Allegiance (Causal Enchantment #3)(104)

“I don’t believe you,” I finally stated. “You’re trying to trick me.”

“Trick you? How? We’re simply giving you a chance! Think of it as a token thank-you for all your hard work and suffering.” Incendia’s thin lips curled. “Go ahead! Do nothing. In a few moments, none of this will matter anymore.”

I looked at Terra—my champion. She didn’t deny it; she didn’t try to convince me. She stood quietly. In that moment, I knew they were telling me the truth. All the turmoil that oozed out of Evangeline … it was over this, over burying such a deep, dark lie. But why would she?

Of course; because I would’ve stormed the place to save Veronique. Or Viggo and Mortimer would have. Either way, it was guaranteed doom. My little girl knew me too well.

“That is correct. Your Evangeline endured quite the internal struggle. She is stronger than we expected.”

“No shit,” I muttered. That girl couldn’t keep a secret for anything. How she had managed to stay silent on this was beyond me. But when Viggo discovered her lie … “Where is Viggo?”

“Do we look like an information center?” Unda retorted, her voice calm but nothing about her words were friendly. “We have agreed to grant you one spell. You can take advantage of that, or you can lose everything.”

16. Operation Veronique—Evangeline

My heart hammered against my ribs as I skulked along the fifth-floor shadows toward the Red Room. “I don’t get it. Where is everyone?”

“I agree. Based on the expected inhabitants, this is suspicious.” Wraith didn’t skulk. He stalked forward with a stiff spine, unfazed by the bizarre emptiness of Viggo’s place. Where my head almost rotated three hundred and sixty degrees, looking for hidden sorceresses in crannies, his dead blue mirrors stared straight ahead. No fear.

Since sneaking in through the underground garage, we hadn’t crossed a single soul. Hadn’t heard a step, a voice, a yell. Nothing. It was as if the place had been abandoned. Every fiber of me screamed, Get out of here! I ignored it. Not without Veronique. Not without Julian.

As we rounded the last corner before reaching the Red Room, a low sound drifted down the hall. A confusing mixture of dread and relief swarmed me. They were still here.

“Wait,” Wraith commanded pointing to the marble floor. My feet obeyed instantly. With his shoulders back, his strides naturally confident, he pushed open the double doors and disappeared.

“Who are you?” a muffled male voice boomed, followed by a distinct clicking sound—a gun. Wraith didn’t answer. “Stand back or you’re dead!” the man threatened. I pictured him holding the gun up to Wraith’s head.

“What on earth—” a female voice said, but broke off. I imagined her incomplete sentence was courtesy of Wraith’s hand clamping onto her wrist as she fell to her knees, dying. Three ear-splitting shots rang out and I stumbled back, my heart in my throat, wary of stray bullets. With my back pressed against the opposite wall, my heart pounded in my ears as I scanned the halls, straining to listen for footsteps. Surely with all that noise, someone would come. Surely we’d be caught. Surely—

“It is safe now,” Wraith announced, poking his head out, a calm, disinterested expression on his face. Clambering into the Red Room, I almost fell over the male prone on the floor—chest down and face up. A little farther over, I saw the woman, the witch, who had the clear misfortune of believing her magic could stop Wraith, now nothing more than a shrunken corpse. Looking away, I concentrated on the frail shell of a body lying on the king-sized bed, taking in her swollen mess of bruises and burns, her clothes in bloodstained tatters.

“Veronique?” I called out in a strangled gasp. No answer. No flicker of life. Terror’s icy hand seized my organs as I ran to her. I leaned over to inspect her face. “Veronique?” Glossy slits opened to gaze back at me.

“Eve?” My name came out in a croak.

My knees buckled with relief. “Oh, thank God, Veronique. Yes, it’s me. We’re going to get you out of here. Now.” One tear rolled out the corner of her right eye, trailing down to hit the red pillowcase. What they had done to her …

What they must be doing to Julian. I did a sweep of the room to confirm it was empty. “Do you know where they’ve taken my friend?”

All I got was a small negative grunt in response.

An ache formed in the back of my throat. He could be anywhere! How would I find him? In that moment, I prayed for Sofie and Caden. They always knew what to do. They were always taking care of things. Not this time. This time, I was alone. It was all on me.

God help Julian and Veronique.

Okay. I took a deep breath. First things first. I turned to Wraith. “Can you carry her? And make sure you don’t accidently kill her …”

Without answering, he quickly swooped in and, with gentle motion I didn’t think possible of Death himself, he slipped his arms under her frail body. She wriggled her brow. “Nathan?”

“Hurry,” I demanded, ignoring her confusion. There’d be plenty of time to explain later. He scooped her up and followed me out. We tore down five sets of stairs, struggling to keep quiet, rushing blood in my ears disorienting. I barreled through the red doors into the atrium …

And slammed into Caden. “Evangeline!” Caden hissed, grabbing my biceps with a death grip, murder on his face. “Are you f**king crazy?” He wasn’t alone. Amelie, Max and brothers, the wolves, Lilly, and her posse stood in a wall behind him with equally unimpressed faces.