Page 79 of Blood Bound (Blood Mafia 3)

“Mom, it’s fine. I’m sure Mateo appreciates the gesture, right?”

He lifts one of his dark eyebrows when I glance at him. Then like a good little vampire he dips his head. “I do, Irene. Thank you for preparing me breakfast, though I would much rather feed Demi than keep it all to myself.”

“You’re laying it on pretty thick,” I say, then take another bite of egg. “Mom, where’s Dad?”

“He’s off with that Evelyn woman, she took him to the shooting range.”

I swing my gaze to Mateo’s and drop the plate on the counter. “You let him leave with Evelyn?”

Mom huffs and comes over to me. “What has gotten into you? She seemed perfectly sweet.”

“She’s a vampire and she’s fucking crazy.”

With a tiny growl—almost like a Pomeranian—Mom pokes my chest. “Don’t you curse at me, you little bitch.”

Mateo lets out a bark of laughter.

I glare at him then shake my head at Mom. She’s joking of course, I’m allowed to curse and she does plenty of it herself.

“Mom, Evelyn is—”

The door opens and my dad and Evelyn waltz in like good old pals. He is smiling at her and saying something about his favorite gun.

In her pencil skirt and dark blue blouse, she hardly looks dressed to go to the shooting range. I move my eyes to her face and take in her frown. She’s staring straight at me.

“Evelyn is what, Demi?”

I drop my head back and groan. “I didn’t mean it like that, Evelyn. I just—”

“You just meant you don’t trust me with your father? Did you think I’d hurt him?” Her voice cracks like a whip.

My dad looks at my mother. “Demi, Evelyn was giving me a tour. She was perfectly nice.”

“I’m sorry, Evelyn.”

She pats my dad on the shoulder. “It’s okay Rob, I can handle it.” Then she looks at me and damn if I don’t take a step back because what I see isn’t nice.

Mom even slinks further into the kitchen.

“You know, for someone so angry about being underestimated or having their trust broken, you sure don’t treat your friends the way you want to be treated. Maybe you should look in the mirror and decide if what Mateo did was really that bad or if you’re just being obnoxiously stubborn about forgiving him for a mistake.”

“Evelyn,” Mateo says, his voice a soft warning she doesn’t heed.

“No, Mateo. Demi is hell bent on making you feel bad when she’s doing the exact same thing to me.” She places her hand over her chest. “I’dneverhurt your family, Demi. It’s really shitty you’d assume the worst of me after all we’ve been through.”

“I’m sorry.” I shake my head and cover my mouth with my hand. “I’m really sorry.”

She waves her hand in front of her to dismiss my words. “Those are such pretty words.”

Ouch.

She’s hitting me with some hard truths. I am being a bit of a stubborn ass, though I still think I’m entitled to my frustration. I did exactly what I’m so mad at Mateo for doing. I didn’t trust her. I expected the worst.

I didn’t give her a chance.

Fuck me.

“Evelyn.” I step toward her, dropping my hand from my mouth.

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