Vampire Trouble (18 page)

Maya ran her tongue along the seam of his lips and rocked her hips, sliding her hot center along the rigid length of his cock. Kissing him deeply, she moved faster, sliding her slick, swollen flesh over his in long, hard strokes. She rode him with total abandon and brought them both to a fever pitch. Maya whimpered as the orgasm coiled tight and deep. Knowing she was ready, Shane reached between their bodies and slipped himself inside her.

Maya cried his name as the steely length of him filled her. She sat up, taking all of him in, and he gripped her hips tightly, encouraging her to move. Slowly and with deliberate motion, Maya tilted her hips, keeping her gaze locked with Shane's. She put her hands above her head, feeling wild and free, riding him faster while delicious friction sent white-hot pleasure whipping through her body.

As wave after wave of the pounding orgasm tore through them in unison, Maya's fangs erupted and the surge of a familiar primal need took hold. Still buried deep inside her, Shane sat up on a growl with his razor-sharp fangs bared. He tangled his hands in her hair while she rode him, and Maya let out a gasp of sheer pleasure when his mind melded with hers and he growled, “Bloodmate.”

Shane sank his fangs into Maya's shoulder, and another orgasm slammed into her with toe-curling force. Maya shrieked her pleasure into the dark Louisiana night before dropping her head and sinking her fangs into the strip of flesh along his neck.

He tasted wild and spicy, and ripple after ripple of bone-melting ecstasy soared through her body. Maya's eyes fluttered closed, the orgasm subsided, and a subtle but insistent sound rumbled through them like a bass beat at the club.

A heartbeat.

Once. Twice. Again.

The pounding continued while they clung to one another and the tiny aftershocks of the orgasm fluttered through them. Licking the wounds closed, they remained wrapped up in each other's arms, neither one wanting this moment to end. Even after they stopped the blood exchange, the heartbeat continued for several more minutes. They were alive. Even if it only lasted for those few brief moments, for that instant in time, Shane and Maya were
alive.

Maya lifted her head and the expression of wonder on her face was one of the best sights he'd ever seen. Shane cradled her cheeks with both hands and gingerly brushed his thumb over her flawless skin. A wistful smile played at his lips, and he held her gaze while their synchronized heartbeats slowed beat by beat until finally stopping and leaving them quiet once again.

“Did you feel that?” Maya asked in barely audible tones. “We…we had heartbeats. Both of us.”

“I did.” A sly grin cracked his handsome face, and he kissed the corner of her mouth. “But it may only have been a fluke. Perhaps something that happens only once between bloodmates.”

“Once? Hmm.” Maya linked her arms around his neck and flicked his mouth with her tongue. “Then I guess we better do it again. You know, to prove it wasn't just a fluke.”

“Your wish is my command, youngling.”

Shane made love to her again on the rooftop, beneath the black velvet blanket of the star-dappled sky, and proved that the presence of a heartbeat during a blood exchange was not merely a fluke. Once again when they joined in every way possible, a heartbeat thundered between them loud and strong. Afterward, while they lay next to one another, naked as jaybirds and with their fingers intertwined, Maya struggled with whether or not to ask Shane the question that lingered in her mind.

“What is it, youngling?” Shane turned onto his side. Propping himself up on his elbow, he played with a long strand of her hair. “Something is bothering you.”

“Are you a mind reader?” Maya playfully smacked his arm with the back of her hand.

“Not exactly.” Shane went back to playing with her hair but kept his eyes on hers. “But I can sense there's something troubling you.”

“We're bloodmates.” Maya made the statement with some uncertainty. “Right?”

“Yes.” Shane rested his hand over her lower belly and stroked the soft flesh gently. “If I had any doubts, they were eliminated during the blood exchange. I haven't had a heartbeat in four centuries. It took a minute even to figure out what was happening, but it was the most erotic, intimate moment of my existence.”

“I saw your memories.” Maya smiled and stared into the night sky. “The battles, the sadness when your maker left you, and the loyalty you feel for the Presidium. I saw it all.”

“Yes. That is part of the process, of giving myself to you.”

“Were you able to read my blood memories?” she asked quietly. “I know that you should be able to but…I'm kind of defective or something. I know Olivia couldn't really read them, either.”

“Not all of them.” Shane's mouth set in grim line, and he tipped her chin toward him with one finger, forcing her to look at him. “There is nothing wrong with you, Maya.”

“Yes, there is. Did you know that my turn took five days?” Maya took his hand in hers and sat up, pulling her knees to her chest, suddenly aware of her nakedness and feeling remarkably vulnerable. “
Five
days
! It's like I ride the short bus of vampires.”

“No.” Shane's brow furrowed. “I was unaware that your conversion took so long. A traditional turn is two days, although Doug's was only twelve hours.”

