Anomaly (Causal Enchantment #4)(56)
If I were capable of crying, I might at this point. Giving Julian’s arm a squeeze, I made my way upstairs. Julian’s sweatshirt and jeans were scattered across the floor of the first room and Fiona’s soft giggles told me to avoid the second closed door. I quietly opened the third, knowing that Sofie and Mage had remained in the kitchen so there was only Caden left.
This had to be the master bedroom, I surmised, my eyes rolling over its spaciousness, large enough to accommodate two dressers and a large bed. As if to fit the farm feel, the walls were covered in floor-to-ceiling wallpaper of dusty-rose and green flowers. Matching curtains draped the windows.
I quickly dismissed the details when a full-length mirror in the corner caught my attention. I stood in front of it, seeing myself in my immortal body for the very first time.
“Holy …” My words trailed as I peered back at myself through my new yellow eyes. Vibrant gold coins, so bright they shimmered, even in the dark. No wonder everybody stares at me. A ran a fingertip along the bridge of my smooth nose and my cheekbones, just slightly more prominent. Twirling a few strands of hair, I had to admit that even it had changed—its color richer, its texture thicker. And my body …
The shower in the adjoining bathroom was still running so I knew I had time. I quickly peeled my clothes off, casting them to the floor to join Caden’s. I couldn’t recall the last time I stood in front of a mirror like this but I did know that my body had looked nothing like this. It was still my body, only curvier. My legs were still long and lean, only there was no softness, the silhouette of my thighs shapely. Parts of me had filled out more while other parts had tightened. Thinking back to that first time I wore a bikini next to Amelie and Fiona, I had to admit to myself that I could stand next to them without feeling awkward now. I could—
A whistle interrupted my self-examination.
I froze.
Leisurely footsteps approached but I didn’t turn around, suddenly feeling all the awkwardness and none of the confidence that I’d been reminiscing about only moments ago.
“You were stunningly beautiful before too,” Caden said in a low voice. He pressed himself up against me, droplets of water dampening my back, the towel around his bottom half soft against my skin. Rich jade eyes, deeper than usual, penetrated mine in the reflection. He pulled me against his chest with his well-defined arms. “Are you happy with what you see?”
With a sheepish grin, I admitted, “Yes.” A pause and then, “Are you?”
His low chuckle tickled my ear, sending waves of exhilaration through me. Pulling me tighter against him against the hardness under his towel, he mumbled, “What do you think?”
I turned to face him. His hair was in disarray, merely towel dried. I reached up to touch a strand. “And these eyes?” I asked.
We didn’t need to breathe and yet we did, our heavy exhales creating billowing clouds within the room. “Which ones? These ones?” I closed my eyes as he leaned forward, first to kiss one lid and then the other, before closing his mouth over mine, the kiss so deep that it forced my head back.
I inhaled the scent of his musky soap. “You’re so clean. I’m not.” Some of the blood and ash from Caden had rubbed off onto me, leaving streaks of soot and crimson.
Sweeping me off the ground, Caden carried me to the adjoining bathroom, a sly smile curving his lips. “I could always use a second shower.”
*
“How will the world move forward after this?”
Staring out the small farmhouse window at the morning sky beyond, the ominous cloud hovering over the distant decimated city had begun to dissipate. Unfortunately, the aftermath would not disappear so easily.
“I don’t know,” Caden offered, pulling a simple black shirt over his head. “There never was just one nuclear bomb drop for us and Ratheus never did move forward. I guess only time will tell.”
“I read somewhere that radioactive particles released into the air will travel miles, polluting everything they touch.” My eyes rolled over the snow-covered farmland in the distance. “None of this will be livable for years, will it?”
Caden sighed. “No. Probably not.”
“Do you think she did the right thing?” I’d already asked this question once, and yet the answer we’d come to didn’t necessarily sit well with me. Then again, nothing about this situation sat well with me.
The bed creaked as Caden relieved it of his weight. “I really don’t know, Evie.” His heavy boots clunked along the old wood floorboards as he approached me. He leaned down to rest his forehead against the back of my head, his arms roping around my body. “I can’t bring myself to admit it because it’s Amelie, but …” He paused. “If we go in there and find that the fledglings are dead and this war has been stalled, then maybe it was the right move and losing my sister was the cost.”
I leaned against him, my hand on his forearm for a sympathetic rub. It was the same thought that’d been lingering in my mind all night. But as Caden had said, just considering it to be true ignited guilt. Maybe that was our burden to bear, though.
How much guilt was Sofie bearing right now?
A flicker of movement in the distance caught my attention. Squinting, I peered out at the figure as it crested the horizon. Almost a blur, moving so quickly, but there was only one person it could be.
“Lilly!” we said in unison. She’d been gone for almost seven hours.