Anathema (Causal Enchantment #1)(19)
Author: K.A. Tucker

“So that’s a myth?”

“Oh no, it’s not. But it won’t work on you. We think it’s because of your necklace. Caden tried the first night, before Jethro came, to keep you quiet, remember? But you started yammering away again.” Amelie’s hand opened and closed like a yapping mouth, teasing me.

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.

13. Bribery

The 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.

I squealed in surprise as the weight of the hefty mountain bag yanked me backward. I landed on my back, my arms and legs flailing wildly, at least two feet above the hard cave floor. “It worked!” I cried out.

Sofie had made sure the harness fit snuggly. Shifting my weight around, I quickly confirmed that no amount of wiggling was going to break me free. So I settled on lying there in the dark, helpless, waiting for rescue like a turtle flipped onto its shell.

A low chuckle sounded in the darkness, sending a shiver down my spine.

“Hello?” I called warily, my voice cracking.

There was a pause, then a loud strike. The cave flooded with torchlight. My heart skipped a beat when I saw Caden’s dimpled smile; another shiver ran down my spine.

Caden approached slowly, shaking his head in disbelief. “Would you like some help?” he asked innocently, towering over me, his green eyes twinkling.

He’s different today. More playful and much, much more relaxed. “No, I’m comfortable. I think I’ll stay like this today,” I answered calmly. Inside, I was as giddy as a thirteen–year–old at a boy band pop concert.