Allegiance (Causal Enchantment #3)

5. Break—Evangeline

Three poinsettia-covered corners and one set of garland-lined stairs later, Max and I stepped into a room entirely made of glass—glass walls, glass ceiling, glass doors. Tasteful furniture in light suede and wool sat in the center, illuminated by an enormous crystal chandelier. Off to the left stood the largest evergreen tree I’d ever seen indoors, its fresh woodsy scent filling the room, the branches covered in beautiful antique-looking ornaments. Boxes of empty packaging and bubble wrap lay scattered everywhere.

“Wow,” I murmured under my breath. Sofie teetered on one four-inch-heeled foot on a ladder rung, reaching up to hang a dazzling bronze bulb, her face set with deep concentration.

I watched her precarious position for just a short moment, quickly shifting to the most important element of the room: Caden, leaning up against the white frame structure that held this room of glass together. He had changed into dark blue jeans and white T-shirt that revealed the muscular curves of his shoulders and back. An angel against the snow. An angel deep in thought, based on his side profile; trouble furrowed his brow.

“Caden?” He didn’t respond. “Caden?” I asked again, this time my voice a little shaky, a touch uncertain.

His head snapped in my direction, those jade eyes widening slightly before settling on my face. Slowly, he shifted his body toward me.

With some hesitation, I walked over to him, forcing a smile when everything inside me screamed worry. Again, that inkling that something was not right between us. I cast a wayward glance in Sofie’s direction. She took that as her cue. “Now, where did I put those seventeenth-century nutcrackers,” she exclaimed, leaping from the ladder to give Max a smack on the rump.

Fine, he grumbled, taking the hint and reluctantly following her. They disappeared from the room, Sofie throwing a quick warning glare to Caden on her way out.

I stopped less than a foot from Caden and my breath hitched, feeling his proximity through my entire body.

Gently, he reached up toward my face. He wrapped a finger around a thick lock of my hair and pushed it back off my face. “How’d you sleep?”

“All right. How’s Bishop?”

Caden looked over to a spot behind me. I turned to find our broken friend in a corner, in exactly the same position that he’d been in last night. Same expressionless stare. Same lost Bishop. I felt my shoulders sag under the weight of his despair. Caden gave my arm a light squeeze before letting go. When I turned back, he was staring out the window again, his back to me.

“What else is going on?” I finally asked.

Caden turned back. “Not too much,” he sighed, adding with a chuckle. “Sofie’s gone a little overboard with the whole festive thing.”

I giggled. “I know … where is everyone else? Where is Amelie?”

His voice turned sober. “I haven’t seen Amelie. She’s been … busy all night.” I caught a hint of something in his expression—I don’t know what it was. Displeasure? Worry? It made no sense. He should be happy that Amelie had found someone new. He should be happy that she wasn’t alone anymore. He couldn’t be unhappy that it was Julian. He had no idea who Julian was … I cast my focus downward as my stomach constricted over the secret I was keeping from Caden, from them all. Could Amelie have discovered Julian’s secret by now? Had he listened to me and kept himself covered? Yes, yes. He must have. I would’ve heard Amelie’s screams, otherwise …

I looked up to see Caden’s brow knitted as he stared at me. He opened his mouth, hesitated, but then asked quietly, “I can’t help but feel like there’s something you’re not telling me … about Julian.”

“What? No!” The lie flew out of my mouth without any thought. I clenched my teeth together before I could say more, dropping my gaze to the floor again. Kittens and clowns … Kittens and clowns. The calming mantra began. Wait a minute … they can’t read me anymore. Caden knew that I was guilty and stressed over something, but he didn’t know what, thanks to the Tribe’s magic. I needed to relax!

Taking a deep breath, I looked up again and met his eyes dead on. Somehow, using every ounce of skill I had, I pushed a dazzling smile into my face and held it there, frozen stiff.

After a moment, his lips pressed together and he nodded. He hands slid to my shoulders and he spun me around to face the tree. He pulled me against him, his chest pressed to my back. Warmth spread through me from his affectionate gesture, the comfort of being in those strong, broad arms indescribable. Everything would be all right, as long as I could have those arms around me … forever.

“Isn’t it beautiful?” he murmured, his chin resting on top of my head.

“Yeah,” I answered breathlessly. “I never thought this day would come.”

“What, Christmas?”

“Well, that too, given my penchant for being attacked. But no. This … you and me, here. Safe.”

I felt his fingers dig into my shoulders. “I don’t know if safe is the right word, Evangeline.”

“You know what I mean. Remember how worried you were that you’d kill me the second you stepped foot on Earth?”

His tone turned deadly serious. “I almost did, Evangeline. If it hadn’t been for Max and Sofie, we wouldn’t be standing here right now.”

“I know,” I said softly. “But after that. Now. Everything’s okay now.”

He said nothing, leaning in to nuzzle his nose against my earlobe, sending spastic shivers through me. I half turned into him, brushing my mouth against his jawline. I felt a rumble in his chest as he groaned. Deft fingers under my chin tilted my head back and his mouth closed over mine. Normally he was so gentle. Now though, his lips forced mine apart, kissing me deeply, buckling my knees.

Just as suddenly, he broke away, directing my body back toward the tree, leaving me panting and lightheaded. “Bishop,” he whispered.

“Of course,” I whispered hoarsely. Here I was, ready to maul Caden in front of my broken, battered friend. Sighing, I reached up to pull Caden’s arms tighter around me, digging my fingertips into his solid forearms. We stood like that, in silence, our bodies close, until Sofie came back humming “Jingle Bells,” holding a glass of pale yellow opaque liquid. Mage followed closely behind with a set of sparkly pink and gold ornaments dangling from her fingertips. I don’t know how they could be so festive with the weight of the situation sitting on their shoulders. I noticed that my wayward werebeast was nowhere in sight. Probably hunting.

Mage gave a tiny gasp of delight when she saw the tree, her onyx eyes sparkling. “I’ve decorated hundreds of trees and none were as lovely as this one,” she said, offering me a pleasant smile.

Sofie bowed dramatically and stood, a grin of pride lighting up her mesmerizing face. “Well then, after you, my friend!”

Mage nodded her appreciation as she leapt onto the ladder, nimbly scaling the rungs to the top to hang an ornament.

“Here,” Sofie smiled, offering me a tall glass. “Eggnog. Freshly made. You need the fat. You’ve gotten too thin.”

I let go of Caden’s arms to take the glass, a silent thanks on my lips. Caden took that as his chance to help Mage with the other ornaments. I watched the two of them hang bulbs off the branches while I sipped the creamy concoction, relishing how much it reminded me of Christmas with my mother. By the time they finished, every branch held at least one bulb. Breathtaking.

“Ready?” Sofie called out, stooping to plug the light into the socket. The tree lit up, a thousand tiny lights reflecting off the ornaments for a dazzling display, even in daylight.

Mage clapped and put her arm around Sofie’s shoulder, the first sign of affection I’d ever seen from the vampiress. Even Caden’s face lit up with childlike excitement. Such a small thing as Christmas lights amidst the turmoil of impending doom could sparkle like a diamond embedded in mud. I peered over my shoulder, curious if the beautiful sight had caught even Bishop’s attention, not expecting it. I was astonished to find his attention riveted to the spectacle.

I smiled sadly. Bishop was still in there. Somewhere, deep inside his misery, our friend was there. Suddenly, the urge to bring Bishop back to the world of the living now—not later, not with time and healing—overwhelmed me.

“What do you think, Bishop?” I pulled my shoulders back and put on a brave smile as I walked toward him. “Beautiful, huh?” Even though he couldn’t talk or smile or move in any way, I knew he was in there and he needed to know we were here for him, that we cared and were heartbroken as well. Recalling with reluctance the weird sensations from the night before when I touched his arm, those overpowering feelings of despair when our gazes met, I gritted my teeth, preparing myself. If he can take it, so can I. I bent down to place my hand on his, to feel his cool flesh, to let him know that I would be here for him as best I could …

The next few seconds happened in a blur. The spine-tingling sound of shattering glass came a split second before I felt movement within my grasp. Bishop, moving! I heard Sofie shriek, “No!” just as I flew back. Something wrapped tightly around my neck, choking me. Strong fingers grasped my chin with thumb and forefinger on either side.

“Let me go or I’ll kill her,” Bishop’s low menacing growl turned my blood icy cold. He was now standing behind me, cool breath breezing against my cheek. I must have misheard him, trying to play the words back in my head. No, he didn’t say that. He couldn’t be threatening to kill me. This was Bishop!

I watched with terror as Mage, Caden, and Sofie all moved forward in even, cautious steps, equidistant apart.

“Think, Bishop,” Caden said slowly, his hands spread out in front of him. “That’s Evangeline you have there. You’re not going to kill her. You care about her.”

“Don’t tell me who I care about!” he spat back, and his pain coursed through my body like a live wire. “We’re all going to die. Evie’s going to die. Better now … quicker … than later and more painful.”

Caden crept forward with the others. “No, Bishop, it’s not—”

“Don’t come any closer!” Bishop’s voice cracked with the shouted warning.

Caden’s eyebrows raised, his hands moving up in a slow surrendering motion. “No, Bishop. Not better. Think about it. Think about how you would feel. Evangeline—” Caden turned toward me. “What do you want, Evangeline? Do you want to die?” I could see growing panic beneath the serenity. I had seen this look once before. Right before Rachel attacked me.

It took a few tries but I found my voice, as shaky as it was. “No … no, Bishop. I don’t want to die. Not by you. Please. I thought you were my friend. Please don’t kill me.”

“I am your friend,” Bishop whispered, agony lacing every syllable. “It’s because I’m your friend that I’m doing this.”

“What? Threatening to kill me?” I wasn’t sure if that would work but I instantly knew what might. “Fiona would be horrified, Bishop,” I added so softly, hesitant to even mention her name.

His grip tightened for just a moment, and then I felt myself flying forward, thrown into Caden’s arms, as if the aim were intentional. Caden was ready for it, pulling me in protectively, holding me upright as my knees gave way.

Cautiously, I turned back to find everyone else gone. A loud crash followed by snarls exploded from the hallway. I watched with trepidation as Mage and Sofie stalked back moments later, dragging an immobile Bishop between them. Max marched close behind, favoring his right hind leg. He must’ve ambushed Bishop from the shadows.

“What just happened?” Caden demanded to know, his tone low and menacing. “How …”

Sofie’s mint eyes shifted to me, studying me silently for a moment. “I don’t know,” she finally said. “Somehow Evangeline’s touch broke the binding spell.”

“No! No, I didn’t!” I cried out defensively. This wasn’t my fault! This couldn’t be my fault! Quickly remembering the night before, I threw out, “I touched him last night and it was fine!”

“It’s okay, Evangeline,” Mage said. “We know you didn’t mean it.”

Sofie sighed. “Are you sure you don’t feel any different than you did yesterday?”

She knows something. “You already asked me that, Sofie … and, no, I don’t. Why do you keep asking me that?”

Sofie ignored my question, looking at Max instead. “Max, do you sense anything different with her?”

