Allegiance (Causal Enchantment #3)(85)
And yet, there was tiny flicker of hope within me, some tiny bud of simple delight in this act. I forget what Christmas morning feels like … Kneeling down in front of the tree, I let my attention drift over the colorful packages.
“Oh, here,” Mage swooped in to grab a tiny black box. She thrust it into my hand. “This is from Sofie.”
My hand partially recoiled, panic rushing through me. The last time Sofie handed me a tiny box, a hundred-and-twenty-year-old curse bound itself to me.
Seeing my hesitation, Mage chuckled. “This one isn’t cursed.”
Inside was a piece of paper. I unfolded it to find Sofie’s beautiful scrawl staring back at me. Filled with those who love you. S.
What did this cryptic little note mean? Had Sofie exhumed my mother’s bones and cremated them to fill the box? Brushing the morbid thought aside, I lifted the note and unfolded the soft velvet cloth. Déjà vu rocketed through me as I found the heart-shaped pendant sitting inside. The shape was the only similarity. This one was twice the size as the original, and thick, made of what looked like platinum, encrusted with a coat of crushed, multicolored diamonds.
“Wow,” I murmured, lifting the chain to let it hang in the light. Its brilliant sparkle danced along the walls, even in the dull incandescent light from the lamps.
“You’ve got to be f … you’re kidding me, right? Another heart-shaped pendant?” Bishop crouched down to study it. “Is this supposed to be funny? What will this one do to you?”
“What more could it possibly do to me?” I answered. Still, I placed the pendant back into its box and set it on the coffee table. I wasn’t in a rush to put on anything heart-shaped again …
Bishop let out a mock sigh of exasperation. “Well … way classier than what I got you,” he said, sliding a long, silver package across the floor in one fluid motion. I caught the mischievous smile and my senses started to tingle. This can’t be good … When I peeled the paper back and spotted the Victoria’s Secret logo on the top of a pale pink box, my wariness increased tenfold. I lifted the top cover and upon seeing the hot pink lace, I slammed the box shut, my face matching the color of the seductive outfit.
“Bishop!”
“What?” he answered, shrugging. “You had no issues with that stuff before. Remember, that one night you wore it and we—”
I gasped. “That wasn’t me! That was—” I bit down on my tongue to stop myself just before I said her name, breaking Bishop’s delusion, setting him back into his dark place of misery. It had been Fiona wearing her trademark hot pink outfits for Bishop. As if it weren’t bad enough that the Fates had implanted Caden’s memories of me into Bishop’s head, now they had taken some of his memories of Fiona and swapped her out for me! Bishop’s brain was a hot mess of delusions.
“Glad I’m memorable.” He frowned. “Of course it was you … You think I would’ve forgotten something like that?” His eyes widened suggestively as they grazed my body, setting my cheeks on fire again. “God, Evie. I know you’re worried about this Tribe thing, but relax a little bit!” He leaned in to graze the side of my face with his hand. “Sofie will fix it.” I froze, unsure of how to respond to his affections without hurting him. He leaned in and pressed his mouth against my ear, sending shivers through my body. “I miss you …”
I couldn’t help it. I slinked back, my body as stiff as a corpse with the unsolicited closeness. Turning to Mage, I whispered, “I don’t know which is worse …”
Her face smoothed over. “Definitely the alternative.”
Bishop’s charcoal eyes shifted from Mage to me, narrowing slightly. “What are you talking about? First, Amelie … now you. Why does it feel there’s a giant secret that I’m not a part of?”
Oh, but you are part of it, Bishop. You’re at the center of it … We needed to be more careful. I needed to distract him.
“No secrets,” I said, smiling as I forced myself to reach forward and pat his knee. I held the box up in front of me. “Thanks for this. I’ll be sure to model it for Max later,” I offered with a sly wink, trying to make light of the situation.
Bishop made a stabbing motion to his chest. With a deep groan, he fell to the floor with dramatic flare. If my flippant rebuff wounded him, I couldn’t tell. Either way, his focus was off the secret.
I glanced over my shoulder, hoping to find Caden lingering in a corner. No one but Wraith stared back. My shoulders sagged. Where could he be?
“Here’s another one. From Amelie.” Mage shoved a large box in my face, temporarily distracting me from the inner turmoil that must’ve been splayed across my face. Oh, Amelie … I peeled the wrapping to reveal an oversized brown shoebox. Inside was a beautiful pair of soft brown leather riding boots, similar to the pair I’d brought to her on Ratheus. As I admired them, I noticed a narrow inner pocket. Hmm … Sliding the boots on over my jeans, I tested my dagger’s fit in one of the pockets. “Perfect!”
Bishop snorted. “You think you’re ready for war now?” When he processed the severity of his words, the grin slipped off his face. He picked up my diamond pendant from its box, and tossed it up and down as if were loose change. “I hope it never comes to that.”
“It’s only a matter of time, isn’t it?” I whispered sadly. Would it be before or after I miraculously freed Veronique? Before or after I turned into a jaundice-eyed freak? Before or after Caden told me to drop dead?