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  “It’s Delia,” Kelson said, bringing me the cordless unit.

  “Hey, what’s shaking?” I wasn’t sure if Delia had heard what happened to me. She had to have tried my cell phone.

  “You lose your phone? I’ve been trying to get you all day.” She sounded worried and irritated, rolled up into one.

  I let out a soft breath. “I spent part of last night and this morning in the hospital, and right now my phone, along with my identification and credit cards, is down under the water, feeding the fishies. What’s going on?”

  That stopped her, but only for a moment. “What happened?”

  “Aegis and I went out for a midnight boat ride to celebrate our first anniversary and unfortunately, the storm broke the boat and sent us into the water. If it hadn’t been for Aegis I would have died. He did his best to swim to shore with me, but I passed out. A giant wave came in, swirling us into the shore. I’m not sure of what happened after that. I don’t even remember being on the beach. I woke up in the hospital, with Sandy by my side.

  “She said that Aegis had managed to save me. Garret had come down to check on us, since we were in his boat. He was worried about the storm and with good reason. He found us there on the shore. I’m not sure what would’ve happened if he hadn’t come to check. Aegis would probably have managed to get me to safety and then himself into the dark, but there’s no telling.”

  For a moment, Delia was silent. Then she said, “Maddy, I’m so glad you’re all right. I had no idea. We didn’t get any notice at the station—and even if we did—I was home for the evening with a stomachache. Is there anything you need?”

  “Well, I can’t drive for a few days. Apparently I have a serious case of vertigo. I need to get a new copy of my driver’s license, and I need to buy a new phone. I can do the latter online, but I think to replace my driver’s license they’re going to want to see me in person. Could you drive me there? Sandy had some bad news this afternoon and she had to leave.”

  I could have asked Kelson to take me out to get my license, but I didn’t like to leave the Bewitching Bedlam empty. Granted, we only had Mr. Mosswood as a guest, but you never knew who was going to drop in. I also had a feeling Delia wanted to talk to me and right now, I didn’t feel like talking on the phone.

  “Do you mind if I drop over? I’d be happy to take you down to the DMV, and there’s something else I want to talk to you about. I might as well do it in person. I can be there in fifteen minutes.”

  “That’s fine. I’ll have to ask you to help me out to your car because I’m a little unsteady on my feet.” I hated asking for help, and it was hard for me to admit when I needed assistance. I was the first one there when my friends needed help, and I was always willing to lend a hand. But when it came to my own needs, like a good share of the women in this country—be they human or witches—I always put myself last.

  “You can always ask me for help, Maddy. You know that. I’ll see you in a little bit.” The line went silent and I handed the phone back to Kelson.

  DELIA DIDN’T BOTHER coming to the front door when she arrived. She just came around back and knocked on the slider. I motioned for her to come in. The worried look on her face concerned me, and I had the feeling it wasn’t for my benefit. Which meant something was wrong.

  Gingerly, I stood, holding the table for balance. The room swayed like a pendulum. Yeah, I wasn’t ready to walk on my own.

  “Whoa, I feel like I was partying all night instead of flailing around in the water.” I grasped the back of the nearest chair as my knees folded and my butt abruptly met the chair seat. “Okay, so much for that attempt.”

  “Are you sure you should go downtown?” Kelson hurried over, frowning. She glanced at Delia. “Maddy just got home from the hospital. I’m not sure if it’s a good idea that she goes out.”

  “Thank you, mother hen, but I’m all right.” Even though I didn’t feel okay, I wasn’t about to admit it.

  Delia stared at me for a moment. “I think your driver’s license can wait for a day. Come on, let me help you into the living room so you can rest.”

  “You too? I’m fine, really.” With both of them hovering over me, I knew I’d never get anything done.

  Delia backed up about five feet away from me, away from the chairs. “All right, I challenge you. You walk to me without falling down or weaving, and we can go. No using the chairs for balance, and one misstep sends your ass into the parlor, to rest on the sofa.”

