The Amulet (13 page)

He pulled the red leather-bound book on the shelf until it clicked and the bookcase began to slide to one side. They walked down the stairs in a thoughtful silence. As they came upon the landing, Nevar turned and gestured towards the center of his sitting room.

At first, she didn't notice anything except the warm glow of the fireplace but then she saw the familiar picture above the mantel. Her mother and father posing with a tiny newborn cradled in between them. She had no memory of her parents. Her grandmother had given her the picture to keep their memory alive. They had both died when she was young. Their deaths had never been explained. Some said natural causes, others said it was murder.

Seeing their smiling faces always brought a tear to her eyes. They looked so happy. Her mother had amber-colored eyes and jet black hair while her father looked quite the charmer with rich chocolate locks with just a touch of gray at his temples, stunning green eyes, and a debonair smile. Her grandmother always told her that she had never seen two people more in love than her parents.

Besides the picture, she saw other articles that belonged to her scattered throughout the room. Most of her things were contemporary or modern in style, but he had managed to incorporate them into his French d
écor. She turned to face Nevar, who had been studying her reaction closely. She searched for words, but none came.

Luckily for her, Nevar broke the silence. "I had your things brought here for the time being. I admit, I had other motives at first, but now, with Gabriel after you, I will not risk your safety by allowing you to leave."

"And your other motives...?"

"Are still there, but not at the forefront for the moment," he smiled and brushed her cheek with his fingertips. "I hope you will be more comfortable tonight with a little bit of home here. Your clothes are in the wardrobe. I will give you as much privacy as you need. Remember to lower your shields before you fall asleep." He sat down in front of the fire on the plush sofa and picked up a book from a nearby table.

"Thank you," she told him. He certainly was a gentleman. He had shared his bed with her last night, but he was waiting for an invitation. She knew the only reason she had been able to rest at all was because he had held her in his arms. She didn't want the nightmares to come again and wanted to walk the planes even less.

She entered Nevar's room and was greeted happily by Zukko, who jumped and spun circles around her ankles. She picked him up to pet him and got an affectionate lick in return. Snickers meowed at her from the head of the bed. She had made herself at home already, perched on the soft down pillows. Their food bowls were tucked away in a corner with evidence of recently having food in them. Nevar had barely left her side, so it had to be Xander's handiwork. It seemed she would soon be in his debt instead of the other way around.

She undressed absent-mindedly, thinking about Xander and the night's events. The scent of lavender and jasmine enticed her to open the adjacent door. It was a bathroom stocked entirely of her things. Only the shower looked as though it had ever been used, and the only clue that it had was a faint residue of soap.

She felt dirty after laying in the dirt as a wolf and decided to take a shower. The hot water was soothing and her scented bath soaps brought back memories of being human. Her human problems seemed so petty now. Between being hunted by Gabriel, the fear of what happened when she slept, and keeping herself fed, this life had proven far more complicated in two days than a lifetime of human drama. She was exhausted.

After her shower, she put on an elegant nightgown and climbed into bed with Snickers. She started petting her while the feline purred her contentment. Before she knew it, she had fallen asleep.

She had forgotten something. She knew it, but she could not remember what it was. Why had she come here? Where was she? She did not know. It was warm here and the sun kissed her skin, but it no longer hurt her eyes. The breeze carried scents of sand and salt water. She was surrounded by people that didn't seem to notice her. A few almost walked straight into her but changed directions suddenly just in time to avoid her. Her mouth started to water. Their blood was calling to her and the temptation to answer was great. There were too many eyes here. She must restrain the beast.

A shadow crossed her vision. She turned to follow its path. Her mouth went wide as she recognized the figure as Gabriel. She watched, horrified, as he seized a young girl and bit her. People passed by without even lifting their gaze to the scene before them. The girl hung limp in his arm and her heartbeat grew faint. Alyssa could not stand it any longer. She released the hold on the beast and charged at him, transforming in mid-flight.

He released the girl and she fell uselessly to the sand. Alyssa just missed pinning him to the ground when he shifted into mist and regrouped onto her back. She threw all her weight against him and landed solidly on top of him in the wet sand. His hold faltered and she writhed from his grip. She growled low in her throat and dared him to make a move.

He stood and gestured all around them. She expected to see an audience watching in horror as their worst nightmares played out in front of them, but saw only the grid. How had she gotten here? Now, she remembered. She had forgotten to lower her shields before she fell asleep. The swear she uttered came out as a disgusted snort.

"I believe thou hast something of mine," he croaked. His voice quality had improved. It no longer sounded like gravel, but it was still a very dry sound as though he had a sore throat. Then, the blood he had taken was healing him, she thought. She kept picturing the little girl laying in the sand. Her rage consumed her.

"Come now, little one. Bring my trinket to me and I will return whence I came."

Except she could tell he was lying. He had a blood lust in his eyes that would never be quelled. She started to turn away, to disappear through an intersection in the grid, but she couldn't move. He was probing in her unprotected wolf mind. The chaos of her thoughts seemed to frustrate him. Good, he understood her thoughts about as well as she had understood Xander's.

Then, he smiled a cruel smile and a cold chill ran down her spine. She felt like thin icicles were piercing her skull. She shook her head trying to clear it, but saw her fur retreating revealing her flesh. She twisted and struggled until she could shield her thoughts, but by then, she was crouched on the base of the grid in her true form.

She was afraid she would be exposed, but found she was fully clothed, not in her nightgown, but a white shirt and denim jeans. She realized that in the grid, what she saw was a mental projection of herself and not her physical body. Gabriel's appearance was different, as well, she noticed. He was clean and clothed in a powdered wig, stunning red dress coat, royal blue breeches, white leggings, and his high heeled dress shoes were polished to a high shine. If this was how he saw himself, he needed a serious reality check.

