Chapter 15
Seeing Natalya pace twice within the same month had to be some sort of record.
The last time Maya had experienced it was during that tense meeting in the forest, but then she’d only had the role of unwilling observer. She hadn’t been the source of the fiend’s ire.
It had also just been simple irritation then. Her response was measured as a result. Unlike now, with her pacing the entry hall of the Lotus, eyes glowing pure scarlet.
“This is a disaster.” Natalya’s voice was like a whiplash. “A neutral zone has fallen, we’re suddenly neighboring two hostile therian Courts instead of one, and somehow, I didn’t learn about any of it until there were dead bodies on my doorstep. Explain yourself, Maya.”
Maya turned the silvered switchblade, inspecting its edge. When she arrived at the Lotus just a few minutes before, both it and her hands were covered in blood. She barely had time to clean off before Natalya pulled her into this stern lecture.
A punishment probably waited at the end of it, no matter what she said. She might as well be honest.
“I did what I had to do.”
Natalya’s eyes shined, her infernal gaze hitting like a kick to the senses.
“You did what you wanted, impacting several lives beyond your own in the process. You may be new to my Court, but that isn’t an excuse for shortsighted, selfish behavior.”
The words stung enough that Maya had to look away. This hidden world was so for a reason. There was safety in secrecy, something Maya hadn’t concerned herself with at all.
It didn’t matter when she killed those lycanthropes; something a Chains patrol team needed to clean up for her. It didn’t matter when she showed up at Harper’s apartment—which she still wasn’t sure how she’d found—prepared to tell her everything she was supposed to keep secret.
But she hadn’t. And it wasn’t because of orders, or concern for her peers, or some other sensible reason. It was because Harper would have demanded proof, and Maya didn’t have anything at hand.
Other than herself. Other than the terrifying kind.
“They can’t sell us as the instigators,” Natalya muttered. “Nothing was shared that could put anyone at risk, and we had every right to respond, since those wolves were technically hunting in our territory without permission.”
She gave Maya a sharp look. “Though, if we had known of the developing situation, they might have been stopped and wouldn’t have been there at all. You learned of this attack on St. Louis last night. Why didn’t you contact me about it?”
Maya gritted her teeth. “Because I doubt I would have liked your response.”
Fire blazed in Natalya’s eyes. “That is not how we operate. The Chains don’t have grand armies or centuries-old alliances to fall back on.
We have survived this long because we respect the laws—both our own and the ones beyond our territory.
Our enemies are hungry for weak links in our defense, and if I can’t trust you to report something like this, I can’t trust you at all.
Especially not when you refuse to understand how serious this is. ”
“I do understand. That doesn’t mean I regret my choices.”
Maya forced her eyes onto Natalya’s. A shiver ran through her, creating a ball of tension in her stomach.
“I should have called you. I know that. But if I had, you would have needed to respond as the Regent of Chains first and set aside every other concern. A neutral zone being under attack would have taken precedence over everything else, including my original reason for being in St. Louis. But since you didn’t know, you didn’t have to make that choice. You didn’t do anything wrong. I did.”
Natalya stopped pacing, her anger so heightened that it infested the air. As a greater Lust fiend, her powers allowed her to manipulate the emotions and senses of others. If she wanted to, she could make Maya fall to her knees with a single glance.
Notably, and perhaps because no one else was present, she only made Maya want to lower her eyes.
“Why would you do that?” Natalya asked, irises shifting from red to violet.
“You told me to protect Harper. And the others. As far as I’m concerned, I did just that.”
Natalya stared her down, eyes narrowed. A similar look to the one Maya had gotten during their first conversation. Equal parts surprised, suspicious, and intrigued.
“That kind of admission invites punishment.”
Maya jutted out her chin. “Then punish me. I’m sure you’ll be very fair about it.”
“Watch your tone,” Natalya said sharply.
