As they trudged upstairs, I picked up a chicken drumstick, waving it around like a wand.
“Honestly, seeing Craig tonight totally sapped my energy. I haven’t heard from him in months, and I hoped I’d never hear from him again.” I looked up at Aegis, tears in my eyes. “I didn’t realize how much I still hate that man. He put me through hell, but I thought it was over. I can’t believe he did that.” I paused, then shrugged. “Actually, no. I can believe it. That’s the way he is. That’s Craig in a nutshell. He’ll do anything to anyone as long as it benefits him.”
Aegis took the chicken out of my hand and put it on my plate, then took my hand in his. “Maddy, all you have to do is say the word and you’ll never have to worry about Craig again. I’m serious. I will do anything for you.”
I realized what he was offering, but I couldn’t say yes, no matter how much I wanted to. As much as I hated Craig, I couldn’t just order his death. If he had hurt somebody I loved, though, I wouldn’t have the same qualms.
I shook my head. “I know what you’re offering, but please, no. Don’t get me wrong. If he stepped in front of the bus and was squashed flat, I wouldn’t shed any tears. But I can’t ask the bus driver to aim for him. Do you understand?”
Aegis nodded. “I do. And in some ways, it makes me love you even more. But I won’t let him hurt you. I’m serious about that, Maddy. I won’t let him do anything that puts you in danger.”
“Can we talk about something else? I’m too tired to talk about Craig.”
“Of course. Did Kelson reach all our guests?”
I glanced over at the sink, where Kelson was rinsing off dishes and starting to fill the dishwasher. She still hadn’t gone to bed. “Hey, Kelson, did you manage to reach all of our guests and tell them that this week is off?”
“Yeah, I did. Everybody wants us to call them when we’re open again. Given that we have power now, do you want to schedule that for tomorrow?”
“Not till the roof is finished. And we don’t know how long it’s going to take. I don’t know if the ferry is running yet either. But I’m glad they want to reschedule. At least that’s one thing in our favor. I wish Franny could remember more about the woman who owned the house.”
“What’s this?” Aegis asked, picking up a doughnut.
I stared at him. “A doughnut.”
“No, silly woman. The woman who owned the house?”
“Oh! Right. Franny happened to remember a woman who owned the house around the turn of the last century. We’re not certain if she had anything to do with walling off the attic, but that’s what we think happened. It’s a place to start. The woman spooked her, and when somebody makes an impression on Franny, it’s worth looking into.”
“How long to fix the roof?”
“I don’t know. Leonard and his crew will be here tomorrow morning at nine o’clock to take a look at the roof and assess the damage. I’m going to ask them how much it’s going to cost to put on a new roof. If it’s too much, or it will take too long, we can just patch it until later.”
It had occurred to me that this might not be the best time of year for a new roof, given the holidays were coming up and everybody would be looking for a fun getaway. On the other hand, if it looked like we were going to be plagued with leaks, we’d want to get it fixed as soon as possible.
“All right. Let me clear the table while you go upstairs and wait for me. I’ll come up and rub your back before you go to sleep.” He pointed to my plate.
I looked down. Apparently I was too tired to eat, because I had just torn my chicken into bits and left it on the plate. Yawning, I stood and stretched. Grabbing two doughnuts and putting them on a paper plate, I added a napkin and headed for the stairs.
“I’ll see you upstairs. Kelson, you get to bed, too. You’ve had a long couple of days.”
And with that, I wearily climbed the stairs to my bedroom, where I found Luna and Bubba curled up on the comforter. As I yanked off my boots and toss them to the side, Sandy and Max came out of the bathroom. They were dressed, but their hair was freshly washed and dried, and they both looked far more comfortable than they had.
“We’re heading out. Alex just texted that he’s outside, waiting.” She dashed across to the bed and gave me a quick hug. “You take it easy, you hear me?”
“I’ll see you later, Maddy. Honey, I’ll be down in the car.” Max waved and left, shutting the door behind him.
After he was gone, I said, “Aegis offered to kill Craig for me.” I stared up at Sandy, waiting for her reaction.
