“I’m on my way.” He didn’t ask questions, didn’t try to make any excuses. Just those four words. Before he hung up, he added, “Be careful, Maddy. Especially on your way into the house. I’ll try to be there before you arrive.”
Bedlam had always seemed such a happy place to me, but now it felt fraught with danger in all directions. The realization that Essie had Linda over a barrel had hit me like a sledgehammer. Not only did it mean that a woman I cared for deeply was being manipulated and blackmailed, but it felt like the entire base on which I had built my current foundation was crumbling. I had devoted myself to the coven and to the Inner Court. And now, to find out that our High Priestess had sold us out shook me to the core.
By the time we arrived at the house, easing into the driveway, Aegis was waiting for us. He opened my door, then escorted me to Sandy’s car where he did the same. We said nothing as we silently passed through the backyard until we were through the sliding door and safely inside. Aegis shut the slider and locked the door, then moved to the kitchen island where a pot of tea was steeping, the fragrant scent of raspberry and lemon rising through the air. He had also made sandwiches and soup—grilled cheese and tomato soup, and a batch of gingerbread cookies.
“You work fast.” I stared at the homey scene, feeling my eyes cloud over.
Craig, my ex, had never done anything like this. He had been so threatened by the fact that I was a witch that I had turned into Suzy Homemaker trying to make him happy. In the end, I had lost myself. I thought I had left most of the baggage behind. But when I saw Aegis, wearing an apron over leather pants and bare chest, making soup and sandwiches for me and my best friend, I burst out into tears.
“Are you all right?” Concerned, he reached out for me, but I held up my hand.
“Stop. Yes, I’m okay.” But I wasn’t. I looked at him and he set down the teapot. With a gentle smile, he opened his arms. I buried myself in his embrace as he wrapped me in his love.
“I love you. I do, Maddy. I will do anything to keep you safe.”
“I love you too. It never ceases to amaze me how supportive you are, and how caring. You changed the entire paradigm of my world.” I was talking into his chest, muffled by my tears, but somehow he heard me.
“Don’t lose your suspicion, Maddy. I’m not typical of my kind. Outside of this house, away from me, you’ll find most vampires are deadly predators who wouldn’t think twice about using you as a tasty witchy juice box.”
“He’s right. Maddy, we need to talk about tonight.” Sandy carried over the pot of soup and ladled it into our bowls. “You know, I thought you were nuts, but if Bubba can help, then we need to go that route. Otherwise, everyone in town is in danger.”
That put a stop to the hugging. Aegis let go. “What are you talking about?”
“We found out that Rachel isn’t our biggest problem in the vampire world. And frankly, if we don’t put a stop to this, it could easily destroy Bedlam and everybody who has made a life here.” And with that, I called Bubba in, and we told both of them everything we had discovered.
Chapter 13
AFTER WE FINISHED, Aegis leaned back and set down the cookie he was eating. He rubbed his chin, his dark eyes flashing. “So it’s true. Essie and Rachel are having a pissing contest over Bedlam. I didn’t expect Linda to be caught up in this, but it’s easy to see how Essie engineered it. If you want control over somebody, find their vulnerability, especially if it threatens someone or something they love. People will do anything they can to protect their loved ones, more than they will to protect themselves.”
“We need to figure out how to safely smuggle Patty away from her prison. Neither one of us knows anything like a teleportation spell—only the most powerful among witches and magicians know those.” I looked over at Bubba, who was stretched out on the table, listening.
“Maddy, are you sure about this?” Sandy petted Bubba’s head. “You know what can happen.”
I contemplated Bubba carefully. He stared back at me, just as intently. “I know. I also know that Bubba can be incredibly understanding. When a life hangs in the balance, he’s not likely to mess around.”
“M’rrow.” Bubba rolled over and crouched, his belly low to the table.
Aegis winced but said nothing.
“We can’t let Essie take over Bedlam. Nobody would be safe.” I stared into Bubba’s eyes. “Oh, Bubba. I wish that Patty would be safely reunited with her mother, and that the pair of them make it to a safe haven without endangering anybody who’s innocent in the process.”
Bubba flopped on his back, exposing his belly. Hesitantly, I rubbed the thick orange fur. He let out a trill, purring loudly, then gently licked my hand and sat up. Holding my breath, I looked around. Nothing. A moment later, I shrugged and sat back in my chair as Bubba meandered off to have himself a nosh.
“I guess we wait now. If he decides to help us, we’ll know soon enough.” Turning back to Aegis, I added, “Delia’s watching Ralph.”
Sandy toyed with her sandwich. “Things are a mess. What do we do next?”
“We finish our dinner.” I dipped my sandwich in my soup, then sat back and let out a soft breath. “Relax as much as you can. Eating while stressed isn’t good for you.”
“All right.” Sandy concentrated on her meal, holding out her soup bowl for seconds. As Aegis refilled it for her, she said, “Before I forget, I think we should set some ground rules for the position of High Priestess. No kids. We can’t chance having this happen again.”
“I don’t know if we can make that a requirement.” Talk of children jogged my memory. Blushing, I licked my lips. “Aegis, that reminds me. Vampires can’t sire children, can they?”
He looked confused. “We can turn just about anybody.”
“No, I don’t mean that kind of sire.”
Once again, the blank look.
Sandy let out a laugh. “She means, can you get her pregnant? I heard some rumor that a vampire can spawn a kid, but I’m not sure how accurate that was. Is your sperm up and jumping, or did they die with you?”
Mortified, I covered my face, peeking between my fingers. “Put it any more bluntly, why don’t you?”
With a snort, Sandy leaned across and patted my arm. “He doesn’t mind, do you, Aegis? After all, you weren’t getting anywhere asking your way.”
Aegis placed her soup bowl in front of her. “I don’t mind. I wasn’t expecting that question. I guess it’s not a subject that comes up every day, is it?” He refilled my bowl next, then took his place again. “After all, vampires can eat and drink, even though the food passes through with minimal processing, so to speak. We don’t absorb nutrients from it.”
“Yet another visual I never want to think about again. Brain bleach time.” I tried to shake off the image of what “minimal processing” meant.
“As for getting you pregnant, I never thought about it. I do know that a vampire can father a child, if he rises from being turned before thirty-six hours. Other than that, I’m not sure. I’ve never heard of a child engendered from a union with a vampire, but that doesn’t mean it hasn’t happened. Now, I’m wondering.” He looked so freaked that his mood transferred to me.
“So the only way to know at this point is if I get pregnant.” I frowned. “I’ll start using a fertility blocker, because the last thing we need is a vampire-witch baby.” I wasn’t interested in being a mother, and the thought of what such a mix might turn out to be terrified me.
With that settled for the moment, I turned back to my food. We ate in silence for a while, trying to enjoy the downtime, until the doorbell rang. I frowned, wondering who it could be. Aegis went to answer.