I glanced at Kane, who watched as the man put a hand on me. He slowly stood and glared at the man. Kane made no move at that point, but I could see that he was tense. I assumed he was going to wait and see how things played out.
The man, however, hadn't seen Kane make a move. He hadn't even looked at me. His eyes were on his own drink; an obvious attempt at being clandestine. “You hear me, girl?”
With a friendly grin, I patted his hand and smiled at the others at his table, all of whom looked fearful of the interaction. "I assure you; I am in no danger from him. But I appreciate and respect your concern. It is with good cause, I am sure."
I went to step away, but the man gripped my arm tighter, this time looking up into my eyes. "He will kill you without regard. Just like he does with whoever he pleases."
A thud sounded from across the room as Kane shoved a chair out of his way, making his way over to my side. Without hesitation, he grabbed the man’s arm. "Lose the grip or lose your arm.” His voice was low and cold.
I moved to calm Kane, but as I looked around, I thought better of it. Torn, appreciating the man's concern as well as not wanting to make Kane look weak, I knew the situation was precarious. My newfound loyalty to Kane won out, and I stopped myself. If the man pressed the issue, it would be on him.
“Thank you for your concern, sir. But as I said, I am fine,” I said my thanks. "I am not his dinner."
The man? He didn't move. I wasn't sure if he was being defiant or was frozen. Starting to not care and not wanting to be that close if Kane decided to react further, I tried to free my arm again. But again, it was a fruitless attempt. Those that had been seated at the table with him started to scatter.
"I'm only going to ask you once more. Let her go. She is my guest here. Your white knight sentiment is noted. Do not press your luck any further." He tightened his own grip on the man’s arm, a low growl coming from his chest.
Finally, the man snapped around, his eyes wide. I realized he was, in fact, gripped with fear. Every eye in the room was on us. But his hold on me didn't lessen. It got worse. "Sir, he's not going to hurt you if you just let go."
But the man didn't. He just stared at Kane, even despite the others nearby whispering warnings and backing away further.
And then, I winced. My breath sucking in through my teeth. "Ouch." I yanked my arm harder to try to free myself. “Sir. Let go!”
But it was too late. Kane’s patience had worn out. He took his right hand and hit the afeared man in the face so hard it knocked him off his chair. The man fell, hitting his head against the table.
His hand had still been on my arm, yanking me roughly as he went down, which made Kane move to scoot me out of the way. He attempted to bring me just off to the side, behind him. But the man’s hold was tight, and the whole thing was jarring. I toppled to the floor with a thud and a whimper.
People scattered to the walls and some out the doors. A couple, of course, were paralyzed by fear, just as the man had been. No longer gripped by his fear but bleeding from the head, he lay on the floor at Kane's feet.
A deep growl emanated from Kane’s chest. He leaned forward and dispatched the man's arm from his shoulder with ease. My eyes went wide, and I felt myself pale at the savagery.
In shock, the injured man’s face contorts from fear to shock and then finally, as his body started to realize what had happened… pain. He lets out a gut-wrenching scream that filled the room.
Kane didn’t even pause; he simply pried the detached limb off my arm. Looking me over, he tossed the disembodied appendage onto the table.
Those left in the room scattered to whatever recesses were left, trying to get as much distance between them and us. Doors were flung open, and some people pushed through, trying to get outside as fast as possible. Yelling and screams bounced off the walls, mixing with the sounds of chairs and tables being knocked over as others ducked behind them, trying desperately to stay silent.
I rubbed my arm where the man's hand had been, but my eyes were stuck going between the injured man, folding his shoulder, and on the ground to his arm that was dripping blood. Surprised Kane hadn’t taken advantage of the meal opportunity, I blinked. "How are you not diving for the blood? Does its presence not bother you?"
One could see his hunger in his eyes, but he fought it. "I have centuries of control to draw on." His nails grew long, and his expression showed exactly how much he wanted the blood. With a hoarseness in his voice, he waved over a couple vampires from behind the bar. “Clean this up. Now.”
I shook my head. "You'll let it go to waste? Feed if you need to. You warned him. Fear or not, he didn't comply. There’s no sense in not enjoying a meal,” I stated simply.
He tilted his head. “You are handling this rather well.”
“Like I said, he was warned. I have been exposed to violence.” I waved it off, not wanting him to know how much this could have or even possibly did affect me. “But why not feed? Are you trying not to scare them? Will that not make them see you
