Page 29 of Maddie

Noah nodded, unable to tear his eyes away from the sky. Was Mouse anything like Maddie? He and Alice were very different, but he loved her all the more for it. Mouse had to be centuries old like Maddie. It seemed strange to think of the age difference between himself and these vampires, but it didn’tfeellike they were born generations apart.

“Alice has a kind heart too,” Noah started. “Our parents became really strict as we got older, and she spent most of her time studying to please them. Then she moved in with me for university and rebelled. I was worried she would take things too far and fall in with the wrong crowd, but she never stopped being kind.”

Maddie tapped her lips. “She looked very different in the photo Imogen and Rav had.”

Noah turned, taking in the endless glow of the scenery. “It was an old picture. She didn’t always dye her hair.” Then, feeling Maddie’s intense stare, he glanced down at her. “What?”

“You looked different too.” She arched a brow, making no effort to hide her perusal of his body.

Noah’s head fell back with a laugh. He’d hoped Maddie hadn’t noticed.Shit, that’s embarrassing. “I was the biggest nerd.”

“Ah, my dear immortal, a nerd no longer. You aged quite well.” Maddie smirked.

“No. I finally noticed girls and started caring about how I looked. Hit the gym four times a week, cut down on sweets, and discovered the magic of face wash.”

Maddie gave a thoughtfulhmm. “I bet the girls all fawned over you then.”

Noah shrugged. He couldn’t lie—it had been the biggest perk of working out. All of the hottest girls in school wanted to date him. It had been a huge ego boost for a previously self-conscious kid, but it had gotten old fast. There was far too much drama that came along with it and too many of them only wanted him for superficial reasons—looksandmoney. “I suppose. There’s been my fair share of hookups, but I’ve only dated one person since then. That ended quite badly though.”

“Only one?” She cocked her head. “What happened?”

He sighed. Were they really going to do this? Have the ex talk? “We dated for two years, then she fucked my best friend.”

“You want me to stab her with a hatpin?” She patted his shoulder, her expression serious. “Not kill her of course.”

“I’m better off.” He exhaled sharply. “Or I was. Dying sort of put a dent in that, if I say so myself.”

“You didn’t die,” Maddie said matter-of-factly.

Right, right.He was technically alive, but what good was that if he was stuck in a dark world with a craving for blood? He wanted to go home. Though, if he was being honest, it was fucking amazing seeing in the dark and having super strength. “Where are we going?” he asked to change the subject.

Maddie pointed ahead. “Ivory is that way, but we won’t get there for a while yet. Tonight, we’ll make it to one of Ever’s safe houses, then I’ll give you alesson.” She waggled her eyebrows at him.

His cock pulsed. It wasn’t an innuendo—was it?—but he couldn’t stop his thoughts from traveling down a lurid path. Her teaching himexactlyhow she liked to be touched, him learningexactlywhat she tasted like in every way. He shut the thoughts down, before he sported a full boner, and cleared his throat. “A lesson?”

“Let’s do three lessons.” She stopped and whirled toward him with an excited gleam in her eyes. “We need to test your vampire speed. Race me to that tree.”

“What tree?” He squinted ahead but only more blue smoke swirled. There, in the distance, he caught sight of a silhouette so far off he barely recognized the shape.

“That one,” she blurted and took off.

Noah stood there for a moment, mouth hanging open, before he raced after her. The wind whistled in his ears as he ran, focusing on the purple blur a few lengths ahead of him—Maddie. He smirked as he pushed himself harder, letting the adrenaline fuel his speed, and soon caught up with her.

“There you are,” she said with a bright smile. “But you’re too late.”

Noah opened his mouth to ask what she meant, when she dug her heels into soft earth and placed her hand on a tree. He slowed too quickly and nearly toppled over his own feet. “Well, damn,” he said with a long exhale. The tree came out of nowhere. “You’re fast.”

Maddie laughed and poked playfully at his chest. “Faster than you.”

“Hey now.” He captured her wrist and tugged her closer. “It wasn’t a fair race.”

She cocked her head and pretended to think for a moment. “You have longer legs, so I was at a disadvantage.”

Noah chuckled and she leaned into him. A whiff of sweet cherries hit him. The air between them thickened and Maddie’s gaze trailed up to his lips. They’d already done other things together, but he wanted to find out what she tasted like. Would she be as sweet as she smelled? Sweeter? How soft were her lips and would she part them for him? He lowered his head the smallest fraction as if drawn by an invisible force, about to find out if she tasted like cherries.

Maddie waved a hand in the air and quickly stepped back. “Time for lesson two.”

“Oh?” Noah cleared his throat, straightened, and took in the forest. Anything to keep his thoughts from circling back to what he thought the second lesson could be. Black trunks. Gray leaves, with the occasional red one ruining the monochromatic scheme. The trees grew thicker together farther out, it seemed, but here, they appeared sparse. “What is it this time?”

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