“May I ask you something?” Shane kept his gaze straight ahead. “It’s…personal.”
“Sure,” Olivia said with some amusement.
Shane stopped in front of the door that led to his apartment and turned to face Olivia. He clasped his hands behind his back and wrestled against four hundred years of pomp and circumstance.
“It’s okay, Shane.” Sensing his unease, Olivia smiled and gave him a reassuring pat on the shoulder. “Just ask.”
“What can you tell me about Maya?”
“Maya?” Olivia let out a sigh and Van whined at her feet in empathy. “How much time have you got?” Shane’s look of confusion elicited a loud laugh from Olivia. “Let’s just say that there’s a lot more to that girl than meets the eye. I can’t tell you Maya’s story.”
“I understand.” Shane nodded. “It’s not your story to tell.”
“No.” Olivia frowned. “Well, the problem is, I don’t know her story. Not her full story, anyway.”
“But you’re her maker. You turned her and drank her blood, which gave you her blood memories. Olivia, you should know more about her than anyone.”
“I should,” Olivia said quietly, “and to some extent I do. I know what happened on the night she died, and that was pretty fucking horrible, but that’s it. For some reason, one I’ve never been able to figure out, I could only see the night she died. Her entire life before that is a blur, and the only one who will be able to shed any light on Maya’s past is Maya.”
He nodded his understanding because of his similar experience when he drank Maya’s blood. Shane refrained from mentioning that part to the czar. Before he could ask anything else, a gust of wind blew into the hallway and Doug appeared next to Olivia with a look on his face that hovered between concerned and annoyed.
“You’re killing me, woman.” Doug linked his arm around her waist and kissed her cheek, which had her smiling wistfully. “You have got to come back to bed and get some rest.”
“Fine,” Olivia said, feigning an angry tone. She looked back at Shane and gave him a sad smile. “Whatever you do, Shane, go easy. Maya may act tough, but it’s all bullshit. Which is one reason I’m less than thrilled she’s going to work for Rat.”
“No she’s not.” Shane folded his arms over his chest and ignored the smirk on Doug’s face. “I will not allow it.”
“Good luck with that ‘not allowing it’ shit, man.” Doug shook his head. Linking Olivia’s fingers in his, he started pulling her toward their apartment. “That’s a surefire way to piss off any woman, human or vampire.”
“It’s not up to you, Shane, or me,” Olivia said. “Maya is not my property—she’s my family. She’s got every intention of starting work at Rat’s club tomorrow night, and as you know, I gave her my reluctant blessing.” Shane opened his mouth to protest, but Olivia held up one hand, silencing him. “I am letting her do this because I’m assigning you as her personal babysitter. If it will make you feel better, you can tell her that you’re her bodyguard. And I’m only doing this because the wolves will be hanging out there, okay?”
“Good move, babe.” Doug tried to pull her down the hall, but she held her ground. “Shane can handle Maya. After all, she’s a youngling and he’s older than dirt.”
Shane ignored the jab because Doug was even younger than Maya. His angel bloodline and the bloodmate bond with Olivia had not only made his transformation seamless, but had also fast-tracked all of his abilities. Doug may have been turned only a few months ago, but he was one of the most powerful vampires Shane had ever met. “I already told her that was the deal, and she’s about as happy about it as you would expect.”
“What about my sentry patrols?” Shane asked out of duty, not because he wanted to be away from Maya. “We can’t leave the city unprotected.”
“Doug can handle things,” Olivia said with a wink to her mate. “Besides, the big concern is the wolves, and they’ll be hanging out at The Dollhouse. We kill two birds with one stone. You can keep an eye on Maya and the wolves at the same time.”
“Bed.” Doug swept Olivia off her feet as she shrieked in protest. “Now.”
“Remember what I said, Shane,” Olivia shouted through a laugh while Doug carried her away. “And don’t let her out of your sight around those wolves.”
Shane watched the czars disappear down the hallway, with Van and Oreo close behind, and his thoughts immediately went to Maya. He opened the door to his apartment and stepped inside, and when the door closed shut behind him, Shane marveled at the silence. His gaze flicked around the large studio apartment with a new perspective. The place was decorated in shades of gray, void of all color, but this was the first time Shane felt the dullness.
Shedding his clothes, he made his way to the queen-size bed, still unmade from the day before, and slipped between the sheets with one thing on his mind—Maya. If he got pulled into Maya’s dreamscape again, he would do a hell of a lot more than watch. He drifted into a quiet slumber, and as his eyes fluttered closed, Shane hoped for the first time in centuries to dream.
Chapter 4
The comforting blanket of darkness ebbed slowly like fog lifting off the ocean, and with it came a rush of bone-chilling fear.
It was happening again.
The world around Maya came into focus with horrifying clarity, bringing a rush of memories she desperately wished she could forget. As she anticipated what was surely about to happen, a pathetic whimper escaped her lips. The same horrible event plagued her sleep night after night, and every time there was no escape, no one to hear her cries for help.
There was no one to save her before, so why would this time be any different?
Fingers, like steel claws, dug into her bicep and her stomach roiled in protest, making her nauseous. The stale taste of booze coated her mouth, and her nostrils were swamped by the stench of her attacker’s whiskey-soaked breath. He dragged her down the city sidewalk, and though she tried to fight, it was useless. Heavy and cumbersome from too much drinking, her limbs wouldn’t cooperate, and try as she might, she could not extricate herself from his grasp.
His name was Franklin and she vaguely recalled being excited to go on this date, but that was all Maya could remember. The summer air was thick and soupy and stuck to her bare arms like heavy layers of cobwebs. His face, carved with cruelty, looked particularly evil in the flickering shadows of the city streetlights. How could she not have seen the brutality he was capable of? What kind of woman had she been, to go out with someone like this?
Maya stumbled when her stiletto caught in a crack on the gum-stained sidewalk. Her ankle twisted painfully, making her cry out, and though she fell forward, her date yanked her to her feet and kept walking. They turned a corner and Maya pushed her long, blond hair out of her eyes, looking for someone, anyone who could help her. She was met with no response, and just like every time before, the streets around them were desolate. It was a wretched irony to remain unheard in a city that was brimming with people.
He grabbed her shoulders, pulled her close, and tried to kiss her, but Maya shook her head furiously in protest.