Page 72 of Enchant the Dawn

Chapter 29

Maddy woke late. Feeling slightly disoriented, she lay there a moment, staring up at the ceiling. Her memory of what had happened was vague. She remembered waking up in a strange place. Feeling lethargic. There’d been two men. Or two creatures who had once been men. Had she performed magic? She seemed to recall trying to mesmerize them. Compelling them to let her go. She remembered walking down an unfamiliar street with no idea where she was or where to go. And then Ava had pulled up and taken her home.

She thought Dominic had communicated with her somehow. She seemed to recall his voice in her mind. And then he had been there. It had all been so bizarre. She could almost believe she had dreamed the whole thing.

Moving like a zombie herself, Maddy forced herself to get out of bed. She tiptoed down the hall, opened the door to the guest room, and peeked inside to see if Dominic had stayed the night. For a moment, she just stood there, staring at him, her emotions dangerously close to the surface.

With a sigh, she quietly closed the door and shuffled into the kitchen. Maybe a cup of black coffee would clear her head.

* * *

Jasper stared at the cage that had held Quill’s son. A cage that now held only the ashes of two Transylvanian vampires. And knew that his life was over. He risked a glance at the Elder Knight and shuddered. Gregory’s face was red with rage.

“Can. You. Explain. This?” The Elder Knight spat out each word.

Slowly, Jasper shook his head. “He was here. I saw him. I can still smell him.”

Screaming, “He’s not here now!” the Elder Knight wrapped his hands around the warlock’s throat. “You have failed me for the last time, you bloody, ignorant, inept fool!”

“My lord,” Jasper squeaked. “Wait . . . please. You might yet . . . have need . . . of me.”

“For what, pray tell, you useless, spineless toad.”

Magic shimmered in the air. Jasper let out a horrified cry as he fell from the Elder Knight’s grip.

And croaked when he hit the floor.

The Elder Knight cackled. “Perhaps you can find a princess to kiss your ugly face and break the spell.”

Still laughing, Gregory 73 transported himself back to the Knights’ stronghold.

Chapter 30

It was late afternoon when Dominic rose. Opening his senses, he searched the house for Maddy, knew a moment of relief when he located her in the living room.

His gaze moved over her as he sauntered into the room. He knew just by looking at her that she was still experiencing the aftereffects of Claret’s spell.

She smiled faintly when she looked up and saw him standing there. “Hi.”

“Hi, yourself. How are you feeling?”

“Like I was drugged.”

“I guess you were, in a way. Do you hurt anywhere?”

“No.”

Closing the distance between them, he sat beside her, his arm sliding around her shoulders as his gaze searched hers. She looked tired, her face pale.

“I feel so weird,” she confessed.

“That’s understandable,” he said, “considering all you’ve been through.”

“I guess. It’s just all so mixed up in my head, I don’t know what was real and what wasn’t.”

“Near as I can tell, Claret worked some kind of vampire voodoo on you. Magic that you managed to overcome. No small feat, I might add. Claret’s an old vampire.”

“How did you escape?”

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