Anathema (Causal Enchantment #1)(22)
Author: K.A. Tucker

I stood there, wide–eyed with both amazement and horror.

“Don’t worry, Bishop’s fine,” Caden said, strolling over to gently squeeze my shoulder. “It’s next to impossible to catch one of us unaware like that. Impressive.”

“What was Fiona distracting him with?” I asked, frowning. But then I saw the devilish smile she gave him and his answering grin, and I had a good idea what it was. I turned away, flushing.

Caden cast his hook into the water and seated himself on a boulder. I followed suit, glancing around to check for snakes. “So how long have they been together?”

“They met during the war. Bishop had just been turned and he was lost. It’s not a natural process, the transition to what we are. He likely would have been killed in the war, had Fiona not taken to him. She took him under her wing, helped him. They’ve been together ever since.”

“Wow. Seven hundred years? That’s a long time to be with one person.”

Caden smirked. “For a human, yes. Human desires change with age. People outgrow one another. It’s different with us. Every day with Fiona feels like the first day Bishop met her—the sparks, butterflies, all that.”

“Butterflies … I thought that was a chick thing,” I muttered.

“No, definitely not,” Caden murmured, glancing peculiarly at me before turning back to his rod.

“What about you and Amelie? Were you … turned in the war?”

Caden shook his head. “An attack about forty years before the war.” He paused. “I was twenty–four. Amelie was twenty–one. Our parents ran a horse ranch, thoroughbreds—The Jennings Resort for Horses, some called it. One night we heard this awful sound coming from the barn. My father grabbed his shotgun, expecting to scare off some thieves. When we hadn’t heard from him for too long, I grabbed another gun and headed out. Amelie and our mother followed with flashlights. We got to one of the barns and …” Caden’s voice fell; he stared out at the placid water. “There were rumors of strange things happening at cattle and horse farms but nothing could have prepared us … Every horse in that barn was dead, their throats torn out, blood sprayed over the walls, the hay—everything. Mom and Amelie ran to get the police while I checked out the other barns, looking for my father …” Caden’s voice drifted off and he sat for a moment, deep in thought. “I found him lying beside one of his prize–winning stallions. And that’s where they found me—I never even saw a face.”

I noticed the tip of his fishing rod dip, but Caden didn’t seem too concerned.

“They decided Amelie and I were too appealing to waste—we’d make good additions.” His voice was edged with bitterness.

“I’m so sorry, Caden,” I said softly. And I was. It pained me to know that he and Amelie had suffered so.

He gazed down at his hands, a haunted smile on his face. “Do you realize that’s the first time I’ve ever heard those words from anyone?”

My heart sank. I wanted to wrap my arms around him, to comfort him, to take his grief away.

I glanced over to the others as Amelie leapt into the air, squealing with excitement about the fish dangling at the end of her hook.

“So … Caden Jennings,” I said aloud. Evangeline Jennings, the voice in my head said. I shook my head, feeling foolish.

He sighed. “In another time, yes. Amelie is all that’s left of my family. At least we found Bishop and Fiona.”

What about Rachel?

I noticed that the pile of fish had grown quickly as we talked. There was enough there to supply a supermarket. “So Bishop’s pet is going to eat all of those?” I nodded at the silvery mound. “How big is this pet, exactly?”

The end of my rod dipped, followed by a second, then a third tug—the last one sharp. “I think I caught something!” I whispered, as if speaking too loud would let the fish know he was ensnared on a sharp hook. Like he’s not already well aware of that.

“Reel it in!” Caden exclaimed. As if in response, the tugging became fierce and frantic. It was all I could do to grip the rod in my injured hand. Caden reached around me and placed his hands over mine, helping me wind the reel. “Almost,” he murmured, his mouth close enough that his voice tickled my ear.

I’m going to pass out, I thought, feeling a strange excitement ripple through my body. By the time the line was out of the water, I was too busy trying to stop my hands from trembling under his to notice a fish three times the size of the others dangling off my hook.

“Big Brown’s gonna love that one!” Bishop hollered.

“Who’s Big Brown?” I croaked, allowing myself to release the breath I’d unknowingly held during the entire ordeal.

“He is,” Bishop said, jerking his chin toward someone behind me.

I turned, expecting to see another cat. Instead, a grizzly bear with fur the color of milk chocolate lumbered toward us, equivalent in size to a young elephant I’d once seen at the Portland Zoo. It was eyeing the prize at the end of my rod—or me; I wasn’t exactly sure which yet. My mouth opened to scream but no sound came out.

“It’s okay,” Caden whispered calmly, pulling me closer to him, his other arm slowly wrapping protectively around me. “No sudden movements and it’ll be okay.”

I couldn’t move if I wanted to. Caden’s arms were like a vise. “He’s big,” I managed to whisper. Big enough to slice me into six pieces with one swing of his paw. The ground shook as the bear neared us. I tasted bile in my throat. “I’m going to be sick,” I groaned, wanting to give Caden some warning. I turned my face, praying he was out of range. I’d rather be torn apart by this beast than puke on Caden.

Big Brown stooped to sniff the fish on my line and then, with one lightning–quick chomp, bit the thing right off the line and swallowed it whole—hook, leech, and all. He continued on to the pile of fish behind Amelie and devoured it in mere seconds. No one moved.

With that pile done, he ambled over to stand in front of Bishop, stooping so that their eyes were level. After a minute–long menacing stare–down, Big Brown simply turned and barreled away, disappearing within seconds.

“No signs of anyone coming,” Bishop said. “He can tell you’re not one of us,” he added, looking at me.

“So he’s like Scout. And Max,” I confirmed.

