Page 45 of Blood Owed (Blood Mafia 1)
I know Mateo understands this.
On top of Demi being ridiculous and taunting Mateo, he’s revealed she’s a Hunter. A being I believed to be extinct.
“I’m certain. It explains things. . .” Mateo trails off.
“Things like her threatening to stab us or not having any sense of self-preservation?”
He turns his dark gaze on me. “Hunters naturally seek danger because that’s what they deal with. The threats, however, are all Demi.”
For some reason this makes me smile.
“What are you going to do with her?” Colt asks. His arms are crossed over his chest, and he’s attempting to casually lean back in his chair. He’s about as casual as a bull standing in front of a red flag.
“I’ve ordered the maid to untie her.”
“You used compulsion? If her blood is special, then—”
Mateo growls at me. “Do you think I’d forget something like that, Grayson?”
I narrow my eyes and tap my index finger on the arm of the dark velvet chair I’m sitting in. “Of course not, Mateo.” Tilting my head to the side, I look him over. His shoulders are bunched, and his hands are fisted. “This isn’t like you.”
He flashes to me, and I laugh before he squeezes my throat in a punishing grip. “Touchy, Mateo. You’re going to kill me for making an observation?” My words are strained, and Colt shifts forward in his seat.
Is he going to intervene?
Mateo will rage again, and we’ll spend hours in recovery for it.
Don’tI say with my eyes.
Colt huffs and glances away, running his hand through his short blond hair.
Mateo tosses me aside, and I easily land on my feet. “She’s trouble,” he mutters.
I nod. “She is. What are we going to do with her?”
“She needs to be won over. We need to woo her. We can use her to our advantage if we do things right.”
Colt wrinkles his nose. “I don’t like to pretend.”
Mateo lets out a dark chuckle. “You’ve had a hard on for that woman the moment she threatened to stab you. You won’t have to pretend.”
“What will I do?” I pull in my lower lip. Grown vampires shouldn’t pout, but damn, Colt’s getting the fun job.
Mateo shakes his head at me. “We’re all going to work her.”
“All of us?” Colt asks.
The boss nods. “Is that going to be a problem for you?”
“No.” Colt presses his lips into a firm line. He’s never been able to keep the emotions from his eyes.
I lower myself into my chair and cross my ankle over my knee. “What if I want to sleep with her?”
Mateo begins to hiss but stops himself. “Then sleep with her. I don’t care what you have to do, fuck her stupid. Make her fall in love.”
Colt adjusts the cuffs of his suit. “This won’t end well.”
“If you do your job right, she’ll never know.”
