Bewitching Bedlam

  BEWITCHING BEDLAM

  - A Bewitching Bedlam Novel -

  Book 1

  YASMINE GALENORN

  A Nightqueen Enterprises LLC Publication

  Published by Yasmine Galenorn

  PO Box 2037, Kirkland WA 98083-2037

  BEWITCHING BEDLAM

  A Bewitching Bedlam Novel

  Copyright © 2017 by Yasmine Galenorn

  First Electronic Printing: 2017 Nightqueen Enterprises LLC

  First Print Edition: 2017 Nightqueen Enterprises, LLC

  Cover Art & Design: Earthly Charms

  Editor: Elizabeth Flynn

  ALL RIGHTS RESERVED No part of this book may be reproduced or distributed in any format, be it print or electronic or audio, without permission. Please prevent piracy by purchasing only authorized versions of this book.

  This is a work of fiction. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, businesses, or places is entirely coincidental and not to be construed as representative or an endorsement of any living/ existing group, person, place, or business.

  A Nightqueen Enterprises LLC Publication

  Published in the United States of America

  Table of Contents

  Cover Page

  Title Page

  Copyright

  Table of Contents

  Acknowledgments

  Welcome to Bewitching Bedlam

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  Chapter 17

  Playlist

  Biography

  Acknowledgments

  I want to thank Mandy Roth, for inviting me into the anthology where Blood Music—the prequel to this story—first saw print—Maudlin and her crew were first conceived when I was trying to write a more “serious” vampire story. But Maddy Gallowglass insisted on climbing out of the woodwork that is my bizarre sense of humor and I instantly fell for her and her world.

  Thanks to my beloved husband, Samwise, who is more supportive than any husband out there. (Hey, I’m biased!) He believes in me, even at times when I’m having trouble believing in myself. Thank you to my wonderful assistants—Andria Holley and Jennifer Arnold. And to my friends—namely Carol, Jo, Vicki, Shawntelle, and the whole UF Group gang I’m in. They’ve held my hand more than once this past year as I’ve made the jump from traditional to indie publishing. It’s been a scary, exciting, fast-track ride.

  Love and scritches to my four furbles—Caly, Brighid (the cat, not the goddess), Morgana, and l’il boy Apple, who make every day a delight. And reverence, honor, and love to my spiritual guardians—Mielikki, Tapio, Ukko, Rauni, and Brighid (the goddess, not the cat).

  And to you, readers—thank you so much for sticking with me. I hope you enjoy this book. If you want to know more about me and my work, check out my bibliography in the back of the book, be sure to sign up for my newsletter, and you can find me on the web at Galenorn.com.

  Brightest Blessings,

  ~The Painted Panther~

  ~Yasmine Galenorn~

  Welcome to Bewitching Bedlam

  As Maudlin and Aegis prepare to open the Bewitching Bedlam B&B to guests, they immediately find themselves embroiled in a battle for customers. Ralph Greyhoof, the owner of the Heart’s Desire Inn, doesn’t like to share. The conflict heats up when Maddy finds a local witch dead in the rose garden. The woman looks a lot like Maudlin and suspicion falls on Ralph. But Maddy knows that as competitive as Ralph is, he wouldn’t resort to murder. Maudlin and Aegis set out to find the killer, even as their own relationship is put to the test. Aegis’s old flame has returned, determined to win him back, no matter what it takes.

  Chapter 1

  “BUT WHY WON’T you paint it pink?”

  Franny was standing in the middle of the kitchen. She also happened to be standing in the middle of the kitchen island, which gave the effect that she was cut off at the waist. Disconcerting to say the least, but I had quickly learned to keep my complaints about her displacement to myself. She took criticism hard, and I wasn’t up to the fallout, which included full-scale whining and moaning à la Jacob Marley. There’s nothing like waking up in the middle of the night to see a weeping ghost by your bed, staring at you with puppy-dog eyes, which was why I had banned her from my bedroom.

