Immortal Danger (Night Watch 0.5)

How could she keep a promise like that-unless she meant to go after the vampires? Fuck.

Adam ran to the edge of the balcony. Maya was below him, stalking toward the line of parked cars, and there was a gun in her hands.

A good-bye f**k, then off to monster slay. On her own.

No damn way.

Maya Black had a lesson to learn.

She couldn't walk away from him. If she wanted to fight vampires or demons or any other monsters that waited in the night-well, she'd damn well do it with him watching her back.

Adam grabbed the railing, swung his body over the wrought iron, and dropped to the ground two stories below.

CHAPTER 16

Maya tucked her gun into the back of her jeans. It was fully loaded with her silver/holy water bullets. After she'd left Adam, it had taken her all of thirty seconds to find Lucas and force the wolf to return her weapon.

It felt good to have her baby back. Now, if she could just get some transportation-and stop thinking about Adam-she'd be good to-

Ah. Three motorcycles were lined up just past the row of black cars and SUVs. Perfect, gleaming Harleys.

"Come to mama," she whispered, her hands already curling in anticipation of feeling the handlebars beneath her fingers.

The air rustled behind her. Maya spun around, and came face to face with a very pissed-off-

looking Adam.

"Going hunting?" A velvety voice chaining fury.

Her chin lifted. She'd tried to play this nice and easy with him. No big scenes. Just a good memory for them both to carry through the future.

Well, a good memory for her, anyway. She wasn't sure how Adam felt about what had happened on the balcony, but the pleasure had been the best she'd ever had.

Adam had been the best she ever had.

"You didn't really think I'd take the good-bye f**k and let you just walk away, now, did you?"

Good-bye f**k. Her shoulders tensed. It had been more than that, at least to her. A hell of a lot more. "I did my job," she said. "It's time for me to go." He didn't need to make this any harder on her.

Come.

It was already more than damn hard enough.

Hell, when had she started to care for the dragon? Back in L.A.? In Vegas, when she'd pulled him out of that cave-in? Before that-when he'd stood so silent and steady by her side when she'd confronted that abusive bastard Chuck? It didn't really matter when she'd started to care, Maya realized. The problem, well, the problem was that she did care. Maybe too much.

The time had come for her to face the devil in her own past-and to make absolutely certain that devil never hurt Cammie or her uncle again.

In Adam's arms, the desperate voice in her mind had quieted, if only for a few precious moments. But the call was back now, and she had to leave him.

There was no choice for her.

There never had been.

"Where are you going? Back to L.A.?" he asked, taking an aggressive step toward her. "Or maybe somewhere else? Maybe some place where a Born Master is resting?"

Smart bastard, she'd give him that.

Another long step forward. He was closing in on her. "Come on, tell me. Don't just say good-bye and walk away. You tell me exactly what you're planning to do. " He was on her now. Jaw clenched, eyes blazing.

Maya held her ground. "You know what I'm planning."

He shook his head. "You think you can kill them all? Torrence? Nassor? The rest of the vamps in their sick little family?"

Sick little family. A family she was part of, whether she liked it or not.

Bound by blood. Taken. Linked for all time.

Unless the Born Master died.

Could she kill him? Kill the others? Maya shrugged. "I'm gonna try."

He grabbed her arm and jerked her close. "Not without me, you aren't."

That wasn't the plan. "No, you have to stay with Cammie. She needs you, she-"

"You nearly died the last time you went out on your own." She could see flecks of gold in the depths of his green eyes. Flickering, like tiny flames. "I listened to you then, and look what happened."

"I saved Cammie, that's what happened."

"You almost died."

"Almost doesn't really count, now does it?"

His fingers bit into her flesh and he lifted her up onto her tip toes. "You're not going after them alone."

" Adam ." She was getting tired of this arrogant ass**le routine. She'd been trying to protect the guy, to keep him away from the vamps who'd like nothing more than to drain a dragon's blood and steal his power.

Without Cammie and Jordan, Nassor wouldn't regain his strength. Another "gift" would be needed-and she didn't want the vamps to turn their attention to Adam.

"You don't get it, do you?" He eased his hold and the soles of her boots touched the ground.

"The rules of the game have changed, Maya. You're not flying solo anymore."

What? Come.

She winced at the scream in her mind.

Dammit, she didn't have time to argue with Adam. The bastard Nassor was splitting her head wide open.

His resting place was close. Closer than she'd realized.

"We're doing this together," Adam said. "You're not going to ditch me and take them on your own. You can't."

Can't. She wasn't too sure about that. She figured that she had about a 40 percent chance of getting to Nassor and killing the bastard.

And giving Torrence the death he was begging for.

"If you try to leave," Adam said, his voice hard and cold, "I'll follow you. I might not be able to track Nassor like you can, but I can track you. Anywhere. I've got your scent, Maya. You're not getting away from me."

Shit.

Gravel crunched beneath a boot. To the left.

Maya jerked her head around. Saw Lucas standing less than ten feet away. "He's not the only one who can track your scent."

Her eyes slit. The air around this place was thick with the stench of wolf, so she hadn't smelled the alpha's approach. Just how long had he been listening? "Torrence took my brother." Lucas's hands balled into powerful fists. "No way that vamp is getting away from me."

Pack justice. Do unto others as they've done to you. Everyone knew their rule.

" Torrence is my kill." Adam glared at the wolf. "That f**king bastard took my niece and left me to die."

Lucas smiled at him, flashing his sharp canines. "Then I guess whoever finds the ass**le first gets the pleasure of ripping him apart."

Maya exhaled heavily. She didn't have time for this.

Besides, Torrence had tried to kill her, too. The men could rage all they wanted, but she planned on being the one to send the blond vamp straight to hell.