She blinked. “The world would be a better place. But I assume you told him no?”
“Yes, I told him no. But there was a part of me that wanted to just say go ahead. Drain him dry. I swear, Sandy. If Craig were to fall off the end of the earth tonight, I’d be relieved. As it is, I’m just going to take a long bubble bath and crawl into bed. I don’t think I’m going to have to worry about the loan sharks, though. Aegis seems determined that he won’t let me be bothered by that business.”
“It would serve Craig right if he had to sell every single thing he owned to pay them back. I wish it would come to light and that he’d be disbarred. All right, I’ll call you tomorrow. Wish us luck on getting our power back.” With that, she gave me another quick kiss on the forehead, then hurried out of the room.
One hot bubble bath later, I was resting on the bed, on my stomach, as Aegis gently rubbed my back. I thought about turning over so he could rub other parts of my anatomy as well, but I was so tired that I would probably fall asleep in the middle of it. And that wasn’t conducive to a man’s ego, vampire or not.
Bubba stretched out on the bottom of the bed, Luna curled up back to back with him. As the wind picked up outside, I hoped we wouldn’t have another storm. For once, I hoped for a break from the weather. I could happily go for one of those cool autumn days, when the sun glinted on frosty leaves. The kind of day that offered a chance to bundle up and walk down by the water as the breeze nipped at your nose.
As I closed my eyes, curling up beneath the covers, Aegis gently sang me to sleep, his voice resonant and deep. As I drifted off to sleep, I felt him kiss me on the forehead and I thought he whispered, “I won’t ever let anyone hurt you, Maddy. I promise.”
I HAD GONE to bed so early that I woke up at five a.m., bright-eyed and bushytailed. Aegis was busy in the kitchen, making cinnamon rolls and fresh bread. The hot, yeasty scent filled the air as I clattered down the stairs, feeling much better than I had the night before. Craig could try all he wanted, but I wasn’t going to let him get under my skin. As I entered the kitchen, I saw that Kelson was also awake. The kitchen TV—a small one affixed to the wall near the sink—was on, and I saw that they were watching the Big British Baking Competition. They also appeared to be arguing over the best way to make a meringue.
“Swiss meringue is best,” Aegis said.
Kelson shook her head. “Oh no, I prefer Italian meringue. It’s smoother and super creamy.”
“Is this what you do when I’m asleep?” I asked, suppressing a laugh. “Watch cooking shows and argue about egg whites?”
“No, sometimes we watch Pasta World or A Baker’s Dozen and argue about the best cheeses for mac and cheese.” Aegis stuck his tongue out at me. He was wearing his apron that read, CAT LOVERS CHEF. It was black with pink and white kittens printed all over it, and right now it was covered with a dusting of flour. His hands were covered with dough, and he held them away from his body as I leaned up on tiptoe to give him a quick kiss.
“Good morning,” I said, bopping him on the nose. Luna and Bubba were right behind me, and both of them set up meowing loud and clear. Apparently, it was breakfast time. Luna fit in with our family perfectly, though I was still worried how Bubba would take it when she started to age. Cats didn’t have a very long life span, not compared to a cjinn, or a witch. Or even a human.
Kelson flipped on the espresso machine, preparing to make my
morning latte. “What do you want this morning?”
“Make it a quad, caramel and vanilla. Did you get enough sleep?” I pulled a plate out of the cupboard, carrying it over to the freshly baked cinnamon rolls. As I slid one of the fragrant pastries onto my dish, Kelson pulled the eggs and cheese out of the refrigerator.
“I did! Omelet okay, along with bacon?” She rummaged through the cupboard for a skillet.
“That sounds lovely, but weren’t the eggs a victim of the power outage?”
“They were indeed,” Aegis said. “But I decided to go for a spin around one a.m. and stopped at the grocery store to replenish the food. It looks like the power has been restored to about half the town. I gather the ferries will be up and running again by the end of the week when they have the pier repaired. Oh, by the way, I found out where Craig is staying. I paid a visit to him—don’t worry, he’s still alive,” he added as I winced. “But I doubt that he’ll bother us again.” He gave me a look that said, Don’t ask.
