Total pages in book: 131
Estimated words: 118860 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 594(@200wpm)___ 475(@250wpm)___ 396(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 118860 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 594(@200wpm)___ 475(@250wpm)___ 396(@300wpm)
When he had advised his brothers to change their appearance, he had done the same. Looking at the three vampires rushing to cut him off from the others, had it been possible for him to feel astonishment, he would have. Not wanting his brothers to turn from their tasks, he sent them images of the three he faced.
The vampire on his left wore his atrocious hair falling to his waist in what appeared to be a bird’s nest of tangles. Worse, clumps were missing from his scalp, while other places had far too much hair shooting up in a ridiculous manner like sprouts.
He is definitely attempting to look like Benedek. He named an ancient they had been traveling with a week earlier. Thank the stars we know Benedek’s hair is not so hideous.
Good grief. Why would they want to appear as such buffoons? Lojos asked.
Look at this one, Tomas advised, showing the vampire approaching from his right. His hair is worse than Benedek the imposter. He sent the image of the vampire to his brothers. He must be imitating Petru.
Petru was another ancient who had found his lifemate in the hills above Dellys, Algeria, on the Mediterranean Sea.
His hair is exploding out of his head like a whitish-gray pelt found from roadkill, Mataias observed. Good grief, you don’t suppose he ran across a dead animal and tried to use its fur for hair?
What has hair that long? Lojos asked. And why is it lopsided on him?
I do wish I could take a quick picture and send it to Petru, Tomas said. He held up his hand to stop the rush of the three vampires. “Hold. I recognize you as our legendary ancients.” He did his best to pour awe and respect into his voice.
The three imposters stumbled to a halt, giving him time to show the last image to his brothers, that of the vampire who had been heading straight at him. This one is a very poor replica of Nicu. His hair is likely supposed to be black—you know, that absence of color. Looks gray to me and as if it has never been washed. I swear there are maggots in it.
“I am here with my traveling companions hunting vampire. We never expected to run into ancients such as yourselves.”
My adversaries have arrived, Mataias said, sending the images to his brothers. Again, they are impersonating ancients. The three had stumbled to a halt as Mataias bowed low in greeting.
The first image Mataias sent his brothers was of a vampire with a face that could have been that of one of their ancient brethren, Dragomir. Dragomir had found his lifemate, Emeline, and certainly hadn’t turned vampire. The horrendous display of hair on his head was nearly Tomas’ downfall. Tomas wished he had a real sense of humor. By staying together, the triplets had retained a semblance of humor. It was more remembered than real, but he knew the situation and the appearances of the vampires impersonating ancients would have been hysterically funny. He was definitely going to keep the images in his head so that when he came across his friends, he could show them.
The fake Dragomir’s hair was parted in the middle and slicked back from his head with some oily substance. Several chunks hung from the scalp as if the vampire had used a toupee and haphazardly glued it in place.
The second vampire Mataias faced was no doubt meant to be Valentin Zhestokly. He resided in the United States, as did Dragomir. Val’s lifemate, too young to claim, lived in San Diego, and the Carpathian hunter would never leave her without his protection. The body was nearly emaciated, and again, the hair was atrocious. Only aspects of the face allowed them to recognize who the vampire was attempting to be.
The third vampire was no doubt meant to be Ferro, another ancient who had found his lifemate, Elisabeta, and resided in the States.
Any ideas on why they would be impersonating ancients? Lojos asked.
It would have to be their master’s idea, Tomas mused.
Justice, then? He would know every ancient, although not what happened to them or where they would be, Mataias ventured.
Tomas kept his attention centered on the three vampires, who were sniffing the air and testing it with long, chameleonlike tongues. The reptiles could have tongues up to forty-seven inches in length, and the tongues testing the air for droplets of Carpathian blood seemed that long or longer.
He gave a short bow toward the three vampire imposters cutting him off from his brothers, doing his best to appear respectful and not quite bright. “What service may we offer you?” he asked.
The three imposters exchanged gleeful looks. The one pretending to be Benedek answered in a voice that was more a growl than an actual voice. “We have been hunting these long nights and are near starving after our battles.”