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"Thank you, thank you"

"There areupstairs," I said "We still have to escape"

She nodded We continued up the stairs I stepped out into an apparently eirl to follohen I heard a hissing noise I looked left Five va red eyes, streaked inhumanly fast down the hall toward me

Chapter 35

Shelton stepped from a niche in the wall and raised his staff Stacey, back in panther form, stepped froies were nowhere to be seen I assuo to the van

"There’s a van in a parking lot across the back," I told the girl in a rush "Run to it Unstrap thecats and put theo!"

She nodded and skedaddled

Shelton raised his staff and shouted, "Yod!" At first, nothing seemed to happen The vaht for us About fifteen yards from us, they slammed into an invisible barrier Hollow boo on timpani drums Bloody outlines of varound in a collective heap Then the thick dark blood which see in midair, splashed to the floor

"Duy wov," Shelton barked, and a blinding light flashed above the vampires

Most of theered to his feet and turned to run Stacey streaked over, batted hih the air to thud onto his back She leapt on his chest and opened her ht dorht flowed from his eyes and mouth in a vortex and swirled into Stacey’s eyes His screams sent chills down my spine I turned away

After a moment, Stacey released his unconscious forives me the creeps," Shelton said "Half of theh, so I’ll bet it’s good stuff"

I shuddered and found o now"

Shelton stared at the unconscious and groaning valy "I don’t suppose you could helph clenched teeth "I’m about to fall apart here I can barely carry iant housecat andfrohed "Yeah, probably don’t have any rooo"

We reached the van and found the girl standing ten feet fro the noise oneShe shielded herself from the van with my body and pointed over ave Shelton a dirty look "I hope they can’t escape"

"Nah, I got ’es?"

"Yep Sorcerer’s best friend They can’t wake up until I release theies, so we untied theainst me The vampires snoozed in a heap near the back doors Stacey irl whose naave a little squeak and fainted

"Truly, it’s for the best," Stacey said with a smile She slipped back into her clothes and cli doors and hopped in as driver "Where to?"

I doubted a hospital would do ot it"

On the ride back, I stroked Elyssa’s cheek and whispered in her ear She didn’t respond but at least she was breathing I hoped I hadn’t severely daed her mind For all I knew, she’d never wake from this coma she seemed to be in I clenched roaned a few tiured he had to be weak fro, not tohis blood Both he and I would have to feed at some point It would take all of rily at the sleeping girl I wasn’t sure ould do with her

"I’ll take care of her," Shelton said in a gri me out of my reverie

"Don’t kill her! Maybe we can mind wipe her somehow"

"Geez, you think I’ram for ordinary people who have seen too much of the supernatural side We can help them adapt to the terrible discovery of the Overworld"

The tension left my shoulders "Good"

We reached my house Shelton took Dad inside I carried Elyssa in and put her on my bed She was a mess Encrusted blood covered her shoulder and she had bits of rotten va flesh spattered on her clothes and skin

"I do so hate to leave you, dear," Stacey said "But I et my companions back to shelter Dawn is only a short tiht It will hurt their sensitive eyes"

I hugged her and kissed her cheek "Thanks for everything You’re a true friend"