She gasped out, getting to her feet in a blur and patting down her hair. The men with her laughed as they raked their gazes down my body in a sickening way.
Blaise stepped in front of me along with Kai.
“What’re you doing here?” Thaddeus asked, stepping forward between his brothers and them.
The air became tense as the woman smirked. “I missed you, Thaddeus.”
“Cut the bullshit,” Blaise snarled.
She gave a mock cry as she brought her hand to her chest. “We’ve had some good times, you and I. Actually, we all have. Save for Thaddeus’s stubborn morals.”
Jealousy flooded my veins, and I barely managed to control it from pouring into everyone around me. A low, threatening growl emitted from my throat.
The guys tensed, and she threw her head back in a cackle.
“Oh! Does the little new-blood have a crush?”
Anger snaked through my chest, weaving through my rib cage and settling there. “It’s none of your fucking business,” I growled the words as I gripped the guys’ shoulders and stepped beside Thaddeus.
The tall man cocked his head with a slimy smile. “Tiny little thing.”
“Feisty too,” the other one mused before flicking his gaze toward Blaise. “Is she as fun in bed as she looks?”
Blaise went at him in a flash, holding him up against a tree by his neck. “Watch your bloody mouth about her.”
The other guy laughed, stepping toward me. “Guess that’s a yes. Want to test me out, babe?”
Kai had him against the ground in a second by his throat. “If you don’t want me to rip your tongue out and shove it up your arse, I’d watch what you say.”
Satisfaction hummed through me. “Thanks for defending my honor, guys, but I don’t really care what they think of me.”
Thaddeus swept his gaze toward me before settling his sights on his brothers. “She can handle herself.”
The guys sighed, let them go, and trudged back toward us.
The woman’s laugh tinkled through the forest. “Well, that was a fun greeting. My name’s Ayla, and we’re here to kill the trio.”
Ayla. What a stupid name.
“This isn’t your jurisdiction, Brune Clan,” Thaddeus said.
“We’ve been tracking them for ages,” the taller man growled.
“Shut up, Marco.” Blaise rolled his eyes, and before the other man spoke up, he narrowed them at him. “You too, Anton.”
I snorted a laugh, and everyone’s eyes shot to me. “Sorry.”
“What’s so amusing?” Ayla asked.
“Your names are just so...not scary for vampires.” I giggled, and Kai chuckled.
“And what’s your name?” Marco bit his lip, cutting it with his fang. Blood dribbled down his chin from the action, but it didn’t seem to bother him.
“Lilith,” I purred my name in a teasing manner because mine was just that more badass than theirs.
“Lilith?” Anton’s eyes met mine as if he were studying me with a new sense of caution.
“Belonging to the night,” Marco mumbled.
