The Amulet (18 page)

The scent was overwhelmingly mouth-watering. Alyssa had been tempted on several occasions to sample the meal herself, but she had exercised great will in restraint. Jessie, she knew, would not have such restraint. As the scent filled the room, Jessie's head lifted in response.

Alyssa took the tray to her, careful not to spill the wine Nevar had hand-picked for her. The hope was that the alcohol would ease the pain, make her sleep, and slow her body from fighting the were gene. Jessie's eyes grew wide when she saw the feast being presented to her. Her thoughts were warring against the rare meat, but her stomach won the fight.

As soon as Alyssa set the tray down beside her, she tore into the steak, not bothering with the formalities of a fork and knife. She had made sure it was an excellent cut of meat and it would be tender and juicy for her. Jessie was screaming in her mind for water, but she took the wine and gulped it down. It satisfied her thirst and enhanced the taste of her meal.

She ravaged the hen, leaving nothing but bone and cartilage behind, then she attacked the ribs. Alyssa was close enough to hear the bones crack as her jaws bit down on them to get to the marrow. She couldn't believe this was the same Jessie she had known all her life. It was the wolf, she told herself. The wolf lived in her, too, and she knew what a struggle it was to keep it caged. If she hadn't been doing it all her life, she wouldn't be able to control it, either.

"More wine, Jessie?"

She growled in response but then her expression softened and she nodded gently. Alyssa poured her another glass, which she drank immediately.

"Enough wine, Alyssa, we need to switch her to water now. She needs to stay hydrated," Nevar warned her.

"Of course," she answered. "So sorry, Jessie! I've forgotten my manners! I've been so worried that I forgot to introduce you. This is Nevar. I've been staying with him these last few days. This," she pointed at Xander, "is Xander, he's Nevar's best friend."

"Haha," Xander laughed. "I might be his only friend." He paused, and then continued. "Jessie, what happened to you is a tragedy and it's going to be hard to explain and even harder for you to accept it."

Jessie had stopped eating and now, she looked pleadingly at Alyssa. This time when she tried to speak, her voice did not fail her. "'Lyss? What's going on?"

Alyssa sighed heavily, pouring a glass of water for her. "It's a long story. You should finish eating while I tell you." Jessie finally picked up her fork and started to pick at her food. "I suppose I should start with you. That wound in your leg is no ordinary wolf bite. All the myths and legends about werewolves and vampires are all true, well, mostly true. Xander is a werewolf, and Nevar is a vampire."

Jessie promptly spit out a mouthful of mashed potatoes. "What?! You're joking, right?"

"I'm afraid not. Did you think that wolf was just abnormally large? And the reason I've been hiding out is because I was turned into a vampire. The werewolf that bit you is actually my mother."

"But," she argued, "your mother's dead."

"No, she was presumed dead. They never found her or my father. I'm part werewolf and part vampire. In all honesty, though, that was the first time I've seen my mother outside of a picture frame."

"Why did she bite me?"

"I don't know the answer to that, I'm afraid. I have no idea why she was here in the first place. She certainly didn't call before she came, which would have been polite since she hasn't seen me since I was an infant."

Xander managed a chuckle at her joke. She smiled at him, then noticed Nevar shrinking into the shadows. "Nevar?"

He turned back to face her and saw for the first time how pale he looked. He read the concern in her eyes and held a hand up before she had a chance to speak. "I need rest. I have been awake too long. I am too tired even to feed."

She realized she had not seen him hunt since the night he had changed her. "Jessie?"

"Yes?"

"Will you be okay here with Xander for a while?"

"Sure, leave me with the werewolf."

"Jessie, I wouldn't leave you with him if I didn't trust him implicitly, but if he tries anything, you are more than capable of putting him in his place. You should have seen what you did to my face."

"Sorry about... that, ...'Lyss," she stifled a huge yawn. "That wine is... really ...strong," she slumped back in the couch and fell asleep.

"Did you give her something to make her sleep again?" Alyssa asked Nevar.

