Anathema (Causal Enchantment #1)(87)
It took some effort to peel my focus away from his gaunt face, but I willed my eyes to follow his spindly finger. Slumped on the floor next to my statue, bound with Merth, was Caden. Amelie, Fiona, and Bishop were on either side of him, all in the same hopeless predicament.
“No!” I cried, locking eyes with Caden, watching his eyes shift from inconsolable grief as they fell on me to the worst rage conceivable as his gaze flicked to Rachel. I did breathe a sigh of relief to know they were still alive. For now.
A diminutive female vampire with Asian features stepped forward. “It’s a pleasure to meet you, Evangeline,” she said in a soothing, motherly voice. She didn’t look much older than me, though I knew better. With her long, poker–straight ebony hair, black almond eyes, snow–white skin, and blood–red lips—the contrast as striking as it was sinister—she looked like a Geisha. But I knew none of it was makeup. She smiled warmly as I regarded her—a seemingly genuine smile, unlike one of Rachel’s toothy sneers.
“Hello.” My voice was unsteady and I was shaking violently, but I couldn’t seem to stop myself.
“I imagine seeing Rachel was a bit of a shock to you, having disposed of her so effectively the last time you were here.”
My eyes darted over to Rachel to see her seething, intent on freezing the blood coursing through my veins. I think she may succeed.
“You should have killed her then. She’s quite angry.” The vampiress chuckled.
I hazarded another glance at Rachel in time to see her top lip curl back in a truly atrocious smile. That mouth touched Caden once. I wanted to gag. She wasn’t beautiful. She was a venomous snake.
“No harm will come to you under our protection, though,” the vampiress assured me, her voice as smooth as fresh–churned butter. “My name is Mage. This,” she rested her hand on the white–eyed vampire’s forearm, “is Jonah.”
I glanced at him but quickly averted my gaze, my skin crawling with repulsion.
“Not to worry. We understand it will take some time to become accustomed to his face. It can be frightening. Especially after your previous experience with that lunatic, Jethro.” Mage glided closer to me. “You should have come to us sooner, Evangeline. This—” she gestured around the giant, roofless room “—is the Council.”
My eyes trailed her hand, taking in the group. There were sixteen vampires in total counting Rachel, Mage, and Jonah; eight females and eight males of various races, including two more of the white–eyed mutants. And they had helped themselves to the clothing I brought over for Caden and the others.
I squirmed as sixteen pairs of brilliantly colored eyes studied me, the first human to stand before them for so many centuries. Are they wondering what my blood tastes like? Are they picturing how to best torture me to get the answer out of me that even I don’t know?
“You’re probably wondering what happened while you were away, correct?” Mage raised a pencil–thin eyebrow. Her mannerisms reminded me of a grade school teacher I once had—benevolence but with a hint of severity. It had been impossible to judge that teacher’s mood accurately. Mage didn’t wait for my response before speaking again. “You see, we caught wind of this intriguing treasure hunt Rachel had sent some of our Council members on. It sounded … interesting, but a tad bit suspicious. We’ve been hearing whispers of strange things happening in the mountains—disappearances, fires, werebeasts. As the governing body, we became … concerned. So we decided to get the truth right from the horse’s mouth, so to speak.” Mage chuckled as if she had made a joke. “We knew Rachel was up in Jethro’s mountain,” her firm gaze slid over to Caden, and she smiled sarcastically, “with her ‘soul mate.’”
I cringed.
“After some initial confusion, and a rather abrasive bear that I needed to deal with, we sorted everything out.”
“Big Brown?” I whispered, my eyes bulging.
“Yes, what a waste.” Disappointment flashed across her delicate features. “He was quite the fighter. Took three of my Council members out.” My Council members. So Mage is the leader. That meant she had to be powerful. “Luckily I got there to deal with him before any more perished,” she added casually. My eyes widened, understanding her meaning. Very powerful.
“Anyhow, your friends seem to have this gross misconception of us and our values. Just a misunderstanding, really. Right, everyone?” she asked, smiling sweetly, her eyes zeroing in on Caden. She couldn’t possibly expect an answer from them, of course. They were bound and being tortured.
“Why are they bound, then?” I asked meekly.
“Oh, that! Well, we didn’t want them doing anything rash when you arrived, before you had a chance to meet us and see that we are friends.” She paused for effect. “Would you like them untied?”
My head moved mechanically up and down.
Mage nodded once toward Jonah. He strolled over to them and, hooking his finger under their bindings, effortlessly pulled them off.
That’s right. The mutants are immune to Merth.
All four were on their feet immediately. I took a step forward but faltered, glancing first at Rachel, who looked ready to pounce, then at Mage.
“Go ahead!” Mage prompted, ushering me with both hands.
I didn’t waste another second in hesitation. I bolted forward to throw myself at Caden’s chest. He immediately wrapped his arms around me. “I’m so sorry,” he whispered, planting a tender kiss on my forehead.