Anomaly (Causal Enchantment #4)(26)

“Do not tell him.” Caden’s hands cupped my cheeks as he leveled me with a stern stare. “I mean it, Evie. Don’t say a word. He will go nuts.”

“Okay.” I hoped Julian didn’t bring her up again. I was a terrible liar. Leo, Viggo’s old butler, used to say I was allergic to holding a secret. I guess I didn’t have a choice. Caden was right. “But you’re going to find her, right?” Another thought hit me. “What about Lilly and the missiles? What if—”

“We’ll find her before sunrise. We will.” His jaw tightened.

“We have to,” I urged.

Caden closed his eyes and nodded. “Don’t worry.”

That’s all I was going to do between now and sunrise, though. Worry.

Leaning against the side of the truck, Caden crossed his arms over his chest. His very stance had heat coursing through my body. “What’s this big thing you couldn’t tell me earlier?”

I paused. No secrets between us. That was the deal. What was he going to say about this? Would it bother him? Would he not trust me? I hoped not but our kind was such an untrusting bunch. “I can compel vampires.” Caden’s lips remained pressed together as I told him about Max’s suspicions.

“That’s impossible, Eve. Max is just screwing with you.”

“I don’t think so, Caden. It was really strange. They went from raging maniacs one second to calm and composed in the next. You saw Veronique and Julian back there. They weren’t like that ten minutes before you arrived. Is it normal for a fledgling to just switch off like that?”

He began to pace, his hands resting on top of his head, his shirt inching up to reveal that ridge above his belt line that I loved so much. It reminded me of the waterfalls in Ratheus, of the rundown shack in the woods behind the Chateau, and of our short time earlier today. We’d spent so much of our time running scared. I was desperate to stop running. To stop being scared. To just enjoy being with Caden.

“Believe me, I know it sounds crazy. But you’ve already said that I’m different. What if I can do things that are different?”

“If this is true … You’re completely in control of yourself. It’s like you haven’t transformed. Only you have! We all witnessed it. And now you think you can compel our kind into thinking they don’t want to feed?” He drew one side of his cheek in as he bit the inside of it. Caden had always been the practical if not slightly pessimistic one. I couldn’t blame him, after all he’d been through. “If this is true, then I don’t know what the hell the Fates are up to. It sounds like they’re helping us. And they have never truly helped us.” He yanked a case of blood from the truck. Grabbing my hand, he pulled me back toward the mine. “I need to see this to believe it.”

*

“Hungry?” Caden nudged the container by Celine’s feet, earning a snarl. With a smile—I think that was the response he was looking for—Caden sent it sprawling across the uneven ground. Bags scattered everywhere.

Celine lunged, her long fingernails raking four gouges in his cheek. Without thought, I ran for her, intent on sending her body into the wall.

“Evie!” Strong arms grabbed me and Caden’s soft chuckle tickled my ear. “I’m fine.” A look his way confirmed that his face was back to its perfect state. Letting go, he nodded toward Celine, his eyes widening with expectation. I approached the fledgling as she scrambled to collect the bags. She eyed me suspiciously, her lip furled. I truly hoped this would work. If I could compel her to be less feral, I think everyone would be happy. “Celine, you’ve had enough for today. Go put it all back in the refrigerator.”

Her hands stilled, her fingers twitching slightly as if she wasn’t sure what exactly she should do. I waited.

And then she stood and very quietly carried the cooler to the upturned refrigerator. Caden and I watched as she yanked open the door and slid the box in. When she faced us again, her eyes were back to their pretty cornflower blue. “Who are you?” she asked in a soft voice, her southern twang lulling.

I smiled. It had worked. “I’m Evangeline,” I said. “That’s Caden. Over there is Julian and Veronique.” I didn’t introduce Brian, though Celine turned to eye him. I caught the recognition, followed by repulsion, and then embarrassment flicker across her face. She had likely picked through the haze in her head to her own memories of snarling at Caden only moments ago.

There was a pause, and then, “Where’s Galen?”

My mouth opened but nothing came out.

How could that question have caught me off guard? Of course she’d want to know. Julian had asked right away; Veronique as well. Aside from the irrepressible craving, a loved one would be the first thing on the mind of a vampire. Always. I shouldn’t be surprised. Caden was the first thing on my mind when I came around. “He had to go deal with issues in New York City, but he insisted that you stay here, where it’s safe,” Caden lied, warning me with a severe glare, though he didn’t need to. I wasn’t in a rush to crush her soul.

I plastered a smile on my face, though it couldn’t possibly look sincere. Try as I might, I couldn’t keep my eyes from grazing Julian’s. I hoped he couldn’t read the anxious look in them. What would Julian do if he found out about Amelie? What if they couldn’t find her?