Page 104 of Bewitched By a Vampire

Her gaze darted to Beatrice. “The potion! Drink the potion! Night isn’t our enemy. Jana is!”

Jana’s head slowly swivelled towards Beatrice.

Beatrice looked from the blonde to Lilian and unscrewed the cap on the bottle. Jana launched at her as Beatrice tipped the contents into her mouth, and Lilian surged to her feet and ran at her.

She barrelled into Jana’s chest, knocking her backwards, and the witch grabbed her by her hair and yanked her head back.

Lilian grunted as Jana head-butted her and her vision tunnelled. Not good. She fought the witch, wrestling with her to hold her back long enough that Beatrice could see she had been telling the truth.

Night was innocent.

Jana and Karlotta had set him up.

She was sure they had been the ones to kill the witches in her coven’s house in Germany too, an attack that replicated the one Night had carried out on their coven as revenge.

Jana fought harder, slamming a fist into Lilian’s gut, and Lilian gripped her nape and struck her hard across the face. Her knuckles burned as flesh met flesh, and fire blazed up her arm. This close to Jana, she could feel how powerful the witch was. Lilian was no match for her. Not even Beatrice would be.

But together, there was a chance they could take her down and avenge their coven.

And Night.

Lilian looked over her shoulder, unable to resist the urge to see if Beatrice had witnessed Night’s memories, desperate to know whether the witch would be fighting with her or against her.

Beatrice held her hand up and Petra and Maryon, and the remaining six witches, leaped away from Night. He breathed hard and leaned forwards, looking as exhausted as Lilian felt as his swords lowered to his sides and he kept a wary eye on the witches.

Beatrice stared at Jana, her eyes darkening as her eyebrows knitted hard and her lips thinned. “You.”

Jana viciously twisted Lilian around so her back was to Jana’s front.

And pressed the sharp tip of a shard of ice against Lilian’s throat.

“Lay down your weapons, vampire, or I will kill her.”

Chapter 29

Night’s heart couldn’t beat any faster. It hammered a fierce rhythm as he stared at the ice dagger poised to pierce Lilian’s vein, his mind racing to calculate the outcome of every possible move he could make.

Jana had already taken one person he loved from him, her integral role in Karlotta’s plan making her as much responsible for Franz’s death as her friend. He couldn’t let her take Lilian too.

But what could he do?

If he dropped his swords, then Jana would kill him and then she would probably kill Lilian too. If he didn’t, she would kill Lilian. He wasn’t fast enough right now to reach Lilian and get her clear before Jana made her move.

Lilian stared at him, both hands locked around Jana’s arm to keep the shard from jabbing into her throat. Her caramel eyes brightened, silver stars emerging in them.

“Drop dead!” she gritted.

Jana laughed, the high mocking sound rankling Night as much as it evidently did Lilian. Lilian’s lips flattened and her eyebrows drew down as the witch behind her continued to chuckle.

“Your power won’t work on me.” Jana lowered her mouth to Lilian’s ear and stared right at Night. “I took precautions, but you’re so weak right now I probably didn’t need to worry. You’re like a kitten, witch. Feebly clutching at life.”

Lilian’s eyes darkened and Night shook his head, silently warning her not to provoke Jana.

He could see and scent how desperate Jana was now that she was outnumbered, and that only made her more dangerous. He had faced many foes in her position, and all of them had been willing to do anything to escape, had been wild and unpredictable. He couldn’t let her escape though. Not again.

He needed to do something.

Jana closed her free hand around Lilian’s neck and squeezed. Night’s heart jerked into his throat as Lilian gasped, her eyes flying wide and desperation filling them as she tried to breathe. He cast a glance at Beatrice and then the other witches, and all of them looked ready to fight on his side now.

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