Immortal Danger (Night Watch 0.5)(18)
Author: Cynthia Eden

That you could be evil . Her head tilted to the right. Not the time to lay her cards on the table.

"She told me where to look for those vamps-and as soon as I get us a new ride, we’ll get the hell out of here and start tracking them." Hint, hint –he was holding her up and they could play the question-

and-answer game later.

"She said that Cammie’s still alive?"

It was the desperation in his voice that got to her. She gave a quick nod. They keep the girl, waiting. Maya had no idea if the vamps had tasted the kid, or if they’d been playing a nice game of Torture-The-Girlie. Some vamps really got off on things like that. But the kid was alive, that much reassurance she could give him.

Adam swallowed. Maya deliberately looked down at his hand. "Now are you gonna keep grabbing me or are you gonna let me do what I was hired to do?" Because if he wanted, they’d just stand there all night. Sure, the wolves would come after them and then they’d have to fight and all the humans would scream and run and chaos would ensue.

But it was an option.

She quirked a brow and waited.

"Do your job," he growled.

Maya led the way to Heaven and Hell.

She didn’t bother with the line-she’d learned long ago she wasn’t a good waiter. Besides, they didn’t have the time to piss away.

Pushing through the crowd, ignoring the mutters behind her, she headed for the door. The bouncer, a tall, muscular redhead, smiled when she saw Maya. Maya smiled right back. She liked Ronnie-the woman was hard as nails and didn’t take shit from anyone.

"Hungry tonight?" the bouncer asked.

Since she didn’t like the traditional feeding rooms, Maya had visited bars like this one before.

Feeding-that was how she’d met the owner, Tim.

The man’s blood was sweet. Not as good as Adam’s, but-

No one’s was.

"Maybe," she finally drawled in answer to Ronnie’s question.

A laugh rumbled in the woman’s chest. Ronnie wasn’t afraid of vampires or demons or, well, anything that Maya knew of. Another mark in the woman’s favor.

But Ronnie’s laughter faded when she caught sight of Adam. Her eyes narrowed in suspicion and her body stiffened. "He with you?"

"Yeah." And as much fun as chatting with the chick was, they needed to hurry. "Tim inside?"

Ronnie’s gaze raked down Adam’s body.

"Ronnie? Is Tim inside?" The woman’s expression shifted and she started to look…interested.

Maya found she didn’t like that look. She could still feel Adam’s touch on her thigh, feel the warmth of his fingers, and she didn’t like the way Ronnie was staring at him .

The redhead finally glanced back at her. "He’s in there, but why do you need him? You’ve got a fine man right here."

Maya bared her teeth, knowing her fangs would show. "Sometimes, a gal just can’t have too many men." Then she brushed by the bouncer and pushed open the swinging doors of Heaven and Hell.

The music hit her first. The loud, pounding beat. Spotlights circled over the crowd, shining on toned legs, tight asses, br**sts that were exposed by low-cut tops. Dancers writhed and twisted in front of the stage. Couples huddled together in the shadows.

Yeah, it was a great place for feeding. So easy to seduce those who were already high from the booze-or from the drugs passed secretly in the back to those with enough money or fame to get a hit.

"Not your kind of place, is it?" Adam murmured, his body close behind hers. His breath stirred the hair on her nape.

When she’d been living, hell, no, she never would have stepped a foot inside the high-priced door.

But she wasn’t in a position to be so choosy anymore.

She shoved her way through the crowd, heading for the long, twisting spiral staircase that led up to the VIP area. Tim would be up there. Behind the tinted windows. Watching the crowd.

Tim had always liked to watch.

A thickly muscled man in a perfectly fitting black suit stepped in front of the stairs and blocked her path. His eyes, dark brown, swept over her dismissively. "The area’s not for you, lady."

"It’s the jeans isn’t it?" she murmured and deliberately locked her eyes with his. "They just don’t make me look stylish."

His stare held hers. She wished that she could use the Thrall on him. That lovely psychic power that the elders of her kind possessed. One look and the victim was under the vamp’s total control.

If only .

She would’ve used that handy trick on Adam.

Since she didn’t possess that magic-maybe in another hundred years or so-well, she’d have to do things the old-fashioned way.

Maya licked her lips and leaned forward.

The bouncer’s eyes narrowed, but she could hear the sudden, fast race of his heart. "Lady, uh, you can’t-"

She wrapped her fingers around his throat and jerked him up into the air. "Trust me, I can. I can do just about any damn thing I want."

He tried to swing at her then, sending a big, meaty fist right toward her face. Her right hand tightened around his throat, and her left caught that flying bear claw in a death grip. Then she squeezed his fingers, hard.

All of the color bleached from the guy’s face.

Behind her, Adam swore and then muttered, "Subtle, Maya, real-"

She didn’t have time to play subtle. And damn, but it seemed a little too easy to lift this guy.

Usually there was a bit of a strain when the prey weighed over two hundred and fifty pounds, but it felt like this fellow was as light as a feather and-

"Ah, Maya, do you mind putting my guard down?" A drawling male voice asked.

She turned her head just a few inches to the right. Saw the man with the sandy hair and the devilish grin. Tim Largent. Just the guy she wanted.

Very slowly, he began to descend the stairs. "Myles is generally good at his job, you know. I’d hate to lose him."

Myles was starting to shake in her grasp. She sighed and sat him back on his feet. Then she smiled at him, flashed her fangs and said, "Boo."

The bouncer jumped.

Tim laughed. "Let the lady pass, Myles. She’s my…special guest."

The guy nearly tripped trying to get out of her way.

Hmm. Had to be his first time with a vamp.

Amateur.

She’d expected Tim to be better staffed. Ah, well. Lesson learned for his man. Just because the foe is smaller, it doesn’t mean she can’t kick your ass.

Maya sauntered up the stairs, stopped on the step just below Tim. The man was as good-looking as she remembered.

Too damn good-looking.

Perfect face. Sensual lips. Eyes that sparkled.

And a soul as black as the night.

"Been a long time," he murmured, staring at her. His hand lifted, then trailed down her cheek.