Anathema (Causal Enchantment #1)(81)

“And how will any of this protect the humans? They’ll still be within these walls when the vampires get here,” Mortimer asked smugly, thinking he had found a weakness in Sofie’s plan.

“I’m working on a way to mask their blood, a talisman of sorts that they can wear. I should have it ready shortly,” she answered with twice the smugness.

I breathed a sigh of relief. So she had thought of it. I would be protected. Caden wouldn’t have to worry about hurting me. I couldn’t wait to tell him.

“You had better not be tampering with Veronique’s necklace …” he growled apprehensively.

“Why on earth would I do something so dangerous?”

I felt like I was watching a ping pong match, my head bobbing back and forth as the two of them squared off against each other, Mortimer lobbying challenges and Sofie successfully launching back counterarguments.

Viggo spoke as if passing a ruling. “Okay then, it’s settled. It looks like Sofie has it all figured out and I’m sure she has no intention of harming either of us, Mortimer. After all, Veronique would not be happy about that.”

“Yes. However, I’m wondering where the witch’s allegiances now lie,” Mortimer grumbled with disdain.

Viggo ignored him. “Leonardo, if you would be so kind as to take both of these bags—minus whatever Sofie needs—to the vault.”

Sofie grabbed an armful of Merth, wincing from the shock it produced, and threw a daring smirk at Mortimer, taunting him to come near her. Mortimer snarled in response but didn’t make a move.

Leo grabbed hold of the straps and began dragging the bags out of the room. I wanted to chase after him, help him in some way. But I had a feeling I wouldn’t be allowed out without further interrogation. I was right.

“Now that that’s settled, have you been to the city to look for this portal?” Viggo calmly asked me.

“Not exactly.”

“So where did you search during that time?” Mortimer pressed, taking a few steps toward me.

Max released a low, threatening rumble and all four dogs shifted to form a protective circle around the bed.

“Oh, shut up!” Mortimer snapped but he heeded their warning, sidling back.

“Patience, Mortimer,” Viggo chastised, patting his shoulder gently. He turned back to look at me, those piercing blue eyes dissecting me.

What could I say? No, I didn’t go out. Sofie told me not to. But you don’t know that, do you? Yes, she’s deceiving you … Instead, I bound a vampire with that stuff you hate, Mortimer, and then I rolled around in the sack for hours.

Viggo cleared his throat, a sign that I was learning meant he was deeply irritated. If he could read my mood, I wondered what he was getting right now?

There wasn’t much I could tell them. Bishop did send the animals out in a half–ass attempt to search the vast jungle and Rachel did recruit some Council members … An idea struck me. I took a deep breath. “There are ten vampires searching the capital city and a small army of adept scouts searching the mountainside. By the time I get back, they will have reported back on whether anything of interest has been found. I figured that was a much safer, faster way to the truth,” I said, taking full credit for the wild goose chase Rachel had sent those Council vampires on. “I think we’re getting close,” I added for embellishment.

The room was eerily quiet, so much so that I began to think I’d been too confident in my cleverness.

“That’s great news, Evangeline!” Sofie exclaimed, genuinely happy. “And it keeps you out of harm’s way.”

“Yes … that is rather intelligent,” Mortimer mumbled, adding, “thank you.”

I stared wide–eyed at him. Those words were the last ones I expected to come from him, the grump. And they sounded genuine.

Mortimer looked at me thoughtfully. “We will owe you, won’t we? Though I’m not sure how we could ever repay you.”

By leaving me and my friends alone? By never asking me to do anything again? By letting us live our lives in peace while you sit quietly in your palace? Or …”Money,” I blurted, another idea popping into my head. Caden was right; I was brimming with ideas.

An extremely rare expression of surprise flashed across the vampire’s face. He hadn’t expected an answer to his rhetorical question, but he was obviously intrigued. “Do tell?”

“This should be interesting,” Viggo mused, a smug grin on his face.

“Well, it’s Caden, Fiona, Bishop, and Amelie,” I began, stammering, suddenly uncomfortable. “They’ll have nothing—no home, no money, no clothes.”

“Well, of course they can stay here until they’ve settled in,” Viggo offered smoothly.

Settled in. So that’s what Viggo calls sucking the life out of people and robbing them of their possessions. “Well, that’s just it,” I said aloud. “They’re not planning on adapting the usual way. They won’t be killing humans.”

Viggo and Mortimer bellowed out laughter. “They said that, did they?” Mortimer murmured, a knowing smirk on his face. “And you believed them, of course.”

I bristled. “Yes, they did. And yes, I do.”

“Okay, go on, Evangeline.” Viggo waved his hand, still chuckling softly.