Maya's POV:
The vampire was afraid of me. And somehow, that was more unsettling than any threat she could’ve made.
Victoria Chen sat across the Hendersons’ kitchen table, hands clamped together so hard her knuckles had gone white. Her dark eyes, older than I could fathom, flicked everywhere but my face. Centuries of survival, and she couldn’t even mask the fear bleeding off her.
“You’re… not what I expected,” she said finally, her voice soft, almost careful.
My mouth went dry. “What did you expect?”
“Someone more—” Her gaze slid down to my scuffed jeans, my sneakers. “—formidable. Less human.”
I almost laughed, bitter and sharp, but swallowed it down. After the week I’d had—Elena’s sadistic games, the constant threat of losing everyone I loved—being told I was too human was the cruel
