Page 5 of Bewitched By a Vampire

It was taboo to claim a human against their will these days, and she had been waiting in the foyer, watching his brother leave. He ran a hand over his short dark hair and down the shorn back of it to his nape. It was probable that she was entering into this contract willingly, wanting the life it could give her.

She glanced at him.

A violent flash of heat went through him, had him lurching a step towards her before he reclaimed control of his body.

“Stay in the room,” he growled as he pivoted and stepped into the corridor.

He slammed the door behind him and strode along the hall. Straight past his room. Back down the stairs. Right out into the night.

He didn’t stop until he was on the lawn. He paced across the grass, breathing deep of the cool air, letting it fill his lungs to bring his temperature back down. Whoever the female was, she was dangerous. It had been a long time since he had felt so close to breaking so quickly. A simple look from her had his hunger roaring to the fore, his bloodlust surging to the surface with it. He scrubbed a hand down his face and pulled down another breath, trying to calm his racing heart.

His hand dropped from his face.

He needed to leave.

The other humans would keep her safe until Bastian’s return and she had no reason to go anywhere.

Night paused and looked back at the house, at the floor where her room was.

Right at her window.

The golden light emanating from it silhouetted her where she stood before it, watching him pace like a madman. He was tempted to wonder what she made of him, but was too occupied with figuring out the answer to the question that had risen into his mind.

What if she did have a reason to leave?

Bastian had a short temper. He did his best to hide it, but his brother was quick to anger if he felt slighted or disobeyed. Not only that, but he had specifically asked Night to watch the female, which meant she was important to him. He had entrusted Night with this task and would expect him to carry it out. Night had never gone against his brother’s wishes in the past when he had asked him to do something. He wasn’t sure he wanted to find out what Bastian would do to him if he failed.

He imagined it might involve ripping out his heart and feeding it to the dogs.

He stared at her.

He wasn’t sure he could stay, though. His brother was asking too much of him. Guarding the house he could do, but guarding an unclaimed female—a beautiful unclaimed female who didn’t look as if she was enjoying the thought of becoming his brother’s property—was beyond him.

He couldn’t leave.

Night growled and clenched his fists, his arms flexing beneath his black suit jacket, causing the material to tighten over his muscles. He had a duty to stay now and watch the female as his brother had asked. What he felt was of no consequence. He would master his attraction to her, or at least put together a big enough distraction to keep his mind off her.

He pulled his phone from his trouser pocket.

Woke the screen.

And called the cavalry.

They answered on the first ring.

“Well, if it isn’t Lord Van der Garde,” Laurent drawled, his French accent lending a softness to his light voice that Night knew the male lacked in every other aspect of his person.

“Shut up,” Night muttered, the same response he always gave his ex-subordinate whenever the vampire dared to use his title rather than his given name.

Laurent had served under him for four hundred years, the standard term for a male aristocrat vampire, and for every single one of them, the blond had amused himself with driving Night mad. Whether it was asking him idiotic questions about what life was like as a member of one of the most illustrious vampire families, abusing his title to irritate him, or flat out bowing and scraping before him, Laurent had savoured pushing his buttons.

And in a way, Night had enjoyed it.

He almost missed it in fact.

There were far too few vampires in the Preux Chevaliers with the balls to treat a Van der Garde in the way Laurent had.

As if they were just another vampire.

---