Sara Humphreys: Vampire Trouble

He leaned in and drank greedily, and one word ran through his mind: bloodmate. The word repeated over and over like a heartbeat. It thundered through his head relentlessly. Amid the flashes of light, one image came roaring into mind—a smiling old woman who was wearing Maya’s necklace.

Who am I?

Maya’s mind merged with his like a thunderbolt and Shane reared back, shocked by the sudden and combustible psychic connection. Maya looked up at him through large blue eyes, and Shane watched the two tiny holes on her neck close, leaving no evidence behind.

Running one finger along her jawline, he captured her heavily lidded gaze with his. After tasting her blood, Shane was certain that Maya was far more fragile than she would have anyone believe. She was lost and reminded him of someone fighting her way through the fog with no one else in sight. Alone and frightened.

To his surprise, he was unable to read her blood memories. That was a first. It was as though all of her memories were shrouded in secrecy, hidden from anyone and everyone. The strangest part was that he didn’t even think Maya knew she was doing it.

Even though he wanted nothing more than to claim her as his, words of caution ran through his head. For all her bravado, Maya Robertson was clinging to her existence with every ounce of strength she had. She was the most haunted soul he’d ever encountered.

Shane could not take her or tell her about the possibility that they were bloodmates until she knew she was safe with him, and she’d never feel safe until she rid herself of the demons that haunted her. Shane knew all too well about demons. He’d let the memory of his maker haunt him for more years than he cared to admit.

Maya wasn’t haunted by her maker. Instead, she was tormented by a human life she could barely remember and a vicious attack she couldn’t forget.

She licked her lower lip seductively and slipped her hands under Shane’s coat, settling them on his waist. As she tugged his hips to her, a grin cracked her face, widening when the evidence of his desire pressed against her hip.

“You want what all men want.” Her honeyed voice wafted over him as her fingers slipped beneath the edge of his shirt and curled temptingly against his flesh. She popped up on her toes and flicked her tongue over his lips, testing every ounce of his resolve. “Don’t you, Shane? Do you think I’ll let you take it? Taking my blood is one thing, but taking my body is quite another.”

He held his ground and admitted to himself that Maya wasn’t entirely wrong. Shane wanted her more than any other woman, human or vampire, but the taunting tone of her voice, combined with the familiar look in her eye, gave him pause.

It was the same stone-cold look Maya gave her prey.

“No,” he said flatly. Shane abruptly pushed himself off the tree and immediately put distance between them. “You will find that I am nothing like the men you’ve dallied with, human or vampire. I tasted your blood because that will allow me to track you anywhere, if I have to. With the wolves in town, it will provide an extra measure of security.”

It was a partial truth—and a cruel one, at that—but it was the only one he was prepared to reveal at the moment.

“What?” Maya’s mouth fell open and her fangs retracted as she stared at him in disbelief.

“And there is something else you will soon realize.” Shane pulled his leather gloves out of his pockets and tugged them on, not to protect himself from silver but to resist the urge to touch her again. “No matter how many men you dominate, Maya. No matter how many countless humans you glamour and feed on…” Shane took another step back and whispered, “Nothing will erase what happened that night in the alley.”

Maya flinched from the sting of his words and her eyes filled with tears.

“I knew it,” she whispered. “You saw the whole thing, didn’t you? Just stood there, watched it all happen, and did nothing to stop it.” She swiped furiously at the tears that spilled down her cheek, her expression hardening. “Well, since you like to watch, you’re in for a treat because I’ve still got about thirty minutes before the sun starts to rise. Enjoy the show.”

Shane’s brows knit with confusion, and before he could say another word, Maya shot into the sky like a bullet. Shane grew more and more bewildered, repeating her words in his mind— I knew it. You just stood there, watched it all happen, and did nothing to stop it. Did Maya believe he was actually there that night? That he would stand by and watch her be attacked and do nothing, or had she seen him in the dreamscape?

Shane swore under his breath and flew into the sky after her. Keeping his distance, he followed her while she hunted, staying close enough only to assure she was safe. With the werewolves’ impending arrival, he had little intention of allowing Maya out of his sight.

Over the next thirty minutes, Maya glamoured and fed on two men, both of whom bore a striking resemblance to her attacker in the dreamscape. As with the man in the park, she spent more time glamouring them than she did feeding on them.

He followed her back to the nightclub and landed silently on top of a building across from The Coven. He watched her fly down to the slate roof of the old church and open the hidden entrance next to the steeple. A gust of brisk wind whistled through the tapestry of buildings, lifting her hair off her shoulders.

Shane expected her to disappear immediately into the building but she didn’t. Maya paused and turned her face toward the orange glow of the horizon. He crouched low on the rooftop of the neighboring building and waited for Maya to go inside. She continued to stare at the brightening sky, and the sad, lost look on her face tugged at him.

Panic gripped Shane. He didn’t need to look at the sky to know how quickly the sun was rising. An ache deep in his chest warned him of the impending sunrise, and with the growing internal warning came apprehension.

Not for himself but for her.

He was far older and could recuperate from sun exposure with more ease than a youngling like Maya. If she stayed exposed much longer and didn’t seek cover, the sun would consume her, turning her to dust. Shane rose to his feet, and just as he was about to call her name, he heard her.

Please , Maya’s wavering voice, laced with sadness and regret, drifted into his mind. No more nightmares . Eyes closed, her hand went to the necklace nestled safely against her breasts, and Shane’s heart tugged in his chest at the sight of tears streaming down her cheeks and the tormented sound of her voice. Please make it stop.

Shane’s fangs erupted violently and his body tightened from the delicious, erotic effect of their minds connecting. It was like being bathed in desire, longing, and the sweet torture of unfulfilled lust. The flames of desire were extinguished at the sight of the protective shadows shrinking amid growing patches of light.

With the sun creeping up in the sky, the ache in his chest turned to a burning sensation. Just when he thought he’d scream with frustration, Maya dropped out of sight into the building. Jumping from the roof, Shane let out a sound of relief and landed silently in the empty street below.

Normally, he would fly back to the Presidium’s offices, but given how close the sun was, even he couldn’t outrun it. He yanked off a manhole cover and descended into the sewer. Whisking through the network of underground tunnels, he made his way toward the Presidium’s offices and his apartment. He couldn’t stop thinking about the surprising effects that had engulfed him when her mind touched his.

Maya wasn’t his sibling, his maker, or his progeny. He should not be able to hear her in his head, and he knew there could only be one other explanation. Bloodmates. Like all vampires, he had been told the legend not long after he’d been turned. According to the legend, if a vampire found his or her bloodmate and bonded, the two became daywalkers, vampires who could withstand the sun’s rays. Olivia and Doug’s bonding had not only proven the legend to be true but had revealed far more in the process.