Allegiance (6 page)

The woman’s acidic hiss lingered in my ears as my eyes popped open. I bolted up in my bed.

Bad dream?
Max asked, unruffled. He was used to me bolting out of a deep sleep.

I swallowed my confusion. “I don’t know. Was I … here?”

Yes, yes …

I rubbed my faceharder than necessary. Was that just a dream? It had to be. I didn’t go anywhere. It was me worrying about Veronique. But still … my gut told me there was something more to it. Deep down, I knew something more than weary nerves and an overactive imagination existed here. If I had learned one thing over the last few months, it was to assume the worst and then expect the truth to be ten times bleaker. If that were the case, it meant Veronique was in danger. It meant the witches knew who she was and of her ties to Sofie. “Our magic can’t touch her.” That’s what the woman with the whip said.

Its meaning hit me like a freight train, terror seizing me in the deepest level. What if, when I agreed to climb atop that platform for the Tribe to “free me,” the same magic that poisoned me had also poisoned Veronique? It had touched her, after all.
Oh God!
Shocked, I cupped my hand over my mouth and nose. That meant she couldn’t be transformed, even when we rescued her. After all this, after all they’d done to preserve her and solve this problem … A ball of vomit formed in my throat, threatening to launch.
No, Evangeline. Don’t panic
, I silently commanded.
Breathe in, breathe out. This could still be a dream; this could still just be your subconscious, torturing you.

Well?
Max asked. I could hear a hint of worry in his tone.

I paused. “Just a bad dream,” I whispered, hearing the emptiness of my words as they left my lips.
It has to be a dream … please, just be a dream
… I repeated in my head as I fumbled absently for my pendant, for something to grasp. Then I remembered I didn’t have it anymore. I didn’t have it because I agreed to let the Tribe touch me with their magic, resulting in this entire mess.

The clock read three in the morning. There was no chance of me falling asleep in the near future. “Did Caden come by at all?” I asked, peering outside at the night sky, longing to distract myself with him at that moment. And every moment after …

Uh … I’m not sure. He may have slipped in, but, uh … I don’t know. I fell asleep …
Max stumbled over his words.

“Right … so you sleep now.” I glared at him and then pinched the bridge of my nose. I was never one to lose my temper, but if anyone could make me do it, Max certainly could. I sighed with exasperation. “Why didn’t he come by, do you think?” If it was a concern over blood, he should’ve found some blood bags and been sated by now. Shouldn’t he?

Sofie’s probably got him running around
, Max offered.

“Yeah, maybe …” I threw off my covers and climbed out of bed. Grabbing the robe and slippers from the armchair, I crept toward the door.

Max groaned loudly.
Must you? Can’t you be happy in this bed for one whole night?

“Stay here if you want, Max. In fact, maybe it’s best that you do. I could use a little bit of space. We’re safe here, right?”

Suit yourself
, Max answered, flopping back down.

Bloody dog.
I chuckled despite my own nervousness.
The werebeast who doesn’t sleep and never tires is just plain lazy
. It did comfort me, though. If he wasn’t breathing down my neck, it meant he didn’t feel he needed to be. That was rare, especially with Viggo and Mortimer nearby.

As I stepped into the hall, my ears caught gentle female giggles from behind the door opposite me. My chest tightened with panic. Amelie with Julian. In a bedroom together?
No … wait. Giggles are good. Screeches are bad.
Julian’s life and Amelie’s heart were both safe for the time being.

I tiptoed past and moved down the ghostly hallway. Dim sconces spaced every twenty or so feet lit my way. Gliding down the staircase, I took a moment to stand in the dark, empty foyer, my arms folded tightly around my body. The place reeked of history—hundreds of years of royalty, scandals and treachery, balls and beheadings … and vampires. I wondered where Nathan had died. Was it somewhere in this house? If so, how could Sofie stand being here? If I killed Caden, I don’t know how I’d live with myself, let alone come back to the scene of the crime. Just the thought made me shudder. I could kill Caden. Very easily. All he had to do was lose control. Just one little bite …

From the foyer, I had no idea where to go next. I hadn’t ventured beyond here. When Sofie departed, she headed left. I guessed that was as good place as any to start. With five vampires lurking about, someone would find me shortly. Maybe Caden would find me. I was desperate to ask him why he left in the first place.

