Sara Humphreys: Vampire Trouble

“Which son is it?” Olivia’s brows knit together. “If memory serves, he has a couple.”

“No clue.” Rat shrugged. “I told you everything I know.”

Yeah, right . Trixie’s sharp tone touched Maya’s mind. This guy is such a dirtbag .

He did come and warn Olivia , Maya responded. He didn’t have to do that.

“Thank you, Rat.” Olivia smiled tightly. “However, next time you have a message for Doug and me—for the czars—I suggest you follow the proper channels and get an appointment at the Presidium. As you and the rest of the community know, Suzie, one of my coven members, is now the Presidium’s secretary in New York. No more Presidium business at my nightclub.” Her green eyes glittered and she bared her fangs. “Got it?”

“Sure.” Rat shrugged. “Whatever you say.”

A breeze whisked through the room, and a second later, Doug was standing behind Olivia and glaring at Rat. “That didn’t sound very sincere to me,” Doug ground out. His hands were placed protectively on Olivia’s shoulders as he stared Rat down. A pang of longing struck Maya when she watched the tenderness Doug showed Olivia.

I wonder what it feels like to be lovedthatway? Maya thought wistfully to no one in particular.

How did it feel to have a man be so loving and protective like that? She swallowed the sudden lump in her throat and glanced at Shane, who to her surprise, was staring back at her with a look of curiosity. Studying her intently, he tilted his head to the left and his eyes narrowed. For a moment, he seemed like he was going to ask her something, but the sound of Rat’s voice quickly broke the spell.

“Like I said,” Rat said, leering, “they come out of the freaking woodwork. Yeah, I got it. No more politics in the bar. Speaking of which, I better get back to mine. Gotta clean the place up nice for our visitors. I’ve never had royalty come by The Dollhouse before, and my girls are pretty psyched. Even my vampire dames are giddy.”

“Please remind your dames ,” Doug said with mild irritation, “that feeding on werewolves is strictly forbidden. From what I hear, werewolf blood is like a fuckin’ drug, so tell them to steer clear.”

“That is so weird, man.” Trixie snorted and shook her head. “If we get bitten by a werewolf, their saliva can kill us, but if we drink their blood, it gets us fuckin’ stoned and hopped up like super-vamps?”

“Well, I don’t know why any of this supernatural crap works the way that it does.” Doug looked at each of them earnestly. “All I care about is this coven, my mate, and our baby. I heard about the war with the wolves, and the last thing I want is to rekindle that crap. Especially with Olivia so close to giving birth. So remind your girls there’s no feeding on the wolves.”

“No problem,” Rat said with an insincere smile. His beady eyes flicked to Olivia’s swollen belly and he smirked. “Daddy.”

“What about the prince?” Maya asked with genuine curiosity. “Is he single?”

“That is irrelevant.” Shane’s fangs erupted and he sent a dark look in Maya’s direction. “You will do well to steer clear of the wolves, Maya. They are savage, unpredictable creatures and aren’t the kind of men you want to toy with. Unlike the czar, I do remember the war, and it is not one we want to risk starting again.”

“Oh really?” Maya seethed. “Well, old man , I don’t recall asking for your opinion or advice.”

Shane arched an eyebrow at her and an amused expression flickered over his face. “Old man?”

“Maybe not,” Olivia added. “But I am your maker, and I have to agree with Shane.” She rose from the bar stool and stepped back so she could look each of her coven members in the eyes. “I would like all of you to refrain from hunting while the wolves are visiting. The last thing we need is trouble, and in my experience, wolves are exactly that.”

“So we’re grounded again?” Maya asked.

“You’re not grounded,” Doug said. He smiled and slipped his arm around Olivia. “It’s more like self-preservation. Just no hunting while the wolves are here in town and bottle feeds only. We all know that live feeds can get us all charged up.”

“In fact, I’m going to send a district-wide email to alert the community.” The line between Olivia’s eyes deepened. “I’ll be asking all vamps in the city to refrain from live feeds and hunting while the wolves are in town. I just hope everyone behaves themselves and does what’s requested.”

“Shit,” Maya whispered. She enjoyed hunting because it was the one time she felt free. “Well, since they’re not here yet, can we go out and hunt tonight?”

“Sure.” Olivia nodded and smiled at Doug, who placed a large hand on her belly. “Just keep an eye out. Like we’ve said, the wolves are unpredictable and could decide to come into town earlier than expected.”

“There’s plenty of blood behind the bar,” Shane interjected. He folded his arms over his chest and leveled a stern gaze at Maya. His voice dropped low. “I’m sure that will suffice, but if not, I will accompany Maya on her hunt tonight.”

Maya’s mouth fell open in shock. After everything she said before, he still insisted on monitoring her every move. She slipped out of Trixie’s embrace, holding Shane’s stare as she stepped closer to the bar. Leaning both hands on the smooth surface, she met his challenging gaze. “I don’t want or need a babysitter.”

“I disagree,” Shane ground out.

Silence fell over the room again. Even though everyone looked from Shane to Maya, she barely noticed them because she was too pissed.

“Like I said before…” Rat shouted. Maya was so fixated on Shane that she hadn’t even noticed that Rat was leaving. “This isn’t the only joint in town, Maya. If you want a change of scenery, we could always use a pretty little thing like you over at The Dollhouse. I’ve got a bartending gig that’s all yours if you want it.” He tapped the big promotional picture that hung at the front of the club, the one that featured all of the girls dressed in vampire garb and baring their fangs. “I may not have slick advertisements like this, but The Dollhouse is still a fun place. You know where to find me, kid.”

Rat breezed out and the doors closed behind him with a muffled thump. A smile spread over Maya’s face. Rat had just offered her a job and an opportunity to get some breathing room and maybe even create a life of her own.

“Aww, man,” Trixie moaned. “If Maya quits, does that mean we have to do another stupid photo shoot without her? Vampires pretending to be humans pretending to be vampires.” She rolled her eyes. “So freakin’ lame.”

Maya ignored Trixie’s comment and smiled at Shane. “Looks like I have another job offer.”

“Over my dead body,” he murmured.

“Don’t you mean undead?”

“You will not work for a piece of slime like him.” Shane’s jaw set and the muscle flickered beneath his stubble-covered jaw. “Not a chance.”

“Like I said before,” Maya continued, dropping her voice to a breathy whisper. “I wasn’t asking for permission.”

“Olivia, can you please talk some sense into her?”

“Our coven is a family, Shane.” Olivia’s voice, edged with sadness, pulled Maya from her battle of wills with Shane. “Maya isn’t a prisoner here. If she needs some space and wants to get a job somewhere else, then while I may not agree with it, I respect her right to choose.”

“Really?” Maya’s voice was strained.

“Yes.” Olivia leaned into Doug’s embrace and lifted one shoulder. “I’m not thrilled at the idea of you working for a guy like Rat, but you have every right to make this kind of decision for yourself.”