Page 52 of Blood Taken (Blood Mafia 2)
"What the fuck?" I mutter the question to myself.
"—your mother," Mateo finishes.
Oh, for fuck's sake. He invited Maria?
Sure enough, when the figures rip off their masks, I see the familiar tumble of Maria's dark hair and the elegant bun Nicole has her light brown hair in.
"I don't think she likes this surprise," Evelyn murmurs.
I toss an annoyed look in her direction. Her commentary is one thing this situation does not need. She grins at me, not an ounce of apology in her dark eyes.
"Incoming in five, four, three, two, one."
Shaking my head at her, I press my eyes closed before turning to face Maria and Nicole. They're eyeing the vampires warily.
"You forgot cake," I say.
Deflect, deflect, deflect.
Maria's face crumples when the comment sinks in. I guess my guilt trips have gotten a little too pointed.
Nicole frowns at her. "It was a joke, Maria."
The Hunter's face shifts quickly, concealing all her vulnerabilities and fears of being a terrible mother.
News flash, she is. She'd honestly be better off accepting herself as she is than beating herself up for not being a mom.
"Demi." Nicole turns to me. "Do you know what happens?"
I nod. "I read a bit about it and some of the other Hunters talked about their experience."
She nods. "Good. The important thing to remember is any pain is fleeting, and every Hunter experiences the awakening of their power differently. You will be incredibly strong when they first arrive, your power will level out over the next few days, but you will be much stronger than your mother or me until then."
"Finally, some good news."
Grayson nudges me.
Oops. I thought that out loud.
Luckily for me, Nicole and Maria don't seem to know me as well as the vampire. They're clueless.
How sweet.
Nicole begins to explain some sensations I might feel, but I tune her out. Focusing on my new plan.
It'll be wonderfully violent.
Colt's gaze is heavy on me. I lift mine to meet his green eyes. He squints at me and mouths,don't do it.
"It's nine-fifteen," Evelyn says, interrupting Nicole's ranting about what to expect.
Which means only sixteen minutes until I kill them all.
Chapter Sixteen
Demi
Seventeen minutes pass and nothing happens. I glare at Maria when she pokes her head through the curtains to check on me. She sees the look and ducks back out.
