Anathema (Causal Enchantment #1)(60)

He began laughing, then groaned. “How could I forget about her?” he muttered to himself. He groaned loudly again, running a hand through his hair, sending it into disarray. His face went disturbingly calm as he fell deep into thought for a moment. Finally he turned to looked at me. “Yes, it’s Rachel. As long as she and I are together, you and I can’t be.”

I nodded slowly, rolling onto my back to stare up at the cave ceiling, wanting to be anywhere but there so he wouldn’t see me cry. As if hearing my silent pleas, the constant burn of the pendant faded. “I’m leaving now,” I announced, my voice hollow. Back to a house of devious vampires and a back–stabbing dog.

My head rolled toward Caden for one more look into those beautiful jade eyes. I saw anguish. And then I was gone.

My eyes snapped open. The pain of Caden’s rejection still burned hot through my body. That pain was quickly quashed, though, by the sight of my balcony doors hanging haphazardly from their hinges, the glass shattered. I sat up to find the corpse of a large black animal, too mutilated to identify but most certainly dead, lying on the floor, its blood splattering the walls and floor of my perfect white and silver bedroom. The creature had obviously gained entry from the balcony, though I had no idea how, given we were five storeys up and it had no wings.

A deep growl sounded behind me. I turned to see Max facing my bedroom door, hackles raised.

Someone—or something—was on the other side of that door, and it wanted in.

Hide! a deep male voice ordered.

I leapt out of bed and whirled, looking for the source. There was no one in the room but Max and me.

Under the bed!

My eyes darted suspiciously to the curtains, half expecting a tiny old man to pop out from behind them and introduce himself as the Wizard of Oz.

Now! the voice shouted.

It no longer mattered where it was coming from. The warning shot through my paralyzed legs like a lightning bolt, forcing them to move of their own accord before my brain could instruct them. I dove under the bed a split second before the door exploded, splinters of wood flying in every direction.

Ferocious snarling intermingled with the ghastly sounds of tearing flesh and bones snapping like twigs. I heard countless yelps of pain but I couldn’t identify the owners. I clenched my fists and gritted my teeth, my fear for Max outweighing that for myself. Even with his betrayal—spying on me for Mortimer—I didn’t want him hurt in doing his job to guard me.

From my vantage point, I could only see feet. There were so many of them—gigantic, hairy, black paws with talon–like claws. Max was outnumbered.

A final yelp, then my room fell to dead silence. I remained in my hiding spot, gripped by fear, watching as a set of black paws limped toward me. They stopped at the end of the bed. A big black nose sniffed under the bed. I recoiled as far back as possible.

You’re safe now, that male voice—the one who had warned me to hide—whispered. He was obviously in great pain.

The animal by the bed keeled over, its yellow eyes coming level with mine as its chin settled on the floor.

“Max!” I slid out from my hiding place. Five more heaps of flesh and gore like the one that had greeted me lay nearby. I gasped as I saw Max’s torn and punctured body; a pool of blood was rapidly forming underneath him. I crumpled to the floor, resting my forehead on his, and wept.

Don’t worry. I just need rest, the voice whispered.

I gasped.

16. Telepathy

Yes, it’s me you hear.

My eyes bulged. “How?”

Before Max could answer, a commotion erupted in the atrium. Max lifted his head, struggling to stand.

“Stay,” I ordered gently as I crept out onto the balcony, the broken glass from the doors crunching beneath my sneakers.

Sofie was shouting at someone. “Why would you do this?”

Leaning over the railing, I spotted the top of Sofie’s fiery red head as she squared off against another woman.

“The perfect revenge requires a fair amount of risk,” the woman answered coldly. A wave of recognition hit me. I’d heard that bitterness before. It was the young woman from the park. I thought she was dead!

“Revenge for what?” Sofie’s bewilderment seemed authentic.

“For the worst betrayal,” the woman replied acidly.

There was a long pause as Sofie no doubt worked hard to recall where their paths had crossed.

“You’re not the only witch who has found a form of immortality,” the woman hinted.

Another long pause. Suddenly Sofie gasped in recognition. “Ursula?”

The woman cackled viciously. “You’d be surprised what you can do with host bodies. I’ve gone through dozens now. It’s exhilarating, like shopping for fine furniture. I’ve tried out every ethnicity … always beautiful, though. And young. Those are my prerequisites. It’s a lot of work, but worth it. I’ve been able to remain alive, year after year, studying you, waiting for the perfect opportunity to punish you. I can’t believe I missed the connection between you and the girl all these years. That bloody dog was constantly in the way so I could never get too close.”

Old news, Ursula. I knew she was spying on me. Tell me something I don’t know. Like how Sofie betrayed you too.

“All of this because of Nathan? I think both he and I were sufficiently punished, don’t you?” Grief filled Sofie’s voice.