VET Vampire Romance 01 - Covet

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