The Amulet (30 page)

"Forgive me if I don't take your word for it, Matthias, but you have a long history of fabricating stories," Xander shot back angrily.

A fine mist swirled through the room and formed into two figures: Matthias and Katarina. The pair of them were in each other's arms, looking very much like the happy couple Alyssa had always seen in their photographs. The only difference was the menace in Katarina's eyes. She was staring Xander down with a look that should have killed.

Alyssa moved herself in between them, drawing her mother's eye. "Stand down, Alyssa. I have no intentions of harming your man, although, I see who wears the pants in your relationship."

Alyssa snarled, her teeth elongated into lupine canines. She didn't dare let the wolf tear her dress to shreds, but it snapped and clawed under the surface. "You need to watch your mouth! You may be my mother, but since you didn't take the time to raise me, I feel no obligation to love you. Even guests should show some tact in someone else's home."

Katarina threw her head back in laughter. "Oh, Darling! She sounds exactly like me, doesn't she?" Matthias didn't answer, but silently nodded his head. "Calm down, Alyssa. You don't think it's the first time I've seen your beau nude, do you? Very well, forgive me, but don't think I will apologize for every little thing. I admit I have an abrasive nature at best, but it only adds to my charm."

"If you call snakes charming," Xander spoke over her.

Katarina didn't reply, but the smirk on her face made Alyssa furious. The heat burned in her veins until Xander's hands gripped her waist.
She's only trying to anger you. She wants you to change.
It was working, then. She was as pissed off as Snickers after a bath.

"You're gonna have to wait your turn, 'Lyss. That bitch bit me and turned me into a freak of nature. You can have what's left of her when I get through with her!"

"Temper, temper, Jessie," Katarina mocked her. "You need to learn to pick your fights better. I'd prefer not to kill you so shortly after your change. You've barely accepted the gene yet. The full moon is not until tomorrow. So, I'm never going to win a "Mom of the Year" award, I didn't ask for a nomination, either. I won't ask for forgiveness, because I don't need it. I did what was best for you both at the time, and Jessie, well, biting you was simply an animal reflex. Such is the nature of the beast within us. If you never change a single human, then, I'll apologize."

"I can't believe I'm saying this, but I have to thank you for not raising us!" Alyssa said through clenched teeth. "You're a horrible person and we turned out far better without you in our lives!" Alyssa stormed out of the manor, tears streaming down her face. She ran so hard, her heels fell from her feet and she continued barefoot. Everything she knew had been a lie. Her parents had been mere figments of someone's imagination. They weren't real, at least, not the way Charlotte had described them to her.

She made her way into the trees and into the forest. The wolf felt at ease here. She needed to let her out; she needed to release the rage she felt building inside. Before she thought it through, she stripped, leaving her clothes on a tree limb. The change came quickly, the anger so close to the surface she didn't need to focus on it. The wolf came willingly under the light of the moon.

Trading her black hair for silver fur, she took off further into the forest on four legs. She ignored the numerous voices in her head telling her to come back. She had done what everyone else had wanted her to do all her life, been the person she was expected to be, and for once, she wanted to be who she wanted to be. All her aspirations had been built on a lie. Her parents weren't who she thought they were and the standards she had measured herself by were just as fictitious. It was too much.

Alyssa!

She felt Xander transform as if he were inside of her. The wolf, Cobalt, was triggered by his love for her. She was overwhelmed by what she felt through him and didn't pay attention to where she was going. The mist surrounded her before she could blink. It was too late. Taut muscles pulled tight around her neck and choked the breath out of her. She felt pain stab her neck and felt the life draining out of her. The wolf grew weak and crept back into the shadows. She shrank and collapsed on the ground as the darkness crept in on her. The last thing she remembered was the smell of must and tea leaves.

Xander watched her leave the room with an ache in his chest. Somehow, without her by his side, he felt incomplete. She just needed a moment alone, he told himself. He turned his attention to Katarina and Matthias. "How the hell you managed to produce daughters like them, I'll never know, but how can you be so cruel to threaten the only good thing you've ever done in your long centuries of life?"

For once, the bitch was silent. It seemed Xander had struck a chord, or perhaps, the firm grip of Matthias had forced her to stay her tongue. Either way, Xander chose not to push his luck. It occurred to him that Alyssa should not be left alone while Gabriel was on the loose. He went outside to check on her, but she wasn't there.

All he saw of her were her shoes, kicked haphazardly on the pristine lawn. Her scent led towards the woods. "Nevar," he called. "She's gone off into the forest!"

He soon joined him along with Jessie. Almost in unison, they reached out to her, begging her to return. They received no answer. There was a lump in his throat as the wolf instinct kicked in. He could tell from the way the hairs on his neck stood on end that danger lurked in the air, and that Alyssa was the target.

He shifted, calling his wolf by name. Cobalt, so named for his intensely blue eyes and metallic gray fur. Being twenty-seven when he was turned had only added to the irony. The wolf responded faster than he could have asked for. The feelings he had for Alyssa spurred his protective nature. His paws tore up the ground following the trail of silver laid out before him.

He found her clothes where she had left them and could smell the change in her once she transformed. He was not far when he felt something was wrong, and then he felt nothing from her. Despair gripped him as he feared the worst. He dug in his claws and pushed the wolf to its limit, begging to go faster.

He tore through the foliage, leaping downed logs and boulders, the silver trail growing stronger until... It vanished. He could smell blood. Her blood. His vision blurred to red and his anger engulfed him. He had to be angry. He had no choice. The only alternative was despair, and that would get him nowhere. Anger would fuel him, drive him on. Anger would see her in his arms once more or there would be hell to pay!

