Page 44 of Bound in Blood
Mateo’s stomach twisted.
Of course, Logan was feeling sympathetic toward the thing. He was a compassionate, bleeding-hearthumanat his core. Mateo didn’t remember that feeling, but Marco did. He could see the way his brother’s expression softened at Logan’s need to protect the feral, even when he probably shouldn’t.
“You said Alexei gave you a ride home. What did he have to say about it?” Marco pushed, gently trying to guide the conversation back to the crux of the problem: there was still a feral vampire on the loose.
“He didn’t make it in time. Vik threw a knife at the guy, and he bolted right before Alexei showed up,” Logan mumbled.
Vik?
Logan’s human boss, Vik?
“Why was Vik there?” Mateo asked slowly. Carefully. God, this story kept getting worse.
Logan hesitated, his mouth opening like he wanted to say something, then immediately snapping shut.
Mateo felt his patience fray. Marco went still beside him, his fingers flexing like he was resisting the urge to shake an answer out of Logan.
“Logan,” Marco warned, low and sharp. Marco wasn’t the type to lose his temper, but Logan was treading a dangerous line.
Logan groaned, running both hands through his curls, shoulders hunched like he was bracing for impact.
“Okay. Before I tell you this, I just want to say, in my defense, I had no idea before, like… an hour ago.”
Porco Dio.?*
This was about to be bad.
“When we first met, Vik told me his parents disowned him, and that’s why he originally moved to Boston,” Logan started, still looking terrified of what he was about to say, “I always thought it was because he was queer, like me. I mean, he is, but that’s not why he was disowned.”
“Logan, please…” Marco groaned. “I’m trying very hard not to be upset, but?—”
“I’m getting there!” Logan promised. “So, it turns out, Vik wasn’t disowned because he’s bi. He was disowned because his family is a bunch of vampire hunters, and he didn’t want to kill vampires anymore.”
Mateo stared at Logan, hoping,praying, that he’d somehow misheard.
Because there wasno waythat in six months, Logan had managed to befriend three vampiresanda fucking hunter.
His brain refused to process it.
“You’re joking,” Mateo said flatly.
“I’m not,” Logan replied, hands still tangled in his curls like he was physically trying to hold himself together. “He told me tonight. After the, uh, situation in the alley.”
Mateo blinked. “So just to recap,” he said. “You got attacked by a feral vampire. You let him go. Yourhumanboss threw a knife at him, and then casually confessed to being avampire hunter?”
“Formervampire hunter. Yes.” Logan frowned. “Are you mad? Because I promise I didn’t know.”
“Not mad,” Marco chimed in, though Mateo could tell by his tone that he was definitelystressed, “Just trying to figure out the next best course of action here.”
“Vik said he would help find the feral!” Logan offered. “So that’s something, right?”
Mateo didn’t answer right away. He was fighting a losing battle with his old ways, his rage all but ready to show Logan why only Marco could put up with him for more than an hour or two. But then he saw it: the way Logan’s shoulders hunched, the way his voice pitched up like he was begging them to be okay with it, begging them to stillwant himdespite the chaos he’d brought with him. That stupid, sweet,softlook in his eyes.
“It is something,” he agreed, tension bleeding out of him like air from a balloon. He wasn’tthrilledabout the situation, but the sun was going to come up within a couple of hours, and nothing could be done until tomorrow night, anyway.
Logan blinked, like he didn’t expect Mateo to agree with him, “Wait… really?”
Marco nodded. “I think you’re mistaking worry for anger,caro.”He paused, stepping closer, softening his voice, “Honestly, all thismatestuff is very stressful. I think right now, I can only be happy if you never left our sight again.”