You’re blurrier, Max responded.

I translated.

“Yes, that much we can all sense,” Mage said. The four of them exchanged a look.

Sofie stepped forward, closer to me. “I can sense something else. Something I can’t put my finger on. I don’t want you to panic, Evangeline, but,” she hesitated, clearly not wanting to continue.

“Tell me!” I demanded.

“You’re changing somehow. It’s like the Tribe’s magic is getting a stronger hold of you. Perhaps … morphing.”

My breath caught. “What do you mean ‘morphing’? Like morphing … into one of them?” Memories of jaundiced eyeballs and rotten teeth swarmed my mind. Their lethal touch … I stared at my hand, nestled within Caden’s. Would this simple act kill him one day? Would I not be able to touch Caden? Or anyone? “Oh my God,” I whispered, unable to catch my breath.

Caden squeezed my hand, his other hand cupping my chin to lift my face. “Calm down, okay?” he said softly and kissed my forehead.

No, no … he didn’t understand. He must’ve forgotten what that meant. I was now a ticking time bomb, the simple act of holding my hand soon hazardous. I tried to shake my hand out of his but he held fast, growling, “Don’t you dare.”

“But I could …,” I began, choking on the words. I turned to stare at Sofie.

She slowly shook her head, giving me a weak smile. “You don’t feel the same way that they do, so I wouldn’t jump to conclusions. I don’t know what’s happening yet. But for now, just … please stay away from Bishop.” With that, Sofie turned and strode over to the tree. She began piling the shattered remnants of an ornament into the palm of her hand, the shared exuberance over the festive season vanished. If I didn’t know better, I’d swear her shoulders were slouching under a terrible weight.

***

I hardly noticed the young, mousy servant—the one Viggo had leered at the other night—sneak in to the glass room with a large silver tray of sandwiches and fruit. My stomach reacted with a growl, as if to remind me that it needed food, regardless of what creature I was turning into. But I was too busy peering into anything reflective, searching for signs of yellowing eyes and brown spots on my teeth, to listen.

“Go eat,” Caden urged. Just to get away from him, I obliged, walking over to investigate.

“Wow! A real Christmas tree!” a raspy voice squealed. I turned in time to see an excited Amelie skip in, towing a wobbly Julian behind her, a simple cane in his hand to steady his weak leg. Thankfully, his face had more color in it. He was almost back to his natural olive tone. I guess that means he’s feeling better. I quietly wondered if he was going through this same transformation from the Tribe’s magic. Would his touch eventually kill Amelie? He hadn’t climbed any wooden planks. He was almost dead when we arrived in the jungle, thanks to Ursula blasting him with a bolt of fire. Sure, they covered him with leaves and set him on fire, but maybe the spell was different. Or not …?

Maybe I was the lucky one in all of this. The lucky chosen one, yet again, I thought bitterly. But then I silently scolded myself. That was like wishing cancer on someone else just because I had it. Disgusting, Evie.

“Wow … the mood’s a little damp in here …,” Amelie muttered after a moment. Emerald-green eyes landed on the corner where Bishop sat, and her face instantly fell.

Julian’s hand found its way to her shoulder to give a quick, reassuring squeeze. That was all it took to lift her spirits. When she raised her face again, the agony had disappeared, replaced by a beaming smile and dreamy stare at Julian. “So? What’s going on? Where is everyone?”

“Sofie and Mage said they had some preparations to take care of. Max is hunting,” Caden answered. “Where have you been?” I couldn’t help but catch the harsh tone in his voice, his eyes skipping over Julian ever so briefly.

“Oh, we’ve been … indisposed for a while. Julian’s needed his rest.” She giggled with a mischievous smirk. Julian had the decency to blush, all while stealing glimpses of Amelie’s profile, his chocolate irises drawing up and down the length of her, admiring her, as if in awe. I knew exactly what that felt like. I remembered it well. It was the same awe I felt every time I looked at Caden. Under other circumstances, I would be exploding with happiness, seeing them both like this. Now, though, my inner voice couldn’t stop screaming, “Fire! Run!”

The young servant finished setting up refreshments. I peered down to see what I could force into my body. “These ones are my favorite,” she whispered in a beautiful French accent, pointing to something that looked like a messy grilled cheese sandwich.

I smiled at her and scooped one up. It was crunchy and filled with ham and swiss cheese and smothered in a creamy sauce. I moaned in appreciation and nodded vigorously.

“Heavenly,” I said. She responded with a wink and smile that transformed her into a pretty woman. I watched as she quietly gathered up a platter of empty glasses from earlier and began toward the door. As she passed Julian, her mouth crinkled with a smile. “You should eat, Julian.”

And then all hell broke loose. It was as if someone had hit the pause button and then cut out a few minutes before restarting time. In a split second, the maid’s platter was airborne, glass smashing into the wall, and Amelie had the poor girl pinned to the ground, her teeth bared like a wild dog.

“How dare you!” Amelie shrieked. She straddled the girl, her savage hands gripping tightly onto her biceps. Of course, the girl was too petrified to answer, staring wide-eyed at the hovering crazy woman, which only seemed to infuriate Amelie. “He’s mine! Mine!” she screeched, shaking the servant like a rag doll, the poor girl’s head slamming repeatedly against the floor.

Julian stood frozen, his eyes popping out with shock, as he witnessed the attack. Thankfully, Caden seemed to have his wits about him. “Amelie!” he shouted, immediately beside them, yanking his fanatical sister off before she bashed in the young servant’s skull. Amelie fought him like a caged cat, all claws and feet. “Snap out if it, you crazy bitch!” he roared, giving Amelie a hard smack upside the head.

That seemed to reset something inside her because she calmed down immediately, a flicker of bewilderment passing across her face. “Here,” Caden said, shoving her over to Julian, who immediately wrapped his hands around as if to restrain her. I thought that was comical, given she could pummel him to a pulp if she wanted to. Luckily, Amelie stayed put.

Caden reached down and gently helped the ghostly white servant to her feet. Before he guided her out of the room, his hand gripped her chin. He held her gaze. “You tripped over the rug and dropped your platter … it was an accident …,” he crooned softly. She nodded numbly. Compelled. That was good. The poor girl didn’t need to be afraid of being murdered each day she came in to work.

Once the girl was on her way, Caden spun on his heels, throwing Amelie a look of pure disgust. “What the hell is wrong with you? It was an innocent smile!”

“Yeah, but … she didn’t have to remind Julian to eat! And what’s with referring to him by his name? She’s a servant!” Amelie snapped back petulantly.

Caden’s arms crossed his chest. “Probably because she knows Julian and Evangeline are the only humans in this room, and the staff is under strict orders from Sofie to make sure they eat.”

“Oh … right. Sorry. I don’t know what came over me.” Amelie sheepishly looked to the ground.

Caden wasn’t having any of it, though. “You know damn well what came over you. You need to remember before you go all Jekyll and Hyde on us again.”

She nodded and then turned to look at Julian. “Sorry. Sometimes I get jealous. I don’t do jealous well.”

“You don’t say.” Julian scratched the back of his head. I thought I caught a hint of a flattered smile but I couldn’t be too sure.

Amelie giggled and leaned her body into his. “Yeah, especially if I’m into the guy. I turn into a crazy chick!” She waved her hands around in the air and shook her head.

“Yeah, but you’re my crazy chick,” he said, his brown eyes twinkling with delight, his hand moving to cup her chin and pull her close. Her springy ash blond curls swayed as he tilted her head back to lay a soft kiss on her lips. I groaned in displeasure before I could stop myself. I felt like I was waving goodbye to the passengers of the Titanic as it sailed away, all the while knowing what the trip had in store.

“Julian?” I asked, eager to interrupt their intimate exchange. No answer. No gesture. It was like I wasn’t even there. “Julian!” I barked, a touch harsher than perhaps was necessary.

His head snapped over at me, startled, the cheesy love fog disappearing immediately. “Hey, Evie,” he offered, rubbing the back of his head again.

I glared at him, shooting what are you doing? daggers with my eyes.

He responded with a shrug and pleading look, comprehending my disapproval, clear as day. “How are you feeling?” I forced out. I was trying to be civil but couldn’t deny the sparks of anger.

Amelie answered for him. “Don’t worry. He was so tired, he couldn’t see straight!”

“That’s not what I meant …” I smirked. “Are you feeling different today? Like … from the Tribe’s magic?”

He frowned. “No, I don’t think so.”

“Caden, are his thoughts getting murkier, like mine?” I asked, though keeping my focus on Julian. When Caden didn’t answer, I turned to repeat my question and found him staring at me, his expression flat, anger heating his gaze. “Is he murkier?” I repeated warily.

Caden gave a noncommittal shrug and shook his head.

“Okay. Maybe he’ll be okay.”

“Just you what?” Julian asked, his brow furrowed with worry. He dropped Amelie’s hands and moved forward to grab my arm, his dark good looks now marred with concern. “What’s wrong, Evie?”

“Oh …” I began but my voice drifted off. Remember those hideous Tribe creatures that scared the daylights out of us, Julian? Well … guess what I’m going to be next Halloween … and every other day for the rest of my life …

Before I could answer, my body was yanked back and out of Julian’s reach, strong arms wrapping possessively around my chest. “Nothing. She’s fine,” Caden said, a dangerous edge in his tone. “Or she will be.” I looked up to find him staring at Julian with clenched teeth. What was going on with him?

Loud voices in the hallway broke up the awkward situation. We all ran out to see what the commotion was. We found Sofie and Mage squared off against Viggo and Mortimer, Viggo’s face a shade lighter than his normal pale, and Mortimer’s brow halfway up his forehead.

“Where did they come from?” Mortimer exclaimed with incredulity.

“What do you mean?” Sofie answered, clearly amused.

Viggo issued a low, feral sound. “I mean … I killed the last of them and yet seven are standing on our doorstep! That’s what I mean!” A mixture of outrage and shock swirled around Viggo—such a rare sight to see.

It suddenly clicked. The werewolves had arrived.

“Yes, you did! And, boy, they haven’t forgotten about you,” Sofie teased. My heart skipped a beat as I watched her. We had enough problems. Taunting a psychopath wouldn’t end well. What was more, I still didn’t believe that some allegiance to Sofie would stop Viggo from slaughtering the lot of them.

“I will—” Viggo began but Mage cut him off.

“You will do nothing that breaks your allegiance, will you, Viggo?”

If anger were demonstrated as an illustration in a dictionary, it would look like Viggo’s face at that moment, contorted and seething, ready to explode, his words forced out in a short burst through gritted teeth. I had never seen him lose his cool. Despite the real threat to all of us, I enjoyed it.

“That was before—”

Mage cut him off again, her tone sharp. “There is no before. There just is. You gave us your word. You, a man of unrivaled integrity, right?”

“Breaking an allegiance served as blackmail doesn’t sound so dishonorable to me,” Viggo spat back, but I gathered it was an irrelevant point. Mortimer had alluded to the value of honor before. It used to define a person, to determine his or her worth. Although crazy, Viggo was still old school. Mage’s challenge just might stay his hand. For now.

