With a harrumph and a sharp tug of my arm, we continued on, turning right to take the hall with the glass wall. Sofie’s red hair stood out by the tree like a flare.
“I remember coming here when Nathan was alive. This was his house, you know,” Mortimer explained, his eyes flickering to Sofie but not stopping.
“Yeah, Sofie mentioned it earlier.”
“I used to come here to see Veronique. She spent a lot of time with her sister. Those two were inseparable. I’ve never seen two sisters so connected, so committed to each other’s happiness.” Committed. What would she do if she knew her dear sister was in the clutches of the enemy right now? Tighter and tighter, the knots in my abdomen constricted. I gave one last glance to Sofie before we passed the hallway and she was out of sight again.
“After Sofie ki—” Mortimer stopped himself midsentence. “After Nathan died and Veronique decided to be mummified, we left this place for North America. I haven’t stepped foot in here since.” As we continued on his stance loosened up slightly, his strides more casual. We entered the foyer. “Those were happier times. I’m glad Sofie kept everything in order. Veronique was always so fond of this place … She’ll be happy to see it again.”
I cautioned a glance at him from the corner of my eye. He’s unusually chatty and cooperative. Something didn’t add up. “Why are you still here?” I blurted out, quickly adding, “I thought you hated Sofie.”
Mortimer’s dark eyes flickered down to me and he didn’t bother to hide the smirk. “You know, you remind me of a four-year-old sometimes, with your naïve and brazen outbursts.”
I pursed my lips, a flash of spite taking over my tongue before I could control it. “You know, you remind me of a shifty vampire sometimes, with your cryptic babbling.”
Mortimer’s head fell back as he let out a roar of laughter. A genuine and unexpectedly pleasant-sounding mirth that warmed my spirits temporarily. I don’t remember ever hearing Mortimer laugh!
“You should laugh like that more. You wouldn’t be so scary,” I muttered.
His laughter died down. “I used to laugh all the time when Veronique was alive. It feels foreign now.” He cleared his throat abruptly. “Sofie and I have had our differences, I’ll admit. But I don’t hate her. In fact, I have to say that I admire her. Besides … we’ve been battling her for years now and she always wins.” One slow step after another, we began climbing the stairs with parallel movements. “Fighting that woman does us no good. So I’ve joined forces with her. Given her all my strength, my connection, my trust … my allegiance.”
I slowed to a stop, forcing Mortimer to do the same. “Allegiance? What do you mean? Like … a promise?”
Mortimer’s dark chuckle echoed through the foyer. “No, you twit … When you say it like that, it sounds like the stuff of little girls.” The amusement vanished and he frowned. “But of course, you wouldn’t understand. In this day and age …” He paused. “There was a time when pledging your allegiance meant something. Your honor, your soul, everything you stood for. Humans pledged to kings and queens, to those who reigned, to the mighty. They would die for them. There were some respectable humans in those days. Now …” Mortimer snorted with disgust. “I don’t blame you for not trusting me, Evangeline. I’m glad you don’t. That means you’ve learned something in all of this.” Dark eyes glinted as they appraised me. “But I’m going to tell you a secret. Something important.”
He had my full attention. Not only was I amazed that Mortimer had spoken to me for this length of time, but now he was about to divulge secrets?
“Though you may not believe it, vampires are a species of great principle. If you can get one of us to grant you our loyalty, it is unequivocal. You can harness their power. You. Will. Reign.” His free hand balled up into a fist and pressed against his chest. “It’s as if something inside binds us to that loyalty. It becomes ingrained in all that we are, in everything that we do. Get a vampire to pledge their allegiance to you and you will never have to worry about them harming you. They are yours. For life.”
I frowned. “For life? Just because you swore?” I tried to wrap my mind around the concept. For life. Wow. Mortimer had basically sworn fealty to Sofie for eternity? If he was telling the truth, he was no longer a threat to her. In a roundabout way, I guess that meant he wouldn’t be a threat to me, either …
“But Viggo … do you trust him to keep his word?” I asked.