Authors: Sara Humphreys
Isabella
is
a
ghost.
Shane's voice slid into Maya's mind with welcoming familiarity and instantly put her at ease.
She's haunted the halls of The Cloisters for years but recently took a liking to Xavier. I've never seen her, but he talks about her all the time. Don't worry, I'm sure she's harmless.
I
hope
so.
Maya eyed the ceiling again.
I've had all the trouble I can handle.
“Do you know any Romanian?” Xavier asked while fishing the remote out of the pocket of his white lab coat.
“Me?” Maya shook her head. “No. English is my first and only language.”
“You?” He nodded toward Shane.
“Sadly, I do not, but if you need Spanish, French, German, or Japanese translations, then I would be of some assistance.”
“Wait a minute.” Maya stopped dead in her tracks. “You speak all those languages?”
“I have been roaming the planet for four centuries.” Shane frowned. “Actually, it's rather appalling that I haven't learned more. Most vampires my age are fluent in many more languages than that.”
“Yeah.” Maya pursed her lips and nodded. “I was just thinking what a slacker you are.”
Shane shot her an annoyed look that quickly faded when he saw the teasing look in her eyes. “Glad to see you're feeling better.”
Maya smiled and lifted one shoulder but said nothing because he was right. She was relieved that he didn't appear to hate her after what had happened. Then, her smile faltered as she realized why he was being so forgiving.
He was her bloodmate, and without her, he would never walk in the sun. Did Shane truly care for her, or was he merely following the bloodmate trail?
Xavier pushed another button on his remote, and seconds later the back wall slid away to reveal a massive arsenalâbut it didn't stop there. Another wall covered with guns disappeared behind the neighboring panel to reveal a walk-in closet that would make any warrior drool. It was the NYC Presidium's armory.
When Maya looked at Shane, the expression on his face was a combination of excitement and simmering aggression. He reminded her of a tiger, pacing back and forth, and waiting for the right moment to strike. Shane stepped into the cavernous armory and immediately started picking up various guns and slipping them into hidden compartments within his jacket. He handled them with absolute confidence, and while Maya watched him, the word “graceful” actually came to mind.
Shane was most definitely in his element.
Maya, however, was not, and to say she was intimidated by the space would be an understatement.
“Don't be shy.” Xavier waved for her to come in. He flew up and stood on top of a stool at the far side of the room. “I have something here that's perfect for you.”
Maya went over to him, although she couldn't help but notice that Shane was watching her while he packed various items into his bag, which now had more firepower than clothing. When she finally reached Xavier, he was holding a gun out to her with both hands.
“Here.” He smiled warmly. “Give it a try. It's not loaded, so you don't have to worry about any accidents.”
Maya licked her lips, which suddenly felt dry. She stared at the shiny stainless-steel weapon. Slipping the bag off her shoulder, Maya placed it on the ground before tentatively taking the gun from Xavier.
She held the weapon in both hands and turned it over, carefully inspecting it. It was lighter than she expected and had a long, thin barrel with what looked like a skinny pole running along the top of it. The handle was smooth, and wrapping her fingers around it, she was surprised at how easily and naturally it fit in her hand.
“How is it?” Shane's voice drifted over her left shoulder, making Maya jump a bit. He'd moved in behind her without a sound and stood just inches away. “Is it too heavy or cumbersome feeling?”
Maya lifted one shoulder and looked at the weapon in her hands. “I have no idea how it's supposed to feel. I've never held a gun before. At least, not since I was turned,” she added quickly. “I couldn't tell you what the hell I held or didn't hold when I was human.”
“Well, I doubt you ever held anything like this.” Xavier pushed his glasses up onto his head and pointed one pudgy finger at the gun. “That gun takes standard silver bullet ammo and
liquid
silver bullets.”
“That's new.” Shane had moved closer, but Maya did her best to focus on what Xavier was saying instead of the way her body was reacting to Shane.
