Asylum (Causal Enchantment #2)(77)

“Here, sit up.” Cool fingers slid behind my neck and helped me into a half-sitting, half-lying position. I was on a bed, I could see now. Wrapping his arm behind my back, Caden pulled me toward his muscular body.

Sofie appeared with a tall glass of cloudy, urine-colored liquid in her hand. Those pale green eyes gazed down at me with a look I hadn’t seen in years—the look my mother used to give me as she tucked me in at night. Adoration. My heart suddenly warmed, the urge to wrap my arms around her neck overpowering. “Apple juice. Drink,” she murmured in that gorgeous French accent I adored so, handing me the glass and smoothing my hair back off my forehead as she sat down beside me.

I took a big mouthful while my eyes roamed the room. It was tiny, containing nothing but overhead compartments and a double bed. Textured silver and white wall paper covered the walls. Wait . . . I’d seen this wallpaper before. We were on Viggo’s jet. “How did we get here?” I asked between gulps.

“Not easily. You’ve been unconscious since last night,” Sofie explained, adding with a grimace, “We had to leave the island rather quickly. Rachel’s stunt burned some bridges for me.” Memories of Rachel flooded back then. My hand flew to my neck to feel the bandages. “It should heal nicely with time,” Sofie offered with a sad smile.

Rachel’s venom . . . I frowned in confusion. “But Rachel turned me, didn’t she? I shouldn’t need to be healed. When will the transformation start?” I asked. I didn’t feel any different, but I had no clue how this whole process worked.

Caden leaned forward, laying a soft kiss on my cheek. “Drink up,” he said. “We need you strong.”

I obeyed the order, my eyes unable to leave his face, my fingers reaching up to trace his slender nose and soft lips. Was this even real? He leaned forward to press his mouth against my fingers, closing his eyes and inhaling. Worry flickered through me as I remembered the last time he had caught my scent, but it quickly vanished as his eyes opened again, the beautiful jade eyes that I could lose myself in. “How did you learn to control it?” I asked, tears welling in my eyes. Tears of delight, of relief.

Caden guiltily averted his eyes. “By drinking a lot of blood. A lot.”

I grabbed his chin and forced his face back to me. “Good.” I smiled, trying to tell him it was okay.

He leaned in to press his forehead against mine. “Thank you for understanding,” he whispered.

I leave you alone for an hour and this is what happens, Max’s voice grumbled in my head.

“Max! They found you!” I exclaimed, struggling to turn around.

Tell Curly Locks to move it! Max muscled his way in, earning a grunt of protest from Amelie. Ignoring her, he affectionately nuzzled against my cheek.

“How was the rubber?” I teased, smiling.

Rubbery . . . . You broke your promise. You were supposed to keep out of trouble.

“I know. I’m sorry, Max. The chief told me he could undo the curse if I got on the platform, so I did and—”

“You agreed to go up on that pyre?” Sofie suddenly trilled. “Dear God, Evangeline! And here I thought they forced you onto it . . . Have you learned nothing about reserving a shred of doubt?” she scolded, running her hand through her hair, shifting it into a wild mane. She sounded like . . . a mother.

“He said he could get the pendant off! What else should I have done?” I answered defensively.

“You should have waited for me to figure it out!” Sofie threw back.

“Well, given Viggo and Mortimer showed up before you, I’d be dead if I’d done that. Now, at least I’m free. Viggo and Mortimer can have Veronique and I can have,” I paused to gaze over at Caden, “what I want, forever.”

He hesitated just a second then, ever so slowly, leaned down to kiss my forehead. “You always had me, forever . . . pendant or not.”

But Sofie didn’t let it go. “You shouldn’t have done it, Evangeline.”

I couldn’t miss the grave disappointment in her voice. “What’s the big deal? It worked! See?” I gestured to my chest. “It’s off!”

“Oh, Evangeline,” Sofie moaned, rubbing her face with her hands. “There’s something you don’t understand about that tribe. I should have warned you not to let them touch you with their magic, but I didn’t expect this. Why didn’t I expect this!” she admonished herself.

I swallowed, a sick feeling rising in my stomach. “But they got the pendant off . . . ”

“Yes, they did,” she conceded softly. “Because their magic counters mine. It undoes what I’ve done.”

“You knew they could do that?”

“Yes! I guessed it, anyway. But it’s not that simple. If it was, I would have taken you to them years ago!” As Sofie spoke, Caden’s grasp tightened around me, as if protecting me from the news she was delivering. “I didn’t know this would happen, but after I saw how Rachel reacted, it made total sense that this is how it would work.” I had no idea what Sofie was trying to say. She must have seen it in my eyes, because she paused before saying, “You’re full of this tribe’s magic now, magic that opposes vampires and witches. It won’t let you be turned.”

I heard her words and yet they didn’t make sense. Not turned? Won’t let me? So Rachel’s venom didn’t work, after all . . . “Well, when can I be turned, then?”