The girl liked to tell many stories of her inmates in the slave establishment who had tried to escape and fallen to into the hands of such predators, but she had not told her that predators like that were in this certain direction she had outlined in the map!
Knowing she had to try anyway, Belle was opening her mouth to let loose a bloodcurdling shriek when she backed right into the arms of a third man. For one heart-stopping moment, terror locked the scream in her throat, but then, as she recognized the feel of him, the fear melted into a nerve-shattering relief that nearly buckled her knees.
One powerful arm encircled her shoulders from behind, settling just above the swell of her breasts.
"Sorry to disappoint you losers," said a deep, smoky rumble of a voice, "but there’s more than just wolves roaming these woods tonight."
Belle sagged with relief, cradled by the familiar, warmly scented embrace of her husband from behind. At his touch, all the fear that had gripped her heart melted away, and her tense muscles gave in to the safety he brought without even trying. She wanted to turn around and throw her arms around him, to hold on to the solid safety he suddenly brought her when, just a second ago, she had been terrified of what these two crazed vampires might do to her.
She hadn’t seen him since the day they left the royal castle, and now, with him standing there, steady and strong behind her, a rush of emotions—unwelcome yet unstoppable—rose up and flooded her heart and body with a dangerous kind of warmth she had no defenses against.
"Who the fucking hell are you?" her fair-haired attacker demanded, his grin disappearing into a dark scowl aimed at her husband, who didn’t seem the least bit fazed by it.
Rohan’s voice was matter-of-fact, almost bored as he replied. "I’m the one who ate the Big Bad Wolf and left nothing behind but bones."
The vampires exchanged glances with each other and then they let out a laugh that echoed in the forest. Due to the darkness, none of them could see the face of the man who had dared appear from nowhere to have their prey in his possession. They were both from one of the highly respected vampire families in Nightbrook, though they were not pure bloods, they were born vampires and could do as they pleased with no one daring to stop them from preying on the humans in the land.
It was never against the law to prey on the useless humans in Nightbrook when they strayed too far from town after nightfall. The two of them made it their business to watch for any fool who wandered too far.
And tonight, this human was the prey they had chosen.
The one named Jacob stepped forward as he eyed Rohan in the shadows. "From your scent, I can tell you are a vampire. You know how we don’t take another’s prey, don’t you?" he said matter-of-factly as he flicked his fingers. "So while we are being nice, I suggest you let her go and get the hell out of here."
Rohan threw his head back and let out a roar of laughter, a sound so wild and menacing it sent the resting birds scattering from the trees. This was the very first time after his release from the asylum another soul had dared to talk to him like this, knowing he was the renowned Mad Lord. If only there had been enough light for them to see his infamous eyes, they wouldn’t have stayed a second longer to talk back at him. And he liked that.
Wanting to toy with them, he tightened his arm around his wife who had relaxed into his arms, and said, "How foolishly brave of you." He said lightly, "If I were you, I would take my friend and leave right now."
"Bloody hell!" the fair-haired vampire snarled. "We caught her first. She is our prey! Go fucking find yours elsewhere!"
Before Belle could so much as let them know that the man they were speaking to was her husband, and that she was not their prey, nor anyone else’s, Rohan said smoothly,
"Not anymore. She’s mine. And has always been."
That primal claim, coming from her husband’s lips and delivered with such absolute conviction, sent an involuntary shiver dancing along Belle’s skin.
His grip tightened, warning her that he had felt it.
Rohan’s entire body ignited with a blinding rage. He had given them the chance to walk away—so he could hunt them down later, when his bunny wasn’t present to witness it and he’d taken her back to the castle, but some creatures only learned when death came for them.
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