Page 46 of Medusa

It felt interminable.

As quickly as her thoughts came, she felt awful for thinking them. Jaden was the one who had endured endless pain for what must have felt like days.

Then she felt guilty for comparing the situations. Just because he had been tortured didn’t make her experience any less of a trauma.

She rested her forehead on the cool tile of her shower and let the hot water pour over her.

I told him I wanted to keep him in the corner of my room because he’s pretty.

That has a totally different meaning now.

It was only when that uncomfortable thought occurred to her that she picked up the soap and scrubbed hard at the dried blood on her hands. The burgundy stains under her fingernails only served to remind her of Jaden’s condition.

“He knows I’m not like those men,” she reassured herself. “He came with me when I rescued him instead of cringing away from my touch.”

She shut off the faucet and wrapped herself in towels. Her stomach rumbled, and Maddie suddenly remembered that she hadn’t eaten since lunch.

“Oh bother,” she muttered to herself, heading for the kitchen. “Well, it’s not like I was exactly thinking aboutfoodbefore this.”

Managing to make herself peanut butter on toast, Maddie barely tasted what she ate. After what felt like far too long, she toppled into bed, her hair still damp, where she spent a restless night.

* * *

Maddie wentthrough her day at work in half a daze. One half of her mind was completely focused on her charges, keeping them safe and entertained. The other half, however, was running over the events of the previous evening. She couldn’t understand why Jaden had been kidnapped. Typhon certainly hadn’t seemed like a fan, not from the beatings that Jaden had suffered through. She wondered if Jaden knew, and if she’d ever find out.

As she’d promised, she let Hestia leave immediately after the kids had been picked up, and she had the daycare to herself while she tidied up.

Chloe had been the last to arrive, and she was able to reassure Maddie that the three men had been transferred into custody, with special protections on the cell that was holding Typhon.

“He transformed into a dragon while we were transporting him,” Chloe confided quietly. “Nearly terrified my guys out of their wits! Thanks to you, though, we had enough warning. Even in dragon form, he couldn’t break the special cuffs we had on him. He tried everything, but despite his form and size, he was no stronger than an average human. Thankfully.”

“He was terrifying enough as a human. I can’t imagine what he’d be like as a dragon,” Maddie said with a shudder.

“Objectively, quite beautiful. I’d never seen a diamond dragon before,” Chloe said. “Very sparkly.”

Maddie giggled. “I’ll trust you on that one.”

“His cell is magically reinforced so that he can’t transform and his strength won’t be enough to break out,” Chloe continued. “You can tell Jaden that he doesn’t have to worry about them coming after him.”

“Thank you.” Maddie shuddered.

“How is he?”

“I haven’t heard from Augustine, so I assume no change,” Maddie said. “I’ll know more once I get there this evening.”

“Are you planning on staying the night?” Chloe waggled her eyebrows suggestively.

Maddie chuckled. “No, probably not. Well, not unless he’s a thousand times better. But I’m not holding my breath.”

“The McKellen brothers are tougher than they look,” Chloe reassured her, picking up Atlanta. “Jaden will recover.”

“Thanks.” Maddie blew a kiss at the baby and waved to her friend as the pair slipped out the door.

As she washed the dishes, Maddie turned over what Chloe had said in her mind. Something was niggling at her, but she couldn’t quite put her finger on it.

Finally, it hit her.

The McKellenbrothers?

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