Page 59 of Blood Bound (Blood Mafia 3)

Her vampires begin to move in, but I duck under them and launch myself at her. I hear the others moving in to attack Nix’s crew so I leave my back defenseless. It’s a risk I’m willing to take.

My eyes track her movements while I’m mid-jump, seeing the flash of silver moving toward Zander’s neck makes my heart skip.

I’m too late.

Her knife is pressed against Zander’s throat a moment later and she slashes a deep line across his skin, separating the front half from his body. Crimson liquid splashes down his shirt and over the floor.

Zander’s body jerks and flails, and something akin to a garbled gasp falls from his lips when Nix releases her hold on him. He plummets from the raised stage and lands in a pool of his own blood.

“No!” X’s scream rattles through the room.

My mom sobs into her gag, choking on her own spit in the process.

Damn it. Why can’t I save anyone?

I refuse to lose another person.

My body collides with Nix’s on the backswing of the blade.

She’s faster than I expect. She wraps her legs around me and jerks her hips, twisting us in mid-air so she lands on top of me and the air rushes from my lungs when I slam into the stage.

I slash my knife at her, growling when she turns to the side and it embeds in her thigh rather than her stomach like I intended.

“Oh, kinky,” she purrs before pulling the dagger from her leg.

I’ve already grabbed another from my sheath and jam it into her arm, which she’s raised to block her face from meeting my blade.

She brings her arm down, slashing my own knife toward me so I lift my hand, deflecting the hit but still taking a nasty cut to the forearm.

Nix swings again but I buck my hips, tossing her off of me. I roll into a ball and fling myself to a crouch. A blade embeds in my hip.

“Fuck.” I grind my jaw and yank it out, flicking the blood from the tip and throwing it right back at the bitch who is smiling at me like she’s winning.

This isn’t even close to over yet.

She twirls, narrowly missing the knife and giggling as she comes to a stop. “I can’t wait to kill you.”

Her eyes are full black now. There’s no time to check on anyone else because she leaps on me, shoving me against the D.J. booth and smashing my head into the turntable three times before I can slam my fist into her stomach and create enough space to reach for the knife at the small of my back.

Flashing her teeth at me, she dives for my neck but my blade catches her cheek. She howls in pain, hissing and smacking me in retaliation when I press my thumb into the almost healed wound on her leg, digging in and ripping it open again.

I head butt the cunt and take my momentary advantage, pummeling her wounded leg with my fist until she growls in anger. Then I shove my hands against her chest and throw her off of me.

She lands on her feet, hissing at me and ripping the knife from her cheek. The skin begins to knit together, but not fast enough. She’s drenched in her own blood.

“Red looks good on you,” I taunt, flashing toward her.

I’m facing toward the room, so I shoot a quick glance at my people. Colt, Evelyn, Alissa, and Grayson have taken out all but two of her crew. They circle the two vampires who are already bloodied up.

Nix pivots and runs for my parents.

My heart bangs against my chest and my stomach twists into a knot when she reaches for my mother.

It’s only a matter of seconds before they go down.

Mateo’s suddenly there, lashing out at Nix and snatching her wrist away. Nix hisses and slams her knee into his crotch.

The vampire grunts and releases her hand.

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