Sara Humphreys - Vampire Trouble

“Maybe.” Lillian pushed a mass of wavy, dark blond hair off her face and smiled, laying her hands, palm up, on the table. “First I want to do a straight-up palm reading and see what I get. Okay?”

“Alright.” Maya dropped her hands and placed them in Lillian’s, forcing herself to remain calm. “How do we do this?”

“Well, before I found Boris, I could only get images from the lines in a person’s palm, but once I hooked up with him, I started to pick up readings from objects too. It’s pretty wild.”

“So you just hold my hand, and you’ll see things?” Maya asked.

“Not exactly. I usually get an image when I run my index finger along the deep lines of a person’s palm.” Lillian gently turned Maya’s left hand over, cradling it in one hand while the other hovered just above without touching. “But I’ve never done a reading for a vampire before, so I have no idea what I might see or not see.”

Maya could feel the heat of Lillian’s human body and heard her strong, steady pulse as thick, warm blood coursed through her veins. A pang of hunger struck Maya, but she bit it back. There would be time to feed later; right now she needed answers.

“Why the lines and not just touching someone?” Maya cleared her throat and steeled herself against the surge of hunger. Asking questions was helping her focus on the task at hand.

Are you alright, youngling? Shane’s voice touched her mind gently.

Yes. Maya closed her eyes and fought to clear her head. I know Olivia doesn’t want us hunting while we’re here, and that live feeds get us all hopped up, but I think I miss it. I don’t know…maybe I’m just nervous about what she’s going to see.

We cannot hunt, but if you truly want to have a live feed, I will take you somewhere safe so that you can satisfy that desire. Shane’s voice was edged with seductive promise . But you must finish this first.

“Hey?” Lillian snapped her fingers in front of Maya’s face. “Are you okay?”

“Sorry.” Maya shook her head. Laughing nervously, she glanced at Shane. “I was distracted.”

“Right.” Lillian looked over her shoulder at Shane before giving Maya a wink. “Boris does that to me too. Like I was saying, those lines in your palm are the ones that were formed when you grew in your mother’s womb, when you clenched and unclenched your tiny hands. They are as deeply connected to you as I can get.” Lillian’s hand hovered over Maya’s, and she looked at her intently. “I want you to close your eyes and stay real still, okay?”

Maya nodded and let her eyes flutter closed. Doing as Lillian requested, she cleared her mind. But the instant Lillian’s fingertip touched Maya’s palm, lights danced behind her eyes and a flurry of images came roaring to life.

Summertime in the mountains. Blue skies blanketed the heavens, and Maya lay on a blanket in dandelion-covered grass with a young woman’s face hovering over her. Long blond hair spilled over slim shoulders and a pair of familiar blue eyes smiled down at Maya, but the woman wasn’t alone. A man with shaggy brown hair and pale green eyes sat next to the woman with his arm around her, looking at Maya lovingly.

“My parents,” Maya whispered. Her voice sounded far away, and for a second she wasn’t sure if she’d said it out loud. Tears spilled down her cheeks and the comforting warmth of love filled her chest, washing over her like the sun. “I can see them, Shane.”

The howl of a wolf shattered the golden moment, and the red haze of fear curled inside of Maya like a fire. Her father’s voice ripped through the fear and he screamed, Run, Elizabeth! Maya’s mother picked her up, running with Maya cradled to her chest. Her heartbeat thundered through Maya’s body, and her labored breathing surrounded Maya like a shroud.

Maya was covered in darkness, and the sounds of her mother’s crying filled her head. Snarls. Growling. A man’s scream. Silence. She could hear her mother whimpering while she cradled Maya’s small body to her shaking chest. Soon the darkness gave way to light and her mother laid her on a pile of blankets in a closet. I love you, Maya, she whispered before she closed the door and left Maya in the dark alone. I won’t let them find you.

Silence.

Darkness.

The scream of a woman amid the snarling and growling of wolves rumbled around Maya. The sharp sound of furniture breaking and then the triumphant howls of wolves filled the dark. The howl faded and the aching sound of silence filled the darkness…but only for a moment.

“They’re out there,” Maya whimpered. “I can hear them sniffing around. The wolves are looking for me.”

The terrifying sound of claws scratching at the door grated through Maya’s head, and just when she thought they’d break through the door and tear her to pieces, a door slammed and the wailing whine of a wolf in pain pierced the air. More growling preceded a high-pitched wail and then—silence.

Maya’s body shook with fear and anticipation. The door of the closet opened, temporarily blinding her. When her vision cleared, she saw her grandmother. She was younger than Maya remembered, but the necklace was draped around her neck as it always was. She cooed softly and picked Maya up, whispering gentle, soothing words.

Her grandmother carried her out of the cabin, and Maya peered over her shoulder at the wreckage of a battle. Broken furniture was strewn about the cabin, and in the middle of it, two men lay naked and bleeding. The last image Maya saw as her grandmother carried her outside was her mother’s lifeless hand covered in blood.

The memory blurred and spun. Lights flickered behind her eyes, and when Lillian released Maya’s hand, the past vanished and the present came roaring to life. Shaking, with Shane squatting next to her and rubbing her back with one hand in a sweet, reassuring gesture, Maya pressed her fingers to her eyes and wiped away the tears.

“They died for you,” Lillian said in a quiet voice. She sat back in her chair and folded her hands in her lap, looking from Maya to Shane. “Your parents were killed by werewolves, but your grandmother took the wolves to task. If it wasn’t for her, you wouldn’t be here right now.”

Maya nodded but couldn’t make any words come out.

“That necklace you’re wearing is the one your grandmother was wearing in the vision.” Lillian pulled her hair back and rested her hands on top of her head. “I don’t know exactly what she did or how she did it, but she kicked their hairy asses.”

“She killed the wolves?” Shane asked with genuine surprise. “How is that possible? Gypsies are human, and no human could possibly overpower a werewolf.”

“I dunno.” Lillian shrugged and pointed at Maya’s necklace. “But that necklace must harness the gypsy magic somehow. Maya’s mother and father were obviously no match for the wolves, but her grandmother, the one wearing the necklace, was.”

“The wolves don’t want me, Shane.” Maya grasped his hand and settled her other hand over the necklace. “They want the necklace, and I guess I can’t really blame them. How would the vampires feel if the werewolves had one item that could destroy vampires as easily as this necklace killed those two werewolves? My grandmother, an older human woman, killed those two wolves without even getting her hair messed up, and it had to be because she was wearing this necklace.”

“Thank you for your assistance, Lillian,” Shane said, rising to his feet. “I will be sure to inform the czars of your generosity and your willingness to help.”