Page 13 of Blood Taken (Blood Mafia 2)
The large, beefy man sitting at the table has remained silent through the whole scene, so I'm surprised when he shakes his head at my mother.
"You would think since you understand what it's like to be an outcast, you'd learn compassion, Maria. You should be ashamed of yourself." His voice is gravelly and deep.
Maria picks up her fork and shrugs. "She's a tough kid."
He frowns at her, lines mar the skin around his mouth. "She has no one, Maria."
She bares her teeth at him. "If you're so concerned about the child, why don't you go console her, Emit?"
I take a bite of my roll, enjoying the small bit of drama unfolding before me.
Damn, this bread is good.
"She needs a woman."
"I'm not her mother," Maria says.
I snort. "In case you haven't noticed, Emit, Maria can't even parent her own child, let alone someone else's."
Emit's heavy gaze falls on me, and I stare into his reddish-brown eyes without flinching.
Maria tosses her fork down, making him smile.
"Well met, Demi." He extends a bear paw and I hesitantly place my hand in his, hoping he doesn't crush my bones. "Maria's got her work cut out with you."
"Enough, Emit. Can you please go check on Lana? I would, but my daughter here can't be left alone on open grounds until the Guild meeting."
I whip my head around. That's news to me. She sees my look of surprise. The corner of her mouth twitches but she takes a sip of water to conceal the grin.
Emit grumbles but agrees to go find Lana. For her sake, I hope he doesn't find her. Something tells me Emit isn't exactly the best person to talk to when your emotions are running high. He's probably the type of guy that’s dumb enough to say calm down.
Maria and I eat without chatting. I ignore the Hunters staring at me, which is easy to do since I took the seat facing away from them. I polish off a dish of peach cobbler and sigh.
"Are you full?"
I nod, pushing the bowl away from me. "What did you mean until the Guild approves?"
She takes her final bite of cobbler, licking the spoon clean before answering me. By now most of the other diners have left the building, only a small table full of people my age remains.
"The Guild has some questions for you. Until we meet with them this afternoon, you staying here indefinitely is an unknown."
Tapping my finger on the table, I take in the indifferent look on her face, unable to determine if she's on board with the process or if she's merely following instructions.
"Who's on the Guild?"
Maria glances at a clock on the wall behind her; it's in military time and reads thirteen-ten. She gathers her plates, lifting her chin in my direction to get me moving. "You'll find out soon enough, your appointment is at one-thirty."
"Lucky me," I mutter.
I wonder what questions the Guild has for me. To be honest, I'm not excited for yet another interrogation.
A mental image of Mateo flashes through my mind. There's a mix of emotions which accompany the projection, the most prominent being anger and longing.
Damn my traitorous vagina. She's dead set on getting me to like him. Had I stayed, she probably would have won.
Good thing I escaped and they have no way of finding me.
Chapter Four
