Page 9 of All Hallows Trick

I hesitated, my entire soul railing against the thought of walking away from this bedroom door. The cat paused, sitting in the middle of the hall to watch me.

“If I leave them, they’ll stop breathing,” I whispered, my throat tightening. “I can’t.”

The cat watched me for an unsettling amount of time. If I’d believed it was an ordinary cat, my heart might have quickened, fear prickling the back of my neck, but I wasn’t an idiot. This was Madness in feline form.

He let out a soft trill and trotted back to me, stroking the length of his body against my leg before he nudged open thedoor where my men slept, glancing back to make sure I followed. This time, I didn’t hesitate. He’d been with me for three years, my constant companion. Even if he encouraged me to maim, brutalise, and murder at any chance he got, the darkness had become a comforting presence, especially since Halloween. It had given me the strength to face Alastor, to fight Nightmare, to defend the people I loved. He had given me that. Madness. Madde.

I didn’t fully understand why, or why he’d taken an interest in me to begin with, but I couldn’t ignore the comfort the darkness offered. So, I carefully closed the bedroom door and followed the black cat across the room to the French doors. He nudged them open with his head, and if I wasn’t mistaken, a tendril of shadow.

Miz let out a soft sound at the cool air that filtered into the room, but I leaned over him and kissed the knot on his brow. “I’m here. You’re safe.”

I brushed a strand of pale hair from his face, stroking down his cheek, a knot unwinding from my chest. Safe, breathing, alive. All three of them. Still breathing. Still breathing.

It gave me the strength to walk through the glass doors, closing them quietly and blinking at the large balcony I found myself on. It was big enough for a wrought iron table and five chairs on one side, a planter on my right full of ghostly flowers, their petals delicate silk in shades of silver, ice blue, and moonlight white. A sort of ivy crawled up the dark wall of the castle, curving around the double doors, its petals black veined with red.

“I’ve never seen ivy like this before,” I murmured, the curiosity of it taking me out of my guilt and panic for a moment. When I didn’t get a reply, I turned to face the cat as he jumped onto the iron table with a sweet tinkle of the bell on his collar.“Not talking to me anymore? Has the novelty worn off now I’m here in your castle?”

Big blue eyes blinked at me in obvious surprise.

How did you know it was me?

“I have eyes,” I replied dryly, wrapping my arms around myself as a chill settled into my bones. I faltered for a moment when a blanket of transparent shadow draped over me like a fleece. Something tugged on my heart and I was too worn down to fight the emotion, not sure if I even wanted to.

I sank into one of the chairs, looking at the charming town at the bottom of the hill where I’d seen Tor fighting in the streets what felt like months ago. Was it really only last week? I rubbed my face, too many memories crowding my head for it to settle, too many emotions crushing my chest for me to breathe.

The black cat jumped off the table, drawing my attention, and I startled when its lithe, furred body extended into the man I’d met earlier. My darkness made flesh. He was different in the moonlight. It suited him, made him more real than the exuberant madman from earlier. The man who dropped into a seat opposite me was quiet and solemn and dangerous, a loose black silk shirt draped over his shoulders, only half buttoned, and black jeans moulding to his long legs like ink. His freckles were barely visible, his features carved of silver and shadow. The strangest thing was I didn’t feel any danger despite sitting across from a stranger. I should have felt afraid.

“You can’t sleep,” he observed, finishing a similar perusal of me as a knot tugged his brows together.

“No,” I agreed, not wanting to elaborate.

“Do you think decapitating someone might help?”

The very serious question made a soft laugh huff from me, and I shook my head. “Hurting people is what got me in this mess in the first place.”

“Oh.” He tilted his head, contemplative. “So, no dismemberment.” He looked at me as if to double check. I shook my head. “Right. What about bloodletting?”

“I’d rather not.”

“Even if theyreallydeserve it? I have some enemies you could take your stress out on.” His eyes darkened to cashmere blue. “Or you can take it out on me.”

“I don’t think that would help me sleep,” I said, choosing my words carefully. I didn’t want to reject him. Selfishly, I didn’t want to lose the comfort of the darkness, even if I wasn’t sure what to do with the man.

“Nah.” Madde shook his head. His hair was a strange shade of silver-peach like this, his tanned skin luminous like a painting. “That’s where you’re wrong, honey. Half a dozen orgasms and you’d be out like a light.”

My eyes widened until they almost bugged out of my head. “Half adozen…”

“You’re right.” Madde frowned, the V cutting deeper into his forehead. “That’s not nearly enough. A lioness like you deserves a whole dozen.”

“Um.” I lifted my hand to interrupt. “I have three husbands. I’m not sure—”

“I found you first,” he cut in quickly, staring at me with an intensity that made my stomach squirm in the iron chair. “I saw you first, felt your soul first, heard your blood rush first, watched you kill first. I loved you beforeanyof them, so those bastards can get in line.”

“I’m not… currently looking for another husband,” I said awkwardly.

“Good.” He nodded, a debonair lock of hair falling over his forehead. “Four is more than enough.”

“Three,” I corrected, very aware of the blanket of shadows keeping me warm.

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