Page 79 of Blood Taken (Blood Mafia 2)
"What Demetria is trying to say is that she's too smitten with me to have any time to admire your lover."
Mateo's words seem to appease Anthia because she leans back and crosses her arms.
"Good."
I have a lot of issues with what Mateo said, but I'll save the berating for the ride back home.
"So, what do I have to do to get Alissa back?"
Whoa. Not where I expected this to go, but okay.
Mateo doesn't look at me when I shoot my gaze to his. There's nothing to glean from his face. He wears a cool mask of indifference and Sisco's sole focus is on the Blood Mafia boss.
A waitress stops in to take our orders. The vampires all order blood cocktails with no food. So while I know I'm going to die of hunger if I don't eat, I order a glass of red wine. I'm not going to be the only one eating.
"Alissa is part of Blood Mafia," Mateo says once the waitress leaves.
Sisco growls low in his chest. "She was mine before Evelyn took her."
Mateo lets out a dark laugh. "There was no taking involved. Evelyn saved Alissa from your abusive hand. My sister will not let her go without a fight, but you know that already, don't you?"
Anthia pouts her lower lip but doesn't add to the conversation. It's safe to say she doesn't like Sisco obsessing over Alissa.
"You're toeing the line of war, Mateo. Is one vampire worth risking your empire?"
The waitress interrupts their exchange. She skates her eyes between the two men, picking up on the tension, and hurriedly distributes the drinks before escaping the room.
Envy is thy name.
Mateo shifts forward. His power fills the room, so palpable in the air I feel my throat constrict. My heart starts to race because what lurks beneath the surface of Mateo's calm facade is one-hundred percent predator.
"Need I remind you, you struck first. Killing the hippies and taking my drugs. Why do you think I came back and hit you in New York? You're going to force my hand if you continue to push me, Sisco, and you won't like what I have in store for you." He jerks his thumb toward Anthia. "You have a new punching bag, forget about Alissa."
Anthia gasps and clutches her glass so hard it breaks. The blood cocktail drips from her arm and mingles with the blood seeping from where glass dug into her palm. "I am not a punching bag," she hisses the words at Sisco, not Mateo.
Sisco gives her a look, one eyebrow raised and lips drawn into a mocking sneer. "Relax, Anthia."
She seethes at his words, but says no more. I start to open my mouth to say something about what Sisco can do with her broken glass, but Mateo grabs my hand and squeezes it. I bite my lip to keep from making a pained noise.
Right, not the time to speak. Except part of me rages against being silenced. Anthia is a bit of a bitch, but even bitches deserve to be treated better than dirt. If what Mateo says about Sisco is true, she should leave him.
I realize I have no business telling her what she deserves and she probably won't listen anyway. Drinking my wine, I swallow down every protest and scathing word I have for Sisco.
Mateo said Evelyn won't let Alissa go without a fight.
Well guess what motherfucker? Neither will I.
Sisco looks at me. "What do you want to say, Demetria?"
For once, I'm glad Mateo used my full name. I don't want Sisco calling me Demi.
I give Mateo a look, hoping he understands exactly what I have planned. Mateo's brown eyes are alight with mirth, like he expected this reaction all along, and he has no intention of stopping me.
Good.
Using my Hunter speed, I move to stand behind Sisco. He lets out a surprised laugh, which morphs into a grunt when I snap his neck. Anthia jumps up and I slam my palm into her chest. She hits the glass wall. It shatters, raining shards across the fancy marble tile. The other two women don't make a move.
So they're the smart ones.
