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  If they survived what was coming.

  Lilah pressed her hand to her bare chest and focused on her heart and her blood, trying to sense her master. She clung to the hope that the wretched man was nowhere near and hadn’t felt what she had done with Javier. It would give them time to track him down and speak to him. They couldn’t hide from him forever. When she saw him again, she would make him release her so she could be with Javier.

  She stepped into the shower and turned on the water. The pulsing beat of hot water over her skin chased some of her tension away and she closed her eyes and raised her face into it.

  The sound of the door to the apartment opening made her pause and then smile. Javier. She had promised they would shower later so she remained under the jet, waiting for him to come to her. She heard his footsteps on the tiled floor of the white bathroom and turned with a wide smile to face the curved glass doors as they opened.

  “Where did you go—”

  Her eyes met dark red ones. She stared at them, every inch of her trembling despite the hot water cascading over her back.

  Lord Ashville grabbed her wrist in a bruising grip and yanked her from the shower. She slipped on the floor and slammed onto it, banging her knee and elbow. It didn’t stop her master. He dragged her along the floor until she managed to scramble onto her feet. She clawed at his hand on her wrist, trying to prise his fingers open, but it only made him tighten his grip until her bones creaked.

  Lilah cried out.

  “Shut up,” Lord Ashville snapped, his fiery red eyes scalding her. He raised his arm, dragging hers upwards, and her feet left the floor, her shoulder threatening to pop out of its socket.

  “Please... it hurts,” Lilah whimpered and shivered, fear thundering in her chest, turning her stomach.

  His eyes darkened, almost as black as his short hair, cruelty marring his youthful face.

  “I told you to shut up.” He snarled and threw her across the bedroom. She hit the dressing table and collapsed into a heap, pain blazing through every inch of her, burning fiercest in her shoulder and hip. He stalked towards her, blurring in and out of focus as she struggled to remain conscious, and crouched, grabbed her by her throat, and dragged her onto her feet.

  Lilah choked and flailed her legs, kicking wildly. He grunted when she managed to catch him in the balls and dropped her. She made a break for the broken door but he reached it before her, blocking her way with his broad build. Lilah backed into the room, desperately searching for something to use as a weapon. Unsurprisingly there was nothing she could use to dispatch a vampire. There were only things that would probably annoy him even more. A letter opener on the bedside table, a wooden chair in the corner, an empty glass decanter on the dressing table. All of them were within her reach if she moved quickly enough but none of them would stop him.

  She tried for the letter opener but Lord Ashville came up behind her and caught her by her throat. The feel of his fingertips against her jugular stopped her dead. He pulled her hair aside so roughly that her head went with it, her neck cracking under the force, and snarled.

  “Who did this?” His other hand scratched the marks on her throat and she whimpered again, afraid that he would cut her open with his nails. “Who violated you?”

  “No one violated me,” Lilah whispered and then grimaced when Lord Ashville sniffed the marks. “I chose to be with him. I initiated it!”

  “Impossible.” Lord Ashville grabbed her arm again and pulled her towards the corridor. She made a desperate reach for the splintered doorframe and clung to it, grimacing as he yanked on her other arm. Her fingers slipped and she hit the deck with another violent bang.

  It didn’t stop Lord Ashville. He dragged her across the wooden floorboards in the corridor until she managed to get back onto her feet. Lilah redoubled her efforts and clawed at his hand, drawing blood with her nails. It didn’t even slow him down.

  He tugged her down the stairs and she stumbled, her heart pounding and tears filling her eyes. The air of the theatre chilled her bare damp skin and she hung her head, hiding behind the wet lengths of her dark hair as they reached an area where humans and vampires were still at work. Shame burned her cheeks as she felt everyone staring at her naked body and bile burned up her throat. She covered her privates with her free hand, giving up her fight against her master.

  “Tell me where he is.” Lord Ashville shook her and she cried out again when his claws pressed into her wrist, drawing blood.

