When Lily Kline takes possession of a Gothic estate with Ian Hawke, her co-heir and a stranger, she soon realizes there is more than meets the eye within the many corridors of the sequestered mansion.
Ian is aloof and even hostile at times, and thou...
Lily rolled over onto her back and moved to get up, but he planted his boot on her abdomen, pinning her in place.
With an inhuman howl he began to grow—his body shifting and distorting until he towered above her at a height of eight or nine feet. Then his skin began to melt, dripping off him like candle wax.
She held back a cry and fought the urge to vomit as the last bit of flesh dribbled down his chin. His skull was covered in a gray web-work of muscle, making his jaw thick and powerful. His nose was a pair of slits in his face, and instead of ears, he had a hole in either side. He had six eyes: two in the regular place and two on each side of his head. Scarlet and yellow striations surrounded his pupils. He grinned revealing dozens of serrated teeth.
The pressure on Lily's stomach increased, making breathing difficult, and she looked down at his boot, fearing he might crush her. She gasped. His feet had transformed as well: The boots had broken away to reveal elongated feet with talon-like toes. He flexed the fingers on his clawed hands.
So, this was it.
She had no hope in hell.
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Ian hurried through the woods toward the west side of the mansion.
Targolan, the male Oreala, and Miriam, had met up with him in the cover of the forest after the explosion in the attic, and had explained the situation with the trunk and the enemy occupied mansion. They made plans and parted ways, the keys safely in Ian's pocket. Hannah had been ordered to stay put with the injured Miriam.
He picked his way through tree boughs, bushes, and boulders as quickly as possible without making much noise, and within a minute had reached the willow tree across from the scullery. He took cover under its dangling branches as a pair of scarab creatures scuttled about—and decided to push through them. They made no attempt to attack, stopping short at what seemed to be the sight of his face.
"It's me, Kurik," he said in a low voice, taking advantage of their hesitation. "Get out of my way." He sported the same scar as his brother now and could easily be confused for him. And if they had any doubts (he knew his jaw was much narrower), their fear of making a mistake would prevent them from challenging him.
Ian rounded the corner of the building to find a clog of beasts. They were silent and staring in the direction of the mansion's front entrance stairs.
His spine tingled, hands going clammy. Was he too late?
Filling his lungs with crisp autumn air, he pushed his way through the mob, and barged into the opening upon which they all stared.
There was Lily.
She was on her back with Morack looming over her and transforming into his true self.
Without a second thought, he began running toward his father, shouting, "Callamous—attack!"
Immediately the few faithful beasts around Callamous and Varkis started screeching and howling and stomping their feet. Varkis let out a war cry and charged toward Morack, teeth and claws flashing.
