The Amulet (21 page)

There was a look of surprise on the she-wolf's face and she shook her head as if trying to clear it. She had swirls of pink confusion dancing around in her head.

You're not crazy, Jess. You can hear my thoughts, and I can hear yours. You should listen to the wolf, but make sure you maintain control. Let it guide you, but do not let it be your master.

Jess nodded her head. She turned towards the vineyard and sniffed again at the air. Alyssa followed her lead and caught the scent of decay. A low growl rose from her throat and her hackles raised. She was on edge before she had a chance to realize that the scent was old, but she recognized it instantly. Gabriel had been here.

Jessie had caught onto her thoughts and Alyssa picked up the hint of fear that she was tying to hide. Alyssa ran through what she knew about Gabriel in her mind, from the amulet, to the encounter she had with him in the woods, and the dream she had  of him attacking humans in broad daylight and leaving them like rubbish on the sand. She gave her his scent so she would be able to detect him and warned her to be cautious. He had overpowered Xander and it would be dangerous for her to encounter him alone.

Jessie shivered as she interpreted her thoughts. She had no desire to meet Gabriel and wanted to head in the opposite direction as the lingering scent in the vineyard. Alyssa agreed with her and together, they headed towards the pasture beyond the lake. They started out at a trot, enjoying the cool night air and the gentle breeze off the ocean. It would be nice, Alyssa thought, if the night held no surprises for once.

Her stomach was beginning to ache with hunger. The wolf wanted to hunt. Her appetite bothered her. If she kept up at this rate, there would be no game left to hunt, but Jessie would need to eat and satisfy the wolf. Alyssa searched the air for a scent. She found what she was looking for at the edge of the lake. A good source of water was helpful for tracking prey.

Alyssa knew what she was after was risky and a bit intimidating for Jessie's first hunt, but LunR was not backing down. Stubborn wolf, but so was she.

Alyssa had picked up an interesting scent by the lake. Jessie did not recognize it and there was nothing in Alyssa's mind to identify it. She saw simply the smell as a trail of gold. Jessie was fascinated by the way the trail seemed alive. Alyssa was stalking after the trail with her head low and her tail swinging behind her.

A wave of caution rose up in the back of Jessie's mind, but something urged her onward. She let the wolf sharpen her wits and followed Alyssa's lead. The scent led around the edge of the tree line and into the woods. There was something dangerous in the air. The hairs on the back of Jessie's neck stood on end.

The scent grew stronger as the followed the path into rocky terrain. Alyssa's mind was humming with excitement. It wouldn't be long now. She didn't know why she was seeking out a fight, but she supposed she preferred prey that stood a chance at survival. She had not felt that feeling of victory over the young buck as she and Xander took him down. Tonight, she wanted victory.

The trail ended at a rocky cliff face. There was a jagged stone overhanging the entrance to a small cave. It was the perfect site for a den. Going in the den was a death sentence. Somehow, she had to lure the animal from its den.

She lifted her front paw and let out a loud yelp, as if she'd injured herself. In her mind, she urged Jessie to get down out of sight. She would have her chance soon enough. It didn't take long before her ploy paid off. With a fierce yowl, the mountain lion emerged from her den. Her golden coat was sleek and she appeared well fed, however, she licked her lips at the thought of making Alyssa her next meal.

Alyssa lured the she-cat away from her den by hobbling on three legs upwind of Jessie to avoid giving away her scent. The puma made no attempt to crouch or hide her approach, but broke into a lope after Alyssa. As she drew nearer, Alyssa dropped the act an turned on the cat with a ferocious growl of her own.

The cat seemed startled that her prey had turned predator and she yowled in protest. Her giant paws slashed at Alyssa with her claws unsheathed. It was a warning strike, meant to frighten, but catching nothing but air. A surge of electricity raced through her veins as the cougar stared at her with piercing amber eyes.

Alyssa drew back her lips to reveal gleaming white teeth and dared the cat come nearer. Though outmatched in size, the mountain lion lunged forward, claws outstretched. Her razor-sharp talons found Alyssa's shoulder, but she rolled her body to avoid the cougar's powerful jaws.

Jessie emerged from the brush and flanked the lithe feline. The distraction allowed Alyssa time to gather herself and she launched herself at the cat, but the puma turned nimbly before Alyssa could clamp down on the feline's neck. This time, the amber cat scored flesh with her claws. Pain seared Alyssa's flank and she retaliated by locking her jaws on the feline's withers. The cat screamed in agony as she writhed trying to inflict more damage on her attacker.

Jessie saw her opportunity while Alyssa had the cougar by the scruff. The giant cat was fighting desperately to claw the silver pelt of her friend and add to the growing number of red slices. Jessie lunged for the animal and her canines sank into the soft flesh of the feline's neck.

She felt the cougar's pain through her thoughts, felt her gasp to catch her breath, and saw the darkness creep into her mind. Jessie wept, even as the wolf in her rejoiced in her triumph. Something else crept into her mind slowly. The thoughts that she heard were happy. The monster that had been feasting on the forest was gone. It was a delicate balance between predator and prey. If there were too many predators, the prey population would plummet. It still did little to soothe her conscience.

Alyssa collapsed to the ground in a heap. The wounds she had sustained were deep and her coat was matted with blood and dirt. Jessie dropped the cougar and walked to her friend's side. Alyssa's mind was as streaked with red as her body was. Jessie whimpered softly and nudged her neck. Her breathing was ragged and sounded labored. Jessie, unsure of what to do, lifted her head to the sky and shattered the air with a long and mournful howl.

Alyssa could still feel the daggers raking across her pelt, tearing her flesh. She had missed her mark and left herself open to attack, and now she was paying the price for her mistake. She tried to reach through her thoughts to Nevar or Xander. Nevar could not read the wolf's cryptic mind, but pain was the same in any language he had said.

