Maddox.
“What the fuck are you doing in here, vampire?”
He hadn't seen her come in, but looked back toward the bathroom door anyway. Using her form of mist, it would've been easy to slip into his room undetected—probably while he was giving himself the injection—and the bathroom was the only place to hide.
Surely enough, Maddox stepped into view from the doorway, her golden eyes scrutinizing him intently.
“You're such a strange human.”
“Get out.”
“No, I want to stay for a while,” she countered, and even stepped over to the opposing side of his bed, lifting a knee to sit with a leg beneath her. “I promise I won't annoy you.”
“You already are,” he muttered, leaning his elbows against his knees with another cough.
“But that's different, Steph,” Maddox pointed out. “I'll always annoy you simply by being a vampire, but it doesn't mean I can't be incredibly enjoyable company. You didn't leave me with a lot to do anyway.”
“You wanna go search for your friend? Fine, go get someone to show you how the computer works. Just leave me the hell alone.”
His comment lacked the kind of bite Stephan would've liked, but he honestly didn't mind her presence as much as he thought he might. His illness simply had him too tired to care—he didn't even feel like reprimanding her for calling him Steph.
He was also slightly curious about her boast of being good company. But even if it wasn't true, her presence would be helpful in fighting his lethargy considering the last thing he wanted was to fall asleep with a vampire nearby.
Her next comment was also surprising enough to keep his attention.
“I'd rather you show me how it works. I can't trust anyone else.”
Narrowing his brows, Stephan looked back incredulously. “But you trust me?”
“More than the others, yes.”
“Why?”
“Because you helped me, and you're honest about your hatred. These other humans talk behind my back, but try to act pleasant to my face. With you, I know what to expect.”
He supposed that made some kind of weird, roundabout sense, then faced ahead again with his back still turned to her, shrugging his shoulders. “We're not going right now. Not until I stop coughing.”
“Why are you coughing? Do you have a cold?”
Scoffing, Stephan asked, “What the hell do you know about colds?”
“I used to be human, too, and I was sick plenty of times.”
That was true, and the comment made him curious about when she'd been human exactly, glancing back just as she shifted behind him to settle closer to the center of the mattress as if it might help her to see at least some of his face.
“How old are you, anyway?” he asked.
“Well, with the past seventy years added to the tally,” she thought for a moment, then answered, “I'm approximately 380 years old. I was the first child born to my family in the Plymouth Colony sometime during the 1630s.”
“Your parents were pilgrims?”
“More or less.”
Somehow, he had a hard time imagining her living such a life—and still found it strange to know that some immortal beings could actually recall such history precisely as it was. Still, as Stephan looked back down at the floor, he asked, “And you don't think it's unnatural to live so long by drinking blood?”
“Actually, I think it's unnatural to kill a mortal just because we need blood to survive. Sadly,” she exhaled, “I'm nearly alone in that opinion.”
Stephan had to stifle a yawn before he could react to her claim, sending a disbelieving look in her direction. “Bullshit.”
“Think what you will, I don't need you to believe me.”
Grumbling, he decided to simply run with it, asking, “Then why do you think that way? Don't you enjoy the hunt?”
“The hunt? You mean … hiding in the bushes to eagerly wait for some poor, unsuspecting fool to happen by who I could lock away in a dark chamber where I'd exert my power over them until they were dead?” Maddox scoffed, enunciating, “Not one bit.”
She'd almost described the exact same thing that had been done to him, minus the vampire hiding in the bushes part. Furthermore, she sounded sincere enough to make him curious.
“Then how do you do it?”
He looked back again to see her smiling as if recalling some fond experience as she answered, “Several humans are willing to feed vampires, and I'd travel to new places to find them, attend parties to mingle and gain favor with guests, or host my own soirees that most mortals were thrilled to attend. One of my banquets was so memorable that I was invited to live in the château where it was held.”
Now that, Stephan could believe more easily. Maddox carried herself with a regal air, and from what he knew of her so far, he didn't question her ability to charm high-classed people, listening when she further qualified, “You see, vampires don't need gallons upon gallons of blood to keep a steady heartbeat, but mortals die at our hands frequently. Feeding has become a grisly sport, and while we do possess dark, predatory instincts, it doesn't have to be that way.”
Unable to help his incredulity, Stephan suggested, “I suppose you're gonna tell me next that you've never killed anyone.”
“Not from feeding on them, no.”
He turned a scrutinizing gaze in her direction, and Maddox hiked her shoulders in response. “Don't believe me?”
“Not completely, but I also get the feeling it's not that simple. I just—”
Before Stephan could finish, he was interrupted by a random sneeze, and grabbed another tissue, the subsequent coughing fit making him dizzy. Maddox remained silent throughout the occurrence, and he didn't entirely relish the thought of her watching while he struggled with his illness.
Searching for any excuse he could think of to get rid of her, he suggested, “Can't you find anything better to do, vampire?”
“Not really,” Maddox returned casually. “Believe it or not, you're the most interesting thing around right now. But why? Is my presence injuring your pride?”
