Chapter 5
Harper wasn’t kidding when she said she knew her way around the city.
She moved around as though born and raised there, knowing every street, every local vendor, every shortcut.
What started out as a tour through various landmarks quickly turned into a showcase of hidden gems and personal favorites, ending at a location that brought an impish look to Harper’s eyes as soon as they arrived.
“Mini-golf?” Maya inspected the black walls and floors framing the indoor course. The tracks were painted in bright colors, all illuminated by neon lights.
“It’s fun. I like that kind of thing.” Harper flashed a flirty grin. “And you were obviously getting bored with the history lessons. Figured I’d sharpen your attention by kicking your ass.”
That was a fair dig, unfortunately. Harper was an impressive tour guide, and despite that, Maya hadn’t retained a word she’d said. Historical anecdotes turned rather dull when paired against Harper’s teasing smile.
“Are we keeping score?” Maya dangled her golf club back and forth. Harper cocked an eyebrow.
“Of course. How else will we know how much you’re getting destroyed?”
Maya dropped her ball at the first hole’s starting marker. “Don’t celebrate too early. I spent a few summers working as a golf caddy. I have experience by way of proximity.”
She gave the ball a firm tap, but instead of bouncing off the angled obstacles, it leaped over the border, vanishing between the feet of some nearby college students.
Maya grimaced. “Yeah… You’re going to wreck me at this.”
Harper bit her lip, hiding a laugh by the look of it, before fetching the runaway golf ball. She tossed it between her hands, looking as innocent as a cat about to knock over a drinking glass.
“I can give you some pointers. If you’d like.”
“Why do I have a feeling that your pointers will be more distracting than helpful?”
Harper widened her eyes in mock innocence. “If they are, that just means your attention is drifting towards inappropriate places. How could that possibly be my fault?”
She set down the golf ball, pushing her hips back in such a provocative way that it had to be intentional. The smirk she gave Maya at least suggested as much.
Though she did honestly try, Maya couldn’t help but play into the move. Harper had abandoned her jacket at a nearby table, leaving her in tight-fitting jeans and a tank top. It crept up when she bent forward, revealing a tattoo of a smiley face on her lower back.
The tattoo was one of several, scattered around her body in a patchwork pattern. There was a moth on her bicep, flowers on her shoulder, and a bird silhouette on her forearm. Most of them looked to be a few years old, but some were recent, including one of six tally marks by the crook of her elbow.
Maya was so busy with her innocent inspection that she almost missed when Harper sent the ball rolling. It bounced against the sides of the track, settling only a few inches from the hole.
“See? Easy.” Harper tapped the ball, rolling it the last distance. “I’m really good at this, by the way. If you want to win, we have to go somewhere else.”
“Well, winning will be a walk in the park now. Since you just showed me how to play.”
Harper pursed her lips, challenge and amusement rising in her eyes. A look she’d shot Maya several times that day, with no hesitation. With nothing but ease.
She’s only doing that because she doesn’t know what you are. What you’ve done.
The thought hurt, like it always did. But it was worse now, since it had surprise on its side. Painful thoughts played at a louder volume when there wasn’t anyone around to dull their presence, and it wasn’t the first time Maya had found refuge in the smile of a charming woman.
“You alright?” Harper asked, brows furrowed. “I didn’t say anything wrong, did I?”
Maya shook her head, both as a means of answering and to clear away the dark memories.
“Just had an ugly thought. Last time I was on anything date-adjacent was with my ex-girlfriend. We didn’t have the cleanest break.”
They didn’t have a break at all, technically. Nor were they really dating. But despite how casual it was in hindsight, Maya had still fallen headfirst into a relationship she never should have started.
She’d thought Brianna was different. In some ways, she had been. She was funny. Sweet. Normal. When the solitude had seemed never-ending, Brianna had appeared and been such a wonderful distraction that Maya could forget why it had even been needed.
But the world didn’t forget. Before Maya could even consider how much honesty a normal relationship could handle, the decision was made for her. Brianna heard her story from someone else.
She hadn’t even wanted to look at Maya after that. In the blink of an eye, the woman Maya had found a degree of peace with started treating her the same frightful way as everyone else.
Harper’s dark brows knitted together. Then she picked up her glass, pressing her teeth around the straw.
“Girlfriend, huh? Interesting.”
She put on such a mockingly demure smile that Maya couldn’t help but laugh.
This was just a job. This ease wasn’t permanent. But that didn’t mean she couldn’t rest in it while it lasted. What was the worst that could happen?
“You are shockingly bad at this,” Harper said. They were halfway through the course, and Maya had just used a ridiculous number of attempts to get the ball near the hole.
“Ah, but you see, that’s my secret plan. I’ve let you pull ahead, and now you’ve fallen into a false sense of security.”
She gave the ball a gentle tap, which apparently wasn’t gentle at all. The ball rolled past the hole, settling even further away than it had been before.
Maya groaned. “Oh, you’ve got to be fucking kidding me.”
Harper snorted, stopping the sound from growing into laughter by covering her mouth.
“All that caddying did you a disservice. Your backswing is too powerful.” She moved over, bumping Maya’s hip. “You need to relax. You being so stiff is sending the ball off course.”
