Page 103 of Blood Taken (Blood Mafia 2)
"Colt," Tyra asks from my armchair, her voice going up an octave as though that will make me less prickly. "Can we please, please go get Italian?"
I close my eyes and count to three. Demi shouldn't have given them that idea. They've been on about eating a late lunch there since she left. She'll pay for this idea with a bright red handprint on her pretty little ass.
"If we go to the restaurant, you will not look at vampires and you will not start fights."
"We won't," X says, making a cross over her heart. "I promise."
Zander meets my gaze, pressing his lips together. I lean forward on the couch and scowl at him. "You can stay here if you won't agree. I'm not going to be responsible for Hunter fuckery."
He sits on the edge of the chair and drapes an arm over Tyra's shoulder and pulls her close. "Wherever she goes, I go."
Poor, lovesick fool. Zander's going to be in a world of hurt someday soon.
X's eyes skate between the contact and Tyra's face. Tyra's eyebrows pinch together and she removes his arm.
"Zander, don't be an ass. Colt's trying to be accommodating. The least you can do is agree not to cause trouble."
Zander lets out a groan. "Fine, but if they try to attack us, I'm going to kill them."
I nod. "If they try to attack you, I'll kill them myself."
We share a look of understanding—one forged by years of learning to protect the people you care about. I don't care for these Hunters, but I care about Demi and she'll hate me if anything happens to them. Plus, Mateo issued an order for the Hunters to be left alone. I have no problem destroying whoever is bold enough to defy him.
X snickers. "I know that look. Are you sure we shouldn't be worried about you starting a fight, Colt?"
I growl at her and push off the couch. "Let's go."
* * *
Demi
Grayson parks under a tree and turns the car off. I look at the old country cottage.
"Okay, I'm officially confused. What is this place?"
His smile is disarming. He unlocks the doors. "This is my friend's house. She's important to me, and I promised her I'd bring you to meet her when we got you back."
I glance to the house then back to him. I'm not connecting the pieces.
"When you left, we came to see Lacey. She's a witch. We were going to have her track you because none of us could find you the normal way."
Oh.
"I had an enchanted pendant so you couldn't find me."
Grayson sighs. "Ah, so the Hunters have a witch as well."
I nod. "Quorana."
His nostrils flare slightly, and he balls the hand closest to me into a fist.
"Are you okay?"
Grayson's eyes are black when they meet mine. This is the first time I've seen him vamp-rage. Usually the vampire madness takes Colt and Mateo.
"Grayson?" I ask, resting my hand over his fist. "Who is Quorana?"
He sucks in a hard breath when my skin touches his. Blue bleeds through the black coloring and his irises return to their normal color. "It's not my story to tell."
