Page 52 of Bound in Blood

“Surveillance,” Vik said simply. “I’ve already pulled the last three nights of camera footage from every business on this block. I’ve set up motion alerts through the alley cam. And if you give me a couple of hours, I can route footage from the next street over, too.”

Marco blinked. “You’re that tech-savvy?”

“I’m a millennial with abandonment issues and too much time on my hands. Of course I’m tech-savvy.”

“I would like to see that footage.” Alexei nods, glancing over at Logan, “As much as I trust your description of the feral,??????,I’d like to see him for myself.”

Vik continued, more serious now. “I’ll keep watch here during business hours. You three do whatever it is vampires do during the day—sleep in matching sarcophagi or braid each other’s hair or whatever. But when night comes, we work together. We catch him.”

“And then what?” Marco asked. “You stake him in the heart and light him on fire?”

“No,” Vik said, expression flattening. “Youdecide what happens. I just get him restrained.”

There was a pause.

“I think there’s something in him worth saving,” Logan mumbled, his voice barely above a whisper.

Alexei turned to look at him, reallylookat him, and for once, there was no teasing in his eyes. Just something quiet. Thoughtful. Like maybe he understood better than any of them. Marco, personally, wasn’t a fan of that look, but he’d let it go.

“We won’t kill him unless we have to,” Marco promised, nudging Logan’s shoulder with his own. “If there’s anything human left in him, we’ll find it.”

Alexei stood, smoothing his coat. “I’ll come back later tonight. We will watch the footage together.”

“Meet in the back office after closing?” Vik offered.

Alexei nodded. “Fine. But it would be unwise to try to kill me, hunter.”

“If I wanted you dead, you’d be dead,” Vik replied, and though Marco couldn’t feel his emotions, he knew he meant it.

Logan leaned forward, resting his elbows on the table. “So, uh… just for clarity… are we all on the same team now?”

“If you’d like to call it that. Don’t expect us to go group-bowling after all this is over or anything, though.” Vik snorted.

Mateo chuckled under his breath. “I don’t know, Logan’s pretty persuasive. Give it a month and we’ll be doing karaoke nights.”

“Over my undead body,” Alexei muttered, already turning to leave.

“Promises, promises,” Logan called after him with a cheeky grin.

Vik shook his head, but his expression had visibly softened. “All right, kid. When you come in after dark tomorrow, bring your guard dogs in case the feral stops by again.”

“Thanks, Vik,” Logan said quietly, a sincerity in his voice that made Marco’s chest ache a little.

Vik gave him a short nod, then got up, stretching his arms with a low groan. “Back to pretending this place is normal.”

When he left, the booth suddenly felt too quiet.

Mateo exhaled slowly. “I still don’t trust him.”

Marco nodded. “But I think he trusts Logan. That’s something.”

Logan sat back, folding his arms across his chest. “I trust him.”

“Of course you do.” Mateo rolled his eyes. “You woke up from Marcoactuallykilling you, and it took ten seconds for him to regain your trust.”

Logan gave him a look. “He didn’t have to get involved. He could’ve ignored it all. But he didn’t.”

Marco reached for Logan’s hand again, threading their fingers together under the table. “We’ll keep you safe. No matter who we have to trust—or fight—to do it.”