Mage continued. “I warned you before, Viggo … Sofie may be willing to keep you alive for Veronique’s sake, but I harbor no such desires. It would be easier for all if I made Veronique’s choice for her, don’t you agree?” She added that last bit sweetly, but her intent was crystal clear. Cross her and she’d eliminate the choice for Veronique. That’s the Mage I remember, I thought.

Mortimer finally spoke again. “They will help us control the situation when Lilly gets here. I’m not exactly a fan of those things, either. However, they will be of use to us. We need all the help we can get.”

Again with this reference to this fearsome Lilly character. I still didn’t know any more about her. The way they described her, I was beginning to think I’d be meeting a five-headed vampire Godzilla.

Viggo’s lips twisted in disapproval, unconvinced by Mortimer’s logic. “Until they sink their vile werewolf teeth into us.”

“Werewolves!” Amelie exclaimed in shock. “Oh, I’ve never seen one in real life! They were killed off with the war in our world.”

As if Mortimer and the others just realized they had a crowd of curious observers, they turned to us. “They’re not kittens, Amelie,” Mortimer snapped.

She responded with an exaggerated pout and frown, not yet accustomed to Mortimer’s rebukes.

Viggo jumped in, lightening the mood in his typical twisted fashion. “Well, now’s your chance! So nice of you to join us, Amelie and Julian … finally,” he purred, a wink directed at Julian.

Julian turned beet red. I couldn’t tell if it was because of the insinuation that he and Amelie had been—busy—or if it was simply a natural reaction to Viggo.

Amelie ignored both of them. “Are they dangerous?”

Sofie rolled her eyes, no longer finding amusement with the little bomb she’d dropped. “Okay, enough about the wolves already. They’re not a big deal. We have bigger things to deal with.”

“Like what exactly?” Amelie probed. It was then that I realized she was more in the dark than I was with regards to what was going on, having been holed up with Julian for the past twenty-four-plus hours.

“Like preparing. Lilly has accepted our invitation.”

I heard Amelie’s harsh whisper behind me. “Who’s Lilly?”

***

By late afternoon, I’d exchanged my inner turmoil of the Tribe’s magic and its implications for pure exhaustion. I wasn’t sure if it was physical or mental, but I couldn’t keep my eyes open, drifting in and out while curled up on the couch. At some point, I felt my body floating through the air, cradled within someone’s arms. I pictured strong, healing angel’s arms, carrying me up to the heavens where all was calm and safe and no disease coursed through my veins. Soft, low music swirled somewhere in the back of my head, colliding with my thoughts, dulling them to blissful garble. A few times, my eyes cracked open to see jade stars shining down on me. And then my angel was placing me down in a bed of fluffy white clouds. I sunk further and further in until they swaddled me in their soft embrace.

Sharp, tingly pins and needles coursed through my body to my fingertips. I was in that same dark, dank room that smelled of dirty water. I was chilled to the bone. This time, though, instead of lying against the cold, concrete ground, I was sitting on it. A steady drip echoed in the room, drilling into my eardrum. Drip, drip, drip. As I hunched in closer to myself to fight off the chill, I noticed how badly my back throbbed. It felt like my skin had been badly burned by the sun. I knew that couldn’t be the case and yet I longed to peel my shirt off, to eliminate all contact. Reaching down, I rubbed the light, gauzy material of my dress with my fingers. Too light to irritate skin, one would think.

Drip, drip, drip ...

The same crack of light stared at me from beneath that same door. Just like the other night. My Veronique dream. Would a crazed, whip-wielding witch come flying through the door at any second?

A shadow passed in front of the crack of light. Inside the room. It was small and moved haltingly. Scurried was more like it. My focus glued to the crack, I waited to see it pass again. A moment later, a softness brush up against my forearm. My arm shot out reflexively to launch it across the room. It let out a squeak of displeasure. “Ahhh! I hate rats!” I cried out, shuddering.

“What?”

I froze with the single word. Not because there was another person in my dark, dank cell. The question had come from my lips, but it wasn’t me who’d spoken. The thought wasn’t mine—I knew that much—but my mouth had moved.

“What?” I echoed, testing for a difference. This time it was clearly my thought, my brain controlling my mouth’s movements.

Silence. My eyes shifted in the darkness, warily, waiting for it to happen again. After a long moment, I let out a heavy sigh. “I’m all kinds of messed up,” I muttered.

My lips moved in a gasp. “How are you doing this?” Another foreign thought asked the question.

My stomach knotted. What the hell was going on? I was used to Max’s intruding voice inside my head. But this was different. This was like I was sharing my body with another person. With trepidation, I answered. What’s the worst that could happen?

“How am I doing what?”

“Who is this?” the voice asked, her tone pleading. Before I could answer, she asked, “Do you know Sofie?”

I paused, my curiosity overshadowing sheer terror. This strange back and forth where I controlled my mouth and then I didn’t control it and then I did control it—like what I imagined a person with multiple personalities would need to manage—took some coordination.

“Evangeline,” I answered cautiously. “And yes, I know Sofie.” Then I dared ask the next question, the one I was fairly certain I knew the answer to. “Are you Veronique?”

Another gasp. “Yes! How is this happening?”

And there it was. I knew then and there that this was no dream. Somehow I was still connected to Veronique. Even though the Tribe released me from the curse, we were still bound. Of course! It made perfect sense. When I sat atop that platform with the Tribe circling and chanting below, when I saw that vision of Fiona dead in the atrium, I was witnessing it all through Veronique’s eyes the moment she was released. Now I was somehow connecting with her in my dreams.

“Evangeline?” She pulled me back from my thoughts.

“I don’t know how it’s happening. When I fall asleep, I find myself here. I thought I was dreaming at first,” I explained. Here we go again.

Veronique’s voice turned low and fearful, almost a whimper. “This is no dream. It’s a nightmare, Evangeline. Please, help me!” she pleaded. “They’re torturing me! They told me they will kill me soon!” My cheeks burned with her tears. “I don’t understand. Why has Sofie left me like this?”

I awoke with a wheezing gasp and Veronique’s question playing over and over in my head. Why has Sofie left me like this? Because she doesn’t know, Veronique. Because I’m keeping you a secret. My heart pounded against my rib cage as panic seized, as I began rationalizing the situation in my head. I’m sure it’ll be fine, once she does find out … that you’re being tortured and threatened while we sip eggnog and hang seventeenth-century nutcrackers on Christmas trees. It won’t bother her at all. She’ll pat me on the back and say, “You’re so brave and smart, Evangeline.”

I sat up in bed. I was alone in my room, Max nowhere to be found. Absently, I remembered being carried up here and realized it must’ve been Caden whispering softly to me, tucking me into bed, and not violin-strumming angels in the clouds. I silently wished he were here so I could bury my face in his chest and forget everything else for just a moment.

But he wasn’t here to soothe my guilty conscience, I acknowledged bitterly. It didn’t matter. What mattered was that Veronique was being tortured and begging for help and I was the only one who could help her. I was denying her that by not telling Sofie. I was single-handedly risking Veronique’s life because I was worried. Because of a possibility. Nothing more. I assumed Sofie couldn’t be pragmatic. Was that fair? Didn’t Sofie have a right to know? Didn’t Mortimer? Viggo … I didn’t care for his rights. He could shrivel and starve for the next million years in a silent, lonely hell.

But the others … and Veronique! I pulled my knees to my chest as the pieces clicked together. My back, blazing, skin raw, bothered by the lightest of materials. Lash marks would do that to a person. They were whipping her. Recalling the words of the witch last time, Veronique was immune to magic. Like me. Because I got up on that platform to rid myself of the pendant, she was now in the hands of the enemy, being tortured because they couldn’t use good old magic to do it.

I began to hyperventilate. Sliding over to the edge of the bed, I leaned forward and cradled my forehead in my hands, rocking back and forth. What am I going to do? My head throbbed. In, out, in, out. She’ll go crazy if she stays in that dungeon with that torturous dripping sound ... Drip, drip, drip … I’ll go crazy if she stays there. I wasn’t made for this deception.

There was no way around it.

I had to tell Sofie.

It took a minor panic attack and fifteen minutes of a one-way conversation to convince myself that this was the right choice. But how on earth did I deliver news like this? The one thing I knew was that Viggo and Mortimer could not be around. Once I told Sofie, the weight would be off my shoulders and on hers. She could decide what to do and whom to tell. Selfish, but she was made to handle this. She was made of something stronger than titanium.

By the time I walked down the stairs and through the halls, my body was moving in a zombielike daze while my belly was threatening to empty itself of that delicious ham and cheese sandwich. I took a deep breath, my subconscious giving me a pep talk. This will be no problem. I just need to get Sofie alone. A grandfather clock somewhere gonged ten times as I stepped into the Christmas tree room. Everyone was there.

“Lilly’s plane has landed. The rest of them are congregating at the airfield before coming here. None of them will enter alone,” Mortimer announced as I walked in.

Around me, organized frenzy erupted. All thoughts of my confession vanished as a new pot of turmoil boiled over. I stood by, an unnoticed bystander, while Mortimer barked orders on the phone to someone to keep their distance and report back every fifteen minutes. His spies, I gathered. In an excited flurry, Viggo sailed past me, announcing everyone needed to get “blooded up” to be ready for a fight. Amelie shifted closer to Julian, her arms wrapped protectively around his body, no doubt planning on attaching herself to him at all times. Caden stood like an unpleased statue, arms crossed, brow furrowed, glaring from Sofie to Mage.

It felt like the war might begin in this chateau, on this night.

“Ready?” Mage asked Sofie. They shared the longest stare. Finally, Sofie sighed, nodded, and disappeared. What are they up to now? I tried to catch Caden’s eye but it was locked on Bishop, his mouth curved downward with discontent. I didn’t have to wonder what was going on for long. In fewer than ten seconds, Sofie reappeared with a silvery cord in her hand.

Merth. I recognized that stuff. It was nonexistent on Earth until I brought two giant duffel bags back from Ratheus. Sofie must’ve grabbed some as she ran out of Viggo’s palace during the assault. Were they going to bind Lilly with it? Seriously?

“Um, I don’t think that’s the best way to get on this Lilly person’s trusting side,” I said. My voice drifted off as Sofie’s focus zoned in on Bishop, a suspicious and intentional gleam in her eye. Bishop, my unmoving, unspeaking, emotionally frail friend in the corner, was being eyed like mouse in a snake’s cage.

“What are you …?” I said, as it slowly dawned on me what they were doing.

“I’m sorry,” Sofie offered softly as she and Mage moved in to sandwich the motionless Bishop, Mage in behind and Sofie in front, their standard predatory position. Sofie was speaking quietly to Bishop. Standing in front of him, an apologetic smile on her face, threads of paralyzing silvery weed in her grasp.

My head began shaking side to side. “No … no … no.”

