Tugging his phone from his jacket pocket to search for the number of Foxy's nightclub, Stephan suppressed his eagerness to speak with Maddox again by telling himself he only wanted to apologize and nothing more.
After several moments of searching, he finally dialed the number and held the phone to his ear, wondering who—or what—might answer.
“Foxy's, this is the one and only speaking,” came the succubus' voice from the other end.
Stephan inwardly sighed in relief that he wouldn't have to play a game of phone tag—hopefully—and answered, “It's Stephan Forrester, I'm looking for Maddox.”
“Stephan who?” A brief pause. “Oh, you mean the no-good low-life bigoted worm of a votary who ditched Maddox the moment he didn't need her anymore?” she asked on a single breath. “Her words, not mine.”
Definitely not gonna be easy. “Yeah,” he muttered, “that's me.”
“What's wrong, was there some insult you forgot to use on her?”
“No, I needed to ask her something, and apologize.”
There was a pause, and somehow, he could imagine the succubus rolling her eyes. “Fine, let me check.”
Stephan soon found himself on hold, listening to Closer by Nine Inch Nails, and several moments passed before Foxy returned to the phone.
“Stephan?”
“Yeah?”
“Just making sure.” The music resumed.
Stephan sighed, reminding himself that he deserved this, and proceeded to wait another five minutes before Foxy picked up again.
“Still there?”
“Yes.”
“Good, because Maddox has a message for you.”
The line went dead, and Stephan released his breath. Deserved that, too.
But short of speaking with Maddox herself, and getting a direct yes or no answer, he wouldn't give up, redialing the number to wait for another response.
19
♦ ♦ ♦
“He must have this number on speed dial by now.”
Foxy was amused by the fact that all evening long, Stephan had been calling the nightclub for her friend.
But Maddox didn't share in her mirth.
Aside from an apology—which was admittedly a good start—she had no idea what the mortal wanted, nor did she care to ask. He hadn't given her a second thought before he'd left, and she wouldn't offer the same courtesy. So if he wanted to talk, he'd have to pray to whatever deity his divinian patron served for a miracle, because she was not interested.
Or so she kept telling herself.
“You still don't want to know why he's calling?” Foxy inquired.
“Not really,” Maddox lied. “He'll have to do more than pick up a phone and apologize if he wants me to listen.”
Foxy smiled, bracing one arm against the wall inside the Purple Room of her nightclub where Maddox had been staying. A canopy bed and several items of Victorian style furniture graced the space, a lovely room to be sure—but the suitcases on the bed proved it was only a temporary arrangement.
By this time tomorrow, Maddox would be living in Linchester, New York.
A week ago, she'd attempted to locate her beneficiaries, and her findings were surprising. Not only did the Waltzer family still own her mansion, one of them knew her.
Maria Waltzer, the current head of the household, was seventeen years old in 1943, and Maddox remembered the headstrong young lady very well. Now, at age eighty-seven, Maria was a retired college professor, and she'd happily invited the former owner to come and visit her home in New Hampshire.
Maddox accepted the invitation without hesitation, and the trip proved to be worthwhile. Maria was a delight to chat with, still just as witty as she'd been growing up, and explained that the mansion in Linchester was now used as a summer house. Everything inside had been kept up to date, and despite some renovations, the layout was much the same.
Then she'd offered to let the vampire move back in.
Maddox could hardly turn the offer down. Returning to a place she'd constructed herself and called home for fifteen years was exactly what she needed to feel less like a foreigner in the world. Maria's only stipulation was to ask Maddox to wait a week so she could hire a maid service to make sure everything was spotless.
She even mentioned having a pleasant surprise waiting when Maddox arrived.
Whatever it was, the setup was honestly perfect. She could move back into her home, find some sense of familiarity, and have a secluded place to conduct her search for Mathias.
On that front, she'd even gained some information to work with. Ulric's brother, Dalris, had some very interesting things to say about her sire's activities in 1943, and Maddox fully intended to put his knowledge to use.
So she'd returned to Foxy's and let her friend know of her plans. The succubus wasn't entirely happy to see her go, but offered a send off in the form of a shopping spree—and Maddox didn't complain.
Being immortal, Foxy was also much more adept at teaching her how technology had progressed. So the past two weeks were very informative, and Maddox had all kinds of new toys to play with.
Not everything was a walk in the park, however—particularly daytime. Being trapped inside everyday was still hard to deal with, and though she'd started to tire out over the past week, Maddox wasn't sleeping well whatsoever. Memories of being locked in a coffin continually haunted her, waking her from sleep, and once that happened, she could never relax well enough to drift off again.
It was getting to the point where she needed to drink more blood to sustain herself than usual, causing a sense of anxiety to grow bigger with each day. She hoped returning to her old home would help with it, but wasn't getting her hopes up.
“Stephan's going to have a long ways to go to find you then,” Foxy suggested. “New York isn't exactly a small trip for a mortal to make.”
“If what he wants is important enough, he can deal with it,” Maddox returned, just as a knock came to the door.
“Maddox, you got company,” Pete announced from the other side.
In response, she shared a brief, knowing look with Foxy. “It can't be.”
