“You saw the thing with the necklace?” Maya asked warily. Ever since Suzie was turned, she had gotten visions of the future, but she rarely spoke about them. “You saw what I did to that man?”
“Not exactly.” Suzie lifted one shoulder. Looking away from Maya, she scurried back to her desk. “But now what I saw makes sense.”
Maya wanted to pepper her sister with questions, but before she could, the double doors on the other side of the room swung open and everything inside her stilled when she found herself staring at Shane. His dark eyes glared at her from beneath inky brows, but it was the harsh look carved into his features that set her on edge.
“Everyone is waiting,” he bit out. Shane turned on his heels and went back inside, leaving the doors open behind him.
“I see that getting laid didn’t do much to improve his mood,” Trixie quipped.
Maya shot her sister a look, and the three women followed Shane into the conference room. At the center of the room was a long mahogany conference table, complete with a phone and audiovisual setup, and lined with several black leather chairs—four of which were occupied.
The necklace hummed against Maya’s chest and that familiar pull tugged at her gut. Maya knew the two men seated across from one another, on either side of Doug and Olivia, were King Heinrich and his son Killian. Both men had thick, muscular builds like Horace, although they were much taller than he was.
There was no mistaking their relationship. They had the same piercing, intelligent eyes, and other than some graying hair at the temples and a full beard on the king, he and Killian were strikingly alike. Both men rose to their feet when the women entered the room and bowed their heads in deference.
“Maya, this is King Heinrich and his son Killian,” Olivia said evenly. She kept her intense green-eyed gaze on Maya and gestured for everyone to sit. “Shane was kind enough to fill us in on what happened in New Orleans, and we know you came here with the intention of giving the necklace to Horace but—”
“Wait.” Maya rose to her feet and fought to keep her voice from shaking. “Before you say anything, I would like apologize.”
“Maya—” Doug began.
“No.” Maya held up her hand, removed her gloves, and shot a glance at Shane before continuing. “I owe everyone in this room an apology. My actions were stupid, reckless, and childish, and those actions have brought us to this point.” She unzipped the top portion of her catsuit to expose the necklace and reached around to unclasp it. The cool metal and stone fell into the palm of her hand, and she cradled it against her chest. Killian and Heinrich were fixated. “I have no interest in being a werewolf hunter like my Vanator ancestors, and I have no desire to cause any more trouble for my family or the vampire community.”
“Maya,” Olivia said insistently. “Hold on a second. King Heinrich would like to say something.” She gestured to the king. “The floor is yours, Your Majesty.”
“Thank you.” Heinrich tilted his head in gratitude before turning his serious expression to Maya. He folded his hands on the table and looked her up and down before he spoke, which made her feel like a bug under a microscope. “My son is the one who should be apologizing. Horace may be my son, but I am not blind to his shortcomings.” Sadness rimmed his eyes. “Horace has been troubled since he was a child. My wife would say it is simply his nature. I, however, am of the belief that we have a choice in how we behave. I believe that Sentry Quesada acted the way he did to protect you. It would not be the first time that my son behaved badly with a beautiful woman. In addition, I do not hold you responsible for what you did to that young werewolf, any more than you would hold me responsible for the wolves that attacked your ancestors. You were defending yourself and so were they,” he said solemnly.
Maya tried not to look at Shane, who was standing at the head of the table behind Olivia and Doug, but it was impossible. The man was magnetic. Tall. Powerful. Domineering. His penetrating gaze didn’t move from Maya’s face while King Heinrich spoke.
Choices? Choices were all well and good, except for love. If only she could choose not to love Shane.
“My grandfather told me stories of the Vanator gypsies and the power that they wielded. The Vanators hunted down and destroyed hundreds of our people over the centuries with that necklace, so you can imagine what someone like Horace could do with it.”
“My brother thinks he can use it to overthrow my father,” Killian interrupted. “You must hand it over.”
“Who died and made you king?” Sadie asked incredulously. She remained seated to Maya’s right but kept her big, brown eyes on Killian. “Last time I checked, you’re not in charge,” she said, jutting her thumb toward the king. “He is.”
“Enough,” Olivia said wearily as she shot Sadie a look. “Apologies, we’re all a bit on edge.”
“No problem,” Killian said with a wink. “I like a woman with some moxie.”
“Oh please.” Sadie rolled her eyes.
“Maya,” Olivia said gently. “The necklace is your family heirloom, and I have explained to King Heinrich that I will not force you to hand it over. However, given the circumstances, I’m sure you can agree that it would be best to give it to the wolves.”
“Yes,” Maya whispered. She looked down at the necklace in her palm and ran one finger over the smooth, brilliant green emerald. “It vibrates when wolves are close by, and when it’s not lying against my skin…well…see for yourself.”
Maya held it by the chain and allowed the stone to dangle in the air. When it began to glow, everyone let out a gasp. Killian and Heinrich’s eyes flickered to orange and they growled. “It’s just letting me know that there are wolves in the vicinity. I don’t think it can hurt you like this,” Maya said quickly. “I think I have to be wearing it, and when I took that boy’s wolf away, I had both hands on his chest.”
“Yes,” King Heinrich murmured. His eyes flickered back to their human state. “According to the legend, the Vanator gypsy women who wielded the dark magic were always wearing that necklace.”
“My brother saw a picture of all of you online. The advertisement for the club, that one with all four of you.” Killian pointed to the necklace. “Maya, you were wearing it in the photo. That’s why he came to New York.”
You could have cut the tension in the room with a knife while everyone watched and waited to see what Maya would do. Rubbing the stone between her fingers, she looked at each of them but lingered on Shane. We all have choices, she whispered into his mind. Don’t we, Shane?
“Here.” Maya leaned across the table and placed the necklace at the center. “It’s yours.” She flicked a glance to Shane who had moved closer to Killian but kept his intense gaze on Maya. “Like you said, King Heinrich, we all have choices, and this is mine.”
“Thank you,” Heinrich said in a voice edged with relief. “You are exactly the way Sentry Quesada described you.” Maya flicked her confused eyes to Shane but the king continued speaking. “I have already informed the czars that Killian and I will meet Horace tonight at the bridge, instead of you, and we will escort him and his friends out of the city.”
“Thank you,” Olivia said as she and Doug rose to their feet. She shook hands across the table with both werewolves and gave them a charming smile. “Our two sentries, Shane and Pete, will be in the area and can provide additional assistance if necessary.”
“That’s generous of you,” Killian said with a wide grin. “But I’m sure we can handle this family matter on our own.”