Page 18 of Bound By Blood
Caro didn’t lowerthe sword or respond.
“What happened?”Saber inquired.
When the large,overwhelming man stepped into her blade, Caro had to give ground orstab him. And while she didn’t like him, she wasn’t in the mood toclean up more blood. Enough of it had already spilled in thisonce-beloved place.
Despite herdislike of the rude, overbearing man, she stepped further back butdidn’t lower her weapon. She vigilantly kept an eye on him and hersword at the ready as she stepped to the side to reset thealarm.
“What happened?”Saber again inquired after the alarm finished beeping.
His eyes ran overthe artifacts, boxes, and shipping supplies stashed within theroom. The coppery tang of blood hung faintly on the air, but hedidn’t see its source.
Caro’s anger andfear drained out of her as memories returned. She suddenly didn’thave the energy to keep up her hostility toward this man.
She adjusted hergrip on the sword as she rubbed her eyes, and a lump lodged in herthroat. Gulping, she tried to swallow it back, but it remainedthere.
Her sword lowereduntil the tip clinked against the ground. She should keep it up andat the ready for him, but the sword suddenly felt like it weighed athousand pounds. The man was a Prick with a capital P, but shedidn’t think he was here to kill her. Besides, if he’d come here tomurder her, they would already be fighting, and he didn’t smellbad.
“Someone murderedmy parents two weeks ago,” she muttered.
Saber’s attentionswung back to the woman. “Whodid it?”
“Vampires. I’mguessing Savages from what my dad told me about them.”
“What makes youthink that?”
Irritationreplaced the desolation on her face. “Because they were torn apart,but not much blood spilled onto the floor or walls.”
Saber rubbed atthe stubble lining his chin as he contemplated this. It did soundlike Savages, but it could also be demons, though they rarelytraveled aboveground to do the dirty work themselves.
“They probablywanted your father to make them a weapon or were searching for onethey could take,” he muttered.
Caro stared at theman while she waited for him to continue, but he remained obliviousto her. “Why do you say that?”
CHAPTER 14
“Why else wouldthey come here?” he asked.
“That’s what I’vebeen wondering,” she murmured.
“Your father was agood fighter, but his true talent lay in his metalworkingabilities.”
“If that was whatthey wanted, why would they kill him? He’s useless to themnow.”
“True,” Sabermurmured as he pondered this. “Were your parents mated?”
Tears burnedCaro’s eyes again; she shifted her attention away from him asmemories of her parents’ beautiful, pure love ran through her mind.Her whole life, she’d watched as they kissed, touched, and simplystood happily in the presence of each other.
Sometimes, she’dbe in the living room with her mom reading while her mother did hercharcoal drawings, and the woman would suddenly start laughing.When Caro asked what was so funny, she would get this secret,beautiful smile on her face and reply, “Just something your dadsaid, dear.”
They were soentwined and often communicated when they weren’t together. Theonly thing that outshone their love for each other was their lovefor her. She’d grown up secure in the knowledge she was theirgreatest joy.
“They were mates,”she whispered.
“I’m guessing theSavages made the mistake of attacking or killing your mother first,and once they did, they couldn’t control your father. There isnoreasoning with a vampire whose mate is in danger or dead.They would have had no choice but to kill him.”
Caro bent her headand blinked away the tears. She wouldnotcry in front ofthis man. But he was most likely right, and she could picture herdad losing complete control if something happened to her mom. Shedespisedthe assholes who did this.
“What’s yourname?” Saber asked.