The succubus quirked a brow, suggesting, “Seems it is important,” and answered before Maddox could turn to mist and drift away. “Come in.”
The door opened, and Pete stepped aside to reveal none other than Stephan—but not before Maddox noticed a bag of peanut butter cups in the ogre's hand.
Stephan had obviously bribed him to make sure he got inside. Clever asshole.
“We should've warned Pete,” Maddox muttered.
Grinning, Foxy stepped to the door, mentioning suggestively on the way out, “You two play nice, but not too nice.”
Maddox rolled her eyes as she exited from view, and braced herself for the argument that was probably coming. But despite her derision, the moment Stephan entered and shut the door, she began feeling much more serene than she had all week—mostly due to the sound of his pulse. Damn him.
It relaxed her more than she wanted to be, her growing sense of anxiety beginning to ebb. Maddox didn't want to admit it, but she was truly starting to believe their connection was meant to form a relationship of lovers, and her reaction to the thought was the same as it'd been two weeks prior—she inwardly scoffed at the notion.
Stephan? A lover? The day he agreed to be made a vampire would be the same that hell froze over.
The thought annoyed her enough to ask sharply, “What do you want? Should I ask for Pete to stay and protect me just in case you decide my mere presence is offensive?”
“No,” he answered softly.
“Oh? You're not going to pull a gun on me then?”
Stephan reached to lift each side of his jacket, letting her see for herself that he was unarmed aside from a dagger strapped to his belt, and a small light fixture that likely possessed a UV bulb—a new facet of technology she loathed.
Still, he didn't look at all intent to use them, and in fact, as he lowered his arms, his expression was rather sorrowful instead
of the usual glower or solemn gaze. But she'd been bitten one too many times to think he wouldn't start insulting her again, remaining suspicious as he explained himself.
“I know I'm the last person you wanna see, but I had three good reasons to come anyway.”
“And who says I'm remotely interested in hearing them?”
“No one,” he conceded. “I know what a bastard I was to you, and if you want me to go, I will.”
His admission was surprising, and even endearing in a strange way. Maddox sighed over it, finding herself wanting to believe him—again—but couldn't for the same reasons he'd just mentioned.
Shaking her head, she retorted, “I wanted to think well of you, Stephan, but you made that impossible.”
Turning his gaze downward, he gave a nod, then waved his hand. “Alright. I'll go then. But just let me say first that I'm extremely sorry, and thank you. It's nowhere near fucking enough, but I guess it'll have to do.”
At that, he turned to leave without question, and Maddox stared incredulously. Stephan just apologized and said thank you in the same sentence, even said it wasn't enough, and now he was respecting her wishes by leaving.
Something had changed.
“Stephan,” she muttered, taking a few steps closer, “just … tell me the reasons you came here.”
With his hand on the doorknob, he looked back slowly, almost as if he wasn't certain he was actually welcome. “You sure you wanna hear it?”
“No, but I'll humor you.”
Nodding, he faced her again and answered, “The first two reasons were what I just said. I wanted to tell you I was grateful for your help, and sorry for how I treated you, especially what I did before I left. I … what Charlotte told us that night revealed something I didn't know about, and it knocked me for a loop. Still, it's a shit excuse, so I—”
“What did it reveal?” she interrupted, truly curious about what could've set him off enough to make him pull his weapon on her. His refusal to speak of it before indicated that it was a painful subject to talk about, but she'd be much more convinced of this change in his behavior if he showed a little willingness to cooperate.
“Alright,” he conceded, taking a breath as if a heavy weight was on his chest. “Uh … someone close to me was killed. By Lillian.”
Hearing this, Maddox softened her tone in asking, “Who did she kill?”
Stephan remained silent for several moments, his lips a thin line, and even though he was schooling his expression, the pain on his face was profound enough to be visible. Just looking at him made Maddox's heart ache, telling her that whoever he named, they'd meant a great deal.
“My sister.” he finally answered.
Lillian killed his sister? Maddox parted her lips to ask more, but the words stuck in her throat when Stephan glanced to the side, the light glimmering in his eye revealing that he was actually on the verge of tears.
Seeing him in such an emotional state wasn't easy, causing her to check a look of sympathy he might mistake for pity and decide to close up again.
“Her name was Ellen,” he added on a hoarse tone, “just a seven-year-old who loved to play pranks. Our parents died when I was ten and she was still a baby, so we were close growing up. One night, vampires came for her, and I tried to stop them, but … ”
He trailed as if having difficulty speaking of the event, and she waited patiently for him to continue.
“They knocked me out, locked me in a dungeon, and took her … I don't fucking know where. I didn't see her again until Lillian brought her body to me, saying Ellen wasn't the right type. So when Charlotte was talking about mortal fae, and said Lillian had been searching for decades to find one, I knew she'd sacrificed Ellen for that fucking ritual.”
Despite the pain he clearly felt, anger had risen in his voice with each word spoken. “I'd always wondered about it, wondered why they'd stabbed her instead of draining her, but didn't think I'd ever find out. I just wanted justice for her and the others who suffered in that lair. I wasn't the only one there, but no one else survived it.”
