Anomaly (Causal Enchantment #4)(2)
“Not until we have a good grasp of where the witches are, where Jonah is. Where Viggo is.” Caden’s teeth cracked with that name, his hatred for the ancient psychopath only amplified after witnessing Viggo break my neck. “No one will expect us to be holed up in a place like this. It’s exactly what we need right now. Besides, I have a feeling we’ll be back in the city before long.” He paused, hesitating. “Evangeline, about that …”
Caden’s mouth twisted. “We should make good use of the time that we have here.” I had the distinct impression that he wanted to say something else, but his mouth suddenly pressed against mine in a hard kiss. And, just as suddenly, he took off, his lean, strong body carving soundlessly through snow banks and brambles.
With barely a thought, I chased after him, my new muscles flexing as I sailed through the snow, my eyes and reflexes working in tandem to avoid tree trunks and bushes. I didn’t see how I would ever get over the thrill.
I closed the distance in time to watch Caden scale a vertical wall of rock, some thirty feet tall. A row of arched openings lined the bottom, blocked off by iron gates, likely to keep the less cautious trespasser from climbing in. He perched himself on the edge, legs dangling over the top. Even from down here, the bluish-green of his eyes sparkled like jewels buried in snow.
“Are you gonna leave me up here alone?”
“You make that look so easy.” I surveyed the wall again. The far right side had already collapsed into a heap at one point. Holes mottled the surface where chunks of stone had tumbled down.
“It is that easy.” He leaned forward, a hand beckoning me, a sly smile on his face as three more hunks thudded to the ground. “Come on. It’s a nice view.”
My new sinewy muscles propelled me upward so fast that the stone didn’t have a chance to crumble beneath my weight. In seconds I was next to Caden, his arm slung over my shoulder while we gazed out over the quiet valley and the streak of pink across the dusking sky.
“You’re right. It is a nice view.”
I couldn’t believe it. It was only months ago that I’d stumbled over that fancy urn of Sofie’s back in Portland, Maine, and onto a roller coaster that seemed to threaten my life every day since. It wasn’t over. It was far from over. But, finally, I sat next to Caden, knowing that my mortality was no longer a barrier for us.
“So …” One of his fingers tucked a strand of blond hair behind my ear. “How are you feeling?”
I didn’t know how to answer that question. “Completely uneven, though my balance is better than ever,” I admitted. How long would it take to get used to the new me? Would I ever? Drawing breaths out of habit rather than necessity? The air still pulled in and out of my lungs, though I no longer needed it to survive. If I made a conscious effort to stop the repetitive act, no pressure built in my chest, no dizziness threatened my consciousness.
I would never grow old or die by natural means. My face, my hair, my body would never change. Not again anyway.
“Is it a good feeling?” Caden’s fingers clasped my hand, his thumb rubbing over the meaty part of my palm. I closed my eyes and tipped my head back, reveling in the sensation, like an all-consuming itch finally scratched. Since waking, the urge to be in constant physical contact with Caden had been almost overwhelming. It was as if my skin had been stripped back, exposing every nerve ending. Only it didn’t hurt.
Far from it.
It was a euphoria I’d never experienced and I couldn’t get enough.
Cracking an eyelid to peek at him, I caught a smirk that told me he could sense my reaction to his touch, though I knew that’s not what his question referred to. “I don’t know. How am I supposed to feel?” My new life had begun mere hours ago, when I woke on a dank dirt floor to a world of possibilities. And unpleasant anticipation. “I guess I’m just … waiting for the inevitable.” For the uncontrollable urge to kill to hit me.
Despite other distractions competing for my attention, that anxiety lingered like a vicious thorn. Sofie promised me that it was only a matter of time until the first human crossed my path and tested my control. And she also promised me that I would have none.
I dreaded that.
I desperately wanted to skip over that part. Heck, I wanted to not need any blood to survive at all. I wanted to be immune to it.
But nothing I wanted had ever come easy so there was no reason to believe it would be different now.
“Yeah, so am I,” Caden whispered under his breath, a hint of wariness in his tenor. He followed it quickly with, “But how do you feel?”
How did I describe this? “Alive? I guess? Like I’m bursting with energy? Like I could run forever.” This strange bubble of something had taken up residence in the pit of my stomach. A ball of energy or thrill or eagerness. Or all three. I didn’t know what it was exactly but I was keenly aware of its presence, almost a tangible force inside, ready to explode. Perhaps that was the impending hunger?
I turned to study Caden’s sculpted features, as mesmerizing as they were the first time I laid eyes on them. “Is that how you felt when you transformed?”
Scratching the back of his neck, Caden admitted, “Honestly, the first few days after were a fog. Almost like a trance. It wasn’t until I broke free of it that I was even aware of what had happened or what I might have been like.” Caden shook his head. “You haven’t seen a fledgling before, Evangeline. I’m sorry to tell you this, but once you smell human blood, it’s not going to be pretty.”