Page 45 of Maddie

“Chess!” A female gave a high-pitched squeal and he winced. “I would recognize that arse anywhere.”

The prince spun on his heel. “Ari. I’m a bit busy right now.”

Using the distraction to their advantage, Maddie ripped Noah out of the alley, and they ran as fast as their superspeed could take them. Weaving in and out of side streets, dodging around vampires who got in their way. They sprinted past a female vampire who had her fangs buried in the forearm of an elderly man, his head thrown back in pleasure. The scent of blood tinged the air and Noah’s body tightened. His hunger surged.Almost there, he told himself as they made it the final block to the safe house.

Maddie banged a rhythm on the door so hard that Noah knew someone would notice. Sweat poured down the back of his neck as he scanned the streets, waiting for Chess to appear out of nowhere again. If he did, he’d punch the fucker in the face.

The door swung open and Maddie fell forward, straight into Ferris’s chest. She quickly drew him to the side so Noah could leap in and slam the door shut.

“What the fuck?” Ferris asked. “You both look like hell.”

“It’s a long story,” Maddie said with a carefree wave of her hand. “Is Alice still alive?”

Noah was already at her bedroom door when Ferris answered, “Yes.” He pushed inside and found Alice curled under a heavy blanket. Her hair was plastered to her head with sweat, her teeth chattered, and her eyes appeared sunken and bruised. It had only been a handful of days, but she looked so much worse than before.

“Alice?” he whispered, kneeling beside the mattress, and set the back of his hand against her forehead. Her skin burned his palm as though she were on fire. “Alice, I’m back. We got the cure.”

Maddie unzipped the bag that was still on his back and, a moment later, held out one of the mushrooms. “Here,” she said softly.

“Thank you.” Noah took it from her and gently shook Alice awake. She blinked her bright blue eyes open but they were dull, lifeless. She was almost gone... He could see it,smellit. The sweet scent of death clung to her like a second skin. “Alice, you need to eat this.”

“I’m not hungry,” she croaked, her glazed eyes fixed on the ceiling.

“It doesn’t matter,” he said, bringing the mushroom to her lips. “Just eat this for me. Please. You’ll become human again.”

Alice opened her mouth just wide enough to get the edge of the mushroom between her teeth. She chewed and swallowed with slow, laborious movements.

“More,” Noah urged. He continued to feed her one tiny bite at a time until the mushroom was gone. An eternity passed before Alice managed to finish the cure while Maddie watched from the doorway with Ferris. Now that it was done … why was nothing happening? “Alice?”

She rolled onto her back and arched her spine with a pained groan.

Noah leapt to his feet. “What’s going on?”

“I told you it’s hard to keep solid food down,” Maddie said. “She has to digest it.”

“Can one of you get her a cool, wet rag for her head?” He wouldn’t ask for a bucket, though he worried Alice might need one. If she threw up, then she wouldn’t get the full effect of the cure, and he refused to accept that. His sister was not dying. She had too much life left—too many years of living without their parents’ interference. Their mother’s expression when Alice showed up for Christmas completely decked out in her new style would be priceless as it always was. His sister needed to survive so she could truly live.

Ferris passed Noah a damp cloth, and he hurried to press it against Alice’s forehead as she writhed. “You’ll be okay,” he told her even though he had no fucking clue if it was a lie. “Everything will be all right.”

“Digestion could take a few hours,” Maddie said in a solemn voice. “Ferris and I will be in the other room if you need us.”

Noah nodded and flipped the rag over, swiping strands of Alice’s stray hair away from her face. A few hours felt like a lifetime, but he wouldn’t leave her side until he knew if the cure worked. “When this is all over, we should get you that parrot you’ve always wanted.” They’d never been allowed pets—not even a goldfish—but he wanted to give her something to look forward to. “We can teach it how to swear in as many languages as you want. Then we should host a family dinner.”

The briefest flicker of a smile ghosted Alice’s lips before twisting into a grimace again. Noah wiped the sweat from her face and neck with the cloth. “I saw that smirk,” he joked.

Chapter Nineteen

Maddie

The transition from a vampire to a human would be a teensy bit more difficult than the original swap from mortal to immortal. Maddie had heard the rumors, but hadn’t seen a transition first-hand. Apparently, she wouldn’t now either since there was another task to complete. In only a few days’ time, Maddie would deliver the headpiece to Her Royal Heart-Stealing Highness. Maddie needed to start on the delightful hat-making chorenow, and she would finish it tonight to get it out of the way.

“I don’t know about this, Maddie,” Ferris said, rubbing the back of his neck as he studied her beneath thick lashes.

“Just draw me the Ruby Heart Palace’s floor map leading to Mouse’s cell.” She patted his shoulder with a smile. “That’s all I need.”

With a sigh, he retrieved a notebook and pen from his room. He ripped out a sheet and sat on the sofa, then sketched a rather quick yet intricate drawing. His strokes were detailed, and she spotted the sitting room of the palace right away.

Maddie arched a brow and sat beside him. “It looks like you’re good at more than drums. You never told me you could draw.”

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