VET Vampire Romance 01 - Covet

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