Page 81 of Enchant the Dawn

“Fail me and I’ll make soup out of you,” Claret vowed. A wave of her hand and she disappeared into the darkness.

Jasper stared at the place where she had stood, then turned and hopped toward the house, wondering what fate awaited him there.

Chapter 34

Maddy woke early. Wandering into the kitchen, she fixed a cup of hot chocolate, added a generous helping of marshmallows, and carried the cup outside. It was a beautiful day, the sky above clear, though gray clouds hovered in the distance.

Sitting on a wicker chair on the front porch, she let her mind wander. For better or worse, she was going to marry Dominic. She refused to let a few lingering doubts and fears change her mind. She had to believe he had been joking when he said Ava was his only backup. There were other Hungarian vampires in the country. Surely he could call on them for help, if needed. And then there was his family. If they were as powerful as Ava claimed, wouldn’t they come to their son’s aid?

With a sigh, she put her cup on the little table beside her chair, let out a gasp of surprise when a large brown toad tried to jump in her lap and missed. She stared down at the ugly little creature, thinking it was the strangest-looking frog she had ever seen.

Gazing up at her, it croaked softly. Almost, it sounded sad, she thought, and then rolled her eyes. Whoever heard of a sad frog? But there was something in its eyes, something almost human.

The story of the princess and the frog rose in the back of her mind. Maybe this wasn’t a frog at all, but an enchanted prince searching for a princess to bestow love’s kiss and release him from a wicked witch’s spell.

Maddy shook her head. She’d always had a rather wild imagination, but this was the wildest notion of all, she thought. And then she frowned. Ava was a witch quite capable of turning a man into a frog.... She shook the idea away, thinking she’d been spending too much time with witches and vampires.

She reached toward the toad, thinking she would take it into the backyard and turn it loose by the little pond when the screen door flew open and Ava cried, “Don’t touch it!”

Startled, Maddy almost fell out of her chair.

The toad croaked loudly and took refuge behind a flowerpot.

“Is it poisonous or something?” Maddy asked, regaining her seat.

“Worse.”

“I don’t understand.”

“It’s not an ordinary toad.”

“How do you know?”

“It’s Jasper. He’s under an enchantment of some kind.”

“Who’s Jasper?”

“An evil wizard I once turned into a vulture.”

Maddy’s eyes widened. “Why?”

“He has a knack for aligning himself with the wrong side. First Claret, and now the Knights of the Dark Wood. Many years ago, he put my granddaughter’s life in danger, as well as Quill’s. Fool that he is, he thought he was more powerful than I.” Ava smiled at the memory. “But I stole his magic and transformed him into a huge, ugly vulture. Sadly, the new Elder Knight released him from my spell.” Her laughter filled the air. “But apparently he ran afoul of the new Elder Knight as well.” A wave of her hand drew the toad out of his hiding place. “I wonder what brings him here now?” Lifting her head, she closed her eyes and drew in a deep breath. “Claret!” She hissed the name as her eyes flew open.

“The vampire is here?” Maddy glanced around, even though she knew the creature couldn’t be out in the light of day.

“She was here last night.” Ava muttered a very unladylike oath. “She must have followed her link to Dominic. But why did she bring Jasper?”

The toad croaked pitifully.

Ava sat on the porch, eyes narrowed as she regarded the creature. “Did she think I would set you free?” she wondered aloud. “To what end?” Placing her hand on the toad’s head, she chanted softly.

The words were foreign to Maddy. She shivered as the air around them grew cold. Ever so slowly, ghostlike figures gathered around the frog. Maddy recognized the vampire queen. Was the other figure Jasper? They were speaking to each other, but she couldn’t hear the words.

A few moments later, the figures dissolved. The air lost its chill.

Ava blew out a breath as she regained her feet. “Well, that explains it. Claret brought him here on the condition that if I returned him to his human form, he would swear allegiance to her and no one else. She also wants Dominic in captivity again, and Jasper’s help in thwarting the Elder Knight.”

“What are you going to do?”

---