Vampire Trouble (8 page)

Your nightmare is a ghost, a memory from your human life that you're reliving again and again. Like you said, the man who did this to you is dead.
Shane
lifted
one
shoulder.
The dreamscape is your creation.

Are you saying that I want to go through this?
Anger
flared
hard
and
Maya
shoved
him
away
from
her. To her surprise, he allowed her to slip out of his embrace, and the look on his face was one of acceptance and patience.
You think that I am controlling what happens?

No, at least not intentionally.
Shane's voice was even and calm. He held his arms out and gestured to the beautiful tropical surroundings.
Do you see where we are? It's a far cry from the streets of Manhattan, wouldn't you say? I thought this environment would be a better place for you to distance yourself from what happened. I may have been pulled into your dream last time, but this time the connection was far stronger and I was able to manipulate the dreamscape.

You mean that there's a way to stop the nightmares?
Tears
pricked
the
back
of
her
eyes
again
. I can make it stop for good?

Yes.
Shane
nodded
and
closed
the
distance
between
them. Taking Maya's hands in his, he pulled her to him.
At least, that is what I suspect. I think that the nightmare will continue until you are the one to eliminate your attacker.

Th-that's impossible,
Maya
sputtered.
I—I can't.

You can,
Shane
insisted
in
a
gentle
tone.
His
fingers
curled
around
hers
and
his
thumb
brushed
over
the
top
of
her
hand.
You have far more control than you think you do, Maya. You crave it. I know that your desire for it drives you when you hunt. You are motivated by the need to dominate, to have power and maintain control over your body and your life. That is what feeds you, youngling. Let me show you, Maya. Let me show you where your true power lies.

He
tugged
her
closer
still, the hard planes of his body matching hers in all the right places. Maya's stomach fluttered again, a feeling that reminded her of what it was like to be human—to be alive.
He
leaned
close
and
kissed
her
cheek, his lips nuzzling her ear.

Yes,
Maya
whispered.

She
allowed
her
body
to
lean
into
Shane, and her eyes fluttered while he trailed kisses down her throat. Her hands wandered up his chest and curled over his shoulders as he murmured seductive promises between kisses. When Shane pulled back, his hand cradled the back of her head gently and the look in his eyes made her wet. The long-forgotten feeling of lust and desire burned low and deep in Maya's belly. The evidence of his need for her pressed against her insistently, which only made her want him more.

She
couldn't recall the last time she desired a man sexually or when the very idea didn't scare the shit out of her. Staring into the dark, seemingly endless depths of Shane's eyes, she felt the soul-stirring rumble of desire bubble up and spill over. Maya's fangs erupted on a gasp, and a slow smile cracked Shane's handsome face.

This is your dream, Maya.
A
growl
rumbled
in
Shane's chest and reverberated through her. He splayed his other hand across her lower back and his lip lifted, revealing his razor-sharp fangs
. Tell me what you want.

Maya's body tensed and she wrestled with actually asking for what she wanted. Unable to make herself utter the words, she simply acted. After all, this was a dreamscape—not reality—and according to Shane, she had all the control. Maya decided it was time to test that theory.

Popping
up
on
her
toes, with sand squishing deliciously beneath her feet, Maya threw a silent prayer to the universe, then retracted her fangs and brushed her lips against Shane's. The kiss was gentle at first, tentative, and she sighed when his firm lips parted and she swept her tongue inside the welcoming cavern of his mouth. He tasted fresh and cool, and reminded Maya of New York City at its best.

Wild
and
dark.

Maya's tongue touched Shane's, making him groan with pleasure, and the kiss quickly grew in intensity. The desperate need to feel something other than fear burned Maya from the inside out. She tore her hands from his and tangled her fingers in his thick, wavy hair, sighing when the silky strands slid through her hands in such a familiar way, it was like she'd done it a thousand times before. His hands wandered up her arms and over her shoulders, and skimmed down her back. He finally settled them on her hips, gripping her, doing his best to keep some kind of distance between them, but it was no use. Maya couldn't get close enough and doubted she ever would.

Breaking
the
kiss, Shane pressed his lips against her forehead and Maya closed her eyes. With her arms linked around his neck, she fiddled with the ends of his hair and rested her head against his chest, watching the waves lap gently at the shore. Maya smiled, noticing how easily her body fit with his. Every plane and curve seemed to go together with absolute ease; his body had been made just for her. She reveled in the safety of his embrace and the tranquility that surrounded them. It was as if they were the only two creatures in the universe.

It's time to wake up, youngling.
Shane's voice rumbled in his chest and whispered through Maya's body seductively.
I can feel the sun beginning to set.

How can you tell?
Maya
leaned
back
and
looked
him
in
the
eye.
Is it because you're so old?

Old?
Shane
laughed
loudly
and
kissed
the
top
of
her
head
before
brushing
her
hair
off
her
shoulder.
I suppose it is. With time, you'll learn to recognize the rising and setting of the sun, but that is a lesson for another time.

