Maya just hated that she'd have to bleed for Skye.
The warlock always required blood as his payment for services rendered.
While she waited for Skye's arrival, Maya slipped back into the bathroom, taking the cell phone with her. She had another call to make, one that required a bit more privacy.
She quickly dialed the number for Memorial Grove Hospital. Pressed the extension for Sean's room.
He should be awake by now. Maybe not completely coherent, but awake enough to-
"Hello."
The sound of his voice, slightly slurred, but definitely aware, hit her like a punch in the stomach.
"S-Sean?"
"Maya? I-is that you?"
Her knees were shaking. Shit. She was a mess. "Yeah, it's me." He was all right, but he wouldn't stay that way, not if he kept hanging around with her. "Sean, I, ah, had to leave town and-"
"And you left me a panther shifter for a babysitter," he finished, his voice seeming to fade at the end.
"Triond isn't a babysitter," she muttered, wincing. "He's just there to…keep you safe." While she was too far away to do the job herself.
"Huh. Right." A sigh. "When are you coming back? I really, really want to see you soon."
And she wanted to see him. The guy was the best friend she'd ever had, the brother she'd never had. "I-I don't know yet." He was also the one person she wouldn't lie to. "I've got some business to deal with here first, then I'll be coming home."
Home. Funny. She didn't really have a real place to call home. Never had. Those foster houses she'd stayed in hadn't been home. The cheap motel she'd lived in with her mother-off and on-
during the first ten years of her life hadn't been home.
"Maya? You there?" Worry filled Sean's voice.
Guilt immediately rushed through her. The guy should be resting, not worrying about her.
"Sorry."
"For you to cut out of town like this, well, you must be working on something…really important."
Trying to save a girl's life. Yeah, it was important. To her.
"Where are you, Maya? Where'd you go racing off to?"
She hesitated a moment, staring at the back of the bathroom door. The wood was chipping. "The city of Sin, Sean. The city of Sin." She wanted to keep talking to him, but knew there just wasn't time. Skye would be there soon-he was always fast-and the man didn't like to wait.
She exhaled. "I've got to go, Sean. Take care of yourself, you hear me? Try to keep out of fights with creatures that you know can kick your ass."
He laughed at that. A strangled, rough gurgle. "I don't think it's gonna be that easy."
"Sure it will. Just do what Triond says, get better, and I'll be back before you know it." She hoped.
Triond was a good bodyguard. One of the best in L.A. She'd barely had time to contact him before she'd left with Adam, but knowing that the panther was there, watching Sean's back, made her feel better.
"Sean? I, uh, just wanted to-to thank you." When she'd seen him in the hospital, she'd realized-
too late –that she'd never told the guy how she felt.
"You don't need to thank me." For a second, she could have sworn he sounded angry.
"Yeah, I do." She closed her eyes, shutting out the sight of the door and remembering the night she'd first met him.
The darkness.
The scream of sirens.
The tempting beat of his heart, thumping faster with fear as he'd realized the woman in the body bag wasn't dead.
Not entirely.
Shit. When she'd woken, she'd been scared to death, hungry as hell, and so damn angry.
And Sean had been staring at her, eyes huge behind the lenses of his glasses.
She'd expected him to run from her. Or to faint, as Monica had done.
Monica. She and Sean had really surprised Maya. After the initial shock, they'd helped her.
Driven her away from the crime scene, given her bags of blood for her gnawing hunger, and then they'd stuck around.
Become friends, of a sort.
A call had been made to her Chief. She'd said one word to him, whispered, "Vampire," and he'd understood. Chief Bronson had been in L.A. all his life, patrolling the streets, day and night. The guy knew the score. Her "death" had been covered up and Maya Black had officially resigned from the police force.
To begin a new life as a monster.
Monica had finally broken last year. The demons, the death-it had all just become too much for her. She'd gone back to Kansas, back to a place, she'd tearfully told Maya, "Where I don't see devils every time I turn around."
