Maudlin's Mayhem (Bewitching Bedlam #2)(25)

“Do you think the Arcānus Nocturni are after me? We took out Luke, but that doesn’t mean the rest of them don’t know who I am. He certainly had a grudge against me.”

Sandy straightened up. “What are you talking about?”

I swallowed. Hard. I hadn’t told her much about the vacation Aegis and I had taken shortly after the New Year, and I didn’t want to reveal too much even now, but she had to know at some point. “Sandy, during the trip to the chateau? I discovered that there’s a secret society of vampires called the Arcānus Nocturni. I didn’t tell you because the less you know about them, the better. But now…”

“Who are they and what should I know?” Sandy understood the concept of a need-to-know basis.

Aegis spoke up. “The Arcānus Nocturni is an organization of ancient vampires. They’re all old—usually far older than me. They can walk abroad in the sunlight. Vampirism is a disease that was originally brought to Earth by those who walk among the stars.”

Sandy let out a soft breath. “Vampires who can walk under the sun?” She pressed her hand to her chest. “I just felt my heart stop. Do you know what this could mean for vampire–human relations?”

“It would bring the fang-haters out in full force. As long as humans feel they have an upper hand, and the only one they have over vamps is the ability to go out in the sun, then there’s a chance a treaty can be reached. But the moment that they feel like they have no safe harbor, then all peaceful talks will go out the door.” I licked my lips. “The vampire I fought during our trip was after me because of my past. It was a personal vendetta. But given the worry we have over Essie, and then what I found out about the Arcānus Nocturni, I’m not sure what to think.”

Sandy turned to Aegis. “What’s your opinion on this? Do you think that some vampire from this society hexed Maddy?”

“I don’t know.” He darkened. “I did some more research into them, but they’re hard to pinpoint. I can barely find a mention of them in the library—and I’m talking the private section of the library, where you can look at books but not check them out. All I found out is that some of the members walk about in the highest business circles today, but as to who they are? There’s no telling. There are no member rosters listed. The few mentions of them on the internet are brief and listed as rumors. I found one reference to a writer who was writing a book on obscure societies but he vanished and they never found his body.”

“What do you know about them personally?” Sandy asked.

“Just what I’ve told Maddy. I’ve heard of them. Most old vampires have. But they’ve never approached me and I’ve never attempted to approach them. I’m not old enough to belong to their cult.” He shrugged. “They’re dangerous, though.”

“It sounds like it. So let’s stretch this a bit. It might not be them. Who else would want revenge on you?” Sandy asked. “Rachel is dead.”

“Rachel’s dead. Who else have I pissed off in the recent past, besides Ralph? I don’t think even he would hurt Bubba.” Then I paused. “Craig. My ex. He was pissed out of his mind when I bought the mansion and sold his condo. Doesn’t matter that I was the legal owner, he loved that beige cubicle, precisely because I was awarded it during the divorce settlement. Could he have hired somebody to throw a hex on Bubba? He never liked him, even though he thought Bubba was just a cat.”

Aegis let out a little growl. “Want me to pay a visit to him?”

Quickly, I shook my head. If Aegis paid a visit to Craig, chances were, Craig would turn up in a cemetery. “No, let’s think about this for a while. Meanwhile, the doctor is right. We should get some sleep.”

“I’ll keep watch till sunrise. No sense taking any chances.” Aegis motioned toward the stairs. “Go to bed, and rest easy.”

But even though I tried to sleep, I couldn’t help but think about Bubba. Finally, around two a.m., I fell asleep from exhaustion.





MORNING ARRIVED TOO soon. I managed about five hours of sleep, but at seven, I was awake. I automatically looked for Bubba, but then remembered what had gone down. My heart sinking, I dragged myself over to the closet and dressed in jeans and a V-neck T-shirt. As I zipped up my ankle boots and applied my makeup, once again, a flare of anger ran through me. I wanted to find whoever it was that had been messing with me. I wanted to hurt them bad.

I headed downstairs to find Thornton making breakfast. Sandy was sitting at the kitchen table, blurry-eyed. I glanced up at the clock. Seven-twelve.

“Aegis must have just gone to bed. Sunrise in three minutes,” I said.

“He actually went downstairs at six. Left me here. Said he had some things he wanted to do.” Thornton set a plate of pancakes in front of us, along with bacon and orange juice. “Given what went down last night, I figured you’d be up early and would need a good start.”

I yawned, stretching. “I’m still exhausted, but I want to get a start on today. I need to talk to Delia. See if any odd vamps have been spotted around Bedlam.” I paused. We were expecting a guest tomorrow. “I also need to cancel tomorrow’s guest. I don’t want anybody staying here until we figure out what the hell’s going on.”

“That blows.” Sandy speared a pancake with her fork, spreading butter and syrup on it like they were going out of style. “Thanks, Thornton. You really can handle a spatula.”