Asylum (Causal Enchantment #2)(17)

Leo gave me a reproachful glare. “Why on Earth would he be mad at you? Give your head a shake, silly girl.”

I averted sheepish eyes. “Because I told him it would be fine, and it wasn’t. Worse, I think he actually believed me.” I looked back up into Leo’s eyes, now full of pity. “Are they okay?”

The old man squeezed my hands. “Yes. They are fine. Struggling, as is expected, but still alive . . . so to speak.”

“Have they . . . ” I struggled to move my next words past a painful lump in my throat.

Leo continued softly, “They’re doing whatever they need to, in order to survive. Let’s leave it at that.” He released my hand and patted my head, accompanying that with a sympathetic smile. Then he leaned back in his chair, pulled the wilderness magazine out from under his arm, and flipped it open, clearly signaling the end of the conversation.

Accepting that, I opened my own book, but savored a small burst of joy at the news that Caden and the others were still alive, that Viggo and Mortimer hadn’t killed Sofie. They’re doing whatever they need to, in order to survive, Leo had said. That meant drinking blood. But whose blood? Aside from Julian and Valentina’s parents, of course. I shuddered at the vivid images that conjured. My choices, my needs, had left Julian and Valentina orphans. And what about Rachel? Was she still hog-tied by Merth, or roaming free? Free to murder my friends or Sofie, as soon as her psychopathic mind decided it was a good idea . . . Those lemon-yellow eyes flashed in my mind. My stomach tightened at the memory of her clawing at Caden, back when she believed they were a couple. Caden had told me she was the most dangerous vampire I’d ever meet. And now I had brought her to Earth, to leave plenty more orphans in her wake.

“Oh, muffins!” Leo exclaimed with over-exaggerated glee, yanking me from my fretting. My nose caught a delicious scent as Magda slid a tray of freshly baked muffins onto the dining room table, and I realized he was being literal. “Come, Evangeline. You must be starving.”

“Not really,” I mumbled.

He jumped up and, grabbing my hand, pulled me toward the mountain of warm, soft treats—no doubt hoping to distract me. Leo didn’t wait for me to choose one; he handed me a chocolate chip muffin with a wink, knowing full-well it was my favorite kind. That same odd mixture of creepiness and flattery raised my short hairs. They’d catalogued my every like and dislike.

I wasn’t hungry, but I knew who might be. Impulsively, I grabbed another and a bottle of water and headed to the staircase, certain that my peace offering would do little to alleviate the pain that I had caused, but needing to do it all the same.

“I wouldn’t, if I were you . . . ” Leo called, finishing with a cluck of disapproval.

I turned to answer him and jumped, startled, as a canine face appeared immediately behind me. Max, already on my heels. “I was just going to get changed.”

“Sure you were.” Leo smirked, shaking his head as he took a bite of his own muffin.

Max’s razor-sharp claws clicked against the hardwood steps as he trailed me up the stairs. I breathed in the mingled scent of cedar and muffins. Under normal circumstances I would find the aroma comforting but now, as I headed toward the one person under this roof whom I should avoid—whom I’d been told to stay away from—my stomach churned.

None of this was your fault, you know, Max said.

“I know,” I lied, then added, “He’s just lost his parents, Max. No one should be alone.” Perhaps I’d be proven wrong soon enough.

Don’t expect a nice reception because you’re giving him a muffin, Max continued wryly.

“He can’t be worse than Rachel . . . Which room is his?” I asked, looking down the long hall with three doors on either side and one on the end, which I knew was mine.

With a loud, dramatic sigh, Max answered. Last door on the left.

I walked up to it and, holding my breath, knocked timidly. No answer. I knocked again, this time harder.

“What?” an angry male voice barked from the other side, sending waves of tension through me. I opened my mouth to speak but choked, no clue what to say now that I was here. It was me who brought back the vampires who killed your parents. Here’s a muffin . . .

I warned you, Max sang.

“Back off, Max. You’re crowding me,” I snapped.

The giant dog grudgingly took three steps back but then set his stance, making it clear he wasn’t budging an inch farther.

“And not so much as a snort out of you!” I whispered harshly as heavy footsteps approached on the other side of the door.

The door flew open. “What do you want?” Julian snapped, glaring at me with red-rimmed eyes.

Has he been crying? My heart swelled. So he is capable of normal human emotions. When I didn’t answer, his jaw tightened. He stepped back and moved to slam the door in my face. “Here!” I blurted, thrusting the muffins and water toward him. “I thought you might be hungry,” I added in a rush.

He paused and looked down at my offering, then up at me. Finally he accepted it. “I thought Valentina would bring me something. She usually does . . . ” His voice drifted off and he frowned.

“She was acting really weird earlier,” I agreed. “It’s just shock. She went to rest.”

We stood in awkward silence for a few moments. “I also wanted to make sure you were okay,” I added hesitantly.