“She needs all of her magic available for this meeting, Evangeline,” Caden explained softly. “She can’t risk losing a hold of the binding spell again and we don’t know what to expect of Lilly. If Sofie needs her magic to fend her off or if she gets hurt, she’ll end up releasing Bishop. He’ll do anything to escape, remember?” I looked up to see his eyes boring into me, a stern reminder within. “That’s not good for anyone.”

“But …” I looked at our friend again, hunched over, so pathetic, so lost. “He’s already suffered so much.” I heard the shrill sound of my own voice by the end of it, pleading. “We’re treating him like a prisoner! It’s not right. He hasn’t done anything wrong!”

“He almost killed you, Evangeline!” Caden exploded suddenly.

“He wouldn’t have and you know it!” I threw back, setting my jaw defiantly. “He was bluffing. He just wanted to be free.”

Caden turned away from me as he shook his head with frustration.

“I know what you’re thinking,” I said. “I know what you’re all thinking! Poor, na?ve Evangeline! She’s clueless! She’s a silly human! Well, maybe I am but at least I don’t torture my friends!” I looked to Amelie and Caden, to Max, but got no support. Nothing. Only Julian dared meet my stare from his spot out of the line of fire.

It’s for the best, Max said.

“Of course you would think so,” I muttered.

“It’s just for now,” Sofie explained softly. “I’ll think of something else. I promise.”

“But …” I began but the objection died at my lips, all of my steam evaporating instantly. I knew no amount of begging and pleading would convince them otherwise. They were vampires. This was temporary for them. Anything temporary could be endured, even if it was excruciatingly painful. My body tensed as Mage reached forward to grip Bishop’s shoulders, securing him. Sofie’s lips moved swiftly.

The second the binding spell broke, Bishop let out a roar and began twisting and thrashing against Mage’s grip. “Don’t let them do this, Evie!” he bellowed, his plea shattering my heart into a thousand pieces. Tears began burning in my eyes as I pawed for Caden’s hand. “Please!” I cried but it was no use. Caden’s jaw tightened as he stared forward, his hand lifeless in mine.

“It’s the right thing to do and you know it,” he answered in that cold, distant tone I had heard so long ago, the one he used when he needed to shut everyone out. He was shutting me out. My head jolted as if he’d slapped me. He may as well have. By the time I turned back, Sofie was already securing the Merth around an immobile Bishop’s wrists. It was done.

“A thousand tiny razor blades cutting you, over and over again … each one feeling like the first,” I whispered a reminder to all of them in case they had forgotten.

Utter silence met my words. Six vampires, a werebeast, and two toxic humans watching the one who had suffered the most, who continued to suffer, for the mere fact that he couldn’t scream out. I felt like I was sitting in one of those glass rooms, witnessing an execution of an innocent person. But what was worse—what I couldn’t bring myself to admit—was that I knew they were right. This was for the best. This was only temporary. Bishop had survived Merth before. He could survive it again. What did that acceptance say about me? What human was I turning into that I’d listen to a dear friend plead for his freedom, that I’d stand and watch him tortured? My friend, whose internal struggle was enough to splinter an army’s will?

Suddenly, there was nowhere I wanted to be less than there, in this vampire world where this was an acceptable solution to a problem. Yanking my hand out of Caden’s, I bolted from the glass room and sprinted down the hallway. I didn’t stop. Caden didn’t chase. This time, just this once, I didn’t want him to. I didn’t want to be around these cold, calculating creatures. I didn’t want to become one of them.

Sharp claws tapped against the tile behind me. “Stay away from me, Max!” I screeched as tears burned my cheeks. The tapping slowed and then stopped altogether.

I kept running and no one followed me and I was happy. When I found myself in the hall overlooking the courtyard, the urge to venture outside slowed my feet. Coatless, bootless, gloveless—I opened the door and stepped into the frigid night without an ounce of hesitation. The crisp winter chill seized my bare skin, its icy fingers curling around my limbs. It was balmy compared to the mountain temperatures, but it froze my tears in seconds nonetheless. The mountains … in that moment, trudging through the deep snow in striped pink and gray socks and slippers, I pictured a possessed Valentina stomping in from the cold wearing nothing but a sweater. I was now the crazy one. I was worse! Leo wouldn’t approve of this, I thought, smiling sadly, thinking about my grandfatherly guardian. It had only been days since I’d seen him last, but it already felt like a lifetime ago.

I trudged through the snow, one step in front of the other in a straight march, feeling the snow’s damp chill as it formed an uncomfortable cushion in my slippers. Though my actions felt wayward, I knew exactly where I was headed.

When I finally reached the great oak tree, I spent a moment dreamily marveling at its grandeur, even in the dead of a winter’s night. It towered over me, its branches spreading out at least thirty feet. It had to be hundreds of years old. I closed my eyes for a moment and imagined a summer afternoon relaxing under its generous shade, a book in hand. Enjoying life. Enjoying Paris. Would that even happen? Where would I be next summer? Would I be alive? Would I be deadly to those I loved?

I wrapped my arms tightly around my body as the effects of the cold began to wear on me. Why had Sofie been out here last night? I focused my attention to the base of the tree. At my feet lay a single white pillar candle, nestled next to a bunch of frozen pale white roses. The wick had long since burnt down. Beneath it, a flat bronze object caught my attention. Kneeling, I brushed away the freshly fallen snow to reveal a bronze plaque embedded in a concrete rectangle: Nathan 1237-1889.

Nathan was buried right here, under this tree.

It made perfect sense and yet my heartbeat sped up all the same. Of course he was buried here. It explained Sofie’s desire to sit out here alone. My heart instantly ached for the woman. And for Mortimer, and Amelie, and Bishop. Love seemed to be a damning condition for all vampires.

Next to Nathan’s tombstone, I noticed another glimmer of bronze. I brushed away the snow to find a second tombstone with another inscribed plaque. This time, my heart did a full stop. It read Sofie Girard 1862 - 1889.

Sofie had buried herself—her spiritual self, her humanity, her heart—alongside the man she killed so many years ago. I leaned back and wrapped my arms tightly around my chest as numbness seeped into my body, picturing Sofie in this spot over a hundred and twenty years ago, lowering the man she loved, who trusted her unequivocally, into the ground. Because she put him there. She too died that day, both through her physical transition but also her core.

My fingers were red and stiff. I need to go inside, I scolded myself. I’m not proving anything by being out here, like an idiot. Except that I’m an idiot. Struggling to stand, fists tucked under my armpits, I let my eyes wander over the grounds for a second. A massive octagonal gazebo-like structure stood in the center of the space, its wooden trellis walls obscured by a web of frozen, leafless vines. I wandered over. Inside, three partially snow-covered concrete benches faced each other. Further back, surrounding the entire area including the massive oak, was a cedar hedge border, at least forty feet high and so thick, a squirrel would have trouble tunneling through. A few wooden archways and statues peppered various paths, lined by small shrubbery. It was a royal garden. No doubt a spectacular one in any other season. Now, though, it lay asleep, catering to a dead vampire and a crazy girl.

I was about to head back inside when hobbled steps crunching toward me announced someone’s approach. I half turned to see a dark-haired figure moving forward. Julian, picking his steps carefully, with a heavy black jacket thrown on haphazardly, a long, white coat slung over his arm.

“I thought you were smarter than to come out here without at least a coat, Evie,” he lectured.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about, Julian. It’s like summer,” I grumbled indignantly. For some reason, a renewed streak of stubbornness forced my back to him. I knew this Bishop decision had nothing to do with him, but I couldn’t help it.

I felt his presence behind me. After a few moments, when I didn’t acknowledge him, he silently spread the jacket over my shoulders. He didn’t leave, though. We remained like that until I silently acknowledged that I was, in fact, an idiot. I gave up my stubborn front and slid my arms into the coat, allowing the duck feather down fill to envelop my half-frozen body. I took a seat on one of the benches.

“You know I’ve heard sitting on cold concrete will give you hemorrhoids,” Julian joked softly.

I snorted, annoyed. I knew he was trying to skirt the subject. “It’s easy for you to joke, Julian,” I said. “He’s not your friend. You despised all vampires until two days ago, remember? Now you’re in love.” I sounded petty. I immediately hated myself for it.

“I agree. He’s not my friend and I don’t know him at all,” Julian answered, easing himself down beside me. “But he’s your friend, and he’s Amelie’s friend. I don’t want to see either of you suffer. That will happen if he’s not bound up because he’ll die. Everyone seems to agree on that point but you.”

“It’s not that I don’t agree,” I finally admitted, the words acrid on my tongue. “We do need to keep him safe. I get it. Of course I get it. I’m not stupid.”

“No one said you were, Eve,” Julian said, putting his arm around my shoulder and squeezing me to his body.

I stiffened. Back in the mountains, the gesture had been comforting and welcomed, as close as we were. Now, it made my body turn in on itself like a turtle struggling to hide in its shell. And yet, I had no idea why. Perhaps it was because of his insane new girlfriend.

“It’s just that everyone is so willing to do it. It’s like they don’t care!”

“Oh, they care, believe me. Well,” he added with a sneer, “except maybe Viggo.”

I scowled. “They didn’t even fight. They didn’t argue. They just went along with it.”

Julian was shaking his head before I’d even finished speaking. “You weren’t there earlier, Eve,” Julian said, his tone now scolding. “I thought Amelie and Caden were going to tear Sofie to pieces when she told them what she needed to do. Why put him through more pain when he’s already suffering so much?” Julian’s heavy dark brows furrowed deeply. “Man, does Amelie have a temper … Luckily, it only lasted for ten minutes before they came around but … damn, those ten minutes! I seriously thought they were going to kill each other. Bloody vampires …”

Vicious Amelie. I wouldn’t have believed it before. Even when dealing with Rachel and Jethro, she’d always been calm and collected, delivering biting blows with grace. But the incident I’d seen earlier with the innocent servant girl had shown me a new side of Amelie. An uncontrolled one I’d prefer never to see again and hoped not to be the target of. At the same time, hearing that they put up a fight on Bishop’s account made me feel a little better.

Julian continued. “Vampires are pragmatic. You know as well as I do. Amelie would rather see Bishop bound up and feeling a hundred razor blades than be dead. It’s the lesser of two evils, though it may not sound like it. It’s the right thing to do.” Julian zipped his jacket and hunched into himself, no doubt freezing by now. “Whatever is about to enter these gates—this Lilly—I don’t know about you, but I want Sofie’s full power to protect us. She sounds pretty scary if Viggo doesn’t want her around. Amelie and you need to be protected. You two mean everything to me.” His voice dropped to a low whisper as he leaned in, squeezing more tightly, his forehead resting against the side of my head. “You might hate me but you’re all I have left.

Hate. Such a wicked word. I sighed, shifting to look over at Julian, those chocolate-brown irises only inches away, pleading with me. I stared silently at my fellow captive, my fellow orphan, my fellow everything. My friend. Tattoo or not, he had saved my life and my sanity.

“I don’t hate you, Julian,” I whispered.

He snorted. “Really? Because you haven’t exactly been friendly since—”

“Shhh!” I warned, checking the shadows.

“Since … you know.” Julian finished vaguely.

