“Aww, man,” Trixie moaned. “If Maya quits, does that mean we have to do another stupid photo shoot without her? Vampires pretending to be humans pretending to be vampires.” She rolled her eyes. “So freakin’ lame.”
Maya ignored Trixie’s comment and smiled at Shane. “Looks like I have another job offer.”
“Over my dead body,” he murmured.
“Don’t you mean undead?”
“You will not work for a piece of slime like him.” Shane’s jaw set and the muscle flickered beneath his stubble-covered jaw. “Not a chance.”
“Like I said before,” Maya continued, dropping her voice to a breathy whisper. “I wasn’t asking for permission.”
“Olivia, can you please talk some sense into her?”
“Our coven is a family, Shane.” Olivia’s voice, edged with sadness, pulled Maya from her battle of wills with Shane. “Maya isn’t a prisoner here. If she needs some space and wants to get a job somewhere else, then while I may not agree with it, I respect her right to choose.”
“Really?” Maya’s voice was strained.
“Yes.” Olivia leaned into Doug’s embrace and lifted one shoulder. “I’m not thrilled at the idea of you working for a guy like Rat, but you have every right to make this kind of decision for yourself.”
“Thank you.” Maya fought back tears and looked around the room at the rest of the coven. All of them looked at her with the same accepting and slightly sad look that Olivia had. Except for Shane. He was visibly furious.
“You would allow her to go work at the very club where a pack of wolves is about to congregate?”
“It doesn’t thrill me, but I’ll have to trust Maya to behave properly.” She leveled a stern gaze at Maya. “And if you do decide to work there, I will expect you to be back at the apartments immediately after work, at least while the wolves are in town.”
Without another word, Maya launched herself off the ground and flew over the bar before gathering Olivia in a weepy hug.
“Thank you,” she whispered. “Thank you so much, Olivia.”
“You’re welcome.” Olivia pulled back and looked Maya in the eyes. Brushing Maya’s blond hair off her face, she cradled Maya’s cheek lovingly and her tone grew serious. “Just remember what we’ve said about the wolves, Maya. They are nothing like human men… Do you understand what I’m getting at?”
You can’t glamour a wolf the way you can the human boys. Trixie’s voice drifted into Maya’s mind with sisterly concern. You better be careful, girl.
Have you ever tried it? Maya asked. When Trixie didn’t respond, Maya knew what the answer was. Don’t worry. I know what I’m doing.
“I understand.” Maya nodded and swiped at the tears that fell in spite of her best efforts to stop them. She knew Olivia didn’t want her toying with a werewolf the way she did with the humans, and that was fine by Maya. She didn’t miss the glare Shane was giving her but avoided catching his eye. “And no live feeds while the wolves are in town. I promise. But tonight…I’m going hunting.”
In a blink, Maya flew to the front doors of the club and stopped just before leaving. She spun around, her long, blond hair spilling down her back, and winked at a visibly annoyed Shane. “If you insist on tagging along, then you’ll have to catch me first…old man.”
“Fine.” Pulling on the leather sentry gloves, Shane took a step forward with his sights set firmly on her. “I’ll even give you a head start.” He took one step closer. “Ready?”
A surge of anticipation mixed with adrenaline shot through Maya and she placed one hand on the massive wooden doors of the club. Her chin titled defiantly and she nodded. “Always.”
Shane took another step nearer. “Set.”
“Seriously? There are only a couple of hours until sunrise. I won’t be out that long.” Maya’s eyes narrowed, and in spite of her best efforts, she couldn’t stop the smile that played at her lips. “Don’t you have better things to do?”
Shane shook his head and whispered, “Go.”
The last thing Maya saw before flying out into the crisp November night was the sexy smile on Shane’s face. Flying swiftly through the dark Manhattan sky with Shane in hot pursuit, one thought kept racing through her mind.
For the first time in a long time, Maya wanted a man to catch her.
Chapter 3
Shane gave Maya a healthy head start, allowing her the space he knew she so desperately craved, but he never lost her scent. He whisked through the city sky, high above the streets littered with humans squeezing the last bit of life out of the night, and he realized that he was smiling.
Maya Robertson, the youngling vampire with a penchant for troublemaking, was by far the most beguiling vampire he’d encountered in four centuries. She was defiant, impulsive, and flirtatious, but he saw a frighteningly fragile woman hiding behind her blustery bravado.
That was the woman he wanted to discover. No, “wanted” wasn’t the right word. Needed. He needed to peel back the mask she wore to reveal the woman buried beneath pain and fear. Memories of seeing her attacked in the dreamscape came roaring to mind. Shane growled and increased his speed when he tuned in to Maya’s scent. It was an unmistakable combination of violets and Ivory soap, a clean, fresh scent that stood out in stark contrast to the sharp-tongued vixen she showed to the world.
There was more to Maya than met the eye, and admittedly, there was more between the two of them than trading spirited barbs. Not only had he been pulled into the dreamscape, but at the club, he could have sworn he actually heard her voice in his mind. Her voice full of longing and sadness… I wonder what it feels like to be loved that way?
At least he thought he did, but it was so frustratingly brief, Shane wasn’t certain if he’d imagined it.
The only other vampires with whom he could still telepath were his two surviving siblings. His maker was long dead and Shane had no progeny. He’d never created another vampire because the responsibility was more than he was prepared to take on. He had always been tied to his work, and until these past few months, that was all he’d been interested in.
Meeting Maya had changed the game.
The sound of light, feminine giggling whistled up from the park below as Maya’s scent grew stronger. He could tell she’d found her prey for the night. Shane sharpened his focus and tuned in to the sound of Maya’s voice while he made a swift, silent descent into one of the dark, wooded areas of Central Park.
He scanned the darkness of the hauntingly quiet area with both the heightened night vision and the sonar-like senses of a vampire. She was close. The incoherent mumbling of a human man rumbled along with the soft, hypnotic tone of Maya’s unmistakable voice. Shane set his mouth in a tight line at the realization that she had glamoured a human man. Again.
He was flooded by a sudden and unexpected wave of jealousy, and his fangs erupted on a growl when he spotted her amid the shadows of the trees. She had pinned the man against the trunk of a massive oak tree, and her blond hair glinted in the moonlight while she held him there easily. The guy couldn’t have been more than twenty-five years old, and the disheveled suit he wore looked like it belonged to his father.
Based on the strong scent of booze in the air, the boy was highly intoxicated and didn’t need much glamouring, but Maya clearly didn’t mind. His round, youthful face lolled to one side, and a wistful smile bloomed as Maya whispered seductive promises in his ear. Shane moved closer but stayed behind a neighboring tree. Maya hadn’t spotted him yet, and for the moment, he wanted to keep it that way. The ability to conceal his presence was one of the unique gifts he’d perfected over time.