Page 27 of Blood Bound (Blood Mafia 3)

Chapter Seven

Demi

Mateo steps aside enough so I have room to slip past him. The action forces me to brush against him, eliciting a shiver of delight no matter how much I may despise him right now.

That’s not the complete truth though, now is it?

I don’t despise him. I’m thoroughly pissed off, but I don’t hate him.

I should. I really fucking should.

Blaze looks like he’s been living on the streets for a few weeks and is in need of a good shower. He smells a little funny too. Now that I’m not worried about him dying, the distinct tang of piss fills my nostrils.

He’s either too tired or past caring to look ashamed.

“Demi, why am I not surprised to find you here?” His words come out a harsh grumble, like he ate a few handfuls of gravel and a couple of pieces are lodged in his throat.

“Don’t blame me for this, Blaze. Believe it or not, I came to save you.”

His eyes wander to the young girl, lying curled in a ball and looking more alive than she did twenty minutes ago. Her cheeks are flush and her breathing is steadier, like she’s close to waking as well.

Nicole is sitting crisscross in front of her, patiently watching her chest rise and fall.

“Why?” he asks, eyebrows pinching together in confusion.

“Why not?” I cross my arms over my chest and breathe through my mouth. He really stinks. “After accusing me of murdering you, dear Iris asked me to help find you. If it weren’t for the little wolf, I might’ve told her to shove it.”

Technically I did a lot worse than that, but he doesn’t need to know the extent of the way things escalated between me and Iris.

Blaze groans as he finds his feet, slowly straightening his spine and standing tall.

Damn. He’s a fucking giant. A big, stinky giant, but a giant nonetheless.

“You smell.”

He wrinkles his nose. “I’ll shower when I know she’s okay.”

“She’s fine, wolf. She’ll survive. There’s a locker room over there.” Nicole points to the right-hand corner of the building. “Check the lockers, there’s bound to be clothes… not that they’ll fit.” She flits her gaze over his body.

Blaze shrugs and tugs his shirt away from his body, sniffing and cringing. “Anything is better than these. Demi, watch Melony?”

“Sure.” I’m not quite sure how I became the one he can trust most, but given the company I keep, it makes sense.

He doesn’t know the hunters. He probably doesn’t trust Mateo one bit.

When the door to the locker room closes behind Blaze, I turn to Mateo and Grayson.

“Where are X and Zander?”

Mateo cocks his head to the side. “Colt has X. Zander is talking with another hunter.”

I glance at the child, then to the door Blaze disappeared behind. I need to go check on my friends, but I made a promise.

“I’ll go check on them,” Grayson offers.

Mateo shakes his head. “You should stay with Demi. I’ll go.” His dark eyes sweep over my body, inspecting me for any injuries. When he finds none, he brings them up to meet mine. “Are you okay?”

Such a simple question, and yet the answer is so complicated.

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