During the first few days after Maya was turned, she didn’t remember what had happened. In fact, most of her human life was a fuzzy blur. But about a week after she became a vamp, the nightmares started and horrifying terror came with them. She never felt safe, but more than anything else, she loathed feeling like a victim.
Before Maya moved into her own apartment beneath the club, she’d stayed in the guest room of Olivia’s place. Some nights Maya’s cries woke her maker and she would come running. Olivia would always ask Maya about the dream, but she’d pretend that she couldn’t remember and insist it was nothing.
To speak of it with anyone would only feed the fear. The only thing that helped ease Maya’s anxiety and gave her some semblance of control was to dominate the human boys who attempted to seduce her. Sometimes, it would even keep the nightmare away for a sleep or two, but eventually the dark memory always came back.
Maya closed out Spike’s tab and slid his receipt to him with one pink manicured nail. She smiled, knowing how easily his human mind could be manipulated by the glamour of a vampire. Male or female, no human was a match for her kind, which meant Maya could play all she wanted. There was never any question about who would come out on top, and that was just how she liked it.
Spike was babbling on and on about his motorcycle and how hot she would think it was to ride on it. Maya smiled and fiddled with the teardrop-shaped emerald in her gold necklace, playing up the dumb-blond bit, pretending to be impressed by his blathering.
The smooth, cool stone whispered beneath her fingers, and she fiddled with the ropy gold chain. Though she wore the necklace every day, there was always something soothing about holding the heirloom in her hands. She had no idea why. Her foggy, jumbled memories of her human life were like puzzle pieces scattered on the floor.
However, she suspected the necklace had been in her human family for generations. When she concentrated and really focused, Maya could picture a smiling, elderly lady wearing the necklace. Her gut instinct told her it was her grandmother, and most of the disjointed memories she had included this woman.
The sad truth was that she had no clue who her family had been or who she had been. When Olivia found Maya, she carried no identification, and in the days following the incident, there were no missing persons reports on the news with her picture. Olivia even did an extensive search online but nothing showed up. Even Maya’s blood memories were limited to the night she was killed, and the only other piece of information Olivia was able to get was Maya’s name.
It was as though Maya never existed until the night she became a vampire.
Tears pricked the back of her eyes at the reality of what that meant. It was heartbreaking to realize that no one was looking for her. What kind of person had she been? Apparently, she wasn’t one worth finding.
“So, you wanna take a ride?” Spike asked, bringing Maya back from her thoughts.
Maya let out a sigh and nestled the stone safely in her ample cleavage. No point in dwelling on things or people that no longer made any difference. Her human life was behind her, and the powerful existence of a vampire was the only world that mattered. The gnawing hunger tugged at her gut while she smiled at the human. She was itching for closing time and running out of patience. Thankfully, the place had almost totally emptied out and she wouldn’t have to wait much longer.
“Sure, baby. I’d love to take a ride with you.” Maya ran one manicured nail over his fingers that clutched the beer. “Just gotta take care of a few things and then I’m all yours.”
Maya glanced past her would-be suitor and caught a glimpse of Olivia’s long, curly red hair as she ushered out the stragglers. She shot Maya a disapproving look and pointed at her while mouthing, “Stay there.”
Maya suppressed a satisfied smile. Normally, vampires could telepath with their makers, siblings, or progeny. However, ever since Olivia found her bloodmate, Doug, more than a few changes had taken place. There was one side effect of Olivia and Doug’s unique mating that impacted the rest of the coven, at least aside from her mood swings. Ever since she mated with Doug, Olivia could only telepath with him.
To complicate matters for the coven even further, Olivia and Doug were now the Czars of New York City, and both of them had become daywalkers. But the real kicker, the cherry on top, was Olivia’s pregnancy.
Jeez, and she thought Olivia was cranky before she got pregnant.
Not having the comforting connection of telepathy with her maker had been unsettling at first, but at moments like this, it was a blessing. At least the scolding was limited to verbal lashings.
“Last call, sweetie.” Maya winked a long-lashed eye at Spike and leaned on the bar, a move she knew would accentuate her ample cleavage.
The black leather bustier did a fine job on its own, but a little extra pop couldn’t hurt. She noted that Spike’s lascivious gaze flicked to the sizable emerald in her necklace. With any luck, he’d try to steal it and give her an excuse to kick his ass. Maya never hurt the men she toyed with, not only because it would cause trouble for the coven, but also because violence like that just wasn’t in her nature.
Being violent was almost as frightening as being victimized.
“Is there anything else I can do for you?”
“Sure,” Spike said with a lopsided grin. He took a long pull off his beer and leered at her over the bottle. “Come with me after you get out of here, and I’ll get you off about ten minutes after that.”
Maya suppressed an eye roll but kept a smile plastered on her face. Just when she was about to tell Spike she’d meet him outside, a dark shadow loomed large next to the young man and a powerful wave of energy wafted over her.
Shane.
Maya flicked her gaze to the hulking form that appeared out of nowhere. Though Shane wasn’t looking at her, and his energy was tuned into the human, she was still transfixed.
Shane Quesada was one of the sentry soldiers for the Presidium in New York. He also was easily the best-looking specimen of a man she’d ever laid eyes on. Maya was only five foot five, and he loomed over her at well past six feet. He had gorgeous olive-toned skin, a thick muscular build, and a head of wavy, chestnut brown hair that looked silky soft.
The man was a feast for the eyes, and the only thing hotter than how he looked was how he sounded. Something about the deep, rich baritone of his voice made her weak with desire, but after meeting him a few months ago, she quickly discovered that Shane was about as much fun as a nun at a keg party.
He was totally uptight, all about following the rules, and she was fairly sure he left his sense of humor in another century. Not only that, but he moved like a ghost and had developed the nasty habit of messing up her dates like it was part of his freaking job.
“It’s time for you to go.” Shane’s voice, quiet and powerful, captured Spike’s attention.
Spike held the bottle in midair and stared straight ahead, wavering slightly when the glamour effect took hold. Watching the scene unfold, it dawned on her that Shane wasn’t making eye contact with the kid and was glamouring the human with only the sound of his voice. Maya swallowed and took an involuntary step back, unnerved by the scope of Shane’s power.
The combination of Shane’s inescapable presence and the unsettling attraction she felt for him created an overall feeling of unease. It made Maya feel out of control and vulnerable—two things she loathed. Since becoming a vampire, the only other time she felt that way was when she relived the attack in her dreams.
“You did not enjoy yourself here, and therefore, you won’t return.” Shane leaned closer, his voice dropping to almost inaudible tones before he flicked his dark, piercing gaze at Maya and whispered, “Never again.”