Anathema (Causal Enchantment #1)(74)

“What do you—” Her impish smile silenced me. Instantly grasping her meaning, I felt myself flush.

“Ew … That’s my brother you’re talking about,” Amelie moaned, feigning disgust. But then she winked at me.

Fiona leaned back on the bench, her dour mood giving way to uncharacteristic giddiness. “I’m still having a hard time believing this is all happening. Where will we go? What will we do?”

Panic set in. What if I can’t bring them all back? No, I wouldn’t even consider that. It was too painful. I brushed my fears aside. “Well, I’m sure you can stay at Viggo and Mortimer’s. They’re quite accommodating when they need something from you,” I said wryly. The mention of Viggo reminded me of my mother—of her death.

“What’s wrong?” Amelie asked.

Caden was sitting beside me in a flash, a concerned look on his face.

“Well, I learned a few more things while I was back …” I started filling them in on Ursula’s attack, Sofie’s confession, and Max being able to talk to me. I ended with how Viggo murdered my mother. The cave fell to silence then. “So I guess Sofie will release her sister, one of you can bite her, and then everyone lives happily ever after.” I smiled sadly.

“Not a chance in hell!” Bishop erupted.

“There’s no way we’re helping Viggo after what he’s done to you,” Fiona agreed, her voice ominous.

I was already shaking my head. “I just want to be done with all of this. With them.”

“And you will be,” Caden’s low voice was menacing.

I glanced at him. “I don’t want to help Viggo, but—”

“Then we don’t help him!” Amelie announced firmly.

“And what, be hunted? I’ve already got that lunatic witch after me. I don’t need two vampires hunting me too,” I said. “I thought the same, but it won’t change anything.”

“He can’t hunt you if he’s dead,” Caden said with icy determination.

“No! I’m not risking it. I’m not going through all of this only to have one of you killed when we get there.” I was almost screaming now, desperate for them to understand how serious this was.

“Okay, okay.” Caden’s arm went around me.

“I just want to be done with all this,” I mumbled, feeling tears welling in my eyes.

“And will they be done with you, after all this?” Fiona asked quietly.

I shrugged. “I mean, what else could they want with me? They’ve already murdered my mother and ruined my life.”

“And Sofie? You don’t seem to be too angry with her anymore,”

A sad smile pulled at my lips. “I’m not sure, but I think she’s been played in this mess as much as I have.”

“I don’t know, Evangeline,” Caden said softly. “Sometimes I think you’re—”

“Too trusting. I know.” I smiled. “Sofie said the same thing.”

He nodded. His hand slid tenderly down to the small of my back, where his thumb drew tiny circles. My appetite for food instantly vanished, shifting to desire for something entirely different. I gave my head a slight shake. When had I turned into such a hormonal maniac?

The camera flashed as Amelie snapped another picture, lifting the somber cloud I had dropped over them. “Do you think I could pass for a high school student?” she asked innocently. “I had so much fun in high school.”

“That’s because you spent your days seducing the football team and making their girlfriends jealous,” Caden joked.

Amelie smiled smugly at him. “Well, I am going to do some stage theater. It’s more discrete than film. I’ll likely have to travel around the world so I don’t have to take fifty–year breaks. And I’ll wear wigs and contacts so I’m not recognized,” Amelie said confidently. “You can come with me, Fiona, be the voice behind my lip synching.”

“Gee, that sounds like loads of fun for me,” Fiona drawled with exaggerated annoyance, but she was smiling.

Bishop walked over to sit beside his girlfriend, draping his arm affectionately around her shoulders. “She’s not going anywhere without me, and I’m sticking to the mountains and the ocean for at least a hundred years, showing up all those humans with my mad skills,” he announced. Fiona leaned over to rest her head on his shoulder, all signs of anger gone.

“What about you?” I asked Caden timidly, hoping his answer would be “I’ll be wherever you are.”

He smiled wistfully. “Something productive.”

“And what about your … diet?” I asked quietly. Your desire to murder humans.

He and the others shared glances. “It’s going to be hard at first,” Amelie said. “But we’ll manage.”

“Right. You’ll feed off animals, right?”

“Right,” Fiona said confidently.

I exhaled in relief. “So you’ll be fine.”

Caden chuckled wryly. “Not quite.” My brow creased with worry, and he sighed. “Imagine the smell of ground beef frying in a pan on the stove. It’s edible enough, right? You can survive off it fine. You may even convince yourself that you like it.”

I did like it, actually, but I decided now wasn’t the time to divulge that.