  “Never,” Lilah spat the word at him and he threw her down the remaining few stairs ahead of him. She hit the floor with a sharp bump and curled into a ball, holding herself. Tears streamed down her cheeks and over her nose.

  “On your feet, bitch.” He grabbed her upper arm, pulled her back up, and pushed her forwards, forcing her to keep moving.

  The staff clearing the stage props scattered when Lord Ashville shoved the doors to the theatre open. He lifted Lilah and pushed her onto the stage before leaping onto it himself.

  “Call out for him.” He stalked towards her. She shuffled backwards on the dusty wooden stage, her hip aching as it pressed into it and pain splintering her skull.

  Lilah shook her head. Lord Ashville slapped her and she screamed.

  “There we go. That wasn’t so difficult, was it?” He crouched next to her, his dark eyes full of cold cruelty as he looked down on her. “It will be over soon. The man who violated you will pay.”

  Lilah lay on the stage, panting and afraid, trembling and aching all over. She didn’t want Javier to come. Lord Ashville would fight him.

  She couldn’t lose Javier.

  “I started it,” she muttered and swallowed, the taste of her own blood in her mouth making her feel sick. She weakly pushed herself up on her hands and then her knees. “I wanted him... and I seduced him.”

  “Liar.” He caught her under the jaw and lifted her off the stage, holding her suspended by her neck. She choked as he squeezed, blocking her airway.

  “Put the woman down.” The male voice was a dark commanding snarl that echoed around the theatre.

  Her eyes wildly sought the owner of it.

  A man with white jaw length hair and eyes the colour of ice stood at the back of the stage, his broad figure swathed in a long black coat.

  “I will not tolerate this behaviour. Set her down or I will kill you where you stand.” Snow walked forwards, his face a dark mask that warned he wasn’t joking. “I am sure there is a reasonable explanation for what has happened here. The woman says that she started things between herself and the vampire. I can vouch that she did.”

  “Are you the vampire?” Lord Ashville said and Snow shook his head. “Then stay out of it. It is none of your business.”

  “I assure you, as owner of this theatre and therefore a man responsible for the care of this woman, it is my business.” Snow moved faster than Lilah could take in and she was suddenly in his arms, his long black coat around her shoulders, covering her nudity. Lord Ashville stared at his empty hands and then glared at Snow.

  He snarled and lunged at Snow.

  Lilah threw herself into his path, unwilling to allow another innocent person to be dragged into this mess because of her, and screamed as Lord Ashville’s backhand connected with the side of her head and sent her crashing into darkness.

  CHAPTER 9

  Javier entered the theatre in time to see Lilah collapse in the middle of the stage between Lord Ashville and Snow. The large white-haired male vampire roared at Lord Ashville but didn’t get a chance to attack. Antoine was behind him in a heartbeat, restraining his arms, struggling to hold his brother back. Every muscle on Snow’s broad bare chest rippled with power and Antoine grunted as he fought to keep him restrained.

  Callum raced in behind Javier and stopped dead when Lord Ashville’s dark eyes fell on him. They shifted between Javier and Callum.

  “Which of you is the vampire who violated my human?” Lord Ashville stepped towards Lilah’s prone form. “If you do not tell me
, I will force it out of you.”

  Before Javier could utter a word, Lord Ashville grabbed Lilah and shook her so hard that Javier feared he would kill her. Javier growled at the same time as Snow did. Lord Ashville looked at Javier and dropped Lilah back onto the hard wooden stage.

  “You?” Lord Ashville pointed at him.

  Javier nodded. “Lilah came to me. It was her decision. Our feelings are mutual. Your sway over her was not complete and it never was. Your bond with her was false and you do not own her, so you cannot come here to ask for my head. She initiated it and we broke no law.”

  He mounted the stage and stared at Lilah, using his senses to check her over. Her blood whispered her pain to him and her pulse was steady but too weak. It frightened him and a deep desire to gather her into his arms and take her somewhere safe filled him. She needed care. She needed his blood. It would help her heal the internal damage her bastard master had done to her because of him and would stop her wounds from bleeding. The scent of her blood in the air was only fuelling his rage and desire to make Lord Ashville pay.

