Sara Humphreys - Vampire Trouble

Shane had planned on telling Olivia and Doug about the necklace and why the wolves were so intent on having Maya turned over to them, but given the current situation, he opted against it. Better to wait until there was more specific information to share because right now Shane had more questions than he did answers. The last thing the czars needed was an additional bunch of unanswered questions.

“I had hoped Horace would give up and go back to where he came from.”

“No such luck,” Doug said tightly. “He’s got a serious hard-on for Maya and is hell-bent on getting his paws on her as some kind of repayment. What a dick.”

“Who is patrolling the city?” Shane asked. He felt like he was shirking his responsibilities.

“Pete’s back on duty, and Emperor Zhao sent in a new recruit from Texas.”

“A trainee?” Shane pressed his fingers against his eyes, attempting to contain his frustration. “With a pack of werewolves in the city?”

“Oh, don’t get your panties in a bunch. Apparently the guy was military when he was human, so he’s already had plenty of training and he’s not that new. He was turned back in the ’50s.”

“The 1850s?”

“Oh for shit’s sake.” Doug growled. “The 1950s. Maya’s right. You are an old man.”

“Perhaps, but that is still quite young to be a sentry in one of the largest and most populated territories in the world.”

“Yeah, well, I guess a bunch of the old, experienced guys like you are working security at the summit with the Emperor. So we take what we can get.”

“What’s his name? Perhaps I know him.”

“Dakota.” Doug made a sound of frustration. “What’s taking them so long in there?”

“I don’t recall a sentry by that name.” Shane rested one hand on his hip and glanced over his shoulder at the dimly lit house. Maya was upstairs getting ready for their one night out, and Lottie had already left for work. “I realize that it might be wise for us to return to the city now, but—”

“No way. You two stay there until we give you the all clear.” Doug let out a short laugh. “I’m not throwing that curveball to Olivia right now. She’s kind of busy making a person, and something tells me that distracting her isn’t real smart. Why did you call anyway? Wait…hold on.”

Silence filled the line for a moment, and Shane was about to apologize when he heard Xavier’s excited voice in the background. “It’s a girl, and Olivia is fine.”

“Holy shit,” Doug shouted, letting out a loud laugh. “I have a daughter. I’m a father.” Shane smiled because Doug’s voice drifted from excited to almost reverent tones. “I’m a daddy. Oh man…I gotta go. Just sit tight, and we’ll call you later.”

The line went silent and a funny feeling settled in Shane’s chest. It wriggled around inside him with irritating persistence, and he realized it was envy. Shane never even entertained the notion of having a child, and until just this second, he didn’t think he wanted to be a father, not to mention that until recently he never thought it was possible. Hearing the joyful and awe-inspired tone in Doug’s voice made Shane realize that everything he’d accepted about himself over the past four centuries was being called into question.

Allowing himself to love again, to love Maya, was terrifying enough, but a child? Shane couldn’t begin to imagine the weight of that responsibility. He hadn’t even had the nerve to tell Maya that he loved her because the prospect of it was so unsettling. Being bloodmates and bonding with her was one thing, but baring his soul to her was quite another. Shane cursed at himself and shoved the phone into the back pocket of his jeans. He had more important matters at hand than thinking about his feelings—like finding out what magic Maya was capable of and why the wolves were so desperate to get it.

The sound of the front door slamming shut interrupted his thoughts. A smile played at his lips when he heard Maya humming a tune as she trotted down the steps to meet him. Since they’d arrived at Lottie’s house and Maya began her training, she seemed less encumbered. Of course, a part of him hoped that their mating contributed to her free spirit too.

Shane turned to greet her, but whatever he’d planned on saying went out of his head the moment he laid eyes on her.

The woman was spellbindingly beautiful.

Clad in sandals, a simple white sundress that came to just above the knee, and a sweater that matched the blue of her eyes, Maya looked every bit the beauty queen. Her long, blond hair flowed over her shoulder in loose waves, just the way Shane liked it, and she wore very little makeup. If a summer breeze could be embodied in a woman, it would look the way Maya did at this moment.

Smiling, she tucked her hair behind her ear and closed the distance between them with her hands clasped behind her back. Stopping only a few inches from Shane, she popped up on her tiptoes and pressed her lips to his.

“Ready to go?” she asked before kissing him one more time.

“You look positively fetching.” Shane slid his hands down both her arms and tangled his fingers with hers, holding her arms out to the side so he could look her up and down. He had asked her to be sure she brought at least one weapon with her, but he was unable to detect where she’d put it. “Where on earth did you hide—”

Before Shane could finish asking her where she’d hidden the leather-handled throwing knives, Maya pressed one finger to his lips and shook her head.

“Ye of little faith,” she whispered. “I’ve got it covered.”

Maya spun around and pulled her sweater partway down her back to reveal a slim harness with the two knives discreetly tucked inside and easily accessible for her. Shane nodded his approval as Maya turned around, shifted her sweater back into place, and put her hands on her hips.

“Not bad.” Shane’s eyes wandered over her from head to toe, and his body immediately responded. “As always, Maya, you are full of surprises.”

Maya laughed and playfully avoided his grasp when he tried to pull her into his arms.

“Nope.” She wagged a finger at him and placed both hands on his chest, holding him at arm’s length, which only made him want her more. “If we start that , then we’ll never get out of here before sunrise. But if you behave yourself now, then I promise I’ll make it up to you later.”

“How?” Shane growled.

“You’ll see,” she sang. “But first I have to talk to Lillian, and in case you were wondering, I have the necklace in my skirt pocket so she can look at it.” Maya grinned, but then her smile faltered. “Hey, did you talk to Olivia?”

“I did.” Shane linked one arm around Maya’s waist and yanked her against him while his other hand found its way to the top of her ass. He didn’t do it to instigate sex; he simply loved the feel of her, and it made him happy to touch her whenever he could. Shane kissed the tip of her nose. “But you distracted me with your beauty.”

“Well?” Maya giggled when Shane nuzzled her neck. Nibbling her lip, she linked her arms around his waist. “What did she say when you told her about the whole gypsy thing?”

Shane stilled and lifted his head because he realized he’d totally forgotten about the conversation with Doug, which was highly unlike him. His feelings for Maya were cluttering up all of his senses. “I didn’t.”

“What?” Maya’s body tensed. “Why not?”

“Olivia had the baby.”

“Oh my God!” Maya squealed her delight and hugged him ferociously. Tangling her fingers in his hair, she peered back up at him with wide blue eyes. “What did she have? I mean Suzie kept saying it was a girl. Are they okay?”