Asylum (Causal Enchantment #2)(42)

I pushed open the solid mahogany door leading into Leo’s quarters, a large room decorated with eighteenth century masculine flair. It sparked renewed frustration. I hadn’t talked to him since Viggo’s witch showed up a month ago. I had no idea how Evangeline was doing and it was driving me nuts. But at least I knew she was safe from this mess.

Leo’s room was empty. I turned to leave . . . and froze, my eyes noticing a pair of man’s black dress shoes poking out from the edge of the bed. A nauseating wave of déjà vu washed over me and I had to grab hold of the door frame for support. Please, no . . .

I ran and dove over the bed, coming face to face with flat, death-filled eyes. But not jade eyes. Not Caden’s eyes. They belonged to one of the other Ratheus vampires. A small sigh of relief escaped me. Only a small one, though, because I now had a new problem, I realized. Rolling off the bed, I squatted beside the male vampire and spotted two gaping holes in his neck where fangs had entered.

Murdered by his own kind. His own kind, who was now a mutant.

“Why would someone do that with all this human bl . . . ” my words drifted off.

To escape.

Oh, God. A mutant running loose in New York! Could it be? Had it gotten out yet?

Eyes wide with panic, I bolted out of Leo’s suite. How could I stop it? Where would it make its escape? Oh, God. I don’t know what to do. Overwhelmed by desperation, I did the only thing I could think of. “Mage!” I called out in a harsh whisper, hoping it wouldn’t attract Viggo or Mortimer’s attention. None of the Ratheus vampires would come—they seemed happy to keep their distance from their Council leader after witnessing her ruthlessly ending Lewis’s life.

No response. “Mage!” I called, a little louder.

“Yes?”

I whirled, teetering slightly as I lost my balance. I never lost my balance. Mage frowned as I stumbled. Jerking my chin toward Leo’s room, I grabbed her arm and led her to the body, afraid that any words would be overheard.

I watched the fire of rage alight in Mage’s black eyes as she stared at the body. “Jonah. He’s behind this,” she whispered hoarsely, adding, “I was afraid of this!”

“What? Why? Jonah’s already a mutant,” I said, confused. “He can already get out and you promised he wouldn’t try!”

“No, he wouldn’t defy me on his own. But if he could coerce a group to join him—”

“A group?” A new wave of panic hit me. “You mean there may be more mutants?”

“There most certainly are,” Mage answered. Her voice held no room for doubt.

“I have to find Caden.” What if someone targeted Caden? Or the others? Now it wasn’t just Viggo after him. It could be anyone!

“They’re in the theater,” Mage said. “Go find them and bring them back. We need all the help we can get. I’ll check around the building to see if there are any more bodies. I hope we can stop them before they escape.” I nodded, glad that Mage had swiftly and expertly taken control of the dilemma. She crouched down and shoved the body under the bed. “We’d better keep this under wraps for now. Who knows what Viggo and Mortimer will do when they find out.”

I knew. It would set them over the edge. It would be an excuse to break the truce, a way to force me to drop the Merth wall. Viggo would blame me for all this. He would punish me. He would attack.

I had to get to Evangeline’s friends before anyone else did.

I ran for the theater, bursting through the heavy black doors to see a curly blond head in the front row, giggling hysterically at the comedy on the screen. Three others flanked her. “Oh, thank God!” I exclaimed.

All four were instantly up and facing me, their eyes wide with concern. “Sofie! We’re not supposed to be talking to each other!” Amelie whispered. It was the first time she had spoken directly to me.

I took a deep, calming breath. “We have a problem.”

The icy breeze of a chilly December night caressed my cheek as I stood in the third floor room, staring at the gaping window. The wrought iron grill had served as nothing more than a minor inconvenience; the two center bars had been torn free.

The mutants had escaped.

“How many?” I asked, my voice hollow.

Beside me, Mage let out a heavy sigh. “Five.”

Five bloodthirsty, hideous mutants running loose in New York City. “What a disaster,” I moaned, rubbing my temples with my fingertips as if soothing a headache. If a vampire could actually develop a headache, this nightmare would certainly cause one. “I should have killed him when I had the chance.” I shot a reproachful glare at Mage.

“I agree. This is my fault. Jonah’s allegiance to me over the years was unwavering, which is why I protected him. But now . . . I’m sorry.”

Sorry wasn’t going to cut it. I threw my hand toward their escape route. “But now I have to go out there and hunt down five mutants before they wreak havoc on the city. Before the Sentinel finds out about them!” I was practically yelling now. “How the hell am I going to do that?”

“Get me past the Merth and I’ll help you,” Mage answered calmly.

I snorted. “Are you nuts? I’m not letting you out there!”

“You don’t have much choice, Sofie,” Caden murmured from his spot in the corner, where he’d been quietly observing our exchange. All four of Evangeline’s friends were there, their backs against the far interior wall as if lined up for a firing squad, their faces a row of grief-stricken masks.