"No, it would have been useless. Her body would burn it off before she even fell asleep. But the wine obviously did the job."

"Xander? Will you watch over her, please?"

"As you wish, milady."

"Let me know if anything happens to her, Xander. I really do trust you implicitly."

It is an honor, Alyssa.

She blushed. Turning back to Nevar, she wrapped his arm around her shoulder and focused her mind. She succeeded in transforming them both into mist then they drifted through the manor. She somehow found her way to the bookshelf that led down to his private chambers. She pulled the leather-bound book that triggered the switch and helped Nevar down the stairs. The fact that he didn't object to her help spoke volumes about his condition.

"Nevar?"

"Yes?"

"Can you take my blood? Just enough to regain your strength?"

"Alyssa, I could not bring myself to take any more from you than I already have."

"I've eaten, Nevar. I have strength enough to hunt again if I need to, but I have not seen you feed since you turned me."

"Alyssa," he started, but he never finished. Her expression did not welcome any further objections. His weariness was overtaking him like a plague. As tempted as he was to take her up on her offer, he had his doubts. "It may not work, Alyssa. Your body may heal itself too quickly. I have never attempted anything like that."

"We'll have to find a way. It's either this, or I have to run out to get you a pint. I'd rather not leave the manor right now, but if I must, I will."

As they reached the bottom of the stairs, Snickers and Zukko voiced a welcome to them both. Alyssa greeted them but did not stoop to pet them. Instead, she guided him into his bedroom and walked him to the bed. He collapsed gratefully, wanting nothing more than to drift off to sleep, but her hands on his chest kept him wakeful.

Her nimble fingers were making quick work of the buttons on his shirt. The tip of her finger brushed the skin near his naval and he felt as though the fire in her touch had burnt him. An unnecessary inhale was the only sound that gave him away, but she heard it and he saw her lips quirk up into a smile.

He did not want her to treat him as though he were helpless, but he could not find the will to make her stop. Her hands were heavenly torture. She slid his shirt off his shoulders and let it fall to the floor. Her hands found his bare chest and stroked the soft black curls. His muscles flexed beneath her fingers and then relaxed under her careful petting.

Her hands moved slowly to the waistband of his jeans. He could barely stand the torture, but he resisted the urge to assist her. He could see the nervousness in her and reveled in it. The way she bit her bottom lip and tried to hide it, the clumsiness in her once graceful fingers, and the furtive glances she stole all gave her away, but it was so cute he couldn't help but smile.

She finally managed the button and began to slide them down his legs. Stripped down to his boxers now, his weary body was suddenly keyed up. Electricity flowed through his veins where his blood should have been, but it had other business to attend to currently. Alyssa climbed into bed with him and unbuttoned her blouse, revealing her elegant neck and the tops of her breasts nestled in the pink lace of her bra.

He was starting to feel light-headed. He needed what she was offering, but he wanted so much more than her blood. He leaned in close to her and kissed the vein in her neck. It was full and hot and her skin tasted sweet on his lips, but he hesitated. He did not want to cause her pain. He felt her shields fall and her thoughts urged him on. She wanted this. She wanted to give him this precious gift she offered. She wanted him.

Her thoughts sent him over the edge of his control and he sank his teeth into the soft flesh of her neck. Her blood flowed over his tongue like a river of fire. The power he felt in her was amazing and it renewed his strength. He would not need much from her. The taste was different from her human blood, but it was mesmerizing.

He felt her body closing the wound as the flow began to slow down. He let the wound close on its own. She had given him her life once already. He would not take more than she was willing to give him this time. As the blood began to trickle off, he licked the wound and then kissed her beautiful neck. There was not a mark on her to show she had ever been injured.

Her hand caressed his back and found the scar in his shoulder. Her fingers traced the rough edges and then she leaned into him as though the effort of sitting upright was too much. "Alyssa? Are you okay?" The concern in his voice was evident.

"I'm fine, Nevar. You worry too much. I always get a little dizzy after I donate blood."

