Page 25 of The Mafia Bloodline
Colt, his personal guard was behind the wheel. A broad-shouldered vampire with close-cropped hair and an expression that could have been carved from granite. He gave me a polite nod before shifting the car into gear.
Volken slid in beside me, his thigh brushing mine as the doors shut with a heavy click. The cabin filled with the soft hum of the engine, the muted glow of the dashboard lights casting blue shadows over his face.
For a few minutes, neither of us spoke. The silence pulsed with unspoken things…anger, worry, something dangerously close to tenderness.
Finally, Volken exhaled, his gaze fixed on the dark stretch of forest rolling past the windows. “We’ve been tracking the demons’ movements for months now,” he said quietly. “Since before Malakai resurfaced. They’re organized now, more than we’ve ever seen. Smarter. It’s not random raids anymore…it’s strategy.”
I turned toward him, heart thudding. “Strategy for what?”
His jaw tightened. “They want control, of everything. The human trafficking, the black markets, the blood trade. They’re building something, and your father’s disappearance might be part of it.”
My stomach dropped. “Part of it how?”
He hesitated, his thumb tapping idly against his knee, the only sign of agitation. “When we raided one of the Irish warehouses, where Sorcha was found, we uncovered documents tied to another chain of facilities. Smaller, more hidden. Your father’s name came up on a list we intercepted a few months later.”
I froze. “My father’s name?”
He nodded once. “He wasn’t just caught in the crossfire. He was looking for something, or someone, that led him straight into demon territory.”
My chest felt like it was being squeezed in a vice. “So, he’s alive?”
Volken’s eyes flicked to me then, sharp and assessing. “We don’t know yet. But if he is, we’ll find him.”
We. That word again, steady and dangerous, like a promise he’d die to keep.
I swallowed hard. “What about Malakai?”
At the name, something dark flashed through his expression. “He’s tied to the trafficking operations. He’s recruiting changelings and humans to do his dirty work. Your father was getting too close. That’s why he vanished.”
I stared out the window, the trees blurring past, a cold pit opening in my stomach. “So, all this time, all those leads I followed…”
“Weren’t wrong,” Volken cut in. “You were just playing without armour in a war you didn’t even know existed.”
My throat tightened. “You sound like you’re angry that I survived.”
He turned his head sharply, eyes flashing silver in the passing light. “I’m angry that you had to. Alone.” That shut me up.
The silence that followed wasn’t empty this time, it was full, charged. His hand brushed mine where it rested on the seat, a small movement, but it sent warmth curling through my chest all the same.
Colt cleared his throat from the front, the first sound he’d made since we’d left the mansion. “Boss,” he said, glancing in the rearview mirror, “the perimeter sweeps are clear. No tails.”
Volken gave a short nod, his voice clipped. “Keep us moving. Slow loop around the west side, then head toward the southern ridge.”
“Yes, sir.”
The SUV turned down a narrower road, the mansion’s lights fading behind us. Volken leaned back, studying me with that unnerving intensity again like he was trying to memorize every reaction, every flicker of thought.
Finally, he spoke again, softer this time. “You shouldn’t have had to do this on your own, Runa. You don’t have to anymore.”
I met his gaze. “You really think I can just sit back while you handle everything?”
The corner of his mouth twitched, the faintest hint of a smirk. “I think you’ll try. And I think I’ll have to stop you.”
That earned him a glare, but I couldn’t stop the small smile tugging at my lips. “You’re infuriating.”
“So I’ve been told.”
He reached over, his fingers brushing against my jaw, tilting my chin toward him. His voice dropped low enough that it vibrated against my skin. “But you’ll come to see it’s only because I’d burn the world down before I let it take you too.”