  “Challenge accepted.” I motioned for her to step back. As I cautiously stood, another wave of dizziness rushed through my head. I tried to steady myself, taking a deep breath and letting it out slowly as I set one foot in front of the other. The first two steps I managed. But on the third, everything went rushing around me in a widening circle. The room was starting to spin. Before Delia could jump to help me, I landed on the ground on my knees and elbows.

  “Maddy, are you all right?” Kelson ran forward and knelt beside me. I lifted my head, having a hard time focusing on her face.

  “Uhhh…” I couldn’t speak, I was so queasy.

  “I thought so.” Delia motioned to Kelson. “Help me get her up and into the parlor.”

  Together, they carried me into the parlor, where they unceremoniously dumped me on the sofa, with a bunch of pillows behind my back. I moaned. I had bruised my knees when I hit the floor. We had beautiful tile in the kitchen, but it was a hard surface to fall on and it wasn’t smooth. Instead, it was slate slabs that jutted up enough in some areas. Kelson took one look at my knees and elbows and vanished, calling back over her shoulder that she was going for first-aid supplies.

  “I don’t need first aid. I’m all right. And I don’t want to spend my day stuck on the sofa.” I was starting to feel cranky. The past twenty-four hours had been one big clusterfuck and I was right at the center of it.

  “You stay put. You’re in no shape to be going anywhere. What did your doctor tell you?”

  I started to huff, but then gave it up. I didn’t even have the energy to be indignant. “Jordan told me to go home and stay off my feet for four days. I guess you’re right. I’m in no more shape to go shopping than I am to run a marathon.”

  “Then that’s what you need to do. I can talk to you right here, and when you’re feeling better I will happily drive you down to the DMV to get your license. It’s not like anybody swiped it and is going to try to steal your identity. And you can make a call to the credit card company from the sofa.” Delia pulled a chair over next to the sofa and sat down, leaning back as though she had had a rough day.

  “You were going to talk to me about something. What happened?”

  Kelson came through the door right then with bandages and antibiotic ointment. Delia waited until she had finished doctoring my knees and my elbows. Then, without a word, Kelson vanished back through the kitchen door.

  “We have a problem on our hands,” she said. “We found a dead body this morning about ten minutes from Neverfall.”

  “Not a student?” I asked, instantly worried about Jenna.

  “No, this was a woman. I’m not sure of her age but she looked to be in her thirties. I believe that she’s a shifter, but I’m not certain. We couldn’t find any identification on her, but I think she’s from Bedlam. She looks familiar, but I can’t place her.” Delia pressed the tips of her fingers together as she stared at the floor.

  “What happened to her? You wouldn’t be telling me this unless there was something suspicious going on.”

  She gave me a long look, then nodded slowly. “The reason I’m telling you this is because it was a vampire kill. She was drained of blood. Exsanguinated. I don’t think there was a drop left in her body.” Delia closed her eyes and shook her head. “It was ugly, Maddy. A brutal death. The fang marks were deep and thick, and it looked like whoever the vampire was, they meant it to hurt.”

  I caught my breath. Vampire kills in Bedlam were rare, especially since the vampir
es who lived here remained on notice of good behavior. The town council allowed them to stay as long as they behaved themselves. And I was on the town council.

  “Have there been any other attacks that you know of?”

  “No. That doesn’t mean there haven’t been any, but none have come to our attention. Maddy, have you talked to Essie lately?”

  I happened to know the Queen of the Pacific Northwest Vampire Nation. Actually, I had an uneasy truce with Essie Vanderbilt. We shared several secrets that neither of us wanted the rest of the island to know. Delia knew about them, and a few others, but if the knowledge we shared managed to get out to the general populace, there would be widespread panic and that was the last thing either of us wanted.

  “I haven’t talked to Essie for a while, actually. It looks like it might be time to pay her a visit.”

  “Not until you’re in good-enough shape that you can run. Though time may be of the essence. I hate to ask this, but can you call her and ask her to come over to your place?”