"I'm afraid we are at an impasse. I don't know where your medallion is," she voiced.

"You lie," he spat back. "It hung 'round thine neck less than a day, but I feel it on you still. Where did thou hide it?"

"I said I don't know where it is!" Her patience was growing thin, or was it his? She, too, could feel the amulet's presence lingering around her neck. She remembered the way it felt coiled snugly between her breasts, the way it seemed to have its own warmth, and the way the intricate scales had felt beneath her fingertips. Its glowing red eyes seemed to call to her even from her memory.

And then, as if conjured out of thin air, she felt the familiar weight around her neck. Two glowing red eyes stared up at her from her cleavage. There was a sense of joy that ran through her, but also anger. The dragon was thrilled to be reunited, but it was angry she had sent it away. It was even more angry that she was being threatened. It grew warmer and lightened in color until it seemed to glow from the inside out.

Gabriel's eyes took on a look of shock as his eyes focused in on only the medallion. He looked briefly as though he were going to lunge for it, but collapsed in a heap instead. He thrashed as if he were fighting off an unseen attacker, his hoarse voice barely making sound as he screamed in pain.

She turned away, unable to stand seeing the agony painted in his eyes. She thought of Nevar and her animals, absently petting the amulet as she tried to focus. The screams faded away and a pathway opened in the grid. Once again, she looked down at herself while she slept. Nevar sat beside her looking worried. She walked through the passage and fell through the plane into her body once more.

She opened her eyes slowly, afraid of what she would see. The first thing she saw when her eyes focused was Nevar's relieved expression. She blinked, just to be sure she wasn't dreaming, and then reached for her neck. It was bare. The amulet was not nestled there as she expected it to be. She was grateful, but a little disappointed at the same time.

"You had us worried," he said. "You forgot to lower your shields."

"I know," she replied simply. "I paid for it, too. I saw Gabriel again. I can't tell if what I saw was real, or if it was just inside my head. It
felt
real, but some of it doesn't make sense."

"What do you mean? Perhaps I may be able to fill in some of the holes?"

She filled him in on what she had seen: the way the people had looked right past her and never noticed her struggling with Gabriel, their arrival in the grid, and the amulet seeming to choose her over Gabriel. "I was wearing it when I returned to my body, but it didn't follow me here."

"I have it sealed away. Perhaps it cannot travel unaided. You had no idea what you were doing when you found it, but you seem to be learning quickly."

"Gabriel did something to me there, on the plane. I changed into the wolf but he reached into my mind and somehow made me change back."

"He was able to manipulate your thoughts because the wolf has no safeguards to protect it. What surprises me is that he was able to read your mind at all, let alone manipulate your physical form. It must work differently on the planes. Matthias could tell us more, I think."

"I think you're right," she said. "I've learned that rather than having a physical body on the plane, what I see is a mental projection of myself. I have no idea how Gabriel ended up on the plane with me or whether or not he was a physical being or just another mental projection."

"I'm afraid these are questions for Matthias. I do not have the answers you seek."

There was a knock at the door and Xander came in looking exhausted. His bare chest was unmarked, as though his encounter with Gabriel had never happened, but it had drained his strength to heal himself. "If you don't mind, Nevar, I believe it's time for a changing of the guard."

Nevar seemed to consider something, then nodded his head slightly. "Any sign?"

"No, none," he answered. "He may be up to something. It's unlike him to give up a pursuit, even to regroup."

"I agree. Alyssa saw him in her sleep. She walked the plane again and found him. From what she told me, he is feeding to regain his strength, most likely preparing for another encounter."

"That sounds like him, but I've never known him to be unprepared in the first place. Then again, Alyssa doesn't follow any of the normal patterns, either."

"Yeah," she sighed. "Lucky for me. There's got to be a reason why I'm so different, isn't there?"

"Maybe Matthias knows," Nevar replied. "I cannot imagine why you are so much more advanced than other vampires your age. Certainly, you are a jewel to begin with, but besides that, it is a mystery."

She was sure her cheeks bloomed with color but she had to put a hand up to stifle a yawn. She was still exhausted from the long night. "So sorry," she apologized. "I don't feel like I've slept at all."

"Because you haven't," Xander remarked. "You don't rest when you walk the planes; it's actually exerting you further. This time, you need to drop your shields. Nevar and I cannot protect you if you block us out."

"Sorry, it wasn't intentional...," she trailed off. She could barely keep her eyes open. She saw Nevar move beside her. He got to his feet and kissed her hair.

"Get some sleep now. You're safe." He gave Xander a hard look as he walked towards the door. "Behave yourself, Xander, or I will have a new wolf skin rug for my floor."

"Ooh. Ouch. What makes you think I won't behave?"

"500 years of friendship makes for a good convincer, but you would not have lasted so long if you were stupid enough to step out of line."

"I'll take care of her, Nevar. You know I will."

"Yes, I know." With that, he evaporated and slipped from the room without another sound.

Xander entered the room, still clad in nothing but his shorts. He tapped a finger to his temple at her. She relaxed the hold she had on her walls and felt them come crashing down under the force of her exhaustion. She felt raw and exposed and she tried desperately to keep a close handle on her thoughts, but she had not been afraid to let Xander into her thoughts as the wolf. The wolf did not have such inhibitions. She had felt so free in that form.

Xander's shields fell and his thoughts opened to her and she wasn't surprised that half of his thoughts were the chaotic images of the wolf. She was able to pick out a few of them. Blue swirls of sleep crept up at the edges of his mind. He wanted to protect her, and not because Nevar had told him to. The pull to obey was no longer there in his mind.