Page 44 of Maddie

“Fuck,” he hissed.

“It was never going to hold him for long,” Maddie said wistfully. “His Royal Bastard has a tendency to lurk around though.”

Noah immediately peered up as if Chess would be there. He wasn’t, of course, but that didn’t mean he wasn’t close, maybe waiting to spring a trap on them.Let him try. Noah just helped fight off an entire pack of werewolves—he could handle one cocky vampire. “Let’s get out of here.”

Maddie adjusted her backpack. “It’s not too far to the safe house, so we’ll stop there for a bit.”

Now that they had the cure, he didn’t want to wait another night to give it to Alice, but shewasstill far. After escaping the werewolves, the adrenaline wore off and his entire body ached. “Okay,” he said. “But only for a few hours.”

Maddie led the way back to the safe house in the tree, passing different species of Wonderland creatures, some with sharp teeth and others with curving beaks. The crows studied them as they passed but remained in the trees.

Once they reached their destination, Maddie fished the key from the front of her pack to open the door. They descended the steps, the familiar pine scent hitting his nose.

She flopped onto the ground at the bottom of the stairs with a low groan. “I could sleep for days.”

“Hours,” Noah insisted.

“I know, I know,” she said. “And I have a hat to make.”

Noah eased down beside her and yawned, closing his eyes. The urge to wrap an arm around Maddie and tug her against him rose.Fuck. He was never into cuddling before… His feelings for her were changing, already becoming deeper. But soon he would be leaving, right? Taking Alice and returning home as a mortal. The thought settled uncomfortably inside him as his mind drew closer to sleep.

Just when he nearly drifted off, the weight of Maddie’s head pressed on his shoulder. His lips curled into a smile as he turned his head to rest on hers. It didn’t matter what he did tomorrow or a week from now… Tonight, he was alive thanks to this vampire and she was beside him—apparently, with the same urge to be closer together. Noah wrapped his arm around her shoulders, letting her settle into him even more.

“Hey,” Maddie whispered. “Wake up.”

Noah cracked his eyes open to find her hovering over him. His pulse quickened at the sight of her, and he wanted to brush the hair from her face. Unconsciously, his hand lifted, doing just that as a warmth for her filled his chest. He wanted to pull her closer, wrap his arm around her and—reality blasted through him. “Shit.” He leapt up and grabbed his bag from the floor. “How long were we asleep?”

“Three hours,” Maddie said with a shrug. “Give or take.”

That wasn’t bad… But it had only felt like five minutes. “Is something wrong?”

“Why would something be wrong?” She cocked her head, brows lowered in confusion.

“Because werewolves are probably hunting us down and the queen’s hell-spawn escaped the tree thatwe tied him to.”

Maddie laughed. “The werewolves won’t follow us into Scarlet. Well, notthosewerewolves. Just the regular old renegades that sneak into the city.”

Noah wasn’t sure why that was any better, but they’d been fine in Scarlet so far, if he discounted his attempted murder and being turned into a vampire. He hadn’t seen a single werewolf before they’d waltzed into their territory, but that didn’t change anything regarding Chess. He probably had already told his mother about the encounter. They could be walking straight into the queen’s guards on the way back.

“Come on.” She patted his shoulder, their eyes meeting. A tiny spark lit, igniting something in him. He wanted to capture her lips with his, feel every inch of her against him. But the spell broke when she spoke again. “We need to get back before Ferris thinks we were eaten.”

This time, after Maddie re-locked the safe house, Noah urged her to keep a faster pace. Hours passed before the familiar red-glowing lanterns appeared on the horizon, and he was eager to give Alice the cure.

Vampires roamed the streets in large groups, all of them wearing a variety of black lace, velvet, and dark makeup. They laughed and spoke in loud, boisterous voices, and if they weren’t in Wonderland, Noah would’ve thought they were normal friends heading to the club. Maybe theyweregoing to a club in the mortal world like Rav had when he’d found Alice.

“This way,” Maddie whispered, tugging him down darker alleys and away from the crowds. “Almost th—”

“Look who it is,” a familiar voice drawled. Noah whirled around to find Chess striding up behind them. “The little schemer and her new pet.”

“Ah, fuck,” Noah hissed, and Maddie squeezed his arm.

The prince was a few feet away, then in the next instant, right in their faces with his fangs bared. “You tied me to a tree.”

“You tied us to each other,” Maddie countered.

“And I’ll do it again,” he sneered.

Maddie cocked her head and grinned. “How about with chiffon this time?”

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