Page 45 of Blood Bound (Blood Mafia 3)

He’s an idiot.

A brave vampire puffs his chest out and sneers at me. “Sisco doesn’t want to talk.”

I crack my knuckles and roll my neck from side to side. “I think you’re wrong.”

As if reading my mind, Demi launches one of her blades at the vampire, hitting him straight in the eye. He screams and hisses.

The rest of the vampires burst into action.

“Show time,” I say to the group. “Don’t hold back.”

Evelyn claps. “Nowthisis fun.” Then she slams her fist into a flashing vampire’s face, making him crash into the far wall.

A group of four vampires flash toward me, so I slip away and press my back into Demi’s. She jolts, but then relaxes when she realizes who it is.

“They’re new vampires, it’ll be like that time in the gym.”

“Oh yeah, good memories. This’ll be a blast.”

I chuckle. “Time to kill.”

We work in unison, taking down vampire after vampire who tries to attack us. She stabs one while I rip another’s head off. Colt and Grayson cut through a swath of vampires using their guns with silencers, getting perfect headshots every time. The music downstairs is loud enough to cover the sound of the bodies falling.

Evelyn, on the other hand, is toying with her group. Letting them land a few punches before viciously ripping into one’s neck with her fangs. She rips his head off and tosses it at another vampire.

I don’t see if the vampire catches it because Demi gasps. A vampire has his fangs deep in her arm. Seeing another drinking from her makes all coherent thought dissipate. All I see is death for the vampire who dare to take from my mate.

Stabbing him in the face, Demi pries her arm out of his mouth. “Fucking fang banger.” She rears back with the knife, preparing for the fatal stroke.

I swoop in before she can kill him and punch through his chest. With a vice grip around his most vital organ, I tear it from his body and crush it in my hand.

“You will not touch her.” I hiss the words at him even though he can’t hear them, not with me killing him.

I suck in air, filling my chest, and then expel it, trying to calm my rabid thoughts. I want to destroy him. I want his body to burn on an altar made of the fallen vampires surrounding us.

“Mateo.” Colt’s voice jerks me from my violent thoughts. “We’re good.”

The floor is littered with bodies. The majority have bullet wounds; Colt and Grayson took care of them with ease. Their guns are secure in their holsters and they look no worse for wear. Evelyn’s hands are coated in blood. She squats down and uses one of the fallen’s shirt to clean herself up. She has a few injuries but they’re superficial and quickly healing.

Demi swipes her good arm over her forehead, cleaning beads of sweat and specks of blood from her face. I clean the blood on my hands with the shirt of the headless vamp and scowl at the closed door at the top of the stairs.

Now Sisco’s pissed me off.

I grab her injured arm and inspect the bite. It’s healing but part of me wants to make my mark over it, replacing his tainted one with mine.

“It’s fine, Mateo. We need to deal with Sisco.”

Her eyes have lost their red glow and the skin around them pinches when she sees my face.

“He’s no one,” she whispers.

Nodding in agreement, I grind my jaw and let go of her. I turn and stomp up the stairs, raising my fist to knock.

The sooner we kill him, the better.

The door swings open, illuminating spiraling shafts of fog and revealing the inside of Sisco’s office. His walls are painted blood red and the black tile complements the dark furniture. The vampire guard he has is as green as spring grass.

Did I mention Sisco’s an idiot?

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