Allegiance (Causal Enchantment #3)(112)

My memory slammed into me. “Viggo killed me and the Fates brought me back. They turned me.” A long pause. “They turned me?”

“Yes,” Caden’s fingertips slid along my cheek, the intensity of his touch sending shudders through me, almost too much to handle now, so powerful my attraction to Caden. Like a feral animal with no discretion, I wanted him. I looked at him, at that gorgeous face, and I could see he felt it too.

“How do you feel?” a French croon interrupted our private moment. I jumped, quickly zeroing in on Sofie, leaning against a wall to my left.

“Fine, I think. I don’t know.” I had no idea. Was I okay? Glancing down at my arm, I found them unblemished, healed. Perfect. “I feel … different but the same?” I looked at her questioningly. “I thought I was supposed to be going crazy for blood right now.”

She smiled sadly. “Your body is still in shock from the transformation. That, and there are no humans down here. But it will come. Soon.” A million questions whirled through my head but I silenced them, focusing on the most important.

“You made this happen, Sofie. You fixed us.” I stared pointedly at Fiona. “You brought Fiona back. You saved me, Sofie. Thank you.”

She offered a tight-lipped smile and nod. “I bartered and won two requests. Fiona was one. Giving you the choice to become vampire was the other.”

A mixture of relief and happiness exploded inside me. My eyes danced around the space, landing on Lilly, standing near an iron gate off to the side. She smiled shyly at me. I had the urge to hug her. In a split second, I found myself with my arms wound around her tiny frame.

“We can be forever sisters now,” she whispered, gazing up at me with awe. Had I still been human, I would’ve cried. But I already sensed that no more tears would stain my cheeks and so I smiled instead, nodding.

“Forever sisters.”

Finally, Sleeping Beauty graces us … Max was stretched out on the floor in one corner. I dove on top of him, giggling hysterically as he grunted in mock pain.

“I’m sorry for keeping you in the dark and being a royal pain, Max,” I apologized, giving his head a fierce kiss. He grumbled in response. I could tell he was happy.

Rolling off him with the grace of a feline, I landed in a squat next to a grinning Julian and Amelie, their hands entwined, and another wave of delight bowled over me. “You look different, Julian.”

His eyebrow raised knowingly. “So do you.” We smashed into each other in a fierce embrace. “It was a package deal. No one bit us. We just kind of … fell asleep.”

So my choice was their fate. “You okay with it? I know how much you love vampires.”

A quick check over his shoulder at Amelie and he whispered, “I’ll get used to it.”

Brilliant green eyes appeared suddenly as Amelie dove in, throwing herself at me. “I’m so glad you’re back! We were worried. You took forever to wake up! Like an entire day! Julian and Veronique were conscious in an hour!”

I grabbed Amelie’s wrist. “Where is she? Where is Veronique?”

“Here,” came the melodious voice. My head whipped around to find two forms strolling in, arm in arm. I gaped openly. Veronique—a mass of bruises and burns and stringy clothes—was now healed and spectacular, her shiny ringlets cascading down her back, her figure full and supple.

Veronique, Julian, and I, transformed. Veronique safe and with Mortimer. I sighed. I don’t believe it! Sofie had fixed it. Caden said she would, and she did. Never again would I doubt her.

“There is nothing you can’t do, is there, Sofie?” Dark glances flittered about the room. My scalp prickled. Something was wrong. I scanned everything again, analyzing further. Broken chunks of wood, narrow halls carved out of dirt surrounded us.

“Where are we? Where is everyone else? Where’s Mage and Kait, and Max’s brothers? The wolves? Wait!” I spun around, in search of my shadow. “Where’s Wraith?” I promised myself then and there that I’d stop being a jerk to him. I wondered how he handled apologies.

“Wraith’s gone, Evangeline,” Sofie informed me softly. “He was here to protect your mortal life. That is no longer an issue.”

“Oh.” A trace of regret gnawed at me, one that surprised me. I never got to say goodbye.

“And the others are out, trying to … contain the situation.”

I frowned, earning a sigh from Sofie. “A lot has happened in two days, Evangeline. Right now, we’re in an old mine outside the city.”

“Why? To keep us from human blood?” I forced a laugh. “This is a little dramatic, don’t you think?”

“It’s temporary, but it was the best form of safety we could find while we waited for you. No one will find us down here.”

“Who’s looking? We won against the witches, right?” No answer.

A gaggle of knowing looks connected and passed over my head. Like a domino of disaster, it finally hit me. We had bigger problems than witches and Sentinel.

“Veronique chose Mortimer,” I said.

“Veronique chose Mortimer,” Sofie echoed, her hands folding over each other in front of her face, as if in prayer. I turned to see matching masks of guilt painted on the loving couple’s faces.

Swallowing the terror bubbling up from the pit of my stomach, I whispered, “What has Viggo done?”