“Yeah,” Maya scoffed. “But he's got angel blood. If we're bloodmates, then I should be able to share all of myself with you but I can't.”

“That's it.” Shane's tone was quiet but serious. He studied her closely and nodded. “Your bloodline must carry some kind of unique trait. It could explain why your blood memories are shrouded and why your turn took so long. You're not Fae or Amoveo. I've tasted that type of blood before and I'd recognize it. And since you haven't sprouted fur, it's a safe bet you're not a werewolf,” he said with a wink. “It's not angel or demon either, because you don't exhibit any of the traits that Doug and Pete have as vampires. It's something else. That has to be the reason.”

“Will you help me, Shane?” Maya rested her cheek on her knees and looked at him pleadingly.

“Ask and it's yours,” he whispered. He brushed the hair from her forehead. “Anything.”

“Help me find out who I am. How can I commit myself to you, to this whole bloodmate idea, if I don't even know who I am?”

“Like I said”—Shane gathered her into his arms and held her, brushing the top of her head with a kiss—“I'll always come and find you.”

The sound of Lottie's car coming down the driveway prompted Maya to get dressed in record time. Shane offered to pack up the weapons and suggested Maya go inside to see if Lottie required anything of them. Maya picked some grass out of her hair before opening the creaky screen door and stepping into the brightly lit kitchen. Turning to close the door behind her, she caught a glimpse of Shane and couldn't help but stop and stare.

He still hadn't put on his shirt, and the clear, moonlit night was giving her a beautiful view of his broad, well-muscled back. Maya leaned against the doorway and watched him organize the weaponry with the same focused intensity that he did everything else, including lovemaking. A smile played at her lips, recalling the way his hands ran over her naked body and the heartbreaking tenderness that lingered in his kisses. Her hand went to her mouth, which tingled at the memory of rasping along his stubble-covered jaw.

“I smell sex.”

Maya yelped and spun around, immediately going into a defensive stance, and found herself face-to-face with Lottie, who was laughing so hard, tears were streaming down her face. Feeling totally embarrassed, Maya dropped her hands as Shane appeared behind her with his gun drawn. He immediately tucked it into the waist of his jeans when he saw Lottie guffawing and leaning on the back of a chair for support.

“Yup.” Swiping at her wet cheeks, Lottie shook her head and plopped her leather messenger bag on the table. “It's in the air, and it's thick like the fog on the bayou. Damn.” She winked at Maya. “I may need a cigarette just from standing near you two.”

Maya folded her arms over her breasts, at a total loss for words. Mor-ti-fied.

“If you'll excuse me.” Shane slipped past Maya and glanced at Lottie with a look on his face that resembled embarrassment. “I should put this bag away properly so everything is ready for tomorrow's training. Maya, I'll be taking a shower and then heading to bed. The sun will be up soon, and you will need your rest for tomorrow. We'll be adding weapons to the hand-to-hand combat, and you'll be learning to access them from the sentry coat.”

“How romantic,” Lottie said with a roll of her eyes.

“Okay.” Maya glanced at Lottie, who had opened the refrigerator and was cracking open a can of beer. “I'll be up in a few minutes.”

“Good night, Lottie.” Shane tilted his head. “Thank you again for hosting us.”

“You bet.” When he walked past her, Lottie smacked him on the ass. “If she needs sleep, then you better make it a cold shower.”

Shane paused for a moment before silently exiting the kitchen through the swinging door. Maya fought to keep from laughing.

“How was work? Are you always out this late?” Maya asked, desperately trying to change the subject.

“Shit.” Lottie shook her head. “You kidding me? We got ten different conventions in New Orleans this week, which means things are hoppin' down there on Bourbon.”

“What is it that you do, exactly?”

“I'm a fortune-teller. I work at a few little pubs in the Quarter. I used to have a table in Jackson Square, but the weather can be a bitch, so I picked up some indoor gigs.” Lottie removed the colorful scarf she had tied around her head and draped it over the bag. Obviously stiff from sitting for a long time, she stretched her back.

“I do what it sounds like. I can read the future, but it's nothin' that special. Most gypsies are taught the magic when they're children and pass it on to theirs. I never did have kids.” She made a face. “Couldn't find a man I could tolerate for more than a roll or two in the sack. Coulda done it on my own, I suppose, but it just wasn't in the cards for me. Too bad, though.”

“Why?”

“My magic will die with me. I don't have any kin, so our gypsy line will go the way of the dinosaur. Serves us gypsies right, I suppose. We are all so damn secretive, you know. The clans don't share their magic with other clans, so when one clan dies out…that's it for their family's magic.”

“There are different kinds of gypsy magic?” Maya asked with genuine curiosity.

