Page 35 of Venice Vampyr: The Beginning

But it was too late for that. Salvatore had recovered from the first hit and now swung his fist at Dante, grazing his chin. Dante laughed. “That’s all you’ve got?” The human was weak. This would barely be any fun at all. No wonder the asshole liked to beat up on women since men were no match for him.

Dante launched his fist into Salvatore’s stomach, making him double over. “Next time you decide to beat a woman, you’d better think twice.” With an uppercut to Salvatore’s chin, Dante turned. Before he could walk away, the man jumped him, slamming him to the ground.

Inside, Dante rejoiced. Finally, the jerk was fighting back, making this a little more interesting. Jerking his elbow back, Dante jabbed him in the ribs, then rolled, throwing Salvatore off his back. Within seconds, they dealt each other blow after blow. Dante barely felt any pain, but the human winced with each hit he received.

“Stop it! Stop beating him!” a woman’s voice came from behind him.

Holding his victim down with one arm across his neck, Dante turned to look at the woman Salvatore had been with. She stood over him, her fists at her hips, a scowl on her face. “Signorina, you’d do well to keep out of this.”

“I will not let you beat up my companion.”

“Well, would you rather he beat you like he did the last woman he fucked?”

A red blush colored her skin at his crude words. He gave her another look. Now that he perused her closely, he noticed something strange about her. She didn’t belong here. She wasn’t the kind of woman who frequented clubs like these. Her manners seemed refined, her dress understated yet expensive. Her face was fresh and innocent, her hair held up in a tight bun at her nape with not a single loose strand framing her elegant features.

He inhaled her aroma. Yes, she smelled of innocence and goodness. But there was something else—something foreign that seemed to cloud her rich scent. And it made him want to protect her. And keep her close.

Dante tried to shake off the strange sensation while his gaze lingered on her face for a few seconds longer. The most striking things about her were her eyes. Their dark chocolate brown would have looked dull on any other woman, but combined with her porcelain skin and those red lips, she looked like an enticing tableau. What was a woman like that doing in a hell like this?

“You should leave,” he advised her and turned back to Salvatore.

With one last blow, he knocked him unconscious. As he rose, the hostess blocked his way. “Signore, I do not tolerate this kind of behavior in my—”

Dante held up a hand. “I’m leaving.”

With long strides, he left the club and stepped into the cool night air.

Chapter Three

Viola stared at the hostess. “But you can’t throw me out. I had nothing to do with this.”

The hostess pressed the coin back into her hand and pointed to the door. “Out.”

Suppressing her tears of desperation, she walked outside, pulling her cloak tightly around her. If that terrible man hadn’t beaten up her companion and knocked him unconscious, she would have lost her virginity tonight. And now? She was back where she’d started. And worse: she was banned from the club. It was the only place she knew where she could find what she wanted. Where would she go now?

Viola let out a frustrated huff and raised her head. Her gaze fell on the man who’d started the fight. He was standing a few yards away, arranging his cravat. Before she could lose her courage, she approached him.

“That was a terrible thing you did.”

He gave her a bemused look. “You should be grateful to me, not badgering me.”

“Grateful? You got me thrown out of the club.”

“As I said, you should be grateful for that. You don’t belong there. You’re an innocent.”

Anger churned up in Viola. “I’m not an innocent,” she lied. “I’m a widow, and I’m here to find some … pleasures.” It was the same lie she’d given Salvatore, even though he hadn’t questioned her motives.

The man arched an eyebrow and raised one side of his mouth, mocking her.

“Now you’ve destroyed my chances of being with a man tonight.”

The man took a step closer, his body almost touching hers. His voice was low when he replied, “And you listen to me now, woman. The man you wanted to be with tonight beats the women he beds. It’s part of what get’s him off. He’s violent, and he enjoys seeing women suffer. Was that what you were looking for?”

Instinctively, Viola took a step back.

Was the stranger telling the truth? Had he truly saved her from being beaten? She shook off the thought. No, the two men probably had had some prior quarrel. “No matter. Now I have to go somewhere else to find what I need.”

“Are you crazy? Didn’t you hear what I just said?”