  “We’ve been over this at least a half-dozen times. I hate pink, unless it’s fuchsia or magenta. I am not painting the kitchen pink just because you like it.” Hands on my hips, I stared at my uninvited roommate. I might have to live with her, but I didn’t have to let her call the shots. I had paid for the mansion. She just happened to be an added bonus, although I used the word “bonus” loosely.

  “How do you think I feel? I can’t leave this house. You changed my favorite parlor into a media room and put that horrible monster you call a television in there. You chased me out of your bedroom. And you’re letting that…that…vampire live here.” She spat out the word so vehemently that I was grateful that she wasn’t corporeal, or I would have been hit with a mouthful of spit.

  “That vampire is my boyfriend, who also happens to be one of the sweetest men around. You know perfectly well that Aegis doesn’t harm his…”

  I stopped. Technically, “victim” really would be the appropriate choice of words, but I felt like a traitor using it. Aegis didn’t hurt anybody he drank from. Not unless they tried to stake him. And he never chose anybody who was anemic or diabetic. Vampires had the ability to tell when someone was low on their favorite flavor of fruit punch, or when that said punch had too much or too little sugar in it.

  But Franny refused to see it my way, and I was tired of the argument. Every time she wanted me to change something, she fell back to “You let that vampire live here.” I had heard it—or a variation thereof—so many times the past month that my head was spinning.

  “Franny, get this through your misty mind. You have to deal with it. Aegis lives here. He sleeps with me. Well, technically we have sex in my bedroom. He sleeps in his coffin. But whatever the case, this is my house and I’ll let whoever I want live here.” I straightened my shoulders. “Count yourself lucky that I haven’t hired an exorcist to deal with you.”

  “I wish you would! I hate being trapped.” But Franny didn’t sound like she meant it.

  “I could evict you myself, you know. I could banish you. Bingo! One easy spell and boom, you’d be out on your ass, wandering the highway like some lost mournful spirit. But did I do that when I found out you were haunting my home? No. I did not.”

  I paused, suddenly deflating. I wasn’t going to exorcise her ass and she knew it. Oh, I was trying to sound intimidating. But considering that I was holding a stuffed unicorn under my left arm and a tray of cookies in my right hand, the threat just didn’t have the impact that I hoped for.

  Franny huffed, then turned and flounced off, the long skirts of her muslin gown sweeping the floor with a ghostly swish as she vanished through the wall. She was still wearing the dress she had died in. Franny had lived around these parts of Bedlam until August 1815, when she died. She had been so wrapped up in reading her book that she missed a step and went tumbling down the staircase, breaking her neck. It was over quickly, but somehow, she had become trapped in the house. I felt sorry for her, but Franny needed to find a sense of humor, and find it quick if she wanted to go on living with me.

  Sha
king my head, I set the cookies down on the counter and carried the unicorn over to the rocking chair. Made of polished mahogany, the rocker was wide enough to curl up in. I had chosen it specifically for the kitchen. I had always wanted a kitchen big enough to have a rocking chair in and this mansion fit the bill perfectly. As I nestled into the seat, tucking the unicorn onto the table beside the rocker, I closed my eyes. I just needed a little rest. Just a little time out.

  “Maddy? Maddy. Oh Maddy, wake up, pretty girl.” A sinuous voice echoed through the fog.

  I blinked, suddenly aware that someone was kissing my nose. Jumping in my seat, I opened my eyes to find Aegis leaning over me, a grin spreading across those gorgeous lips of his. The tips of his fangs were showing—spotless and glowing white. I’d warned him to watch how much of the whitening toothpaste he used, but television commercials had convinced him that his pearly whites needed to be even brighter. I kept telling him his teeth were practically fluorescent, but they didn’t detract from just how pretty the man was. Handsome. Gorgeous. Insert adjective of your choice.

  “What the—?” I blinked. “Is it night already?”

  Aegis had turned on the light. Outside, the dusk was growing. I had obviously slept away part of the day, and it had to be after sunset for him to be awake.

