Allegiance (Causal Enchantment #3)(66)
A brief moment of silence. “And what about that witch? Did you get anything from her?” Mortimer asked Kait.
“Nothing but moans and a mess. We won’t be getting any more from her.”
I shuddered, visions of Kait in a full leather outfit standing over a table with sharp, scary tools and a sadistic grin too scary to focus long on.
Mortimer took a seat on one of the couches. “Today’s attack, coupled with the events from New York, is leading right into this war whether we like it or not. The blood bank and that debacle at the night club is old news. These new gruesome attacks, though, care of your friend Jonah …” Mortimer’s head shook with disgust.
Mage’s mouth twisted as if she had bitten into a lemon. “Yes, he’s certainly leading it, but … there’s too much going on to be just him.”
“So he’s made others,” Sofie acknowledged.
“Yes, he’s building his army. Against me,” Mage answered smoothly. Her next words sent a cold shiver down my spine, solidifying in my memory that as nice as she may seem, she was still the most lethal of killers. “He knows I’m coming for him soon.”
“When will that be exactly? He needs to be dealt with, and quickly,” Viggo piped in from his corner, outside of the conversation. “I’d be happy to do that.”
“That means you’ll be leaving for home immediately?” Lilly chirped without missing a beat.
Viggo answered with another of his evil grins. “What a grudge you hold, little Leelee.”
I never thought I’d see a vampire’s face burn red hot, but there it was—Lilly, as crimson as a fire engine, her claws clenching and unclenching as she glared murderously at her father figure. I couldn’t lie. I’d be happy if Viggo stood and waved goodbye right this instant. The further away he was from us, the safer we all were.
“We don’t have a home anymore,” Mortimer reminded everyone.
Someone singing at the top of their lungs disrupted the group again. Caden’s arms dropped from my body and he took a step back. Sure enough, a tall, lean body rounded the corner with a relaxed gait and a bottle in his fist. Stopping to take in the atmosphere, he grimaced.
“Well, this looks like loads of fun … it’s Christmas Eve!” he yelled.
“I see you’ve found the wine cellar,” Sofie said as he took a long, sloppy swig from his bottle. “I believe that’s port. It’s meant to be a digestif, not for guzzling.”
“What can I say … it’s going down well!” He took another lazy drink, earning a giggle from Amelie and an eye roll from Kait.
Like a wolf with a newborn calf in its jaws, Mortimer yanked the topic back to task. “So then, where should we attack first?” The word attack sparked a new flurry of debate, full of shouts and vehement objections. Back to chaos. I sighed, silently wishing I could sneak off and hide in my room. With Caden …
Bishop caught my eye then. He smiled and winked, holding the bottle in front of him in an offering gesture. “Wash away your worries with me.”
I stood frozen to the ground, unsure of what to do, unwilling to leave Caden’s side but afraid to continue rejecting Bishop’s efforts. When raw pain flashed across Bishop’s face, I realized I had waited too long. My waffling was tearing him apart. I felt a gentle nudge on the small of my back—Caden’s hand prodding me forward—and I knew I had no choice. Forcing a smile onto my face, I stiffly walked over to Bishop.
“Looks like you’re not going to kill me just yet,” he whispered softly, holding his arm out.
“I’m not.” I hooked my arm within his, assuming that’s what I was supposed to do. It felt strange. It felt awkward. It felt all kinds of wrong, all the more so with Caden standing behind me. Casually tossing my hair over my shoulder, I stole a peek at Caden. Nothing but stone on that beautiful face of his. Nothing to give away his thoughts. I needed to be strong like that. For Bishop, for Caden, for me. With a deep inhale, I turned back with a giant smile for Bishop’s benefit.
“Let’s blow this popsicle stand!” he joked, towing me out of the glass room and into calmer territory. I knew that with each step forward, I was moving deeper into the charade, deeper into the deception, deeper into the world that I was not made for and yet was being molded to. Lies, treachery, false relationships. I wasn’t a victim of it anymore. I was now a contributor, a key contributor, some may argue. I didn’t think it possible and yet I could feel my intestines tighten into stronger knots.
Suddenly, the sight of that bottle in Bishop’s hand, the urge to drown my worries, overpowered me. I yanked it from his grasp.
“Whoa, there, little one,” Bishop laughed. I answered by bringing the bottle to my lips and tilting it back. Sickly sweet syrup poured down my throat, its flavor so potent that I cringed. I forced it down and took another long draw for good measure, impatiently waiting for the numbness to take hold.
“No one’s going to let you step foot off this property but we can at least go for a walk around here, okay?” Bishop asked. With a tiny noise of approval, I checked behind me and started with relief when I saw both Max and Caden shadowing us. I thanked them with a smile. In my peripheral vision, I saw Julian and Amelie trailing behind, arm in arm. My smile grew bigger. They were my friends. They wouldn’t make me go through this alone. We would face this together.