Page 51 of Bound in Blood
“Get here okay?” Alexei asked, locking his phone and placing it face down on the table in front of them. His tone was light, casual. Like they weren’t here to discuss murder.
Marco’s patience was wearing thin already, but he knew better than to show it. Alexei seemed to love getting in the way of anything fun, all the time. Hell, he’d even been calling Logan pet names when they’d first met him. Probably trying to cockblock them then, too. Still, he couldn’t suppress the urge to lean close to Logan, his hand possessively on his mate’s knee as he settled in. Mateo wrapped an arm around Logan’s shoulders, and Logan shifted subtly as he relaxed into their touch. Marco loved how every little move he or Mateo made affected their mate, whether it was to relax himorwork him up.
Alexei tilted his head, watching Logan visibly become more at ease. Marco wondered, briefly, how well Alexei knew Logan. They’d been bantering like old friends when Marco and Mateo had wandered into Logan’s bar last week, and Alexei seemed very…protectiveof Logan. Didn’t Logan say he’d just moved here? Marco didn’t know his mate nearly as well as he’d like to.
“You three are fucking disgusting,” Alexei mused, voice low. “Aren’t we a bit old for the PDA?”
Mateo snorted, shifting to get more comfortable, though there wasn’t much room. “I’m so sorry,” he started sarcastically. “But I’m not entirely sure I care about your comfort.”
“Don’t hate us ‘cuz you ain’t us.” Logan added, reminding Marco once again that he had been born in a completely different century.
Alexei exhaled through his nose, something between amusement and unimpressed. “Oh, yes, that’s exactly it,” he deadpanned, “Every day I lie awake, unable to sleep, for fear that I will never become a baby-faced ginger sandwiched between two Italian men with no concept of self-restraint.”
Marco wondered, briefly, how much truth there was to that. Not that Alexei wanted to be with them, of course. Marco wasn’t so vain as to believe everyone wanted a piece of him. But inthe entire time Marco had known Alexei, he’d never been with… anyone, really. It had to be lonely.
Logan grinned at Alexei’s comment, sharp and pleased, like Alexei being irritated with him was the highest of compliments. “Maybe they’d have better self-restraint if you stopped interrupting the fun all the time. This is kind of like bothering someone on their honeymoon, you know.”
Alexei’s smirk twitched, something sharp flashing behind his eyes before he smoothed it away. He tilted his head at Logan, expression mostly unreadable. “Honeymoon after knowing each other less than a week? Are you a vampire fairytale princess?”
“Can we get to the reason we’re here?” Mateo cut in, voice laced with impatience.
Alexei sighed, stretching his long arms out along the back of the booth, fingers drumming lightly on the worn vinyl. He looked… tired, now that Marco was studying his features a little closer. Like he wasn’t getting nearly enough sleep. Alexei had always taken too much responsibility on his shoulders, and maybe Marco and Mateo were being unfair by not trying harder to figure out what was going on.
“I believe we are not being proactive enough with capturing the rogue vampire. Now that weknowhe’s feral, we need to double our efforts,” Alexei said. “I wanted to get a clear description of him from Logan, and I know you don’t want to hear this, but it might be time to call?—”
“We’re not calling any of them,” Mateo said through clenched teeth. “We haven’t needed them in seventy years, and we don’t need them now.”
“Then what do you suggest?” Alexei narrowed his eyes. “Four bodies in three days is?—”
“a fucking disaster,” a voice said, cutting in as he approached the booth from behind.
Ah, yes, the vampire hunter.Fantastic.
The tension snapped like a live wire. Alexei turned sharply. Marco and Mateo stiffened. Logan’s shoulders straightened, like he was standing at attention.
Vik didn’t flinch under the weight of four vampire stares. He didn’t even slow down.
“Sorry to interrupt your little triple-threat snuggle sesh,” Vik said, tone dry as he slid into the booth next to Alexei, uninvited. “But if we’re discussing murder, maybe take it outside next time. Regulars are starting to notice the vibe in here’s gone fromqueer dive bartohomicide headquarters.”
Alexei looked like he wanted to throw him back out with one hand. “You’re not part of this.”
“Maybe not,” Vik shrugged, resting his elbows on the table. “But I was there last night. And I’m part of whatever happens next.”
“You’rehuman,”Alexei pointed out.
“And I’ve dealt with a lot scarier than the baby-faced feral we saw last night.” Vik rolled his eyes. “I also have access to security cameras for the entire block, I have friends in Boston PD that can be bribed, oh,andI’m pretty sure I’m the only one here with experience killing your kind. Am I wrong?”
“I have killed vampires before,” Alexei murmured, but he had that look on his face like he knew he’d been defeated.
“I thought the whole point was tonotkill him,” Logan pointed out. “What happened to ‘not every vampire deserves to die?’”
“‘Not every vampire deserves to die’ and ‘every vampire deserves to live’ are two different things, kid,” Vik sighed, rubbing his temples.
“Fair,” Logan muttered, shoulders sagging slightly.
Vik gave him a sideways glance. “Look, I’m not trying to come in swinging a stake. But this oneisdangerous. And I’mnot gonna sit on my ass while you guys bicker over strategy like some undead PTA meeting.”
Alexei’s fingers stopped drumming. “What are you offering?”
