Page 60 of Bewitched By a Vampire

“Then you’re going the wrong way about it by trying to compare me to my brothers.” He turned his cheek to her and stared at the ceiling as he mulled over her question. His answer wasn’t going to satisfy her. “Neither. I’m not as ruthless and cold as Grave or Bastian. Both are that way in different respects. Grave on the battlefield. Bastian in the boardroom.”

She rolled onto her front, pressing her breasts to his chest, and looked into his eyes as he shifted them to meet hers. Genuine curiosity filled their caramel depths.

“Where does that leave you then? Do you serve in the vampire army?”

Night toyed with a strand of her dark hair, his gaze remaining fixed on hers as he nodded. “I’m a commander of a unit here in the mortal world. An assassin… for want of a better term.”

“That is very different from your brothers… and it explains a lot about you.”

“What does that mean?” His eyebrows knitted and he hoped it wasn’t a bad thing.

She smiled.

“The way you move. The way you act. You have this calculating look sometimes…” She reached up and lightly rubbed her thumb between his eyebrows, smoothing away his frown. “You always seem to be weighing up the odds and finding the best course of action. When I first saw you at the mansion, you were so mysterious. I couldn’t figure you out.”

“And now?” He lowered his hand and stroked it down her spine beneath the covers.

“Now I know I was right about you. I thought maybe you were like an assassin. I could easily imagine you stealing into somewhere in the dark and dispatching foes without a sound, taking down a whole gang of bad people before any of them noticed and then leaving without a trace.”

She made him sound rather epic.

The reality of his work was often quite the opposite. Fewer enemies. More bloodshed. Silent takedowns were his favourite method of killing, but usually things didn’t go quite as planned. He was dealing with immortals after all. Most of his foes were as strong as he was or had sharp senses that allowed them to detect him before he was within striking distance.

She stared at him, or rather through him, and he sensed panic in her.

“What’s wrong?” He brushed his fingers down her arm.

She tensed and blinked, and she was back with him. She shook her head and the pain that flashed in her eyes told him where she had gone. She had been thinking about the mansion and what had happened.

“I should have made you come with me. I never should have placed you in danger like that.” He gathered her to him, cupping her cheek and making her rest her head on his chest again. “I swear, Lilian, I won’t place you in danger like that again.”

The air charged with the unmistakable feel of magic and his senses blared a warning.

Witches.

Five of them.

And they were closing in fast.

Chapter 15

Night rolled from the bed and hurried around it. “Get dressed.”

He grabbed Lilian’s shoes as he reached them, tossing them at her, and followed them with her dress.

“What’s this all about?” She bundled the clothes into her arms, her fear hitting him hard.

“Witches,” he growled, rage burning up his blood, and she paled, her eyes growing enormous. He grabbed his black trousers and pulled them on. “We have to leave. Now.”

He had lived long enough to know the witches were heading his way for a reason. He wasn’t sure how they had found him or why they were after him, and he wasn’t hanging around to find out. Under different circumstances, he would have stayed and fought them. He glanced at Lilian. He couldn’t risk her though. He needed to get her out of here before the witches reached them.

“Move. Now!” he barked and she tensed, her shoulders going rigid, and he thought she was going to remain where she was, sitting in the bed, looking confused and stunned.

But then she pulled her black dress on, threw the covers aside, and popped to her feet as he strode away from her and dropped to his haunches in front of the holdall.

“Night—” She went silent as he unzipped the bag, grabbed the sword he had picked for her and thrust it towards her. “What do you expect me to do with that?”

“It’s so you can defend yourself.” He gripped the sheath near the point and held the hilt out towards her. “Take it.”

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