Allegiance (Causal Enchantment #3)(23)
“Of course,” I whispered hoarsely. Here I was, ready to maul Caden in front of my broken, battered friend. Sighing, I reached up to pull Caden’s arms tighter around me, digging my fingertips into his solid forearms. We stood like that, in silence, our bodies close, until Sofie came back humming “Jingle Bells,” holding a glass of pale yellow opaque liquid. Mage followed closely behind with a set of sparkly pink and gold ornaments dangling from her fingertips. I don’t know how they could be so festive with the weight of the situation sitting on their shoulders. I noticed that my wayward werebeast was nowhere in sight. Probably hunting.
Mage gave a tiny gasp of delight when she saw the tree, her onyx eyes sparkling. “I’ve decorated hundreds of trees and none were as lovely as this one,” she said, offering me a pleasant smile.
Sofie bowed dramatically and stood, a grin of pride lighting up her mesmerizing face. “Well then, after you, my friend!”
Mage nodded her appreciation as she leapt onto the ladder, nimbly scaling the rungs to the top to hang an ornament.
“Here,” Sofie smiled, offering me a tall glass. “Eggnog. Freshly made. You need the fat. You’ve gotten too thin.”
I let go of Caden’s arms to take the glass, a silent thanks on my lips. Caden took that as his chance to help Mage with the other ornaments. I watched the two of them hang bulbs off the branches while I sipped the creamy concoction, relishing how much it reminded me of Christmas with my mother. By the time they finished, every branch held at least one bulb. Breathtaking.
“Ready?” Sofie called out, stooping to plug the light into the socket. The tree lit up, a thousand tiny lights reflecting off the ornaments for a dazzling display, even in daylight.
Mage clapped and put her arm around Sofie’s shoulder, the first sign of affection I’d ever seen from the vampiress. Even Caden’s face lit up with childlike excitement. Such a small thing as Christmas lights amidst the turmoil of impending doom could sparkle like a diamond embedded in mud. I peered over my shoulder, curious if the beautiful sight had caught even Bishop’s attention, not expecting it. I was astonished to find his attention riveted to the spectacle.
I smiled sadly. Bishop was still in there. Somewhere, deep inside his misery, our friend was there. Suddenly, the urge to bring Bishop back to the world of the living now—not later, not with time and healing—overwhelmed me.
“What do you think, Bishop?” I pulled my shoulders back and put on a brave smile as I walked toward him. “Beautiful, huh?” Even though he couldn’t talk or smile or move in any way, I knew he was in there and he needed to know we were here for him, that we cared and were heartbroken as well. Recalling with reluctance the weird sensations from the night before when I touched his arm, those overpowering feelings of despair when our gazes met, I gritted my teeth, preparing myself. If he can take it, so can I. I bent down to place my hand on his, to feel his cool flesh, to let him know that I would be here for him as best I could …
The next few seconds happened in a blur. The spine-tingling sound of shattering glass came a split second before I felt movement within my grasp. Bishop, moving! I heard Sofie shriek, “No!” just as I flew back. Something wrapped tightly around my neck, choking me. Strong fingers grasped my chin with thumb and forefinger on either side.
“Let me go or I’ll kill her,” Bishop’s low menacing growl turned my blood icy cold. He was now standing behind me, cool breath breezing against my cheek. I must have misheard him, trying to play the words back in my head. No, he didn’t say that. He couldn’t be threatening to kill me. This was Bishop!
I watched with terror as Mage, Caden, and Sofie all moved forward in even, cautious steps, equidistant apart.
“Think, Bishop,” Caden said slowly, his hands spread out in front of him. “That’s Evangeline you have there. You’re not going to kill her. You care about her.”
“Don’t tell me who I care about!” he spat back, and his pain coursed through my body like a live wire. “We’re all going to die. Evie’s going to die. Better now … quicker … than later and more painful.”
Caden crept forward with the others. “No, Bishop, it’s not—”
“Don’t come any closer!” Bishop’s voice cracked with the shouted warning.
Caden’s eyebrows raised, his hands moving up in a slow surrendering motion. “No, Bishop. Not better. Think about it. Think about how you would feel. Evangeline—” Caden turned toward me. “What do you want, Evangeline? Do you want to die?” I could see growing panic beneath the serenity. I had seen this look once before. Right before Rachel attacked me.
It took a few tries but I found my voice, as shaky as it was. “No … no, Bishop. I don’t want to die. Not by you. Please. I thought you were my friend. Please don’t kill me.”
“I am your friend,” Bishop whispered, agony lacing every syllable. “It’s because I’m your friend that I’m doing this.”
“What? Threatening to kill me?” I wasn’t sure if that would work but I instantly knew what might. “Fiona would be horrified, Bishop,” I added so softly, hesitant to even mention her name.
His grip tightened for just a moment, and then I felt myself flying forward, thrown into Caden’s arms, as if the aim were intentional. Caden was ready for it, pulling me in protectively, holding me upright as my knees gave way.