Anathema

  My knowledge caught Sofie by surprise. “How do you—oh yes, of course,” she muttered, glancing at Max. “You have a tour guide.”

  Max snorted. Hola!

  “Yes, it’s nice not to be left in the dark sometimes,” I said sardonically.

  “I didn’t think it was worth mentioning,” Sofie retorted. “But if you’re eager to know, Viggo and Mortimer imported Carlos and Camila from Columbia about twenty–five years ago. They come from old money—lots of it—so it wasn’t too difficult to convince people they could afford a square block in Manhattan. Mortimer has been using them as a cover, but they’ve outlived their purpose.”

  I frowned. “So what happens with them now?”

  Her eyes flashed toward me, the look revealing. “Dinner … or perhaps breakfast. Or several snacks. Whenever the mood strikes them next, I would suspect. Oh, don’t feel too sorry for them,” Sofie added when she saw the horror on my face. “Dear Mr. Forero comes from a long line of Columbian drug lords—what a stereotype, right?” She chuckled wryly. “He wouldn’t think twice about having you disposed of because you glanced at him disrespectfully.”

  I pictured the arrogant man who had strolled past me earlier. Okay, but …”Well, what about his wife and his children?”

  “They’re not much better. Camila has a stake in a diamond mining operation—a family inheritance—that employs children as young as eight. Viggo said the working conditions are atrocious, at best.”

  “Maybe she doesn’t know?” I offered.

  “Oh, Evangeline …” Sofie chuckled. “She visits the mines regularly.”

  “Well, his kids can’t be that bad. They’re still young enough, right?”

  “Julian is twenty–one and Valentina is your age,” she confirmed. “I suppose I wouldn’t call them evil yet. Julian hasn’t done anything too horrendous. They may have had a chance if they’d been separated from their parents, but look at their role models! As close–minded as it may sound, they’re doomed to go down the same path as their parents. It’s too bad, though. Julian is handsome.”

  I had to agree, recalling the young man’s Latin good looks, his thick, dark hair and ebony eyes. He was ordinary next to Caden, but still definitely handsome by human standards.

  “Well. Can’t they kill the parents and set the kids free? Give them that chance?” I wondered.

  Sofie turned to stare at me in surprise. “They could—but they won’t.”

  “Well, can’t you say something?”

  A noncommittal shrug, then a contemplative expression flitted across Sofie’s face.

  I glanced at my watch. Getting close … Excitement stirred in my stomach; I’d see Caden again soon! But that was followed by the sickly dread that my time with him—with all of them—could be drawing to an end.

  “Evangeline,” Sofie said, suddenly serious, “what if you can’t have everything you want, all at once?”

  “What do you mean?”

  She hesitated, her eyes darting to the balcony windows. When she spoke again, her voice was barely audible. “What if getting Caden and your friends here means you couldn’t see them for awhile because it’s not safe … for a long while. Would it still be worth it?”

  “Of course. Yes. Absolutely. Without a doubt,” I answered with grim resolution, though the idea of being away from Caden for any length of time tore at my insides. But at least they’d be on the same planet and this curse would be over.

  “You should think about that for a moment before you answer, Evangeline,” Sofie warned.

  “No. I’m certain. Things can’t be much worse than they are right now. He’s living in another universe. If I can get him here, everything will work out. But you’re working on that talisman, right?”

  Sofie nodded. She remained quiet for a moment, her eyes focused on the cobblestone path. “I’m going to tell you something but you absolutely must promise me, first, that you’ll do as I ask, okay?”

  “Yeah, sure, I guess.”

  “Promise. Pinky swear.” She held out her slender pinky finger.

  I hesitated. The pinky swear was ironclad and uncompromising, an unbreakable pledge. It had been a tradition between my mother and me—one I wouldn’t tarnish frivolously. But my gut—as blind as it was—told me this wasn’t such a case. “Swear,” I agreed, hooking my finger around hers, a wave of warm and fuzzy running through me.

  Sofie nodded, then said, “When you get to Ratheus tonight, take a closer look at the statue. At the woman’s hand. I have a feeling … Well, anyway, take a look.”

  “Okay,” I said, frowning. “That’s what I had to pinky swear to?”

