Sara Humphreys - Vampire Trouble

Olivia and Doug could only telepath with each other.

Picking up speed, Shane growled with frustration and swept through the tunnels like a ghost. He hadn’t imagined it. Shane definitely heard Maya in his mind. But did that mean she was his bloodmate? That would certainly explain his overwhelming attraction to her and the fact that he was pulled into the dreamscape for the first time in centuries—and not into just any dream, but into Maya’s. What about Maya? Would it matter to her if they were bloodmates? As far as Shane could tell, she loathed him, and at the moment, he couldn’t blame her.

Maya must have seen him in the dreamscape last night and was now under the misguided impression that Shane had been there that night and had allowed her to be brutalized. He was filled with confusion, anger, and a fair amount of frustration. It was an appalling idea to think that Maya believed him to be that kind of monster.

He swore loudly, his voice echoing through the dark, dank tunnels. He was confused and didn’t like it one fucking bit. His life as a sentry had been clear, well defined, and orderly, but ever since he’d come to New York City and met Maya, his life had been anything but.

Shane came to an abrupt halt when he reached the entrance of the Presidium. Without even looking for it, he pressed the rectangular stone along the top of the wall. He made a face at the rats that ran past his feet and let out a sound of relief when the hidden door swung open, revealing the brightly lit halls of the Presidium’s New York facility.

He stepped into the sunny yellow hallway and the door closed silently behind him. The sound of his boot-clad feet hitting the red marble floor echoed through the corridor. Crystal chandeliers hung from the ceiling and glittered, giving the hallway the illusion of sunlight. The walls were lined with the portraits of past czars. Olivia and Doug had yet to add theirs, and he suspected they never would. It wasn’t their style.

Shane stopped in front of the massive wood-and-steel door and tugged off his gloves. He pressed his thumb against a small black panel, and a moment later, the heavy, medieval door swung open, allowing him entry to the central halls of the Presidium network. He was immediately greeted by Van Helsing, Olivia’s German shepherd and the newly appointed guard dog at the Presidium.

“Good morning, Van.” Shane scratched the enormous dog behind his ears, and the hall was immediately filled with the insistent meows of a cat. The dog sat on his haunches and watched Shane squat down to give the attention-craving feline a pat on the butt. Purring like a freight train, she rubbed up against Shane’s leg and accepted his greeting. “Hello, Oreo. I see that you’re keeping Van company again tonight. I’m surprised the two of you aren’t parked at Olivia’s feet.”

“Well, close enough,” Olivia said as she came around the corner.

Shane stood up quickly, feeling embarrassed at being caught coddling the animals and for allowing Olivia to sneak up on him. Maya had him off his game in more ways than one. Olivia laughed because Oreo kept brushing herself against Shane’s leg, leaving white hairs all over his black pants. Shane made a face, which only elicited a bigger laugh from the czar.

“Sorry.” Olivia shrugged and rested both hands on her belly, which looked even bigger than it had a few hours ago. Dressed in a long, green silk robe, she looked nothing like the Czar of New York City, or at least not what Shane was used to. Most czars were formal and aloof, but Doug and Olivia were the opposite. “I can’t sleep and they’ve been walking the halls with me. Doug wanted to come too, but I insisted he get some rest. With the wolves coming into town, he’s going to need to bring his A-game.”

“He’s not the only one,” Shane said with a polite smile. “Everyone is going to have to be on alert. I would be lying if I said I’m not concerned about you in your condition .”

Olivia didn’t respond but simply nodded. She walked with him down the hall toward his apartment with Van and Oreo close behind. He knew she was unsettled by the pregnancy, more so than anyone else, but whatever feelings she had about it she kept to herself.

“You’re not the only one who’s concerned. Millicent has been combing the Presidium’s archives, looking for any scrap of information about anything remotely like this that happened before—but so far nothing.”

“Yes, well, Millicent is tenacious and the best record keeper the Presidium has,” Shane said firmly. “If anyone can find something, it’s her. She must have been one hell of a sentry in her day.”

“She was.” Olivia smiled. “Millicent trained me when I was a sentry, and don’t worry, I’m pregnant, Quesada, not an invalid,” she said with a laugh. “I can still kick ass with the best of them, and thanks to Xavier’s latest weaponry inventions, we’re all armed to the teeth. We can handle whatever the wolves throw at us.”

“Have you been able to reach the Emperor yet? Has he spoken with King Heinrich?”

“Yes.” Olivia’s tone was one of wariness. “Apparently, King Heinrich was equally surprised to hear about Horace’s arrival. The poor guy apologized profusely and said if the kid and his pack caused any trouble, he would deal with it at once. He also offered to have his oldest son, Prince Killian, come to the city to keep an eye on his kid brother, but I told him that I didn’t think that would be necessary. A pack of six wolves is bad enough, no reason to make it seven. I’m not looking for a fight, and taking the king at his word is a good way to start.”

“A wise choice.”

“I hope so.” Olivia’s hands rested on her large belly. “But we have to err on the side of caution, and if something does go down, I want my coven prepared. That said, Doug is going to do some battle training with the girls. Sadie is already well-schooled and Trixie is a natural fighter, but Suzie and Maya need some help. Suzie’s afraid of her own shadow, but she has to learn to defend herself. We could always use your input.”

“Of course. So…Maya has had no training.” Shane kept his voice low, even though his head filled with memories of Maya being dragged into the alley. “No battle experience.”

“No.” Olivia paused for a moment. “I’ve tried, but she’s shown little interest in any kind of fight training.”

“May I ask you something?” Shane kept his gaze straight ahead. “It’s…personal.”

“Sure,” Olivia said with some amusement.

Shane stopped in front of the door that led to his apartment and turned to face Olivia. He clasped his hands behind his back and wrestled against four hundred years of pomp and circumstance.

“It’s okay, Shane.” Sensing his unease, Olivia smiled and gave him a reassuring pat on the shoulder. “Just ask.”

“What can you tell me about Maya?”

“Maya?” Olivia let out a sigh and Van whined at her feet in empathy. “How much time have you got?” Shane’s look of confusion elicited a loud laugh from Olivia. “Let’s just say that there’s a lot more to that girl than meets the eye. I can’t tell you Maya’s story.”

“I understand.” Shane nodded. “It’s not your story to tell.”

“No.” Olivia frowned. “Well, the problem is, I don’t know her story. Not her full story, anyway.”

“But you’re her maker. You turned her and drank her blood, which gave you her blood memories. Olivia, you should know more about her than anyone.”

“I should,” Olivia said quietly, “and to some extent I do. I know what happened on the night she died, and that was pretty fucking horrible, but that’s it. For some reason, one I’ve never been able to figure out, I could only see the night she died. Her entire life before that is a blur, and the only one who will be able to shed any light on Maya’s past is Maya.”