Making the approach to Lottie’s house, Shane felt his smile fade when he saw the defeated look on Maya’s face. Instead of looking happy and joyful like he expected, she seemed pensive and lost in her own thoughts. Shane reached out and tangled his hand with hers, which evoked a small smile but not a convincing one.
They landed side by side in Lottie’s backyard, and Shane couldn’t help but notice that Maya was looking everywhere but at him.
“The sun will be up soon,” she whispered, looking out over the moonlit waters of the bayou. “We should go inside but be quiet so we don’t wake up Lottie. I saw her car in the driveway.”
Shane grabbed Maya’s hand, preventing her from leaving, and waited for her to face him. Her back was to him and her shoulders shook as her blond hair fell over her face. Shane realized she was crying. Panic and pure fear shot through him. He flew around and stood in front of her before placing both hands on her arms and urging her to look at him.
“Maya?” Shane asked urgently. “What’s wrong?”
“Nothing,” she sniffed and stepped back, out of his embrace. She folded her arms over her breasts and walked toward the water. “It’s nothing.”
“You’re crying. Am I supposed to believe that nothing is bothering you?” Shane stayed where he was and tried to keep frustration and anger out of his voice. “After all that we have been through and everything that we’ve shared? Why won’t you tell me what’s upset you so much?”
“I think I’ve told you plenty tonight, Shane,” Maya said tightly. She looked over her shoulder at him and rolled her eyes when she saw the confused look on his face. “Right,” she said through a curt laugh while swiping at the tears with the back of her hand. Spinning on her heels, Maya glared at him before stalking past him toward the house. “Just forget it.”
“I will do no such thing.” Shane moved quickly and stood in front of her, blocking her path. “Why are you acting this way?”
“You really don’t get it, do you?” Maya placed her hands on her hips and looked at him as though he were the dumbest vampire on the planet. “You probably think it’s stupid that I’m upset, and you know what? Maybe it is.” Her voice rose and she poked him in the chest with one angry finger. “Maybe I’m a dumb, silly girl with a ridiculously modern notion, but if you ask me, when a woman says she loves you, Shane, you should have some kind of response. Something.” Her blue eyes, rimmed with pain, stared up at him. “But you didn’t. You just left me hanging out there.”
Her chin tilted defiantly, and the words fell from her lips in a rush. “I know you were sent down here by Olivia to keep an eye on me and I know that we’re bloodmates, but there is still a choice. You don’t have to stay with me, Shane. If you don’t love me, I don’t want you to be with me out of duty or obligation. When we get back to New York, we can go our separate ways.”
Shane blinked, and before he could stop himself, a laugh bubbled up, making his shoulders shake. He grabbed Maya’s furious-looking face with both hands and tossed his head back as he laughed loudly before firmly kissing her lips. Her brow furrowed and the line between her eyes deepened while she continued to look at him as though he’d lost his mind.
“I’m the one who is stupid.” Shane brushed a kiss on the corner of her mouth and rested his forehead against hers. Squeezing his eyes shut, he rasped his thumb over the silky, soft skin of her cheek and whispered, “You’ll have to forgive a foolish old vampire for getting wrapped up in his own thoughts. I’ve been alone for so long, Maya.” He lifted his head and looked her in the eyes, holding her close. “I suppose it will take some time for me to remember that I am no longer a solitary creature.”
“What are you saying?” Maya looked at him through wide violet-blue eyes.
“I am saying that I am a fool—a fool who is desperately and hopelessly in love with you, and like a foolish man, I assumed that you knew. How could you not? I’ve loved you for so long, it seems, that I can no longer recall a time when the thought of you wasn’t buried deep in my soul or when your voice wasn’t drifting through my mind like a siren song, willing me closer at every turn.”
Shane dipped his head, placed a gentle kiss on her lips, and reached out to her with his mind. I love you, Maya.
Maya smiled and kissed him back, wrapping her arms around his neck and holding him tight. Shane’s joy was short-lived when her body tensed in his grasp and she started to shake. Her fingers curled along the back of his neck and she whispered, Werewolves.
An instant later, the pungent scent of a werewolf filled Shane’s head. Growls rumbled in the air around them, and a pair of bright orange eyes glared at him from the brush just before a massive brown wolf charged across the lawn.
“Fly, Maya,” Shane screamed. He flung her out of the path of the charging, snarling beast. “Get out of here.”
Two wolves slammed into him, knocking him to the ground before he could react. Amid the struggle, he caught a glimpse of Maya. In a battle-ready stance and with her fangs bared, he watched her shoot into the air. She was safe. Maya was safe. That was all that mattered.
Jaws snapping and claws tearing, the two beasts forced him to his knees while their razor-sharp teeth tore into the flesh of his shoulder. Shane’s fangs unsheathed and he hissed with rage while they continued their assault. Barely registering the pain, he ripped one wolf off his back before tossing it aside. It yelped and struck a tree, but Shane watched it scramble to its feet before stalking back toward him. The other tackled him to the ground before he could get to his feet, and an unfamiliar weakness plagued him. A burning sensation fired through his body, and though he’d never felt it before, Shane knew what it was the effects of the werewolf’s saliva.
He was going to die.
Weakened by a substantial loss of blood and the poisonous bite, Shane held the snapping, drooling muzzle of the wolf just inches from his own face. His body burned, and he could feel the potent, poisonous werewolf saliva searing through his blood. With what little strength Shane had left, his other hand reached for the gun in his ankle holster. His fingertips grazed the butt of the gun right before the other wounded wolf came back from the treeline and latched its powerful jaws around his leg.
The beast’s teeth scraped against bone, and Shane screamed with rage. A split second later, the wolf whined in pain when a sterling silver dagger whizzed through the air and lodged deeply in its neck. You didn’t really think I’d leave you here alone, did you? Maya’s teasing voice touched his mind as the wolf released Shane and stumbled away before crumpling in a heap.
He set eyes on his mate, her blond hair wild and flowing, and the deadly gleam of a warrior in her eyes. Shane held the wolf’s muzzle with both hands with his waning strength and moved it away from him. A high-pitched sound pierced the air, and Maya’s second sterling dagger hit the wolf with streamlined precision.
Weak and shaking from the significant loss of blood and the poisonous effects of the wolf’s saliva, Shane fell back onto the grass as Maya ran toward him. She slipped her arm beneath his head and moved his bloody shirt to inspect his wounds. He didn’t need to look at the injuries to know how grave they were because the horrified look on Maya’s face said it all.
His body felt heavy and cumbersome, much like the feeling all vampires had when drifting into their deep sleep during the daylight hours. Maya wept and held his head in her lap. She pierced her wrist with the sharp points of her fangs and offered him her blood.