Page 60 of Sun-Kissed Fangs
Maya didn’t react to being yelled at. She just smiled in relief, her warm, tan skin glowing under the morning sun.
“Are you okay?”
Harper’s mouth dropped open, shock dulling her fury into bafflement. But only briefly.
“Am I… No, Maya, I’m not fucking okay!”
She’d contained her anger for the entire car ride, and all that energy needed somewhere to go. Yelling made a great outlet.
“Who the hell have you gotten me involved with? Orwhat, rather, because the thing we saw a few hours ago sure seemed more like a what than a fucking who.”
Maya tensed as though Harper had just hit her. And despite the anger still burning in her chest, a twinge of guilt pierced through it.
She looked back at the car. Nell and Patricia had both exited, Nell fidgeting with her jacket sleeves and ignoring Patricia’s attempts to make eye contact.
They hadn’t stopped driving at any point, not even when the car got dangerously low on gas. Nell had barely said a word the entire time, keeping her eyes locked on the back window, looking for signs of them being followed.
Patricia hadn’t been much better. She’d held onto Nell’s hand, ensuring her that everything was fine, but those promises were undercut by the several phone calls she made to Lucas. Not to tell him what happened. Just to hear his voice.
It would be one thing if Harper had been the only one in danger. If Nell and Patricia were nothing more than bystanders. But they were almost taken. Whatevertakenmeant in this context.
“I didn’t know all that would happen.” Maya lowered her voice as a pedestrian walked by, but she shouldn’t have bothered. Theguy was wearing earbuds and had his eyes glued to his phone. Big cities were full of people who minded their own business.
“I know you have questions. A lot of questions.” Maya gestured at a nearby doorway. “It’s better if we talk inside.”
Harper had been so preoccupied with shouting that she hadn’t inspected the building Maya was just leaning against. Club Lotus had been little more than a point of direction until now, but she never would have imagined anything likethis.
It looked recently renovated, with a clean and sleek exterior, decorated with sprawling vines and a pink neon lotus above the entrance. It fit the neighborhood, filled with bars and other nightclubs, but there was somethingmoreabout this place. Something that made your gaze pause and your heart quicken in rhythm.
A beautiful building. But Harper had run out of patience hours ago, and not even the prettiest distraction could dull her desire forquickanswers.
“You can explain yourself perfectly fine out here,” she snapped. “Now. Otherwise, I’m leaving.”
Maya didn’t speak. Then she turned, limbs stiff, and walked into the Lotus.
Harper stared after her. She hadn’t really thought this morning could get any worse, but now she was beingignored?
Hell fucking no.
“Don’t walk away from me!” She hurried inside. Patricia called for her to stop, but listening to reason was a lost cause at this point. “You said you’d give me answers once I got here. Well, I’m here, and I’m dying to know why.”
Maya continued inside, past the empty wardrobe, and into a hall. A staircase led up to another floor, and a set of drapes hung in front of a wide doorway.
“You don’t want to talk to me.” Maya pushed through the drapes. Harper followed before it fell back into place. “I’m not the most knowledgeable person on the subject. I was just supposed to keep you safe and—”
“Safe?” Harper’s voice almost turned shrill. “Are you fucking kidding me? I didn’t feelsafea few hours ago, when I was nearly kidnapped by a bunch of cops. Who were talking about hunts, and Chains, and other weird fucking things.”
Harper cut in front of Maya, finally making her stop. “Tell me what’s going on. And what you needed to keep mesafefrom, because, from where I’m standing, my life didn’t get dangerous until you barged into it. So stop being vague and explain this to menow.”
Maya stayed quiet, pain shining in her eyes. As though Harper had put together the exact string of words needed to make her heart break into pieces.
Then she looked to the side. Brows furrowed, and fully prepared to spit out more biting comments, Harper followed her gaze. And froze.
The room wasn’t just fancy but lavish in its design. Everything looked luxurious, from the heavy drapes padding the walls to the clean, modern furniture. Soft lighting deepened the shadows, the dark colors interrupted only by bright pinks and polished steel.
But the aesthetic wasn’t why Harper’s breath had caught in her throat. Why shock had surged through her body in such a rush that it felt like she was falling even though she was standing up.
Two other women were present, standing on the opposite side of the room. One of them was a stranger, though a recognizable one, given that Harper had seen a photo of Natalya only a fewhours earlier. Except now she wasn’t wearing sunglasses, showing a pair of bright violet cat eyes.