What pride? Stephan had no pride to speak of, but instead of mentioning it, he waited for the dizziness to clear, then stated, “No, I just need a nap.”
It wasn't a complete lie. He certainly felt as if he could sleep for a week and still be tired afterward. But that sensation would fade soon enough, and he had no plans of giving into the urge to lay down.
So he was grateful when Maddox agreed to leave—though she made a request for doing so.
“Very well. I'll go, but only if you answer a question for me.”
Stephan wasn't sure he wanted to hear it, but waved a hand for her to continue.
“I don't mean to be presumptuous, but are you blind?”
Oh, that. “Yeah.”
“Then are you using magic to see?”
“No.”
His short answers caused her to sigh. “Do I really have to prod you?”
“You always so curious?”
“Are you always so stubborn?”
“Sometimes, when it's funny.”
“Just tell me!”
Hiding his amusement over the frustration in her voice, he finally explained, “I'm a votary. My vision comes from my vows to a divinian patron.”
Maddox grew silent, and stayed that way long enough to make him curiously glance in her direction where he spied an amused look on her face.
“You serve a divinian?” she inquired.
“What's so funny?”
Snickering, the vampire replied, “It just makes sense considering the stick shoved up your ass. So tell me, do divinians have a community cache of sticks for initiation rituals?”
Stephan sent an annoyed look in her direction, but it only seemed to amuse the vampire even more.
“Oh come now,” she remarked, “I'm sure plenty of people have mistaken you for an ice pop before.”
Normally, such teasing would've grated, particularly from a vampire. But he wa
s finding it hard not to crack a smile over her jokes, asking before he could think better of it, “Did they even have ice pops in your time, or did you see that on TV?”
Smiling brightly, Maddox answered, “They've been around for a while. And you know what else?”
“What?”
“You're not so bad when you aren't acting like an ogre.”
The comment made him realize that they had, in fact, been getting along rather well for the past ten minutes. It had to be a fluke brought on by the lethargy keeping him from tossing her out on her ass, but it was still enough to make him uncomfortable—and not because it seemed wrong.
Quite the opposite, in fact. Maddox hadn't lied—she was enjoyable company.
Stephan was also noticing things about her again, such as her smile, and the way she sat with her arms wrapped around one leg drawn up to her chest. She seemed more like a fae than a vampire—curious, beautiful, even charming in her own way, making it difficult to remember to hate her.
So he'd just have to remind them both of where they stood.
Maddox was too pragmatic to think Stephan would ever accept that she wasn't like her so-called kindred. But the last ten minutes had gone by without a single insult being thrown out, offering her a bit of optimism that perhaps he could change.
And then he ruined it.
“Don't get used to it,” Stephan directed. “As soon as I feel better, I'm throwing your ass out.”
Sighing, she muttered, “I knew I shouldn't have said anything.”
“Why did you? Why the hell did you even follow me to begin with?”
Having no qualms admitting her curiosity, she told him the truth. “I knew you were sick, and wanted to find out just how badly. But don't worry, I had no noble intentions of helping, so you can continue to think the worst of me.”
“For fuck's sake,” Stephan muttered lowly, looking for all intents and purposes like he was ready to throw something at her.
But instead, he suddenly looked away and … yawned, even swayed where he sat, and the longer Maddox observed him, the more curious she became over the illness he had.
Typically, his symptoms would've made her guess something common, like a cold. But humans with such illnesses usually gave off a particular scent, one that wasn't wholly pleasant and could even cause their blood to taste sour.
Yet, aside from the blood link, Stephan didn't seem any different from another human, and it was puzzling.
Perhaps it was all due to his being a votary. He was still mortal, and simply had abilities beyond the average human's capacity, so maybe his body could more readily fight off illness, keeping her from detecting it.
Still, she didn't have the time to question it before Stephan growled, “Get out. Now,” and immediately began coughing so hard he had to lean against his nightstand. Despite that sign of weakness, however, the tone of his voice would've sent a lesser person running for safety.
Maddox, on the other hand, rolled her eyes.
She didn't want to impose, particularly if he was suffering and didn't care to let another see it, but at the same time, why did she have to offer kindness that wasn't returned? Guess I'll have to be the better person here, as boring as that is.
“Fine, I'll go, but—”
A loud snore interrupted her.
“ … Stephan?”
No response. He simply remained where he was, hunched over with one arm draped across the top of the table, his other slowly falling to hang at his side.
The mortal had fallen asleep.
Stranger and stranger, she thought, slowly crawling toward him to poke his shoulder.
In response, his snoring grew louder.
“Well, that can't be comfortable,” she remarked, and decided to move him so the bed could be used for its intended purpose.
Hefting him back slowly, she grabbed a pillow to place under his head, then allowed his body to come to rest on the mattress sideways. Stephan didn't flinch once in the process, not even when she lifted his legs from the floor. He only put an arm around the pillow to get comfortable, and once he was settled, Maddox sat down next to him with a sigh.
“What am I supposed to make of you, human?”