I decided to obey for once and changed the subject. “The Alpha Pack will be over at nine a.m. to start work on the roof. Before they actually start patching it up, I’m going to ask them to cut through the paneling in the attic. I’m really curious about what’s in that blocked-off room.”
“I don’t know if I’d do that,” Franny said, walking out of the wall.
I jumped, startled. “I wish you’d announce yourself when you did that,” I said. “You scared the bejesus out of me.”
She giggled. “I’m sorry. By the way, Henry will be down late. He didn’t get to sleep until about four a.m. and he asked me to let you know not to hold breakfast for him.”
I wanted to ask exactly what he was doing at four a.m. with Franny in his room, but again, don’t ask, don’t tell. But my curiosity got the better of me enough and I blurted out, “Franny, can you take your clothes off?”
I regretted the words the moment they tumbled out of my mouth. But there was no way I could take them back.
She cocked her head, staring at me like I had just asked her if she was a demon. “Excuse me? You want me to undress?”
“No! I just meant…” I scrambled for a save. “What I meant is, can you change your clothes? Are you stuck in that dress, or can you change it up?”
“You better stop while you’re ahead,” Aegis advised with a grin.
“Oh, shut up.” I glared at him. I was seriously trying to figure out how I could backpedal.
The frown on Franny’s face slowly vanished as a flush of pink rose through her cheeks. I wasn’t sure how ghosts managed to blush, given they were bloodless and bodiless, but blush they could. Her eyes widened as she made a little “O” with her mouth. But if she understood what I was asking, she conveniently sidestepped it.
“As far as I know, I’m stuck in these clothes. I’d like to wear something else, but if there’s a way, I haven’t found it.” She rushed on ahead, changing the subject. “I don’t know if it’s safe to pry into secret rooms and hidden memories.”
“Nonetheless, we’re going to. This is my house and I want to know everything about it. If there are any skeletons in the closet, I’m prying them out.” Even as a little girl, I hadn’t been content to go on what people told me. One of my favorite books, written in the 1940s, was Rebecca, by Daphne du Maurier. Except I had never understood why the nameless heroine hadn’t searched through every inch of Manderley. I know I would have gone prowling through every single room, getting to know every inch of my new home.
“Don’t say I didn’t warn you.” Franny paused, then added, “Can I ask a favor?”
“Of course. What do you need?” I liked to help Franny out when I could, given she had so many limitations on her.
“I’m almost embarrassed to ask, but I’d like to get Henry a little gift. And I don’t know what to get him. Or how, given I’m a ghost and don’t have any money.”
I glanced over at Aegis, who flashed me the barest of grins. He quickly turned away so that Franny wouldn’t see his smile. For myself, I wasn’t all that surprised. But nor was I going to let Franny talk me into spending a buttload of money on Henry. I thought for a moment, then snapped my fingers.
“I know. Henry’s writing the history of Bedlam, right?”
Franny nodded.
“Why don’t we order him a nice leather-bound journal and pen for his notes? He likes to take notes by hand, I’ve noticed.” It was true, I thought. Henry seemed to enjoy the experience of actually writing out the words rather than typing, although I knew he had a laptop in his room. A journal would be a nice, inexpensive gift that he would probably like.
Franny clapped her hands. “That’s perfect. Can we go find one right now?”
“Let me eat breakfast first. Meanwhile, why don’t you go into the computer in the parlor, and search online. I’m giving you a budget of $100. That’s for both the pen and the journal.”
“Great. I can check in on STOE, too. I haven’t read the forums for a couple of days.” Franny also belonged to an online group called STOE, which was short for Spirits Trapped on Earth. It was a support group for ghosts who for—whatever reason—hadn’t been able to move on. She stopped. “I think that computer is on.”
“Oh that’s right, the power outage.” I glanced over at Kelson. “I’ll be right back. Can you make me plenty of bacon with that omelet?”
“The whole package, if you want.” She waved me off.
