“No repayment required.” Lillian winked. “I know what it’s like to feel lost.”
“Me too,” Maya whispered, glancing at Shane. “But not anymore.”
Shane and Maya waved good-bye to their new friends and stepped out onto the sparsely populated street. Smiling, he took his hand in hers.
“I have to give the necklace to the wolves,” Maya said, with Shane leading her down the street. She wasn’t sure where they were going, but he certainly seemed to have a destination in mind. “I think that’s the right thing to do. Besides, they’re not going to stop until they get it, Shane.”
“Agreed.” Shane nodded but kept his sights on the street ahead as they wove their way through the growing crowd of humans. “I will call the czars tomorrow night and let them know what we’ve discovered, but right now we have something else that needs to be addressed.”
“What’s that?” Maya asked. The fluttering of the human heartbeats swarmed around her, making her hunger surge.
She gripped his hand tighter, holding on to him for strength, when a group of four drunken humans stumbled by and bumped into her. The physical contact had her fangs humming and begging to be released. Until this second, she hadn’t realized how much she’d missed having a live feed, and walking down Bourbon Street, the most populated street in the French Quarter, wasn’t helping.
I know you want to satisfy your urge for a live feed. Shane’s seductive voice slid enticingly into her mind as he turned down a side street and pulled her away from the throng of humans. I know going hunting is not permitted at the moment, but we do have another option. There’s a vampire-run establishment not far from here, and it will provide you with exactly the relief you need. I even called ahead to get us the best table in the place. He cast that sexy grin in her direction. After all of your hard work and the intensity of the past week, I thought you could use a break.
As long as it’s not a break from you. Smiling and eager with anticipation, Maya went with him willingly. Shane was absolutely right. After the craziness of the past week and all of the revelations, she was desperate for a break.
They turned down a few side streets until they came to a small brick building on a dimly lit corner. It had an intricately designed wooden arch with images of various creatures of the night carved into it, and it framed a massive, shiny black door. Above the arch hung a painted sign that read, “Bayou Escape,” in bright red letters that looked as though they’d been written in blood.
Shane pulled the door open and, as always, allowed Maya to go first. She had to admit it was one of his old-fashioned gestures that she appreciated. As the heavy door closed behind them, Maya noted the lighting was dim, much like the nightclubs in Manhattan, but instead of stepping right into the venue, they were standing at the beginning of a long hallway that looked like it led into a formal dining room. Based on the fluttering of heartbeats, she could tell that it was packed with humans who were eating dinner.
Sitting at the hostess station was a human girl, and not a vampire like Maya was expecting. She had long, red hair and was dressed in a simple black dress with a single strand of pearls draped around her neck. Neither the girl nor the restaurant was what she was expecting. Maya thought Bayou Escape was going to be a nightclub like The Coven, but it was the exact opposite.
“Good evening,” Shane said in his most gallant voice. He slipped his arm around Maya’s waist as he spoke, and she didn’t miss the look of disappointment on the hostess’s face when it was clear that Shane was taken. “I called ahead and requested a reservation for a private room in the wine cellar. The name is Quesada.”
“Of course, Mr. Quesada.” The girl’s green eyes widened and a look of recognition flickered over her features. “Diego and Sebastian asked me to let them know when you arrived.” She picked up the phone as her voice rose with excitement. “Please have a seat,” she said with a gesture to the red velvet bench along the wall. “They’ll be up in a moment.”
Feeling far too anxious to sit, Maya tangled her fingers with Shane’s and perused the various photographs along the wall. Two men appeared in all of the pictures, either separately or together, and in each photograph they were with someone famous. Actors, writers, and politicians from various points in time like Sophia Loren, Alfred Hitchcock, Bill Clinton, and Jennifer Lopez. Though the images clearly spanned several decades, the two men in the pictures were ageless.
“I take it these two guys are Diego and Sebastian?” Maya asked quietly, with a glance to the hostess. “It’s kind of risky to post pictures of themselves like this, isn’t it?”
“Not at all.” Shane pointed to the photo of Sophia Loren. “As far as anyone else is concerned those men are their uncles, to whom Diego and Sebastian happen to bear a striking resemblance.”
Maya nodded, but the blatant display still made her uncomfortable. These two vampires seemed to be flaunting their immortality and daring the world to discover them. “I can’t imagine the Emperor would approve,” she murmured as her gaze skittered over the pictures.
“Are you kidding?” An unfamiliar male voice boomed through the corridor. “Zhao has been coming here at least once a year since we opened the place.”
Maya squeezed her eyes shut, embarrassment flooding her as she realized she’d been overheard. Some of her uneasiness eased back when Shane laughed, that low, sexy sound that curling around her like a blanket.
Maya turned to face the two vampires and was surprised to see they looked more like they belonged on Wall Street than at a club in New Orleans. They were tall, blond, gorgeous, and dressed impeccably in fine gray suits, with perfectly pressed French cuff shirts and matching bright orange ties.
“Good to see you, old friends,” Shane said as he shook hands with the two men. “Sebastian and Diego, this is my…Maya.” Shane stiffened for a moment, but his arm remained around her waist possessively. “She’s been training with me for the past several days, and as always, when it was time for a respite, your fine establishment came to mind.”
Maya smiled politely and went along with Shane’s story about her training to be a sentry. She hadn’t expected him to introduce her as his bloodmate or to go into the nonsense with the werewolves, especially given the uneasiness that could evoke, but he could have called her his girlfriend or something. Maya wasn’t sure why, but it bothered her that he sidestepped that aspect of their relationship.
“It’s lovely to meet you, Maya.” A tall, slim man with blond hair took her hand delicately in his and kissed it regally. “I am Sebastian, and this far less handsome fellow is my brother, Diego.”
“Charmed.” Diego bowed with the old-fashioned flair she recognized from being around Shane. His hair was as blond as Sebastian’s, but it was longer and brushed his shoulders as he kissed her hand. “Leave it to Quesada to find the most beautiful youngling I’ve seen in centuries and train her to be a sentry.” He made a face and shook his head. “I can think of far more pleasant experiences than policing rowdy vampires in New York City.”