He was truly a curious one, and she felt compelled to stay despite his unconscious state, finding comfort in the blood link they shared. She even thought about deviously digging through his things to learn more about him, but with as stark as his room was, it was doubtful he actually had anything to go through.
So she simply took a moment to look him over, realizing that if he got a proper haircut and shaved his beard, he'd be rather handsome. Most of his features were sharp, and his body was thick with muscle that stretched against the fabric of his shirt and jeans.
He was certainly a physically fit mortal in any case, but looks meant little when his personality left so much to be desired.
At the thought, her attention became drawn to his neck, and not because of his pulse. Instead, she noticed a light divot in his skin, and gently tugged the collar of his shirt down to expose the area more clearly.
Doing so revealed a second divot, and Maddox knew exactly what type of scar it was—fang marks, and they weren't the only set on his neck. Further down was a third scar, and another just to the right of it, and she could only imagine that his beard was likely concealing even more.
Her breath escaped her in a rush. It wasn't the first time she'd seen signs of such abuse, and it wouldn't be the last, but finding it on someone she had a blood link to was so much worse. One of the scars even looked jagged, as if the vampire who'd made it had bitten Stephan so brutally they'd ripped the flesh.
It felt as if an enraged fist had slammed into her gut, burning like the sun. Protective instincts she didn't expect rose like a tidal wave, as did her fury over the knowledge that so few vampires gave a damn about anything except their own desires.
She'd asked Stephan what happened to make him hate her kind, and this was the answer—he was a blood slave, more than likely locked in some lair and visited only when one of the vampires wished for blood or entertainment, if not both.
Such was the sickening view of mortals they'd adopted, and it was unlikely that anything would change within his lifetime, not when so few cared enough to better themselves.
“I'm so sorry,” she whispered, genuinely wishing he'd never had to endure their brutality.
She also knew now that allowing the blood link to sway her would be a bad idea, particularly if she wanted to save herself from heartache. The history visible on his neck alone was a clear sign that turning Stephan would never be an option, as was his resulting hatred.
Maddox would simply have to let this one go.
12
♦ ♦ ♦
Stephan didn't get up until an hour after dark, and it was jarring to sleep so late after unexpectedly passing out. One moment, he'd been having a coughing fit, and the next, he was waking in his bed under a blanket with his boots questionably settled on the floor nearby.
Such care turned out to be Maddox's doing according to the note she'd left on his nightstand.
Stephan,
You snore. Loudly. So I tucked you in and took my leave. Let me know when you're ready to go to the cemetery.
Maddox
Groaning, he sat up, regretting that he'd delayed their trip to Georgia by sleeping past sunset. But he felt much better than before, awake, energetic, and sans the annoying cough, immediately getting up to wash and grab a change of clothing so they could get on the road.
Once he exited his room in a plain white tshirt and jeans, Stephan learned Maddox had been busy getting technology lessons from Kivsey in her office upstairs. Judging by their commentary when he found them, the vampire was learning internet lingo—specifically, the meaning of roflmao.
But the moment he walked in, both women stopped snickering, and Kivsey greeted him by stating that the search for Ineya was ongoing without much luck so far.
He absently nodded, having trouble fo
cusing on the explanation when Maddox smiled at him, and the first thought that came to mind was damn she's beautiful.
Still wearing the blue top and black slacks from the night before, she'd pulled her wild curls into a ponytail with a few tendrils framing her face, and donned a little makeup in the form of scarlet red lipstick and black lines around her golden eyes.
“Ready to go?” she asked.
“Yeah,” he nodded, eager to put his attention anywhere but on her looks.
As she stood, Kivsey mentioned, “I'll call if I learn anything about Ineya.”
“Thank you, Kivsey,” Maddox stated, “I'm in your debt.”
“No problem,” the agent nodded, returning to her computer—but not before offering Stephan a knowing smirk while glancing between him and the departing vampire.
Confused, he silently shook his head, but the gesture only caused Kivsey to sigh like he should've known why she'd given him such a look. Did that mean she'd noticed the way he'd stared at Maddox, and now believed he was smitten? Seriously?
Kivsey of all people should've known better. So maybe he thought Maddox was beautiful—that sure as hell didn't mean he was interested. But denying it would only make her think he had something to hide. Why are things always so damned complicated?
Rolling his eye, he left the office without a word. There wasn't any time to argue anyway, not if they wanted to make it to Georgia and back before morning.
Maddox seemed eager enough to get moving as well, joining him in the hall without hesitation, though she remained silent all the way down to the parking lot outside.
There, she became highly captivated by the keyless entry to his jeep, and the moment they were inside, the vampire was in a frenzy inspecting things, running her hands along the leather surface of the seats while asking what each button on his dashboard did.
And somehow, he found it strangely endearing.
After connecting his phone to keep it charged, she took it from the cup holder and asked, “Can I use this sometime?”
Despite his amusement over her fascination, Stephan plucked the device from her fingers to put back down, muttering, “No.”
Fallen Hearts Page 10