  “Enjoy your nap with Drofur, love?” His voice wrapped around me like a silken scarf, its resonance tickling me. Even though witch’s blood was an aphrodisiac for vamps, this particular vampire’s voice was an aphrodisiac for me. His voice…his hands…his body…his…

  Shaking my head to clear my thoughts before they reached the X-rated stage, I looked down to see that I was holding the unicorn. I must have picked it up again in my sleep. With a blush, I realized that I had been cuddling it. I hastily returned Drofur to his spot on the table.

  “Um, yeah. I guess I was more tired than I thought.” I cautiously stood, stretching as my knees and back protested the un-horizontal nap they had taken.

  He was dressed for his gig, wearing tight leather pants and a leather jacket. His muscled chest was bare, his abs rippling and pale, and he was wearing a thin gold chain around his neck. Even though it was the dead of winter, he wouldn’t get cold. Or rather, he was already so cold that the weather wouldn’t faze him. Vampires didn’t emit body heat.

  My breath caught in my throat. I wanted to rub my hands all over him. His hair hung loose around his shoulders, long and dark, and his eyes were the color of rich, black coffee tinged with clouds of cream. When he was aroused or hungry, crimson rings appeared around them. To top it off, he smelled like vanilla musk with a hint of cinnamon, thanks to his shampoo.

  Aegis slipped his arms around my waist and pulled me toward him. “You too tired to spend a little time cuddling?” Leaning down—the man was a good seven inches taller than me—he nuzzled my neck, gently nosing behind my ear where he left a trail of butterfly kisses.

  Everything in my body tensed, but it was a good tension. I wanted to rip my clothes off and press my breasts against that bare chest of his. My taut nipples pressed against the silk of my tank top. Even through the lace of my bra, the silk seemed to rub them ever so deliciously. Meanwhile, my lower region was starting to clamor, wanting in on the action.

  “As long as that cuddling includes sex.” I wrapped my arms around his neck and grinned up at him.

  “Then we’d better get busy.”

  He swept me up in his arms. I wasn’t a lean woman. I was curvy and busty with thighs that made the floor quake when I was angry. But Aegis carried me as though I was as light as a feather. I laughed, holding on as we headed toward the staircase. My laughter echoed through the far-too-barren living room, and the sight of so much empty space sparked off a random thought.

  “We need to buy furniture this week.” The furniture from my old condo just wasn’t enough to furnish a Victorian mansion, especially one I was turning into a bed and breakfast. I needed to get my ass in gear and start prowling the thrift shops.

  Aegis shushed me. “Hush.”

  He paused on the landing, pressing my back against the wall as he nestled himself between my legs. I wrapped them around his hips. With one hand supporting my butt, he slid the other around my shoulders, then pressed his lips against mine, kissing me so deeply I forgot about furniture and thrift stores and everything else. His tongue gently flickered in and out of my mouth.

  I moaned, pressing against him. My breasts were threatening to burst out of the bra all on their own. “Upstairs. Now.”

  “At your command.”

  And we were on the move again, up to the master bedroom. While it was technically my bedroom, since Aegis and I had different schedules and he didn’t dare sleep above ground just in case of an accident with the curtains, it was all ours when it was time for sex.

  He tumbled me onto the bed, wedging himself between my legs as he held my wrists over my head. “Command me, woman.”

  A jolt of hunger raced through me, slashing like lightning from my breasts down to my pussy. I wanted out of my clothes. Their restraint was driving me nuts. I closed my eyes, focusing, and the zipper on my jeans began to slowly open. I urged it on, feeling the belt buckle shift as I willed the prong to slip out of the hole.

  “You’re very hungry, aren’t you? You want me in you, don’t you?”

