Allegiance (46 page)

“Wraith’s gone, Evangeline,” Sofie informed me softly. “He was here to protect your mortal life. That is no longer an issue.”

“Oh.” A trace of regret gnawed at me, one that surprised me. I never got to say goodbye.

“And the others are out, trying to … contain the situation.”

I frowned, earning a sigh from Sofie. “A lot has happened in two days, Evangeline. Right now, we’re in an old mine outside the city.”

“Why? To keep us from human blood?” I forced a laugh. “This is a little dramatic, don’t you think?”

“It’s temporary, but it was the best form of safety we could find while we waited for you. No one will find us down here.”

“Who’s looking? We won against the witches, right?” No answer.

A gaggle of knowing looks connected and passed over my head. Like a domino of disaster, it finally hit me. We had bigger problems than witches and Sentinel.

“Veronique chose Mortimer,” I said.

“Veronique chose Mortimer,” Sofie echoed, her hands folding over each other in front of her face, as if in prayer. I turned to see matching masks of guilt painted on the loving couple’s faces.

Swallowing the terror bubbling up from the pit of my stomach, I whispered, “What has Viggo done?”

Sofie’s stare bore into my soul, gripping it with icy fingers. “All paths will lead to one fate.” She said it as though quoting someone. Maybe she was. “Viggo has started the war.”

###

Stay Tuned For The

Fourth and Final Book In

The Causal Enchantment Series,

Coming in 2013

Acknowledgements

I’m still not sure how I ended up here, writing an acknowledgement page for my third book, but I am forever thankful to those who have helped me along the way. First and foremost, to my readers, you are the reason I continue this madness. Without your words of encouragement, your tweets and Facebook posts, and your excitement, I would have run out of steam long ago. To the book bloggers out there, thank you for your endless support. You are an author’s army of angels and I could not do this without you.

To my beta readers behind this latest tale, Mindy, Jaime, and Misty, there’s a special kind of heaven for readers who see past the million typos, poor grammar, and downright awful sentences of a draft and provide sound, critical feedback to strengthen a story. You three are made of solid gold in my eyes.

To Heather Self, Texan and author-extraordinaire, you may not know what Canadian Smarties are but, man, can you name a character! Lilly is the perfect addition to this series and I couldn’t have made her whole without your help.

To my editor, Jenn Sommersby, who saved me from a mild coronary and helped make Allegiance shine. To my proofreader, Ami Johnson, who gave me peace of mind.

To my family and friends who support me and accept my reclusive behavior. To Gina, for joining our family and saving my sanity, day after day after day…To my two girls, I want you to grow up in a house where you believe anything is possible if you work hard enough. Last, but certainly not least, to Paul, I promise you, there’s no such thing as too much KD.