I wandered along the long hallway, past dozens of solid doors, light gray walls, and gilded frames of stunning art, all bearing Sofie’s signature. Turning a corner, one of the solid walls gave way to a floor-to-ceiling window, stretching out to provide a panoramic view of a snowy courtyard bathed in moonlight. So peaceful, so quiet, it looked like an artist’s interpretation of serenity. I had to admit, though, after being locked up in those remote Siberian mountains, I could live without snow for a few decades.

I anxiously expected to stumble upon Caden, but a flash of red outside caught the corner of my eye. It was impossible to miss, contrasting so sharply against the crisp white winter. I stopped and focused. It was Sofie. Her hair. Quietly creeping over to the window, I could see that she was kneeling in front of a giant tree. She held something in her hand … a simple white pillar candle, its modest flame dancing in a dull breeze. She leaned forward to place it near the bottom of the tree. Clearly, there was something special about that spot ... If I had to bet on it, I’d say it had something to do with Nathan.

If Sofie could sense my presence, she didn’t acknowledge it. She didn’t turn, didn’t look up, made no indication that she felt prying eyes on her. And that’s exactly what I felt like. I was a peeping Tom. Whatever personal, private moment Sofie was having outside, I was intruding.

With that in mind, I continued on down the hall, walking more briskly until I was beyond the sightline of the glass wall. I reached the end of the hall only to find another expansive one running perpendicular.
The Chateau of Long Halls
! If I didn’t stumble upon someone soon, I didn’t know if I’d ever find my way back.

Making a conscious effort to remember my steps for retracing, I turned left again and began down another hall, this one exactly the same as the prior. Art, closed doors, no souls. I was beginning to think they’d have to send out a search party for me in the morning.

Abruptly, an eerie wave of familiarity washed through me. I trembled, slowing to a stop as I peered around. There was something about this spot, some connection … like I had been here before. Or, like I was supposed to be here. No … that I was looking for something and it was here. But what was I looking for? I scanned left and right, looking for any clues to remind me what it was. There was nothing here. Just a long hallway with patterned tile flooring and plaster moldings along the walls.
You’re losing it!
This is what happens when you lose a ton of blood and don’t get enough sleep, numb nuts.

Mortimer’s booming tone from down the hall pulled me out of my fog. Quickly dismissing the eeriness, I followed his voice and found myself in front of a set of ebony doors. “This is dangerous. Don’t underestimate them. Viggo has made one hell of an enemy out of Lilly,” Mortimer said.

Lilly? Who was Lilly?
More secrets,
I thought bitterly.
Oh, well. Two can play at that game
.

“I never underestimate a vampire. How do you think I’ve survived this long?” Mage’s smooth response calmed the tension in the air.

There was a short pause and then Mortimer declared gruffly, “If you’re going to sit outside and eavesdrop like a snooping child, then you may as well come in!”

My face instantly burned with embarrassment over being caught. Reluctantly, I pushed the door forward. A loud creak split the dead silence, as if to make my intrusion that much more obvious. In case someone missed it. I kept my face to the ground, hoping the red would subside quickly or that they’d dismiss me and keep talking. After a long, silent moment of staring at the ground, I realized neither was going to happen.

Swallowing, I finally hazarded a peek to take in a medieval-looking room with several armchairs and an ancient-looking stone fireplace. It reminded me of Viggo’s library with its masculine colors and lounge furniture. Viggo sat in a wing chair beside the blazing fire, lazily gripping a poker, as if only watching the conversation but not interested in being a part of it. The box holding Veronique’s pendant rested securely in his lap. Not surprising.

Across the room, Mage and Mortimer shared a small round table, a decanter full of a red liquid between them. It looked like wine, but I’d bet it wasn’t. I didn’t ask. It was a thousand times better than walking in on them feeding from that young maid.

