Sara Humphreys: Vampire Trouble

Shane strode out of the room and crossed the hall to the door of Maya’s bedroom. He paused for moment before knocking and reached out with his senses to see if she was sleeping. Maya’s distinctive energy pattern was nowhere to be found. Frowning, he opened the door and was met with an unexpected sight. The drape had been pulled down and the window was wide open. Maya’s sentry uniform was gone, along with several throwing weapons, two guns, and most of the ammunition.

A feeling of dread crept up Shane’s back as he ran downstairs calling her name. He burst through the front door and shouted for her but was answered only by the bullfrogs in the bayou. Flying up to the roof, he scanned the entire property, but Maya was nowhere to be seen, heard, or felt.

Shane reached out to Maya with his mind, desperately needing to feel the intimate telepathic connection that only they shared. Maya? Maya, where are you? Answer me. Warmth flooded his body when their minds linked, but the connection was stopped swiftly and he knew she’d severed all communication. A deep, aching void filled him from the lack of her presence. Panic. Fear. Anger. All of it flooded him viciously when he realized that she really was gone.

“She ain’t here.” Lottie’s voice drifted up from the kitchen window. “Get off my roof before you fall through it.”

Shane jumped from the roof and landed silently in the backyard before running up the back steps into the kitchen. Lottie, who was dressed in her fortune-teller getup for work, looked at Shane with something resembling pity.

“Like I said.” Lottie sighed. “Maya ain’t here.”

“Where did she go?” Shane’s fists clenched and unclenched at his sides while an overwhelming sense of inadequacy filled him. “Please,” he said, softening his tone. “Do you know where she’s gone?”

“Beats the hell outta me. Don’t know why you’re so surprised that she took off.” Lottie grabbed her big leather bag and draped it over her chest. “I may be old, but I ain’t deaf, and conversations carry through this empty old house. I heard what you told that poor girl. Why didn’t you just rip her heart out and stomp on it? That probably would’ve hurt less.”

“I did what had to be done.” Shane’s mouth set in a tight line and he folded his arms over his chest, suddenly feeling defensive.

“Don’t gimme that shit. You’re scared.” Lottie wagged a finger at him. “You are a big, fat fraidy cat. You love that girl. I know you do. So why the hell are you doing your damnedest to lose her?”

“It’s better for everyone this way.”

“Bullshit,” Lottie shot back. “Better for who? You? I don’t think so, because you look like warmed-over alligator bait. You obviously love that girl, so I don’t know why you are pushing her away. The only reason I can come up with is good old-fashioned cowardice.”

“It’s complicated,” Shane said tightly.

“I don’t really think it is. When she showed up here with you that first day, she was a different person. Scared and unsure of herself, and in so many ways, Maya was lost. Now…well…she found herself, and I think much of that is thanks to you.”

“Maya will be fine.” Shane knew how hollow the words sounded, but he hoped if he kept telling himself that, it would eventually be true. “Her life will be better off without me in it.”

“Well, I guess she would be fine.” Lottie nodded her head and pursed her lips together and looked him up and down. “She’s tough and resilient. Yes, sir, that girl finally got her past figured out, and until you threw that curveball at her, she thought her future was straightened out too.”

“Maya’s future will be as it should.” Shane straightened his back and kept his gaze on Lottie. “She can go back to her life at The Coven.”

“No, she can’t,” Lottie whispered. “No more than you can go back to living a solitary existence—and don’t give me that shit about it’s better for her. You’re scared and loving her makes you feel out of control. You did this for you —not her.” Shane flinched at Lottie’s unsettlingly perceptive observations. “That girl needs you, Shane, and you need her. She might have gypsy blood, but she’s not meant for the solitary, isolated life of a gypsy like I am. Maya’s got a fire in her belly about something, and based on the way she flew out of here last night, I’d say it’s burning her up.”

“Last night?” Shane’s chest tightened. “She left before sunrise?”

“Yes, sir.” Removing her car keys from the bag she shrugged. “Not surprised you didn’t notice. You were pretty banged up from those nasty wolf bites. Anyway, yes. She flew right past my window not long before sunup. Why are you so freaked out? Can’t you do that blood tracking thing to find her?”

“No.” Shane ran his hand over his jaw, wracking his brain trying to figure out where the hell Maya would have gone. “Her gypsy power hid her memories, and unfortunately, it also seems to shield her location.”

“If I had to make a bet, I’d say that stubborn girl is off to prove a point.”

Wrapped up in his own thoughts, Shane didn’t even notice that Lottie had left the house. He ran up to their room and put on his sentry uniform, making quick work of arming himself with what Maya had left behind. Launching himself into the night, one thought ran through his mind.

Where the hell did she go?

Given that there had been little darkness left when Maya flew off, he suspected she went either to Bayou Escape or The Den. She was unfamiliar with the entrances to the underground tunnels in this area, so she’d have to take refuge from the sun somewhere familiar. He checked with Lillian and Boris, but they hadn’t seen or heard from Maya, which meant she must have gone to see Sebastian and Diego.

Fury and frustration filled every fiber of Shane’s body, and he strode right past the hostess at Bayou Escape. He scanned the restaurant for the two men, but they weren’t there. Ignoring the hostess’s pleas to stop, Shane took the elevator down to the vampire club. His fangs hummed and erupted when he detected a faint but familiar scent. “Maya,” he whispered.

The smooth, seductive jazz music drifted over Shane, and memories of his time here with Maya came roaring to the forefront, which only served to heighten his level of agitation. The club was packed with vampires, but tonight everyone was dressed like they’d come straight from the Roaring Twenties. The men wore old-fashioned tuxedos, and the women were clad in flapper dresses. Sitting in the middle of it all like two proud peacocks were Sebastian and Diego.

Dressed in white ties and tails, the brothers waved him over to their table. Sipping out of crystal flutes, they snapped their fingers, which brought two scantily clad human women over to the table. Both of the women approached Shane and look disappointed when he waved them off, refusing their advances.

“That sentry uniform is not exactly in line with our theme this evening,” Diego said, watching the girls flounce away. “It’s our annual Prohibition Party, and you aren’t dressed for it.”

“I’m not here for the party.” Shane leveled a stern glare at the two men and didn’t miss the curious stares from some of the clubgoers. “And you know it.”

“Why so grumpy?” Sebastian asked, placing his crystal flute on the table. He rolled the delicate stem between his fingers, glancing from Shane to Diego. “Lose something?”

“Cut the crap, Sebastian,” Shane growled. “I know Maya was here, so don’t even try to deny it. Where is she?”

“Sorry.” Diego sighed and rose to his feet. “She asked us not to tell you, and as you know, we have a reputation for providing discreet service to our customers. We won’t start breaking that rule, not even for you.”