It was in the middle of the night that Vlad awoke.
For no particular reason, however. There were no ghosts making noise (they were all too afraid of angering him), no employees wandering around at this hour (he only had a maid service come once a week and hired a driver when necessary, otherwise he was completely alone in his mansion), not even the nocturnal crying of some animal outside his window (Maddie had taken care of almost all the rodents around his home, and had frightened the majority of the birds to new nests).
No, he'd simply opened his eyes and was completely awake.
It happened sometimes, he knew. Mild bouts of insomnia that hit in the dead of night. He knew in the back of his mind that it was from being far too lonely, but he refused to acknowledge that thought. Besides, he wasn't completely alone. Not anymore.
He swung his legs over the side of his bed without even a yawn or a stretch. A quick glance at his clock told him it was nearly three in the morning, and his alarm was set to go off in two hours anyway. Honestly, if he tried to force himself back to sleep now, he'd only be groggy later on.
He grabbed the balled up bundle of sheets, ready to pull it back into place until tonight when it caught, snagged on a heavy lump that twitched sleepily.
"Maddie, you need to move," he told it. "I need to make the bed."
The lump shifted, a paw stretching out into view before vanishing back under the cover.
"Maddie, wake up."
The sheet continued to breathe peacefully.
Vlad tugged gently, frowning when he heard the silken cloth tear slightly. The cat had dug her claws through it an into the mattress. He rolled his eyes, abandoning his task for the moment. There was only one way to wake the beast this early.
It was a quick walk to the kitchen, clad in his plush white and red robe. Normally, after making his bed, he'd shower, make breakfast, review his stocks, and then head to work, but lately a white lump seemed to be changing his twenty year habit.
He stood in front of his refrigerator, pressing down on the ice dispense button and tapping one slipper against the cold tile. This infernal machine always took so long and it rumbled so loud, how Maddie didn't wake to this every morning, he would never know.
With a wheezing groan, the machine sputtered, a handful of ice cubes spewing out from its gaping maw. With no glass to catch them, the cubes clattered to the ground, one shattering on the tile and two others skittering across the floor. Vlad knew he would have to wipe the melting shards up later, but he allowed himself to smile at the sounds of Maddie's claws scrabbling against hardwood.
In a flash of white fur, the lazy beast flew into the kitchen and flung herself at the scattered ice. She fell bonelessly on the tile, holding one cube between her front paws and kicking at it with her back. Green eyes were thin black slits as she eyed the other chunk of ice, still shredding the first with her hind claws.
Vlad twitched his toes in his slipper, making Maddie's ears shoot forward as her attention focused on the odd lumps that danced under red velvet. The man was smiling as he nudged the other ice cube across the kitchen floor, laughing absurdly at the cat's quick decision to abandon her first prey and tear off after the second, slipping in the droplets of shattered ice.
Yes, Vlad would have to clean this all up before leaving for work, but, for now, he would allow Maddie her favorite icy toys.