Anathema (Causal Enchantment #1)(14)
Caden put his finger to his lips in a hushing motion. I nodded. He turned back to the cave entrance, his feet shifting position ever so slightly.
I felt something boring into the side of my face. Glancing over, I saw Rachel glaring at me sadistically, those yellow eyes lit with some private enjoyment. I cowered within my alcove, wishing I could turn into a chameleon and blend into the rock. The pendant, tightly grasped in my hand now, continued to burn hot against my skin.
4. Dead Is Dead
So silent was their approach that I was unaware anyone had entered the cave until I heard a new voice. “Why, hello again, Amelie! We didn’t expect to see you mobile so soon.” The man’s tone oozed false kindness.
Impulsively, I peeked out from behind Caden to catch a glimpse of the speaker, figuring the shadows and the glare from the fire would be sufficient cover. All I saw was the back of a snow–white head before Caden’s body subtly leaned back, forcing me into full hiding again.
“Jethro,” Amelie responded, her tone icy. “I warned you, I don’t like that river. Too murky.”
“Yes, I recall … I’m curious about how you escaped, and so quickly!” Jethro’s voice grew louder and I heard footsteps as the man walked farther into the cave.
“Oh, it’s my little secret,” she responded glibly, as if joking with a friend instead of the man who’d tried to kill her.
“I’m sure we can get it out of you.” Jethro’s voice indicated a smile but his words were full of malice. “I’m surprised to see another highly esteemed Council member here … Rachel,” he said in greeting.
My eyes darted to Rachel. She nodded once, undaunted and still exuding confidence; she wasn’t afraid of Jethro.
“And your brother is uncharacteristically quiet this evening, skulking in the back corner like that. Are you hiding something?”
I pressed further against the wall until the jutting stone hurt my back.
“Only his infatuation with me.” Rachel swooped over and wrapped her arms seductively around Caden’s waist, skimming her lips across the side of his neck.
So they’re together, I realized. Despite the urgency of the situation, bitter disappointment coursed through me.
Caden didn’t acknowledge Rachel’s affection, though. “Did you think you could walk in here after what you did to my sister?” he said through gritted teeth.
Jethro’s laughter echoed through the cave. I recognized that sound. I had believed it to be my salvation, earlier that night. Now that laugh made me want to swallow my tongue in fear.
“That sounds like a threat. Amusing.”
The footsteps moved away from us. I had no urge to peek again.
“Quite silly of you to start a fire. Someone may accidently trip and fall into it. That would be a much more permanent ending than sitting at the bottom of the river,” Jethro mused.
A silent warning to Amelie, though I didn’t see how drowning had a different outcome than burning. Dead is dead.
“You know, it was interesting earlier, out by the river,” Jethro said, his voice falsely casual, “after we chucked you in. We—all of us—sensed a true rarity. A human heartbeat, of all things.”
What? My face twisted with confusion.
“It must have been wishful thinking, of course … but it brought back fond memories. I remember ripping one of those tasty morsels right out of a chest once, so quickly that the little thing continued pulsing in my palm. I even showed it to the terrified lemming I had snatched it from before she collapsed to the ground. How I would do anything to hold one of those again …” Jethro sighed wistfully.
As if my poor heart had heard the threat, it began thrashing against my chest, likely trying to grow legs so it could break free and run away before this psychopath could get his hands on it.
“There it is again—that heartbeat!” Jethro exclaimed in a hiss. “Do you hear that?”
My stomach lurched. Was he referring to my heartbeat? A hand squeezed my thigh in warning. Glancing down, I saw it was Caden’s hand, covertly reaching back, attempting to calm me. Unfortunately his touch pushed my heart further into overdrive until I was sure it would explode; it was a thunderous, repetitive boom against my eardrums. The cave, Caden, everything began to swirl. I leaned against the wall for support, begging my knees not to buckle.
Unevenly paced footsteps moved toward us, slowly edging in, taunting. Rachel’s arms slid away from Caden, who shifted. I knew they were preparing to react.
My hands groped forward in desperation, my fingers digging into Caden’s back. Clenching my teeth together, I fought the urge to let out a blood–curdling shriek.
What happened next came in a flash. Rachel was no longer beside Caden. She was slamming into the opposite wall, the rock crumbling from the impact, surely every bone in her perfect body shattering. I didn’t see her collapse to the ground, though; the demon who now stood in her place had my full attention.
I couldn’t decide which was more sinister—those cold white eyes with their web of tiny blue veins staring down at me, or the creature’s face, so contorted that it pulled his skin back severely against his facial bones. His long hair, also stark white, was tied back in a ponytail that only emphasized the tautness of his skin. He was like some monster out of a horror film, only a hundred times more hideous because he was real. Demon, sprang into my mind—something straight from hell.