Page 27 of High Stakes and Soulmates (Fanged Mistakes #3)

“Seriously?” I ask. “You’d think I’d have been the first person we did, but you’re right. We started out with a detective who no longer works here, didn’t we?”

“I don’t know why we didn’t, but once it got put into the system, there was an immediate match connecting your blood to the blood that’s been used at every crime scene so far. As in, the blood that was used to draw the lines that have been found next to every victim.”

My stomach tightens, and I’m suddenly back on that sidewalk, the sound of Cyrus saying the word “Tesoro” crashing around my mind while my world shatters around me.

I feel Yorick’s hand on my shoulder before he squeezes it. The simple touch draws me back to this room as the realization of what’s happening hits me.

“Hey, buddy, it’s okay. What happened? Do you want me to eat her? Is she saying shit about you? You can’t say shit about my friends or I will eat you,” Yorick growls as he pulls me in close.

“Don’t eat her,” I whisper.

“You sure? Because if she’s saying shit about you, I will.”

My chest hurts. Why does it hurt so badly?

Maeve gives me a look of concern. “Ezio, I’m in no way saying you’re the killer.

You don’t think I’m aware that if you were, you wouldn’t use your own blood?

I mean, yeah, you didn’t have your blood in the database, but if it was you and you were hiding this fact, there’s no way you’d have left your blood all over the porch. ”

“It really is him,” I manage to get out.

“Who?” she asks.

“It’ll be okay. We’ll get answers, torture, or just kill him. Whatever you’d like,” Yorick assures me. He gives me a squeeze, and even though I take comfort in it, I find myself wishing Cyrus was here.

“Dead. I want him dead,” I admit. “His name is Louis Florian. At least, that was the name he went by nearly two hundred years ago. Either or both names could have been fake, I’m not sure.

It’s him. He did this. I know he did this.

He’s trying to destroy my life again… he’s probably the one who killed Cyrus’s family.

He just… he just comes back randomly to fuck with me.

To remind me that he can ruin my life even more than he already has. Fuck!”

“How would he have gotten your blood?” Maeve asks.

“I… I don’t know,” I say. “I mean, it’s quite a bit of blood. I… don’t know what it would even have been from. How long can blood be stored? But even so, I feel like I would have remembered someone draining that much blood from me.”

Yorick pulls back. “Casimir did it.”

“I think I’d remember him… oh shit, you’re right,” I say.

“You… forgot that the leader of the territory drained you of blood?” Maeve asks.

“We get up to some real weird shit,” Yorick informs her. “Like the other day, we were having the werewolf run an agility course at a dog show.”

Maeve stares at us, apparently getting how weird we are… or maybe she’s jealous she never thought to put her daughters in show business and make some money off them.

After Cyrus commented a while ago about Julian requiring Casimir’s blood, Casimir had Julian feed from me to see if my blood would keep the silver inside him at bay.

It didn’t work, but Casimir is nothing if not determined.

As time passed, he proceeded to collect blood from multiple vampires and try them in different ways, such as part his blood and part mine.

He even tried Yorick’s blood, and blood from Atticus, an older vampire.

He’s terrified that he’ll die and without his blood, Julian will die as well.

At this point, I’m convinced the man has a secret underground bunker just filled with his own blood.

But does that mean… Louis got hold of the blood?

“I need to talk to Casimir,” I state.

“Wait, we’re not finished here,” she says.

“I know, but…” I don’t even know what to say to that. I really just don’t feel like talking to her. I want to talk to Cyrus about this, but of course he’s gone. So then Casimir it is. “I need to talk to Casimir. I’ll be right back.”

Maeve seems reluctant to let me go but doesn’t stop me as I head out the door with Yorick on my heels.

I step outside before sitting down in my car so I’ll have some privacy.

There aren’t any vampires currently here, and the weres are all at home because of the full moon, so I should be pretty safe to talk.

I pull out my phone, but before I can even type Casimir’s name in, my phone rings and I see it’s Cyrus. Relief washes through me that he’s not too busy to call me. I can talk to him about this and see what he thinks about it. And hopefully, he can make the hell happening inside of me calm down.

“Hey,” I say, far too thrilled at the prospect of hearing his voice. “I’ve been wanting to get ahold of you. You won’t believe?—”

“Ezio, I need your help. I need you and Casimir… I’m at that club I told you about. I came here with my brother.”

I hesitate as that sinks in. “Joaquin? He’s… dead… isn’t he?”

After Cyrus explains that Joaquin was turned into a vampire and has been in hiding, I promise to get there as fast as I can and beg him to be careful.

“I will,” he says before he hangs up so I can call Casimir. I just want to keep talking to him, make sure he’s safe and hear his voice, but I know I need to keep moving.

Quickly, I call Casimir, but he doesn’t answer. Is he busy with Julian? But I can’t do this alone.

“I’m going to run; it’s faster if I don’t have to follow the roads. Can you please go get Casimir?” I ask.

“Shouldn’t I just go with you? We don’t know what’s happening.” Yorick seems anxious about the idea of leaving me, but two of them are better than one. Even if I have to hold someone off for the minutes it takes him to get Casimir, it’s best if he goes back for him.

“What if I need you both? It’d take you minutes to get Casimir, and I’d have help from both of you,” I say as I throw my keys at him in case he needs my car.

Then I rush off into the darkness, prepared to do whatever it takes to keep Cyrus safe.