and slammed it shut.
“Bahlin?” I squeaked out. I turned around and slid down the face of the fridge, landing on my butt.
“I told you not to open the fridge,” he called from the bedroom, where I could hear him rustling about. “It’s probably got goddess knows what in there, and it’s too likely rank.”
I giggled, a high, unnatural sound for me. “Bay?” I breathed out.
He padded out of the bedroom, still barefoot, got one look at me and froze. I know the grin I was sporting was Hannibal Lecter-ish, but it was appropriate.
“What is it, Maddy?” He didn’t move closer to me. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath. “Death.”
“There’s a head in your refrigerator, Bahlin.”
Chapter Eleven
I sat with my back against the refrigerator and tried desperately not to lose myself to hysterical laughter. If I started I didn’t think I’d stop for a long, long time. Bahlin had been right when he told me not to open the refrigerator door. What was inside was definitely rank. I watched him move back and away from the refrigerator and, closing his eyes, take a deep breath.
“Clever. Now that the refrigerator has been opened, I can’t smell anything but the stench of death in the air. Whoever was in the apartment must have intended it that way.” He sat on a barstool and looked at me. “Are you ready to get up yet?”
I shrugged. I was pretty sure my legs would work. What I wasn’t sure about was whether they would take me from the room at a dead run or let me stand and be rational about my find. Taking a chance, I stood.
“Good girl. This will get easier.”
“That’s partly what I’m afraid of.” I didn’t want death to get easier. I didn’t want this to become commonplace—where I was afraid to open a cupboard or appliance or drawer for fear of what might pop out at me. My mind and heart were racing, and I took a deep breath in an attempt to slow things down. I needed to approach this logically.
“Why don’t I smell anything?” I asked.
“The fridge kept it cold. You wouldn’t smell it unless it was taken out and warmed up, giving decomposition a chance to begin.”
“Sure. Okay.” I swallowed down the bile that was trying to rise up the back of my throat. “Did you recognize the, uh, I guess we’ll call it the head?”
“I’m willing to bet it’s Jossel.”
“And I’m betting you’re wrong.” I knew whose head it was with absolute certainty. Because I’d seen him once before and tried very hard not to stare. Death had cooled the color of his eyes, but the nose was absolutely the same.
Bahlin crossed his arms over his chest. “Okay, super sleuth, tell me who it is, then.”
I glared at him, irritated at his supposed superiority. “Bulbous nose, black hair, sharp teeth and eyes a little less vibrant but still orange. It’s Maddox.”
“Well damn, you’re right.” Bahlin pushed off the stool and stalked toward me. “Move over, luv. Let’s get him out of there.”
I didn’t need to see the head to be sure. I’d tried so hard not to stare at him the one time I’d seen him alive that I knew who I’d seen. But I followed Bahlin’s directive and stepped aside. I turned to watch him and found myself looking through the dining room to the front door.
“Bay, how did the killer get inside?” I asked.
“What? Oh sodding hell, the front door wards.” He froze, his hand momentarily suspended in front of the handle to the refrigerator door.
“Didn’t you say only another dragon could get inside?”
“I did. I set the wards myself.” Clenching his fists, he turned slowly to face me. Eyes blazing with fury and taller than a normal man, he looked like an avenging angel.
“I haven’t met another dragon, have I?” I did a mental file flip, trying to remember everyone I’d been formally introduced to.
“You’ve met several. The valet, for instance, is a green dragon though he’s still a youth,” he said, voice tight with anger. “You’re not suggesting I set this up, I’m sure.”
“Never crossed my mind.” And it hadn’t. “Where was I when I met the other dragon, or dragons? And why didn’t I know it?”
“You’ve not come into your full strength. We’ve talked about this.” Bahlin spun on his heel and went for the front door, moving with the contained fury of the righteously pissed. “Several of the staff of the hotel are dragons. Though I’d swear none