“Yeah … well … it caught me off guard. I trusted you and then … bam! Surprise! But that doesn’t bother me anymore. What I care about is what it will do to Amelie if she finds out. I’m afraid this will be more than she can deal with.”

“I know,” Julian groaned, dropping his forehead into his palms, reddened from the cold. “God, I know, Evangeline! Do you think I planned this? I don’t know what happened. I just remember waking up in the hut and there she was, like an angel, hovering over me and then …” He paused, searching for words, a crooked smile curving his mouth in a cute way. “I can’t get her out of my head! It’s like I crave her! I’ve never met anyone like her before, Eve. If I knew back then what I know now, I never would have let … you know what … happen. I never expected to fall in love with a vampire.”

In love … I smiled, despite everything. “I know what you mean.” I remembered that first moment, waking up in the cave after knocking my head to see Caden standing over me with an armload of wood for the fire. Of course, I didn’t know it then, but that was the second I fell in love with him. Everything after that was merely supporting evidence. He didn’t have to speak; he didn’t have to do anything. It was like some inner connection pulled us together, firmly lodging him into my soul so that he could never leave without me losing a part of myself. Was that what true love was like for everyone? Or just when your heart was tied to the devastating predicament of being in love with a vampire?

I looked back at Julian, watching me silently. Again, another level in which our fates were linked. How could I be angry with him for the very thing I was guilty of? I felt my shoulders sag, the chip I harbored against him dissolving.

“I just don’t want to see you get hurt, that’s all. Or get dead! Or Amelie get hurt. Or Caden get hurt, for that matter.” Hurt because I’m hiding such a huge secret from him.

Julian grimaced. “That guy already hates my guts.”

I frowned, recalling the strange reaction to Julian’s hand on my arm earlier. “I don’t know about hate but …”

Julian shrugged. “Oh, I do. I caught him staring at me a few times today like he wanted to take me out back and break every bone in my body.” His eyebrow quirked up. “Do you think he knows?”

I shook my head. If Caden knew, there’s no way Julian would still be alive. “He’s being overprotective of Amelie. That has to be it. He is her big brother, and you’re … well, you’re doing whatever with his sister.”

Julian shrugged, unconvinced.

“At least, let’s hope that’s what it is. He doesn’t need to know any of this because it doesn’t matter anymore, right?”

Julian nodded and then hesitated as if afraid to bring something up. “They told me what’s happening to you because of the Tribe magic. What could end up happening to me too …”

I didn’t say anything as a giant lump formed in my throat. The Bishop drama had helped temporarily push that issue out of my mind. Now, though, it was back with a vengeance.

“Sofie will figure it out,” Julian assured me, patting my knee. “She has to.”

“And what if she doesn’t, Julian?” I whispered, turning to take in his friendly face, begging for a solution.

Julian answered by reaching out to grab hold of my hand. “Then it’s you and me, babe,” he said. “We can go back and live in the mountains. Or to the motherland, with our people.” Then he winked. “But only if you wear that little outfit.”

“Julian!” I smacked his chest but burst into giggles. It felt good. I hadn’t laughed in a while.

I opened my mouth, a thank-you on my lips, when a deep, feral growl in the shadows stopped me cold. An inhuman sound. My body, already frozen from the cold, now solid with terror. Grasping at Julian’s arm, I slowly leaned forward and hazarded a peek around the edge of the gazebo wall, searching the source, preparing to scream like a banshee for Max.

Behind a thorny bush, I caught sight of a wolf at least twice the size that I expected a wolf to be. Its white fur sparkled with snowflakes, shining under the moonlight, while its peculiar humanlike eyes peered back at us.

“Is that … Yeti One?” Julian whispered, shocked.

“I think so, but … if it is why is he growling at us?” He wasn’t focused on us, I realized. Something behind us had his attention. Slowly, stiffly, unable to breathe, I turned to see what had this werewolf’s fur in a bunch.

About ten feet away, half hidden by a wide bush, a tall, tawny-haired form stood in the shadows. Caden, his hands in his pant pockets and watching in silence, his expression set in a way that didn’t hint at an ounce of fear, but he certainly wasn’t comfortable, either. I wasn’t sure if Yeti One had issue with Caden because he was a vampire or because he stood in the shadows, spying on us. How long had he been there? What had he heard? Cold fear crawled through my insides with icy slowness, taking its time until every inch of me was filled with guilty dread. I replayed the conversation in my head. We had been careful, guarded with our words, right? But what exactly did we say?

His cover now compromised, Caden stepped forward. Yeti One took this as his leave to disappear into nothingness, pleased that he had exposed the intruder. Caden offered me a small crooked smile.

“Cooled off yet?” I felt the heat creep up in my cheeks, embarrassment quickly replacing anger. “You need to come inside. You’re frozen,” he scolded.

Another wave of stubbornness hit me. “No, I’m not,” I said, as my body hunched inward to ward off the cold, now deeply rooted in my bones. Not convincing. Judging by his sigh of exasperation, Caden didn’t buy it, either.

Caden’s gaze shifted to Julian and with it, the already frigid temperatures plummeted to an arctic chill. His smile disappeared, replaced with what I could only describe as a look of restraint—like he was envisioning launching Julian into the hedge. Now I see what Julian’s talking about.

“Can I talk to my girlfriend alone?” Caden asked, his voice low. My heart skipped a beat. Yes, he had already professed his love for me, so him referring to me as his girlfriend should be nothing. And yet, in all the turmoil and doom tainting our daily lives, that identity reminded me that my one shining ray of light hadn’t abandoned me.

“Go ahead,” Julian answered, his own voice taking on that cocky harshness he’d used with me upon our first meeting. “Are we okay?” he asked softly, grabbing my hands and squeezing.

I answered with a small smile. “Yeah, we’re okay. Or we will be.”

He struggled to stand, using my shoulder as leverage, and then walked past Caden without even a glimpse in his direction, disappearing inside. Caden, on the other hand, glared after him the entire way. Only when Julian was gone did Caden step into the gazebo. “I know we seem cold and heartless sometimes, but …,” he began, his voice drifting off as he took the seat Julian had just vacated.

I gazed at his profile, at this beautiful but tortured creature. I was bursting to touch him. To lean up against him, to feel the contours of his shoulders beneath my fingers, to nuzzle my nose into his neck. Yet that little voice inside my head warned me against it for so many reasons. You’re no good for him! It whispered. You’re morphing! Soon, your touch will kill him! It reminded me. You may as well let him go now! Gritting my teeth, incapable of controlling myself, my hand cautiously reached forward, halting inches away from his, unable to close the distance. My throat clenched as jade eyes shifted to lock on my face, revealing nothing about the thoughts behind them. They slid down to study my hand hovering dangerously close to his but still, silence. Say something, Caden. Anything.

Suddenly, his fingers closed over my hand. He squeezed tightly, the contact waking up my entire body. I released the breath I’d been holding for far too long. My touch wouldn’t harm him yet. I leaned in against him.

“You guys are right. I know that. I just overreacted.” I admitted, pressing my forehead to his cheek, inhaling his scent. Caden’s body shifted as he wrapped his arm around my back. He didn’t speak.

“Girlfriend, huh?” I smiled, peering up shyly into his beautiful face. He returned the smile but I couldn’t help notice the twinkle missing from his eye, in its place, disquiet. Something was bothering him. I felt my own smile fading in reaction. He scooped me up and pulled me onto his lap, his strong arms wrapped around my waist.

“Do you know what drew me to you?” he asked quietly, his eyes rolling over my entire face, pausing on my mouth.

“My humanlike qualities,” I said, grinning.

“Well, I guess so.” He paused. “You are so human … so innocent.”

“You mean na?ve?”

One side of his mouth raised into a half-smile. But then the smile melted away, replaced with a stony mask. “I mean honest. It’s like you couldn’t lie. I loved that about you.”

Couldn’t. Loved. Past tense. My stomach did a nosedive into my frozen feet as dread surged. I didn’t know what was coming next, but I sensed it wouldn’t be good. Caden’s gaze shifted away from me. My mouth worked around a few words but finally gave up, incapable of forming them.

“Your honesty is what sets you apart from all the deception swirling around us. All the lies, the deceit. The vampires. This life that I’ve lived for seven hundred years. I knew I could trust you not to lie to me … until now.”

Like an arrow driven through my heart, Caden’s words paralyzed me with their crippling pain. The cold no longer mattered. I felt nothing but utter and complete wretchedness. “You can trust me,” I whispered, forcing the words past the giant lump in my throat. “I would never lie to you.” Liar! You’re lying right now! Omission is lying!

Caden’s jaw tightened. He paused before speaking again, as if hesitating. “Maybe not lie but … there’s something you’re not telling me. About Julian.”

My insides spilled out of my feet now and hit the cold snowy ground. Even with the Tribe’s magic masking my secrets, that inner toil over holding Julian’s secret was still obvious enough to Caden. Again, my mouth opened to speak but failed to form the much-needed words of defense. How could I deny it without it being a lie?

Caden’s hand found its way to my chin. Pinching it, he turned my face to meet his again. “I tried to kill you, Evangeline,” he said slowly.

I frowned, confused by the sudden change of topic. “Yes, but—”

He cut me off with a soft shushing sound. “And then you were sent out into exile for an indefinite time. It could have been forever. You knew nothing about what was going on. For all you knew, I was a blood-crazed evil maniac who had used you to get here. You were imprisoned with that guy. He’s not bad-looking, I guess.” Resentment seeped into his voice. “I’d understand if something … happened.”

“Happened?” I echoed, trying to get his meaning, my brow crinkling as I focused on the ground beside us, thoroughly confused.

“You know … between you two?”

Happened … My jaw dropped as the realization hit me. Of all things, I hadn’t expected that. Caden was … jealous? Seriously? I turned to find him watching me, his face expressionless, unreadable, but his stare screaming loudly. He believed there was something more to Julian and me than friendship, and he was jealous! Of course! No wonder he’d acted that way around Julian! If this wasn’t such a serious situation, I may have laughed. Caden? Like I could so much as bat an eye at another man after you?

Before I could speak, Caden started again, his jaw taut. “Don’t deny it, Eve. Don’t you dare even think about it. I heard you guys talking. Now. Before, when we first got here. I heard it all. And the looks you give him every time he’s with Amelie. Like you can’t stand it …”

In shock by this sudden change in direction, I furiously rifled through my memories of my conversations with Julian. I couldn’t remember exact details. We were careful about what we said. We hadn’t mentioned anything about the tattoo or the Sentinel. There was nothing! Nothing at all! Maybe … were we too careful? Were we so vague that, to an outsider lurking in the bushes, could it have been interpreted as a romantic tryst? And of course I couldn’t stand seeing Amelie and Julian together. They were doomed.

I slid my arms from Caden’s neck and folded them over my chest, studying the snowy ground as I struggled to form thoughts. Caden knew I was hiding something. Denying would make it worse. It would only drive a larger wedge between us. But I couldn’t tell him Julian’s secret. I’d be a death sentence for my friend. What did I do? Let Caden think I had cheated on him? Well, was it cheating? Under the circumstances … he’d all but given me the green light to do it. He had tried to kill me, after all.

