“They’re out of range, if you whisper,” Lilly confirmed in a low hum.
Still, I leaned in until my mouth was next to her ear. She waited patiently as I took a deep breath. “I need you to find a way into Viggo’s place.”
Lilly frowned. “Okay, but you told me to listen to Sofie and Sofie says to stay—”
“Her sister isn’t in the tomb anymore!” I hissed and then caught myself. Baby blue eyes expanded with shock. I watched her struggle to replace the veil of calm. I noticed she had a harder time doing that then the adult vampires.
“How do you—”
“I’ll explain later,” I said. “But I know. I know they’re torturing her. And I know that no one can find out what’s happening, Lilly. I mean no one. I’m trusting you to help me get her out.”
I watched her set her jaw, deep in thought. Tiny hands clasped onto mine and squeezed. “Okay, Evangeline,” she agreed with a curt nod and a comforting smile. “I’ll find a way in there without raising any alarms. I promise.”
“I mean it, Lilly. No one can know. I don’t even want you telling Kait or the others. I need you to do this one on your own. This is just you and me, kid.”
Her mouth twisted pensively, the wheels turning in that twelve-hundred-year-old brain of hers. “Just you and me.” She liked the idea of that, I could tell by the twitch of a smile across her lips. “You can count on me.” She leaned in to give me an awkward hug—like she hadn’t given one in a century and didn’t know how—and then she vanished.
I wasn’t alone for two seconds before Bishop, Caden, and the others showed up.
“What was that all about?” Caden pressed.
“Oh … stuff.” How was I to answer that? I dropped my gaze to the floor and spotted a full bottle of port by my feet. Bishop must have put it there before we discovered Wraith’s hideout. I grabbed it and rushed to bring it to my lips, taking a long, intense swallow.
“Evie! Tell us!” I avoided all eye contact, instead studying Wraith. There he stood, waiting patiently, staring.
Wiping a dribble off my chin, I finally threw out the first thing that popped into my head. “Ratheus.”
“What about it?” Amelie asked.
“Um … I wanted to make sure she knew how bad it was.” That was the one thing I knew about that she didn’t. Still, it was a feeble attempt at an excuse and I knew it the second I caught the glimmer in Caden’s eyes. He said nothing, but I could tell he didn’t buy it.
None of the others picked up on it, though, ready to move away from this spot. Bishop let out a heavy sigh, draping his arms around my shoulders to clasp in front of me. Leaning in, he whispered, “Next time, I’ll believe you when you say there’s a secret door, okay? How about you don’t feel the need to prove it?” His lip grazed my lobe, sending shivers through my body. Shivers that he shouldn’t be able to give me. Shivers that only felt right when it was Caden giving them to me. Shivers that Caden couldn’t give me while this game of the Fates existed. Maybe he’d never be able to again, if my metamorphosis finished.
“So what was that back there?” Amelie asked.
I frowned. “What, where?”
She rolled her eyes. “When I was holding you and you decided you needed to jump in between Death and a vampire? It was like you electrocuted me.” Her angelic face scrunched up as she rubbed her wrist. “Hurt like Hell. At first, I thought you were going to kill me.”
“I don’t know,” I answered quietly. That was a lie. I knew. Maybe it was that time. I stared down at my hands, at my fingertips. They seemed so dainty, so normal. What a deception. They were quickly becoming something deadly. With each passing day, the end was nearing. The disease was waiting to unleash itself, waiting to strike down everyone I loved. And when it struck, who would be the first victim? Would I be touching Bishop or Amelie or Caden when the magic decided to finish off my transformation? Would their faces shrivel up as I watched them die?
I shook Bishop’s arms off in a panic and leapt forward to press my back against the opposite wall, staring at a line of worried faces. “Please don’t touch me,” I whispered hoarsely. “None of you. Please don’t risk it.”
“Evie …,” Bishop began, stepping forward, hands outstretched.
“No!” I shrieked, throwing my arms up to block him. “No … I can’t bear the idea that I may kill—” I choked over that word, “one of you. Please … I just need some space to deal with all this right now.”