. Too far
away and the leader would be able to turn and attack Dom before I
could get there and distract him.
    Time seemed to slow down slightly
with multiple heartbeats between each step, and then the second man
was even with Dom and she was sailing through the air. Something
about the change took Dom's normally tiny frame of a hundred and
fifteen pounds and turned it into a monstrous two hundred and
thirty pounds. She hit the vampire with the impact of a
professional linebacker and drove him to the ground as her jaws
closed around his neck.
    The leader had spun towards Dom as she leapt,
but I darted towards him, causing him to whirl back towards me.
There was a moment of decision. I could feel the vampire weigh his
options. The girl was too far away to make it back in time, even
assuming he was willing to call her back. He could try to save the
shorter man, but Dom was definitely on top and the struggles were
already starting to abate slightly.
    Even assuming he could drive Dom
off, there would be a period of time before the other man was back
on his feet and fighting, and during that brief window, the taller
man would have to face both Dom and me at once.
    Between one heartbeat and the next, the vampire
moved towards me, sword flickering out. I slipped to one side,
narrowly dodging the strike. He was faster than I expected, and he
was pressing forward without hesitation now that he was
committed.
    We circled, but it was readily apparent that I
was outclassed, and his sword was getting closer and closer to
slicing into me.
    The sounds of fighting were closer
now, but I didn't have much time. Out of the corner of one eye I
saw Dom release her prey and head my direction. The shorter vampire
wasn't dead. He was still moving, but not very quickly, so Dom and
I had at least a few seconds to double-team my opponent.
    One of my dodges wasn't quite fast
enough and a blaze of fire kindled across my left side as the dark,
lifeless steel sliced into me. Dom picked that moment to spring at
the vampire, but he was faster than she expected, and she missed
his neck.
    I darted in, trying to get my teeth on
something, but while he was retreating now, he was doing a
masterful job of using the terrain to his advantage. The sword
seemed almost everywhere at once, perfectly complementing the
dumpsters, walls, and other bits of industrial waste he was using
to help keep us at bay.
    The shorter vampire barreled into Dom from
nowhere. She'd apparently kept a better eye on our surroundings
than