"Your dragon saved my ass."
She blinked at that. Her gaze darted to the left for an instant. Adam stood next to the humans, talking softly to them. He wore a pair of jeans-too tight. She didn't know where he'd gotten them, probably taken them from one of the humans.
"Torrence was going to use one of your silver bullets on me, a head shot." Lucas grimaced. "The bloodlust was riding me so hard, I didn't realize what was happening until too late."
Adam had wanted the kill, but instead he'd saved the wolf.
The Wyvern could still surprise her.
"I owe him a debt." He nodded his head toward Adam. "Tell him. If he wants to collect, he'll find me in L.A."
A blood debt owed by an alpha wolf. Not something that was offered every day. "I'll tell him."
Lucas stared at her with eyes that reflected the moonlight. "If you grow tired of the dragon, you know where you can find me."
She held that powerful stare. "Yeah, I know." But it wasn't really a matter of her growing tired of Adam. It was a matter of the job being done and of them having two separate lives, on two separate coasts.
"When the pack's clear, I'll call the cops. Make sure they know where to find the humans," he said.
She needed to leave the scene before the boys in blue arrived. As it was, she knew Adam was trying to convince the men and women that they'd just been at a party that got way out of control-
too much alcohol, too many drugs.
The humans were dazed, frightened, and probably willing to latch on to any explanation.
Sometimes it was just easier to believe a lie than to accept the truth-especially a truth that would change a person's life.
"Good-bye, vampire." He lifted his hand to her.
Her fingers wrapped around his. She kept her gaze on his face, all too aware of the naked power of his body. "Good-bye, wolf."
He smiled at her then. "You weren't what I expected."
Yeah, she got that a lot.
"I'll be near, should you need me." Soft, almost tender words. So at odds with the hard jaw and the fierce gaze.
Before she could speak, the man disappeared. Shifted into a wolf with a snap of bones and a shudder. Fur exploded over his flesh. His nose elongated, a muzzle appeared, and powerful claws shot from his fingers.
The wolf tossed back his head, howled at the night.
Whimpers came from the humans.
She heard Adam swear.
The pack took off, running hard and fast across the desert.
Maya knew she hadn't seen the last of Lucas.
Not a friend. There was too much uncertainty between them for that. But perhaps, just perhaps, he was someone she could count on when her back was to the wall and hell broke lose in L.A.
Adam strode toward her.
She noticed a human male huddled behind him, clad only in a pair of dark boxers.
Ah, the mystery of the jeans had been solved.
"Where's the wolf?"
"Gone." It was time for her to go, too. She began to march toward the motorcycle, Adam at her side. "He wanted me to give you a message." She straddled the bike, looked back at the burning house. The flames were so bright.
"Yeah, what did he say?"
Her gaze turned to him. "He owes you. If you ever want to collect, come to L.A."
He nodded.
She started the motorcycle, felt the powerful vibration of the engine. "The cops will be here soon-we need to be gone by then."
He climbed on behind her. His arms squeezed her tight.
The humans were talking, murmuring softly. "Will they be all right?"
"They don't know what the hell happened to them, but they're alive, so, yeah, other than nightmares for the next year, I think they'll be fine." A pause. "What about you?"
She pulled the motorcycle into a long, lazy spin. Smoke filled the air behind them. "What about me?" She'd been bitten, no big deal. The wounds hurt like a bitch, but with blood and rest, she'd be fine.
Her wounds didn't matter. The only thing that mattered was that Cammie was safe now. Nassor and Torrence would never bother her again.
Maya had kept her promise. Done her job.
Her work was finished.
"You…saw me. Not many have seen a dragon shift and lived to tell about it." There was a vulnerability in his voice. A fear.
The big, bad dragon was afraid because she'd seen him go all scaly? Maya laughed. "Ah, Slick, it's gonna take more than seeing you blow fire to get me scared."
He relaxed against her. The hard squeeze turned into more of a hug. "Good," he murmured, nuzzling her neck. "Because the last thing I wanted was for you to fear me."
The bike took off, flying across the terrain. "I don't fear you," she told him, her voice barely carrying over the roar of the motorcycle.
No, she didn't fear Adam. She wasn't afraid of the beast he carried.
Or of the man that he was.
But…she was afraid. Of herself. Because she cared about the dragon. More than she'd ever cared for anyone.
And caring would just lead to a world of hurt. It always did.
The people she cared about, they got hurt. Her mother. Sean.
She wouldn't add Adam to the list.
They rode in silence back to the wolf's safe house. Streaks of gold began to creep across the sky as the sun fought to rise against the night.
When they got to the house, the wolves were nowhere to be found. Gone. Probably already on their way back to L.A.
She'd be on her way soon, too. Though the thought of walking away from Adam made her feel like she'd taken a punch in the gut. But she had to leave him. There wasn't a choice.
She'd go once she finished her final piece of business.
Maya strode through the home. Adam followed behind her, his steps slower. She pushed by the guards at Cammie's door and crept inside the darkened room.
Drawing a deep breath, she moved close to the bed. If the girl was asleep, she'd wait and-
"Maya." Cammie whispered her name as she opened her eyes. "I was dreaming about you."
She sat on the edge of the bed. "Good dream, I hope." Her fingers lifted, smoothed back the girl's hair.
Cammie nodded. "You were saving me."
"Was I?"
"You and Uncle Adam."
Maya glanced over her shoulder. Adam wasn't there. She could hear the rumble of his voice as he talked to the guards outside.
Cammie yawned and her eyes began to drift closed.
"Cammie."
The girl's lashes fluttered.
"You're safe now, okay? I kept my promise, and you're safe ."
The girl's eyes closed, but her lips curved into a smile.
"Have good dreams, sweetheart," Maya said softly, staring down at her. "'Cause the monsters are dead. They won't get you ever again."