  I shook my head. “No way am I letting Essie Vanderbilt in my house. However, Aegis could drive me over there after he wakes up, and stick around to make sure that I’m safe. I can ask Essie to meet us in front of her house. That may be the best way to go about this. I don’t trust her in my house. Even though I could rescind the invitation, you never know what spells she’s dug up.” Realizing what I had just said, I shut my mouth before Delia could ask what I meant. There were some secrets I hadn’t told her, for her own safety.

  “I suppose that will have to do. Thank you, Maddy. You know I wouldn’t ask if it weren’t important. We haven’t had a vampire kill on Bedlam in fifty years. At least not vampire against one of the Otherkin. And definitely not a vampire against the humans. The only ones that the vampires have killed in those fifty years are other vampires.”

  “Don’t forget about Rose. In the end, she was a vampire casualty, even though she was killed with a knife.”

  “You’re right.” Delia rose, straightening the top of her uniform. She stared at me for a moment, then added, “Be careful. Remember, you’re a target and you know why. Never forget that, because the moment you do, they’ll come out of the woodwork after you. And that’s the last thing you want.”

  I hesitated, wondering if I should tell her about Fata Morgana, then decided she had enough on her mind already. After all, anticipating a visit from an old friend who was fucknuts cuckoo was quite a different thing than worrying about a rogue vampire running around town killing people.

  As Kelson showed Delia to the door, I yawned and leaned back against the pillows, grateful that they had made me stay home. Before I knew what was happening, Bubba and Luna were curled up on my legs and I fell asleep to the soft hush of the wind blowing outside.

  Chapter 4

  I WOKE UP around five o’clock. Kelson happened to be leaning over the back of the sofa, staring at me. I jumped as I opened my eyes and saw her eyeing me.

  “What? Have I grown an extra head?”

  “I just wanted to make sure you were still breathing.” She smiled as she said it, so it didn’t seem quite so creepy.

  “I seem to be breathing just fine, thank you.” I struggled to sit up. I was still dizzy, though I didn’t feel quite as wiped out. “Can you help me into the bathroom? You don’t need to stay with me when I’m in there.”

  Kelson leaned down so I could slide one of my arms around her shoulders. I eased myself to my feet. So far, so good. I took a step with her help, and realized it wasn’t nearly as rough as it had been earlier in the day. It took a few moments, but she got me to the downstairs powder room. I had made it as spacious as possible when I had had it renovated, and one of the things that I had thought to put in were handrails along the side of the wall. That way if I ever had a disabled guest, they would be able to use the facilities without a problem.

  Of course, they wouldn’t be able to get to the rooms upstairs. A little lightbulb went off over my head as I thought about adding on an extra bedroom to the house on the main floor. Then I could advertise it as available for disabled accommodations. I’d also add a side ramp by the front porch steps so they wouldn’t have to go around to the kitchen slider to get in.

  I managed to use the toilet and wash my hands and face without a problem. I tapped on the door and Kelson opened it, helping me to the kitchen. As she set me down at the table, the room began to spin again, but I held onto the table and it stopped after a moment.

  “Are you hungry?” She moved over to the stove where I smelled something bubbling. “Since it’s only Mr. Mosswood and us tonight, I decided to make a pot of chicken soup and a pan of biscuits. Henry asked for a tray for his room. He’s been eating in there the past few nights. I hope he’s all right.”

  “I hope he’s all right, too. He’s usually more conversational. Maybe he’s just had a rough week. Writing a book can’t be all that easy, can it?”

  A cloud of steam wafted over from the stove, bringing with it the incredible smell of mouthwatering soup. Chicken soup was one of my favorites; it was a comfort food. It took me back to Ireland, when Granny used to make a pot of soup on cold winter nights. Zara had never been one for cooking, and Granny was so particular with her demands that my mother had just let her take over the kitchen.

  “I didn’t think I was hungry, but the smell of that soup is making me salivate. I would love a bowl, and a couple biscuits.”