Viggo, Mortimer, and Mage instantly vanished from thought as my eyes landed on a tall, lean body straddling a stool, his hands resting on his knees.
Caden!
What was he doing with them? Not that I cared. He was immediately on his feet, walking over to me, his hand slowly running through his hair in an almost shy manner.

“Hey.” He gave me an awkward smile. I couldn’t miss his furrowed brow as he stared at me.
He’s trying to read me, I’ll bet
. But he couldn’t, I knew that now.

“Hey, yourself,” I answered bashfully as I peered up at him. No veiny blood eyes. Check. A wave of lightness flowed through me.

“What are you doing up? It’s, like, three in the morning.”

I shrugged. “I couldn’t sleep.” Lowering my voice, I added, “I thought you’d at least come say goodnight.” I immediately felt stupid. There was no point in lowering my voice. I might as well be speaking through a megaphone given the room’s occupants.

Caden looked down at the ground, as if trying to decide what to say. “Yeah … I know. I was going to, but I got caught up in plans here,” he finally answered, avoiding eye contact. The little nagging voice in the back of my head nattered away.
Something’s not right
. I wasn’t sure if I should trust that voice’s input. It had failed me for the first eighteen years of my life.

Caden looked up again, his expression stony. “You should get some sleep. You’re still recuperating.”

I shrugged off his suggestion with a question, not interested in leaving yet. “So, what are you guys planning? Who’s Lilly?”

“One of the few other surviving vampires of Earth,” Mage answered before anyone had a chance to lie or brush me off. She always seemed willing to tell me the truth, even if it wasn’t good news. That was a welcome change. “They’ve been more diligent in learning what’s going on in the world. We could use their help right about now.”

“Or … we could just create more of our own and not involve those treacherous fiends!” Viggo’s eyes were wide as he studied his fingernails, his distaste for Mage and Mortimer’s plan apparent.

Mortimer turned to glower at Viggo. I could feel the explosion brewing beneath the surface like the humidity in the air before a storm. “We’ve been over this a hundred times already, Viggo,” Mortimer answered in a calm, even tone, clearly forcing his composure. “New vampires are not good for anything except killing and starting a war … exactly what we’re trying to avoid.”

Viggo answered with an eye roll.

Shaking his head in disgust, Mortimer turned his attention back at Mage. “It’s a long shot, Mage. I’ll be surprised if they even come given Viggo’s involvement.”

What did he do to this Lilly? I shuddered as my gaze passed over him. Always Viggo. It’s always about what Viggo has done. I imagined it was horrific, whatever it was. I knew firsthand what he was capable of. He stole my life, my family, my soul, when he murdered my mother for nothing more than a lesson to Sofie. At first, when this entire nightmare unfolded, just his cool gaze on me sent shivers radiating from my chest. He still terrified me. I’d be insane to be anything but terrified of that lunatic. Now though, time had cultivated a deep loathing for him. I wanted him to suffer infinite, inconceivable pain for the lives he had ruined. And that desire frightened me more than Viggo himself.

He rolled the poker in his hand. I imagined my fists wrapped around it, my arm raising above his head, and then striking down, powered with all my hatred and fear. I forced the urge aside and ducked my head, afraid he’d pluck my dark thoughts from my face. Viggo might have lost interest in me, but that didn’t mean he wouldn’t kill me.

Mage’s voice distracted me from my violent wishes. “Oh, they’ll come. Remember, we have something they want …” She smiled.

“Come? You mean … come here?” I asked. More vampires.
Because there aren’t enough
. Mage only nodded, offering me a gentle smile. That’s all she ever seemed to do around here—gentle smiles, the voice of reason.
I don’t get it!
Caden and the others painted this picture of a pure evil vampire and yet she had been nothing but a blood-sucking Mary Poppins. “What do they want?” I asked hesitantly.

Her answer was matter-of-fact. “Among other things … venom.”

Venom? Venom … “They want to convert humans,” I heard myself say out loud.