Allegiance (Causal Enchantment #3)(16)
I cleared my throat. “You need to be strong, my friend,” I whispered softly, my voice cracking. “You will get through this. You have us. We’ll help you. We can’t lose you too, Bishop.” Tentatively, I reached forward to let my fingers graze his knee. With a second’s contact, an uncomfortable current pulsed through my fingertips, like an electric shock. It wasn’t painful but certainly unpleasant. It had to be Sofie’s magical binding. Should I be able to feel it? Gritting my teeth, I ignored it, forcing my hand on his knee, bracing myself for the zap. I could survive this much at least. Bishop needed to know we were there for him. We couldn’t just abandon him, write him off as damaged goods, irreparable.
The current continued at a steady pace through me, though it wasn’t nearly as intense as I’d expected. I gave his knee a squeeze of reassurance. No reaction … He stared at nothing, vacuous gray eyes lost in yesterday. Leaning in, I stared fixedly into those catatonic eyes, searching for some shred of the Bishop I knew, some spark I could seize and pull out.
As if suddenly snapping to, black pupils shifted and locked on mine. Despair and loneliness crashed into me like the waves of an angry ocean, ready to pull me under, to suffocate me in its power. All his loss, all his pain, all his anger came pouring out of that one eye shift. I was suddenly absorbing Bishop’s pain, living his agony. Impulsively, I dove forward, my arms wrapping around his shoulders in an awkward hug. “I’m so sorry, Bishop. I’d do anything to bring her back if I could.” That’s when the violent sobs finally began.
“Okay, there’s no time for crying.” Mortimer’s thick booming voice cut in, gruffer than usual. “It’s time you got some sleep.” Strong hands wrenched me away from Bishop. He towed me toward the door. “Come. I’ll help you back to your room,” he muttered, his lips tight.
One last glimpse at Caden revealed his tortured expression. I sucked in my sobs and let Mortimer drag me out into the dark hallway, his arm now linked with mine, as if we were out for an evening stroll. A stroll with a stiff-bodied, stern-faced, grumpy vampire. Before Rachel’s death, I might’ve passed out from fright in this situation. But then Mortimer tossed my enemy into the flames—for no other reason than because he “owed me one.” He didn’t scare me so much anymore. That didn’t mean I enjoyed his prickly company. I just wasn’t waiting for him to kill me.
We walked at a fairly brisk pace, thanks to Mortimer’s long legs and no-nonsense speed. As we passed that same spot in the hallway, the tingling pull of familiarity hit me again, a fresh wave of connection, like safety and imminent danger jumbled together. My legs slowed until Mortimer was dragging me.
“What’s the matter?” he snapped, dissecting me with a quizzical glare.
Opening my mouth to explain, I paused, considering how I’d explain this without sounding crazy. I decided that I wouldn’t. It was probably nothing. Just me, slowly losing my mind. “Nothing. Just tired.”
With a harrumph and a sharp tug of my arm, we continued on, turning right to take the hall with the glass wall. Sofie’s red hair stood out by the tree like a flare.
“I remember coming here when Nathan was alive. This was his house, you know,” Mortimer explained, his eyes flickering to Sofie but not stopping.
“Yeah, Sofie mentioned it earlier.”
“I used to come here to see Veronique. She spent a lot of time with her sister. Those two were inseparable. I’ve never seen two sisters so connected, so committed to each other’s happiness.” Committed. What would she do if she knew her dear sister was in the clutches of the enemy right now? Tighter and tighter, the knots in my abdomen constricted. I gave one last glance to Sofie before we passed the hallway and she was out of sight again.
“After Sofie ki—” Mortimer stopped himself midsentence. “After Nathan died and Veronique decided to be mummified, we left this place for North America. I haven’t stepped foot in here since.” As we continued on his stance loosened up slightly, his strides more casual. We entered the foyer. “Those were happier times. I’m glad Sofie kept everything in order. Veronique was always so fond of this place … She’ll be happy to see it again.”
I cautioned a glance at him from the corner of my eye. He’s unusually chatty and cooperative. Something didn’t add up. “Why are you still here?” I blurted out, quickly adding, “I thought you hated Sofie.”
Mortimer’s dark eyes flickered down to me and he didn’t bother to hide the smirk. “You know, you remind me of a four-year-old sometimes, with your naïve and brazen outbursts.”
I pursed my lips, a flash of spite taking over my tongue before I could control it. “You know, you remind me of a shifty vampire sometimes, with your cryptic babbling.”
Mortimer’s head fell back as he let out a roar of laughter. A genuine and unexpectedly pleasant-sounding mirth that warmed my spirits temporarily. I don’t remember ever hearing Mortimer laugh!
“You should laugh like that more. You wouldn’t be so scary,” I muttered.
His laughter died down. “I used to laugh all the time when Veronique was alive. It feels foreign now.” He cleared his throat abruptly. “Sofie and I have had our differences, I’ll admit. But I don’t hate her. In fact, I have to say that I admire her. Besides … we’ve been battling her for years now and she always wins.” One slow step after another, we began climbing the stairs with parallel movements. “Fighting that woman does us no good. So I’ve joined forces with her. Given her all my strength, my connection, my trust … my allegiance.”