Anathema (Causal Enchantment #1)(64)
My whole life had been staged, controlled by vampire puppet–masters on a quest to fulfill their love for their entombed one hundred and twenty–year– old girlfriend and sister. “Why keep this story of Veronique a secret?” I asked, adding bitterly, “Viggo could have told me the other night, while he was painting himself as a martyr.”
She sighed. “Because Viggo thinks you’ll default to trusting him if you hate me. Plus they’ve sworn me to secrecy in all things Veronique–related, on penalty of injury to you.”
“But … why?” I was beginning to sound like a broken record.
“They’re terrified of someone finding out about her who could cause her harm.”
“She’s encased in marble and magic!” I exclaimed.
Sofie chuckled. “When you’re madly in love, you don’t act rationally. Like Ursula.”
I had forgotten about her until now. “How is she involved in all this? She was at the park, you know.”
“Besides being the witch that those two twits hired to spy on me? They don’t trust me.” Smiling sheepishly, she added, “With good reason, I guess.” She began massaging her temple with her hand. “Ursula is the classic example of a woman scorned, only she’s a witch so the fury is tenfold. She fell in love with Nathan and ensnared him in a love spell to ensure his mutual affection. She’s not pleasant, in case you hadn’t noticed. Well, sorceress spells don’t work well on vampires. Nathan realized what was going on, in effect rendering the spell obsolete. He would have killed her if she hadn’t been so pathetic. He had a compassionate streak in him.” She smiled wistfully. “One of the reasons I loved him so. Anyway, not long after that, he and I met. It was love at first sight. Ursula was bitter, believing that, if I had not ‘moved in on her territory,’ he would have forgiven her and fallen madly in love of his own accord.”
“But that was over a hundred years ago. Are witches immortal too?” I asked, recalling her mentioning something about host bodies but not understanding this hocus–pocus stuff.
Sofie shook her head. “It appears she found a way to jump from one human to the next, taking possession of them for her own form of immortality. She’s clever. That’s why I didn’t recognize her. When Viggo and Mortimer discovered Max’s betrayal, it seems they decided to hire a spy as another source of intel. I had sensed a witch from time to time near me but I never put the two together.” She smirked contemptuously. “I just thought I had a fan.”
My head was spinning by now, trying to keep track of all the different ways they had deceived each other. There was small comfort in the fact that I wasn’t the only victim. “But Ursula’s dead now, right? Viggo killed her?”
Sofie shook her head. “I’m afraid that’s not the last we’ll see of Ursula in one form or another. I’m not exactly sure how she possesses her host bodies, but it must use up a lot of her powers. Don’t worry. She won’t get through these gates a second time, now that those two half–wits know not to invite her and her conjured leopards in.”
I nodded, working to digest everything. “Is there anything else you need to tell me?” I asked, my eyes studying Sofie’s eyes for any signs of a lie.
She met my gaze steadily. “Everything I’ve told you is the truth. I swear it. On Nathan’s grave.”
Does that mean anything, considering she killed him? I wondered. It didn’t matter. I decided she was now the least harmful snake in the pit of vipers. Her and Max.
We sat in silence for awhile. Max came over and hunkered down, resting his chin on my lap to look up at me with soulful golden eyes. I looked from him to Sofie. “How am I hearing Max?”
Sofie shrugged. “I don’t know, but … you have no idea how pleased I am!” A goofy grin overwhelmed her face.
“Mortimer said something about him lying to him?”
“Yup! He’s been making up things and leaving out details since you’ve come here. And after you snuck off to the park, he just stopped talking to Mortimer altogether.” The broad smile was still plastered on her face. “I guess all those years of spying on you made him fall in love.”
She talks too much, Max interrupted inside my head, his irritation evident.
I couldn’t help giggling, even given the bizarre method of communication. I hadn’t been wrong about Max’s friendship, after all. One genuine thing around here, at least. Patting Max’s head once, I stood up and walked over to Veronique’s picture to study the catalyst of my curse. Gazing up at those olive green eyes, I searched my feelings for resentment, but found none. Rationally, I knew this was no more her fault than being cursed was mine. Or even Sofie’s.
“What a devastatingly beautiful woman,” a relaxed male voice suddenly said from beside me. Viggo, sliding in unseen like a ghost, as casual as ever. As if he hadn’t murdered my mother.
I instinctively assumed a defensive stance, my hands balling up into tight fists. A soft, wicked chuckle escaped him, one that sent a shiver down my back. My anger morphed instantly into fear. He was a monster.
“I met Veronique at the Emperor’s Royal Ball. I watched her glide down the O’Hara staircase with the purity of an angel, wearing this very dress. I knew I had to have her.”
“And she settled for you until she found something better,” Mortimer chimed in, appearing from a corner, an edge of competitiveness in his voice.