A sick feeling roiled through me as my brain negotiated with my heart. As much as I despised the idea of Caden thinking I had been with Julian, it was his ego or my friend’s death. I had to choose. This moment would either kill Julian or save him. I knew what I had to choose. The lesser of two evils. Hadn’t I just finished saying I could never lie to him? Before I could chicken out, I forced the words out in a rush.

“It was only that one time.” Those six words wrenched out my insides. I didn’t dare look up as hot tears streamed down my cheeks, for fear of him seeing through my lie.

At first, only silence met my admission of guilt. But then I heard the sharp intake of air. Caden’s arms dropped from my body to his sides, ripping off a chunk of my humanity he loved so much with them. He said nothing. We sat in agonizing silence for what seemed like forever.

Finally, unable to bear it any longer, I hazarded a glance up. Caden’s eyes were distant, the pain of betrayal dancing within them. This was a thousand times worse than if he had stormed off. “I’m so sorry!” I cried. I’m sorry for lying to you.

“Did you …,” he began but didn’t finish, his jaw clenched.

“It was just a kiss!” I blurted out at the same time that he began shaking his head. “No, wait, I don’t want to know.” He rubbed at his brow with his fingertips.

I so desperately wanted to grab that hand and pull it to my chest, to have him tell me it was okay. But I dared not touch him or test him in any way, afraid of how he would react to my supposed betrayal. So I simply sat on his lap and waited.

Finally, so slowly, those strong arms found their way back to me, wrapping around my body once again, pulling me against his chest. “Please forgive me,” I managed to whisper beyond the sharp lump in my throat.

My body jolted back within his grasp as he pushed me away from his chest. He leveled me with an incredulous stare. “Forgive you? For what? There’s nothing to forgive! After what I did to you, I have no right to be angry.” Leaning back against the bench, he lifted his arms to cradle the back of his head. I watched quietly as he stared up at the sky, his Adam’s apple jutting out provocatively. With hesitation, I reached up and traced it softly with the tips of my fingers.

“You’re everything to me, Caden. Please believe me.”

After a long pause, his arms unfolded from the back of his head and his fingers entwined with mine. He tipped his head back down to stare at me with a burning intensity. “I do believe you,” he whispered, pulling my fingertips to his lips, setting fire to them despite the cold.

“I don’t know what I’ll do if I turn into one of those things. If I can’t do this,” I whispered, choked with emotion.

Caden’s jaw set firmly. “It’s not happening. It won’t happen.”

“Yeah, but …”

“It won’t happen! Stop thinking about it!” he yelled, his voice carrying through the empty, cold night as he pulled my head close to his chest. Though there was no warmth coming from his body, it still ignited heat within me. Then, abruptly, Caden was sitting up straight, his attention riveted toward the chateau, a guarded expression on his face. Two seconds later, the baying of wolves confirmed it.

“They’re here.”

And just like that, our time in the sleeping garden under the winter stars was over. In the next moment, my frozen body was enveloped in the warmth of the chateau again.

“You need to go change into something warmer now, Evie. You’re going to end up with pneumonia,” Caden scolded, herding me toward the foyer.

“Come with me,” I whispered, grasping his hand before he could break free.

A smile touched his lips, sparking joy in me. Maybe it wouldn’t matter that Caden thought Julian and I had something after all. “They need me down here … Max? You around?” In seconds, the tip-tapping of those claws announced my werebeast’s presence. Caden gave my icy hand a squeeze and then let it drop. “Max will go with you and then show you the way down to the meeting place, okay?”

“I’m going to meet Lilly?” I asked, surprised.

Caden nodded and I could tell he wasn’t happy with the idea. “Sofie wants you there for some reason. She thinks it’s important.”

“Okay,” I agreed, wanting nothing more than to curl up under my duvet with Caden and erase the worry, doubt, and pain that I had just falsely planted inside him. That would need to come later, though. He turned to walk away. “Caden! Stop!” I rushed forward and threw my arms around him, squeezing him like I might never be able to again, which was entirely possible. His hands slid down to caress the small of my back. “Don’t tell Amelie. Please,” I whispered in his ear. The fewer people involved in my lies, the better. Especially Amelie. Or, more specifically, crazy Amelie. I winced, almost able to feel the ground as she bashed my head against it. Caden pulled away, pausing to look down at me, a sting in his gaze that ripped out my heart.

“We’re all better off with her not knowing,” he finally agreed with a stern nod. Then he disappeared.

At some point during the day, a wardrobe of everything from sweaters and jeans to socks and underwear made its way to my room. I didn’t spend any time thinking about it, grabbing the first warm set of something that didn’t contrast too greatly. Yanking a rose V-neck over my head, I hurried Max out the door and tore down the flight of stairs, hoping to join the others in the meeting place before Lilly made it there. The last thing I wanted to do was make a grand entrance. That’d be like walking into a new classroom after a lecture had begun. Except that the entire classroom was full of vampires and instead of a stern look from the teacher, I could end up with missing limbs …

Max led me through a new wing of the chateau that I had not been in before. Turning a corner, I skidded to a halt to avoid slamming into a small horde of scruffy mountain men. These had to be the wolves! Yeti One and Yeti Two stood guarding a set of solid black doors. What did Sofie say their names were? Kiril and …? Seeing them tickled me with bittersweet familiarity. I knew nothing about them, had never uttered a single word to them, but being near them reminded me of Leo. They offered stiff nods to Max and me but said nothing. I had yet to hear them speak English. I wondered if they could. With a firm push, Yeti One propped a door open for me.

Stick close to me and keep quiet, Max warned.

Swallowing a gulp of air, I scooted by the yetis, ushering Max ahead of me into the room with my hands against his rump. I couldn’t help but be momentarily awestruck by the chosen location of this gathering. With the full height of the chateau looming over me, the massive unfurnished room must have played host to a royal ball or two in its day. Gothic stained-glass windows lined two walls behind a row of archways. An imposing, ornate fireplace filled the end. Not one but four enormous bronze candelabras illuminated the intricate marble floor. I caught the scent of fresh paint, which told me that the room had recently undergone work and yet, as I surveyed its vaulted ceilings, curving in an archway of sculpted plaster, I had to believe the room’s historical characteristics were original.

I quickly lost interest in the architecture, though. In the center of the room sat a ring of twelve chairs, none of them occupied. Six foreign faces loomed around the ring—all smooth as stone, all unreadable, all locked on me. My body had yet to warm from my senseless jaunt outside but my blood turned to ice, shivers skittering through my core. Way worse than being late for class…

A breeze, a brush of something against my back … Half turning, I felt Caden’s body pressing up behind mine, his mouth hovering over my right ear. My skin began to tingle. He thinks I betrayed him, my touch will soon be lethal, and yet he’s willing to protect me. With a trembling hand, I reached back to clutch his fingers. Taking a deep breath, I turned back to regard the group, now feeling marginally safer.

The six new faces stood as a poker-faced wall to oppose “the enemy”: Mage, Viggo, Sofie, and Mortimer. Amelie stood off in a corner with Julian tucked in behind her. Why he was here, risking his own safety, was beyond me. Why I was here was also questionable. No doubt Sofie had her reasons, though.

All except one of the vampires looked to be in their twenties to early thirties, based on physical appearance. And as usual, all were striking beyond measure. Four males stood side by side like soldiers, frozen and grim-faced, dressed in perfectly tailored dark clothing. Next to them, a brunette woman in a full-length red leather jacket and thigh-high stiletto boots faced off against Sofie, a pinched glare on her face. The little hairs on my neck lifted. That has to be Lilly. Such a pretty name for such a hideous thing.

As alarmingly scary as Lilly was, it was the female vampiress standing next to her who garnered my attention. It wasn’t because of the shiny black bob framing her tiny porcelain doll face; it wasn’t because of the way she eyed me, genuine curiosity sparkling in her pale blue irises, or that she was smiling. It was because she was a child! No more than twelve or thirteen in appearance, though she held none of the gangly or awkward traits of a prepubescent. Above all the fear and guilt that I stepped into this room carrying, my heart ached for this poor girl. What monster would transform a child?

Despite the tension in the room—thick enough to choke a person—I returned the little girl’s smile, finding solace in it. In a room full of vipers, this little creature appeared so refreshing, so innocent, so unpretentious …

Lilly spoke, her acrid voice ruining the moment. “She’s human,” she stated without so much as a glimpse in my direction, red lips twisting derisively.

“Only a little different, I sense …,” the child murmured with the most lovely British accent, her head cocking to the side. She had to be sensing the Tribal magic within me.

The sound of hands clapping bounced around the cavernous room. “Bravo, Kait,” Viggo said, his cold gaze settling on Lilly, needling her with a smirk. “I can see why Lilly has added you to her harem.”

I frowned. Wait a minute … If Lilly is Kait, then who is …

“Evangeline, meet Lilly,” Sofie introduced calmly, gesturing toward the child.

That’s Lilly? I gawked openly, shocked. This was the wicked, dangerous vampire who had everyone in a frenzy? Those pale blue eyes shifted to me again. “Hello,” I stumbled. With a struggle, I managed another smile.

She didn’t return it this time. “You tell me you are desperate for our help and that you have venom again, and yet you flaunt two humans, both fond of their vampire companions.” Lilly’s pointed at Caden and me to prove her claim. “Why on earth would I believe you? Please explain.” Listening to her speak, to her language, a prickle of discomfort crawled down my spine, the temporary sense of her innocence dissolving faster than sugar in boiling water.

Mage was the one who answered. “Try to sense her emotions, her mood and see if—”

“I already have,” Lilly cut her off in her childlike British lilt, pausing. “I can’t. She’s a blur.”

“Yes. That’s the effect of an anti-vampire magic coursing through her body due to … an unfortunate event,” Sofie explained. “We cannot convert her yet.”

“An unfortunate event? Another one of your mistakes?” Lilly’s tone had turned hostile. They glared at each other, exchanging a silent understanding. “Why is she here then? Why are either of the humans here?”

Good question, Lilly.

“I brought her here tonight because, well …” Sofie’s voice buckled slightly as if the next words pained her, “she means a great deal to me. Everything to me, in fact.” For just a second, her features softened. It only lasted an instant and then she was back to hard-ass Sofie, leveling Lilly with her confident gaze. “I could have hidden her from you. I didn’t. I want you to see that I am trusting you implicitly with all knowledge. That is how critical this situation is.” That’s why I was here? A sign of good faith?

Lilly seemed to consider that for a moment before she spoke again. “And what about your end of the deal for bringing us here? Are you going to uphold that?” This time, her question was directed at Viggo.

The corners of his mouth curved into a maddening grin. “Time will tell, I suppose.” Lilly’s eyes shifted to the four male vampires standing on the other side of Kait. Then, a smear of movement, a shout, a jostle. In the next instant, the sound of shattering glass filled the room as Caden crashed through a stained-glass window. Max’s massive body soared dangerously close to the fireplace, and a strong hand squeezed my jaw, twisting my head back to expose my neck. My knees buckled but my captor held me firm.

