Allegiance (Causal Enchantment #3)(78)
“Wait.” The word—though flatly delivered—had the effect. I stopped midstride and turned to find Wraith marching toward me in that stiff way of his.
“What?”
He didn’t answer. He just kept moving, his eyes trained on the bathroom.
“What do you think you’re doing?” I asked sharply. He didn’t think he was …
“I am accompanying you to your next destination,” he answered in the weird, robotic language he used.
I shared my panicked look with Caden and Max. Caden’s eyes filled with fury. This bothered him, I could tell. But he was helpless and that made it worse. Interference led to dire consequences and no one wanted that. Max leaned back to settle onto his haunches, clearly not interested in being put down again. I’d have to manage my grim reaper on my own. I turned back to level him with a stare.
“My next destination is right in there … for a shower,” I said slowly, enunciating every word. “Thanks for your help, but I won’t need you in there.”
Blue orbs shifted from the door to the en suite to me, and then back to the en suite, as if weighing options. “That is not for you to decide,” he finally said.
“Oh, yes it is!” I snapped, waggling my finger at him. “You are my guardian … not my captor!” This was feeling all too much like Max’s wishy-washy servitude. “I will have some privacy! Please!” The last word came out a little shaky, like I was pleading. I couldn’t be pleading with this thing. Pulling my shoulders up straight, I crossed my arms and set my jaw.
“I do not feel the same desires as a human—” he began to say.
A mental image of that placid face, those mirror balls drifting over my bare body made me shudder violently. But he was likely telling the truth. He probably didn’t desire that. Only one desire motivated him—to kill for me, without discretion, without remorse. It’s why he existed and I couldn’t fault him for that. Putting all else aside, I needed him right now. I needed all the help I could get to keep me alive until I turned into Walking Death and jumped off a cliff …
I tempered my tone. “That’s great, Wraith, but guess what? I’m human and I do have desires—the desire to shower without an audience.”
He stared blankly at me for a long moment, so long I was sure my words hadn’t register with him. I decided to test him, and so I stepped into the bathroom. Somehow he managed to get in front of me, his broad arm sweeping me back and out of the way as he stepped into the little room.
“Hey!”
“No windows. No doors. No other occupants. It is empty,” he assessed, as if reporting on a crime scene.
“Yes, that’s because it’s a bathroom. They’re generally not party rooms. Now get out!” I snapped, gritting my teeth against the resulting stab of pain in my head. I threw my hands up to Wraith’s chest and gave him a hard shove out. Surprisingly, he moved without much effort. As soon as his toes crossed the threshold, I slammed the door shut and locked it. A tiny triumph tickled my confidence, though short-lived. If he wanted in, I was sure a stupid little metal lock wouldn’t stop him.
I sighed. Finally alone … I walked over to the large rectangular mirror and stared at the sallow reflection. I look hideous, I grimaced, taking in the dark circles accentuating my already puffy eyes, and the cowlick of wispy front hairs sticking out and off to the side of my forehead. My jaw wasn’t much better. At least my lip was back to its original size, though still purple. All in all … far from appealing.
Shaking off my rumpled clothes from the day before, I climbed into the shower. I stood under the hot water for what felt like an eternity, allowing it to soak into my pores and clean the toxins out as I thought about all that had transpired in twenty-four hours. When I’d woken yesterday, my life was in shambles. Then it slapped on a pair of skis and hot-dogged down the side of a mountain. Attacked by witches and Sentinel, I came home to a freed Bishop who’d been lobotomized by the Fates and now had the hots for me. To top it all off, I released the ghost of Sofie’s true love because of my toxic magic and now I had him closer to me than my own shadow, granting me permission to go to the bathroom on my own.
Yes … my life was better when it was just in shambles and not doing a full nosedive into hell.
I hadn’t connected with Veronique last night, though, from what I recalled. I hope I hadn’t! Would I have been drunk if I had? Either way, if they weren’t torturing her, then I had bought myself some time. Now, as long as Viggo and Mortimer didn’t find out about her, and, worse, that I knew about her predicament, then maybe I wouldn’t die a slow, horrible death at their hands. Lilly had to have some information for me soon …
Once sufficiently scrubbed, cleaned, and primped—and feeling marginally better—I cracked open the door and peeked out. Three sets of eyes watched me. I knew asking any of them to leave so I could get dressed was a hopeless cause. Ducking out in my robe, I reached into the dresser near the door, discreetly assembling an outfit down to underwear and socks, silently wishing I were alone with Caden. What I would do to be alone with Caden …
Once dressed, I took a giant breath and stepped out. There they were. Still. The three of them. Caden, Max, and Wraith, forming a narrow triangle in my room. Wraith was closest to me, his gaze weighing me down. Sidestepping around him with a wary eye fixed on his movements, I made my way to Caden’s side.