Anathema (Causal Enchantment, #1) (21 page)

I thought back to that night, tucked into the
alcove with Caden … those deep pools that were his eyes, pulling me
in. I remembered, alright.

“
I know; it’s hard not to like me,”
Amelie said, throwing her arm around my shoulder. “I’m extremely
charming.”

“
And so modest,” Fiona murmured,
dipping her hand into the water to splash Amelie. Smiling, she put
her hand on my arm. “Don’t worry. We’ll keep you safe. Nothing will
happen to you.” Her smile suddenly faded as her eyes dropped to my
pendant.

“
What’s wrong?” I asked, a second
before I noticed the constant burning against my chest begin to
fade. I looked down in time to see the fire in my pendant blink
out, leaving the heart its original dull black.

Fiona quickly slid away from me, pulling her
hand back as if I’d just admitted that I had a communicable
disease. Amelie’s arm dropped from my shoulder as well, but it was
to grasp my hand tightly in hers.

“
Let go of her,” a voice shouted
behind us. I turned to see Caden rush in, Rachel on his
heels.

“
It might work,” Amelie
murmured.

She’s trying to come back with me,
I
realized
.

“
That’s not the issue, Amelie,”
Caden yelled.

“
I won’t hurt her,” she
snapped.

“
You have no way of knowing
that.”

I didn’t hear the rest of the
argument.

T
he first thing I saw was the
clock on the bedside table. Two in the afternoon. The second thing
was Max’s giant snout, welcoming me with a rub against my
cheek.

Amelie.

I rolled over to find the other side of my bed
was empty. It hadn’t worked. I exhaled slowly, feeling a twinge of
disappointment.
If only it could be that easy.

“
What happened last
night?”

I yelped in surprise at the sound of Sofie’s
voice, and bolted upright. She was standing at the end of my bed,
along with Viggo and Mortimer.

“
You’re a jumpy girl, aren’t you?”
Mortimer observed, smirking.

“
Do you blame her, with everything
that’s happened to her?” Viggo retorted.

“
What happened last night?” Sofie
repeated, ignoring them.

“
Nothing.”

“
Did you learn anything new?” she
continued.

“
Yes … they’re all vampires,” I
sneered, hoping that being unpleasant would give me some level of
satisfaction. It didn’t.

Viggo smiled warmly. “You’re still angry with
Sofie. We understand.” He walked over to sit on the edge of my bed,
reaching for my hand.

Max growled.

“
Okay, okay, I understand, Max.
You’re worried about her.” He smiled soothingly at the dog and
placed his hands in his lap. “Tell us about your night. And why are
you wearing those dreadful rags?”

I eyed him suspiciously.
Is Caden right? Am
I a naïve fool, falling for the act of a psychopath in
disguise?

Glancing down, I saw the dark clothes Caden had
given me to protect me from the army of vampires ready to tear me
apart. “All the humans are gone. Extinct. Killed by vampires over
seven hundred years ago,” I said flatly. “Apparently they have more
bad vampires than good.”

“
What?” Viggo’s brow furrowed. “Tell
us everything.”

When I finished recapping the war on Ratheus,
Mortimer and Sofie’s expressions were beyond grim. Only Viggo
smiled. “Well, this is good news!” he exclaimed.

My brow furrowed. “How is this good
news?”

“
They’ll be more than willing to
help you get out of there! What does this world look
like?”

“
I don’t know. I didn’t see much of
it. They’re hiding me in this mountain cave with this amazing oasis
that you can swim in, except they don’t have bathing suits because
they don’t have anything. No electricity, no books, no nice
clothes—”

Mortimer interrupted my rambling. “So they’re
all seven hundred years old?”

I nodded. “At least. And there’s a council of
vampires who dictate everything. They’re thousands of years old.
They’ll kill me if they get hold of me, according to
Caden.”

“
Oh, this Caden is smart. It’s best
you stay away from them. We don’t want one of them coming back
here.”

Is Caden smart enough to see through your
mask, Viggo?

“
What’s wrong, Viggo, feeling
threatened by someone older than you?” Sofie said, smiling
haughtily.

He responded with a tight–lipped smile of his
own.

Leo entered silently then, carrying a steaming
cup of coffee for me. I wanted to throw my arms around the sweet
old butler.

“
Did the necklace tell you
anything?”

I shook my head, my eyes darting briefly to
Sofie as I took a sip from the mug, remembering her
warning.

“
That’s too bad,” Viggo
said.

“
What does she need to do?” Mortimer
demanded of Sofie.

She thought for a moment. “Not sure. This makes
things a little more complicated. She may only be able to bring one
back, so how can she choose …”

“
I don’t care if the rest of them
rot alone there, as long as one comes back.” Mortimer’s teeth were
clenched in anger.

“
Mortimer!” Viggo chastised. “A
little compassion!”

Sofie spoke quickly. “She can bring them some
things—an act of kindness, given their predicament. Maybe they’ll
be more inclined to keep her safe.”

Bribery.

Mortimer’s eyes narrowed in suspicion. “I
thought you said things can’t transfer.”

“
I said
living
things,”
Sofie replied in a condescending tone. “People. But I have an idea
that might work.”

