Page 14 of Maddie

With a nod, Maddie strode down the empty streets, her skirt riding up her toned legs. The faint hint of death lingered in the air, pulling him back to the present. Noah had attended an autopsy for one of his university classes and he would never mistake the distinct scent of human decay. He pushed the knowledge away before it was able to take root. Losing his mind wouldn’t help Alice get out of this shithole. He held his breath, hoping by the time he needed another, they would be far enough away from whatever corpse was nearby. A bat swooped down from a hidden perch, streaking straight at his head. He cursed, ducking, and tasted the scent on his tongue. A cough shook his chest as he fought not to vomit, especially when his gaze connected with half a skeleton resting beside a rose bush.

“There, there,” Maddie said without a hint of sympathy. “Pull yourself together.”

Noah slapped a hand over his mouth and tried to drag in a breath without smelling anything.

“We’re here,” she added.

Noah took in the large stone house she stared at.Of course, their destination was likely a murder scene.The building was three stories high with a slate roof, a small stone gargoyle fixed to each corner, and massive, arching windows draped in red curtains. Maddie didn’t wait to see if Noah followed as she climbed the six steps to the door and lifted the knocker. A snarling wolf’s face peered back at him with a chain wrapped around its snout and something about its carved expression made Noah uncomfortable.

A few moments later, the front door swung inward to reveal a woman with sunken eyes. She wore a long black dress, a large white bow tied neatly in the front, and her dark blonde hair was pulled into a tight bun at the base of her neck. Noah couldn’t tell if she was human or vampire, which, he supposed was going to be an ongoing problem now that he knew the sun-fearing creatures were no fucking myth.

“May I help you?” the woman asked.

“Hello, Robin. I’ve come with Osanna’s new hat.” Maddie held the box up in the woman’s face as if she would’ve missed it otherwise. “She’s expecting me.”

Robin wordlessly stepped aside, and Maddie waltzed in. “Come along, mortal,” she sang when Noah didn’t immediately follow.

He cleared his throat and slipped in after her. Robin clanged the door shut behind them and Noah swallowed hard. This was nothing like Maddie’s home, but empty, a shell of a house, devoid of all life. The stone walls were bare, the marble floor gleaming. No furniture decorated the entrance hall, but a large crystal chandelier hung from the ceiling. Two sets of stairs curved up either side of the room.

“In here,” Maddie said, and entered through a door to the left without waiting for an answer. When Noah caught up, she leaned in. “Ialwaysmeet her in here.”

Noah studied the room with the red curtains he’d seen from outside. Pleated silver fabric covered the walls, and a large black settee faced the door. Two iron lamps hung from the ceiling, candles burning behind the metal bars. On the matching black ottoman, sat a tray with two glass goblets full of thick red liquid.

Blood, Noah realized. His skin crawled, not only because of what it was.Where—or who—had it come from?

“We always have a drink,” Maddie said, following his gaze. “Sit there.”

Noah slipped around the ottoman to take the corner of the settee. The metallic tang of blood floated in the air, and he pulled in a shallow breath. A drink with an enemy in exchange for a hat? He rubbed his forehead against the first hint of a headache.

“Hatter,” a female cooed, bursting into the open doorway a moment later. “I’m dying to see what you’ve brought me this time.”

Noah’s lips parted as he took in the vampire. A gold silk robe hugged her body, the color bringing out the bronze tones in her flawless skin. She looked as if she had just stepped out of a magazine spread with her high cheekbones and winged eyeliner.

“Hello, Osanna. It’s just what you ordered,” Maddie told her as she handed over the box.

The vampire lifted the lid and pulled out a cobalt hat with stiff, curled ribbons and a giant sapphire. She placed the hat on her sleek emerald hair and turned her head this way and that to see if it fit. Then, her gaze finally landed on Noah.

“Who’s this?” she asked, swiping her tongue along her lower lip.

“My mortal,” Maddie answered, her voice sounding protective. “He’s staying with me for a little while.”

Osanna removed the hat and returned it to the box with a curious expression. “I thought for a moment, perhaps, you brought refreshments this time.”

Maddie laughed, the pitch higher than what he’d heard prior to this moment. “Unfortunately not. He’s already given what he could for today.”

Noah’s eyes drifted between the two vampires, his pulse quickening. Osanna didn’t mean she wanted to feed from him, did she?She did.He was no vampire expert, but the drop of her fangs seemed like a damn good indicator. At least Maddie was lying to try and keep his blood where it damn well belonged.

“He does seem tired,” Osanna admitted. “Perhaps you would allow me to entertain him briefly? Just to see if he would be interested in extending his stay once you’ve finished with him. He’sveryattractive.”

Maddie hesitated. Her gaze met his and she gave him a look that told him to play along. Why did this feel like part of her planbeforethey’d struck their deal in the street? Noah narrowed his eyes at her, letting her sense his suspicion. He had promised to behave, but that didn’t mean Maddie was allowed to throw him to the wolves.

“That would be fine,” Maddie agreed, wringing her hands in front of her.

“Splendid.” Osanna licked the corner of her lips. “Go see Robin about payment.”

Maddie cast him one final, almost guilty, look, before slipping from the room faster than it took Noah to realize what the hell was happening. Then Osanna sat beside him, and he caught a whiff of her perfume—a horrible cross between baby powder and coffee beans. He hadn’t even seen her move. “Hi,” he murmured. Every alarm bell in his head alerted him to her proximity.

“Hello.” Osanna trailed one of her gold-painted nails gently down the side of his neck. “You have no marks here. I didn’t expect the Hatter to prefer more private feeding locations.”

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