Page 65 of Bound in Blood
There was a beat of silence. Logan’s brows furrowed as he glanced between them, clearly picking up on the sudden shift. Marco shifted slightly, just enough to brush against Mateo’s side—steadying. But Mateo’s hands were already curling into fists at his sides.
“I’m just saying,” Mateo went on, sharper now, “This can’t be random. He turns us in Italy, disappears for nearly a century, and then shows up here right outside of ourmate’sapartment? That’s not random, and if you think it’s random, I’m about to lose a lot of respect for you.”
“Then what do you suggest?” Alexei asked calmly, but there was tension under the surface, a twitch in his jaw. “That he planned this? That a feral vampire tracked you across the world for eighty-five years, when he can’t even form a coherent thought on his own?”
“I don’t know!” Mateo said, voice rising. “But I’m saying we can’t stick to the same plan like nothing’s changed.”
Logan leaned forward slightly, brows drawing together, like he was starting to put together the pieces Mateo had put down. “Are you suggesting…?”
“That we stop trying to capture him alive.”
The words hit Logan like a slap, andGodMateo wished he was in a position to regret it. But this was too raw, too close to home. He’d wanted this man dead for eighty-five years. He couldn’t allow himself to get sympathetic now.
Marco sighed, fingers rubbing at his temples. “Teo…”
“No, Marco. I’m serious. This guy has been doing this for at least eighty-five years. Whoknowshow many victims he has?”He levels what he hopes is a sympathetic look at Logan. “I’m sorry that your pet feral is going to have to be put down,tesoro,but that’s what happens when things are beyond saving.”
Logan physically recoiled, his jaw going tight as the wordpetechoed between them.
“He’s still a person, Mateo,” he said, voice shaking. “You don’t know. What if he had as little a choice in turning as you? What if?—”
“It doesn’tmatter,Logan. He’s probably got a body count that could rival the population of some small countries! Nobody ever looks at people like Mussolini and say ‘yeah, sure, he’s responsible for over half a million deaths but what was hischildhoodlike!?’”
“Mateo,” Marco warned, sharper this time.
“What,Marco? What do you want me to do here? Play into his little savior fantasy? This isn’t some random stray dog that bit someone in self-defense. This ishim,Marco!” Mateo looked around, frantically trying to findsomeonethat understood where he was coming from. Not even Vik, who Mateo was sure would be on Mateo’s side, would look at him.
“This… thisthingruined our lives! I haven’t been able to go outside in the sun in almost a century. We never got to say goodbye to our family!Fuck,Marco, we come from a country that isknownfor how good the food is, andI can’t even fucking taste it!”
“I know,” Marco said quietly. Too quietly.
But Mateo was nowhere near done. “Doyou know, Marco? He came foryoufirst!Isaved us back then. And I’m going to do it again now. Logan, this isn’t some after school special and that vampire is not something worth saving.”
Mateo’s words hung heavy in the air. His chest rose and fell heavily with each breath he didn’t need. He was just so…angry.Angry like he hadn’t been in a long time.
Marco’s voice cut through the quiet like a blade.
“We don’t know that.”
Mateo blinked. “What?”
“We don’t know that he’s beyond saving,” Marco said, still calm, still Marco. But there was something in his voice, measured, deliberate, that made Mateo’s stomach twist. “We don’t know anything about him. Not really.”
Mateo stared at him like he’d grown a second head. “Yousawwhat he did to you. Tome. You think someone like that deserves mercy?”
“I’m saying we don’t get to decide that,” Marco replied, and he looked at Logan when he said it, not Mateo. “Not without trying.”
Logan sniffled, nodding at Marco’s words. Mateo wondered when he’d started crying.
“Mateo, I know you better than anyone. You’re irrational, but you’re not cruel.” Marco held up his hand toward Mateo, like he had his finger on a deadman’s switch and was ready to let go. “Let’s think things through here.”
Of course, it always came back to this.You’re too angry, Mateo. You’re wrong, Mateo. Calm down, Mateo.Well, yeah, maybe Mateowasangry. Butsomeonehad to be, right? He frantically looked toward Alexei, to Vik, to anyone. But there were four other men in this room, and not one of them was on Mateo’s side.
“I cannot believe you are takinghisside,” Mateo growled. “After all thatthinghas done to us.”
“I’m not taking anyone’s side,Teo.And let’s not forget, you had no problem sparing him two hours ago.”
“That’s before I knewwho he was!”Mateo shouted. “Youdidn’t nearly die defending us that night,Idid! I had to watch my brother bleeding out on the fucking cobblestones because of him.Younearly killedmebecause of him! This is only easy foryou becauseyou’rethe one who always needs protecting, andI’mthe one always getting hurt!”
