Content To Be Claimed (Beauty And The Beast #1)

Chapter 50

Less than eight minutes.

That's how long the fight lasted.

And here in Warren's arms, I realised that I never wanted to go through another few minutes like these. I was still lightheaded as I came down from the adrenaline rush of trying to watch a supernatural fight.

Warren had wrapped an arm around me when I threw myself on him and I barely noticed what Roger and Ashley were up to. When I tried to see whatever was left of Vincent, Warren gripped the back of my head and angled me to look into those intense green pools I'd missed so desperately. I nodded softly, agreeing not to look.

When I heard Roger strike a match I resolutely kept my word, keeping my eyes locked on Warren's, and I saw his approval in his slow smile. He released my hair, letting his fingers ghost over my cheek. I closed my eyes to absorb his touch.

Then I took a good look at him - and my jaw dropped as my mouth went dry. He followed my gaze to his stomach - which was crusted with dry blood - and then to the arm he was favoring. He quickly caught my chin, drawing my gaze back to his. "Tis but a scratch," he assured huskily.

"None of these qualify as scratches!" I protested, taking a closer look at the gouge marks on his bicep. "Oh gosh, Warren!"

He drew back with a groan when I tried to touch him. "I'm barely aware of them."

"You're barely aware of anything," Roger muttered and earned himself a glare.

"Uh, we gotta go," Ashley said urgently in my head and I turned to find that she was still in her panther form.

Warren dropped his hand to shove himself off the ground, wincing slightly. Roger was instantly there, helping him up without jostling him. Once he was on his feet, he waved Roger away and drew me to his side with his good arm.

Warren was barely able to stand, much less walk. Still, he determinedly steered me into the forest with Roger and Ashley flanking us.

"Too late," Ashley muttered.

And they were suddenly right in front of us, three vampires suddenly blocking our path. They all wore long dark cloaks but dropped the hoods when they stopped. The leader was a girl who looked no older than me. She had strikingly deep dark eyes and flowing dark hair, her milky complexion somehow making her look exotic, like a porcelain doll. The man to her right was tall with long curly dark hair and cold dark eyes. To her left, the man was shorter than her with a shock of messy blond hair and brown eyes. He was buff, reminding me of the guy I met at the gas station a couple of nights ago.

The girl looked us over, possibly assessing each of us, then her gaze rested on me. She stared until I shifted uncomfortably, and one side of her mouth tilted in an amused smirk. She then looked directly at Warren, clearly recognising him as the leader of this pack. And I could see in the set of her jaw that the acknowledgement was grudging. "Strandton."

"Romera." Warren returned the greeting blankly.

My heart skipped a beat. Were these the enforcers that Victor had been talking about, the ones we'd robbed?

"You're a long way from home, Strandton," she said, her soft voice sending an unmistakable threat.

"One of your rogues hunted on my land, took one of my own," Warren said. I felt the shorter vampire's chilling gaze on me as Warren went on, "Her safety was my main priority."

My admirer suddenly stepped forward, his eyes still on me. "But now since she is no longer on your land she is no longer yours to protect, yes?"

Warren shoved me behind him and, gripping his hurt arm, dropped into a fighting stance. My heart skipped a beat even as Ashley and Roger flanked me, instantly placing me in the safest part of the group. I worried for Warren, wondering what I could do to protect him from this.