But Sean had stayed by her side. Until she'd found him bleeding out on the street.
"You were there for me when I was at my worst," she told him finally, opening her eyes. "I won't forget that."
Silence. "Well, don't forget that you've saved my ass more times than I can count over the last five years."
Her lip curled. "That's 'cause you don't know how to stay out of trouble." Damn, but she missed that man.
"Are you staying out of trouble, Maya?" A slight warning edge sharpened the words.
Hell, she'd never been able to stay out of trouble. "Nah. You know me, I get bored if there isn't enough action going on." Her nails tapped against the wood. "I've got to go."
" Maya… "
Tension. Fear.
"What is it, Sean?"
The hum of silence. Then-
A heartbeat. Pounding, racing far too fast.
As if the phone had been lowered, placed over his throat. Over his pulse.
What the hell? Fear.
Then the drumming faded and Sean's voice murmured, "Watch your back 'cause I won't be able to do it this time."
The call ended with a click.
But the sound of his racing heart echoed in her ears.
Sean Donnelley slowly placed the phone on the nearby hospital tray. His eyes met Triond's golden stare, then dropped to the claws that circled the panther's throat.
The pack of wolves were nearly motionless in the room. Three surrounded Triond. One stood at the door, and the leader, the ugly bastard with the torn ear, waited near the side of his bed.
"That wasn't so hard, now was it?" Lucas Simone murmured, and when he smiled, Sean caught a glimpse of his too-sharp teeth.
Selling out his best friend. Fuck, yeah, it had been hard.
But he hadn't been given any options.
"You heard everything?"
Lucas nodded. Damn shifter hearing.
"Then get the hell out of here." Damn, he was weak. Too weak to fight. Too weak to help Triond.
To help Maya.
The wolf shifter laughed. "Don't worry, human. I promise, I won't hurt the vampire bitch, at least not too badly."
Sean flinched. I'm sorry, Maya.
One of the wolves slammed his fist into the side of Triond's head and the panther went down, hard, his face smashing into the glistening floor.
Lucas stepped over the body. Headed for the door. His pack fell in line behind him.
They left his room without saying another word and went to hunt Maya.
Fuck. Sean's hands shook as he grabbed the phone. He tried to call her back, tried using that damn caller return system, but the line just beeped.
He didn't believe Lucas. Not for a minute. He'd seen the bloodlust in the guy's eyes. He'd hurt Maya, and he'd enjoy every minute of her pain.
" Fuck! " Sean threw the phone across the room.
He'd just killed his best friend.
CHAPTER 10
Her headache was getting worse. Maya slanted a quick glance over at the chameleon and thought about taking a little bite. Just to take the edge off and to replenish some of her much-needed energy.
Just a bite.
She stepped toward him, eyes on his throat. He didn't taste as good as Adam. Didn't taste of life and passion.
No, Max was more of a sweet peppermint.
She'd never had a particular candy fetish, but-
"No." Adam's voice. Growling from right behind her. His breath stirred the hair near her ear as he said, "You want to drink, then you drink from me."
Oh, she wanted to. Maya turned slowly, licking her lips. A taste of Adam would be heaven.
But she wouldn't be able to stop with just a taste. Not anymore. She wouldn't stop until she had him inside her, thrusting fast and hard and driving them both to release.
The bloodlust and the physical hunger she felt for him were intertwined now. She'd barely been able to hold back earlier. If she touched him again, she'd drink and fuck. And she wouldn't really care if a chameleon watched their every move.
Adam's green eyes heated, and she knew he understood. His nostrils flared as he took in her scent.
Her panties were already wet. "Adam, I-"
A knock at the door. Hard. Sharp. Skye.
Her breath blew out in a rush. Well, at least the problem of the chameleon would be solved.
Then they could get back to the matter at hand.
Sex and blood. And lots of it.
Maya paced across the room and pressed her eye against the small peephole.