In another flash, Mage was across the room, restraining Caden who was covered in glass, speckles of quickly healing cuts on his face and neck. Mortimer had his broad arms wrapped around a snarling Max, yelling at him to keep back. Amelie had shoved Julian back behind one of the columns and stood in front of him in a fighting stance. Behind us, the doors crashed open and two giant wolves in full form appeared, growling, waiting for the order from Sofie to attack. In under five seconds, complete chaos had taken over the situation.

Only Sofie, Viggo, Kait, and Lilly remained motionless and composed.

“So what happens if Galen bites her?” Lilly asked calmly. I assumed Galen was the one holding me.

“Ask the last vampire who did,” Viggo responded.

“And where is—” Lilly began.

“Dead,” came his quick, flippant response. “Her teeth marks are still there on her neck if you don’t believe me.”

Sofie threw a fiery glare at him, a warning to shut up and stop goading her. His taunts were clearly working, based on Lilly’s glower as she regarded her nemesis. God—what have you done to her, you psycho? She paused for a moment and then she rephrased her question, her eyebrow arching. “What happens if Galen breaks her neck?”

“As we’ve already explained,” Sofie began, and I heard the ice trickle into her voice, “we cannot convert her because of the poison in her body. If Galen bites her, he will die.” The next sentence she delivered not as a warning or a possibility. It was with the certainty that the sun would rise and set. “If he breaks her neck, you will all die, right here, right now.” By the gleam in her eyes, by her stance, by the fury radiating off her like a fire’s heat, there was no doubt to anyone that Sofie was ready to unleash a magical assault that would rival Hiroshima’s blast. Even though it would be the worst mistake she could make, even though she would be dooming the fate of the entire world by retaliating, I could bet my life that she would torch this entire building if they killed me.

In that second, despite my perilous position, I silently thanked myself for keeping Veronique’s predicament a secret.

Sofie’s warning had the desired effect. With the smallest head tilt from Lilly, the viselike grip on my face loosened and the four vampires reformed their solid line. I stumbled back a step, struggling to stay upright as my legs wobbled. I needed Caden, his arms, his chest, his strength. Right now.

His furious eyes were glued on Galen, his nostrils flaring, pure hatred marring his beautiful face. I knew he was picturing how he would rip the vampire apart. I pleaded to Mage with my eyes. Don’t let him! Mage leaned in and whispered something in Caden’s ear and, as if her words slapped him out of whatever murderous rampage he was about to undertake, his head snapped back to me. Her hands slipped off his body and he moved behind me again, his arms wrapped tightly around me in a protective embrace. No one was separating us again, he was saying. I let my body fall into him.

“Now that we’ve cleared all that up.” Mage reassumed her position beside Sofie.

“Fine,” Kait spat, crossing her arms over her ample chest. “We have humans without poison coursing through their bodies. Let’s bring them here and test your venom on them.”

Viggo burst out laughing. “Well, then, what incentive would you have for helping us?” He made a tsking sound. “That’s not how these negotiations work. First you help us. Then we help you.”

“When have you ever helped anyone but yourself, Viggo?” she growled.

He answered with that infuriating grin of his.

“What exactly are you asking for help with?” Lilly interrupted their banter, annoyance obvious in her voice. She stepped forward and took a seat in the chair in front of her. It was a sign of good will, of trust that they wouldn’t try to strike her down. The others followed suit. Following and protecting their leader.

“We need to stop the end of the world as we know it,” Sofie answered without a moment of preamble. I surveyed their faces intently. To me, that should have garnered some sort of reaction. An eyebrow raise, a mouth twitch, something.

Nothing.

“Are you referring to the mess you’ve gotten yourself into with the witches and the Sentinel?” Kait’s smirk was galling.

“No, Kait,” Sofie replied softly. “I’m referring to the longstanding war that has now taken a turn for the worse. I’m talking about the firsthand experience of a war between vampire and Sentinel that has destroyed one world already and now threatens to destroy this one. Will destroy this one. You want venom to turn your human mate, Kait? What about saving all humans so you can continue wearing your gaudy outfits and living your life of luxury?”

Kait opened her mouth but faltered. No one else said anything. Sofie had their attention. She continued. “The end of humans—and possibly the end of us—is imminent, unless we do something about it. This war with the Sentinel and the sorceresses is guaranteed to spiral out of control. It is already headed in that direction.”

You could hear a pin drop for the silence in the room. Finally, Lilly cleared her voice. “For the last hundred or so years, you three have burrowed in New York, ignoring what was going on right under your noses, and now all of a sudden, we must save the world? Why? Because your palace was attacked?”

“And what has been going on, Lilly?” Mortimer asked, stepping forward to take the seat across from her. Another act of good will. Of collaboration rather than confrontation.

Galen drew a folded newspaper from the inside of his jacket and tossed it to the ground. I couldn’t read it from where I stood, but I didn’t need to.

“Jonah …” Mage muttered, her lip curled in disdain. Jonah was the mutant vampire who broke free of Viggo’s place against Mage’s orders.

Sofie sighed. “Yes, that’s a problem,” she admitted, adding, “but only a recent one.”

“And how long before the same headlines make it to reputable newspapers?” Galen spat back. “You caused this. We know he came from under your roof. How he got there in the first place, one must wonder.” He had a thick Italian accent. I didn’t like it.

“Yes, we did. I did. I will own that blame and I will take care of it,” Mage answered, her arms crossed over her chest. “It doesn’t change our need to work together to solve this impending doom.”

“Now you want to do something about it? Finally? While you’ve been decorating your palace, pretending that our enemies don’t exist, they’ve been getting stronger, more integrated into everything,” Lilly said.

“Integrated where, exactly?” Sofie asked.

Lilly looked down at her lap to study her childlike hands—hands that should’ve been adjusting doll clothes but were more likely used to choke the life out of grown men. “Oh, how about the military, the governments, police force, religious organizations … everywhere.”

Viggo rolled his eyes. “And how do you know this?”

“Because we haven’t been hiding in our hole like gophers,” Kait threw back at him. “We’ve been watching. Studying. Learning. Fighting.”

“And what have you learned?” Mortimer probed, ignoring her insult, though I could tell by his glower that he’d prefer to tear her head off.

A chorus of vicious laughter. “That’s not how these negotiations work,” Lilly purred, parroting Viggo’s earlier jibe. “We have something you want and you say you have something we want.” Her lip curled. “For all we know, this is one of your ploys to eliminate us.”

“Wake up, Lilly! Why would we want to do that now? With this force growing against us? There aren’t enough of us to fight as it is!” Mortimer answered, his voice rising to its typical booming level.

“Oh, I don’t know. I’m sure you’d find a reason. You’ve found reasons for the craziest ideas before.” Again, those furtive eyes going to Viggo.

“Now, now,” Viggo answered. “Be more cooperative, my dear Lilly. Your mother wouldn’t be proud of this attitude of yours.”

“You leave my mother out of this!” The suddenness of her shriek made me jump, her shrill voice piercing my eardrum. She was on her feet instantly, her cool, calm composure gone, her bottom lip quivering, appearing ready to burst into tears. She shook visibly, whether from anger or fear, I did not know. Maybe both.

“We are not lying, and we do need your help,” Mage said soothingly.

Kait snorted. “Why don’t you just create an army, then?”

“Now why didn’t we think of that?” Viggo retorted, his hands lifting to the sky dramatically, sarcasm thick in his tone.

“Four vampires in this world can transform a human and none of us will do it for the purposes of war,” Mage explained calmly, ignoring Viggo. She paused to look at the newspaper on the floor. “Well, five technically, though Jonah will be too busy murdering people to convert them.”

“Four?” Lilly asked, her voice calm again as she sat back down, her eyes dancing over the group. “I see three here.”

“Yes, one of us is … indisposed at the moment,” Mage answered, a sad smile on her face. “And he’s good for nothing more than getting himself killed right now. Creating vampires to fight against humans is exactly how the war in my world began. We’ll do anything we can to avoid a repeat.”

The six of them shared a puzzled what is she talking about? look with each other before turning back to Mage. “Your world?” Lilly murmured, again with an impish grin. It was fascinating, watching her switch from authoritative and cool to inquisitive child.

Mage nodded. “Sofie can give you all the details. Sofie?”

Sofie explained in the shortest way possible—her spell to counter the venom issue, my curse, and bringing the Ratheus vampires back, only to find out it’s a parallel world.

“Bloody witches and their magic,” Kait hissed. “I wish you’d all just die! We wouldn’t be dealing with any of this!”

“Well, if we don’t get a handle on this soon, your wish will come true. No witch will survive when the vampires are desperate for blood,” Sofie answered coldly.

There was another long pause and then Lilly folded her arms across her flat chest. “And how do you propose we help you?”

Sofie heaved a heavy sigh, as if she already suspected what their answer would be and it wouldn’t be favorable. “Give me your allegiance.”

I choked back at gasp. Sofie was asking Viggo’s arch nemesis to bind herself to her for eternity? Suddenly, I wanted to hug Mortimer for divulging information to me, so I could follow along with the conversation, as crazy as it was.

There was a long pause and then all six of them burst out in laughter, wide-eyed looks of amused shock. “First you tell us about this other world and now you ask us bind ourselves to you. This just seems too …” Lilly said between chuckles. She stood and the others followed suit.

“It must be done. I need to know that I can trust you. That’s the only way,” Sofie answered, a touch of pleading in her tone. “All of you pledge your allegiance to me and we will keep our end of this.” She turned to give Viggo a nod.

He vanished. Three seconds later, he appeared in the exact spot holding a bronze container.

“Viggo …” Sofie’s eyebrows arched in that knowing way. With a heave of exasperation, he leaned down and placed it on the ground in front of him, a pained look on his face as if reluctant to part with it.

Whatever it was, I could tell it was important to Lilly by the way she shifted on her feet and took a step forward. Kait put a hand on her forearm to hold her back. I watched as Lilly swallowed several times, the muscles in her neck cording.

“Pledge allegiance, and it’s yours,” Sofie said softly.

Lilly’s pained eyes flickered back and forth between the bronze thing and Sofie, a silent debate battling inside her mind. I wondered which side would win. Finally, her face turned hard. “I don’t believe you. You’re lying about this war,” she stated, as if passing a court ruling. “We’ll be leaving now, with the urn. You promised it to me for coming here and listening.”

My heart jumped. No, Lilly, she’s not lying. If only you could see … “She’s telling the truth. I was there,” I blurted.

Six heads whipped in my direction; six unsympathetic gazes settled on me. I shrunk back into Caden, longing to dissolve into the marble floor.

Sofie didn’t seem fazed by Lilly’s reaction. “I was afraid you’d say that.” She turned to Mage.

“Would you all please pay close attention to Sofie?” Mage instructed in a smooth croon, soft enough to lull a baby to sleep. As one, their heads turned obediently. She was compelling them! “Go on. Show them. Show them my world,” she said.

