Adam eased back, moving to stand next to the wall. He tried to keep his body as still as possible, wanting to watch and see just why his niece seemed so fascinated by Maya.
Hell, maybe it was just a family addiction.
Because the vampire most definitely fascinated him.
The f**king wolf had better stay away from her.
Adam clenched his teeth, fought the burn of jealousy in his heart, and waited.
Maya eased onto the edge of the bed.
Cammie's head cocked to the side. "Can I see your teeth?"
"Uh, sure." Maya smiled, baring her fangs.
His niece jerked back.
"Hey, wow-it's okay. I didn't mean to scare you." Maya rubbed her temples. "Look, your teeth get pretty sharp, too, right? I mean, I've seen your uncle's-"
"I hurt someone." Whispered words.
He saw Maya's spine straighten. "You did? Well, if it makes you feel better, I've hurt lots of someones."
He had to close his eyes a moment at that one. Not exactly what he'd been hoping she'd tell his young niece.
"I…b-burned her. She wanted t-to b-bite me…so I burned her." Cammie's chin jerked up. "I-I didn't mean t-to, I just-"
"It's all right, kid." Maya's hand reached across the bedding. Touched the tips of Cammie's fingers. "You did what you had to do in order to protect yourself."
She shook her head. "I hurt her, b-bad."
"And she would have hurt you." Maya obviously wasn't trying to sugarcoat things. He wasn't sure if that was a good idea or not, but now that Cammie was talking, he wasn't about to interrupt.
"You did the right thing," Maya continued, her voice firm. "Don't let it eat you up inside. You saved yourself, that's all that matters."
"I see her wh-when I close my eyes. I see her. "
"You'll probably keep seeing her," Maya said matter-of-factly. "And you'll hurt and you'll cry and then you'll realize that you're alive, and you're strong. Then one day, those images you see-
they'll just stop."
"When?"
"When you're not scared anymore."
"Do you…ever s-see things that scare you?"
Not likely, Adam thought.
"Sometimes," Maya said slowly.
"Like what?"
What would scare a fierce vampire who'd killed demons and shifters? "Spiders." Maya gave a quick shudder. "I hate those hairy eight-legged freaks."
Cammie giggled. Giggled. But as fast as her lip had curved into a smile, the brief hint of humor faded and sadness flashed across her face.
"What about you, Cammie? What else scares you?"
Adam watched the little girl's hands tremble. "Vampires."
Maya didn't so much as flinch. "Yeah, we can be pretty scary." She lowered her head toward Cammie. "And you sure were introduced to the worst of our lot."
A tear tracked down Cammie's cheek. "Yes."
"Those vamps-they'll never hurt you again. You'll never even so much as see them for the rest of your life." The words sounded like a vow.
"P-promise?"
No hesitation. "I promise."
The little girl's breath pushed out in a rush. "You don't-you don't look like them. I mean, besides the teeth, you don't."
Adam inched forward, just enough to catch Maya's smile. "What do I look like, then?"
"An angel." A flush stained his niece's cheeks.
His gaze shifted back to Maya.
She laughed, a quick deep laugh that filled the room-and hit him in the heart. "Oh, kid, trust me on this, I'm no angel."
"I think you are." Hushed. Cammie's eyes were on her hands. On the fingers that Maya held.
"You saved me. Took me away from th-those m-monsters."
Silence. Maya stared at the girl's bent head.
"I would have died without you," Cammie whispered.
"Your uncle never would have let that happen."
Damn right he wouldn't.
A tear fell onto the bedspread. "My mom's dead."
Cammie was sure opening up to Maya. Adam couldn't remember the last time the girl had talked so much. Even before the kidnapping, she'd never-
"Yeah, so is mine." A pause. "Hard, isn't it?"
A nod. Then. "M-my dad, he's gone, too." Cammie's blond head tilted back as she gazed at Maya.
Adam rubbed his palm against the ache in his chest.
"Your uncle told me that," Maya said, still not looking at him.
"I-is your dad gone? Or is he-"
"I never knew my dad. It was just me and my mom. Then when she passed, well, it was just me."
She finally glanced back at Adam. "But you're not alone like I was. You've got your uncle."
Cammie turned her bright stare toward him, blinking away tears.
"You know what he did, Cammie?"
The girl shook her head.
"He came all the way to Los Angeles to find me-because he knew that I could find you ."
"He did?"
"Um. He was attacked by wolves, and vampires, but he just kept fighting-kept looking for you."
The tears fell faster.
"You know why he did all that?" Maya squeezed Cammie's hand.
The small blond head shook in a quick "no."
"Because he loves you." Maya motioned Adam toward the bed. "When you've got somebody like your uncle who loves you, you don't ever need to worry about being alone or being scared-
because he'll always take care of you."
As long as he had breath in his body.
Cammie's lips trembled. She jumped out of the bed, ran to him, and threw her arms around his stomach.
Maya swallowed. Smiled faintly.
Then she stood and walked out of the room.
Adam held Cammie as tight as he could.
Thank you, Maya.
Shit. She was crying. Maya hurried past the guards at Cammie's door-human guards that Adam had told her that he'd brought in for the kid's protection-and nearly ran for the balcony doors at the end of the long hallway.
Crying. Her. She swiped away the tears and pushed open the glass door. All because a kid reminded her of-
A life long ago. A life she'd forgotten. Tried to forget .
Her temples pounded viciously now. A steady, aching drumbeat of pain.
She'd been like Cammie once. Scared to death. Terrified of being alone.
But she hadn't been lucky like the kid. There'd been no Uncle Adam in her life.
What if there had been? Maybe things would have been different.
Maybe she wouldn't be a vampire.
Maybe she'd be living a normal life. With a husband, a kid of her own.
Or hell, maybe she wouldn't. Maybe fate just had a plan for everyone, and the plan for her had been-