Page 13 of Bewitched By a Vampire

“His sister,” Elspeth said before the young vampire could answer him. “And Renard will not be pleased to see you talking to her.”

Night scoffed. “If that was the case, Renard would not have brought her to such a party.”

Her lips flattened.

“Come now, Elspeth. There is more than enough of me to go around. A beauty such as you cannot feel threatened by this female, surely?” He smiled at her.

She fluttered her eyelashes and lowered her gaze to her lap for a moment before slowly bringing it back up to meet his. Now that he had her wrapped around his little finger again, he could question the young vampire.

“Your name?” He shifted his gaze to her, holding his smile in place.

“Annalisa.” She toyed nervously with one of her raven curls.

Her French accent was barely noticeable, a sign that she hadn’t been in her native country for a long time. Renard had lived in London for centuries and had mentioned once that he had lost his parents around a hundred years ago. Was it possible that he had been given custody of his younger sister upon their death? Her lack of accent would point towards her having been in this country for most of her life.

“You look thirsty, Annalisa.” He offered her his goblet of blood, and she cast her gaze down at her knees and then looked up at him.

She leaned forwards and took the glass from him, and fidgeted with it as she settled back in her seat. “Thank you.”

“How old are you?” He sat back to admire her and Elspeth.

Someone growled in the foyer to his left and several people murmured comments.

Annalisa tensed, her green eyes leaping towards the source of the commotion.

“Nothing to worry about,” Night said. “I’m sure it’s just a scuffle between males over a female. They do not know I have the two most beautiful ones with me.”

He started to smile.

“Leave me alone. Unhand me!”

That familiar feminine voice was a stark reminder that he didn’t have the most beautiful female with him.

Lilian.

Night vaulted from his seat and used all of his preternatural speed to reach the foyer in under a heartbeat. His eyes widened as a big male dragged Lilian towards him, her stricken expression hitting Night hard in the chest as she fought the vampire, clawing at his hand and stumbling.

Her fear an acrid note in the air.

Night had an infinite well of patience, had trained himself well so he could be the best assassin there was, and he would have dealt with this male in a calm manner under normal circumstances.

But the sight of Lilian frantically fighting to escape a male who meant her harm had him feeling like a beast on a very short leash, and he couldn’t hold himself back.

Couldn’t be calm and collected.

Not even close to reasonable.

On a low snarl, he stepped into the vampire’s path, a male who was twice his build and looked as if he knew how to handle himself. The male suddenly stopped and glared at him.

Night kept his focus on the vampire, denying the urge to look at Lilian. “Unhand the female. She is the property of my brother.”

The older vampire growled, “She’s unclaimed.”

“My brother was called away before the process was complete.” Night didn’t miss a beat. “Unhand her.”

The male tightened his grip on her instead, tearing a pained cry from her that had Night’s bloodlust roaring to the fore, veiling everything in red as it goaded him into tearing this male apart, into feasting on his blood as payment for what he had done to Lilian.

“She was attempting to leave,” the vampire grunted.

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