Allegiance (Causal Enchantment #3)(53)

Lilly threw the car into gear and sped off past the crowds, sending several onlookers diving for safety. She weaved in and out of traffic, both moving and parked.

“We’ll be out of the city soon,” she explained. A truck suddenly pulled out in front of us. Lilly hit the brakes, sending the back end of the car sliding sideways. She spun the steering wheel to counter the direction. The wheels caught traction and we were back to speeding along the streets.

“I guess that’s why they say not to drive sports cars in the winter,” she kidded. When I didn’t respond, she asked, “Are you going to be okay?”

I paused, unsure of how to answer. I lifted my hand to run a finger along my now-swollen jaw. I wondered if it was broken. No, if it were, I wouldn’t be able to speak. Still, it may as well be for how much it hurt. Either way, that wasn’t my problem anymore. Now I had a new problem. Lilly had me and I still didn’t know if that was a good thing or a bad thing.

Turning to her, I asked pointedly, “Are you going to kill me?”

I caught the surprise flash across her face. “I haven’t decided yet.”

I’m not sure what answer I expected, but that wasn’t it. My lungs constricted, knowing I may have escaped death with the Sentinel to meet death with this diminutive hateful vampire. I considered jumping out of the car but then realized there was no point putting myself through that, given Lilly could catch me on the other side, put me back in, and continue driving without missing a beat.

“Aren’t you worried about what Sofie’s going to do when she finds you?”

“Nope.”

8. Mending Broken Things—Sofie

Bishop lay motionless on his back, one hand over his abdomen, the other splayed beside him, when Mage showed up in my parlor and announced, “We have a problem.”

I don’t know if it was Mage’s voice or just timing, but I caught a twitch in Bishop’s left eye. So minor, so quick, any ordinary person would have missed it.

“Bishop!” I hissed, leaning forward, my hair grazing his cheek. He had been this way—lifeless—for almost an hour, since I’d cast the Causal Enchantment, begging the Fates to mend his broken heart, to erase the pain of Fiona—heck, erase her existence if necessary!—and bring the old Bishop back to us. As soon as the last words touched my tongue, Bishop’s sad gray eyes drifted shut. They hadn’t opened since. I was beginning to worry that the only peace for him would be in death. Maybe the Fates knew that. Maybe they were right.

“Sofie, I think you need to come with me,” Mage’s tone had turned icy in warning. I looked up to see her stern expression, her features struggling to stay composed, setting off a current of dread.

“How important is it?” I skimmed over the heap of Merth in the corner of the room. I had removed the bindings soon after Bishop lost consciousness so I’d know when he came to.

“Important enough to bind Bishop back up and leave him here to deal with later,” Mage confirmed.

I ran my finger along my sleeping patient’s cheek, gazed at his smooth, unfurrowed forehead, at his trouble-free mouth—and disappointment churned. “I don’t know, Mage. If he wakes up better but is bound by Merth … I don’t know how to explain that. Tell me what’s going—”

“Lilly has Evangeline.”

My head snapped up to see Mage’s onyx eyes penetrating my soul. I swallowed, sure I’d misheard that. “What?”

“Lilly has Evangeline,” Mage repeated without any hint of annoyance.

“What? Mage—what do you mean ‘Lilly has Evangeline’? Did she come here and snatch her away? How do you know?” I was ready to grab her and shake the information out of her.

Mage sighed. “It seems Amelie and Evangeline decided to sneak out for some last-minute Christmas shopping. The Sentinel and the witches found out and captured Eve but Lilly stopped the van and pulled her out. She left the mess on the streets of Paris.”

I silently vowed I’d skin Amelie alive when I saw her next. “And how would the Sentinel and witches find out about them?”

“Let’s worry about that later.”

My eyes bounced between the door and Mage. “Are they on their way back here?”

“Well, that’s the problem. Lilly has taken Evangeline to some unknown destination—for what reason, I don’t know. Kait and Galen have shown up with a disheveled Amelie and a stubborn witch who they’re interrogating as we speak.”

Lilly had Evangeline and was going to do God knows what to her. A combination of terror and fury collided inside me, creating the perfect storm. “Oh, I’m going to kill Amelie when I get hold of her,” I warned through gritted teeth. For now, as much as I’d like to be by Bishop’s side, Mage was right. I needed to deal with this.

I hopped onto my feet and leaned over to grab a fistful of Merth strands, wincing with their sting. “I’m sorry, Bishop,” I apologized, looking down at his charming young face. I froze. There! In his left eye, a shift under his lid. And another, in his right eye, stayed my hand. “Bishop?”

Lids popped open suddenly, dazzling charcoal irises wide with shock. They rolled, they skittered, they walked over the surfaces around me until they landed on my face. Please be fixed.

A giant grin spread across his lips.