Page 59 of Maddie

Maddie’s gaze fell as she stepped back, nodding. “You’re probably right.”

Noah tilted his head, studying the way she bit her lip as if she were fighting with herself not to speak. “I’m coming back,” he told her. “I know we haven’t gotten the chance to hash everything out, but I want to be here.”

“Why? It could potentially mean a life in hiding.”

It would also mean a life withher. He tilted her chin up with the tips of his fingers so she met his eyes. “I think it would be nice to stick around and get to know you a bit more. Besides, we won’t have to hide forever.”

She scowled. “We could literally be doing just that …forever.”

“No,” he said with conviction. “At some point, we would have to fight back, but I want to do that with you too.”

“Fine, immortal, fine.” Maddie grinned and stretched up to kiss him, her lips pressing against his. Noah tugged her closer so their bodies melded, her heat warming him. A primal part of him didn’t want to give her up, even though he hadn’t known her long. But did it fucking matter? She was different. The world here felt more like home, the immortal body he was in now felt more like his than it ever had before. He wanted to learn everything about this place. And to see Maddie’s smile and determination when she created the hats she loved so much, to know what new things they could do with their mouths, their bodies. They fit together too perfectly and he wantedmore. He slipped his tongue between her lips, reveling in her sweet taste.

Someone cleared their throat and Noah groaned as he pulled away. Mouse sat on the settee, rubbing her eye. “Maddie, I think you left a few things out last night,” she said with a sleepy grin. “You said he was a friend.”

“Heisa friend. And maybe a few more things,” she admitted as Ferris joined them. “Noah’s taking Alice back tonight.”

Ferris nodded. “We should get out of Scarlet too.”

“Hang on.” Noah wasn’t sure what the vampire thought of him exactly, but Ferris needed to hear he wasn’t planning on abandoning Maddie from his own lips. “I’m coming back. Don’t leave until I do. I’ll only be gone a few hours.”

Ferris looked between Maddie and Mouse and gave a shrug. “That’ll give us time to pack all of our essentials, but we can’t wait longer than that.”

“We’ll wait for you,” Maddie told him, casting Ferris a hard stare. “You’ll be less noticeable if I stay here, and I don’t want to leave Mouse alone just yet.”

“Stay. It will be faster this way, anyway.” He took a deep, fortifying breath and glanced at his sister. “Alice, it’s time to go.”

The door opened and his sister poked her head out, her gaze landing immediately on Mouse. When the pink-haired vampire didn’t move to attack, Alice stepped into the room. Ferris held his hand out to her and they exchanged their final goodbyes.

“Is there anything you need me to bring back?” Noah asked Maddie.

“Just yourself.” She leaned forward and pressed her warm lips to his once more, then flicked her hand in the air and gave Alice a curtsy. Noah arched a brow as Maddie sang, “Stay safe.” It was a very Maddie goodbye, but one that made him want to come back even more.

“You too,” Alice said. She studied Noah and nodded toward the door in a silent plea to leave.

“All right then.” He took his sister’s hand and headed for the door. On one hand, he was eager to get Alice back to the mortal world where she was safer, but on the other, he hated to leave her. “We won’t be long.”

Their flat in London had been ransacked. Tables were toppled and sofas torn to shreds. The stuffing littered the floor along with glass from shattered photos. Noah took note of the broken frame that once sat on the mantle, displaying the family photo Chess had somehow taken from Rav. The entire contents of the kitchen cupboards were scattered about and the mattresses in the bedrooms had been flipped.

“What a mess,” Alice muttered, nose wrinkled as she stepped over a piece of her broken bedframe.

Noah grunted in agreement. There wasn’t anything he truly cared about that had been destroyed—it was just … stuff to him. Things his parents had bought because of how the objects looked, not because there was any attachment or because it was comfortable. In fact, the sofa was like sitting on stone, but it was more the audacity Imogen and Rav had to destroy everything because his sister escaped them. And that they so easily found where his sister lived since Rav had taken Alice’s purse.Arseholes.

Alice would have to break the news about the flat to their parents—perhaps it could be part of why she needed to leave London. Someone broke in and scared the living shit out of her, she fled before getting hurt, and … something. Alice would be the one to maintain the lie, so he would leave the details up to her. As for his absence, he was granted a last-minute opportunity to study abroad. Sure, his parents would be pissed he didn’t inform them and that he left Alice alone, resulting in her being endangered by the robbery, but what could they do? Ground him? Cut off his allowance? He was twenty-two years old for fuck’s sake.

“Only grab what you need,” Noah said. Their parents would make sure she had a new wardrobe and whatever else, so she wouldn’t truly need anything. But that didn’t make up for the things she loved that were ruined.

The hair on the back of Noah’s neck suddenly stood on end. He tensed, sensing someone behind him. Tuning into all his heightened senses, he took in their nearly weightless footfalls and the lingering hint of metallic in the air. Not a concerned neighbor checking on them then. He moved to the console table in the hallway and made a show of pretending to look for something while he curled his fingers around the silver letter opener.

A floorboard creaked just behind him, and Noah whirled around, grabbing the vampire by the front of his black hoodie. The male was young—at least he had been when he’d been turned—with a gap between his teeth. But the only thing that mattered were the fangs. Noah shoved the letter opener into the side of his neck and ripped it out before the male could make a sound. Hot blood splattered across his face and the wall.

Noah carefully dragged the vampire into one of the spare rooms and laid him down so as not to alert Alice with a loud thump.Fuck.Rav must’ve had the place under surveillance. He grabbed the vampire’s head and set a foot on his chest, holding him in place, then easily ripped the head the rest of the way from his body. They didn’t need him recovering and telling Rav that Alice had come back. He’d simply have to return and deal with the body after sending her off.

He quickly left the space, shutting the door to hide the vampire, and climbed through his disaster of a bedroom. After sparing a moment to switch out of Ferris’s bloody outfit, he yanked some of his favorite shirts off their hangers, stuffing them into a bookbag, along with other necessities.

“I’ll need to buy a new phone,” Alice said from his doorway. Noah flicked a quick glance in the mirror to make sure he didn’t have any blood left on his face. It was clean. “Mine was in my purse so Rav probably still has it.”

Noah nodded. He wasn’t keen on the idea of her traveling alone, especially at night, and definitely not without a phone. His old one was somewhere at Maddie’s cottage. “Grab one as soon as you can, yeah? We’ll get you settled in a hotel tonight, and you can head out in the morning.”

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