“Yes, only less predictable,” Caden answered, his arms dropping from their protective embrace around me.

I took that as my signal to slide away from him, to allow for the appropriate amount of space. I began inching away.

“You seem cold. If you’re warmer next to me, you should stay put.”

I bit my lower lip. Before catching the fish, I had been contemplating taking off my pink fleece hoody. Even in the shadows of the trees, the air was muggy. “I am a bit cold,” I lied, faking a shiver. Caden turned his attention back to the river, a knowing smirk on his face. Could he tell I’m lying? “So … that’s Big Brown,” I said, changing the topic.

Caden chuckled. “It’ll take some time before he lets you rub his belly.”

“And he eats fish? He’ll need a lot more than that pile.”

“That’s just it. He’s a bottomless pit. I think he’s devoured half the deer population around here in a few weeks; we’ll be fighting with him over food soon enough. Bishop didn’t know what he was getting himself into. He should have stuck with wolves; even a cougar would have been a wiser choice. This one’s a lot more work to feed and much more difficult to convert.”

“Really? Don’t you just have to bite them?”

Caden chuckled, shaking his head. “It’s the same process as converting a human—with venom—but grizzlies fight back and they’re vicious. More than likely, the animal will rip you to shreds before you can pump enough venom into him. You’ll heal, of course, but … It took Bishop three tries. You should have seen him.” Caden released another chuckle. “He was practically naked when he stumbled into the cave, his clothing bloody and shredded to pieces.”

My eyes went wide. “Well, why would he do it, then?”

Caden paused, choosing his words. “Cougars and wolves make fierce allies. They’re quick, fierce, and follow command like a programmed soldier. They usually travel in packs, making it easier to take down a vampire if they have to. Their teeth are strong enough to tear him or her apart and then carry the heart to us so we can burn it.” He stopped talking, a funny smirk on his face. “You’re looking at me like I have two heads,” he commented.

“I’m sorry … heart?”

He grinned. “Yes, we still do have hearts in here.” He thumped a fist against his chest. “All of our organs are still there. I guess they’re basically ornaments now, though. Useless. Except our heart.”

“Don’t forget to tell her about that other organ that still serves a useful purpose,” Bishop boomed. “You know, our—”

Fiona cut him off with a swift whack across the chest. “You’re a regular Casanova,” she muttered, shaking her head. Behind her, Amelie was giggling.

“So, your heart still works?” I blurted, getting flustered as I realized what Bishop was about to say.

Caden was shaking his head, eyes downcast, smiling to himself. I wasn’t sure if it was at my loss of composure or at Bishop’s brazenness. “Our heart,” he began again, glancing over at Bishop, who was grinning like the Cheshire cat, “still beats and pumps blood through our veins. As long as our heart remains within our bodies, we can regenerate. And it’s strong. Piercing it with a wooden stake or a sword won’t kill us, unless the weapon is on fire. That’s the only definite way to kill one of us—burn our heart, either with our body or on its own. If you can get it out of us, that is.”

“Once,” Amelie spoke up, “I saw a vampire’s head get cut off and thrown aside. A few minutes later, the body stumbled around, looking for it. When it picked it up and ‘plugged’ it back in, all the flesh mended itself. Good as new.”

“Oh, come on!” I looked skeptically at her.

“Honest. Scout’s honor!” She held up two fingers.

I glanced at the others, expecting to see a hidden smirk or the crook of a smile.

“Well, don’t say I didn’t warn you!” Amelie chirped.

“Always burn them,” Fiona said in a serious tone. “That way, you know they can’t come back and hunt you down—because, believe me, they’ll be pissed.”

“As if any human would get a chance in the first place,” Bishop muttered sarcastically.

Caden nodded in concession. “Back to Big Brown. A pack of cats or wolves can’t match the ferocity of one grizzly. Having an animal that powerful at your command, especially in a situation like this, where we need all the protection we can get—that’s why Bishop did it. One of those things will rip a heart right out of a chest cavity and eat it … good luck trying to get that back.”

I glanced over at Bishop, lying precariously on a bed of rocks, flicking Fiona’s ear. He still looked like that easygoing, sometimes obtuse cool kid from high school. Not exactly someone who ever paid an ounce of attention to me, let alone willingly battled a two ton animal three times for my protection.

My heart swelled.

As the shadows lengthened and the dappled sunshine faded, the first pangs of hunger rumbled in my stomach. I was sure it was a mistake—I hadn’t been here that long, had I? It rumbled again, this time loud enough to attract Caden’s attention. He looked down at my stomach, then up at my face, concern sweeping over his. “Time to go!” he announced. “The human is hungry.”

I shrugged it off, not wanting to disrupt their fun. “I’m okay.”

“No you’re not. Come on!” He hopped to his feet, whistling.

“What am I, a pet?” I quipped.

Caden threw an arm around my shoulders and pulled me close to his chest, scratching behind my ear.

“Ha–ha,” I said sarcastically, hazarding a peek up to find those beautiful jade eyes gazing back, an inexplicable look in them. You are so unbelievably hot. My heart began thumping wildly in my chest. Thank God the pendant masks that.

“Ready to go?” Caden asked, chuckling.

I nodded dumbly. Anywhere. I’ll go anywhere with you.

“Looks like chicken feed,” Bishop commented dryly, his nose scrunching up in disgust as I inhaled three nature bars. They had found me some figs and berries to snack on but the exertion of walking up the mountain drove my hunger to levels of starvation.

I good– humoredly elbowed him in the stomach, wincing as my funny bone cracked against his rock hard muscles. He bellowed laughter, earning an eye roll from Fiona.