She felt for them, but she was unable to make a connection. The pain blocked her mind from escaping. She only hoped that Nevar could feel her blood calling to him. She felt her strength leave her and she was unable to hold the wolf. She crept into the depths with wounded pride and left her lying broken and bleeding. There was little she could do but wait for her body to heal.

It was a slow process. The cat had left numerous lacerations in her fight for dear life and most of them were deep enough to expose muscle or bone. Her body felt like it was on fire as her tissues began to knit themselves back together. It drained her physically and she closed her eyes, exhausted. Whether from fatigue or loss of blood, she fell into a deep sleep.

There was something off, there was just no other way to describe it. The air felt heavier than normal and it was almost suffocating. Her body wasn't in pain any longer, either. Oh no, she thought, I must be dead. She opened her eyes cautiously. She was on the grid again.

"This is ridiculous " she said to the air. She wondered how long she would keep traveling before they found Matthias. If she concentrated on him, perhaps she could find him through the plane. All she had to go by was an oil painting and the memory she had seen in Nevar's mind. It was a shot.

She wondered if he still wore a powdered wig in this day and age, or if he had abandoned it for a more modern appearance. Certainly, he wouldn't be wearing an aristocrats' coat and breeches unless he was an actor in a play or perhaps a Renaissance fair of some sort.

She tried to picture him with salt and pepper hair; a distinguished man in his early 40's and tried to remember the way his voice had sounded in Nevar's memory. As the picture formed in her head, a path opened up at an intersection in the grid. She had to walk a distance to reach it and when she did, she hesitated, not knowing where the path would lead or what was waiting for her on the other side. There was no one to guide her if she could not find her way back.

She had found her way back before. Surely she could do it again. Before she lost her nerve, she decided to walk through the entrance. When she reached the other side, she found herself sitting in a quaint little café. There were several round tables scattered around the room adorned with simple white tablecloths. The air was heavy with the smell of coffee and sugary treats. A few patrons waited patiently at the bar, but seemed oblivious to the goings on around them. Beside her, a warm mocha waited for her on the table. Odd, she thought, had she been expected?

Yes, my dear, I have waited many a year to make your acquaintance.

The voice was so familiar. Why couldn't she place it? She felt a sense of calm wash over her. She wanted to snuggle with a soft pillow and fall asleep, so she grabbed the mocha and sipped at the caffeinated beverage to keep her wits sharp.

So much like your mother, little one, but you are not so little now, are you?

Where are you? Are you Matthias?

I always knew you would find me. When Katarina said what you had become, I was thrilled to find you were searching for me.

Do you know me personally?

It was then she felt a hand upon her shoulder. As she followed it up to its owner, her jaw dropped and her eyes grew as wide as saucers. She was so shocked that she dropped the coffee in her hand. The cup fell to the stone floor and shattered into a dozen pieces.

"Father?" She couldn't hide the tears from her voice. He looked like he had simply stepped out of a photograph. His hair was the color of rich chocolate with just a peppering of grey at his temples. He was tall and muscular, with an air of dignity about him, but what caught her attention was his eyes. He had the same piercing emerald green eyes that she had inherited. "Am I dreaming?"

"No, my darling Alyssa, you are not. You can walk the planes because you are my daughter."

"But, I don't understand, all this time, I've been half vampire and half werewolf? Why haven't I had any of the abilities of either until Nevar bit me?"

"The two genes cancel each other out. You have always had the allure of the vampire and the wolf living inside you, but when Nevar bit you, you truly became a vampire. The magnificent part is that you still retained the wolf. Your mother and I never dreamed that you would turn out as powerful as you have become!"

"Why did you both leave me?"

"Alyssa, what kind of world is this for a child? You would not have understood why your mother and I were so different from you. Even in our world, a love like ours is misunderstood."

"Where is she? And why did she bite my friend?"

Matthias pushed a strand of hair out of her eyes. "We have a blood connection with you, Alyssa. That is how you found me, and how I knew to expect you. We felt when you changed and she wanted to see you. You know that the wolf inside is hard to control. She never meant to harm your si-... forgive me, your friend."

"Nevar told me about your army of werewolves and how you treated them. How could you do such a thing and love my mother at the same time? How could she make others go through the pain she went through and see them enslaved?"

He sighed heavily, as if trying to explain something difficult to an ignorant child. "Things were different in those days, Alyssa. Your mother and I barely knew each other in those days. Werewolves were little more than animals, meant to serve and protect their vampire masters. I admit, it was barbaric, but we learned the error in our ways long before humans did.

"Your mother was my most loyal and cunning pet at the time, and I saw her as little more than that, until Nevar and Xander rose up against us. Your mother saved my life that day, and she was the only one that remained loyal to me.

"After that, our romance began to blossom into a wildfire, but still, we had to hide the truth. I wish it were not so, but she would have been tortured at length before being killed had the truth been known. I could not live without her. I would have sought my own death, only to be denied. Such a fate is worse than death."

"Will I see her again? Why did she run away? And how did she vanish without a trace?"

"Darling, I know you have lots more to ask, but you sought me out for a specific reason, did you not?"

She started to argue, but decided against it. After so many years apart, she did not want a fight with her father to be her first memory of him. "Yes," she said slowly, "I did. I want to learn how to control my gift. I don't want to walk the planes every time I fall asleep. Can you teach me to control it?"

"But, of course, my child. Come with me, if you will."

She got up from the table and followed Matthias to the door. He turned and opened it for her. "Bienvenue à Paris, ma chérie!"

"Paris? Am I really here?" She looked around and saw the signs, all written in French. Off in the distance, she saw the peak of the Eiffel Tower. The boutiques and caf
é all had an older look to them that spoke quietly of the history they had seen.