Page 155 of A Bond Beyond Blood

Chapter Fifty-One

Jack

I’d made this walk a hundred times.It was a three-mile trek from the shop to Vinny’s gym, even less as the crow flies, and I knew these streets like the back of my hand.Lately, Vinny had become more protective of me, so I rarely got to take this walk alone.I used to cherish this time to clear my head after a session with my hot trainer, always warring with my feelings of hating vampires and wanting one of them so badly I could taste it.The fresh air cleared my head.

I missed that.

These days, with such little time to myself because, let’s face it, juggling two men wasn’t an easy task, and I was also running the butcher shop full-time, I’d found very little alone time.I know, I know, rough life, right?Two sexy men vying for my attention.

But I missed this quiet walk, the way the air smelled differently from one block to the next.From exhaust and grease outside of Marco’s Tire shop to the welcoming scents that would come from various houses I passed.There was something peaceful in this ritual.

But tonight was different.There was a chill to the air that didn’t feel entirely weather-related, a little too cold for late spring.An energy in the atmosphere...I don’t know...somethingextrathat I couldn’t put my finger on.It made my shoulders want to curl in protectively.But I kept them straight, kept my head held high as I walked.

The least I could do is notlooklike prey.

My stakes were tucked into the holsters at my sides, and every so often, I reached into my leather jacket to reassure myself that they were still there, that I had protection.

The sensation of eyes on me didn’t go away, that subtle feeling of wrongness dragging icy fingers down the back of my neck.I tried to pick up my pace without breaking into a run, while also forcing myself to breathe deeply, slowly, trying to calm my heart, my racing pulse, in case whoever was tracking me could hear it.

Petit colibri.Little hummingbird.

My heartbeat, as fast as hummingbird wings.

My footsteps stuttered as I thought of the vampire king.Couldhebe tracking me?

“If that’s you, asshole,” I murmured under my breath.

My pursuer chuckled darkly, and cold steel straightened my spine.

I didn’t recognize that laugh.

And he’d gained some ground.

Eli’s warning rang loudly through my mind.He’d offered me a place at the House of Lords, and I’d refused.Of courseI had; it’s not like he and I were cozy—a few moments of poor decision-making skills aside.But now, I couldn’t help but wonder if I’d made a mistake.

He’d said enemies would come for him, for me, and I’d ignored him.Who wasI?Some human girl with a butcher shop and a couple vampire boyfriends who, no offense to Vinny’s former glory days, weren’t really anyone to speak of either.

I wasn’t on anyone’s radar.Why would I be?

But I’d caught the eye of a vampire king, who’d already done a number on the Council of Lords in his attempt to step back into power.

---