Allegiance (Causal Enchantment #3)(97)

“Like baby chicks in a pen. Lazy hunting. The sign of a newly turned vampire,” Kait scorned, her bright orange mouth twisted with distaste.

Newly turned vampires. Jonah’s army. I groped for Caden’s hand, entangling my fingers with his, grasping for support. This was a disaster.

“Should we call Viggo and Mortimer? Let them know?” I asked absently.

Kait’s responding snort filled the silent room. “You think they don’t know? Who do you think barred the doors and set fire to the building?”

I was already shaking my head. “No … not Mortimer …” Mortimer wouldn’t have done anything like that.

A wicked laugh mocked me. “You silly girl.”

“Kait,” Lilly warned, her calmness laced with a razor-sharp edge, like her tongue could lash out and cut the flesh off bones. The arrogant smile slipped from Kait’s face, replaced with what one might deem a contrite expression. “Mortimer would be first with the chains if it meant eliminating witnesses,” Lilly explained softly.

I nodded numbly. “No witnesses means no living proof that vampires exist …”

Lilly nodded. “That’s right. As long as Mortimer and Viggo keep their faculties in check, we’ll be fine. I spoke to Mortimer already. They’ve killed a couple of Jonah’s troops. We can only hope they kill the rest before they do something that can’t be hidden.”

“No witnesses.” Caden’s grasp of me tightened until I could feel the ripples of his chest against my back. “Just bodies. Lots of bodies.” I turned my head slightly to nuzzle my nose against the base of his neck.

Lilly nodded, her throat clearing as she stepped away. It had to be so strange for her. I couldn’t imagine living in a child’s body for twelve hundred years. She had the beginnings of a woman’s figure but it would never mature. She would never appreciate what I felt at that moment with Caden. My heart poured with sympathy for the girl. She would never have this love. Her life, though long, would never be complete. For all her wisdom, she could never comprehend what she was missing.

“I wonder how many buildings they can burn before it’s impossible to hide this,” Amelie said, the laugh lines in her face disappearing as sadness took over. An empty, distant look glazed over her eyes. Reminiscing over her own world’s doomsday, no doubt. My heart went out to her. She’d already suffered through this once.

Julian responded with an arm around Amelie’s shoulder, pulling her to his chest in a loving embrace ... We needed to do this. Now. You and me, together again, Julian. This plan would probably get us both killed.

“How do we get in there, Lilly?” I asked, no interest in wasting any more time dreading possibilities. Caden’s arms instantly tensed. I ignored the reaction.

“Well … my informants say a dozen Sentinel come in and out daily. The witches have barricaded themselves in,” Lilly explained, taking a seat next to Galen. “I don’t know that they could even get out if they wanted to.”

My attention drifted back to the window to survey the surrounding buildings and Central Park. Lilly had spies, Viggo had spies, Mortimer had spies. Spies everywhere and none of them knew what was going on inside. “I know vampires can’t get in. We’ve already tested some of the windows. The entire place is set with Merth.”

“Well … why don’t we go in the same way we did the night we chased Jonah?” Amelie asked Caden. “We just need something that will pass our weight through the window. I’m sure there’s something.” She paused. “Or maybe Wraith can carry us in.”

Lilly was shaking her head already. “We thought of that. We sent a couple of humans in through a broken window on the fourth floor but the witches have a secondary spell layered on.” Lilly’s face turned sour. “It set them on fire. Who knows how many more tripwires they’ve set.”

Amelie’s shoulders sagged. “They’ve thought of everything, haven’t they?”

“Well … no,” I said, smiling. “They didn’t think of a human who could walk through their spell and break it.” The Tribal magic was going to serve a purpose. It was going to help! It could work!

“And what exactly do you plan on doing—launching yourself through a fourth-story window to break the spell?” Caden answered in a biting tone. “What if you get hurt? What if they’re waiting for you? What if breaking the spell warns them and they get hold of you before I can get in there?” He released his loving grip of me to whip me around, intensity in his eyes. “No, Evangeline. There’re too many things that could go wrong with this harebrained idea!”

I opened my mouth to argue but Lilly spoke. “Caden’s right, Evangeline. We need stealth, not kamikaze barbarism. If the witches get so much as a hint that we’ve made it inside, they could do a number of things, including kill you and Veronique.”

“So … what’s the best way for Julian, Wraith, and me to go in?” Dead silence filled the room.

“Well, I was thinking,” Julian started, pulling all eyes to him. “You said they’re letting the Sentinel in through the doors, right?” Lilly nodded, her eyebrow perked curiously. “Well,” he licked his lips nervously. “I have a Sentinel tattoo, so why don’t I go in …”