Page 106 of Bewitched By a Vampire

He slanted a look at Beatrice.

The fair-haired witch nodded.

Satisfied that she would take care of Lilian, and that the witch was no longer a threat to either of them, he dropped a kiss on Lilian’s brow and then pivoted, picked up his swords and sprinted into the darkness.

Isla came up beside him, her feet floating above the grass, her face a picture of determination as her white hair streamed behind her together with the flowing hem of her pale dress.

Jana hit Grave with a spell that sent him flying towards them.

Isla’s blue boots hit the ground as she turned corporeal, her cerulean leathers instantly replacing her white dress, and she grunted as Grave slammed into her, knocking her backwards.

His brother huffed. “You did not need to do that.”

She pushed him off her. “You would have flown clear into the trees if I hadn’t.”

Night had the feeling this was going to turn into an argument if he let it, so he said, “She’s getting away.”

“Do not get me started on you.” Grave scowled at him, his crimson eyes flashing with a warning that Night felt all the way to his soul.

He was in for an earful once this battle was done.

Isla disappeared in a white blur.

Jana shrieked and turned, breaking right as Isla appeared before her. Night charted an intercept course and ran, pushing himself past his limit. His legs ached with each stride that carried him swiftly across the grass, fatigue rolling up on him. So much so that Grave overtook him. Night glared at his brother’s back as Grave passed him with ease.

Grave’s silver blade was a bright flash in the darkness as he swept it upwards. It didn’t hit its target. Jana struck it with a spear of ice, knocking it off course, and then thrust the tip of it at Grave. His brother dodged backwards, the razor-sharp point of the spear coming close to gutting him. Too close.

Night sprinted around behind Jana and bellowed as he lashed out at her with his right blade. The witch turned, her speed surprising him and catching him off guard. His blade hit her spear and she rotated it, swirling it around as she lunged towards him. He tried to keep hold of his weapon, but his shoulder burned as he tightened his grip, and he wasn’t strong enough. She knocked the sword from his grip. He growled and thrust his second blade at her, and she dropped low, his sword cutting through the air above her head as she swept her spear across his thigh.

Fire blazed a trail over it in the wake of the spear and the scent of his blood hung heavily in the air.

Grave roared and jabbed his blade at her back as he appeared behind her, and the witch rolled to her left, leaving his brother coming right at Night instead. Grave’s eyes widened and Night used his remaining blade to knock his brother’s blow off course before it could skewer his one good leg.

“You are hurt.” Grave’s crimson gaze took in his leg and then his shoulder.

“Spare me the lecture.” Night pressed his hand to his injured shoulder. “Berate me all you want later. Right now, we have a witch to kill. She’s the one who almost took my head.”

His brother’s eyes darkened dangerously, black invading the scarlet, and his gaze swung towards Jana as she picked herself up and started running again.

There would be no escape for her. Not because his brother was harnessing his bloodlust now, but because Lilian and the other witches had formed a circle around them. They were up to something.

It became apparent as Jana reached the middle of the circle.

Pale violet light burst from each witch in the circle, including Lilian, and fell to the ground to fill the space between them at the same time as it shot up into the sky.

Forming a great dome.

Magic filled the air inside it, making the hairs on his nape stand on end, and he readied his swords. The soft sound of chanting reached his sensitive ears. A spell. The witches were keeping the barrier in place. Jana twisted this way and that, her eyes widening and her fear hitting him, rousing his bloodlust.

This ended now.

The scar on his throat burned and he lifted his right hand and touched it.

His ears twitched as he singled out Lilian’s voice. She was chanting a different spell. He looked for her and found her moving away from the wall of the dome, heading towards Jana. The witches beyond her sidestepped a few paces, reducing the gap she had left. Stopping the barrier from being weak at that point, Night guessed.

What he couldn’t guess was what Lilian was up to.

Jana’s eyes glowed pure silver and she unleashed a battle cry as she came at him and Grave. Isla intercepted her before she could reach them, striking the witch hard across her face with the back of her hand and sending her sailing towards the fountain. The witch stopped in mid-air before she could hit it and held her right hand out.

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