Page 80 of Blood Owed (Blood Mafia 1)
She’s not like Alissa.
The fitting rooms are on the second floor. An employee takes the clothes from me and stands behind us on the elevator. I nervously fiddle with the edge of my bargain T-shirt from Target. Had I known we were coming to this store, I would have changed into something a little dressier.
I wait outside as the employee hangs up my choices in the large room. Before I can close myself in, Evelyn holds out two hands full of hangers. On them are a variety of dresses and skirts.
“Here, try these on first. I want to see them on you.”
“Thanks,” I say and close the door, thankful it’s completely solid and floor to ceiling length. No slats or gaps for Evelyn to peek through. It also gives me time to shake off the spark of trepidation Evelyn gave me when she got upset at my joking.
Playing the dutiful Barbie, I try on the outfits Evelyn picked. Much to my surprise, they fit perfectly and they’re in tones that agree with my dark hair and skin. I decline four of them, out of stubbornness because one of the fancy gowns was four-thousand-dollars and I have no reason for something so lavish.
Evelyn pays and I hold back a startled gasp when the cashier tells her the total. Despite wanting to use Mateo’s money as payback, I kept the prices of my selections on the cheaper side.
“You’re quite the little bargain hunter, aren’t you?”
I give Evelyn a weak smile. “Guess so,” I say even though the total costs of our clothes combined is enough to buy a condo. A run-down shabby one in San Francisco, but a condo, nonetheless.
“The car’s out front, I’ll pop the trunk,” Evelyn calls over her shoulder to the staff who’ve come over to help carry our bags. She links her arm with mine, an annoying habit of hers, and bumps my hip with hers. “Come on, little hunter.”
I frown at the nickname. I don’t voice my annoyance. She may be overbearing, a little psychotic, and condescending, but she has made an effort.
She drives us back to the skyscraper which houses Blood Mafia. The bright headlights of her car sweep over the parking garage which is nearly empty now.
When they flash over the face of an angry vampire, Evelyn sighs.
“Don’t let the face intimidate you, love. He’s perfected looking like an asshole, his lips even pucker like one.”
I conceal a snort with my hand.
She turns off the car and steps out. I give her the lead, steeling my nerves for a confrontation. I open my door, straining to hear the harshly whispered words between Evelyn and Mateo.
“What were you thinking?”
Evelyn shifts her weight and cocks her hip. “Someone needs to treat the woman right, if you three won’t do it, I will.”
Mateo growls and says something too low for me to understand. Evelyn stiffens and her hand lashes out, slapping him straight across the face.
I bite the inside of my cheeks to keep a satisfied smile from creeping across my face.
She looks over her shoulder and notices me lingering by the trunk. “I’ll send someone to get the bags, Demetria. Let’s go.”
I have to hand it to Evelyn, she’s kind of a badass. She even shoulder checks Mateo when she sidesteps him and struts to the elevator.
His dark eyes burn into me, and I cautiously meet his furious gaze. Any trace of kindness I expected to see after his night of reading to me is nowhere to be found. He looks pissed and all of the emotion is focused on me.
I swallow and make my way toward Evelyn, coming to a stop when he snatches my wrist. I stare at his fingers.
“Let go,” I say, voice filling with anger. I haven’t forgotten who he is, and all it took was one hate filled look from him to remind me he’s the enemy.
“Or what?”
I lift my gaze to his and set my jaw. “I will find a way to kill you, and when I do, I’ll make sure to drag it out and make you scream in pain. Now let me go.” I yank my wrist back, and he releases me.
“Threatening the boss?” he asks with a cruel twist of his lips. “Vampires have died for less.”
I give him an indifferent look. “If you wanted to kill me, you already would have.”
His eyes darken and violence ripples across his face. “Careful, Demi. You’re expendable, you’d do well to remember it.”