Skye stared back at her, features slightly distorted, but definitely the warlock.
She opened the door.
He didn't enter immediately. His gaze swept over her. Then looked beyond her shoulder into the small motel room.
As far as she knew, Skye didn't have a last name. The guy was the quiet type-quiet and deadly.
Skye was as tall as Adam, but thinner. His skin was a light gold, and his dark eyes held a slight exotic narrowing at the corners, hinting at his Asian ancestry. His hair was short, blacker than coal.
He wore a black T-shirt that left his tattooed arms bare. A battered backpack was slung over his left shoulder. Torn jeans and scuffed boots completed his look.
He brushed by her and she caught the faint scent of incense.
Skye spared a look at Adam, then at Max. "I take it I'm here for the chameleon?"
"Yeah."
He nodded. Pulled off his backpack and rummaged inside. "You want him dead?" Spoken casually.
The chameleon whimpered. He seemed to do that a lot.
"I just want him out of town." She watched as Skye pulled a long, sharp knife from his pack.
"And I want him to forget all about the little talk we had."
"Easy enough."
She'd thought it would be, for him.
Skye pulled out two large vials. Uncapped them and stood, knife in hand. "But I want my payment first."
What the man did with vampire blood, she had no idea. He couldn't use it for a transformation.
The transformation only worked if a vamp drank from the victim and then gave up her blood to him.
Maya held out her hand, wrist up. "Just hurry." Because this was only going to make her weaker.
He smiled, a smile that didn't reach his eyes and the knife slashed across her exposed flesh.
"You sonofabitch!" Adam was on him in less than a second, slamming Skye against the wall.
The knife clattered to the floor.
Her blood began to drip onto the carpet. She glanced around, looking for the vials. No point wasting-
A deep, inhuman growl of rage stopped her. Glancing up slowly, she saw that Adam's fingers were digging deep into Skye's arms and that the dark tattoos lining Skye's body were starting to shimmer.
Not a good sign.
"Adam!" She grabbed his arms, tried to pry them off the other man. "Let him go!"
Adam's head jerked toward her and he gave her a look that clearly questioned her sanity. "He attacked you."
"No," she told him, wincing. "He was just getting his payment." A payment that was wasting as it slowly dripped onto the floor.
Adam's brow furrowed. He slanted a hard look at Skye. "You work for blood?"
"For her blood, yes." Skye didn't look scared. Or even mildly nervous. His lips quirked the faintest bit. "Perhaps for yours, too."
" Skye ." Maya put a warning edge in her voice. She didn't have time for them to get in a pissing match.
He only smiled wider.
She touched Adam's arm again, felt the muscle tighten beneath her fingertips. "Look, I like this whole kick-ass thing you've got going on, but now really, really isn't the time."
A muscle flexed along his jaw. His gaze held Skye's. "Come at her with a knife again, and you're a dead man."
Skye blinked at that. "What makes you think I'm not already?"
Ah, screw this. Maya marched away from them, found the vials, and held the first one under her bleeding arm. The knife had cut pretty deep and the blood flowed quickly. She capped the first vial and reached for the second.
When she looked up, she saw Max watching her with a kind of helpless fascination on his face.
I'm too tired for this crap now.
She shoved the vials back into Skye's pack. "Done." Maya jerked her thumb toward Max. "Now it's your turn."
Adam's hold slowly loosened. Skye stepped around him, slung the backpack over his right shoulder, and bowed slightly to Maya. "You are a woman of your word."
Not really .
Skye walked toward the chameleon. Frowned. "Would have been easier if you'd had him unconscious for me."
She'd just bled for the guy. Did she have to do everything? Her temples pounded in a fierce rhythm of pain. The fingers of her right hand gripped the wound, trying to halt the flow of blood. "I figured you might be in the mood for a challenge."
He laughed at that. A rusty, quick laugh. Skye knelt in front of the now cringing chameleon.