She awoke cold. The stone floor was freezing against her bare skin. The smell was familiar. Damp and musty aromas mingled with the scent of decay and, almost imperceptibly, was the scent of tea leaves beneath it all. The scurrying mice and their presents added their wretched odors to the unpleasant bouquet.

Her wrists were bound in shackles, chained and cemented to the floor. She was weak. She felt drained of energy and life. She could barely open her eyes to see the dungeon. It did her little good. It was dark and even her eyes saw little more than faint shadows. Perhaps she was too weak. She needed to feed. Suddenly the mice seemed more appealing. The thought revolted her, but if she got the chance, it was better than starving. But then, she was already technically dead. Skipping meals wouldn't kill her, however, she would never escape if she didn't try.

Don't even think about it.

She didn't recognize the voice in her head. She tried to find the owner in vain. Her body refused to move more than an inch.

Stop wasting what energy you have, half-breed. You are too weak to move let alone escape. Gabriel saw to that.

The thoughts came from a werewolf, she realized. She recognized the colored patterns and images. '
Half-breed'? How do you know what I am?

By the time Gabriel gets through with you, everyone will know. But, it was easy to figure out. You came in as a wolf, but you have no heartbeat now. I knew before Gabriel opened his mouth.

Who are you? And where am I?

You are in Gabriel's castle, the unpleasant half of it anyway. My name is Lucius.

Wait, Lucius Trajan?

You've heard of me, I presume?

I've seen you, through a memory anyway. You're the wolf that turned my mother.

I'm afraid that doesn't narrow it down. It was my job to keep our numbers up, so I've tasted many humans' flesh.

Does Katarina ring a bell?

Ah, Katarina. That explains a lot. You must be the offspring of Matthias then?

Yes, my name is Alyssa, but I only learned what I am and what my parents are recently.
Her body was cold, but she couldn't move even enough to shiver. She wished for a blanket, a fire, any glimmer of heat that would stir life into her limbs.

There is a method to Gabriel's madness, I'm afraid. He keeps it cold as death down here, and since you're part werewolf, you're naked. 'Dogs do not wear clothing,' he says.

What makes him so high and mighty? He looked like a pile of filth the first time I laid eyes on him, and smelled so bad I was glad I didn't have to breathe.

You don't get it, girl. He is old enough to remember the old days. Werewolves were no more than vampire slaves. A few of us became fond pets, but nothing more. You never could have existed in those days. Women vampires would sometimes choose were males for their playthings, but they cannot reproduce, and it never happened the other way around. Katarina was a rare jewel, though, both in and out of her fur.

Alyssa growled without thinking. The wolf was quiet, but her anger was not.

Oh, feisty! Not fond of your mother? Not that I blame you, but if you knew the whole story you would at least admire her. She was the first female to earn the rank of recruiter and even the vampires respected her.

I've met her and I didn't see anything worth admiring.

She can be quite harsh when she wants to be. I hated her myself when she took my place as recruiter. It was unheard of! A woman taking a man's rank! But, damn, if she didn't get the job done. She had men almost standing in line like lambs for slaughter.

Our numbers grew until we far outnumbered the vampires. I think if it hadn't been for Nevar's escapade, Katarina would have led us to revolt. There wasn't a werewolf alive that would disobey her, and I thought she had cozied up to Matthias to lure him into a false sense of security. But, she proved me wrong when she stayed to defend him in the end. She could have run with us and probably become a living legend, but she chose to stay.

She hated to admit it, but she was developing a very distant admiration for her mother, despite her less than charming demeanor.
Or Matthias could have hunted her down after she fled. To hear him tell it, Katarina was the reason he changed his ways.

He was silent for a time and she wondered if he had left her. She was so cold, she could barely think. Just then, she heard a squeak. A rat had decided she looked like something to nibble on and had wandered too close. She tried not to think about it, but he made a quick meal. It was just enough to stoke her appetite, but she was thankful for the warmth she felt in the pit of her stomach.

I wondered what you would do. You may survive, yet.

It was then she felt something warm beside her and she gasped when she realized it was bare skin wrapped tightly over muscle. She thought briefly about pulling away, but she did not have the energy to fight and he was so warm. The physical contact was comforting despite him being a stranger to her.

With the small amount of blood she had acquired, she had energy enough to turn her head and gaze upon the human form of the man who had turned her mother. Though his features were shrouded in darkness, she could make out his topaz eyes. His hair was unkempt and dirty, but looked auburn against his pale skin. His face was thin, with well-defined cheek bones and no fat to fill the hollows of his cheeks, but he could have been quite handsome.

I'm afraid the only blanket I can offer is myself, and I'm not in much better shape.

How long have you been here, Lucius?

The days are difficult to measure without windows, but I can feel the moon passing. It has been nearly three months.

How have you survived so long?

Feeding off rats is not glamorous, but it beats starving to death, although, I have lost quite a few pounds on such a meager diet. Having a little luck on hand doesn't hurt, either. I've been fortunate that Gabriel hasn't drained me dry as he has done others.

What others?

Gabriel has been bringing werewolves down here, probably long before I arrived. Some, he tortures while others, he drinks like a cask of ale and disposes of them like rubbish. Me, however, he seems to have forgotten. My luck will not hold long if I stay as close to you as I am now, but he seems to have left for the time being.

I have no wish to cause your end, Lucius. But thank you for sticking your neck out for my sake.

Do not think I am so magnanimous. It is a partnership I'm offering. You half-breeds are incredibly powerful, when you are properly fed, that is. I intend to see you at your peak so we can both leave here alive. You are much harder to kill than my kind, but it can be done. My kindness comes with a price.

It is a price I am willing to pay. Our chances are far greater together, and I am not ready to die yet. I am still far too young for that.