Sara Humphreys - Vampire Trouble

Her gut instinct was to seek comfort from her coven—her family—but if she did that, then she’d probably have to tell them what she was doing, and one of two things would happen. They would either try to stop her or insist on coming with her, and neither choice was viable. She had to do this on her own.

So, with nowhere else to go, Maya went to the one place where she loved to sit quietly and collect her thoughts.

Landing in the torch of the Statue of Liberty, she sat down on the ledge, grateful for a few hours of quiet before the storm. She closed her eyes and used the time to go over and over the different fight moves Shane had taught her. But no matter how hard she tried, she couldn’t focus because the sound of Shane’s wounded, worried voice continued to haunt her.

Maya’s eyes fluttered open. Smiling, she stared out over the beautiful sparkling lights of Manhattan. It really was a beautiful city. But even the glittering skyline couldn’t stop her thoughts from drifting back to Shane and the girls in her coven. No matter how many times she went over it, she always returned to the same conclusion. Going back to The Coven would mean dragging her family into this mess.

The smell of the water filled her head, and the mournful wail of a boat’s horn blared, shattered the quiet. Maya wasn’t blind or stupid. She knew that she’d caused her fair share of trouble since she arrived on the scene, and she didn’t want tonight to be yet another example of her causing problems for the coven.

“You are totally fuckin’ predictable,” laughed a familiar feminine voice.

Maya swore loudly and shot into the air, before flipping over and landing on her feet in a battle-ready stance. Her fists were raised and her eyes wild, but her body relaxed when she saw she wasn’t facing enemies.

“Trixie?” Maya said in a wavering tone of disbelief. Her fangs retracted and she lowered her fists, gaping from Trixie to Sadie. Both of them were dressed in black from head to toe, and Trixie had dyed her hair almost ebony. Gone were the spiked pink locks. Sadie’s hair was tied back tightly, and the two women looked ready for a fight. “Sadie? What are you two doing here?”

Before Maya could say another word, her sisters flew over and gathered her up in a massive hug. Maya clung to them and kissed their cheeks repeatedly, laughing through her tears. After a long hug, the three of them looked at each other and laughed while wiping at their wet cheeks.

“How did you know I was here?” Maya asked.

“Are you kidding?” Trixie asked incredulously. “You always come up here when you need some space or when you’re sulking because you’re pissed at me.” Trixie winked and cracked her skull-ring-studded knuckles. “You’re not as slick as you think you are.”

“No.” Maya shook her head and looked from one sister to the other with obvious confusion. “I mean, how did you know I was back in New York?”

“Shane,” Sadie said evenly. She hopped on the ledge, folded her hands in her lap, and leveled a serious look at May. “You must really be crazy to think that any of us would let you face those wolves on your own. We’re your family, Maya, and family sticks together.”

“He told Olivia everything?” Maya asked with dread.

“Yup. Your man spilled the beans to Olivia, and then she sent us out to look for you.” Trixie rolled her eyes when she saw the annoyed expression on Maya’s face. “Oh, don’t start, okay? The guy obviously loves you.”

“I thought he did,” Maya whispered.

“Well, he does. He’s flying up here like a bat out of hell, but don’t be surprised if he bites your damn head off once he gets here. When Olivia was on the phone with him, I could hear him flipping out from all the way across the room. The boy is pissed.”

“This isn’t his problem. He was supposed to get me out of town until the situation with the wolves was smoothed over and train me to fight. He did both, so his job is done.”

“You’re not going to meet Horace and his cronies all by yourself, so just forget it.” Trixie shook her head adamantly. “I don’t care how badass you think you are now.”

“You don’t understand,” Maya said, stepping closer to her sisters. Her hand drifted to the necklace hidden beneath her sentry uniform. “If I don’t give him this necklace, then they’ll never stop. The wolves won’t stop until they get it. This whole stupid mess started because of me, and I don’t want anyone else to get hurt.” Her voice quivered, but she bit back the tears. “They killed my parents when they were trying to get this damned thing, and I won’t let them hurt anyone else that I love. Contrary to what everyone thinks of me, I’m not a selfish, stupid little girl. I don’t need babysitters or bodyguards. I can take care of myself.”

“We know that, Maya,” Sadie said in her signature calm, soothing tone. “You can do all of those things, and if you absolutely had to, you could take care of yourself. That’s not why we’re here.”

“I don’t understand,” Maya said quietly.

“The point is that you don’t have to do this by yourself. We’re your family, Maya, and we love you, no matter what…and it’s okay.” She and Trixie exchanged a knowing look. “We heard about what happened in New Orleans—what you did to that werewolf, or what your necklace did.”

“That’s pretty freakin’ cool.” Trixie jutted her chin at Maya and gave her a look of approval. “I never heard of a gypsy-vampire before, but for some reason, I’m not surprised that it’s you.”

“Why?” Maya asked hesitantly.

“Why? Because you’re special, Maya. You always were. From the minute Olivia brought you into the coven, it was obvious that you weren’t like the rest of us, y’know? I mean your turn did take five freakin’ days.” Trixie punched her playfully on the shoulder. “I guess we can’t call you Baby Vamp anymore.”

“Baby! Oh my gosh,” Maya exclaimed. “How’s Olivia doing—and the baby?”

“Great,” Sadie said with a smile. “Xavier has appointed himself temporary nanny during the meeting. Emily is beautiful, Maya. Wait until you see her. She’s got Doug’s eyes, Olivia’s red hair. She’s a beauty. You should have seen Doug waiting out in the hallway during the birth. The dude freaked the fuck out.”

“Really?” Maya asked, sadness tugging at her. “I guess I missed a lot while I was away.”

“Nah,” Trixie said, waving it off. “You have plenty of time to catch up. One thing’s for sure, though, Olivia and Doug have no shortage of babysitters. We’ve all been fightin’ over Emily since she was born.” Trixie saw Maya’s expression and quickly changed the subject. “Come on. Everyone’s waiting for us back at the Presidium, even the freaking werewolf king and his son. It’s like a really awkward class reunion or something.”

“Horace?” Maya balked and stopped dead in her tracks.

“No, dopey.” Trixie rolled her eyes. “His oldest kid, Prince Killian. By the way, I’m not into werewolves, but holy crap is he a hottie. Totally gorgeous and built like a tank. I bet he’s got one down to his—”

“Oh please.” Sadie rolled her eyes and cut off Trixie’s rant. “He’s an arrogant, gruff caveman who probably chases his tail whenever there’s a full moon.”

“See?” Trixie winked. “Even Sadie likes him.”

In spite of the situation that loomed in front of them, Maya couldn’t stop the chuckle that bubbled up. Shaking with laughter, she gathered her sisters in another warm, lingering hug before they shot into the sky and headed to the Presidium. With her sisters by her side, Maya knew she could handle anything…even letting Shane go.

The three women landed silently in the gardens of The Cloisters and were immediately greeted by the club’s bouncer, Damien. Dressed all in black, he emerged from the shadows behind an archway of stone. He flashed Maya a fang-filled smile before slinging his rifle over his shoulder and sweeping her up in one of his signature bear hugs.