Fine
. Maya rolled her eyes and placed a kiss at the corner of his mouth.
I do have a big night with my new job and everything.
Shane's expression grew dark.
Relax, I'm just going to tend bar so your bodyguard job with the wolves should be super easy. It's not like I have any plans to strip.

Now
his
eyes
were
downright
stormy
and
she
noticed
that
a
bank
of
clouds
swept
in, swallowing the sun. She wondered if that was on purpose or a side effect of his emotions. She made a note to herself to ask the girls about this dreamscape stuff and see if anything like this happened to them before they stopped dreaming.

S-stripping?
he
sputtered.
You will do no such thing. I forbid it.

Shane's command slammed into her like a ton of bricks, sending anger and frustration up Maya's back. She set her jaw, and in a flash she shoved at him, instantly extricating herself from his embrace.
You forbid it?
Fangs
bared, eyes wild, she glared at Shane with outright fury.

I am your bloodmate, and it is my right.
The
words
spilled
out
in
a
rush, and Shane looked almost as shocked that he'd said it as she did.
You will not do it.

Your what?
Maya
took
another
step
back
while
disbelief
and
confusion
whipped
through
her
like
a
tornado.
Like Olivia and Doug?
She
shook
her
head
and
clutched
the
pendant.
We are not bloodmates. No way.

How else do you explain the fact that I've been pulled into your dreams after not dreaming for more than three centuries?
Shane
folded
his
arms
over
his
chest, and that calm, arrogant look settled over his face once again.
I will not have my bloodmate prancing around half naked in front of a pack of drooling wolves—or humans, for that matter. It's unacceptable.

Oh, really? First of all, this whole dream thing could be a fluke.
Hands
on
her
hips, she closed the distance between them while Shane held his ground.
Secondly, I don't care who you are or who you
think
you are. You have no right to tell me what to do.
She
poked
him
in
the
chest
with
one
finger, but he merely arched an eyebrow at her, which was even more infuriating.
And if I want to take off all my clothes and go running through Times Square, then I'll do it. You know why, Shane? Because it's my life—not yours or anyone else's.

You're being silly.
Shane
smirked.
We both know you're not going to do any such thing.

You see, now that's where you're wrong. I may not remember much about my human life,
she
said
in
the
sweetest
tone
she
could
muster
, but I'll tell you one thing: I do like to dance. So maybe I
will
give it a whirl on the dance floor at The Dollhouse, or maybe I'll strip and dance through Times Square naked as a jaybird…but if I do…it will be my decision, Shane. Not yours.

Before
Shane
could
say
another
word, Maya shot up into the sky. Whisking toward the horizon, she heard Shane's deep voice, edged with sadness, rumbling around her.

Just because you can, Maya, doesn't mean that you should.

Throwing on a pair of her favorite jeans, black knee-high boots, and a formfitting, red V-neck sweater, Maya got up and ready for the night in record time. Normally, she'd take her time and dither over what outfit to wear, but not tonight. She had no idea what Rat would want her to wear to tend bar, and the truth was, she didn't even expect to work tonight. In all likelihood they would only talk about her schedule or something, but one thing was for sure—she would not be stripping. She had no intention of dancing at the club, but when Shane threw out an order, something inside her snapped.

Maya snagged a hairbrush off her dresser and ran it through her hair with furious strokes. Ever since she woke up, all she could think about was Shane and what had happened in the dreamscape. She'd never experienced such a roller coaster of emotions in such a short time.

Fear. Relief. Safety. Passion. Lust. Shock. Fury.

Memories of the gentle way he held her hands, the passionate, insistent feel of his mouth on hers…all of it came flooding back in living color. For the first time since Maya had been turned, fear was drowned out by tenderness and she remembered what it felt like to be desired. To be desired for who she was, not what she looked like.

She fiddled with the handle of the wooden brush as she gazed at her reflection in the large mirror above her white dresser. The human men she hunted were easy prey and wanted her for her body, not that they ever got it, but Shane was different. Maya nibbled her lower lip and smiled wistfully. He wanted her physically, that was for sure, but there was more to it. Shane was concerned about her emotional well-being and her safety, which was evident in the way he intervened in the dreamscape.

The dreamscape. What the hell was he doing there? Not that she wanted to seem ungrateful—after all, he stopped the nightmare—but did his presence there mean what he said it did? Were they bloodmates? Her gut clenched at the mere idea of it and what it would mean.

From what Olivia said, there was a blood exchange and bonding, and then both would become daywalkers. But while he had tasted her blood, she hadn't tasted his. Daywalking was fine, but Maya couldn't quite get a grip on the whole bonded-for-eternity concept. In fact, the mere idea of it was terrifying. She would be trusting him with her life, and Maya never trusted men, other than Pete or Doug. They were like brothers, and it wasn't the same thing.