Free Fated Absolution by Kathi S. Barton

he’d already saw the situation could go bad. Kyle moved to a little closer to her.
    “Of course, why not. If you’re going to believe your vampires, why the heck not have a queen too. I can’t breathe, I need to breathe.” She ran toward the glass door and it opened before she could get to it. She stopped so suddenly that Kyle who had made to follow her bumped into her back. “Don’t touch me! You all need help serious help. I…I’m leaving. I…you people are sick.”
    “Madison, calm down. Let us explain.” Kyle and Aaron were closing in on her. Kyle knew that if she left here she could hurt herself. She wasn’t thinking and that could put her in harms way.
    “Calm down? Calm down? Are you fucking insane. You just told me that you’re all vampires and you want me to calm down. Well, fuck off .” She darted to the kitchen area.

Chapter Ten
    Duncan was putting food – little cakes, cookies and a slice of pie on a large tray. She noticed that there were cups and glasses there as well. This was all too surreal for her and she sat down hard on a chair.
    “They eat? I mean, they eat food? There’s always food here when I come, they can’t be vampires and eat, can they?” She knew she was babbling, but couldn’t seem to stop herself. It was that or start screaming and tearing at her hair.
    “Ah, they have told you. No, Miss, the gentlemen do not eat food. The ladies all eat however and the little ones of course. We are not sure why the ladies can partake of food, but there you have it.”
    “Yes, there I have it. I need to use the phone, I…I’m going home you see and I need to leave.” She put her hand over her pounding heart. “There are things going on that I don’t…can’t understand. I need to go home and have someone wake me up. Yes, that’s it. I’m asleep.”
    Duncan shook his head and she didn’t ask him what he meant. She was actually very afraid he’d give her and answer she didn’t want to hear.
    “Of course Miss, but I can transport you. It would be my pleasure.” He took off his pristine white apron. Then he reached over and took his coat off the rack near the door. He had just picked up a set of keys when the door behind her opened. She didn’t turn around.
    She knew that Sara was there, could feel her eyes burrowing into her, but she refused to look at her. Maddy just stood at the opposite side of the room, her back to the room and faced the outer door.
    “Maddy,” Sara asked quietly. “Are you all right?”
    “Yes, Mr. Duncan, I’d like it if you could take me home. I seemed to have lost my…my car. I could use a ride. Please, right now. I need to leave right now.”
    Maddy didn’t want to hear what Sara had to say so she kept talking about the ride home and her car and anything else that popped into her mind until Duncan led her out the door and to the garage.
    Maddy didn’t say a word once they got into the big Hummer and she had given Duncan an address. She had just moved over to the window and huddled against the glass staring out of the rain streaked covered window. Her mind was just overwhelmed.
    Maddy was thinking hard, her heart and her head hurt. Vampires and werewolves, and the little boy believed he was a necromancer. Magic, there was something about magic she was suppose to remember, but couldn’t. Kyle had pushed her away twice. Blood and food. Nothing was making sense, yet everything was swirling around and around. She realized that they had been stopped for a while and looked to see where they were. In front of not her home, but a place that should have been—the house of their dreams, her and her grandmother’s dreams.
    “We were going to buy this house, my Grammie and me. She was going to take art classes and I was going to practice law out the back. There’s a little garden in the corner that had daffodils when we were here to look at it. Aren’t they the happiest flower?” She looked for a few more minutes, Duncan not saying a word. “They