Both of his wrists were batted away. The daggers flew from his grip, skidding to the ground. Teeth sank into his shoulder, stinging. One of the vampires had teleported behind him, and a second set of teeth sank into the base of his neck. Adrenaline pumped through him, giving him strength, and he managed to wrench the vampires off him and toss them aside. But when one was removed from him, two more would appear. Soon they were all over him, trying to push him down, their teeth sharper than anything he could have imagined. Unlike when Victoria had bitten him, there was no pleasure. Only pain. Burning, agonizing pain.

He should have expected this, prepared for it, but too many other worries had consumed him, and honestly, he’d grown lax. He’d been here before, and no one had attacked him. And damn it, he was king! They shouldn’t treat him this way.

The vampires were heavy, their hands roving. They were like sharks who had scented his blood, and were biting, heads shaking, trying to rip pieces of him into their mouths. Finally, they managed to buckle his knees. When he hit the cold, hard ground, he lost the air in his lungs and a wave of dizziness swept through him.

Fight! Elijah growled.

“Am!” Aden kicked, sent someone flying. “But what else can I do?”

You have the ring. Use it!

The ring. Hello. Aden jerked his hand from between the jaws of a councilman, the ring glinting in the light. With the pad of his thumb, he slid the opal out of the way, then flung his arm out, liquid flinging in every direction.

Flesh sizzled. Vampires howled, releasing him to clutch at their now burning faces. Aden scrambled to his feet, panting, sweating, determined to hit the doors as fast as his feet would carry him.

Only, he saw their beasts, the ones they’d been warded against, rising from them—from all of them—mere outlines, yet visible enough for him to discern outstretching wings, eyes blazing red, snouts dripping with…something. Poison? Acid? He stood frozen.

Those beasts spotted him, and like Victoria’s had done, they reached for him, as if they were desperate to feel him. He should have been scared. Well, more scared. But those fiery eyes…they somehow calmed him. Maybe because they weren’t projecting menace. They were almost like puppies—granted, beastly demonlike puppies—who just wanted him to scoop them up, take them home and pet behind their ears. Weird. Most likely wrong.

Snap out of it! Julian growled.

Seriously, dude. Caleb knocked on his skull. Now isn’t the time to just stand there.

Run! Elijah commanded.

Too late. His hesitation cost him, big-time. Though the vampires were bleeding, gaping wounds having melted their flesh, they were forgetting their pain, finding him with their eyes, and straightening. Stepping toward him. Teeth chomping, mouths probably watering for more of his blood. He held out his ring to threaten them, but there was no more liquid inside. He’d used every last drop.

Worse, his arm was shaking, puncture wounds all over it, and his action merely wafted the scent of his blood in their direction. They closed their eyes, savoring—until savoring was no longer enough. Until they wanted more.

Aden’s heart pounded in his chest, and the vampires hissed, excitement reaching a new level. Again someone flew at him. Again the others quickly followed. More teeth sank into him. More stinging, more burning.

Aden fought with every ounce of strength he possessed. He kicked. He hit. He even bit, but nothing broke that tough vampire skin. Nothing proved strong enough to push them away.

Dirty, get down and fight dirty. There was Caleb again.

And yeah, Caleb was right. Aden hooked his fingers into one of the vampire’s open wounds and tugged. There was another howl, and that vamp wrenched himself away. Over the howl, Aden thought he heard…roaring? There it was again, and again.

Yes, roars. So many roars, they were reverberating off the walls. And then the vampires were being snatched off Aden, not one at a time but all at once. There were snarls and growls, teeth chomping, screams, all blending together in a soundtrack of horror.

What the hell was happening?

He sat up, intending to scramble out of the way. When he saw what was happening, he froze. The beasts had solidified. Victoria had said they needed time to do so, yet somehow, someway, they’d solidified in a blink. Their scales were iridescent, their teeth like ivory sabers. They smelled of sulfur—rotten eggs—and the tips of their wings were like daggers.

Even they couldn’t penetrate the vampires’ skin, but they could hold vampires between their huge jaws and shake. Probably breaking bones, rattling skulls. Each vampire was screaming in pain.

The tall double doors burst open, and several more vampires raced inside. When they saw what was going on, however, they stilled, gaping in terror.

“Beasts!”

“What do we do?”

“This has never happened before!”

“Stop,” Aden shouted. “Please.”

