Page 105 of Blood Bound (Blood Mafia 3)

Starting toward the trees, the rational voice in my head shows up.

She was impaled. If what he says is true, Maria is already dead.

I can’t let her be eaten by that creature.

How do you know the scorpion hasn’t already done that?

Stopping mid stride, I kick the ground and scream at the sky.

“Demi, Mateo is hurt.” Evelyn grabs my arm and shakes me when I continue to stare into the trees. “Demi, it’s bad.”

I scrub my hand over my face and groan. I don’t know how I’ll live with myself if I abandon Maria, but Mateo is here. I can help him.

Turning to face Evelyn, I see tears pricking her eyes. My head whips in Mateo’s direction. He’s coated in blood and his skin is ashen.

“What the hell?” I run to him, dropping to my knees as soon as I reach his side and placing my hands over the gash. “Why is he still bleeding?”

Kerberos is at my side, grimacing as he takes in Mateo. “The blood demon had a poisoned knife. I warned you people would die.”

I punch the ground by my knees. “Not him. How do I fix it?”

“The other scorpion is disabled,” Nicole says from behind me.

Closing my eyes, I wait for her to ask.

“Maria?”

Her breaths come in short bursts. She and Zander had their hands full with the other one. She didn’t see what happened.

“Your friend has perished.” Kerberos says.

Nicole gasps. “Where is she?”

I shake my head, still applying pressure to Mateo’s wound even though he continues to bleed regardless of how much I try to staunch it. “The scorpion.”

It’s all I can say. I hang my head, unable to meet her eyes. She shuffles in place.

“That’s not possible.”

It’s is though because I let her go. I should have gone after her. “I—"

Blaze comes to the rescue. “I’ll go with you to check the forest, maybe we can find her.”

“You will not find her. She is gone.” Kerberos has no tact.

I glare at him, getting ready to say something but Blaze steps toward him.

“I will take them to look,” Blaze says, eyes flashing yellow.

Kerberos studies the wolf, then dips his head. Blaze gathers Nicole, Zander, and X before starting off into the forest to look for Maria.

Colt and Grayson squat on the other side of Mateo, faces pinched in distress.

“Fix him,” I plead. Shifting so I can look the hellhound in the eyes, I ask again. “How do we fix him?”

His lips are flattened and his eyes cold.

“Kerberos!” My voice comes out shrill as my heart rate kicks up, slamming into my ribcage like a wild beast. “Please fix him. I’ll do anything.”

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