The Amulet (2 page)

His muscular frame would have suited a professional football player. The way he carried himself suggested a military background, or else he just had extraordinary posture. She felt a connection to this man unlike anything she had ever known. Without touching him, she could
feel
him. As dangerous as he looked, she was not afraid of him. She kept thinking that she should be. She should be running screaming in the opposite direction, but she was calm and even confident.

"Who are you? Why are you here? What's going on?" she asked him.

He held her gaze for a moment as if deciding how much to tell her before he answered. "You may call me Nevar. I apologize for my rudeness. The least I can do is introduce myself for trespassing on you."

His eyes were intense but she wasn't afraid of him. Instead, she was intrigued.
“I am Alyssa Thomas. Normally, I would say it is a pleasure, but I’m not quite sure what to think just now." Her head felt as though it were stuffed with cotton. Thoughts came slowly and it was difficult to concentrate on any one thing.

“
It is truly an honor to make your acquaintance, Ms. Thomas. I will entirely understand if you do not return the sentiment, given the circumstances." His voice was as smooth as velvet. It was no wonder she had thought he was an angel. "I truly hope you will forgive me for all that I have taken from you." He paused for a long moment, the pain showing again on his features. "I would not blame you for despising me."

She took in his words slowly. The way he spoke made her think of movies set in older times, no slang, very proper, and his name was unfamiliar and sounded foreign. Though she felt fine, more than fine actually, she knew she had indeed changed. Her hand moved to her neck, where she had felt the pain start. Her fingers found no wound, no blood. Ah, blood. She could taste it still. So warm in her throat, and it had made her feel more powerful than the strongest athlete. The thought frightened her. Realization dawned on her. She had tasted blood, and drank it willingly. It disgusted her. She wanted more.

"You're thirsty," he told her.

"How did you...?"

I can hear you.
The voice was in her head, his voice.

She tried to think
. You can read my thoughts?

Yes, but only if you allow me to. When you learn how to control it, you'll be able to block me out. For now, it's an easy way to communicate, and stealth is often necessary. I need to get you fed. I promise to explain everything to you afterwards.

Fed? She didn't like the way it sounded, but she found she was starving, despite the fact that she had just eaten dinner less than two hours ago.
Why am I so hungry?

I drained your body of nutrients, but I could not replace them. I will help you get what you need.
He held out his hand for her. Suddenly, she realized she was in her nightgown in front of a near-perfect stranger. As handsome as he was, she had misgivings about letting him see her in such intimate attire. "I'd like to change," she told him, but she accepted his hand and allowed him to help her to her feet.

As you wish.

The grin on his face said that he knew her thoughts as well as he knew his own. It also said that he liked what he saw. Her gown was thin, and she now knew how keen his vision was, even in the dark. She let him look. Covering herself up now would make her look childish. It would do her no good to try to hide from his eyes now. He had already seen her, anyway, but she trained her thoughts to keep from giving too much away.

Chapter Three

She walked to her closet and turned on the light. She decided on a pair of designer slacks and a ruffled shirt with a plunging neckline she had just bought the day before. She had planned on wearing it to her next big interview, but it just felt right that she should wear it on the first day of her new life. She had plenty of questions to ask once she got decently dressed. She turned back to see if he was watching her, but it seemed he had decided to give her enough privacy to change.

She draped a cardigan over her new blouse and paired the outfit with a set of gladiator sandals. Standing in front of the mirror, she looked ready for the runway, even without her make-up artist on hand. She walked out of the closet to find Nevar waiting.

Well, how do I look?
She found she was beginning to like this more intimate way of communicating. If she concentrated, she might even be able to block him from her thoughts. That would be useful. She may like to talk this way, but he did not need to know her every thought. There were some things she'd rather keep to herself.

He turned to look at her and she followed his eyes as they traveled the length of her, seeming to leave a trail of flame across her skin behind them.
You look good enough to eat.
He smiled at her. A smile so dangerous and sexy she knew he meant what he said, literally.

Thank you, I think.
She paused nervously.
I have some questions to ask you if that's alright?

"I know. I have wronged you on so many levels already. It is a long story and we are running short on time. First," he said, "you need to replenish your strength." He walked around behind her and put his hands on her shoulders.

She jumped beneath his touch, but felt the urge to relax. He was in her head, she realized. She tried to force him out using all of her concentration. She felt a strange sensation, like walls had come up around her mind and the urge ceased to exist. She tested them, feeling and memorizing them, for cracks and found there were none. She had done it. A surge of pride and satisfaction swelled in her chest like a peacock.

"Very good," he told her. "You learn quickly. It often takes years to learn what you just did. Before long, you will be able to maintain it without so much effort." His hands slid down her shoulders to brace her arms at her side. "Relax; this is going to feel strange the first time."

His words, and the sensual feel of his strong hands, did anything but relax her, but before she had a chance to process what he was telling her, she felt herself dissolving. Her body broke into millions of tiny pieces and she was carried out the window of her home. Her senses were all still aware, but she was no longer solid. She could feel the wind, but it was different. She was a vapor floating on the wind. The city beneath her moving so fast, human eyes would have seen nothing but lights streaking past. She, however, saw everything. Every detail immersed her in overwhelming awe and she tried to drink it in and absorb every flickering light and glistening leaf that flitted by.

They passed the coffee shop she liked to frequent, where she had spilled her coffee earlier. She saw a few late night party-goers stumbling drunkenly to awaiting taxi cabs, and worse, she could smell them. Their blood was tainted by alcohol and the foul aroma of cigarettes. From one, she picked up another toxin that left her stomach lurching. She did not recognize the scent.

