Page 14 of Bewitched By a Vampire

That gave him pause and had him looking at Lilian.

He expected her to make up a reasonable but flimsy excuse, such as she had only wanted some fresh air and had decided to walk the grounds despite his order to stay in her room and the danger of so many vampires being present.

But she averted her gaze and refused to look at him, confirming what the vampire had said. Night scowled at her. Bastian was right. He did have to watch her.

“Maybe you just want her for yourself. Maybe you’re lying about your brother so I’ll leave her alone.”

Night bared his fangs at the vampire for that one.

“I do not want her.” The lie tasted bitter on his tongue, because gods, he wanted her. He wanted her so badly that he had thrown a debauched party in some vain attempt to get his mind off her, and look where it had gotten him. He had ended up placing her in danger instead. Bastian was going to kill him. He snarled, “My brother will end you—Iwill end you—if you do not unhand her. I will not ask again.”

Seeing the vampire had no intention of being reasonable, and unable to blame him given how beautiful Lilian was, Night looked around the foyer, seeking a suitable exchange to avoid this conflict coming down to a bloody fight that would ruin the party.

Two human females stood among the crowd that had gathered.

Night focused on them, easily placing them under his thrall, and they obediently came to him, pushing through the crowd and earning a few growls along the way.

“Surely two compliant females are better than one unruly one?” Night swept his hand out towards the two humans, drawing the focus of the vampire to them.

If someone had asked him that question, he would have gone with the unruly one who was fast becoming a pain in his arse. He resisted the urge to look at her, keeping his focus on the vampire, unwilling to give him an opening.

“I recommend you take the offer,” Laurent drawled from off to Night’s left, beneath the stairs and close to the entrance to the main drawing room. “Upsetting our gracious host is quite the faux pas.”

Night stared the big vampire down, haemorrhaging patience.

He was on the verge of forcing the male to release Lilian when the vampire cast her away from him and grabbed the two human females instead. Lilian hit the wall near the door with a grunt and Night growled at the vampire and took a sharp step towards him, intending to rip him apart anyway.

And then Lilian hissed in a pained breath.

His gaze was instantly on her, the world narrowing down to only her as she rubbed at her wrist.

The feel of everyone staring at him had him casting a glance around him, and his mood soured again as he caught the look in Laurent’s eyes that said he could see straight through his lie. His friend knew he wanted her. Several other vampires were giving him the same look.

He growled at them all and stormed to Lilian, seized her wrist and pulled her onto her feet. She gasped and he snarled at her, flashing fangs in her direction now, and tried to shut out the way everyone’s gazes followed him as he dragged her up the stairs.

And the whispered comments about him punishing her.

Wanting her.

He sharply turned right at the top of the staircase and flinched when Lilian struck the cream wall and grunted before stumbling into the middle of the hallway behind him. He quickened his pace, his blood burning now, ears twitching as he couldn’t stop himself from listening to the rumours that were rapidly spreading.

He was going to be doing some damage control when he had finished dealing with Lilian.

Aristocrats affected an air of sophistication, acting as if they didn’t have any bad qualities, but Night knew better. They loved to gossip. A vampire wanting a human who was earmarked for his brother would be the talk of the town for the next few years if he didn’t put an end to it before it got out.

A Van der Garde wanting a human who was earmarked by his brother?

Society would feast on that one for decades.

Longer than Night would be alive once Bastian got wind of it.

His fingers flexed around Lilian’s wrist and she let out another pained gasp. Sure, he was being rough with her, but she deserved it for almost wrecking his party and potentially getting his heart ripped out by Bastian.

He reached her room and tossed her into it as he barked, “I made it very clear you were to stay in this room… but apparently you do not know how to follow orders.”

She turned on him, her caramel-coloured eyes flashing with anger and stirring a dangerous response in him.

He wanted to grab her and make her submit to him.

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