With a steely glare of determination, Sofie closed the distance to Mage and clasped hands with her. Then they stood, side by side, hand in hand, not moving, not speaking. I knew, though, with certainty, that a lot was happening, and it involved Sofie’s magic.

Six catatonic faces gazed at Sofie. I leaned back against Caden, gripping his forearm tightly, desperate to see what Sofie was showing them. I studied Lilly’s pale blue eyes with fascination as they drifted through seven hundred years of war, death, escape, and the evolving hell that Mage had come to know—the hell that Earth would become.

Suddenly, tiny red lines spidered across those blue irises, destroying their delicate beauty, taking away all impressions of the child before me. They were now the eyes of a hungry vampire. The same hideous transformation was happening in each of them. I turned my face to the side to bury it against Caden’s chest, unwilling to watch what had haunted so many of my nights.

Sofie’s musical voice broke the silence. “So now you have seen firsthand what will happen. Do not doubt that it will happen here as well.” Six heads jerked as if slapped out of their trances, all of them looking between Sofie and Mage, their heads shaking back and forth absently.

And then, like a switch going off inside Lilly, I saw her eyes narrow at Mage, her hands flexed at her thighs. It didn’t take long to learn why. “She’s the original!” she shrieked, throwing an accusatory finger at Mage, unmasking the ancient vampiress for what she could do. But how did Lilly know what the original vampire could do when even Sofie hadn’t known?

The announcement knocked the others out of their bewildered state. Feral hisses exploded in the room, transforming the place into a pit of snakes. Caden’s arms constricted around my body until I struggled to breathe. I was sure this was it. I was sure the war would begin here. My heart stopped, waiting for the initial explosion, wondering who would survive, who else I would lose. A scream sat on the tip of my tongue, a plea of mercy. For the briefest of seconds, an eerie silence hung over the room.

Lilly’s head whipped around and her gaze held mine ... It was only a second but those eyes … they were intentionally on me. And then … they vanished. All six of them. The last thing I saw was the trailing red leather of Kait’s long jacket as she passed through the already shattered window. So quick, so sudden an exit that my mind barely registered the sting as something sliced into my flesh. Not until a wet feeling trickled along my skin and I glanced down to see red fluid flowing freely down my arm, crawling over Caden’s hand, dripping onto the cream marble tile floor did the throb begin.

Someone had attacked me, and I was sure it was someone with a cute short bob and sweet sky blue irises.

“Oh God,” Amelie moaned from her corner in the room, scrambling back against the wall. Caden whipped my body around to face me. He grabbed hold to stare at the gaping gash running half the length of my forearm. Dropping my arm, he held out his hand. It was coated completely in my blood.

So much blood.

I sucked in a gasp as I saw those tiny red lines began to form, to grow, to pulsate. To show his overpowering hunger for me. For my blood. Blood that would kill him with just one taste.

“Caden! Back up right now!” Sofie screamed, her voice sounding distant and muffled as my own blood pounded inside my head, terror locking every muscle in my body. Caden’s jaw tightened. Slowly, he slid backward away from me. One step, another, another, away from me and my toxic blood. Then he bolted out the broken window.

“Caden!” Sofie yelled, panicked. “Mortimer, Viggo, please stop him before he attacks them.”

Mortimer and Viggo obliged for once without a single word. As they passed me, I caught Viggo’s quick scan of my arm. His nostrils flared, the faintest lines of red forming in his eyes. Even Viggo was struggling.

The next few moments felt like an out-of-body experience. I hardly registered cool hands gripped around my waist. Mage, standing beside me and holding me steady in case I toppled over. I heard the sound of ripping fabric as Sofie ripped a strip off the bottom of her black turtleneck. My thoughts were consumed by one thing and one thing only: what would one drop of my blood do to Caden?

“Hold her arm up,” Sofie instructed Mage, and my arm was instantly yanked up into the air. Sofie wrapped the strip around my bicep and tied it off, mumbling absently, “We have to stop the bleeding … get rid of this blood … Kiril!” she shouted. The door burst open and Yeti One appeared. “Towels. Now,” she ordered. He disappeared without a word.

A soft whimper sounded from somewhere in the room. Sofie’s head whipped around. “Max! Get Amelie out of here. Now!” she barked. Max didn’t need to do much. Amelie was already scurrying past with her head down, Julian following closely, his eyebrow drawn with worry as he looked at me.

I’ll be fine, I mouthed with uncertainty. Unless Lilly kills Caden … The thought buckled my knees. Mage’s firm grip held me upright.

Kiril appeared beside us with a handful of towels. Sofie wasted no time snatching them out of his hands. With adept fingers, she wound my arm tightly, careful to minimize my blood on her person. “How are you holding up?” she asked Mage through pursed lips.

“Just get it covered,” Mage said, her nose wrinkled as if she were fighting a repulsive odor. She was, to a degree. My blood, so teasing, so provoking … so noxious.

“Evangeline?” I heard my name called out, but I hardly recognized its owner. Someone was finally acknowledging me. “Are you dizzy? In pain?” the voice asked, like an underwater murmur.

“No …” I answered numbly, thinking that was the right answer as I stared at the pool of blood now formed on the floor beneath me. My toxic, leprous blood. My blood is poison. I am poison. I will kill Caden.

Just like Sofie killed Nathan. Then I’d be like her, laying flowers on a tombstone. The pattern in the marble floor began to swirl and dance beneath me. I lifted my eyes to the gaping hole where Caden had run out. He was gone now. Would he come back? He would be smart not to. It was only a matter of time before I killed him …

“Evangeline!” Sofie called out sharply.

My head snapped up. “What?” I barked, the edge in my voice unintentionally harsh.

She tempered her tone. “How do you feel?”

“Like my arm was just sliced open,” I mumbled, all the while an inner voice inside me screamed at the top of her lungs—uncontrollable, incoherent screeching. I gave my head a shake, trying to silence the rising panic. “What happened?”

“Lilly cut you with a piece of glass,” Sofie explained, “and your blood is exceptionally potent now.” She wrapped another towel around my arm. “Damn it! I wish I could heal this!”

“Exceptionally potent?” I echoed her slowly.

“Yes, it’s more enticing than it used to be. There’s something about it … I can’t peg what it is … it’s harder to resist.” She finished tying the rag, her jaw taut. “There. That should stop the bleeding for now.” I winced. The rag was tight.

“This is another part of this change I’m undergoing, isn’t it?” I couldn’t keep the reproachful tone out of my voice.

She blinked several times. Minty irises lifted to touch my face—unconcealed, raw emotion in them—and back down to my arm again so fast I almost missed it. With a heavy exhale, she whispered, “Yes. I believe it might be.”

Another sign of what was to come. I stifled a sob. “Fantastic. So the Fates have wrapped my diseased body up into a nice big bloody bow for you all!” I was yelling now but I couldn’t help it. It was that or break down and cry.

“You’re not diseased,” Sofie’s voice was now tranquil again but her words flat, dead.

“That’s easy for you to say. It’s not you! It’s never been you going through this!”

She flinched as my callous words slapped her across the cheek. But I didn’t let up. I took it one step further. Reaching forward, I grabbed onto her forearm with my good hand and dug my nails into her flesh. Each word came out slow, precise, and sharp as a razor blade. “You need to fix this. Now!”

Her jaw clenched as she looked at me again, her face an ocean of worry and regret and defeat thinly veiled by her natural strength. She said nothing, though. What could she say? She’d try. That’s what she’d do. And when she did, well … there was a definite pattern here. Ask the Fates for help and they helped, with a side of “new curse” to screw you over in some other way. So she’d solve this—before or after my eyes turned yellow and I killed my friends with a graze of my finger, was up for debate. What next, though?

“What’re we going to do?” I asked softly, my voice, my words, my everything suddenly deflated.

She grasped my good hand in both of hers. “I will fix this,” she promised, her voice shaky. “Please, stay strong.” Her eyes squeezed shut and when they opened, any sign of the vulnerable Sofie was gone. “And you will go get this taken care of. Now. Ivan!” She called through gritted teeth.

Yeti Two appeared immediately. “Please stitch her up. The bathroom at the end of the hall is fully equipped,” she instructed as she tossed the remaining towels over the small pool of my blood on the marble. “And send in the staff to clean this up. Quickly.”

With a curt soldierly nod, Ivan marched over and seized my good arm without a word. I turned back to Sofie.

“Go!” Sofie ushered with a waving hand. “You’re safe with him. They don’t crave blood. Keep pressure on your wound.”

“Okay.” I turned to follow Ivan out the door. The crunch of broken glass under boots stopped me. My head snapped to the gaping window to see Mortimer and Viggo passing through. I waited. And waited, my heart hammering furiously. Come on … please … Please! A third figure came through. Ivan gripped my arm to support me as relief ransacked my body. Caden’s eyes were immediately on me. Beautiful jade eyes. He had come back to me. I hadn’t killed him. I felt a tug on my arm. My legs locked up stubbornly, no longer willing to follow Ivan. I twisted and shook my arm to no avail, desperate to break free and run to Caden’s side.

“They got away,” Mortimer announced, adding in “thankfully.”

“Well, I should say that went well!” Viggo strode over to where the urn used to sit, his face twisted in displeasure. One of her friends must have grabbed it. Not Lilly. She was too busy mutilating me. If my blood still had any impact on Viggo, I couldn’t tell. He didn’t even bat an eye in my direction. He couldn’t care less, I knew that. Lilly could’ve escaped with my head and he’d react the same. I am a fly, an inconvenient pest to him. I was okay with that …

He continued on with his sarcastic tirade. “What’s your next brilliant plan, oh, wise one? Now that she has the one piece of leverage I had over her and she knows what Mage is, why would she ever come back? We have no edge!”

“We don’t want an edge, Viggo,” Sofie spat back. “We need their help. We need them to trust us. That was our peace offering.”

Ivan tugged on my arm again. This time I yanked it away “What happened exactly?”

Sofie sighed. “Mage compelled them to hold still, allowing me to channel her memories through to them. I showed them everything. They saw firsthand what happened on Ratheus. Lilly figured out what Mage is. She knows what an original can do.” Sofie paused. “Her mother was the original vampire.”

My eyes shifted to Viggo as a knot formed in my belly. There was something there … the pieces were sliding into place. Viggo had something to do with the original’s death—that much I knew. That meant he had something to do with Lilly’s mother’s death. He probably killed her. That would explain Lilly’s hatred for him.

The mother-killer stared back at me with a smug smile, likely aware of the puzzle pieces I was putting together in my head. I hate you! I want you to die! I hope Lilly kills you after all of this! If it weren’t for everyone else here, I’d throw the towels on the ground and run toward him. Let my blood kill him! I had to force my hatred down as I dismissed the thought, turning back to Sofie. “So what now? Clearly she’s not happy.” I held my arm up as evidence.

“Now … you go get that stitched up before your blood turns us all mad!” Sofie yelled. She never yells at me. Cowering slightly, I glanced at Caden. He nodded to the door, his jaw clenching as his eyes grazed my arm.

Terrified I’d see those spider veins again, I willingly followed Ivan out.