Maya
After Maya got dressed, she sprawled out on Cole’s huge squishy sofa, switched on the television, and channel surfed. She wasn’t usually home during that time of day and couldn’t believe how much junk they put on. Bored, she lost interest and started scrolling through videos on TikTok. Bored of that, too, she hesitated, then switched apps. What could it hurt to indulge in a little online snooping? She got as far as typing Cole’s name when she realized she didn’t even know his surname. So much for that.
Not for the first time, she found herself wishing that Cole could have stayed home with her. She wasn’t sure how she was going to take another few days of this boredom. She wasn’t used to having nothing to do—she was always so busy at the bakery—and she hated being idle so now. It made her feel lost. Lazy, even.
And what if her problems didn’t get resolved soon? She couldn’t expect Cole to let her stay in his house indefinitely, and sitting around doing nothing was making her antsy. But if she went home, she’d be at risk from whatever thugs her brother worked for. There didn’t seem to be a reasonable compromise. One torment or another.
…But at least here meant she might get a repeat performance of last night.
That should not be the deciding factor when it comes to your safety, Maya, she scolded herself. It bothered her that it didn’t bother her more.
When the doorbell sounded a short while later, she jumped to her feet, glad to have something to do—and to distract her from the growing temptation to have a snoop around Cole’s house, which was most definitelynotwhat he’d meant when he told her to make herself at home. Besides, at least now she might finally get to the bottom of who Harper was dating.
Maya pulled open the door and grinned at the man standing on the doorstep. The smile died on her lips when she saw the ugly black gun in his hand. A ragged gasp burned along her throat and she tried to shove the door shut, but the man slammed a hand against it, pushing back. They tussled for a moment, but it was a battle Maya was never going to win, and they both knew it. She gave one last hard push that sent the intruder stumbling back a few steps, then turned and sprinted for the stairs.
“You can’t run from me!” the man shouted. “You’ve got nowhere to go.”
The words ‘watch me’ ran through her mind, but they didn’t make it out of her mouth—she was too scared to speak. She bolted up the stairs, taking them two at a time. When she reached the upstairs landing, she had a moment of blind panic, not knowing which way to turn. She wasn’t familiar with the house. Would any of the windows be big enough to climb out of? She wished she’d taken the time to look around properly this morning.
As the man’s heavy footsteps started on the stairs, she cursed and ran for the guest bedroom and eased the door closed, then started hunting for something she could use as a weapon. She snatched up her hairdryer from the dressing table just as the man burst through the door. Without pause for thought, she swung her arm towards him with a scream of frustration and fury, and the hairdryer caught him on the side of the head.
He crumpled like a dead weight onto the bedroom carpet, and immediately Maya heard more heavy footfalls on the stairs. Oh, God. The man hadn’t come alone. She panicked anew. Hands shaking, she lifted the hairdryer high above her head, and when the second attacker rushed in through the bedroom door, she swung her arm a second time, only this time, she recognized the figure a moment too late. Cole!
He let out a growl that sounded more animal than human and caused Maya to let out a squeal of surprise. Cole dived out of the way of her improvised weapon so quickly that Maya was barely able to track the movement. Her gaze locked onto him, and she felt lightheaded with relief. Cole was here. Then she noticed a few other things about him, things that weren’t quite right. Like his eyes. They didn’t seem human. They looked like the eyes of an animal. And when he opened his mouth, long, sharp fangs glinted in the light that beamed in through the bedroom window.
Maya screamed.
“Maya! Maya, it’s okay, it’s me,” Cole said. He blinked and then his eyes seemed to return to normal. She frowned, wondering if she’d imagined it. “It’s okay, it’s me. You’re safe.”
When he spoke, she made a point of looking at his teeth and they looked normal now, too. Was she losing her mind? It must have been the shock. She dropped the hairdryer with a sob and threw herself into Cole’s arms, tears springing forth from her eyes.
“Hey, there now. It’s okay, you’re okay,” he soothed, stroking her hair on the top of her head. He glanced down at the unconscious man. “I just need to check on him, okay, babe?”
Maya nodded against Cole’s chest, but didn’t remove her arms from around Cole’s back.
“Hey,” he said, cupping his hands around her cheeks. “You’re safe now.”
Maya sniffled against his chest.
“Can you let me go now?” he asked softly.
Maya’s breath hitched. “S…sorry.”
Cole squeezed her upper arms gently before letting her go, and then bent to check on the man. He put his fingers to the man’s neck, then stilled.
“Is he—?”
“It’s okay. He’s not dead. He’s got a pulse.”
“Oh, thank God,” Maya said around a sigh.
She wasn’t opposed to using violence if the situation called for it, as long as it was to defend herself, but she didn’t want to kill anyone. She never would have forgiven herself for doing something like that. Cole made quick work of securing the man’s hands behind his back then dragged him from the room. A few moments later he was back and tried to pull Maya into his arms again, but this time, she didn’t let him.
“I didn’t imagine that just then, did I? Your eyes and teeth, they were different. You had fangs.”
“Incisors,” Cole corrected quietly.
Maya frowned. “Excuse me?”
