Page 18 of Maddie

“No.” She plucked the cup away. “You’ll become ill if you drink too much at once. Rest and let this settle, then you may have more.”

“But—” A mild cramp twisted his stomach and he clutched at his abdomen. Perhaps she was right.

Maddie tutted. “Told you so. Now, lay back and sleep.”

Noah had no choice but to listen as a stronger cramp took hold. Another round of cold sweats broke out along his forehead. Maddie tucked a blanket around him as he drifted away from the pain. While he slipped toward peaceful sleep, he clung to the memory of that day at the beach—the laughter and the warmth of the sun—and he smiled.

Hours blended together as Noah slept. At one point, Maddie had dragged him into her bedroom in case Imogen and Rav made another visit, but he slept better on the bed anyway, so it was worth the struggle to get there. He had woken for another cup of blood before his eyes slipped closed again. Each time was easier. The cramps stopped, the pain in his chest subsided, and the dryness in his mouth quenched.

He owed Maddie for taking care of him so diligently—though, he supposed, she owed him. After all, shehadturned him. It was only fair that she wiped the sweat from his forehead and set cool cloths on the back of his neck. Regardless, he was grateful for her attention. For a vampire, she wasn’t half-bad.

When Noah roused again, his body hummed with energy. He kept his eyes closed, scanning himself, concentrating on each part to ensure nothing was wrong. Arms, shoulders, neck, hips, legs, ankles. Everything seemed to be in working order, and he felt … almost normal. Except he could smelleverything. Scents of wood furniture, to soft linen blankets, to old metal spicing the air in Maddie’s room.Blood, he instinctually knew, noting the difference between that metallic aroma and the metal tools Maddie kept for hat making. It carried a tangy undercurrent that made his fangs threaten to drop.

“I know you’re awake,” Maddie sang from another room.

Noah opened his eyes and sat up slowly, waiting for his body to revolt. When it didn’t, he released a breath and slipped from Maddie’s bed, walking toward the living room. There, he found Maddie pleating pieces of felt. She sat cross-legged on a large, padded chair, the skirt once again teasing him with what was beneath. He pursed his lips. Why were his thoughts so focused on seeing Maddie hike up her skirt? There was no denying she was attractive, and anyone would be drawn to the perfect swells of her breasts, but there wasn’t time for fantasizing. Both he and Alice were fucked if he didn’t learn how to reverse their conditions.

“I’m surprised you let me sleep in your bed,” he said with a small smile.

Maddie shrugged. “You looked uncomfortable.”

Undoubtedly, she was correct seeing as he was at least a head taller than the settee. He plopped down on it and watched her work on her hat. “How long was I sleeping?”

“This time, about two hours.” She stuck the dull end of a needle between her lips and brought the felt closer to her face. After a moment of inspection, she lowered it and plucked the needle from her mouth. “If you’re asking how long since you started the transition, it’s been five days.”

“Fivedays?” he blurted. That was impossible. It couldn’t have been more than one day and one night at most. Every time he looked outside Maddie’s window, it had been dark. Buthowdark? The gray mornings in Wonderland were comparable to London’s evenings. He was certain he’d been fired from his job, but who gave a fuck about making coffee at this point? It was all a blur now, but he knew one thing for certain: they needed to get back to the safe house. “We have to go.”

“If your sister died, Ferris would’ve returned by now,” she mumbled, narrowing her gaze at her work.

“How do you know?” he demanded. “Maybe he ran off alone.”

She smirked. “I have all the other keys.”

“Fuck the keys,” Noah growled. The last time he’d seen Alice, he’d left thinking she was a monster, but now he understood. What a shit brother he’d been. He had to go back to help her, tocureher. And himself. “I need to see my sister.”

“Noah.” Maddie sighed and set the pleating down on her lap to look him in the eye. “Ferris would never abandon me, and he would never give up on saving Mouse. We’re days late in returning, so he would’ve come searching by now. Since he hasn’t, it’s because he’s stuck watching Alice.”

“Or because Imogen found them.” The thought stole his breath.

Maddie sucked her bottom lip between her teeth and Noah’s cock stiffened slightly. What would it be like if she suckedhiminto her mouth instead? Ran her tongue slowly up the length of him from tip to base? He raked a hand through his hair and looked away.

“Unlikely,” she said after a moment.

“Not impossible though,” he insisted.

Noah tensed when a soft knock sounded at the door, but Maddie simply stood and placed her supplies in a basket. “That will be your meal.”

Meal?Had she ordered more blood bags to be delivered? How was it she even got the blood bags? Stole them or bottled them herself? Never mind, he didn’t want to know.

Maddie opened the door and motioned in a man in his mid-thirties. He was dressed in a nice pair of trousers and a neatly pressed dress shirt as if he’d just come from a day at the office. Following him was a rich, warm scent that immediately made Noah’s fangs drop.

“Hello,” he greeted. “My boss sent me.”

“Yes, I’ve been expecting you.” Maddie quietly shut the door behind him and turned to look at Noah. “While you were asleep, I left for a moment to secure a mortal for you.”

“You left tosecure a mortal?” Noah repeated in disbelief. Humans weren’tthingsto be acquired.

“There’s a company in Scarlet that contracts us,” the man said with a big smile. “We get paid handsomely and enjoy the work.”

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