Page 98 of Blood Owed (Blood Mafia 1)
“Fuck off,” I say and wrinkle my nose.
Alissa is no Lexi, but she’s wormed her way into my life here, and I really hope she doesn’t turn out to be an asshole or betray me in some way, because I like her. A lot. She’s definitely best friend material, well, best vampire material. If I ever have the chance to call Lexi—assuming this were a normal life—I’d tell her all about my new friend and all the bullshit going on. A sharp ache fills my chest. I miss my friends and family. I don’t see my parents often, but knowing I can’t go see them makes me feel even worse.
Grayson shakes his head when Alissa pretends to be wounded by my barb and leaves us with a shit eating grin on her face. I smile after her despite the sudden wave of sadness. At least there is one bright spot.
“You two have gotten close.”
I toss my gloves into the bin and unwrap my hands, groaning in pleasure when fresh air hits my skin. “She’s good people. She came to see me every day this last week, and she brought me cookies.”
“Noted, cookies are the way to your heart.”
My laugh escapes before I can wisely tuck it away. “Don’t you mean my pussy?”
His eyes flash with heat. “Why not both?”
For the love of all things sane, he can’t be serious.
I snap in front of his face. “Focus, Grayson. My lessons?”
The seductive smile he gives me is enough to make my knees weak. “I’m more than happy to teach you a few things.”
The master of innuendoes, ladies and gentlemen.
I mimic holding a knife and make a stabbing gesture. “All I’m interested in is learning how to better use a knife.”
“All the better to stab us with, eh?”
Him making a Little Red Riding Hood reference is adorable, but I resist the charm like a champ.
“Perhaps,” I confess, crumpling up my used tape and tossing it in the trash. “Lead the way.”
Grayson
For someone who enjoys threatening to stab people, Demi is horrible with a knife. I watched her spar with Alissa for a little while and was impressed by her skills. The vampire outmatched her strength and speed, for now, but Demi’s a good fighter.
It’s obvious she’s been taking lessons somewhere, and even more apparent none of those lessons included weapons work. I don’t suspect many human gyms teach classes on self-defense with daggers or swords. With the invention of guns, most humans rely on bullets to kill their enemies.
“How.” Demi huffs out a heavy breath. “Fucking. Hard. Is it. To stab. A Dummy?”
The question is rhetorical, I know. That doesn’t stop me from answering. “Vampires and wolves are harder to stab.”
She shoots me a withering look, the one which stirs my cock and makes me want to pin her against the wall and fuck her stupid.
“Here.” I step behind her, adjusting her grip and angle of the knife. Her breath catches at my touch. “You have the right idea, but your execution isn’t entirely correct. The fastest way to the heart is through the ribcage. Don’t be shy, give it all you’ve got.”
“I’m trying.”
Still, my words have given her the little nudge she needed. Keeping the positioning I put her in, she slams the blade through the dummy’s ribs, angling between two bones and piercing the fake heart inside.
“Fuck yeah!”
“Good. Again.”
Her eyes are pitiful when she glances at me.
“What?”
I smirk. “You heard me. Again.”
