The Amulet (24 page)

Once on the other side, her nose gave her the direction she needed to navigate through the rocky terrain. She smelled Jessie and Nevar and the foul odor she knew to be Gabriel. The air was colder here and thinner, not that she was concerned with the oxygen quality of it, but it gave her an idea of where she was. She felt the traces of power left by the dragon and felt drawn towards it. Hopefully, Jessie was able to breathe at this altitude. Alyssa was holding her breath.

It wouldn't be long now, he knew. There was too much at stake. He had enough leverage on the half-breed to bring her out of her nest. He would have his amulet back soon enough. The wolf was fading now. He had chosen his stage specifically. The poor air quality was weakening the beast. Her movements were slower, her eyes heavy and lethargic.

It all happened at once, it seemed. First, the wolf collapsed in a heap of fur. Her body began to shrink back down to its original size, just as he knew would happen. What he didn't know was that Nevar, and not the half-breed female had arrived and now stood between him and the vulnerable dog.

His anger erupted until he saw his precious medallion hanging from his hand. The red eyes shone brightly at him and he ached to feel it around his neck once more. He longed for the flow of power he felt when he wore it, but the dragon was silent and withheld its energy. His anger flared again as the medallion rejected him. How could Nicholas be stronger than he? By comparison, Nicholas was just a child in years. Only Matthias was older than he was, and still alive, but surely his ward was not stronger than him.

"Nicholas, it has been a long time. What brings thee to my soir
ée?"

"I have no time for small talk, Gabriel. You know why I am here. I have what you want."

Gabriel scowled at him. "No, I wanted more than just my amulet. I want the half-breed. She and I have a score to settle."

"You will have to settle for me, Gabriel. I have not taught her to track mist, so she will not be joining us."

No sooner were the words out of his mouth than Alyssa appeared behind Jessie. Nicholas screamed in pain as the amulet fell from his hand. Before it could hit the ground, it vanished. Gabriel roared angrily when he realized it had encircled itself around Alyssa's neck.

"Wretched girl! You will return my amulet to me if I have to end you to get it!"

With the medallion around her neck, Alyssa felt much stronger than she had before. She wasted no time in grabbing Jessie and hoisting her up over her neck. "Nevar!" He hurried to her side. As soon as she had contact, she focused her thoughts to return to the planes. Gabriel was making an approach, but the dragon was keeping him at bay with its glowing stare.

She felt the current of power flowing through her as the planes opened up to her, pulling Nevar and Jessie through with her. As they entered the grid, Alyssa reached for the amulet around her neck. The gold caressed her neck and the dragon settled comfortably in the curves of her chest.

"You know, I cannot blame that thing for choosing you over Gabriel. Ah," he groaned.

"Nevar? Are you okay?"

He was clutching his right arm, which she noticed looked charred. He grimaced in pain and did not answer her question, a bad sign. She was still supporting Jessie, who finally seemed to be breathing regularly again, so all she could do was reach out to him mentally. "We need to get you and Jessie back to the manor, quickly!"

He seemed to push through the pain to continue on, even helping to support Jessie. Alyssa could see that he was hurting from deeper wounds than just the charring of his arm. She wanted to do something for him, anything, but she had no clue what.

"Forget it, Alyssa. I know that look. Get us home and worry about me then."

She felt slightly put out by his words, but she didn't argue. He was right, anyway. The longer she stayed here, the more energy she wasted. She focused her mind, but all she could think about was Nevar. She tried again. She tried to think about the room she had been in and herself, but the thoughts slipped through her mind like the sand in an hourglass.

Alyssa, think of me.

The voice was so sultry and seductive, she wanted to hear it again.

Think of me, Alyssa. I'm here. Come back to me.

Xander! The name triggered her memory. She could taste his kiss lingering on her lips still. She could see his piercing blue eyes gazing softly back at her. She could smell new leather and musk and she felt his golden mane twisted in her fingers. An intersection in the grid opened up not far from where they had entered and Alyssa guided them through to it.

Nevar seemed distracted and he stumbled a time or two. Alyssa tried not to think about his unusual lack of grace. She looked through the open intersection and saw Xander leaning over her body, gently stroking her hair. "Hold onto me, Nevar. I've never pulled anyone through the grid with me before. It may be a rough landing."

He nodded silently at her as he reached out for her. His touch was very hesitant at first, taking her lightly by the wrist. She needed him closer, so she pulled his arm around her waist. He gave her a wistful look and turned his eyes away. Alyssa never could have guessed that she would be the one who got hurt when she made her choice.

Alyssa, please come back to me.

Xander's voice coaxed her through the opening in the grid. As she stepped through, she felt resistance as she tried to pull Nevar and Jessie along behind her. She asked the amulet for help. She had pulled it through before, but it was much smaller. The dragon answered her with a surge of power, like fire through her body, and the resistance faded. Together, they fell into the room. Jessie and Nevar landed heavily on the floor, while Alyssa was pulled back into her body.

She opened her eyes slowly. She was met with fiercely blue eyes smiling down at her. Xander kissed her into consciousness and the wolf in him was ecstatic, howling merrily to the silver moon. LunR nuzzled him through her thoughts, vampire and wolf both finally in agreement.

When Xander finally released her mouth, she asked, "Jessie and Nevar, did they make it through okay?"

Xander helped her sit up, although she didn't feel like he needed to fuss over her. Nevar was kneeling on the floor beside Jessie, who appeared to be attempting to open her eyes. "They made it through," he said, "but all of you need to recover. We need a safe place to hide out for a night or two. It seems Gabriel has a bead on this place."

