Page 12 of Blood Bound (Blood Mafia 3)

The last one bothers me.

What is she up to?

Why is she so sad?

Why the fuck is she under my skin like this?

Because you like her, a little voice whispers through my mind.

I pause at the thought.

Then screaming again, I rip the rest of the clothes off of their hangers, destroying the walk-in closet one expensive suit at a time.

* * *

Demi

Grayson and I are sitting on swings at a park, slowly swaying back and forth in the dark night. I can’t see the stars but the city lights are stars of their own kind, twinkling in different variations of white, soft yellows, reds, greens, and occasionally blues.

“Do you want to talk about it?” Grayson asks, twisting his swing back and forth.

I sigh and push off the ground, starting to pump my legs to make the swing climb. The beloved weightless feeling brushes over me the higher I get.

“Not particularly,” I confess, shaking my hair out of my face on a downward swoop.

He stops his partial spin and changes positions so he’s facing toward me. He kicks off the ground and starts to swing with me, quickly catching up to my speed. We pass each other heading in opposite directions a few times before I groan.

“I wasn’t going to kill her. I thought about it, but I was managing to control myself for once. Elders are important. I know that. Murdering her would have caused a lot of problems.”

Grayson holds on tight and nearly lies flat when he swings back. He coasts for a few passes before sitting up. “I understand why you’d want to defend yourself in that situation, Demi. Everyone does, even Mateo. What he did at Iris’s command… well, it wasn’t the smartest move. On the one hand, he technically took orders from Iris. On the other hand, he made you mad.”

I rest my cheek against my hand which is wrapped around the chain and let myself glide through the air, gradually slowing down. “You want to hear the worst part?”

Nodding, he drags his foot along the ground to slow himself down. “Always.”

“I’m not even mad that he killed me.”

This makes his eyebrows raise. “You’re not?”

I shake my head. “No. I’m mad he didn’t believe in me.” For some reason this is too raw.

When did I start needing someone to believe in me?

“Whatever.” I blow my hair out of my face and jump off the swing. “It’s stupid.”

He places both feet on the ground and stands, making the seat jiggle. “Demi.”

“Grayson,” I mimic his serious tone.

Narrowing his eyes, he flashes to me. “Don’t use your sarcasm on me. It’s not stupid.”

I glance over his shoulder. “It is, I don’t need him to believe in me.”

“You do.” Grayson grips my arms.

I glare at him. “Unhand me.”

He snorts, but removes his hands. “You and Mateo have a bond. Like it or not, your feelings for him are changing. He made it clear he didn’t trust you tonight. That hurts with or without a bond.”

---