Allegiance (Causal Enchantment #3)(72)

Caden was already shaking his head, distress evident on his face. “I don’t … I wouldn’t … not anymore!”

“He sees it in all of us,” Mage explained. “We are all capable of hurting her. She is human and it is in our DNA to kill her. Don’t take it personally.”

Awkward silence hung over the entire group until Sofie simply turned and left, half stumbling, dejected, down the hall. When she reached the doors out to the courtyard, I heard her call out, “Don’t worry. Wraith will not harm Evangeline.”

I almost didn’t catch her last words. I wish I hadn’t. “He’ll protect her from all of us.” And then she was pushing through the doors, disappearing into the wintry outside, leaving a horde of supernaturals and Julian and me alone with this new unstoppable creature. My newest curse.

“Well … on that note.” Viggo’s shoes slid against the floor as he stole down the hall. “Now that our fearless leader has given her permission, I’ll be happy to go deal with a certain blood-sucking mutant.” Sofie must have released them from their leash while we were roaming the halls and getting drunk. Viggo wasn’t wasting any time for good reason. If Wraith bothered to poke around in his soul—or whatever existed inside him—he’d find enough evil intent to decide to permanently affix himself to Viggo’s arm. He was Contender Number One in the “Threat to Eve” department, and if Viggo couldn’t kill Wraith, as he had every other threat to him—Lilly’s mom included—he would need to keep as far away as possible.

“Mortimer …?” he called.

Mortimer couldn’t seem to peel his focus off Wraith, though, a distant grief tugging at his face. For once, I knew exactly what he was thinking. What would it be like to have Veronique turned into a wraith? To have her soul sucked out, her beauty marred, to have her look through him, not recognize him, not love him. It would be enough to break any of us, and Sofie had to live it.

When Viggo appeared in front of Mortimer’s face to rudely snap his fingers under his nose, Mortimer slammed Viggo’s hand away with such force that it sent Viggo back a few steps. “I heard you!” With a head bow to the rest of us, Mortimer walked away.

And that’s when it finally dawned on me. “You guys are going back to New York?” Closer to discovering Veronique’s predicament, if you catch and interrogate someone? Another wave of lightheadedness swarmed me. Bishop’s hands found their place on my elbows, steadying me.

“Someone has to clean up the mess! You children have fun here … with that!” Viggo called out over his shoulder, strolling away.

“Remember Sofie’s caveat, Viggo. Stay away from the witches!” Mage warned. “As long as they’re in there, they’re not causing us issues.” When Viggo didn’t answer, she looked to Mortimer. “Be the sensible one, please.”

He nodded. “We can’t get in there, even if we want to. The witches have reinstated the Merth boundary and the entries are heavily guarded. My human spies have tried and failed several times already.”

“What’d they tell you?” The words tumbled out of my mouth in a rush before I could stop myself, too eager to know. Of course Mortimer was already snooping. But did he have any idea about Veronique?

He fixed me with a flat look. “Nothing. They’re all dead.” I listened to his heavy footsteps as he marched down the hallway after Viggo.

Slowly, cautiously, I exhaled in relief. They didn’t know yet. When they did find out, they couldn’t ever know that I knew. That I was lying. Never! They could never know how I was betraying them. If they did … an allegiance ten times over wouldn’t keep Viggo from snapping my body in two. I would wound Mortimer, an idea I realized troubled me more than death at Viggo’s hands. They can never find out. I must beg silence from Veronique.

“Lilly, Sofie would like you and your group to accompany them to New York and deal with Jonah,” Mage said, again her authoritative self. “It’s getting out of control. We need the issue eradicated and I don’t know that the two of them are enough.” What was happening in New York? What did “getting out of control” mean?

Lilly paused and regarded Mage coldly. “I don’t take orders from you.” When she looked over to me, she instantly warmed. “Is that what you would like me to do, Evangeline?”

“Uh …” She’s asking me? What was I supposed to say? Should I even trust her? This allegiance thing was unsettling. My eyes darted between Lilly—such an unassuming, unthreatening child vampire—to Mage—the all-powerful, ancient vampire—quietly analyzing every detail of her surroundings. If Sofie was already giving Lilly orders, then she must trust her allegiance to me. That was my answer. I needed to trust her.

“If Sofie said so, then yes, Lilly. She knows better about these things than I do.”

Lilly answered with a curt but respectable nod of acceptance.

Lilly was going to New York. Lilly who had pledged her allegiance to me. Lilly, who would do as I asked. This was my only chance … “I need to speak to Lilly for a brief moment, alone.”

Lilly didn’t miss a beat. “Get our things ready, please, Kait.” Kait and the others marched away without question.

My side wasn’t so obedient. “Please?” No one moved. “Alone!” It came out in a bark.