Sara Humphreys - Vampire Trouble

“Whatever you two are doing in there, finish it up, would ya?” Rat shouted. “I’ve got a pack of wolves out here that are requesting Maya serve their drinks, and they won’t buy another one unless she brings it to them.”

Shane opened his mouth to respond, but Maya pressed her finger to his lips and shook her head.

“I’ll be right out, Rat.”

Shane kissed her finger before brushing her lips gently with his. Helping her put her top back in place, he fought the urge to take it off again. She giggled and playfully pushed his hands away so she could do it herself, and though he’d enjoyed removing the garment, it was almost as sexy to watch her put it back on.

“Tuck in your shirt and keep your hands to yourself, mister.”

“As you wish for now, but I make no promises about later.” Shane made quick work of putting himself back together, but he was relatively certain his raging hard-on would need time to die down. “We wouldn’t want to keep Horace waiting, now would we?”

Maya rolled her eyes and pushed past him, but Shane took her hand in his, stopping her before she opened the door. She glanced over her shoulder, her blond hair flowing in silken waves down her back, and met his stern stare with her own.

“Watch yourself, Maya.” He squeezed her hand. “Horace is not a wolf you want to toy with. He’s aggressive, and according to Olivia, he came here without his father’s blessing. I suspect he’s here to cause trouble. I can’t imagine you want to be a part of that.”

“You sure know how to ruin a moment, don’t you?”

“I have your best interests in mind.” His jaw set. “But I also have a job to do.”

“You know what? I changed my mind.” Maya pulled her hand from his. “I don’t need a babysitter or a bodyguard.”

Then without another word, she disappeared through the door. Shane swore under his breath and followed her into the club. He took a seat at the bar this time and spent the next three hours watching Maya flit back and forth between the bar and the wolves. To her credit, she managed to stay out of Horace’s reach, but no matter where she went, that wolf had his dark, shifty gaze glued to her. Every warning bell Shane had was going off in his head. Whatever Horace’s plans were, he clearly wanted Maya to be a part of them.

Maya couldn’t believe how quickly her first night of work at The Dollhouse went, and while she was cleaning up behind the bar, a smile played at her lips. Even with Shane lurking in the club all night doing his broody, staring thing, Maya felt freer than she had in a long time. She got on well with the other girls at The Dollhouse, and Rat let her do her thing behind the bar.

All in all, aside from the one tense moment when Shane overreacted, it was a good night.

I will escort you home when you are finished. Maya’s breasts tingled the instant Shane’s deep, seductive voice touched her mind, and the unexpected contact almost made her trip over her own feet. It was intimate, erotic, and oddly familiar to have him speak with her like this, but at the same time, the sudden inability to hear her siblings was unsettling. Her world was changing at a breakneck pace, which made her feel unsteady and unsure and gave her an overall feeling of unease. The sun will rise in just a couple of hours, but we could fly for a while, if you’d like.

Maya shut her mind without responding and her smile faded. So much for feeling like she had freedom. Snagging a wet rag from the bar sink, she started wiping down her work area and glanced up to see Horace give her a wave. She smiled back and studied him for a moment before looking away. He was handsome—not in the tall, dark, and sexy way that Shane was but in a ruggedly handsome way. There was a wildness about him that she found appealing, and after that one grab-ass moment at the start of the night, he’d been a perfect gentleman.

Maya was wondering what all the fuss was about.

All of the men in his pack behaved while they were at the club. They might have been a little loud, but they weren’t acting like the crazy animals everyone warned her about. Horace was actually nice, and there was something about him and all the wolves that intrigued her. Maybe it was because she’d never met any before, but for whatever reason, she was drawn to them.

The rest of the club had cleared out, and the only customers who remained were the wolves. A few of the dancers were obviously leaving with them, and that girl Viola looked so excited, Maya thought she was going to bust. Smiling, Maya grabbed a couple of stray glasses and made quick work of cleaning them before slipping them back in the racks. When she looked up, she came face-to-face with Horace.

“It’s about time for us to head out, beautiful.” Horace lit a cigarette, even though he wasn’t supposed to smoke inside. His gaze wandered over her face and drifted down to her cleavage, lingering on that or her necklace, Maya wasn’t sure which. He took a long drag, slipped the stainless-steel lighter back in the pocket of his blazer, and nodded toward his pack, who were all waiting by the door of the club. “I was hoping I could talk you into coming out with us for a little after-party back at our hotel. I promise I’ll have you home before sunrise.”

Maya opened her mouth to tell him no, but before she could utter a sound, Shane appeared behind Horace and took it upon himself to answer for her.

“Maya will not be able to attend your…festivities.” When Shane shifted his gaze to Horace, he had to look down a bit because Horace was so much shorter. “Perhaps another time.”

“What are you, her brother?” Horace blew a huge puff of smoke directly into Shane’s face, but the sentry didn’t flinch.

“Definitely not, and I’m sure if I actually breathed, that smoke would bother me,” Shane said evenly, leveling a deadly glare at Horace. “However, your meaning is clear. I do hope you’ll show better manners when you visit with the czars.”

“Yeah, I’ll be sure to do that.” Horace took another drag. Waving over his shoulder at Maya, he started to leave. “I’m staying at the Plaza, and you can join us if your boy over here ever lets you off the leash.”

Leash? Like a fucking dog? Oh, hell no.

Shane was watching Horace walk away and clearly didn’t notice the fury in Maya’s face when she grabbed the bag with her clothing from under the bar. She should probably change before leaving, but she was so furious that all she wanted was get the hell out of there.

“I’d love to, Horace.” Maya flew across the room in a blur. She linked her arm in his as the front door of the club opened. “Bye, Shane. Tell Olivia I’ll be back before sunrise.”

“Don’t do this, Maya.” Shane’s voice, cold and curt, filled the club.

“She made her choice, big guy.” Horace’s eyes flickered to orange briefly and a growl rumbled through him that sent Maya’s sonar-like senses into overdrive, almost making her nauseous. She stilled, thinking she’d made a huge mistake, but his eyes quickly went back to normal and he winked. “I’m all bark and no bite…unless you ask me real nice.”

The door swung shut behind them, and the last image she saw was a look of pure, unadulterated fury on Shane’s face. Stepping out into the chilly air, Maya was filled with guilt, anger, and frustration. Sensing the change in her demeanor, Horace wrapped one arm around her in an almost protective gesture. Maya smiled at him and noticed that his body temperature was far warmer than any human she’d encountered—even more than someone with a fever—and he smelled different too.