I headed into the library, with Franny following me. Flipping on the computer, I booted it up in safe mode, given it had shut down so abruptly. As soon as it loaded, I turned it off properly, then once again turned it on, this time normally.
After making sure nothing was wrong, I activated the voice software and brought up Leather Bound, a website devoted to journals and pens. Franny looked over my shoulder. A sweep of cold air rushed through me as she accidentally brushed through me.
“Can you back away a little?” We had had this conversation a dozen times, but she always forgot.
“Oh, sorry.” She blushed. “I didn’t mean to get so close.”
I slid out of the chair, pulling it back so she could have the illusion of sitting down. “When you find one you like, just order it. I added the money to your account. Have fun!”
As I left the library, I glanced over my shoulder. Franny was absorbed in the website, eagerly looking through the myriad journals and pens. She looked content, and for some reason, that made me happy.
When I returned to the kitchen, Kelson slid a plate in front of me. The omelet was chock full of cheese and mushrooms, and the bacon was sizzling and crispy. I took a deep breath, holding it for a moment before I let it out slowly. It all felt so right, Aegis and me, even Kelson and Franny were so much a part of my world now. I couldn’t really imagine being anywhere else. The past felt so far away, almost as if it were a dream.
“PROMISE ME YOU’LL love me forever,” Tom said, taking my hands as we stood under the moonlight.
It was 1719, and Tom had my heart in his hands. We had met years before, in 1660, the year after I met his cousin Fata Morgana. She had introduced us at a party, when she caught me watching him.
Tom had caught my eye from the beginning. He was a tall, cool drink of water. With shocking blond hair that he wore in a braid, his eyes were as green as mine, and he was muscled, though not muscle bound. But his voice was what I noticed first. He had a bard’s voice, and when he spoke, it was almost as though he were singing. I couldn’t take my eyes off of him.
Fata Morgana noticed. “You like him?” she asked, watching me closely.
I nodded. “There’s something about him. I can’t look away. Do you know who he is?”
She paused, and for a moment I thought she was going to say no. But then she nodded. “Hold on, I’ll go talk to him.” She hurried across the room, and I considered following her, but decided to wait. Fata pulled him aside, and I saw her point to me, and then whisper something to him. He sta
red at her for a moment, as though debating, and finally nodded. He followed her back to where I was standing.
“Maddy, this is my cousin, Tom.”
I blinked. “Your cousin? Why didn’t you just tell me?”
Again, she paused, then the words tumbled out. “Oh, force of habit. In case the witch hunters catch us.”
Tom held out his hand, and I placed my fingers into his palm. His skin was warm, and sparks flew when we touched. His eyes met mine, and I was lost.
I BLINKED, SHAKING my head as I shook away the memories. It was all water under the bridge, dark water that I didn’t want to tread anymore. I looked up to see Aegis watching me.
“Are you all right?” His eyes crinkled with worry.
I cleared my throat, slicing into my omelet with my fork. “Yeah, I’m fine. Just a stray memory that I didn’t expect.” I glanced up at the clock. It was seven a.m., and I was starting to regret getting up so early. “I think after I eat and before the Alpha-Pack gets here, I’ll go out for a walk to clear my head.”
“I’m going to head downstairs. The bread is almost ready and Kelson can take it out of the oven. I don’t want to chance being up here when sunrise actually hits. I’ve only got a few minutes.” Aegis folded his napkin and placed it across his plate, standing.
I put down my fork and pushed back my chair, holding out my arms. He pulled me into his embrace, kissing me deeply as his hands wandered over my back. He lowered his lips to my neck, trailing kisses along my skin. His touch chased away the memories of Tom, and of my earlier life. This was where I belonged. Now, in the present, and Aegis’s embrace. I rested my head on his chest.
“I love you,” I whispered. “You have no idea how glad I am we’re together. Thank you for being here.” I glanced up into his eyes. “Thank you for being you.”
“I love you too, Maddy. I’ll always be here for you, as long as you want me.” His lips met mine again, so cool against my own warm skin as he kissed me. Finally, he let go, glancing at the clock. “I’d better go. I can feel the sun rising, even though I doubt we’ll see it today.”
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