Page 137 of Her Vampire, His Ruin

I hold my hand up, pushing to my feet. “I deserved that.”

“You deserve a stake to the heart too, you bloodsucking vampire.”

Viktor chuckles. Logan grinds his teeth, and Elizabeth snaps her gaze to mine.“Vampire? What the hell is she talking about?”

“Let me explain,” Edie says, reaching for Elizabeth’s arm.

“You bet your arse you’re going to explain, Edie,” Henrietta says, rounding on her. “He drank your blood, and then he glamoured me so he could kidnap you. I thought you were on a bloody sabbatical, raving it up in Europe somewhere. Have you been here all this time?”

Henrietta slams her palm on the table so hard that it topples a wine glass, smashing it. She doesn’t even notice a shard slicing through the back of her hand until it’s too late. Before I can stop him, Logan reaches out, his fingers wrapping around her wrist as his fangs drop and his eyes turn crimson.

Elizabeth lets out a blood-curdling scream and launches upright, her panic overtaking any sense of caution. In her scramble to get away, her foot snags the chair, and she hits the floor awkwardly. I hear the snap of bone before she’s even realised her arm is broken.

“Elizabeth,” Edie cries, dropping to her side. “Are you okay?”

“Viktor, help Elizabeth. I’ll deal with Logan,” I say, gripping his shoulder. “Let Hettie go.”

“It’s Henrietta to you,” he bites out, eyes pinned on her, but despite the possessiveness of his tone, he releases Henrietta’s wrist.

“Stay the fuck away from me,” Elizabeth yells from the other side of the table, shuffling on her arse across the room as Viktor tries and fails to help her.

“He’s a doctor. Let him see your arm,” Edie begs, but Elizabeth recoils, refusing his help as she climbs to her feet. Tears well in her eyes, and her breath comes in short, sharp gasps as she backs away.

“A doctor?” She bares her teeth. “Bullshit. You’re one of them, too, aren’t you?”

“I’m both, and I won’t hurt you. I promise,” Viktor says, his voice soft. “I need to make you a sling. Let me help you.”

“Go to Hell!”

“Oh, pipe down, Beth. If he wanted to bite you, he would’ve done so the last time we were here,” Henrietta says, tugging the shard of glass from her hand and reaching for a napkin, wrapping it around the wound. Once she secures it in place, she rounds on Logan, her fingers pressing into his chest. “And you, you lied to me.”

He snarls at her, and I yank him backwards, putting more space between them, but Henrietta’s not to be deterred, and she steps into his space, poking him again. “I don’t like liars.”

“It’s just as well because I don’t like you either, Little Demon,” he snaps.

“Well, I’m glad we’ve got that cleared up,” she says, weaving past us and heading for Edie, while Elizabeth edges toward the door. Viktor beats her there and quickly removes his shirt to make a sling, offering it to Elizabeth.

“Please, just take this at least.”

She snatches it from him, crying out as she throws it over her head and rests her broken arm in the material. Blood drains from her face, and her knees buckle. Before she can hit the floor, Viktor swoops her up into his arms.

“She’s passed out. I need to lay her down,” he says.

“Take her to the living room. We’ll follow.”

When Elizabeth finally stirs, Henrietta’s fury has cooled, Logan sips blood from his glass, Viktor is watching Elizabeth intently, and Edie rests quietly in my arms.

“Edie?” Elizabeth murmurs, her eyelids fluttering open.

Edie rushes forward, dropping to her knees beside her. “Does it hurt terribly?” she whispers, smoothing a lock of hair off Elizabeth’s face.

“My arm’s broken. Of course it hurts.”

Edie winces. “I’m so sorry.”

“We need to get Elizabeth to a hospital,” Henrietta says, swooping down to grab her purse. “I can drive her.”

“That won’t be necessary. She can have some of my blood. It will heal her,” Viktor offers.