  “No.” She shook her head. “You have to promise you won’t do anything yet.”

  My eyes widened. Did she think that was the portal? “But—”

  “No,” she quickly interrupted. “I’m not ready to release Veronique yet.”

  I frowned. “I don’t get it. I thought that spell was already cast and you just had to complete it.”

  “In theory, yes. However, there is one … complication that I’m still figuring out. Hocus–pocus stuff,” she said, waving her hand dismissively.

  My frown deepened. “But what if I run out of time and I can’t come back or I die, like you said?”

  “You’ve got some more time,” she answered, winking.

  “But what if—”

  “No! You promised,” Sofie reminded me sternly.

  I nodded, grimacing. I looked around for Viggo and Mortimer again before whispering, “Sofie, they think I’m coming back with vampires next time. What happens when I don’t?”

  “You let me worry about that.” She patted my knee gently.

  That night, I wasn’t traveling to Ratheus with a giant bag of supplies strapped to my body. I wasn’t traveling there with fear of Rachel. I was traveling there for Caden, to see his smiling face, to cling to him tightly, and to tell him that I loved him.

  Complete darkness met me. I waited quietly. Someone always came to meet me within seconds. Not this time, though.

  “Caden?” I called out. Silence. “Caden? Amelie?” I called again, louder, my voice unsteady. Maybe they’re all out hunting. I took a few cautious steps forward, my hands groping the obscurity in search of a cave wall.

  My fingertips grazed something solid. It wasn’t stone. I poked and prodded it. It had some give. Like hard, muscular flesh.

  My hand recoiled. “Guys? This isn’t funny. Come on, please light a torch,” I called, my voice shaky. “Or bring me my flashlight.”

  Soft laughter. Someone was trying hard and failing to contain glee. More snickers and titters joined the first.

  “Caden?” I whispered, my eyes darting about the dark in vain. I heard flint striking rock and a flame erupting behind me. A wave of relief washed over me. I turned.

  Rachel stood five feet away from me, Merth free, her sadistic, lemon–yellow eyes dancing with excitement.

  23. The Council

  I stared in horror as Rachel’s lips pulled back in a heinous smile, revealing perfectly symmetrical white fangs.

  “I’ve been waiting for you,” she purred, casually taking a step forward.

  Every muscle in my body went cold and rigid as terror gripped me. My mouth dropped open to scream but only a pathetic, strangled gasp escaped.

  Cackling viciously, Rachel took another step to stop within arm’s reach. With wide eyes, I watched as her arm extended slowly and she gripped my chin in her hand, her thumb and forefinger clenching either side of my jaw. With no visible sign of exertion, she lifted me up off the ground. Her hold tightened, eventually bringing tears to my eyes. Still she squeezed, ready to crumble my bones to dust.

  “Alright, that’s enough,” a male voice softly chided.

  After a long pause and a low growl of displeasure, Rachel released her grip. I dropped to the vine–covered ground.

  An army of torches lit the area around us then, the warm glow revealing a hollow, decaying room at least three stories hig
h. There were gaping holes where windows and a ceiling likely once existed; the stone walls had crumbling heaps of stone at their bases. Thick roots heaved the concrete floor, and assorted vines and weeds had found homes within the fissures. At one end sat a large, rectangular stone on a raised dais. An altar, perhaps.

  I barely noticed any of this, though, my attention riveted on the group of alluring onlookers surrounding me. Vampires.

  Somehow feeling returned to my legs and my feet started sliding backward, trying in vain to get away from Rachel’s poisonous gaze, even though I knew it was pointless. I backed into something. Or someone. Holding my breath, I slowly turned.

  Piercing white irises gazed back at me.

  This time when my mouth opened, an earsplitting shriek escaped.

  “Calm down,” the vampire mutant requested, cringing. It was too late for that, though. I was shaking uncontrollably. My eyes darted to his long, skeletal fingers as they reached for my shoulder. I flinched under the bone–chilling temperature of his skin, so unlike Caden’s warmth. He retracted it, instead raising both hands up in front of him, palms out, in a gesture of peace. “We won’t hurt you. Look! Over there—your friends are right over there.”

