Page 97 of Blood Bound (Blood Mafia 3)

Chapter Twenty

Demi

There is no wave of heat. When I step into the portal, all I feel is a bone chilling cold. The air from my lungs leaves my mouth in a mist of fog. Gooseflesh ripples over my arms and down the back of my neck.

All the light from the dull streetlamp evaporates and I’m pitched into the deepest black of night I’ve ever witnessed. The ground shifts from broken pavement to smooth stone.

Kerberos appears out of nowhere, standing in front of me with a torch. The darkness illuminates with the light and I take in the small space. The rough walls surrounding me remind me of caves on a mountain, only these are green and slick with oozing white goo.

“Well I’m underwhelmed,” Evelyn says when she steps through.

I glance over my shoulder to see everyone has come to the dark side.

Contrary to popular belief there are no cookies.

Zander reaches his hand toward the wall.

“Don’t!” Kerberos shouts, startling a gasp from me.

What? He’s standing right in front of me and I didn’t expect it.

“The sap of the portal is hallucinogenic. You do not want to touch it.”

Evelyn considers the walls, her eyes glittering with mischief. Mateo’s so busy watching Kerberos that he doesn’t notice Blaze edge toward her and shake his head. She pouts her lower lip and crosses her arms.

“Fun sucker,” she whispers.

Two figures pop through the portal behind Zander, and I shout at him in warning, whipping out a dagger and hurling it toward them. No way will I let someone get the drop on us.

He sees my weapon and ducks out of the way. The glow of the torch illuminates Maria and Nicole’s faces. The knife is flipping end over end, heading straight for Nicole’s eye. She snatches it two inches from her face and flings it to the ground, glaring at me.

“What if I were a human?”

“You’re not.” I cross my arms. “What are you doing here?”

Zander stands and adjusts his shirt. “I called them earlier to ask for help.”

“What?” My voice rises a few octaves. “Why?”

“They are not welcome?” Kerberos asks, voice deepening even further. His unnatural tone makes my stomach quiver.

My fingers curl around another knife. This time I won’t be throwing it at the hunters.

“They’re fine,” I say, flitting my gaze over his tensed body. “Don’t eat them.”

“I don’t eat supes.”

I stifle a snort because I don’t believe him.

“Before you get mad at me, we need all the help we can get, and X is a hunter.” Zander sets his jaw and dares me to say something back.

“I’m not going to get mad at you. You should have told us they were coming, though. They’re lucky Kerberos didn’t char them to death.” I glance over Maria and Nicole. They’re well strapped with weapons and wedoneed all the help we can get.

Their experience is invaluable.

“We should move.” Kerberos shifts slightly behind me.

The hair on my neck stands to attention, so I pivot to keep him in my line of vision. My supe senses don’t like having the most threatening being behind me.

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