"Xander, I know you may despise this idea, but I think we should find Katarina."

"No," he insisted. "Absolutely not! She's just as likely to bring Gabriel to us as help us, probably more so. Why would you want to find her?"

"Do you know anyone better at disappearing?"

His jaw flexed as a muscle in his neck bulged. He refused to answer, but she knew he didn't have a valid argument to raise. She twisted a lock of his hair until she saw the tension release. She knew it was hard for him, but she was the cool water that put out the flames in his thoughts.

The pain in Nevar's arm was beginning to subside, but he would need to hunt soon to heal the scars. As soon as the amulet had discovered he had fooled it, the curs
éd thing had lashed out at him. It felt like it had taken power from him in the process.

"Nevar," Xander interrupted his thoughts. "I left enough food in the dining room for Jessie. I imagine she is pretty hungry after her first full transformation."

"Then I will escort her down, if you will see to Ms. Thomas?"

Xander nodded, but the look on Alyssa's face tore him to pieces. Despite what he may try to tell himself, he had fallen under her spell, and worse, he had dragged her along with him. He would have to live an eternity knowing he was breaking her heart.

Jessie awoke suddenly. Had it all been a terrible nightmare? The exhaustion she felt suggested otherwise. Her head ached and her stomach was growling. She wanted nothing more than to eat an entire steak and go to bed. Steak? She usually stayed away from red meat except on rare occasions. Somehow, she doubted anything else would satisfy her hunger.

She started to sit up, but her body refused to listen to her. "What the hell is wrong with me?"

The voice that answered her was close, very close. "Nothing is wrong with you. A good meal and you will be back on your feet again in no time."

She hadn't realized she was being carried until she saw his face. His black hair and strong jaw line reminded her of a hero out of her dreams. He was every bit the man she fantasized about, but was too shy to talk to. Now, she was pressed firmly against his chest and yet, she was still at a loss for words.

"There is something unusual about you, Jessie. Do you care to answer a few questions for me?"

His eyes were soft chocolate pools and they pleaded to her. How could she say no? A better question would be: how would she force her vocal chords to produce discernible sounds? She nodded her head in answer.

He laughed infectiously and the corners of her mouth slipped into a shy smile. Surely, her cheeks must have been glowing. She wondered how they did not light up the dark corridor. "Where are you taking me?" she asked timidly.

"To the dining room, of course. Xander took the liberty of preparing a feast, so I was told, and you need to eat," he answered. "Now, my turn, will you tell me about your parents?"

She thought it an odd question to ask, but didn't find it offensive or overly invasive. "I don't know a lot about my mother. My father said she died when I was very young. He told me she was beautiful. My dad was really handsome when he was younger, but he passed away a few years ago. Well," she trailed off and turned her eyes away.

"Is something wrong?"

She sighed heavily before continuing. "My dad's family never really accepted me. They said my mother had been sleeping around. Everyone thought I looked nothing like my father."

"What was your mother's name?"

"Katarina, but my dad just called her 'Kat'."

His eyebrow cocked at the name. "Do you happen to have a picture of her?"

She dropped her gaze again. "No, they were all destroyed in the fire that killed her."

"Would you recognize her if you saw a picture of her?"

"I doubt it. I was so young when she died, and all I know about her is what my father told me. I know she had golden eyes. Dad said he swore they were contacts at first, but if they were, she never took them out."

"Did she have black hair?"

"Yes, how did you guess?"

"It was no guess, Jessie. I think that wolf bit you on purpose, and I think I know why."

Nevar had taken Jessie from the room, leaving Alyssa alone with Xander. She thought she knew the real reason he had left. He wanted to put distance between himself and her. She felt horrible, but she wasn't sure if she felt bad for hurting him, or if she was hurt because he was rejecting her. All she knew was one way or another, it hurt.

Xander gave her a sympathetic look. She gave him a small smile as if to say, I'm okay. He offered his hand to her and she took it. He eased her out of bed, wrapping his arms around her as if he were afraid she would fall.

"Xander, you don't have to treat me as if I were made of glass. I was pretty sturdy as a human, well, I guess I was never really human, after all."

"You look really pale, and even a little thinner than you were, Alyssa. You need to feed."

"I'm really not hungry, though," she told him, and she wasn't. She didn't feel weak, either. She felt the amulet hanging around her neck and she began to pet the dragon's scales with her free hand.

"I think you should take that thing off, Alyssa. It gives me a bad feeling."

As soon as he said the words, Alyssa felt the gold heat up and it whispered softly to her. It didn't like Xander. He was a threat and she should be wary of him. Nonsense, she told it. Xander had risked his life for her more than once already. The dragon cooled down and settled down to nest on her chest.

"I think I would collapse from exhaustion if I take it off. I'm borrowing power from it at the moment."

Xander looked skeptical, but didn't argue. "Fine, but I want you to eat something."

She really didn't want to, but if it would make Xander happy, she would eat. "Of course, Xander."

"Finally, a woman who listens to me at least half of the time," he winked at her.

She smiled in return. "I promise I'll listen all the time, but I can't promise to always obey."

He laughed heartily. "I'm afraid I can't promise to obey all the time, either unless..." His eyes seemed to stare off at some distant point behind her instead of at her.

"Unless you have a debt to pay?" She had never meant to ask, but she had never expected him to mention it either.

"Nevar saved my life, and so did you. That's not something I forget easily. Werewolves have always been bound to vampires as far back as the histories go. When he saved my life, I felt a physical pull to obey every command or favor he asked of me. I could never stray too far from him, whether I wanted to or not. It has been a burden at times, but Nevar has been a good friend and he has never abused my bonds."