“Thank you.” Shane shook Boris’s hand again and felt some relief. “That’s reassuring.”
Climbing the stairs to the second level, Shane extended his senses in search of any signs of a wolf—or other vampires, for that matter—and, to his relief, found none. Maya sensed his apprehension, and when they reached the top of the stairs, she turned around and gave him a quick kiss on the cheek. It’s all going to be fine.
“I’m so excited to meet you both,” Lillian’s voice interrupted. She scooped Maya up in a hug and held her by both arms, giving Maya the once-over. “Damn, man. You’ve got some groovy vibes.”
“Thanks.” Maya smiled sheepishly and shrugged. “I think.”
“And you have some dark, spooky vibes, dude,” Lillian said, waving at Shane from a distance. “You’re hot and everything, but whoa. You’re like way spooky.”
“You should see him when he’s dressed in his sentry uniform,” Maya said with a wink to Shane. “Super spooky and super hot.”
Shane clasped his hands in front of himself and stood at attention because he didn’t know what else to do. Being scrutinized like this was highly unusual and not something he wanted to get used to. He was comfortable flying under the radar and slipping in between shadows, and right now he was experiencing the exact opposite of that.
“Sorry.” Lillian laughed and made the peace sign with both hands. “You’ll have to forgive me. The only other vamp that I’ve really met is Pete. I’ve seen plenty of ’em here in the city, but I haven’t actually met them.” She gestured for them to follow her to the back wall where a candlelit table and chairs were waiting. “You see, until a year ago when I found Boris, I thought my ability to read palms made me a total freak. Now that I know about all the different supernatural species, well, I feel almost normal.”
Lillian and Maya sat at the table, and Shane stood by the wall where he could have a clear view of the two of them and the stairs. The last problem they needed was for someone to slip up here undetected. He took a mental inventory of the weapons he had with him and thought perhaps he should have brought more, but the silver throwing weapons were difficult to use without the protective leather of his sentry uniform. He had the special-issue sentry dagger, the one with “Eternity” engraved down the center, in a harness strapped to his back and a gun tucked in an ankle holster. Even though he was armed, he couldn’t escape a sense of worry, but when his gaze landed on Maya’s gorgeous face, he realized why he felt so out of sorts.
It was her. More specifically, his feelings for her.
A weight settled in his chest, and the gravity of his situation came roaring into focus. If he allowed himself to love her, he would never feel truly prepared or be one hundred percent convinced of his power, because for the first time in four centuries, he was afraid. Shane was terrified of losing her. Be it at the claws of a werewolf, the skin-searing rays of the sun, or Maya herself telling him to take a flying leap—the thought of losing her was paralyzing.
How could Shane protect Maya, or anyone else, if he was weakened by fear?
Chapter 12
The necklace stopped vibrating by the time they went into The Den. That weird pulling feeling in Maya’s gut had gone away too, but now she couldn’t stop shaking. Her nerves were on edge and the anticipation of being so close to finding out more about the necklace and her family legacy was torture. The only reason she hadn’t totally freaked out was because of Shane. The man was a rock, an immovable force that Maya knew she could count on, no matter what.
“Are you ready?” Lillian asked. Her eyes widened and she clapped her hands together. “Oh wait. Lottie said you have a necklace too. It’s a family heirloom or something.”
“Yes.” Maya flicked her eyes to Shane, who was watching her like a hawk from his spot against the wall. A wry smile played at her lips. He stood there still as a statue, yet ready to spring into action at any moment. She hated to admit it, but Shane’s protective nature was one of his most attractive qualities. Maya turned her attention back to Lillian and started to unhook the necklace. “Do you need to hold it?”
“Maybe.” Lillian pushed a mass of wavy, dark blond hair off her face and smiled, laying her hands, palm up, on the table. “First I want to do a straight-up palm reading and see what I get. Okay?”
“Alright.” Maya dropped her hands and placed them in Lillian’s, forcing herself to remain calm. “How do we do this?”
“Well, before I found Boris, I could only get images from the lines in a person’s palm, but once I hooked up with him, I started to pick up readings from objects too. It’s pretty wild.”
“So you just hold my hand, and you’ll see things?” Maya asked.
“Not exactly. I usually get an image when I run my index finger along the deep lines of a person’s palm.” Lillian gently turned Maya’s left hand over, cradling it in one hand while the other hovered just above without touching. “But I’ve never done a reading for a vampire before, so I have no idea what I might see or not see.”
Maya could feel the heat of Lillian’s human body and heard her strong, steady pulse as thick, warm blood coursed through her veins. A pang of hunger struck Maya, but she bit it back. There would be time to feed later; right now she needed answers.
“Why the lines and not just touching someone?” Maya cleared her throat and steeled herself against the surge of hunger. Asking questions was helping her focus on the task at hand.
Are you alright, youngling? Shane’s voice touched her mind gently.
Yes. Maya closed her eyes and fought to clear her head. I know Olivia doesn’t want us hunting while we’re here, and that live feeds get us all hopped up, but I think I miss it. I don’t know…maybe I’m just nervous about what she’s going to see.
We cannot hunt, but if you truly want to have a live feed, I will take you somewhere safe so that you can satisfy that desire. Shane’s voice was edged with seductive promise. But you must finish this first.
“Hey?” Lillian snapped her fingers in front of Maya’s face. “Are you okay?”
“Sorry.” Maya shook her head. Laughing nervously, she glanced at Shane. “I was distracted.”
“Right.” Lillian looked over her shoulder at Shane before giving Maya a wink. “Boris does that to me too. Like I was saying, those lines in your palm are the ones that were formed when you grew in your mother’s womb, when you clenched and unclenched your tiny hands. They are as deeply connected to you as I can get.” Lillian’s hand hovered over Maya’s, and she looked at her intently. “I want you to close your eyes and stay real still, okay?”
Maya nodded and let her eyes flutter closed. Doing as Lillian requested, she cleared her mind. But the instant Lillian’s fingertip touched Maya’s palm, lights danced behind her eyes and a flurry of images came roaring to life.
Summertime in the mountains. Blue skies blanketed the heavens, and Maya lay on a blanket in dandelion-covered grass with a young woman’s face hovering over her. Long blond hair spilled over slim shoulders and a pair of familiar blue eyes smiled down at Maya, but the woman wasn’t alone. A man with shaggy brown hair and pale green eyes sat next to the woman with his arm around her, looking at Maya lovingly.