Sara Humphreys - Vampire Trouble

“Fine.” Shane grabbed her hand and walked with her toward the corner. He flicked a serious gaze in her direction. “Keep your senses alert, and do not leave my sight for one second. Are we clear? We are to keep our visit here quiet, and we don’t want to attract any attention to ourselves.”

“Fine.” Maya bumped her hip into his and laughed. “You really don’t get it, do you?”

“What?” Shane asked tightly. He stopped at the corner and noted the oval wooden sign with a snarling tiger on it that read, The Den. Glancing around at the busier street, which was open only to pedestrian traffic, he was relieved to note that the scent of the wolf had diminished. “What don’t I get?”

“You.” She laughed. Shane looked at her with genuine confusion, which only made her laugh harder. “You are a six-foot, four-inch hunk of drool-worthy hotness. Believe me, you attract attention, whether you like it or not. See?” She leaned into his embrace and nodded toward two human girls who were giggling and staring at Shane while they stumbled away. “You’re a hottie and the ladies love you, but don’t go getting any ideas.” Maya tugged his hand and pulled him toward the doorway of The Den. “I don’t like to share.”

“Good,” Shane murmured, following her into the bar. “Neither do I.”

When Shane crossed the threshold into the bar, the clear and distinct scent of an Amoveo shifter hit him. Unlike with the werewolves, the Amoveo scent didn’t evoke feelings of danger or unpleasantness. The bar was sparsely populated and dimly lit, but Shane could see everything clearly. Keeping his arm around Maya protectively, he surveyed the pub with its pirate-ship theme. There were a series of tables and chairs to the left, a long beat-up wooden bar to the right, and a staircase along the back wall that led to balcony seating on the second floor. All of the patrons were human, and other than the Amoveo man behind the bar, he and Maya were the only supernaturals in the place.

“Welcome.” The bartender’s voice boomed through the small pub, and Shane immediately knew it was Boris Zankoff, an Amoveo from the Tiger Clan. He was about Shane’s height with shoulder-length black hair and the eyes of a warrior. From what Shane heard, Boris was one hell of a fighter. “You must be Shane and Maya. Lottie said we might be seeing you two.” He extended his hand over the bar and welcomed them both with a broad smile. “I’m Boris and I’d introduce you to my mate, but she’s—”

“She’s right here,” said a bright, bubbly blond woman from the second-floor railing. With long, windblown hair, a peasant blouse, and a flowing skirt, she looked more like a gypsy than Maya did. Lillian Zankoff leaned over the railing and waved at them. “Hey! Come on up, I was just setting a table for us up here so we could have some privacy.”

“That’s Lillian,” Boris said with obvious pride. He leaned closer, with both hands on the bar so the old man at the end of the bar wouldn’t hear him. “She’s really excited to meet you both and has been talking about doing your reading, Maya, ever since Lottie told her about you.”

“Me too,” Maya said with a nervous smile.

“Boris,” Shane began, careful to keep his voice low. “Have you had any other unique patrons this evening?”

“You mean wolves?” A slow smile cracked Boris’s face, and he pushed his long hair off his forehead. “No. They usually steer clear of my place. Two weres own a bar called Full Moon Café at the end of Royal, a couple of blocks from here. When wolves come to town, they tend to spend time there. You know how it is in neutral-zone cities like New Orleans. Everyone tends to stick to their own kind. It’s safer that way.”

“Thank you.” Shane shook Boris’s hand again and felt some relief. “That’s reassuring.”

Climbing the stairs to the second level, Shane extended his senses in search of any signs of a wolf—or other vampires, for that matter—and, to his relief, found none. Maya sensed his apprehension, and when they reached the top of the stairs, she turned around and gave him a quick kiss on the cheek. It’s all going to be fine.

“I’m so excited to meet you both,” Lillian’s voice interrupted. She scooped Maya up in a hug and held her by both arms, giving Maya the once-over. “Damn, man. You’ve got some groovy vibes.”

“Thanks.” Maya smiled sheepishly and shrugged. “I think.”

“And you have some dark, spooky vibes, dude,” Lillian said, waving at Shane from a distance. “You’re hot and everything, but whoa. You’re like way spooky.”

“You should see him when he’s dressed in his sentry uniform,” Maya said with a wink to Shane. “Super spooky and super hot.”

Shane clasped his hands in front of himself and stood at attention because he didn’t know what else to do. Being scrutinized like this was highly unusual and not something he wanted to get used to. He was comfortable flying under the radar and slipping in between shadows, and right now he was experiencing the exact opposite of that.

“Sorry.” Lillian laughed and made the peace sign with both hands. “You’ll have to forgive me. The only other vamp that I’ve really met is Pete. I’ve seen plenty of ’em here in the city, but I haven’t actually met them.” She gestured for them to follow her to the back wall where a candlelit table and chairs were waiting. “You see, until a year ago when I found Boris, I thought my ability to read palms made me a total freak. Now that I know about all the different supernatural species, well, I feel almost normal.”

Lillian and Maya sat at the table, and Shane stood by the wall where he could have a clear view of the two of them and the stairs. The last problem they needed was for someone to slip up here undetected. He took a mental inventory of the weapons he had with him and thought perhaps he should have brought more, but the silver throwing weapons were difficult to use without the protective leather of his sentry uniform. He had the special-issue sentry dagger, the one with “Eternity” engraved down the center, in a harness strapped to his back and a gun tucked in an ankle holster. Even though he was armed, he couldn’t escape a sense of worry, but when his gaze landed on Maya’s gorgeous face, he realized why he felt so out of sorts.

It was her. More specifically, his feelings for her.

A weight settled in his chest, and the gravity of his situation came roaring into focus. If he allowed himself to love her, he would never feel truly prepared or be one hundred percent convinced of his power, because for the first time in four centuries, he was afraid. Shane was terrified of losing her. Be it at the claws of a werewolf, the skin-searing rays of the sun, or Maya herself telling him to take a flying leap—the thought of losing her was paralyzing.

How could Shane protect Maya, or anyone else, if he was weakened by fear?

The necklace stopped vibrating by the time they went into The Den. That weird pulling feeling in Maya’s gut had gone away too, but now she couldn’t stop shaking. Her nerves were on edge and the anticipation of being so close to finding out more about the necklace and her family legacy was torture. The only reason she hadn’t totally freaked out was because of Shane. The man was a rock, an immovable force that Maya knew she could count on, no matter what.

“Are you ready?” Lillian asked. Her eyes widened and she clapped her hands together. “Oh wait. Lottie said you have a necklace too. It’s a family heirloom or something.”

“Yes.” Maya flicked her eyes to Shane, who was watching her like a hawk from his spot against the wall. A wry smile played at her lips. He stood there still as a statue, yet ready to spring into action at any moment. She hated to admit it, but Shane’s protective nature was one of his most attractive qualities. Maya turned her attention back to Lillian and started to unhook the necklace. “Do you need to hold it?”