He made eye contact with the drunkard, glamoured him, and quickly pulled him into a dark alley. Shane fed, and energy surged through his body like a jolt of lightning. Sensing he was at risk of taking too much, Shane released the man. He was a sailor on leave and intent on finding a hooker. Shane licked the wound closed and sent the sailor on his way with a fabricated memory of being pleasured by a bevy of beauties.
Shane’s body hummed with the rejuvenating pulse of a live feed, and it took him a moment to realize that the cell phone in his pocket was vibrating. He yanked the phone from his coat and swore when he saw Olivia’s phone number scrolled across the screen.
“Yes?” Shane answered curtly, before shooting into the sky.
“You can come home,” Olivia said. “Although you can leave that shitty attitude in New Orleans. I have a baby now, and I’m really not in the mood to placate a cranky four-hundred-year-old vampire.”
“Apologies.” Shane pressed his fingers against his eyes and struggled for patience. “I am on my way back and should be there in a few hours. There have been some new developments.”
“Really?” Olivia let out an ironic laugh. “Well, we’ve had some of our own. King Heinrich and his oldest son, Killian, arrived in the city last night. When I met with them, I tried to apologize about what happened with Horace, but the king waved it off and said he’s the one who should be apologizing for his kid. I guess Horace is the black sheep of the werewolves.”
“Has King Heinrich taken control over his son?” Shane stilled, praying that by some miracle Horace was out of the picture. “Is Horace with his father now?”
“Nope. Horace and his pack are MIA. The king went to see his son last night and they had some kind of blowout. Killian tried to speak with his kid brother again this morning, but Horace had checked out of the hotel. As of right now, he’s fallen off the grid. We checked out Rat’s club, but so far, we can’t find ’em.”
“I’m betting that slippery son of a bitch Rat knows exactly where Horace is.”
“Maybe.” Olivia sighed. “He swears up and down he doesn’t. Horace isn’t just avoiding us. It looks like he’s avoiding his family too. I suggested that maybe he left the city, but his brother seems adamant that the guy is still here. I think Killian knows something that he’s not sharing with the rest of the class.”
Shane tensed and processed what Olivia was saying. It seemed unlikely that the king was involved, but could Killian be in league with his brother to overthrow their father? Shane knew that whatever choice he made now, the information he shared with the czar would directly impact the delicate relationship between the two races.
Even though telling Olivia about the power of Maya’s necklace could create more problems and maybe even anger the king, it didn’t matter. All that mattered was that the woman he loved was going to meet a pack of wolves alone. Vampire and werewolf relations could explode in a fiery blaze for all he cared. Maya’s safety was his only concern.
“Shane?” Olivia asked. “Hello? Did you hear me? How’s Maya doing? Is she there?”
“No,” Shane responded solemnly while he sliced through the air like an arrow. “She’s on her way to meet Horace.”
Chapter 16
Maya ran through the dank, dirty sewer tunnels during the daylight hours and then took to the sky when the sun set. Watching the sliver of orange sink into the horizon, Maya could practically hear it when it was swallowed up by the darkness. Whipping through the crisp night as fast as she could, she hadn’t been in the air for more than a few minutes when Shane’s panicked voice touched her mind.
Maya! Where are you? Answer me, Maya!
Guilt filled her as she ignored his pleas, and she slammed her mind shut, preventing any further communication. Even though Maya hated shutting him out, she knew that it was for the best. She was the one with the werewolf whammy necklace, and that meant that it was her problem to deal with. Besides that, she was still pissed at him for pushing her away.
She was exhausted, and since she hadn’t slept, the trip was taking her far longer than it had when she was with Shane. After what felt like forever, the iconic New York City skyline came into sight. Maya’s belly clenched as her nerves began to get the best of her. Glancing at her watch, she saw that she had a few hours until it was time to meet Horace.
Her gut instinct was to seek comfort from her coven—her family—but if she did that, then she’d probably have to tell them what she was doing, and one of two things would happen. They would either try to stop her or insist on coming with her, and neither choice was viable. She had to do this on her own.
So, with nowhere else to go, Maya went to the one place where she loved to sit quietly and collect her thoughts.
Landing in the torch of the Statue of Liberty, she sat down on the ledge, grateful for a few hours of quiet before the storm. She closed her eyes and used the time to go over and over the different fight moves Shane had taught her. But no matter how hard she tried, she couldn’t focus because the sound of Shane’s wounded, worried voice continued to haunt her.
Maya’s eyes fluttered open. Smiling, she stared out over the beautiful sparkling lights of Manhattan. It really was a beautiful city. But even the glittering skyline couldn’t stop her thoughts from drifting back to Shane and the girls in her coven. No matter how many times she went over it, she always returned to the same conclusion. Going back to The Coven would mean dragging her family into this mess.
The smell of the water filled her head, and the mournful wail of a boat’s horn blared, shattered the quiet. Maya wasn’t blind or stupid. She knew that she’d caused her fair share of trouble since she arrived on the scene, and she didn’t want tonight to be yet another example of her causing problems for the coven.
“You are totally fuckin’ predictable,” laughed a familiar feminine voice.
Maya swore loudly and shot into the air, before flipping over and landing on her feet in a battle-ready stance. Her fists were raised and her eyes wild, but her body relaxed when she saw she wasn’t facing enemies.
“Trixie?” Maya said in a wavering tone of disbelief. Her fangs retracted and she lowered her fists, gaping from Trixie to Sadie. Both of them were dressed in black from head to toe, and Trixie had dyed her hair almost ebony. Gone were the spiked pink locks. Sadie’s hair was tied back tightly, and the two women looked ready for a fight. “Sadie? What are you two doing here?”
Before Maya could say another word, her sisters flew over and gathered her up in a massive hug. Maya clung to them and kissed their cheeks repeatedly, laughing through her tears. After a long hug, the three of them looked at each other and laughed while wiping at their wet cheeks.
“How did you know I was here?” Maya asked.
“Are you kidding?” Trixie asked incredulously. “You always come up here when you need some space or when you’re sulking because you’re pissed at me.” Trixie winked and cracked her skull-ring-studded knuckles. “You’re not as slick as you think you are.”
“No.” Maya shook her head and looked from one sister to the other with obvious confusion. “I mean, how did you know I was back in New York?”
“Shane,” Sadie said evenly. She hopped on the ledge, folded her hands in her lap, and leveled a serious look at May. “You must really be crazy to think that any of us would let you face those wolves on your own. We’re your family, Maya, and family sticks together.”