“Maybe the track is just uneven?”
“It wasn’t when I got a hole in one just now.” She slipped the golf club out of Maya’s fingers. “Watch and learn.”
Harper took Maya’s hand in hers. She leaned forward, pressing back against Maya’s hips, before putting Maya’s hand on the golf club handle. Since Harper was still holding onto it, it meant Maya was leaning over her, and their fingers were touching.
“Pay attention,” Harper whispered. “Just feel what I’m doing. And relax.”
Her voice was pure tease. Maya would have matched the provoking tone, but the sudden proximity stopped any clever responses from forming.
Citrus perfume curled through the air. Fresh and sharp, and her attention fixed on it further when her fingers brushed over Harper’s wrist. Feeling her pulse thump under her skin.
“Alright. I’m relaxed.” Maya grabbed the club handle, covering Harper’s hands, and put her mouth right by her ear. “Now what?”
Rather than follow her own advice, Harper tensed, and a sweet smell mingled with her perfume. One Maya had sensed before, but never from Harper herself.
She had gotten used to fear, but its distant cousin she had less personal experience with.
She’d liked it well enough when she’d produced it before.
Found it a pleasant addition to everything else that was going on.
But even though desire always brought a saccharine taste to the air, it had never been sweeter than when it came from this woman.
When Harper didn’t move, Maya pulled back the club—guiding Harper’s hands along at the same time—and tapped the ball. Instead of flying out of bounds, it rolled slowly over the track and tipped into the hole.
“See?” Harper looked over her shoulder, putting their lips only inches apart. “Easy…”
Neither of them moved. Harper’s breathing stilled, her pulse increasing in speed as her eyes fell to Maya’s mouth. Settling there.
Then, her attention shifted. The scent of desire vanished, a hint of smoke replacing it.
Turning, Maya followed her gaze. The place was spacious, with plenty of people roaming around. Smiling families, tipsy college students, laughing children.
Amidst all that merriment, two men stood out. Both were fit and rugged, wearing clothing ill-suited for the cold season, and leaning against the far wall. And both of them were staring at Harper.
Maya recognized one of them. The redhead. She’d seen him have fun at the Lucky Penny only a few days before, when his fondling made a woman run away from him. She might just be telling herself as much, but his gaze seemed a little hungrier than the cool stare of his companion.
“Oh, for fuck’s sake.” Harper straightened and turned her back to the onlookers. Maya stepped forward, positioning herself between Harper and the unwelcome audience.
“Know them?”
“Sort of. The creepy redhead is Booker. He’s one of Kieran’s cop buddies, which is why he’s here, I’m guessing. Kieran knows I like this place. He knows everywhere I like to go.”
“Everywhere?” Maya’s eyes darted back to Harper. “He knows where you live?”
“We dated for a couple of months, so yeah, obviously.” She let go of the golf club, all but shoving it to the floor.
“He made enough post-breakup visits that I don’t go back there anymore.
I’m staying with Trish until I can find a new place he won’t know about.
But that clearly doesn’t matter. I can’t go anywhere now, since he has his fucking brutes surveilling me. ”
They weren’t there to surveil. Going by how their focus had shifted to Maya, the only reason they kept their distance was because they didn’t want to upset the lethal Chains daywalker.
“Can we go?” Harper said tiredly, pulling on her jacket. “Getting stalked is taking the fun out of this. I only like an audience if they’re paying for the privilege.”
She started walking towards the exit, sneering as she went. Her scowling at nothing meant she didn’t spot the two men sticking their heads together, whispering.
They would probably follow them out. Shadow them and look for an opportunity. Wait for Harper to be alone.
Maya took Harper’s hand and hurried towards the door. Harper let out a surprised yelp as she got pulled forward.
“What the hell are you doing?”
“Getting rid of them.” In her periphery, the two men rushed towards the exit, slowed down by rowdy family groups and wandering service staff.
“Getting rid of… Maya, what exactly—”
Maya placed a finger over her lips, killing the question but not the confusion still playing in Harper’s eyes. It only grew more apparent when Maya led her outside and into a small alleyway close to the entrance, pressing her up against the wall.
Most aspects of her new nature were more curses than blessings, but right then Maya was grateful for them. Vampires could wear darkness like a cloak, causing watching eyes to glide past rather than linger.
The ability was useless against therians.
They could catch a vampire’s scent with ease, so the darkness offered no refuge against a roaming pack of wolves.
But Maya was like a void to them. As she leaned so far into Harper’s space that her perfume tickled her nose, she hoped that protection would extend to people near her.
Seconds later, the entrance doors slammed open, and the two men came rushing out. They scanned the street and then set off in separate directions. The redhead ran right past the mouth of the alley, and Maya pressed herself harder against the wall, covering Harper from view.
The footsteps receded. Then vanished entirely. The only sound present now was Harper’s shallow breathing, hitting Maya’s skin like warm caresses.
“What the…” Harper’s voice was a near whisper, but it came through as clearly as a shout.
Maya turned towards her, only then realizing how close they were. Their faces were inches apart, and Maya’s hands were settled on either side of Harper’s head, keeping her in place.
For a moment, Harper just stared at her. Then she smiled, her features bright with surprise.
“What the hell kind of spy move was that?”