Anathema (Causal Enchantment #1)(90)

So … if they’re touching the statue when I put the pendant in her hand, they’ll come home with me? The last shock and glow of affirmation made me gasp loudly.

I had figured it out! I knew how to bring them home with me! My grin surely stretched from ear to ear.

“What is it?” Jonah hissed impatiently.

The smile immediately collapsed. I had been so wrapped up with the discovery that I forgot the dilemma we were in. The ring of ancient, powerful, desperate vampires still encircled me, scrutinizing my every move. How am I going to do this?

“Well?” Mage prodded.

My eyes scanned the Council, not settling on any individual but seeing them all perfectly. Yes, they were all watching intently, growing more agitated by the second, like hounds around a barrel of meat, waiting patiently for the only answer they’d be willing to hear.

“I’m not sure what it’s telling me yet,” I murmured, assuming my best look of confusion. I sat down in front of the statue, legs crossed and hands against my temples as if concentrating deeply. It was good cover for hiding my panicked expression. I had to figure a way out of this mess.

I silently weighed my options. If I did nothing, we were all dead. Not an option. I didn’t want to die. I couldn’t let the others die. But how could I embed my necklace into the statue’s hand and get Caden, Amelie, Fiona, and Bishop to touch the statue, all while a ring of vampires hovered around us? Vampires, I reminded myself, who could move lightning fast and tear my body apart in the blink of an eye. Who would tear me apart if they suspected I was attempting to leave them. And I’d be a fool to think I could outsmart these ageless monsters.

I had only one option. No alternatives. I had to bring them back with me.

All of them.

There weren’t that many, really, I convinced myself, mentally conducting a head count. Viggo and Mortimer had more than enough space and money to house them. Sofie would have successfully wired the place with the Merth I harvested so they’d be trapped, unable to wreak havoc on New York. And Sofie would have that talisman she was talking about so the humans would be safe from the vampires’ ravenous thirst.

I had pinky sworn, though …

The current circumstances had to warrant an exception. Sofie wouldn’t want me dying here tonight. I had to believe that. So whatever her complication was with Veronique’s tomb spell, Mortimer and Viggo would have to wait a little longer to reunite with their mummy bride. At least they’d have plenty of venomous vampires at their disposal when the time came.

The more I thought about this plan, the more comfortable I became with it and the easier it was to convince myself that I was right. Viggo, Mortimer, and Sofie could deal with this lot. After all, why should I die—along with Caden, Amelie, Fiona, and Bishop—doing what they asked me to? What they cursed me to do. They wanted one infectious vampire. Well, they were getting twenty.

Wait, not twenty. Nineteen.

I stood and turned to face Mage, fear making my movements robotic. Swallowing the giant lump in my throat, I took a deep breath. “I know how to do it. I know how to bring us all back.”

“No! Don’t! They’re monsters! They’ll destroy your world!” Amelie screamed.

In the next instant I saw her folding over as Jonah’s knee delivered a powerful blow to her stomach. Caden lunged at the mutant, growling deeply. Jonah was ready for him, though, easily sidestepping the attack and countering with a thrust of his own, sending Caden flying backward into the throng of Council members. Eyes lit with malicious pleasure, and seven sets of hands reached for him.

“Stop right now or none of you will ever leave this place,” someone warned in a steady voice. As nineteen pairs of eyes turned to regard me, I realized that I had spoken, drawing the courage to do so from somewhere deep within myself.

The threat worked. They shifted away from Caden, giving him plenty of space.

I turned back to Mage. “On one condition, though, and it’s non–negotiable,” I stipulated, mustering as much courage as possible, praying she couldn’t see past the mask of bravado to the human who was about to pee her pants in terror. Making demands on vampires was likely a fatal proposition, but I had little to lose.

Mage’s eyes narrowed. “Continue,” she ordered through a tight–lipped smile.

“The only way I’ll do this is without Rachel.”

Mage’s relaxed laughter echoed through the barren room. “Is that all? Of course. She’s more trouble than she’s worth.” She held out her hand and I shook it, feeling the comfortable warmth of her delicate skin and wondering if making a deal with the devil felt like this.

I glanced over at the motionless lump that was Rachel, expecting to see her icy, penetrating glare still boring into me. But she had turned her focus on Mage, her eyes filled with hurt and shock. I guess she had never expected to be cast aside so easily.

So it was settled …

I looked at Caden and the others then, and saw eyes filled with trepidation. It’ll be okay, I tried to convey with my expression.

“So, how do you do it?” Jonah asked.

I opened my mouth to explain and promptly shut it. No, I wasn’t going to give them any more information than necessary. That was one request Sofie made that I would listen to, at least.

“Everyone step forward and place a hand on the statue,” I instructed.