“And deadly to both vamps and werewolves.” Xavier snagged two ammunition magazines from the shelf behind him and held them up. “The black mags contain the solid silver bullets. As you know, they kill only with a shot to the head or heart. The white mags have the liquid silver bullets. Once they hit the target, liquid silver is injected into the bloodstream. Given the amount, it's almost always fatal.”
“You're a genius, my friend.” Shane reached past Maya and took the ammunition from Xavier. “I'll hold on to these.”
“Fine with me.” Maya shuddered. “Just being near this stuff is a little intimidating.”
“That's not what's frightening,” Shane said, zipping up his bag before moving in behind her again.
“Oh really?” She looked over her shoulder at him. “Then what is?”
“Like most creatures, you fear what you don't know.”
In a blink, Shane reached out and wrapped both arms around her. Pressing his body against hers, he spun her so that she was facing the stainless steel wall and could see their combined reflections. He slid his hands along her arms until his fingers were wrapped around hers, which were curled around the gun.
“But we can remedy that.” He kissed her cheek, a featherlight brush along her flesh, making her stomach do that flip-flop thing again. Holding her stare in the mirror-like finish of the wall, he adjusted her grip on the gun and gingerly slid her finger onto the trigger with his. His flesh covered hers at every possible spot, and he nestled his head alongside hers then gently adjusted her stance.
“The trick is to be gentle.” Shane's voice, quiet but strong, filled the room. His hands remained over hers, merely resting there like a caress, guiding her. “You don't need to apply much pressure to make it fire.”
Maya nodded and did her best to concentrate on what Shane was talking about. Having him so close, and feeling the hard planes of his body along hers, was highly distracting. The slow burn of desire crackled and simmered through her blood when Shane's hips pressed against her. If he kept this up, a lot more than the gun was going to fire.
“Your stance should be balanced.” He grinned and slid one boot-clad foot between hers, gently but insistently nudging her feet apart. “Shoulder width apart. And never, ever take your eye off the target.”
He added the tiniest bit of pressure against her finger on the trigger and a bright-red light beam came out of the barrel.
“Laser sighting,” Shane murmured. The scruff of his unshaven face rasped enticingly along her cheek as he spoke, creating delicious friction. His voice rumbled in his chest and vibrated through her and around her. “All you have to do is point and shoot.”
“You can't miss,” Xavier added with a clap of his hands. Maya stiffened in Shane's embrace, having almost forgotten they weren't alone in the room. Xavier flew from the stool back out to the main laboratory. “Hold on, you can't go without some silver throwing weapons.”
“Throwing weapons?” Maya asked with trepidation.
“That's later.” Shane held her stare, his hands trailing up her arms, and she lowered the gun. “We'll start training in hand-to-hand combat when we arrive in Louisiana.”
“Hand-to-hand combat?” Maya squeaked. Shane rested his hands on her shoulders while he peered at her intently. “IâI don't think I can do that.”
“Yes, you can.” He squeezed her shoulders and kissed the top of her head. “But we'll take it one step at a time. You are capable of more than you know.”
“There's something I have to tell you, Shane,” Maya whispered. She looked away, too embarrassed to look him in the eyes. “Last night, when we were with the wolvesâ”
“We don't have to discuss it right now,” he interjected. The muscle in his jaw flickered and tension settled in his shoulders. “It's done.”
“Yes, we do. Listen, Shane. Something happened to me in that hotel.” She grabbed the pendant for reassurance and squeezed her eyes shut, remembering the bizarre sensation of being drawn to the wolves. “I-It was like my senses got totally out of whack and I couldn't see straight. It almost felt like I got drugged.”
Before she could finish, the same fluttering sound from earlier whisked into the armory and she felt Shane's body tense. Maya's eyes flicked open and she found herself face-to-face with a young woman who was most definitely a ghost and had to be Isabella.
Bella looked to be no more than eighteen or twenty, and she had large, dark eyes rimmed with sadness. She floated in midair with long, black hair flowing loosely down her back, and she wore a dark-colored dress with a high neck and long sleeves. Her hands were clasped in front of her, and she was entirely transparent.