  It took some effort to peel my focus away from his gaunt face, but I willed my eyes to follow his spindly finger. Slumped on the floor next to my statue, bound with Merth, was Caden. Amelie, Fiona, and Bishop were on either side of him, all in the same hopeless predicament.

  “No!” I cried, locking eyes with Caden, watching his eyes shift from inconsolable grief as they fell on me to the worst rage conceivable as his gaze flicked to Rachel. I did breathe a sigh of relief to know they were still alive. For now.

  A diminutive female vampire with Asian features stepped forward. “It’s a pleasure to meet you, Evangeline,” she said in a soothing, motherly voice. She didn’t look much older than me, though I knew better. With her long, poker–straight ebony hair, black almond eyes, snow–white skin, and blood–red lips—the contrast as striking as it was sinister—she looked like a Geisha. But I knew none of it was makeup. She smiled warmly as I regarded her—a seemingly genuine smile, unlike one of Rachel’s toothy sneers.

  “Hello.” My voice was unsteady and I was shaking violently, but I couldn’t seem to stop myself.

  “I imagine seeing Rachel was a bit of a shock to you, having disposed of her so effectively the last time you were here.”

  My eyes darted over to Rachel to see her seething, intent on freezing the blood coursing through my veins. I think she may succeed.

  “You should have killed her then. She’s quite angry.” The vampiress chuckled.

  I hazarded another glance at Rachel in time to see her top lip curl back in a truly atrocious smile. That mouth touched Caden once. I wanted to gag. She wasn’t beautiful. She was a venomous snake.

  “No harm will come to you under our protection, though,” the vampiress assured me, her voice as smooth as fresh–churned butter. “My name is Mage. This,” she rested her hand on the white–eyed vampire’s forearm, “is Jonah.”

  I glanced at him but quickly averted my gaze, my skin crawling with repulsion.

  “Not to worry. We understand it will take some time to become accustomed to his face. It can be frightening. Especially after your previous experience with that lunatic, Jethro.” Mage glided closer to me. “You should have come to us sooner, Evangeline. This—” she gestured around the giant, roofless room “—is the Council.”

  My eyes trailed her hand, taking in the group. There were sixteen vampires in total counting Rachel, Mage, and Jonah; eight females and eight males of various races, including two more of the white–eyed mutants. And they had helped themselves to the clothing I brought over for Caden and the others.

  I squirmed as sixteen pairs of brilliantly colored eyes studied me, the first human to stand before them for so many centuries. Are they wondering what my blood tastes like? Are they picturing how to best torture me to get the answer out of me that even I don’t know?

  “You’re probably wondering what happened while you were away, correct?” Mage raised a pencil–thin eyebrow. Her mannerisms reminded me of a grade school teacher I once had—benevolence but with a hint of severity. It had been impossible to judge that teacher’s mood accurately. Mage didn’t wait for my response before speaking again. “You see, we caught wind of this intriguing treasure hunt Rachel had sent some of our Council members on. It sounded … interesting, but a tad bit suspicious. We’ve been hearing whispers of strange things happening in the mountains—disappearances, fires, werebeasts. As the governing body, we became … concerned. So we decided to get the truth right from the horse’s mouth, so to speak.” Mage chuckled as if she had made a joke. “We knew Rachel was up in Jethro’s mountain,” her firm gaze slid over to Caden, and she smiled sarcastically, “with her ‘soul mate.’”

  I cringed.

  “After some initial confusion, and a rather abrasive bear that I needed to deal with, we sorted everything out.”

  “Big Brown?” I whispered, my eyes bulging.

  “Yes, what a waste.” Disappointment flashed across her delicate features. “He was quite the fighter. Took three of my Council members out.” My Council members. So Mage is the leader. That meant she had to be powerful. “Luckily I got there to deal with him before any more perished,” she added casually. My eyes widened, understanding her meaning. Very powerful.

  “Anyhow, your friends seem to have this gross misconception of us and our values. Just a misunderstanding, really. Right, everyone?” she asked, smiling sweetly, her eyes zeroing in on Caden. She couldn’t possibly expect an answer from them, of course. They were bound and being tortured.

  “Why are they bound, then?” I asked meekly.

