Sara Humphreys: Vampire Trouble

In the blink of an eye, Shane placed both hands on the table in front of the two vampires, getting right in their faces. The club was bustling around them. Shane had no desire to make a scene, and drawing attention to himself was unwise. Wrestling for control over his temper, he kept his voice low.

“Discreet?” He leaned closer, his fangs in plain sight. “Perhaps you should have been more discreet around Otto. Would either of you happen to know how he found out where Maya and I were staying so he could send his pack of assassins after us?”

“We didn’t have anything to do with that,” Sebastian said. “We’ll never allow him in here again. I swear it.”

Sebastian and Diego shook their heads as they looked at Shane through wide, fearful eyes. Someone to the left moved, but Shane flicked his head in that direction and hissed a warning at one of the waiters who stopped and thought better about interrupting.

“Now, let’s try this again.” Shane stood tall and folded his hands in front of himself, keeping his voice even. “When did Maya leave and where did she go?”

“She said she had to do this task on her own to complete her sentry training,” Diego sputtered. “She was adamant that we not tell you anything.”

“Well I’m adamant that you do,” Shane ground out. “Where. Is. Maya.”

“We can’t tell you,” Diego pleaded.

“Oh, I think you better.” Shane lowered his voice further and flashed his fangs. “Because if anything happens to Maya, I will hold both of you personally responsible.”

“She came here looking for Otto,” Sebastian babbled, and Diego’s face fell as his brother told Shane everything. “Maya called him. She said that she had what Otto wanted and that she knew who he was working for. She told him to have his boss meet her at some bridge in Central Park at midnight. Then we let her into the underground tunnels so she could start going back to the city before dark.”

“A-and she told him to come alone,” Diego added. “That’s it, Shane. We swear. And I’ll never let another filthy werewolf in one of our places again.”

Fear flickered up Shane’s back as he realized what Maya was planning to do. She was going to meet Horace and his pack, all by herself. A knot of dread formed in his gut, and without another word, he left.

All he could think about was getting to Maya.

Riding up in the elevator, he reminded himself to be reasonable and focus on the facts. Maya was heavily armed, a naturally strong fighter, and she wore the necklace that could turn a wolf mortal. On the flip side, she’d also been flying all night and hadn’t slept, which meant she’d be in a weakened state. The only reason Shane wasn’t freaking out completely was because he knew Maya wasn’t as fast as he was. She’d take far longer to get back to New York, especially using the lengthy and circuitous network of tunnels.

Shane had age and experience on his side, and it was nighttime. Flying at night was always faster, but he was going to need an extra edge. Stepping out onto the street, he surveyed the humans in the area and spotted a young man walking alone. That was exactly what he needed. Live feeds provided more energy than bottle feeds, and Shane needed all the help he could get.

He made eye contact with the drunkard, glamoured him, and quickly pulled him into a dark alley. Shane fed, and energy surged through his body like a jolt of lightning. Sensing he was at risk of taking too much, Shane released the man. He was a sailor on leave and intent on finding a hooker. Shane licked the wound closed and sent the sailor on his way with a fabricated memory of being pleasured by a bevy of beauties.

Shane’s body hummed with the rejuvenating pulse of a live feed, and it took him a moment to realize that the cell phone in his pocket was vibrating. He yanked the phone from his coat and swore when he saw Olivia’s phone number scrolled across the screen.

“Yes?” Shane answered curtly, before shooting into the sky.

“You can come home,” Olivia said. “Although you can leave that shitty attitude in New Orleans. I have a baby now, and I’m really not in the mood to placate a cranky four-hundred-year-old vampire.”

“Apologies.” Shane pressed his fingers against his eyes and struggled for patience. “I am on my way back and should be there in a few hours. There have been some new developments .”

“Really?” Olivia let out an ironic laugh. “Well, we’ve had some of our own. King Heinrich and his oldest son, Killian, arrived in the city last night. When I met with them, I tried to apologize about what happened with Horace, but the king waved it off and said he’s the one who should be apologizing for his kid. I guess Horace is the black sheep of the werewolves.”

“Has King Heinrich taken control over his son?” Shane stilled, praying that by some miracle Horace was out of the picture. “Is Horace with his father now?”

“Nope. Horace and his pack are MIA. The king went to see his son last night and they had some kind of blowout. Killian tried to speak with his kid brother again this morning, but Horace had checked out of the hotel. As of right now, he’s fallen off the grid. We checked out Rat’s club, but so far, we can’t find ’em.”

“I’m betting that slippery son of a bitch Rat knows exactly where Horace is.”

“Maybe.” Olivia sighed. “He swears up and down he doesn’t. Horace isn’t just avoiding us. It looks like he’s avoiding his family too. I suggested that maybe he left the city, but his brother seems adamant that the guy is still here. I think Killian knows something that he’s not sharing with the rest of the class.”

Shane tensed and processed what Olivia was saying. It seemed unlikely that the king was involved, but could Killian be in league with his brother to overthrow their father? Shane knew that whatever choice he made now, the information he shared with the czar would directly impact the delicate relationship between the two races.

Even though telling Olivia about the power of Maya’s necklace could create more problems and maybe even anger the king, it didn’t matter. All that mattered was that the woman he loved was going to meet a pack of wolves alone. Vampire and werewolf relations could explode in a fiery blaze for all he cared. Maya’s safety was his only concern.

“Shane?” Olivia asked. “Hello? Did you hear me? How’s Maya doing? Is she there?”

“No,” Shane responded solemnly while he sliced through the air like an arrow. “She’s on her way to meet Horace.”

Maya ran through the dank, dirty sewer tunnels during the daylight hours and then took to the sky when the sun set. Watching the sliver of orange sink into the horizon, Maya could practically hear it when it was swallowed up by the darkness. Whipping through the crisp night as fast as she could, she hadn’t been in the air for more than a few minutes when Shane’s panicked voice touched her mind.

Maya! Where are you? Answer me, Maya!

Guilt filled her as she ignored his pleas, and she slammed her mind shut, preventing any further communication. Even though Maya hated shutting him out, she knew that it was for the best. She was the one with the werewolf whammy necklace, and that meant that it was her problem to deal with. Besides that, she was still pissed at him for pushing her away.

She was exhausted, and since she hadn’t slept, the trip was taking her far longer than it had when she was with Shane. After what felt like forever, the iconic New York City skyline came into sight. Maya’s belly clenched as her nerves began to get the best of her. Glancing at her watch, she saw that she had a few hours until it was time to meet Horace.