“Sure.” Lottie belched after taking another swig of beer. “There used to be a few hundred clans, but who knows how many are left? Not me. For all I know, I could be the last. Up until a couple of centuries ago, the clans used to gather, but after a lot of bickering and petty crap, that stopped. Us gypsies have powerful magic, but damn if we aren't a stubborn lot. Anyway, like I said, my clan's magic is about seeing the future.”

“Can you read the past?” Maya asked tentatively.

“Not usually, but sometimes I can.” Lottie took a big sip of beer and looked Maya up and down. “Why?”

“I don't remember much about my human life, and it didn't really bother me until recently.”

“Recently, huh?” Lottie jutted her thumb toward the ceiling. “Your sudden desire to uncover your past wouldn't have anything to do with the six-foot, four-inch hunk of man upstairs, would it?”

“Some, yes.” Maya lifted one shoulder. “But it's not just because of Shane. How can I move forward if I can't let go of the past? It haunts me, Lottie. Not knowing where I come from haunts me.”

“Well, you do still have that glimmer thing going on. It wasn't my eyes playin' tricks on me. Nope.”

“Shane thinks that I might have—”

“Stop right there.” Lottie held up one hand. “Not another word. I don't like to have any preconceived notions because it can mess with the reading.” Lottie grabbed her bag and gestured toward the door. “Come on.”

“Where?”

“The living room.” She bumped the door open with her butt, making the charms on her skirt jingle. “I like to work in there when I'm at home.”

“Work?” Maya looked at her quizzically.

“Let's see what we can see.” Lottie drained the rest of her beer, and disappearing through the door, she shouted, “Come on, baby girl. You ain't got much time. That sun won't wait just 'cause you've got questions you want answered, and I'm tired.”

Maya steeled her courage. The possibility of learning more about her past was actually rather frightening now that she was faced with it. But hadn't she just been asking Shane to help her?

“Jeez, Maya,” she muttered to herself. “Stop being such a baby and get out there.”

Shane.
Maya tentatively reached out and touched his mind with hers.
Lottie
is
going
to
try
and
use
her
gypsy
magic
to
read
my
past. I—I know you're tired but—

Before she could finish her sentence, Shane was pushing open the door to the kitchen and gesturing for her to come with him. “No time to waste. The sun will be up soon.”

Smiling and blinking back tears, Maya ran to him, wrapped her arms around his waist, and hugged him quickly before popping up on her toes and brushing his lips with hers. “Thank you.”

They walked into the living room hand in hand to find Lottie seated on the far end of the couch and tying her long hair back into a bun. She smiled and patted the empty cushion next to her before rubbing her hands together briskly as though warming them up. Shane gave Maya's hand a reassuring squeeze before she sat down, and she shifted her body so that she and Lottie were face-to-face.

Shane stepped aside and stood on the other side of the coffee table with his hands at his sides. Maya couldn't help but notice that he always looked ready for battle. The man was never off duty. She wondered if he'd ever actually been a little boy, or if he'd come out of the womb looking like that.

“Now,” Lottie began with a look of caution to both Maya and Shane, “like I was sayin' before, I usually can only see the future of a person, and I've never tried readin' a vampire before. So this could get us a whole lot of nothin'. Everyone understand?”

“Yes.” Maya nodded and straightened her back.

“Okay, girl.” Lottie clapped her wrinkled hands and extended them, palms facing up, toward Maya. “Give me your hands.”

Maya placed her hands in Lottie's. The gypsy's eyes widened with surprise, and she gripped Maya's fingers tightly. “I'll never get over it.” Lottie laughed.

“What?” Maya glanced at Shane for reassurance.

“I always expect your kind to be as cold as ice but you aren't.” Lottie pursed her lips and shrugged. “A little cooler than a regular person, but you aren't walking icicles like they say ya are in the movies.”

“That whole garlic thing is a myth too,” Maya said in a conspiratorial whisper. “I do think it smells terrible, though.”

“Me too.” Lottie winked and settled Maya's hands over her knees. The smile faded from her lips. “I need you to sit quietly and close your eyes. Concentrate on your past or whatever you can remember. A person or a place, maybe?”

“My grandmother.” Maya's eyes fluttered closed, and the image of her grandmother filled her mind. Long, silver hair swept up in a graceful bun framing a heart-shaped face soft with age, smiling blue eyes just like Maya's, and the emerald necklace dangling around her neck. “I can see her smiling.”

“Good girl.” Lottie's voice was quiet and barely above a whisper. “Keep that image in your mind and be still.”

The seconds of silence extended into minutes, Maya was beginning to think this was going to be a big waste of time. But she shut down the voice of doubt and kept her eyes closed and her mind focused.