Mayan Blood by Theresa Dalayne

they arrived at the kitchen, Tara’s attention was immediately on Peter. Little pink hearts may as well have risen from her head and popped like little soap bubbles. It was that painfully obvious.
    While Tara took a seat at the kitchen bar, Zanya leaned against the archway, observing them. Peter tugged gently on one of Tara’s curls and let it go, and watched as it sprung up and bounced off her shoulder. Tara giggled and laced her fingers between his.
    Zanya sighed. She’d give him credit. The boy knew how to charm. Problem was, she couldn’t tell if he was trying to charm his way into Tara’s heart, or into her bed.
    “ Dios mío .” Arwan walked up from behind her with his arms crossed, staring into the kitchen. “How much longer is this going to last? We need to train.”
    She shrugged. “I think he’s gone forever.”
    He settled beside her and brushed his shoulder against hers. He didn’t seem to notice, but she did, and the butterflies in her stomach prompted her to move away. “If he’s gone, I’ll have a lot of free time on my hands and nobody to spend it with.” The corner of his mouth curled in a grin.
    She mirrored his amused expression, and then remembered the tragic downfalls to a guy’s charm. With a few mind-clearing blinks and a mental pep-talk, she renewed her oath. No guys. That was the deal she made with herself, and she would stick to it. “That’s not entirely true. You have Hawa.”
    Arwan crinkled his nose.
    “What? You don’t like her? She’s so warm and inviting.”
    “It’s not that I don’t like her, but she and Peter have some history. When they broke up it jaded her. She hasn’t really been the same since.”
    Tara giggled and blushed over Peter twining his finger around her curls. Zanya decided to leave well enough alone for the moment. Maybe she’d talk to Tara about it later and give her a heads-up.
    “Well,” Arwan said. “I guess practice is canceled for today. I should make my rounds.”
    She raised an eyebrow. “Rounds?”
    “I walk the perimeter at least once a day. I can show you around the grounds, unless you’d rather watch this.” He gestured to Tara and Peter.
    Zanya smirked. He may have been a stranger, but nothing about him seemed strange. In fact, he felt all too familiar—something in his eyes. “Okay. I guess I can handle a walk.”
    Her heart picked up when he caught her behind her elbow and guided her toward the back door. She swallowed her reaction and kept her pace until they stepped outside, onto the sparking sand.
    The beach was windy with dark clouds clustered overhead. They strode in silence, touring the edge of the green, dense jungle encompassing the estate. Renato had said this was her home too, though it was still all so surreal. Since when did girls like her get to live in paradise?
    Arwan stole a glance at her every few paces. Zanya bit the inside of her lip. What was he looking at?
    “Do you like it here?”
    She smiled nervously. “It’s definitely a step up from the orphanage.” She gathered her hair over her shoulder, taming the wild strands from whipping in the coastal wind. “What about you? How did you end up here?” His features sobered, as if she’d touched a nerve. “I didn’t mean to pry.”
    “I guess it’s only fair you know something about us now that you’re here.”
    She’d pass on the I’ll-show-you-mine-if-you-show-me-yours therapy session. “Never mind. I was just trying to be nice. Sorry I asked.”
    “Don’t be.” He smiled safely, immediately disarming her. “I’ve been here for some time,” he said quietly. “After my mother was killed.”
    She exhaled as if someone had punched her in the gut. Of course it would be his mom’s death she dragged to the surface. “I’m…I’m sorry.” She silently cursed herself. “I didn’t mean to bring that up. I know how it is to miss having a mother around.”
    He nodded, and his features softened. “I know you do.”
    Strange chirps mixed with