  “You are all liars. I know what I felt. You are forcing her to say these things to protect you.” Lord Ashville went to grab her again and Javier snapped.

  He threw himself at Lord Ashville, slamming into his side and sending them both crashing hard onto the wooden stage.

  “Don’t you touch her again!” Javier rolled on top of him and punched him hard, knocking his head to one side.

  A second later he was sailing through the air and landing with a resounding thud next to Lilah. He wheezed as he sucked air into his bruised lungs, looked across at her and reached his hand out, wanting to touch hers. She was too far away.

  Still beyond his grasp.

  Lord Ashville’s expensive leather shoe slamming into his gut caused him to double over and cough up blood. The taste of it in his mouth brought his fangs down and he snarled, grabbed Lord Ashville’s leg and twisted it, sending the man spinning in the air. He landed on the other side of Lilah, got to his feet and went to grab her again.

  Snow roared, broke free of Antoine’s arms and barrelled into Lord Ashville. The scent of blood in the air grew stronger and a glistening dark patch spread across the front of Lord Ashville’s black shirt as he distanced himself from the furious male vampire.

  “God damn it, Snow!” Antoine threw himself at his brother but Snow sidestepped and launched himself at Lord Ashville again, baring his fangs at the same time.

  Javier wasn’t fast enough to intercept Snow and neither was Antoine. Snow swept his hand out as he passed a stunned Lord Ashville, his claws cutting across the side of the man’s throat, and came around behind him, his hand poised to puncture his back. Antoine slammed into Snow and the pair of them hit the stage, Snow snarling at his brother and trying to break free. Javier kicked Lord Ashville in the kneecap, grabbed his short dark hair and brought his head down onto his own knee, cracking it hard.

  Lord Ashville stumbled backwards and Javier didn’t give him a chance to recover, or let Snow intervene again. He appreciated the help of the powerful aristocrat vampire, wasn’t about to question why Snow was attacking Lord Ashville, but he needed to be the one to deal with Lilah’s master. The man would pay for hurting her tonight and for bonding with her against her will.

  He would die by Javier’s hand.

  Antoine managed to subdue Snow enough that the snarling stopped. Javier didn’t spare them a glance as he circled with Lord Ashville, his eyes on his enemy, waiting for the man to make his move. Blood drenched the front of his black shirt and coated the side of his neck. Snow’s attacks had given Javier a chance. They had weakened Lord Ashville enough that he might be able to defeat him now.

  Javier came around close to Lilah. She still lay on the floor, unconscious and bleeding. He had to end this quickly and tend to her. The scent of her blood and the pain he had felt in her spoke to the more savage side of himself, forcing his eyes to switch to crimson and his fangs to extend further. He sensed Callum move onto the stage and approach her, and a dark part of himself wanted to snarl and force the elite male to back away and leave her alone. The rest of his heart overruled it, silently begging his close friend to pull Lilah to a safer distance before things turned bloody and more dangerous than they already were.

  Lord Ashville’s attention switched from Javier to Callum and he could see that he was going to attack in order to keep Lilah in the midst of their battle. Javier wouldn’t allow that to happen. He mustered all of his strength and attacked first, catching Lord Ashville off guard and forcing him backwards with each punch and swipe of his claws. Snow growled again and Javier glanced down to realise they had moved too close to him. Lord Ashville made him pay for his momentary distraction, shredding his shirt with his claws and slicing down his chest. Javier leapt backwards and snarled, pain blazing outwards from each long scratch. The feel of blood sliding down his stomach, sticking his shirt to his skin, unleashed his savage side. He roared and threw himself at Lord Ashville, tackling him so they both landed close to Snow.

  Snow swiped at them both, his blood-tinted eyes wild with hunger, and Antoine growled as he struggled to pin his older brother to the wooden stage floor. Javier rolled with Lord Ashville, scratching and kicking, trying to gain the upper hand. His arms and chest blazed white-hot with each slice of Lord Ashville’s claws over his flesh. Blood soaked the stage around them and filled the air, driving them both into a frenzy.

