Sara Humphreys - Vampire Trouble

“Cool.” Lillian stood up, stretched her arms over her head, and let out a sound of relief. “Man, that took it out of me and my muscles are way stiff.” She dropped her hands to her hips and jutted her chin at Maya. “I know that I’ve never read a vampire before, so I really don’t have anything to accurately measure it against, but you have a really funky energy. It’s different from a human and an Amoveo. It’s thick and sticky.”

“Sticky?” Maya said and laughed, rising to her feet on surprisingly steady legs.

“Yeah.” Lillian shrugged and headed toward the stairs. “Pushing into your memories was kind of like swimming through cotton candy. I don’t know if it’s because you’re a vamp or a gypsy…or both.”

“I agree.” Shane’s voice drifted over Maya’s shoulder. “Maya’s blood memories were next to impossible for me to read. I only get glimpses, bits and pieces. Granted, they have come more easily over the past few days, but they’re still not visible to me the way they should be.”

“Must be the gypsy in you, then.” Lillian headed down the stairs. “Lottie did say that the gypsies are a secretive group.”

“Well, it looks like the secret’s out now,” Maya said, following Lillian down to the bar. “I’m from some long line of werewolf assassins or something.”

“You may remember more as the night wears on.” Lillian slipped behind the bar and poured herself a shot of bourbon. “When we were done, that weird, sticky veil that I had to push through in the beginning was gone. Maybe we cracked the seal on whatever was bottling up your memories.”

Shane slipped his arm around Maya’s waist and watched Lillian throw back the shot of brown liquor. She squeezed her eyes shut and let out a slow breath before slamming the shot glass onto the bar.

“Sorry.” Lillian swiped at her mouth with the back of her hand, and Boris sidled up next to her, kissing the top of her head reassuringly. “Sometimes I need to take the edge off after a vivid reading, and yours was way freakin’ vivid. I don’t think I’ll ever look at the weres the same again.”

Maya nodded her agreement. “I know what you mean.”

“Can I get either of you something to drink?” Boris asked, raising one eyebrow. “I do keep your drink of choice on hand, just in case.”

“No.” Shane shook his head and tilted his head in deference. He slanted a sly glance at Maya, the one that made her stomach flutter. “I have made arrangements for us this evening, and we’ve taken up enough of your time.”

“Thank you, Lillian.” Maya extended her hand over the bar, but Lillian gave her a doubtful look.

“A handshake? Please.” Lillian laughed and came around from behind the bar before gathering Maya up in a warm embrace. “We’re practically family now. I have been inside your head, and we dug up all kinds of information. I think we’re well past handshakes and have moved right to hugging.”

“True.” Maya giggled and hugged her new friend tightly. She pulled back and smiled. “I mean it. Thank you, Lillian. You gave me more than information. You gave me back my parents and allowed me to feel their love again. I—I don’t know if I can ever repay you for that.”

“No repayment required.” Lillian winked. “I know what it’s like to feel lost.”

“Me too,” Maya whispered, glancing at Shane. “But not anymore.”

Shane and Maya waved good-bye to their new friends and stepped out onto the sparsely populated street. Smiling, he took his hand in hers.

“I have to give the necklace to the wolves,” Maya said, with Shane leading her down the street. She wasn’t sure where they were going, but he certainly seemed to have a destination in mind. “I think that’s the right thing to do. Besides, they’re not going to stop until they get it, Shane.”

“Agreed.” Shane nodded but kept his sights on the street ahead as they wove their way through the growing crowd of humans. “I will call the czars tomorrow night and let them know what we’ve discovered, but right now we have something else that needs to be addressed.”

“What’s that?” Maya asked. The fluttering of the human heartbeats swarmed around her, making her hunger surge.

She gripped his hand tighter, holding on to him for strength, when a group of four drunken humans stumbled by and bumped into her. The physical contact had her fangs humming and begging to be released. Until this second, she hadn’t realized how much she’d missed having a live feed, and walking down Bourbon Street, the most populated street in the French Quarter, wasn’t helping.

I know you want to satisfy your urge for a live feed. Shane’s seductive voice slid enticingly into her mind as he turned down a side street and pulled her away from the throng of humans. I know going hunting is not permitted at the moment, but we do have another option. There’s a vampire-run establishment not far from here, and it will provide you with exactly the relief you need. I even called ahead to get us the best table in the place. He cast that sexy grin in her direction. After all of your hard work and the intensity of the past week, I thought you could use a break.

As long as it’s not a break from you. Smiling and eager with anticipation, Maya went with him willingly. Shane was absolutely right. After the craziness of the past week and all of the revelations, she was desperate for a break.

They turned down a few side streets until they came to a small brick building on a dimly lit corner. It had an intricately designed wooden arch with images of various creatures of the night carved into it, and it framed a massive, shiny black door. Above the arch hung a painted sign that read, “Bayou Escape,” in bright red letters that looked as though they’d been written in blood.

Shane pulled the door open and, as always, allowed Maya to go first. She had to admit it was one of his old-fashioned gestures that she appreciated. As the heavy door closed behind them, Maya noted the lighting was dim, much like the nightclubs in Manhattan, but instead of stepping right into the venue, they were standing at the beginning of a long hallway that looked like it led into a formal dining room. Based on the fluttering of heartbeats, she could tell that it was packed with humans who were eating dinner.

Sitting at the hostess station was a human girl, and not a vampire like Maya was expecting. She had long, red hair and was dressed in a simple black dress with a single strand of pearls draped around her neck. Neither the girl nor the restaurant was what she was expecting. Maya thought Bayou Escape was going to be a nightclub like The Coven, but it was the exact opposite.

“Good evening,” Shane said in his most gallant voice. He slipped his arm around Maya’s waist as he spoke, and she didn’t miss the look of disappointment on the hostess’s face when it was clear that Shane was taken. “I called ahead and requested a reservation for a private room in the wine cellar. The name is Quesada.”

“Of course, Mr. Quesada.” The girl’s green eyes widened and a look of recognition flickered over her features. “Diego and Sebastian asked me to let them know when you arrived.” She picked up the phone as her voice rose with excitement. “Please have a seat,” she said with a gesture to the red velvet bench along the wall. “They’ll be up in a moment.”

Feeling far too anxious to sit, Maya tangled her fingers with Shane’s and perused the various photographs along the wall. Two men appeared in all of the pictures, either separately or together, and in each photograph they were with someone famous. Actors, writers, and politicians from various points in time like Sophia Loren, Alfred Hitchcock, Bill Clinton, and Jennifer Lopez. Though the images clearly spanned several decades, the two men in the pictures were ageless.