“Under any other circumstances, a stunt like this would confine you to the high-rise for the next year. Luckily for you, we might be housing prisoners of war in the near future, and locking you up would waste a perfectly good cell. Until I figure out what to do with you, you’ll go back to working at the club bar and keep your goddamn head down. ”
Natalya moved right up to Maya, eyes hard as steel. “This leniency will not be repeated. If you ever hide information from me again, I’ll show you just how torturous immortality can be. Am I understood?”
Her tone didn’t invite argument. And since Maya had prepared herself for something far more agonizing than bartending duty, she should feel grateful that Natalya was in a merciful mood.
But her stomach still sank. Whatever imitation of normalcy she’d lived in these past few weeks was gone now. Within the next hour, Harper’s car would roll up in front of the Lotus, and the peace she’d foolishly rested in would turn into a memory.
“I understand, ma’am.”
“Good.” Natalya’s voice was just as curt as before. But the sternness in her eyes lessened.
She put her hand on Maya’s shoulder. A jolt fired from her fingertips, making it feel like there were needles under her skin. But the feeling vanished in a blink, replaced by a wave of ease flowing through her limbs.
“If our laws were different, I would be thanking you right now,” Natalya said quietly. “Evie’s happiness means everything to me. You gave her that. I won’t soon forget it.”
Her eyes flicked over Maya’s face. She pursed her lips and lowered her hand.
“Maybe someone else won’t either. Young women tend to appreciate having their lives saved.”
Maya’s eyes widened. “What?”
“Don’t act dumb. You’re not very good at it.” Natalya stepped back, heading for the curtain-covered entrance to the Lotus main room. “They’ll be here soon. Wait for them out front and make sure they get inside. Once you’ve done that, go back to the high-rise.”
And with that, Natalya pushed past the curtain and vanished from sight.
The building wasn’t yet ready for the public, so there wasn’t anyone else around.
But even empty and unfurnished, it was still beautiful, with an open space at the ground level and private rooms upstairs.
The color scheme leaned towards blacks and dark purples, occasionally accented by stainless steel.
This was a branch of the Court of Chains, after all.
After today, Maya would never set foot there again. She wouldn’t be able to bear it, watching Harper so in her element and knowing that her teasing smiles would never again be aimed at her.
Pocketing the switchblade, Maya walked out of the front door. In a few minutes, a busted sedan would drive up the street, and then everything would change. She had been tailing Harper’s car the entire journey towards Chicago, only running ahead when they were less than an hour from the city.
It hadn’t even taken effort to outpace the vehicle. An odd change amidst all this chaos. A few weeks ago, she had detested her vampiric nature so much that she would rather deal with hours of car sickness than make use of her powers.
That hatred was gone now. Or lessened, at least. Because even though she tried, she couldn’t make herself regret what she’d done in the dark hours of that morning.
She didn’t even remember deciding that those people had to die. The memory of cutting their throats open was crystal clear, but when had she chosen to do so? When they drew their weapons? Or when that insect of a man put his hands on Harper and dragged her towards his car?
That was the one thing she regretted. He’d gotten away. That, and Harper almost getting hurt.
No, she had gotten hurt. Maya had seen her wince when she slammed into the police car. Had sensed the terror ebbing off her.
Was it sick that Maya felt worse about Harper getting scared than she did about killing three people? Did all vampires feel this way? This primal, this violent? This yearning to sink fangs into warm flesh and feel someone tremble as you sucked the very life from their body?
That would never happen. She’d rather throw herself on a stake than let it. In that way, today’s outcome was fortunate. It kept Harper safe from this dreadful hunger that had awakened inside her.
Almost half an hour passed before the rattling of an old car engine wove in with the morning traffic. A few seconds later, a dented sedan turned the corner, its back bumper dangling and one brake light shattered.
The car skidded to a halt by the curb. The driver’s side door flung open, and Harper stepped out, her usually soft blue eyes made steely from anger.
A sigh escaped Maya’s lips. One she couldn’t resist, and which blew away every harrowing thought that had just been gnawing at her mind.
The sight of a furious woman had never been more beautiful.
“What the fuck, Maya!?” Harper slammed the car door and stomped across the sidewalk. “Do you know what we just went through? We almost got killed; a risk you neglected to mention during your little visit this morning.”
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.