Watching his face twist into rage reminded her exactly how he had tried to control every aspect of her life. She hadn’t realised, and almost lost her friendships and her job and possibly even her fucking life because of his jealousy.
Where the bloody hell were the bouncers?
“You’ll never get anyone better than me,” he continued. “You’re just a slut who can...”
His fingers tightened before he was wrenched to the side, followed by a crack as he crashed against the wall beside them. Eva blinked, the whole movement so fast it took a second for her brain to catch up to the situation. Lucas snarled, clawing at the arm that held him against the wall, his feet dangling beneath him as if her were a child, and not an adult of six feet.
Oh shit!
“Apologise,” the man growled, pressing closer until he was almost nose to nose. “Now.”
Lucas snarled, his expression blocked by the stranger’s wide shoulders. “Fuck you!” he managed to squeeze out, the sound strangled.
A deep chuckle. “Careful, fang face.”
They were starting to gain an audience, something she didn’t want. She needed this job and was already on a warning from when she punched a bartender for groping her. He had been fired, but apparently it wasn’t good business for one of the dancers to knock out other staff.
“Put him down,” she said calmly despite the anger that bubbled, touching the stranger’s shoulder. “He’s not worth it.” She ignored the muscles that bunched at her contact, immediately pulling her hand back.
The man’s head turned to the side, and she sucked in a breath when she recognised the square jaw, strong nose, and dangerously dark forest green eyes.
“Kace?”
Lucas dropped to his feet so suddenly he nearly collapsed, very unlike his usual vampiric grace. He caught himself on the bar, his hand leaving a perfect imprint of his palm. She would be blamed for that, she just knew it.
“You know this guy? What, you fucking him too?”
Kace let his silence answer for him, his head dipped so that his beautiful red hair hid the expression in his eyes. She had never seen a shade like it, so deep it was like dark mahogany mixed with the heart of a ruby.
The silence stretched, Lucas’s face tightening.
Wait...
Kace had remained silent on purpose.
Men!
“Who I fuck is none of your business anymore!” Not that she had anything to do with Kace, the man was as moody as the moon. She had only met him a handful of times, and that was when he was guarding her best friend’s flat that just happened to be beside her own.
Lucas launched forward, fist blurring towards Kace’s jaw in a strike that would kill most people. Vampires had double the strength of humans, and she knew from experience how vicious Lucas could be once he was worked up. She was lucky she’d only left the relationship with a few scrapes and bruises.
A gasp escaped her throat, but Kace barely grunted as he caught the fist in his larger hand.
Lucas frowned. “What the?!”
“Hey Red, we got a problem?” Marshall, one of the bouncers bounded over. “This guy giving you trouble?” The man was built like a mountain, over six foot and an impressive set of shoulders that made most misbehaving clientele hesitate. But when he moved closer, she realised Kace was taller, somehow more intimidating with arms roped in sleek muscle that looked like they were built for speed rather than just strength.
“I’ve got it,” Kace muttered, tightening his grip until Lucas hissed.
Marshall smirked, folding his thick arms over his chest. “Make sure you clean up after yourself, I ain’t gonna deal with whatever’s left.” His attention turned to Eva. “You okay, sweetheart?”
Eva managed a nod, scrambling after Kace who had marched Lucas towards the emergency exit. “Wait!”
Kace ignored her, yanking Lucas with him as if he were a disobedient child. He paused as soon as the door swung open, the alley beyond illuminated by the harsh streetlight overhead. His grip loosened, enough for Lucas to break free. “Fuck off,” he snarled.
Lucas hissed, eyes bleeding to black as his fangs elongated past his lips. “Or what?”
Kace smiled, a cruel twist of his lips.
