Page 3 of Blood Bound (Blood Mafia 3)

A dangerous smile slices across my face. “Is that so?” My fangs ache with the need to drain Iris.

He prowls closer, only to be stopped by Colt shoving into his chest. “Stay back, wolf.”

Enoch’s brown eyes flash yellow and his chest rumbles with a deep growl. “War is what you seek then?”

I swing my gaze to meet his. “War between our kind is always inevitable, Enoch. It’s you who’s pushed too far too soon. Demi is not your suspect.”

The wolf looks at Demi’s body. “No, she is not, but she is the only one who can help us find Blaze.”

“I won’t let you use her after you callously accused her of killing a wolf you don’t even know is dead, Enoch. Where is his body? Did you find blood? Have you any proof of his death?”

Iris whines when I flex my fingers against the delicate skin around her throat.

I glare at her. “You’ve made a mistake, Iris. She will not be happy when she wakes. For that I blame you. Consider our truce null and void. Any new wolf who sets foot in San Francisco after tonight will be murdered. This is my city.”

She drops her gaze and nods the best she can around my hold. I toss her back. She recovers nicely and lands in a crouch, struggling not to release her wolf in her half-shifted state. Being an Elder doesn’t mean she’s stronger than her wolf. It simply means she has incredible strength and was born a few hundred years ago. When fully shifted back to human, she hangs her head for a moment.

Enoch runs around Colt to help her stand.

She stares at me with guarded eyes. “Mateo—”

“No, Iris. Save your words. You can ask Demi for help when she wakes. Then you have five minutes to leave San Francisco before I chase you all down and kill you.”

“Five minutes is hardly long enough.”

A wolf behind her growls in agreement.

Shrugging, I turn and kneel by Demi’s side. “It’ll have to be. Otherwise you’re all dead.”

Colt comes to stand next to me, crossing his arms over his chest and keeping a watch on the wolves. Grayson takes his place on my other side.

“She’s not going to be happy about this,” my second mutters. “You’ve truly fucked up now, boss.”

I don’t answer him because he’s right.

Iris starts to say something else but Enoch shushes her. They carry a whispered conversation; I don’t care to pay attention to their words.

Demi’s dark hair is a tousled mess from the fall. I push a strand away from her face and press my lips together.

Fucking wolves. She’s going to hate me when she wakes up.

“Demi?” a female screech fills the air.

“What is that?” I ask Colt.

He glances over his shoulder. “Shit. It’s the hunters.”

“More hunters?” Iris shouts in outrage, breaking from her quiet conversation with Enoch. “How many hunters do you have on your payroll, Mateo?”

Ignoring her probing question, I sigh. “Colt.”

“Why me?”

I scowl at him and his green eyes crinkle in annoyance. “Fuck, fine.”

“What happened?” Zander demands. He’s holding a dagger at the ready.

What is it with hunters and knives?

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