Sara Humphreys - Vampire Trouble

She turned her face and her cheek brushed his shoulder while his scent grew stronger and filled her head seductively. Closing her eyes, she allowed herself to simply feel the effect of having him so close to her. His hands slid down her back and stopped along the top of her ass. His body tensed against hers and his fingers gripped her hips while her breasts crushed against the broad, muscular plane of his chest.

“Can I move now?” Maya asked and opened her eyes. She tilted her face to look him in the eye, and a smile played at his lips. “Is it safe?”

“Yes.” He took a step back, his fingers trailing along the curve of her hip. “You’ll always be safe with me.”

“I found it!” Xavier exclaimed.

Maya and Shane looked away from one another, the intensity of the moment broken. She pulled on her coat and gloves, and Xavier flew over with a book in his hands. Shane shouldered his bag, and when Maya went to carry hers, he took it from her and slung it over his other shoulder.

“Get used to flying with the extra weight of the weapons first, and then you can add the bag.”

“Thanks.” Maya smiled at him and then turned her attention back to Xavier, who was looking at Maya with genuine curiosity. “What does that word mean? I think she was pointing at my necklace.”

“Interesting.” Xavier snapped the book closed, removed his glasses, and nodded toward Maya’s necklace. “Where did you get that?”

“It was in my family.” She fiddled with the stone. “I think it was my grandmother’s, but to be honest, I really don’t remember much. Why, Xavier? What does vanator mean?”

“Hunter.”

Shane knew Maya was exhausted, but to her credit, she didn’t utter a single complaint, not a peep out of her the entire trip south. They used the intricate network of underground passages to travel the entire day, not taking time for so much as a nap, and they took to the sky when the sun set. She remained alert, focused, and silent. Even when he took out some bottled blood for her to drink and told her that they wouldn’t be hunting that evening or anytime soon, she didn’t utter a complaint or roll her eyes. She simply thanked him and drank it.

Flying over the swamps of the Louisiana bayou in search of Lottie Fogg’s house, Shane sliced a glance in Maya’s direction. Her blue eyes, usually smiling and full of life, were flat and rimmed with dark circles, and he could tell she was completely spent—both physically and emotionally.

They were both tired from not having slept during the day, but the events of the past twenty-four hours were what had them both spinning. Maya was clearly unnerved by what Bella had said, and when they left, she zipped her catsuit all the way up to her neck, effectively covering up her necklace. He couldn’t blame her for feeling uneasy because Bella’s comment about the necklace was all he could think about.

Vanator. Hunter.

What was Bella trying to say? Maya was a hunter? That didn’t make any sense to Shane, but she’d clearly pointed at Maya and her necklace. Maybe Xavier had gotten his translations mixed up and she’d said something totally different. Damn it all. Shane’s brow furrowed and a growl rumbled in his chest. She could have been saying “necklace” or “emerald” or something.

The only thing he knew about the necklace was that it was some kind of family heirloom. Maya’s inability to recall specifics about her past was beyond frustrating, but Shane hoped that Lottie Fogg would be helpful in more ways than one. Gypsies were known for their psychic abilities, and maybe she would be able to help Maya get in touch with more of her past.

Safe houses for vampires were scattered throughout the United States and most were occupied by human familiars. Olivia selected one owned by a gypsy, and if there was one quality Olivia had, it was deliberateness. She didn’t do anything without a crystal-clear purpose. She could have chosen any number of other houses, but she picked the gypsy. He wished he knew why.

When they approached the location of the house, Shane motioned for Maya to follow him. Obviously deep in thought, she blinked rapidly when he interrupted her but nodded her understanding. He descended cautiously, reaching out with his heightened senses to look for any other supernaturals in the area, but he found the air around them clean. He was relieved to see that the house was on several acres of property and in a remote area of the bayou. Other than a few pesky swamp creatures, he should be able to train Maya undisturbed while they waited for word from Olivia.

Shane and Maya landed silently at the end of the dirt driveway and stood side by side, scanning their surroundings one more time. Their enhanced night vision enabled them to see nocturnal creatures scurrying through the brush, and various sets of eyes staring down at them from the sprawling, moss-covered oak trees. Beneath a canopy of branches, they walked down the long driveway toward the massive Queen Anne style house. Although it had fallen into disrepair, it was still beautiful. Light flickered inside and Shane could tell it came from candles, not electric lights.

They stopped at the foot of the steps, and the front door of the house slowly opened. A woman stood in the doorway with a lantern dangling from her hand. Shane watched her carefully, looking for any sign that she might not be happy to see them, as Olivia suggested, but seconds later, a loud, feminine laugh joined the sound of crickets in the bayou.

“Well, don’t just stand there starin’ at me like a couple of ghosts.” She waved them forward and stepped out to the edge of the steps. Long, black hair, streaked with gray, fell over narrow shoulders, and her slim body was wrapped up in a white cotton bathrobe. If Shane had to guess, he’d say she was around seventy years old. “The sun will be up soon, and unless you two want to get your pasty asses singed, I suggest you get in the house. Come on. Lottie Fogg ain’t gonna ask you twice.”

Then without another word she went back inside.

“At least she left the door open,” Shane murmured with little humor in his voice as he and Maya started toward the stairs. “I hope Olivia knows what she’s doing.”

“Olivia always knows what she’s doing,” Maya said quietly.

They climbed the stairs quickly. Closing the door behind them, Shane saw a glimmer of light along the horizon and felt the familiar tug in his gut. They’d made it to their destination with little time to spare. When he looked around, Shane was immediately taken aback by the sparse furnishings of the massive home. The living room to the left had a couch, a chair, a coffee table, a baby grand piano, and an enormous fireplace with an intricately designed wooden mantel. The only other items he spotted were stacks and stacks of magazines that indicated Ms. Fogg was a bit of a hoarder.

Enormous crystal chandeliers hung from the ceiling in that room and in the front hall where he and Maya currently stood. A narrow staircase with a mahogany banister was directly across from the front door, and Shane could see a lit candle on a table in the second-floor hall. To the right was the dining room with a table for eight but only chairs enough for four, and based on the look of them, they weren’t safe to sit on. Another glittering chandelier hung above the table, but given the candles lit in both rooms, he doubted the house had working electricity.

Lottie was out of sight, but he could hear her bustling around toward the back of the house. Based on the clinking and clanking, he suspected she was in the kitchen.

Shane was about to call out for the gypsy woman, but a moment later, the swinging door in the dining room opened and Lottie backed into the room, bumping the door open with her hip. When she turned around, she had the lantern in one hand and two bottles of blood in the other. With a big grin, she joined them in the front hall and handed a bottle to each of them.