Sean's room was on the right. The door stood partially open, and Maya paused for just a moment.
Adam watched her, that green gaze too intent. "Who's in there?"
Day watcher. Friend. The guy she'd nearly gotten killed.
Her shoulders stiffened and she pushed open the door.
Machines beeped inside, a steady, insistent duh duh duh that seemed to rake across her brain. On the bed, his face nearly as white as the sheet, lay Sean.
His body was wrapped tightly in gauze and bandages. He'd been cut, slashed with claws and teeth, and left to bleed out on the street in front of her safe house.
Safe house. There was no safe place for her anymore. She'd have to find another secret shelter.
Very slowly, Maya crept toward the bed. Her hand lifted, hesitated over Sean's disheveled mass of blond hair.
She could feel Adam behind her, watching, waiting.
Her fingers fisted. "You realize-this could be you."
He didn't respond.
Her gaze darted to the hospital tray near the bed. Someone had put flowers on the tray. Roses.
Sean's glasses were next to the vase. Lenses repaired now, black frames in perfect condition.
She'd gotten his glasses fixed yesterday. She wanted them there, waiting for him, when he woke up.
"The demon did this." Not a question.
Maya nodded anyway and then she leaned in close to the bed. Her mouth was inches from Sean's ear when she whispered, "I got him. I wanted you to know, I-I found him." He won't ever hurt you or anyone else, again.
For an instant, she thought she saw his eyelashes flutter and her breath caught in her chest.
"Sean?"
His eyes didn't open. Hadn't opened, not for two days. At least he was out of the Intensive Care unit. The doctors had told her that he would get better.
Sean had barely escaped death.
Now it was time for him to stay the hell away from her.
Maya backed away from the bed. Turned her attention to Adam. "Take a good look at him," she said, her voice hard. "Because this could happen to you. If we go after those vampires, and they attack-"
"I'm not worried about getting hurt." His gaze didn't drift toward the bed. The intense stare stayed locked on her. "You don't need to warn me. I know exactly what I'm doing."
"Do you?" Heavy doubt coated the words.
"Yeah, I do."
He'd been warned. Maya shrugged. "Sean was my day watcher. Had been for the last five years." Despite what most people thought, sunlight couldn't actually kill a vampire. That was just some crazy legend that had been circulating thanks in large part to Hollywood.
Bram Stoker had hit closer to the truth about vampires and daylight. Vamps were weaker during the day, basically only having strength equal to that of a human. Sure, they could still shift their fingernails into claws and drink from prey, but rousing the energy for those acts was a major drain.
Because of that weakness, most of her kind had decided to rest in the daylight hours and hunt and play during the night.
Maya generally followed that rule. But she liked to have someone around, watching her back while she rested.
With Sean out of commission, she'd be on her own.
She cast one last look down at Sean's still face. Shouldn't have happened like this. She should have protected him.
Maya turned and left the room.
Adam didn't speak until the door closed behind them. "You were avenging him. Earlier tonight, that's what you were doing at the feeding room."
Didn't take a genius to figure that out. It wasn't like she normally hung out in the feeding rooms.
Those places, oh, shit, they were hellish. The humans, twisting, moaning, begging for the bites. It made her sick.
And the vampires…Hurting their prey. Enjoying the pain.
Monsters.
Since she was a vampire, Maya knew she fell in the same category.
Monster.
"We need to get a few things straight," she told him, casually resting her arm against the wall.
While her pose was relaxed, she was actually starting to feel a bit dizzy and she needed the support.
"If I help you-"
"If?" He growled, shoulders stiffening.
She ignored the interruption. "Then I'm the one in charge, got it? You might think you know vampires because you've stumbled onto one or two in the dark and lived to spread your tales, but believe me, you have no idea how vicious some of those bastards can be."
"Oh, I think you'd be surprised by what I know."
Maya sucked in a quick breath, then lunged, grabbing Adam and shoving him against the wall on the other side of the corridor. "Shut up, Slick, and listen. Vampires kill. It's what they do. Most don't do it quickly, either. They like to play with prey. Make the humans cry, beg. Then the vamps rip them apart."
Her right elbow pressed against his chest. Adam stared down at her, eyes glittering with anger.
No, not anger. Rage.
"I'm strong enough to fight them," she said. Well, usually. When she hadn't been bleeding out all night. "They'd make a meal of you."
She wanted him to understand. This wasn't some kind of game. If they went after the ones who'd taken his niece, he could die.
He had to follow her orders. To. The. Letter.
His teeth clenched as he gritted, "I'll do what you say."
So he wasn't pleased with that deal. Too damn bad. "I've taken on retrieval jobs in the past." She hadn't been helping anyone or doing the jobs out of the kindness of her heart. Because there wasn't any kindness left in there.
She'd done it for the cash. Even vamps needed money. There was the little matter of needing money to pay for the safe houses.
Ah, money. "My fee is two hundred grand."
"Done."
Maya blinked. Okay, so she had a rich boy on her hands. Now for the second payment requirement. "And I'll need your blood." No sense in her having to go out and hunt for food when she had a perfect source right in front of her. If he wanted her help, well, then he'd have to bleed for it.
Now there was hesitation. And struggle. She saw it in his eyes.
Doesn't like the idea of a vampire tasting him.
Not that she particularly blamed him. Back in her human days, the idea of a vampire tasting her blood hadn't been on her top ten list, either.
But times had changed. She had to keep her strength up if she was going to be chasing vampires-
especially considering the fact that those vampires would have access to fresh blood.
"How much?"
Maya lowered her arm, but didn't step back. Even this close to him, she still couldn't catch his scent. Damn odd. "As much as I need." She didn't plan to drain him, or even take enough to weaken him. "Don't worry. You won't even notice it's gone."