Hearing what had happened certainly explained the reason for his hatred. Maddox even doubted the mistreatment he'd personally suffered could compare to the pain of losing his sister, whispering softly, “I'm so sorry, Stephan. I had no idea.”
“Why would you? I'm not exactly chatty about it,” he drew out in an attempt at humor, but the moment faded quickly with his next statement. “Learning how pointless her death really was felt like I'd lost her all over again, but my search was over. All of the vampires who hurt us are gone, and I guess it just … ”
As he trailed, Maddox supplied, “It made you feel empty, like everything was over.”
He considered it, then gave a simple nod. “Something like that.”
It certainly made sense, and actually had Maddox feeling badly for her reactions, qualifying, “If it's any consolation, I'm sorry I got so pushy.”
“No,” Stephan countered quickly, “you didn't do a damned thing wrong. I pulled a fucking gun on you for asking if I was okay. I should've thanked you, or just ignored you, anything but that.”
“Perhaps,” she whispered, being no stranger to loss and how profound an impact it could have on someone's perspective. If Ellen was as meaningful to him as it sounded, then Stephan had probably been an entirely different person before their abduction, one she truly wished she could get to know.
But that wasn't likely to happen, and Maddox didn't prod him for more information, allowing him to change the subject and get away from the painful topic.
“Anyway, I uh … had another reason to come here, I'm just not sure how well you'll take to the idea.”
Probably better now that I know the truth, she thought, waving a hand for him to continue. “What is it?”
Stephan didn't delay with his answer. “I know you're looking for Mathias, and I wanted to help you find him. Guess you could say it's the least I could do.”
“Oh?” she returned, though her surprise at his thoughtfulness was dulled by his previous confession. Still, it seemed like a good idea to test the waters and learn how he'd react to the question, “And just how much did that hurt to say to a vampire?”
She thought he might roll his eye, or grumble in frustration. But instead, a small smirk graced his lips as he sarcastically implied, “I might need a doctor when this is over.”
Surprised again. “A joke? From you?” She gasped dramatically, slowly starting to grin. “Does anyone else know you have a sense of humor?”
“Nope. I'm actually kinda surprised myself.”
Chuckling softly, Maddox made up her mind. Maybe—just maybe—Stephan wasn't all bad.
That didn't mean she was going to accept his offer without learning just a little more, and assumed a more professional stance. “So, is it just guilt, or is there some other reason you want to help me find him?”
“I owe you as well.”
“What about The Bastion?”
“This isn't about them, and I doubt they'd have any useable information anyway.”
With a nod, she quietly pretended to consider it, but Maddox already knew her answer. Stephan's help would be valuable—but most importantly, the demand she had in mind to make of him was just too good to pass up.
“Very well,” she finally announced. “I could use your help, but on one condition.” And I can't wait to see your reaction.
20
♦ ♦ ♦
It took Stephan several moments to register Maddox's agreement. Stipulation or not, he hadn't expected her to accept, and finally managed to ask, “What's the condition?”
Whatever she might demand was certainly questionable, but it was probably going to be a request for him to stay away from her completely, and only report information whenever he found it. Though such a setup was one Stephan would be willing to entertain, he knew he wouldn't like it.
Seeing Maddox again, even telling her about his sister, felt good. It wasn't a topic he enjoyed talking about
, but doing so helped her to realize exactly what she'd done for him, and how grateful he truly was.
Still, try as he might, Stephan couldn't convince himself that saying thank you was the only reason he'd been so eager to see her again. He'd spent the entire drive to Atlanta trying, yet couldn't quell a sense of impatience to get there.
Furthermore, the growing discomfort he'd experienced since their parting was finally starting to fade, all pointing to the fact that he wanted to see Maddox much more than he was letting himself admit.
And damn, did she have to be so gorgeous? Her dark hair was swept into a roll at her nape with a few ringlets framing her face. Her outfit enhanced the look, being a lady's business suit with a silk top of scarlet red beneath a white, pinstripe blazer, and a matching knee length skirt.
A strand of pearls around her neck offered an elegant touch, and Stephan found it exceedingly hard not to stare.
But was he really so attracted to her that it made the thought of working at a distance unpleasant?
Still, she might simply want him to perform some embarrassing task for the way he'd treated her. So he braced himself as the vampire approached with a serious mien, stopping only two feet away before offering her terms.
“You can help me search for Mathias if,” she started, “you let me give you a haircut and a shave.”
Stephan's brows narrowed. A haircut and a shave? It took a moment for the statement to register, and once it had, he briefly recalled her promise to find a way to use the razor she'd purchased two weeks prior.
Apparently, she hadn't lied.
“Really?” he asked in disbelief.
“Yes or no,” she returned earnestly. “There are no half measures here.”
Stephan groaned. “Why don't you just make me streak through a shopping center for what I did?”
“Oh come now,” she chuckled, “it's not as if your hair is the source of your power.”
Stephan snorted in amusement before he could stop himself, and seeing his reaction had Maddox beaming. “I love your sense of humor.”
“For fuck's sakes,” he muttered, turning away before his smile could get any bigger, but she grabbed his hand to stop him.
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