Maudlin's Mayhem (Bewitching Bedlam #2)(16)

And with that, she put her hat back on, and headed out.

I glanced at the clock. Still another hour before Aegis woke up. I knelt beside Bubba again. He glanced up at me, looking bereft. But his nose felt cool, and he lazily licked my fingers when I tickled him under the chin.

“Just make sure you stay well, Bub,” I said softly. “I really can’t deal with you being sick right now. Or ever. You’re my special guy, you know?”

Bubba touched my hand with his paw and let out a soft “Purp.”

As I carried the dishes and cups to the sink, Thornton entered the kitchen. He glanced at Bubba, then at my face.

“Let me take care of those.” He took the tray from me. “Why don’t you and Bubba go rest?”

Grateful, I accepted. At this moment, that was all I could think of doing.





Chapter 5





BY THE TIME Aegis joined me, I had fallen asleep next to Bubba. I woke as he lightly cupped my shoulders and placed a kiss on my neck.

“Maddy? Maddy, are you okay?” He sounded worried.

I shifted and rubbed my eyes. I had fallen asleep in my clothes and now they were tangled. Aegis sat back, giving me room to sit up and shake them out. I glanced over at Bubba, who was still sleeping quietly. Without a word, I burst into tears.

“Hey, what’s wrong? Thornton said you weren’t feeling well? Are you sick, love?” Aegis wrapped me in his arms, pulling me close as the sobs came thick and furious.

“Noooo. I’m not sick,” I said, hiccupping on the phlegm. I cleared my throat. “I think Bubba is. We have an appointment tomorrow to see the doctor. I’m worried about him.” I pressed my lips together, trying not to break out in a fresh round of tears. But my heart ached. I loved Bubba, and the thought that something might be wrong with him tore me apart.

“What’s wrong with him? Hey, little dude, can you tell us what’s wrong?” He reached for Bubba but I stopped him.

“Let him sleep. If he’s sick that’s the best thing he can do until we get him into the doctor. Today’s been a total mess. Dubai ate all my money and we have porn stars staying in the guest rooms.” The words tumbled out in a rush. I rubbed my head. Even though I didn’t feel sick, I was a little woozy and I felt flushed.

Aegis kissed my forehead again. “What do you mean? Dubai? Porn stars? How can so much have happened since I went to sleep last night?” He handed me a tissue.

I wiped my eyes and blew my nose as I checked on Bubba. He was breathing softly and evenly, and didn’t show any signs of distress. “I guess we can leave him here, but I want to make certain he doesn’t go hide under anything in a different room, so I’m going to close him in here. He has a litter box in the bathroom here, too.”

“Good idea. Go wash your face and then you can tell me about everything while I fix you some dinner.” He patted me on the ass as I headed toward the bathroom. I washed my face, thinking I did look a little flushed. But then again, I was stressed, and I’d been sleeping on my stomach, which I seldom did, and my face had been pressed against the pillow. I went to the bathroom and washed my hands, and finally, straightening my skirt and top, returned to the bedroom. Aegis and I headed downstairs after gently closing the door to keep Bubba in my room.

Thornton was bustling through the kitchen, carrying a stack of dishes.

I glanced at the clock. “What’s going on? We don’t serve dinner—”

“Snow and her gang ordered pizza and asked for dishes to eat it on. I figured you wouldn’t mind since they paid cash. The delivery driver said they tipped him a hundred bucks, by the way. You might want to rethink your room charges if they stay a second night.” He grinned. “Franny was with them, asking them about what it’s like to live in a book. I don’t think they quite knew what to say. And don’t worry, they’re all dressed.”

I shuddered at the image that conjured up. I really didn’t want to think about a gang-bang scene starring Snow and her entourage. “Fine.”

Aegis headed to the fridge. “What do you want for dinner? It’s already eight.”

I sat down on one of the stools at the counter, leaning my elbows on the granite. “Soup would be good, and biscuits?”

“Chicken soup?”

I nodded. One of my go-to comfort foods was always chicken noodle soup and those biscuits in a can that were all fluff and no substance. Aegis shook his head, but he was smiling as he opened the cupboard to pull out a can of soup and preheated the oven.

“So tell me what happened today. What’s going on with Dubai? And why do we have a bevy of porn stars upstairs? Thornton told me we were hosting a kinky fairytale revue.” He plunked a bottle of water down in front of me. “Drink.”

I pulled a long sip of the sparkling mineral water, then wiped my mouth and launched into the gritty details. “So Delia’s going to try to hustle the credit union into gear and I’m going over to see Ralph Greyhoof and read him the riot act.”

“You don’t need to tangle with Ralph. You already escalated this little feud of yours when you turned him in for illegal fireworks last month. And the month before that, when you cast a spell on the snow in his yard so that it all melted and flooded his basement.”

“He deserved everything I’ve done. He wouldn’t stop whining about the weather and I got tired of listening to him. I was just helping out.” I tried to play innocent, but Aegis may have had a point. The illegal fireworks? Yeah, my complaint was justified. But the flooded basement—that might have been going a tad too far.