The walls around her mind crumbled and fell. It was difficult to maintain them, she realized.
What is that horrible odor?

Drugs, probably ecstasy from the look of them. They taint the blood and they taste just as bad as they smell. The cleaner the blood, the better it smells, and tastes. Yours was hard to resist. A little bit of wine just to sweeten it, but clean and healthy. Perfect. Maybe a little too perfect.

Too perfect?

I could not stop myself before it was too late. You were very near death. If I had not stopped when I did, you would be dead now. I did what I had to do in order to save you, but you are not the same. I have never lost control of myself like that before.

His voice was heavy and thick with remorse. Her head was reeling with what he was telling her, trying to understand. She was missing something important, something blatantly obvious, but she just could not wrap her head around it. Something was wrong. Why couldn’t she understand what was happening to her?

They continued through the party district into the outer skirts of the city. The buildings stretched out and allowed room for yards and gardens. Quaint little houses with cute little picket fences marked the beginning of suburbia. The wind shifted and they drifted with it to descend into a shady park. The sensation began to return to her as she materialized from mist to a solid form. It seemed gravity pulled more heavily on her than it had before. An ache in her stomach brought her attention away from the strangeness of having her body transformed into something inhuman and terrifying.

She could smell Nevar behind her and was all too aware of his hands upon her. The wind caressed her skin and brought her new smells. The air was filled with a bouquet of aromas. The trees, still moist from the evening rain, the magnolias were rich in bloom and so strong they overpowered almost everything else. One in particular caught her attention. She smelled musk and pheromones. It smelled clean and delicious. Her stomach growled in response.

Trust your instincts. Let them take over. Be careful, and take only enough to satisfy the hunger. You must be able to stop before you take too much.

She closed her eyes, focusing on the scent. Its source was only a few yards away, to their left. Her sensitive ears picked up the sound of music playing from a set of earphones. Good. Her approach would not be noticed. She opened her eyes and searched the night for her quarry.

He was tying a pair of running shoes, propping one leg on the seat of a bench. He was out for a late-night jog to beat the heat of day, no doubt. It was obvious that he kept himself fit. Lean muscular legs supported a strong core, broad shoulders and arms as thick as her legs. She had the distinct feeling that he was all meat and no brain, but he was good-looking enough. She let the scent fill her, focused on her hunger. She felt his heart beating. She wasn't sure how, but it was strong, and so steady. Something in her screamed, now! And before she had a chance to think about what she was doing, she had sprung the short distance between them. She over-powered him easily. He was caught off-guard and she was stronger, much stronger than he was.

She bent towards his thick neck, finding her mark. Her teeth scored the flesh and the reward was the rich flow of fire. She felt the power flooding into her once more, nothing like when she tasted Nevar's blood, but it satisfied the hunger. She drank deeply of the rich liquid, receiving life.

Something told her she should stop. She was no longer hungry. She hadn
’t noticed that he had stopped struggling. Was he feeling the euphoria that she remembered? She released him, licking the last few drops from his neck. As she did, the wound knitted itself back together leaving no trace that it had ever been there.

Nevar stepped over to her and helped her up. She could not take her eyes off the young man lying in the grass with his eyes closed. He was very still, but his chest still rose and fell and his heart was as steady as ever. With renewed strength, she was able to bring the walls back up around her mind. "Will he be okay?"

"Yes, he'll be fine. You did well. You restrained without injuring him and stopped yourself in good time. You will need about a pint a night to sustain your strength, which is a safe amount for them to lose on a limited basis. However, being so new, you will need more to compensate for the change. You will require less as time goes by, barring injury or prolonged exertion."

He studied the man for a moment with concentrated eyes. "I altered his memory. He will remember nothing and instead assume that he fainted. They usually suffer no ill effects. He will be no worse for wear."

"You altered his memory? Can I do that, too?"

"In time, you will be able to, but until you learn, it is best that I do it for you. You may alter more than you mean to before you perfect the technique."

"Wait, if you can do that to him, that means you could alter anyone's mind, right?"

"It is hardly common practice, Alyssa. Some vampires have erased entire lives by mistake. Amnesia is a convenient alibi, but again, it is difficult to perfect the technique and very few vampires ever succeed."

"’Vampires’?" Hearing the word threw her for a loop. "I'm... I'm a... vampire? Part of me was hoping this was all a dream, but it's not, is it?"

"No. I am truly sorry. I was afraid that you were taking this all entirely too well. I thought it would be best to satisfy your hunger before I explained everything, but we should find somewhere else to talk. I would suggest my place. It is safe there. We should hurry, before he recovers enough to wake up."

She knew he was right. It was hard enough for her to believe what was happening to what used to be a normal world where vampires were something you only saw in movies. The last thing she wanted was to offer up an explanation to a complete stranger about why she had just knocked him out and forced him to donate a pint.

You're right. I'll go wherever you want as long as you explain this to me when we get there. And I want my animals, if it isn't too much trouble?

I can arrange that. Your cat, is she okay around dogs? Besides your own, I mean to say?

She can hold her own. Why?

He smiled at her before taking her into his arms
. It would be easier to show you than to try to explain. I just have to call a friend.

His smile and his proximity unnerved her. He was too close, too hard against her. He was steel wrapped in satin and she was unable to move even slightly away from his hold on her. Part of her never wanted to.