Allegiance(68)

“Of course!” Bishop boomed happily, his famous crooked smile beaming. “Can we take Lilly’s car?”

Mage nodded. “I’m sure whomever she borrowed it from won’t mind.”

“Do you need me?” Amelie offered.

“No, you’ve done enough,” Mage answered quickly, giving her own look of stern disapproval.

Amelie had the decency to duck her eyes and look contrite for a second. Only a second, though, and then her expression changed to one of mischief as she glanced behind her at Julian leaning up against a wall.

“Come,” she beckoned, offering her hand. As they began walking down the hall, Amelie turned back to give me a sly smile and a wink. Her hand reached down and pulled out a strap from beneath her shirt. Black lace.

“Great … you managed to get that,” I mumbled to myself, my hand going to my forehead. A deep headache was forming behind my right temple.

I needed to warn Julian before Amelie ambushed him.

I needed to talk to Caden about this whole Bishop thing.

I needed to talk to Sofie about Lilly’s allegiance.

I needed to talk to Veronique to explain things, to relieve my guilty conscience.

Just when I thought things couldn’t get more complicated, my world was spiraling downward, out of control.

Bishop leaned over to lay a gentle kiss on my forehead. My back instantly stiffened. “Be back soon and we’ll pick up where we left off,” he whispered in my ear, and then he was off with Mage, sauntering out the door as lazy as a lion on a sweltering day. A voice screamed inside my head, Where did we leave off?

The second the door clicked into place, I let loose. “What the hell?” I screamed, wincing as a sharp pain shot through my jaw.

Caden was beside me in a second, pulling me to his chest in a tight embrace. “It’s okay.”

I shoved him back. “No, it’s not! What did you do to him?” I hissed, my anger directed at Sofie.

She sighed. “I told you what I did. Apparently the version of Bishop we get is a little bit different. It’s not me. It’s the Fates. But at least he’s not in the Merth, right?”

I was already shaking my head, looking at Caden. “I don’t want that. I don’t want him, I don’t—”

He silenced me with two fingers to my mouth, careful not to touch my injured jaw. “I know. I know. Believe me!” He paused. “It looks like this is as close to the old Bishop as we’re going to get.”

“But she erased all memories of—”

“Ah!” Sofie warned sharply, her finger held up in warning. “Never say her name, even when he’s not around.”

“Of her …” I adjusted. “It’s like she never existed.”

“I know … but we all know she did,” Caden whispered, looking down at me. “None of us is going to forget. But she’s gone, and we have a choice of accepting it and moving on with this version of Bishop or losing both of them. I don’t know about you, but I have better things to do than sit by my best friend while he suffers, bound with Merth.” His hand grazed my cheek.

“I know but … if he thinks we’re together, then …” You and I can’t be, I finished in my head, unable to say the words.





“For now. Just for now.” Caden pulled me into another embrace.

As my head rested against Caden’s chest, I stared at the front door. He was the old Bishop, but still the wrong one. This was so much worse than having Caden think I’d been with Julian. So much worse …

“When this is all over,” I said.

“When it’s over, we’ll remind him of her,” Sofie agreed. “For now, though, with this war coming, we need all the help we can get. We can’t worry about him making things worse, causing scenes in public venues.”

Her mention of scenes brought me back to the attack, and Lilly. “Lilly will listen to you, Sofie. I told her to defer to you. I don’t know how to plan a war.” I had my own internal war to deal with.

“Good. She’s smart as a whip, that one.” Sofie said. “Dangerous and conniving, but smart. Watch out for her, Evangeline. She’s sworn her allegiance to you. That means she won’t harm you and she will do as you ask, but that doesn’t mean she can’t stab you in the back in some roundabout way. I wouldn’t doubt for a second that she tipped off the Sentinel, just so she could go in and save you … to earn your trust. Kidnap you without kidnapping you.”

I snorted. Surprise, surprise. Can’t trust a vampire. “Do you think it’s real? Or is she tricking us?”

“I’ll go find out. You, though,” her gentle fingers reached up to prod at my fat lip, “need to go get cleaned up. I see a cut there, but … no … it doesn’t need stitches, thank goodness. I’ll get Ivan.”