Anomaly (Causal Enchantment #4)(47)

“But we all know you do, Julian,” I interrupted him. “Remember Bishop and how distraught he was after? It was dangerous for him to be in that state. Just as it’s dangerous for you to be in that state right now. We need you to keep it together, and if that means using magic—” I gasped at my own words.

Magic. That’s what this had to be. Of course it was! But how? And why would the Fates give me magic? What were they up to?

A strong hand around my bicep tugged me back until I was facing a stern-looking Caden. “The compelling is one thing but this … What the hell is going on, Evie?”

“Magic.” How else did I explain it? With the facts. I described the events of the night. When I was finished, Caden stared blankly at me.

And then he swore under his breath.

“What?”

He shook his head. “Why? Why would the Fates give you this kind of magic?”

I shrugged. “I don’t know.”

“What does this mean?”

“I don’t know.”

“Is it going to hurt you somehow?”

“I don’t know!” I yelled. I was sure they were all rhetorical because I would have no better idea what the fates were up to than Caden would. Still, knowing there was something off was one thing. Having someone else fuss about it was entirely different.

Caden slid down the wall to the floor, his hands pushed through his hair. “I’m sorry. It’s just … Amelie’s gone. I can’t lose you too.”

She was. And if Viggo had reached his first target—Caden—then I would be the one who wanted to die. I would never admit it to anyone, but a part of me felt such relief—and then near-crippling guilt.

But Caden needed my attention now. Turning to Julian, I took his hand and said very clearly, “You can’t go running off. You need to stay here.”

“I won’t,” he promised. “For now anyway.” I couldn’t tell if I’d just compelled him to say that or if it was of his own volition, but I believed him. He was calmer. Stable. Enough to be left alone anyway. He looked down the tunnel. “I’m going to find Max and the others. But, Evangeline …” His brow furrowed. “I can’t be around her anymore. Not after this. Not after how she lied to us.”

I didn’t need to ask whom he was talking about.

I dipped my head because in truth, I didn’t know what else to do. I hadn’t wrapped my mind around our new reality. How could I be around her if this was true? How could I ever trust her again?

“Sorry for earlier.” Julian gave Caden’s shoulder a gentle slap as he passed and then, he slowly wandered back toward the haulage tunnel.

Even without focusing on Caden, I could feel the raw pain swirling around him, like a windstorm, and my instincts urged me to fix it. Because I could. Dropping to my knees, I reached forward to place my hand over his chest. I closed my eyes as I focused on the turmoil, letting the heat build inside me.

A cool hand clasped my fingers. “No.” The single word pulled my eyes open. “I need to feel this right now.” He pulled me into him, his forehead pressed against my temple. “Please, just … stay here with me.” His voice turned hoarse as he pleaded, “Just stay with me for a minute.”

“I’ll stay as long as you want.”

I did. Forehead to forehead, we sat in the silent darkness. The minutes turned into hours. And I had to fight hard not to save him from his pain.

*

“There’s only one person who can figure out what’s going on with you.”

“Sofie,” I said, letting Caden pull me to my feet. Even her name pricked at my heart. I felt like I’d lost her. In a sense, I had. I’d certainly lost the version that I’d come to love like a mother.

“Sofie,” Caden echoed. Then he cursed. His jade eyes, cold and severe, stared down the tunnel. “I’m done with her, Evie. I know she’s a big part of your life but after what she just pulled, I can’t be near her. Not now. I don’t know if ever. I’ll end up snapping her neck at least once a day.”

That was two important people—people I couldn’t see myself living without—ready to ostracize Sofie. I imagined there were at least two more sitting in the haulage tunnel. Maybe even a werebeast.

“No, you’re right,” I said. “I don’t know if it’s Mage who’s made her so heartless or just the impossible situation that we’re in, but it’ll be a long time before I can ever forgive her for doing that. Maybe distancing ourselves is the right move.” Since the night I stumbled into her café in Portland, I’d been under her spell. Literally, but also figuratively. She’d always had my best interests at heart, even when I didn’t know it.

But had we reached the point where it was time to say goodbye?

Caden sighed heavily. “We need to know what’s going on with you, and Sofie seems to be the only one who can ever figure these things out.”

I shrugged. “Maybe we don’t need to know. Maybe we just take what I can do as a blessing and move on.”

“Unless it’s something that can kill you.”

It wouldn’t be the first time the Fates had turned me into a ticking time bomb. In fact, every time their magic touched me, it seemed to come with an expiration date. First with the pendant, and then with the Death Tribe’s magic.