“
Wonderful, Sofie,” Viggo said. “The
first one you’ve had in a while … Why don’t you get on that right
away? There’s money in the library desk.”

Sofie forced a smile. “Of course, Viggo. I just
need to get an idea of sizes and needs from Evangeline.”

Several hours later, I slid my arms through the
straps of an over–stuffed mountain bag. It was the same height as
me and likely equaled my weight, making it impossible for me to
walk while wearing it. Sofie, with her inhuman strength,
effortlessly propped it up against the bed frame so it wouldn’t
topple over as she adjusted all the straps.

“
What’s in here?”

“
Just some things for your
friends.”

“
To bribe them?”

She glanced up at me. “It doesn’t matter why.
Think about how happy they’ll be when you give it to
them.”

Like how happy I was to come to New York
and get showered with gifts, only to find out that I’m cursed?
“And what happens when I bring one back? Do they just have to bite
someone and you’ll be happy?”

“
Something like that,” she murmured.
“There, I think those should hold.” She gently patted the
straps.

A thought crossed my mind. “Did you pack blood?
Human blood?”
I can’t believe I’m asking that.

With lips pursed, she shook her
head.

“
Why not?”

“
It’s for the best.”

What would it do to them?
I
wondered.

She turned and leaned back against the bed so
she was sitting beside me. “Human blood tends to overpower all of
our senses and logic. After seven hundred years, they’ve likely
learned to compartmentalize that hunger, even think that they’ve
forgotten it. They don’t need to be reminded. It would be cruel.
And I don’t want them distracted from keeping you safe.”

I tried to adjust my position but couldn’t. The
bag may as well have had bricks in it. “I don’t know how those
Sherpas walk up mountains with these things strapped to their
backs,” I mumbled, earning a soft chuckle from Sofie. “Do you think
this will work?”

She nodded. “Think so.”

“
What’s in here?”

“
Just some clothes for the girls
and—”

“
For all of them?” I silently hoped
she had forgotten about Rachel.

“
Oh, that’s right. Which one is it
you don’t like, again? Rachel?”“ she asked, smiling
secretively.

My eyes narrowed. I hadn’t told her. “Get out
of my head!”

She chuckled. “I can’t read your mind, just
your mood,” she answered casually. “There was a spark of anger
before, when you mentioned Rachel. I’m sensing jealousy right now.
Perhaps something to do with this Caden?”

I dropped my gaze, flushing.
Am I that
obvious?

She chuckled again but then her expression grew
solemn. “Just remember, that necklace disguises your human traits,
but it doesn’t make you indestructible. She can still kill
you.”

It was finally time I asked. “Sofie, how does
this spell work?”

She heaved a loud sigh. “It’s complicated.” She
glanced over and saw my frustration. “I’ll explain the basics.” She
stretched her legs out in front of her. “There are two kinds of
spells. Little, easy spells that you can learn and do anytime,
anywhere—start fires, disguise yourself, that kind of stuff. But
then there are other spells, where you’re directly altering
fate—life and death. That’s a Causal Enchantment spell.”

“
Is that what you cast on
me?”

She nodded. “Those spells draw on energies from
the earth—everything from the atmosphere to inert materials you use
every day. They also draw on the emotions of the spell–casters,
even if those feelings are deeply buried. Arguably, these emotions
are what form the end result of the spell. The spell itself, though
ethereal, becomes a life force as it weaves these other sources
together. It is set when it decides on the most suitable response
to the spell–caster’s dilemma and imprints the knowledge within his
or her mind.”

I tried picturing something intangible weaving
other intangible things into an invisible blanket that would send
me to another universe. It sounded like something a group of
hippies on acid might have long debates over.

“
So, when you cast the spell on me,
you didn’t know it would send me to this other world?”

She paused, glancing at Max, who lay by my
feet. She nodded. “Something like that. But that’s all I can tell
you.”

We sat in silence for a long time. When I
glanced at the clock, it was almost midnight.

“
You’ll be going soon,” Sofie
confirmed. “At twelve, every night.”

My stomach started churning, partly anxious
about what was waiting and partly excited to see them again—to see
Caden, even if he thought I was a complete moron. “Is there
anything else I should know?”

She looked suspiciously at Max. “Why don’t you
go see the others?”

He groaned in response and rolled onto his
side, making it clear he had no intention of moving.

“
Damn mutt,” she muttered under her
breath.

“
Why don’t you like Max?” I asked,
wondering what could spawn such hatred for a dog.

“
He betrayed me once,” she said,
eyeing him. “Though he did redeem himself recently by saving you.
But I still don’t trust him.”

“
Betrayed … like, bit you?”
How
does a dog betray anyone?

She chuckled, shaking her head. She glanced at
the clock and at Max again before deciding something. She turned to
me and whispered so low I almost didn’t hear, “If you find Merth,
bring it back. As much as possible. But don’t mention it to Viggo
or Mortimer.”

I nodded, curiosity drawing my brows together.
What could she possibly do with it? It’s dangerous to her,
isn’t it?
I didn’t bother asking. I figured she’d lie
anyway.