All of the beasts stilled and looked at him. Bodies were dropped with a thump. Those vampires didn’t rise, but curled into themselves, crying. One of the beasts roared, and the new vampires backed away, pressing themselves against the wall. Aden remained in place.

Even when one of the beasts approached him.

Victoria flew into the room, then, shouting his name. He didn’t turn away from the creature in front of him, but held out his arms to stop Victoria, least she try to pass him and fight to protect him. Of course, she ignored him, and her body slammed against his.

All of the beasts roared this time.

Victoria’s hands clutched at him, trying to pull him into her side so that she could teleport him. “They’ll kill you. We have to leave.”

“No,” he said, “no. Move away from me, Victoria.”

“No!” More tugging.

More roaring.

“Please, Aden.” Utter fear layered her voice.

“Move away from me. Now! They’re not going to hurt me.” He hoped. “They’re protecting me.” Again, he hoped. No matter what, he didn’t want her in the crosshairs.

A moment passed in suspended silence before her hands fell away and the heat of her left him. Without another word, Aden forced his heavy, puncture-infested legs to move him forward. The beast closest to him issued another roar, wings flapping. The others moved, some flanking his sides, some behind him, becoming a wall of fury and menace.

What are you doing? Julian demanded.

Run, Caleb begged.

I—I see nothing, Elijah stated. I don’t know what you should do anymore. And I don’t like it. I don’t like this.

Still Aden forged ahead. “I was right,” he said gently. “You were protecting me, weren’t you?” No reply.

Could they understand him?

“Why would you do such a thing?”

The one in front tucked those deadly wings away and crouched down, placing his face inches from Aden’s. Moist breaths sawed in and out of huge black nostrils. That dripping mouth, with those protruding teeth, nudged Aden’s arm.

For a moment, fear petrified him. Then he realized there were no new injuries on him, no new stings. Then realization set in. “You want me to pet you, don’t you, boy?”

Again, no reply, but Aden reached out. Even though he was almost positive he was right, his hand shook. He flattened his palm behind the beast’s ear and rubbed. Rather than a snapping of teeth, a wound, a torrent of pain and the loss of a limb, he received a purr of approval from the beast.

The others clomped closer to him, claws scraping against the floor as they settled at Aden’s feet, seeking his touch.

“I don’t understand this,” he whispered.

Me, either. Julian, dumbfounded.

But, dude. We rock! Guess who? Caleb, a strutting peacock.

I never saw this coming. Elijah, awed.

Why did the creatures like him? Why had they protected him from the very people they lived inside? It made no sense.

All he could think was that they must like the pull of him, the strange vibration he emitted, drawing the vampire, witches, fairies and goblins to Crossroads. Those creatures hated the pull, though. That’s why the witches had called their meeting. To decide what to do with him. That’s why Thomas and then Brendal had come to the ranch: to save themselves and “their” humans from his evil.

“Aden?” Victoria’s voice was soft, gentle as she attempted to return to his side.

Several of the beasts hissed and snapped at her.

“No,” Aden told them, stopping his petting. “She’s a friend.” He didn’t know what he expected the admonishment to do, but what he got was pitiful mewling. His arm was even nudged, a demand for more pets.

He gave them, even as he said, “Victoria, approach us slowly.” He couldn’t allow these beasts to threaten or hurt her in any way. Ever.

He could hear the soft fall of her footsteps. Again the creatures hissed and snapped. Their bodies stiffened, scales rising, almost like armor being engaged, preparing for attack.

“Stop,” Aden told her and the beasts.

The footsteps ceased. The beasts calmed.

“Another step.”

She obeyed, and more of those hisses erupted.

“Stop.”

Again, she obeyed. Again, the beasts calmed. He sighed. They would have to try again another time. These monsters just weren’t ready to accept anyone else, not that he could tell, and he wouldn’t be able to hold them back if they lunged for her.

“How do I get them back inside their vampires?” he asked, still petting.

“They’re solid now,” she told him, voice trembling. “They don’t have to go back.”

Ever? “Can they, though?”

“Yes, but I’ve only seen a return once. Usually the vampire hosts are dead by the time the beasts reach this point.”

“Are the councilmen…”

“No. They’re alive,” she said. “In pain, bones broken, but alive. They’ll heal.”

Aden peered into the eyes of the monster in front of him. “I need you to return to where you came from,” he said. He couldn’t have them running about, scaring people. Eating people.