Page 19 of Blood Bound

At least sitting in the sun will protect me from anyone trying to sneak in here.

My shoulders droop, and my head hits the window just as tears slip down my face. It’s only then that my predicament truly hits me; I’m at the mercy of the monster I’ve been hunting for years.

I never got around to telling my father about this place, and the GPS in my earrings only recorded the last two pings of where I was last. Xenia and I were hopping across churches to look for one affiliated with guilds, so that won’t even help me.

All my men are dead too. So even when my father comes, finding this place will take him forever. If he does find it, I will be long dead by then.

I don’t usually weep; in fact, the last time I cried was when I saw the bodies of my mother and brother when I was thirteen years old. But right now, I feel entirely empty and lost, knowing that no one is coming for me.

I don’t even know if Xenia is okay or if her body was left somewhere in the middle of the desert.

Years of training and killing, only to end up a vampire’s pet to do with as he pleases.

Sighing, I look out the window and notice the same nothingness as I saw yesterday. Miles and miles of hot sand and dry air; this estate isn’t even walled or gated in; that’s how positive they are that no one will find it.

My gaze drops lower when I see a figure leaving the place and realize that she’s the girl from last night, the one Priest drank from. Beautiful, blonde, and unbelievably perky; she’s just the type of woman I can see at Priest’s side.

She turns back to face the mansion, smiles sweetly, and waves goodbye, but then her eyes flicker upwards and land on me.

The smile immediately leaves her face, and her eyes flash a light purple before she gets into the Mercedes Benz and speeds off, leaving dust in her wake.

Woah, okay, that was a clear warning in her eyes, and I’m sure she would kill me if given a chance. But why would she look at me like that? Surely it’s not because of Priest?

However, her eye color tells me that she’s Fae, so I’ve probably killed some of her kind before, not to mention that my father had plenty of them wiped out fifteen years ago. A lot of people want me dead not just because of what I’ve done but who my father is.

Sins of the father always fall on their daughters.

“Enjoying the view?”

I jump to my feet when I hear Gabriel’s voice behind me and back up against the window. This is the second time one of them has entered the room while I didn’t even hear the unlocking of the door or slide of the bolt.

Wearing nothing but a pair of gray sweats, I can clearly see the outline of his massive cock through the fabric. Fucksakes; men know exactly what they do when they wear sweatpants, it’s literal walking porn for women.

He saunters into the room and closes the door with his foot, then slips his hands inside the pockets of his sweats.

I notice again how beautiful and strong he’s built; the dips and curves of muscles look like the Gods have carved them, and they ripple whenever he flexes. His eyes, the blue that makes him seem human, shine with amusement when he looks at me.

Why does the devil have to look so deliciously alluring?

They skim my body, and only then do I remember what I’m wearing; a silky pair of pajama shorts and a tank top. A shiver runs through my spine, and every hair on my scalp stands at attention while I feel his gaze on me. I fucking hate the fact that he makes me feel this way and hate it even more, knowing that it’s not fear coursing through my body.

But when he comes to a stop in front of me, I realize that he’s just stepped into a sunlit room.

“How are you… the sun…” Words seem to fail me, and I feel foolish not being able to string a coherent sentence together. He chuckles and places his hands next to my head, caging me in.

“Triple UV tempered and bulletproof; I can enjoy the sunlight just as much as any human from the comfort of my own home. It’s one thing I love about this generation; the technology is simply amazing,” he says in a low voice, sending goosebumps puckering all over my skin.

That means that I’m not even safe in front of this window. Fucking great.

I swallow hard, and it seems to amuse him even more. “What do you want, Priest?”

He shrugs. “Just came to check up on you and make sure you didn’t slit your wrist with that incredibly blunt knife you stole,” he says, knocking the wind from me again.

“You knew I took it,”

“Of course. I wanted you to take it; doesn’t it make you feel somewhat safer having something to protect yourself with?” he says, echoing my earlier thoughts, but I feel myself deflating at his words.

I don’t answer him, but I also don’t drop my gaze this time. Those crimson eyes that drank from the willing Fae woman last night are hidden behind these soft, clear blue ones, but I find myself drowning in them again.

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