  “Oh, that! Well, we didn’t want them doing anything rash when you arrived, before you had a chance to meet us and see that we are friends.” She paused for effect. “Would you like them untied?”

  My head moved mechanically up and down.

  Mage nodded once toward Jonah. He strolled over to them and, hooking his finger under their bindings, effortlessly pulled them off.

  That’s right. The mutants are immune to Merth.

  All four were on their feet immediately. I took a step forward but faltered, glancing first at Rachel, who looked ready to pounce, then at Mage.

  “Go ahead!” Mage prompted, ushering me with both hands.

  I didn’t waste another second in hesitation. I bolted forward to throw myself at Caden’s chest. He immediately wrapped his arms around me. “I’m so sorry,” he whispered, planting a tender kiss on my forehead.

  I heard a loud hiss and shouts and then the world spun as Caden whipped my body around, burying my face in his chest to shield me from whatever was happening behind us. He held me like that until the commotion died down. When his arms loosened their grip, I resurfaced to find Amelie, Bishop, and Rachel forming a protective ring around me. I peeked over Caden’s shoulder. Rachel had been forced to her knees, four Council members restraining her. She glared at us like a feral animal, her pupils so prominent that her eyes looked completely black.

  “Now, Rachel, we discussed this. If you can’t behave, we will have to assist you,” Jonah calmly warned, dangling a cord of Merth dangerously close to her nose.

  “Of course, Jonah,” she said through gritted teeth. It took a few seconds but she managed to compose herself, even producing a semi–genuine smile. The bodyguards released her with doubtful expressions on their faces.

  “Go on now, Caden. Please tell Evangeline the truth, as we discussed. She needs to know that she’s safe,” Mage instructed in an even voice.

  I looked up at Caden’s face to see him staring defiantly at the vampiress, his jaw taut. They remained like that, the silence growing more awkward as the seconds dragged on, until Amelie’s raspy voice spoke up.

  “We’re all fine, Evangeline.”

  “And of course they wouldn’t hurt you. You’re much too valuable,
” Fiona added excitedly—too excitedly for Fiona’s normally level demeanor. She sounded hysterical.

  I caught Jonah’s white eyes touching hers. There may have been a hint of warning there, but it was impossible to tell. It was impossible to read anything in those dreadful eyes.

  Bishop remained quiet, his eyes focused on the ground ahead of him, his arms hugging his chest tightly as if he was restraining himself. So far, if they were trying to convince me, they weren’t doing a good job.

  I returned my focus to Caden, looking up at him questioningly. Those beautiful jade irises gazed down at me adoringly. His face softened. “Yes, of course. We were being too protective of you. We weren’t thinking rationally. You’re safe with the Council. You shouldn’t be afraid.” He smiled tenderly, pushing a strand of hair from my face. “You trust me, right?”

  My stomach plummeted. There it was. That word. The word he had warned me of before. He was sending me a message. It meant that I was in terrible danger. “Yes, I trust you,” I said slowly, emphasizing that deceptive word, offering him a small smile and, I hoped, an indication that I understood him loud and clear.

  He stroked my hair softly as Mage spoke. “Your friends here were very cooperative in filling the Council in,” she said, again smiling at the four of them.

  How cooperative? What does the Council know? And how did they get that information? Eyes wide with concern, I glanced up at Caden to see him staring straight ahead now, his face expressionless. The others held the same blank, incomprehensible gaze. Had they been tortured?

  “We understand you’re looking for a way to bring your friends back with you—a portal of some sort, like this statue,” Jonah said.

  I nodded reluctantly. Rachel could have told them.

  “That’s so gallant of you,” Mage crooned, smiling. She was trying to win me over with kindness and flattery. She walked toward me, her hand outstretched, beckoning me to come forward. She stopped halfway, forcing me to peel myself from Caden’s side, something I dreaded doing, but I knew I had no choice.

  “And this necklace will tell you how, right?” Mage reached up to the collar of my shirt, her fingertips grazing my skin. I fought hard against the urge to cringe. Her long nail hooked the chain. She pulled at it until my pendant slid out. “Beautiful,” she murmured, gazing at the bright orange swirls. She let go, the pendant landing softly on the outside of my shirt, visible to all.