Page 35 of Sun-Kissed Fangs
“Preoccupied. What were you saying?”
“I wassayingthat your attention being on a single person might not be a bad thing. Maybe you don’t need to convince all of them.”
“Are you trying to get me killed? If I leave one or more of them behind, on purpose, Natalya will tear my head off.”
“That’s not what I meant. The three of them are pretty tight-knit, right? If you talk Harper into making the drive to Chicago, she’ll be able to convince the other two better than you ever could.”
Maya opened her mouth, dismissal at the ready, but it died on her lips.
“That’s… not a bad idea, actually.” She let out a low chuckle. “I’m surprised, Angela. Where did this sudden understanding of human behavior come from?”
“Nowhere. I might suck with people, but I’m great at being efficient.” Angela cleared her throat. “And at identifying issues. If something is wrong, you can talk to me about it.”
Maya started to shake her head, but her shrugging off the concern didn’t get further than that.
There wasn’t even anissueto confront. She was just dealing with a crush that had incredibly poor timing. There were other, far more tangible problems to deal with than her feelings, and her being a bit lovesick was just an impractical but simple snag that would pass soon enough.
Except, it didn’t feelsimple. And it didn’t feel like a crush, either. She’d dealt with that just recently, and this was so muchmorethan that. More wanting, more consuming, more… violent.
She often found herself reliving that first night in the parking lot. Picturing Kieran pressing Harper up against her car, smiling as he held her in place, but this time Diana didn’t intervene. Instead, Maya grated the man’s face against the asphalt and tore his throat apart so severely that not even the healing light of the mooncould save him.
The last time she felt anything close to that urge, people had died.
“Something is off.”
“Off how?” Angela asked.
“I can’t explain it. It just feels… intense. That’s the only word for it.” Maya shook her head, dismissing the ugly thoughts before they could settle. “It doesn’t matter. And I have to go. I’ll text you later.”
She hung up before Angela could start the array of questions she undoubtedly had ready. They weren’t fit for that evening. There were more important things to worry about than how nightmarish her daydreams had gotten.
Pocketing the phone, Maya stepped out of the hallway and headed back to the bar. The familiar smell of spilled alcohol and cigarette smoke hit her like a wall, deafening music covering up the conversations scattered around the clubroom.
None of it surrounded Harper, though. She was still sitting by herself, fingers tapping against an abandoned beer glass as she looked over a few bills splayed out on the table. As though they would multiply if she stared at them long enough.
She looked so small sitting there. Her quick wit and sharp tongue were captivating enough that you could easily forget all the hardship they were hiding. How much sorrow and grief she was carrying around.
It could all be removed with a few simple words. Not for the first time, Maya longed to do just that. To say something—dosomething—that would make that crestfallen look fade from her baby blue eyes.
“Who were you talking to?”
Maya nearly jumped, darting her eyes toward the voice.
Nell was sitting at the end of the bar, robe closed and dark-blonde curls cascading past her shoulders. And since her softvoice was the opposite of startling, Maya really needed to get her act together.
“Just a friend.” Maya started cleaning up a tray of used glasses. “Everything okay? That guy you were with didn’t bother you, right?”
“It’s not your job to handle that kind of thing.” Nell smiled carefully. “But no. He didn’t bother me. George can be a bit of an over-sharer, but he’s harmless, all things considered.”
Despite her assurance, her eyes were more distant now than they had been an hour before, when a middle-aged, red-faced man had eagerly followed her into the private room.
From what Maya had heard, all Nell did with her regulars was talk. But with how she sagged against the bar, it looked more like they were sucking the life out of her.
Maya set a rum and Coke down on the bar. “Here you go. My treat.”
“I can pay for it myself.”
“You could. Or you can use the drink as the excuse it is and hang out with me for a while.” Maya gave her a smile. “You don’t even have to talk. Take a break. Looks like you need it, especially since you weren’t supposed to be working tonight.”
