Page 49 of Bewitched By a Vampire

The mansion.

Night gunned the engine, flying down the lane, his pulse pounding harder and faster as he kept half his focus on the blaze as it grew brighter. Lilian. Panic sent a wave of hot needles down his body and he growled as he tightened his grip on the steering wheel and willed the car to go faster.

The second the open gate came into view, he turned and raced down the single-track road towards the mansion.

Fire blazed in the heart of it, leaping from the windows on the ground floor.

Demons.

His gut screamed that demons were responsible for what had happened and he tried to steel himself, mentally preparing himself for the fact he might already be too late to save Lilian. Humans were no match for demons from the numbered realms, let alone a demon from the Devil’s horde.

Night grimaced as he looked back at the road and swerved hard, narrowly avoiding the burning wreckage of a car. He stared at it as he shot past it, his chest clenching. The demons had attacked while people had still been here.

Meaning, Lilian had still been here. He knew her well enough to know she wouldn’t have left before everyone else had been safely evacuated.

“Lilian,” he whispered, his brow furrowing as he stared at the mansion, willing her to be alive.

To have somehow survived the brutal attack.

A shadow danced in the entrance of the house, filling the doorway.

Night set his sights on the demon.

He was talking to someone.

Night looked down.

His heart froze in his chest as he spotted Lilian on the ground at the demon’s feet.

The big male reached for her.

Night grabbed a dagger from the sheath on the seat next to him and the car hit the gravel way too fast. It slid into a spin and he growled as he fought to control it, spraying gravel in an arc behind him. As soon as it had come to a halt, he shoved the door open and leaped from the vehicle, letting the dagger fly at the same time.

It nailed the demon in his chest, hitting him with enough force that it knocked him backwards.

“Lilian!” Night yelled.

She didn’t move.

She couldn’t move.

Her fear hit him hard, drawing his bloodlust to the surface together with the coppery tang that filled the air. Night fought it and sprinted to her, swept her into his arms and raced back to his car. Behind him, the demon roared and ran at them.

He bundled Lilian into the passenger side of the car, pushing his weapons out of the way to make room for her, skidded over the bonnet and leaped in beside her.

He gunned the engine, the rear tyres skidding on the gravel again to spray it at the demon, forcing the brute to cover his face to protect it, and peeled away from the bastard.

Night breathed hard, his blood rushing, heart thundering as adrenaline burned through him. His hands shook against the wheel as he sped away from the mansion, not daring to slow. He glanced at Lilian. Once. Twice. A third time.

She leaned against the car door, her face streaked with blood and her eyes glassy as she stared out of the windscreen.

“Lilian.” He reached over and placed his hand on her shoulder, and gave her a little shake when she didn’t respond. “You’re fine. I have you. You’re safe. That blood… is… is it yours?”

She smelled of so many different scents that he couldn’t tell whether any of it was her blood or not.

“Lilian.” He palmed her shoulder and when she still didn’t respond, he risked it and dropped his hand to cover hers where they rested in her lap. She tensed, the first sign of life he had gotten from her. When he stroked his thumb over her fingers, her gaze lowered to her lap. “Lilian. Is any of that your blood? Are you hurt?”

Her brow furrowed, tears misted her eyes and she shook her head.

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