  Callum reappeared from the side of the stage and joined Antoine in his struggle to calm Snow. The vampire was a danger to them all now. Javier rolled backwards, flipping Lord Ashville over his head, and landed on top of him. He punched Lilah’s master, one strike after another, bloodying his face and satisfying the dark need to avenge her.

  Lord Ashville grabbed him by the throat, fingers closing around it, throttling him. Javier didn’t stop. Driven by the smell of blood and his lust for violence, he fought on regardless of the lack of air. He clawed and scratched at Lord Ashville’s chest until his vision swam and the edges of his sight turned fuzzy and black.

  Lord Ashville grinned up at him, rolled to his side and came out on top again. He throttled Javier and rather than fighting him, Javier fought for air instead. He grasped Lord Ashville’s wrists, trying to prise his hands off his throat, and choked. Someone moved out of the corner of his eye and then Lilah was standing over them both. She brought a thick carved wooden pillar that normally held a church candle down on Lord Ashville’s back, sending him slamming forwards into Javier’s chest. Lord Ashville reared up and turned on her. He lashed his arm out, catching her across the stomach and sending her flying into the black painted wall to the side of the stage. She fell to the ground in a heap. Lord Ashville went after her.

  Javier pushed himself onto his feet with great effort and shot as fast as he could across the stage after Lord Ashville, intent on reaching him before he could harm Lilah again. He would never allow that. Lilah was his now and he would do all in his power to protect her.

  She was his.

  He brought his fingers together so they formed a flat surface with his palm, extended his claws, and came up behind Lord Ashville. The man choked as Javier struck, driving his hand into his back and smashing through his ribs. Javier growled, clutched Lord Ashville’s heart, and tore it out. Lord Ashville slumped to his knees and then fell forwards onto the stage floor. Javier uncurled his fist and let the heart roll from his fingers and fall onto its former owner. Blood dripped from his fingertips.

  Javier stumbled past Lord Ashville’s corpse, his body aching with each weary step, pain blazing across each long gash that littered his arms and chest. He fixed his senses on Lilah, needing to feel that she was alive and would heal with his blood in her body. He collapsed onto his knees next to her and struggled to pull her into his arms. They trembled and shook, weak from the fight and blood loss. He still couldn’t believe what he had done. There would be repercussions. He shouldn’t have killed Lord Ashville. He should have retaine
d enough control that he could have forced the man to face the heads of society and let them judge whether he and Lilah had broken the sacred law. There was no hope of that now. His superiors would believe he had sought to defend himself when he should have meekly accepted his fate and allowed Lord Ashville to collect his head. He had only made things worse.

  He managed to work Lilah into his arms and rested there with her, his hands looped around her front and her back against his knees. Her soft steady breathing concerned him as much as her slow heartbeat. He closed his eyes and fought his own desire to sleep. He had to get her to safety and heal her.

  “Let me help,” Callum said and Javier snarled at him, baring his fangs, and held Lilah closer, unwilling to let anyone touch her while she was badly injured.

  “She will live.” Those words, roughly spoken by Snow, ignited the spark of hope in his chest and soothed some of his fear. He looked up at the powerful male, right into his icy eyes that were still ringed with red, needing to hear him say it again.

  Antoine stood a step behind Snow, his pale blue eyes on his brother, wary and watchful, as though he expected him to lose control again at any moment. Snow glanced over his shoulder at his younger brother and Antoine’s gaze shifted from him, to Callum and then down at Javier and finally Lilah.

  “I will need to speak to our rulers about this,” Antoine said and Javier nodded, unwilling to dare hope that they would grant him a reprieve. They were likely to sentence him to death when they learned of what he had done and the cold look in Antoine’s eyes said that he wouldn’t do anything about it. Javier hadn’t expected anything less of Antoine. The aristocrat believed in the laws and the sanctity of them, and they had never been close to each other. The man held himself at a distance from everyone except his brother. If it was Snow in his situation, Javier was sure that Antoine would lie to protect him.