Page 58 of Blood Owed (Blood Mafia 1)
“I’ll apologize to Evelyn, Colt. You don’t need to lecture me on the perils of living with the Blood Mafia. I think I fully understand how dangerous my life is right now.”
He rubs the scar which slashes down the middle of his eyebrow, drawing my attention to the imperfection. My eyes float to the scar on his neck. Grayson had said Colt was just as stubborn as I am, do the scars have something to do with it?
Colt surprises me by walking into the kitchen and putting away the groceries I didn’t get to yet. I eat my migas and toast, watching him with narrowed eyes.
Why is he being helpful?
“Stop looking at me like that.”
“Like what?”
He sighs and closes the cabinet where he placed the chocolate. “Like you’re expecting me to attack at any second.”
I shrug and take a drink of my coffee. “A woman can never be too careful, especially since you seem to love shoving me against the wall.”
Noticing the slightest twitching of his lips, I continue, “and you’ve tasted my blood, so I assumed you came back for more. Rumor has it I’m delicious.”
Colt places his hands on the counter and leans forward. He’s directly across from me, but his eyes are so guarded, I can’t tell if he’s angry, annoyed, or turned on. Maybe a combination of all three?
“Who told you you were delicious?”
“Grayson,” I say and hop off the stool, carrying my plate and mug to the sink. He turns and rests his butt against the counter when I pass. “He seemed to think I’m a little spicy, but I am half-Latina so I can’t say I’m surprised.”
Colt snorts. “Your ancestors have nothing to do with your taste.”
“Oh, then what does?”
“Clever girl, when the time comes, you’ll figure it out.”
I frown as I furiously scrub the plate, probably destroying the surface from pressing the bristle down so hard. “I don’t understand why you all insist on being mysterious. Seriously, my love of vampires and mystery died when Spike kissed Buffy.”
“Angel was a bit of a bitch, wouldn’t you say?”
I stop scrubbing and lift my eyes to meet his, wrinkling my nose and laughing softly. “You watched the show?”
He tips his head to the side. “It’s been out for a long time, even vampires get bored and watch TV to pass the hours.”
Huh. I guess living for eternity can be rather boring.
“I’m happy you’re more like Spike than you are Edward. I don’t think I could take you seriously if you were bedazzled.”
“Most women and girls love that series.”
I nod. “Yeah, most of them do. I prefer my vampires a little more ruthless. I like to watch the blood rain.”
“Do you now?” he asks, voice deepening an octave.
I set the cleaned mug in the drying rack behind the plate and wipe my hands on a towel. “Don’t get all hot and bothered. Those are fictional vampires. In real life, I prefer my vampires dead.”
“I’m afraid you’ll have to settle for undead.”
Tossing the towel onto the counter, I brush past him and head toward my bedroom. “We’ll see about that.”
I hear his soft laughter as I dig out a pair of socks and pull on my Converse. I’m wearing black workout pants and a plain T-shirt. I’m not sure who dug through my clothes and picked these outfits, but I’m happy they chose some of my most comfortable clothes.
Colt’s sitting on the barstool when I return.
“You’re coming with me today.”
