Sara Humphreys - Vampire Trouble

“Hey, little sister.” His deep baritone rumbled around her like a comforting blanket as he placed her back on her feet. “Good to have you home.”

“Thanks, Damien.” Maya smiled and squeezed his hand. “It’s good to be back, but if you’re here, then who’s bouncing at the club?”

“Olivia closed the place for a few days. She figured that it would be best to keep all of us focused on the current situation with the wolves.”

“Right.” Maya nodded her understanding, though she couldn’t help feeling guilty. Olivia hated closing the club. Yet another item Maya could add to the list of things that were her fault.

“Everyone is waiting for you down in Olivia’s office, and the museum’s human guard is in a glamour sleep, so you don’t have to worry about dodging him tonight.”

“Everyone?” Maya asked hopefully. She wanted to see Shane. In spite of how angry she was, Maya loved him desperately. “Is Shane here yet?”

“He got here a few minutes ago.” Damien glanced briefly at Trixie and Sadie. “He grunted something that resembled a hello and went right downstairs. He’s pissed.”

“Yeah?” Maya’s jaw set determinedly. “Well, he can join the club.”

Without waiting for a response, Maya walked past Damien and pushed open the heavy, wooden door. The heels of her boots echoed through the halls of the cavernous museum and seemed even louder when she walked into the Tapestry Room. Willing her nerves to settle and with Sadie and Trixie right behind her, Maya stepped up to the massive fireplace. Standing in front of the six-foot opening, she pulled the thick iron spoke and the back wall of the hearth swung open.

The three women strode swiftly through the maze of secret corridors until they finally came to the newly renovated Presidium offices that were occupied by the czars. When Maya and her sisters reached the enormous stainless-steel doors of the office entrances, Sadie pushed past Maya and pressed her thumb to the black panel. Moments later, the lush offices of the Presidium were revealed.

The circular space was carpeted in warm tones of beige and burgundy, and the walls were lined with beautiful pieces of artwork Olivia had acquired over the years. To the left was Suzie’s reception desk, and to the right were comfortable couches and coffee tables with ceramic lamps that gave off soft, welcoming lighting. It looked like the lobby of any successful corporate office in Manhattan, and Maya couldn’t help but smile.

Olivia and Doug had brought the Presidium into the twenty-first century.

Suzie was dressed in a simple gray suit with her pale blond hair tied back in a tight bun. She shrieked with delight when she saw Maya and flew out from behind her desk. Before Maya could utter a sound, Suzie had wrapped her up in a hug that vaguely resembled a choke hold.

“Wow,” Maya said quietly as Suzie reluctantly released her. “I guess you missed me, huh?”

“Of course I did.” Suzie sniffled and wiped her eyes with the back of her hand. “I’m just so glad that you’re okay. Olivia told us about what happened and I kind of saw some of this coming, but I didn’t want to say anything because I can’t always decipher the visions. Sometimes it’s just a bunch of upside-down nonsense.”

“You saw the thing with the necklace?” Maya asked warily. Ever since Suzie was turned, she had gotten visions of the future, but she rarely spoke about them. “You saw what I did to that man?”

“Not exactly.” Suzie lifted one shoulder. Looking away from Maya, she scurried back to her desk. “But now what I saw makes sense.”

Maya wanted to pepper her sister with questions, but before she could, the double doors on the other side of the room swung open and everything inside her stilled when she found herself staring at Shane. His dark eyes glared at her from beneath inky brows, but it was the harsh look carved into his features that set her on edge.

“Everyone is waiting,” he bit out. Shane turned on his heels and went back inside, leaving the doors open behind him.

“I see that getting laid didn’t do much to improve his mood,” Trixie quipped.

Maya shot her sister a look, and the three women followed Shane into the conference room. At the center of the room was a long mahogany conference table, complete with a phone and audiovisual setup, and lined with several black leather chairs—four of which were occupied.

The necklace hummed against Maya’s chest and that familiar pull tugged at her gut. Maya knew the two men seated across from one another, on either side of Doug and Olivia, were King Heinrich and his son Killian. Both men had thick, muscular builds like Horace, although they were much taller than he was.

There was no mistaking their relationship. They had the same piercing, intelligent eyes, and other than some graying hair at the temples and a full beard on the king, he and Killian were strikingly alike. Both men rose to their feet when the women entered the room and bowed their heads in deference.

“Maya, this is King Heinrich and his son Killian,” Olivia said evenly. She kept her intense green-eyed gaze on Maya and gestured for everyone to sit. “Shane was kind enough to fill us in on what happened in New Orleans, and we know you came here with the intention of giving the necklace to Horace but—”

“Wait.” Maya rose to her feet and fought to keep her voice from shaking. “Before you say anything, I would like apologize.”

“Maya—” Doug began.

“No.” Maya held up her hand, removed her gloves, and shot a glance at Shane before continuing. “I owe everyone in this room an apology. My actions were stupid, reckless, and childish, and those actions have brought us to this point.” She unzipped the top portion of her catsuit to expose the necklace and reached around to unclasp it. The cool metal and stone fell into the palm of her hand, and she cradled it against her chest. Killian and Heinrich were fixated. “I have no interest in being a werewolf hunter like my Vanator ancestors, and I have no desire to cause any more trouble for my family or the vampire community.”

“Maya,” Olivia said insistently. “Hold on a second. King Heinrich would like to say something.” She gestured to the king. “The floor is yours, Your Majesty.”

“Thank you.” Heinrich tilted his head in gratitude before turning his serious expression to Maya. He folded his hands on the table and looked her up and down before he spoke, which made her feel like a bug under a microscope. “My son is the one who should be apologizing. Horace may be my son, but I am not blind to his shortcomings .” Sadness rimmed his eyes. “Horace has been troubled since he was a child. My wife would say it is simply his nature. I, however, am of the belief that we have a choice in how we behave. I believe that Sentry Quesada acted the way he did to protect you. It would not be the first time that my son behaved badly with a beautiful woman. In addition, I do not hold you responsible for what you did to that young werewolf, any more than you would hold me responsible for the wolves that attacked your ancestors. You were defending yourself and so were they,” he said solemnly.

Maya tried not to look at Shane, who was standing at the head of the table behind Olivia and Doug, but it was impossible. The man was magnetic. Tall. Powerful. Domineering. His penetrating gaze didn’t move from Maya’s face while King Heinrich spoke.

Choices? Choices were all well and good, except for love. If only she could choose not to love Shane.

“My grandfather told me stories of the Vanator gypsies and the power that they wielded. The Vanators hunted down and destroyed hundreds of our people over the centuries with that necklace, so you can imagine what someone like Horace could do with it.”