Page 62 of Blood Bound (Blood Mafia 3)

Ignoring me, he squats down next to Zander and stares at the wound which has barely begun to knit back together.

“It’s like boiling water.”

“What?” he asks.

“It’ll take longer if you stare at it.”

“Mom! Dad!”

Demi’s shout makes me turn away from the nasty look Colt’s giving me. She races toward where Mateo has her dad hoisted up with one arm laid under his shoulder.

“Get away from him,” she growls the words, taking her father from Mateo and shoving him back.

Hurt flashes across Mateo’s face for a split second before his features grow hard and unreadable. It simply means he’s trying his damndest not to feel. Evelyn and Alissa stand a ways back, taking in the bloody scene. They work together and begin to pick up the mutilated body parts and place them with their owners.

Only the vampires will heal. I count at least twelve feeders who won’t be coming back.

Nix hit us hard. We were overconfident in thinking Sisco was our only enemy. We took our strongest squadrons with us, leaving the weak to defend home base.

Any enemy would seize the opportunity to attack us. I glance at Mateo, watching him ease back from Demi and her parents, who are now in a fierce embrace and crying.

Poor fool. He’s so out of his element. Nix’s truth bomb has royally fucked things between him and Demi. I don’t know how he’ll ever get out of the doghouse now.

I’m not sure why he didn’t tell me or Colt about what he did with Nix either. When he came back after the fight all those years ago, he was covered in blood.

We both knew he helped kill hunters. Mateo never spoke a word of it. He simply nodded his head and went to clean up, pretending like it was just another day.

A little while after that, Nix went underground and the attacks stopped. We all carried on with our lives, assuming she’d killed all the hunters because they were nowhere to be found.

Demi shoots him a watery glare over her mother’s shoulder.

Had it not been for her parents in the room, I think she might try to murder him. Not that I’d let her. Mateo is my sire and like a brother to me. No matter how much she may hate him, I can’t let her kill him for good.

Which means our lives are going to be hell until they make up.

Great.

* * *

Mateo

I meet her hate filled eyes head on, swallowing the results of my actions and cursing myself for being so stupid.

Demi’s gaze is narrowed on me while she hugs her mom, an angry pinch forming between her eyebrows. I take a few steps back, giving her space because being near her will only make her angrier. She needs time to process before I try to explain what happened with her father.

Most beings are afraid of me. Terrified of my anger or wrath if they mess up. Now the roles are reversed.

She’s not afraid of me.

She simply despises me.

I’ve made too many mistakes with Demi. I kept a secret knowing she’d be pissed when she found out.

Why didn’t I tell her?

Because I’m a stubborn idiot. I didn’t want to face her pain. I’m not only facing that though, I also have to reckon with betraying her trust and keeping secrets from her.

Does she know her father killed Nix’s husband and daughter?

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