Page 104 of Blood Taken (Blood Mafia 2)
"Bullshit. Tell me who she is and why you got all vamp crazy when I mentioned her name."
Brushing a hand over his hair and avoiding my gaze, he says, "Quorana is bad news. She's a dark witch. When she had a coven, they were responsible for the slaughter of Lacey's coven. I came across the fallout on the way home from a job and found Lacey hidden beneath the debris of a house which had been blasted apart. She was only nine."
"Okay. You took care of her, then?"
He shakes his head. "Mateo wouldn't allow a witch to live with us. I found a nice elderly couple in the middle of nowhere who agreed to care for her." He points to the house. "She inherited the land and house when they passed."
I eye the peeling paint on the house. "How did she know what to do to try and find me?"
Grayson swings the keys around his finger. "Tutors. The Blood Mafia has connections." He catches the keys. "Ready?"
I can take a hint, so I nod. "Yup."
We get out of the car. I trail behind Grayson, moving slowly up the porch steps as he knocks. I'm not sure what to expect or how to act. Clearly this witch is important to him.
Grayson raps on the door again. "She's incredibly focused," he says with a smile. "She probably didn't hear me the first time."
Lacey doesn't come to the door.
He chews on his lip. "Something's not right."
"Maybe she's in the shower?"
I don't hear it running, but maybe she has a soundproofing spell.
Grayson curses. "She's going to hate me for breaking her door."
"What?" I ask just as he kicks the door in. "Grayson," I scold. "She's probably busy."
These vampires have no boundaries. What if she's changing or having sex?
I look up and pray for patience, hoping our visit doesn't turn into a fight, then head inside.
Grayson's prowling through the house like a man on a mission. "She's not here."
"Grayson, maybe she went out."
He shakes his head. "She knew we were coming."
My eyes land on a teacup on the coffee table. It's still half full. I dip a finger in the liquid. It's lukewarm.
"Grayson."
He spins and stares at the delicate porcelain.
I hold my dripping finger up. "She was here within the last thirty minutes."
My gaze strays to the blanket and book on the floor. They look like they were dropped in a hurry.
"Someone's taken her." Grayson flashes out of the room and up the stairs. I hear banging and cursing. He's going to tear her house apart. I use my supe speed and race to the room he's currently demolishing.
"Grayson!"
His shoulders are heaving and he looks at me, eyes blown black once more. "I can't find a scent trail to follow. We need to find her."
"We don't know that someone took her."
He slams his fist into the wall. "She knew we were coming! If she had to go grab something, she would have left a note or called me."
