Vampire Trouble by Sara Humphreys Read Free Book Online Page A

tilted his head slightly to one side and folded his arms over his chest—“that was going to be my question for you.”
    â€œWhat?” Maya blinked and took a step back. “Me? What are you talking about?”
    â€œYes, you.” Shane leaned closer and his voice dropped low. “Why do you insist on hunting but barely feed on your prey?” Maya said nothing and took another step backward, but Shane persisted. He dropped his hands and continued moving toward her, even though she moved farther away.
    â€œYou only hunt men, and from what I’ve observed over the past few months, your taste in human men is… Well, let’s just say it’s questionable. You don’t just hunt, Maya. You court, seduce, and lure them in much the way one would with a lover, and yet you clearly don’t love them. In fact, I’d say it’s quite the opposite.”
    â€œI like the hunt.” Maya tilted her chin defiantly but gasped when she backed right into the trunk of a massive oak. “What’s wrong with that?” she whispered through trembling lips. “Besides, what would a stodgy old vampire like you know about love?”
    â€œNothing.” Shane placed his hands against the tree on either side of Maya, caging her in. He leaned in so his face was just inches from hers. “I know little of love, but I’m well schooled in hunting, whether it’s to feed or in battle. It’s not what you’re doing that intrigues me, Maya, but why you’re doing it.”
    â€œI-I’m hunting, like any other vampire does.” Her voice lowered to a whisper, but the anger and defiance had been replaced by fear and uncertainty. “For the blood.”
    â€œNo.” Shane shook his head slowly. Brushing a lock of blond hair off her face, he ran his thumb along her jaw. Her skin was warm and smooth beneath his. Although vampires felt cool to the touch to humans, they were felt warm to other vampires because their body temperatures were the same. But Maya’s flesh seemed hotter and more enticing than any Shane had encountered.
    He tilted her chin, forcing her to look him in the eye, and to his surprise, she didn’t resist. “If it were only about blood, youngling, then you would simply glamour a human, feed, and release him. No.” Shane traced the line of her full lower lip with the edge of his thumb, and sadness tugged at whatever was left of his heart. “We both know there is much more at play here than the need for blood.”
    â€œThen spill it.” Maya’s features hardened, and her hands balled into fists at her sides. Dark blue eyes glittered up at him with fierce determination. “What is it that you think I’m after?”
    Memories of Maya being dragged into the alley and the look of pure terror and helplessness in her eyes came roaring back—and in that instant he knew. He felt like a fool for not realizing it the moment he’d woken from the dreamscape. When the realization dawned, something deep inside him shattered into a million tiny pieces.
    â€œPower,” Shane whispered. His fangs burst free, and Maya let out a gasp of pleasure. “Control.” He placed a gentle kiss at the corner of her mouth. “Domination.”
    Maya’s body quivered, the subtle vibrations fluttering over Shane in erotic waves, like a siren song, willing him closer. He brushed his cheek along hers and nuzzled her hair to the side, exposing her long, lovely neck. He placed his hand on the trunk of the tree, once again framing Maya’s petite frame with his far larger one.
    â€œDo I frighten you?” he asked, taking in every beautiful feature of her face.
    â€œNo.” A smile played at her lips, and he stilled when her hands found their way to his chest. “You’re arrogant and bossy, but no, I’m not afraid of you.” Her grin widened and charmed him beyond reason. “Annoyed, not