He laughed at her joke and stroked her hair. "Much obliged to you, ma'am," he said in his best Southern drawl.

She chuckled and relaxed into the safety of his chest. "You're very welcome, Nevar." He was warmer now than he had been before. His skin had been cool to the touch when she took his shirt off. She had seen the desire in his eyes as her fingers had undressed him. It had stirred the beast within. She looked endearingly up at him and winked at him, letting her eyelashes tickle the skin of his pectoral.

His chocolate eyes smoldered with intensity. He leaned down and took her mouth in his. She felt his urgency in the hunger of his kiss. She had started something and he wanted to finish. There was power in his arms as they wrapped themselves around her. The exhaustion had vanished from him completely and he was aflame with passion.

His hand slid over the thin cotton of her shirt and massaged her breast. She arched into him and closed her eyes. His fingers released the remaining buttons of her blouse and slid his hand beneath the fabric. She could feel him delicately tracing the pattern of the lace on her bra. His lips pulled away from hers and moved to her ear. "You taste delicious," he whispered.

He nibbled on the lobe of her ear and she gasped. She reached her hand into his ebony locks, twining the strands in her fingers. Her fingers explored the hard muscles of his chest and abs. He was stunningly handsome and chiseled from stone. She felt her temperature rise. He growled in his chest and took her shirt the rest of the way off. His hand slid up her back, drawing a line of fire up her spine until he reached he clasp of her bra.

It took just a flick of his wrist to release the clasp and her breasts from their lacy prison. He heard her sigh as the cold air contacted her delicate skin. Her mounds were tantalizing and perfectly pink. He ran his thumbs over the hard peaks and he felt her melt under his touch. He shifted her onto the soft bed and moved down her body to take her lovely nipple in his mouth. His tongue was teasing at first, tracing the outline with the tip of his tongue, then grew more intense. She moaned beneath him and wrapped her legs around his hips. It was a simple act, but it urged him on. She wanted this as much as he did.

He took her nipple completely in his mouth, making it warm and wet. She squirmed beneath him and he heard a gentle moan escape her lips. her nails dragged across his back with an urgency to fulfill a need. Not yet, he thought. His teeth gently nipped her breast, making her gasp again before he pulled his mouth away. He repeated the process with her other breast then moved down to her pierced naval, leaving a trail of kisses behind. The piercing was a jeweled butterfly peeking out of her naval chasing a flower just above it. He placed a kiss directly below her naval. His fingers teased her skin as they traveled down to the top of her jeans. His fingers took their time with the button and zipper. He saw her hands clench at her sides until her knuckles turned white.

He wanted to draw this out and make it last forever, but she was fighting the wolf and she could not hold the beast in much longer. He took her pants off and felt her sex through the pink lace of her panties. The fabric was already wet with her need. He felt his cock throbbing against his boxers and he yearned to sink himself deep inside her. He wanted to fill her with himself and give her all the pleasure she could stand and more.

"Nevar." Her voice was pleading and came out roughly, as though she were almost growling. It was all the urging he needed. He slid the wet lace off of her, loving the miles of leg they had to travel. He threw them to the floor and then dropped his boxers.

She gasped when she saw him for the first time. He was sized perfectly to match his height and he was standing erect. He maneuvered himself between her legs and his finger teased her clitoris before he plunged inside her, sheathing himself to the hilt. She gasped at the length of him as he began to move his hips into her. She felt complete as he joined with her and his expression told her that he felt just as much pleasure as she did.

Her hands reached around him and pulled his body close to hers. He responded by increasing his speed and taking her mouth again. His walls fell and their thoughts entwined along with their bodies. He wanted her and she had given herself to him. He was claiming her as his own, bringing her ever closer to the edge. His hands found her breasts once more. He knew she was close to her climax. He thrust himself deeper inside her and felt her gasp with pleasure. It was maddening. He felt what she felt and heard her thoughts. Right now, she was thinking only of him and that was so damn erotic to him that he nearly lost himself, but he was waiting.