  His voice echoed through me, like the rich, deep notes of a song. Eyes flashing, he shifted position, sitting back on his knees as he let go of my wrists. Reaching down, he slid my belt out of its loops, tossing it aside. Then, with one swift yank, he pulled my jeans down as I raised my butt and bent my knees. I was going commando beneath, and Aegis let out a growl of delight as he worked the jeans off over my feet. They landed on the floor next to the belt. I sat up, yanking off my top. The hunter green tank joined the pile of clothes, and my bra was the cherry on the top.

  Aegis was on his feet, unzipping as he eased off his leather jeans. His cock sprang to attention, hard and smooth, as cold as the rest of his body. He started to shrug off his leather jacket but I stopped him.

  “No. I love the smell of leather.” I knelt on the bed, my breasts rising and falling with each breath. The chill of the room shrouded me, and my nipples grew as hard as his shaft.

  “And I love your breasts,” he said with a low growl. “I love how ripe and round they are, how smooth they feel under my fingers.” He grinned. “And I love how they jiggle when I touch them. Your nipples drive me crazy.”

  I squirmed, wet and hungry for him. “Touch them. Touch me. Please?”

  “I’m taking my time, woman. I want to watch you. Lie back and bend your knees. Spread them so I can look at you.” His gaze rested greedily on me as I obeyed.

  I lay back, spreading my legs as I reached down and slowly rolled a finger around my clit, then spread the lips of my vaj. “You want a taste?”

  With a grunt, he dove deep between my legs, pressing his face between my thighs as his tongue worked overtime to swirl over my clitoris. I jumped at his touch, a peal of laughter dancing out of me as my desire began to build.

  “Oh gods, oh gods, don’t stop!” I fisted his hair as he lapped at me, tonguing my sex until I was dizzy. Catching my breath, I let out a choked shout as he drove me higher and higher. I couldn’t stop if I tried. The past six weeks with Aegis had been the best sex of my life. I’d never had it this good, and I’d had my share of lovers, my ex-husband being the worst of the lot. After what had felt like a long, dry desert in my life, everything was growing again, vibrant and humming along like a top-of-the-line vibrator.

  “Come on, Maddy, come for me. Come on,” he coaxed. His voice muffled by my snatch, he increased the speed of his tongue. He was always careful with his fangs, making certain to keep them at bay when he was eating me out. We’d already had one accident and I didn’t care to repeat it.

  “I’m coming, trust me I’m co—co—co—” And the words stopped there as I began to come, my orgasm vibrating from my core out through
my fingertips. The world exploded with color and then, as the waves rippled in rings and slowly began to subside, I opened my eyes to find a trail of rose petals drifting down around us. They landed on the bed, on my nose, on Aegis’s hair.

  He laughed softly.

  “I love how you bring the roses when you come,” he said.

  I sighed, settling in beneath him. The roses didn’t happen every time, but when they did, I felt like I was dancing in a garden under the moonlight.

  Aegis rose up with a steaming look, then nestled between my legs as he drove himself deep inside me. As we began to move in rhythm, his girth stretched me deliciously wide. I let out a soft moan. He rested his head on my breasts and I slid my arms beneath his, embracing him. He thrust deeper, penetrating every inch of me until there was no part left untouched. He slipped one hand down between my legs, tweaking my clit, and that one touch was all it took. I climaxed yet again, and another time as he stiffened, tilting his head back as he let out a long throaty groan.

  As he relaxed into my embrace, I drifted and the rose petals kept falling.

  At that moment, Bubba landed on the bed beside us and let out a loud purp. Aegis glared at the huge orange cat, but then broke into a wide, toothy grin.

  I gave the cjinn a shake of the head. “Dude, really? Please, we’re in the middle of something here.”

  Bubba snorted then hopped over Aegis’s back and jumped off the other side, yowling as he stared out the French doors leading to my balcony. He swatted at the glass, hissed, then turned around and raced out the door into the hall.

  “Well, that’s enough to dispel the mood, don’t you think?” I leaned back, breathing deeply as a wave of laughter raced through me. The past six weeks had been easily the oddest of my life, and the best.