Caden squeezed my hand, his other hand cupping my chin to lift my face. “Calm down, okay?” he said softly and kissed my forehead.
No, no … he didn’t understand. He must’ve forgotten what that meant. I was now a ticking time bomb, the simple act of holding my hand soon hazardous. I tried to shake my hand out of his but he held fast, growling, “Don’t you dare.”
“But I could …,” I began, choking on the words. I turned to stare at Sofie.
She slowly shook her head, giving me a weak smile. “You don’t feel the same way that they do, so I wouldn’t jump to conclusions. I don’t know what’s happening yet. But for now, just … please stay away from Bishop.” With that, Sofie turned and strode over to the tree. She began piling the shattered remnants of an ornament into the palm of her hand, the shared exuberance over the festive season vanished. If I didn’t know better, I’d swear her shoulders were slouching under a terrible weight.
***
I hardly noticed the young, mousy servant—the one Viggo had leered at the other night—sneak in to the glass room with a large silver tray of sandwiches and fruit. My stomach reacted with a growl, as if to remind me that it needed food, regardless of what creature I was turning into. But I was too busy peering into anything reflective, searching for signs of yellowing eyes and brown spots on my teeth, to listen.
“Go eat,” Caden urged. Just to get away from him, I obliged, walking over to investigate.
“Wow! A real Christmas tree!” a raspy voice squealed. I turned in time to see an excited Amelie skip in, towing a wobbly Julian behind her, a simple cane in his hand to steady his weak leg. Thankfully, his face had more color in it. He was almost back to his natural olive tone. I guess that means he’s feeling better. I quietly wondered if he was going through this same transformation from the Tribe’s magic. Would his touch eventually kill Amelie? He hadn’t climbed any wooden planks. He was almost dead when we arrived in the jungle, thanks to Ursula blasting him with a bolt of fire. Sure, they covered him with leaves and set him on fire, but maybe the spell was different. Or not …?
Maybe I was the lucky one in all of this. The lucky chosen one, yet again, I thought bitterly. But then I silently scolded myself. That was like wishing cancer on someone else just because I had it. Disgusting, Evie.
“Wow … the mood’s a little damp in here …,” Amelie muttered after a moment. Emerald-green eyes landed on the corner where Bishop sat, and her face instantly fell.
Julian’s hand found its way to her shoulder to give a quick, reassuring squeeze. That was all it took to lift her spirits. When she raised her face again, the agony had disappeared, replaced by a beaming smile and dreamy stare at Julian. “So? What’s going on? Where is everyone?”
“Sofie and Mage said they had some preparations to take care of. Max is hunting,” Caden answered. “Where have you been?” I couldn’t help but catch the harsh tone in his voice, his eyes skipping over Julian ever so briefly.
“Oh, we’ve been … indisposed for a while. Julian’s needed his rest.” She giggled with a mischievous smirk. Julian had the decency to blush, all while stealing glimpses of Amelie’s profile, his chocolate irises drawing up and down the length of her, admiring her, as if in awe. I knew exactly what that felt like. I remembered it well. It was the same awe I felt every time I looked at Caden. Under other circumstances, I would be exploding with happiness, seeing them both like this. Now, though, my inner voice couldn’t stop screaming, “Fire! Run!”
The young servant finished setting up refreshments. I peered down to see what I could force into my body. “These ones are my favorite,” she whispered in a beautiful French accent, pointing to something that looked like a messy grilled cheese sandwich.
I smiled at her and scooped one up. It was crunchy and filled with ham and swiss cheese and smothered in a creamy sauce. I moaned in appreciation and nodded vigorously.
“Heavenly,” I said. She responded with a wink and smile that transformed her into a pretty woman. I watched as she quietly gathered up a platter of empty glasses from earlier and began toward the door. As she passed Julian, her mouth crinkled with a smile. “You should eat, Julian.”
And then all hell broke loose. It was as if someone had hit the pause button and then cut out a few minutes before restarting time. In a split second, the maid’s platter was airborne, glass smashing into the wall, and Amelie had the poor girl pinned to the ground, her teeth bared like a wild dog.
“How dare you!” Amelie shrieked. She straddled the girl, her savage hands gripping tightly onto her biceps. Of course, the girl was too petrified to answer, staring wide-eyed at the hovering crazy woman, which only seemed to infuriate Amelie. “He’s mine! Mine!” she screeched, shaking the servant like a rag doll, the poor girl’s head slamming repeatedly against the floor.