  “One thing I’ve learned from Aegis is to make enough for unexpected company.” Kelson went to call Henry to the table while I picked up the cordless phone and, after a moment of trying to remember Sandy’s number, punched it in.

  “Clauson residence, Alex speaking. May I help you?”

  “Hey Alex, it’s Maddy. Is Sandy there?”

  “She’s with Jenna right now. Is this really important, because we’ve had some bad news here today. I don’t know if you heard, but Jenna’s mother was killed in Australia.”

  “I was with Sandy when she got the news so yes, I know. This isn’t an emergency, so just ask her to call me back as soon as she can. Is Max there?”

  “No, he caught the ferry for Bellingham. I’ll tell her you called.”

  “Thanks, Alex. Be sure to remind her that I lost my phone, so she’ll have to call the house.”

  Alex paused, then said, “That’s right. You were almost killed last night. How are you doing?”

  “I’m alive, although I won’t be clubbing for a few days. Sometimes that’s the best we can hope for, right?”

  As I hung up, I felt the weight of the world settle on my shoulders. My mood had plummeted with the news about the vampire kill. That, combined with a night spent in the ocean, and the knowledge that Fata Morgana was out there somewhere aimed for Bedlam’s shore, and my world had suddenly turned upside down. I wanted to stand up without the room spinning. I wanted to not have to worry about a rogue vampire on the loose. And deep in my heart, I realized I wasn’t sure I wanted to ever see Fata Morgana again.

  WE WERE PARTWAY through dinner when Aegis appeared at the top of the stairs. I started to stand but once again the room swirled, just enough to send me back onto my chair again.

  He said nothing, but strode over to the table and cautiously pulled me into his embrace, holding me so tight that I almost couldn’t breathe. I started to speak but he silenced me with a kiss, running his hand through my hair. After a moment, he pulled away, slipping onto his knees on the floor in front of me, clutching my hands.

  “Oh Maddy, you don’t know how worried I was. I couldn’t go to the hospital with you because it was too close to morning, and even though Sandy and the EMTs promised me that you would be all right, I kept having visions of you slipping away into the water and not being able to reach you. I can’t believe I put you in such danger.” He was crying, crimson tears trailing down from his eyes. Vampires cried blood. He laid his head on my knees. “Please forgive me. I’ll never put you in danger again.”

&n
bsp; “Aegis, I don’t blame you. It was a lovely gesture. In retrospect, we were both idiots to go out on that boat—you just don’t go boating in a storm like that. But hindsight is twenty-twenty. You saved me. If I had been out there alone, I would have died.” I stroked his hair back from his face and touched one of his tears, bringing my finger to my lips.

  He jerked his head up. “Don’t taste my blood, Maddy. It’s not safe.”

  “What would happen if I did?”

  “Just don’t. We’ll talk about that later.” He took my finger and licked it clean.

  I urged him to get up, and he slid into the chair next to me, leaning close to gaze in my eyes. “The fact is, you never would have gone out there if it hadn’t been for me. Can you honestly tell me you would have gone boating in the middle of the night if you had been on your own?”

  “My love, I can’t answer that. Hell, I’ve done a lot of dangerous things in my lifetime. Forget about blame. I’m all right. Yes, I have some vertigo, and I’m not supposed to drive for four days according to Jordan. I’m a little unstable on my feet, but I’m all right. Please don’t blame yourself.” I motioned to the table. “Kelson made soup, and biscuits. Come and eat. It may not fill your stomach, but it’s warm and comforting.”

  We spent the rest of the evening talking about what had happened. I showed him the pentacle and told him it belonged to Fata Morgana. Aegis stared at it silently for a moment.

  “So you really think she is coming back?”

  “I think she’s already back. It’s a matter of when she shows herself. And I also think she was the one who pushed us to shore with that wave. What I don’t know is what she wants, and neither does Sandy. And that makes her dangerous. As much as I loved Fata, she’s wild and unpredictable. There’s another thing that I need to discuss with you—actually two.”