“Well, well, well,” Shane murmured. “You must be Bella.”
The girl's eyes flicked to Shane briefly and she looked annoyed, as though his greeting was unwelcome. Bella floated closer, the fluttering sound whispering around her, and Maya leaned back against Shane. The ghost girl flicked her gaze to Maya's necklace and then back to Maya's face, studying her closely. She raised one delicate hand, pointed to the pendant at Maya's throat, and whispered, “
Vanator.
”
Maya's hand instinctively grabbed the pendant and held it to her chest, while the girl continued to float in midair and stare at her.
“Here we are.” Xavier's excited voice boomed into the room, and Bella vanished like a candle blown out by the breeze. He stopped a few feet away and smiled. “Was that Bella?”
“Yes.” Maya handed the gun to Shane and went to Xavier. “What does
vanator
mean?”
“She spoke to you? That's the first time she's spoken to anyone other than me.” He handed Shane a black leather bag that undoubtedly contained the throwing weapons. Running a hand through his unruly white hair, Xavier turned and walked back into the lab, waving for them to follow. “What was that word again?”
“
Vanator
,” Shane said.
The doors to the armory slid shut behind them, and the smooth stainless-steel wall slid back into place, hiding the stash of weapons.
“Get Maya suited up with those,” Xavier said, waving absently at the bag. “I'll look up that word. I bought a Romanian-English dictionary once she started talking to me, but she talks so fast that most of the time it doesn't help. Usually she just hangs around and watches me work.”
Shane placed the bag on the counter before pulling on his leather gloves. Maya watched him carefully remove sterling-silver ninja stars and a few daggers from the bag.
“Stand still and hold your arms out to the side.”
Maya did as he asked. “Like this?”
“Yes.” Shane picked up two sterling-silver ninja stars and must have seen the look of concern on her face. He stepped closer. “Do you trust me?”
The pungent smell of silver filled her head and burned her nostrils, and she could only imagine the pain she would feel if it actually touched her skin. Holding his dark stare, Maya nodded, almost imperceptibly.
“I'll be gentle,” he whispered.
Then with the speed and agility of a seasoned sentry, Shane slid each of the weapons into the secret compartments that lined the long, leather duster coat Maya wore. Though it felt heavier, she knew she'd still be able to move around easily and that she was protected from the silver by the layers of leather. She dropped her arms, thinking they were finished, but he shook his head and held up two throwing knives. Each had a leather handle and was about six inches long. They looked like they could cut through a vampire or a werewolf like butter.
“Almost done. Take off the coat.” Shane stood only a few inches from Maya and watched while she did as he asked and carefully draped the weapon-laden garment on the table. He leaned closer. “Raise your arms,” he whispered, “and no matter what happensâ¦don't move.”
His rich, male scent filled her head, a welcome relief from the strong stench of silver. With a dagger in each hand, Shane stood face-to-face with Maya and reached around her with both arms as though he was going to wrap her up in a hug. She felt a slight tugging on the back of her catsuit when he slipped the daggers into some kind of compartments.
She turned her face and her cheek brushed his shoulder while his scent grew stronger and filled her head seductively. Closing her eyes, she allowed herself to simply feel the effect of having him so close to her. His hands slid down her back and stopped along the top of her ass. His body tensed against hers and his fingers gripped her hips while her breasts crushed against the broad, muscular plane of his chest.
“Can I move now?” Maya asked and opened her eyes. She tilted her face to look him in the eye, and a smile played at his lips. “Is it safe?”
“Yes.” He took a step back, his fingers trailing along the curve of her hip. “You'll always be safe with me.”
“I found it!” Xavier exclaimed.
Maya and Shane looked away from one another, the intensity of the moment broken. She pulled on her coat and gloves, and Xavier flew over with a book in his hands. Shane shouldered his bag, and when Maya went to carry hers, he took it from her and slung it over his other shoulder.
“Get used to flying with the extra weight of the weapons first, and then you can add the bag.”