Page 24 of Blood Bound (Blood Mafia 3)

Chapter Six

Grayson

I rub the back of my neck, debating on whether I should tell them all now or wait.

Screw it.

“I killed the witch.”

Demi whirls on the gravel and raises her eyebrows. “What?”

Shrugging, I stuff my hands into my pockets and ignore the glares Maria and Mack shoot me. “She ambushed us with Daniel and his friends… when she saw me, she ran. I followed her and killed her.”

“That’s how Daniel got Tyra,” Demi concludes, making a pained face.

I glance at the ground. “I left them to fend for themselves. When I came back, I saw the fire and guessed what was going to happen. That’s why I ran to get water.” I gaze at the overturned barrel. “I was too late. I failed you.”

The little hunter sighs. “It wasn’t your fault, Grayson.”

I disagree with Demi, but I don’t voice my regrets out loud. I prefer to let the shame eat away at me from the inside out.

“Where is she?” Mack asks when he finishes securing the cuffs around Daniel’s wrists.

Pointing down the road where I left her body drained of blood and her heart ripped to shreds. My desire to make Quorana hurt as bad as she had hurt Lacey cost a life. I could have kept Tyra alive, or at least fought the hunters so she had time to escape.

Mack starts off in that direction.

Gravel crunches under Demi’s shoes and she pokes my chest. “Stop blaming yourself, Grayson.”

I meet her eyes, surprised when I don’t see disdain painted across her features. Her eyes soften and she hugs me.

“I understand why you went after Quorana. We knew the risks of coming… I didn’t think it would happen so quickly. If anyone is to blame, it’s me. I shouldn’t have let her and X come along.”

“They knew too, tiger.”

Mateo watches us from afar, brown eyes dark and turbulent. I can’t tell if he’s mad at me, Demi, or the hunters.

“Let’s get Blaze and the pup. Then we can leave.”

Demi sniffles and pulls away. “Okay,” she says, swiping at a stray tear she let escape.

She said it wasn’t my fault, but I’m not sure X and Zander will see it that way. They witnessed me leaving them behind, chasing after the retreating threat instead of dealing with the immediate one.

Will they be as understanding?

* * *

Demi

Blaze and the young wolf are shackled to the wall. Drool hangs from his mouth and pools on his shirt. The little wolf is asleep, her chin rests against her chest. Her breathing is labored.

“What’s wrong with them?” I ask Maria.

She breaks the cuffs with her bare hands and grimaces when Blaze flops over, landing with a thud.

“They were injecting them with drop doses of silver nitrate.”

“What? That’ll kill them.” I rush over to the girl, pressing my fingers against the pulse point on her throat.

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