The Amulet (32 page)

"I'd like to see you try! We half-breeds are hard to kill, so I'm told and stronger than vampires or werewolves alone. You can't stand it that I'm stronger than you! That's why the amulet chose me over you! Without my blood in your veins, you can't even touch it!"

She could see the anger burning in his eyes. She had struck a nerve. "I will enjoy disposing of you, A-lys-sa," he said the name slowly, drawing the syllables out like a curse. "I have wasted too much time already. I would not like to miss Nevar's debut in the sunlight!"

He turned on his heel and left her sight. She pulled free of the shackles, thankful Gabriel had been too incensed to check them, and stooped by Jessie. "Jess? Can you hear me? Please, wake up, sis!"

Jessie's eyes fluttered and opened slightly, showing too much white and still glossy. "Did anyone get the name of that bus?"

"Jess? Are you okay?" Alyssa noticed that her pupils were unfocused. Her head had taken quite a hit.

"Sure, sure. Cup of tea and I'll be right as rain. Now, where do you keep the sugar cubes?"

Definitely hit her head, Alyssa thought. "It's okay, sis, I'll get them for you. Just lay down and rest a bit," she told her.

"Okay," was all she said. Her eyes closed once more and she drifted off. Her pulse was strong and her veins were still full of blood. It should not take long for her head to clear the cobwebs away. Alyssa's mouth began to water. Gabriel had done this on purpose. He wanted to make her take her sister's life. He had underestimated her restraint, but were it not for Lucius, she may have been tempted.

The smell of burnt flesh awakened him. He was hot. He opened his eyes. "Oh no," he said aloud. He was in a room surrounded by mirrors, which by themselves would have posed little threat, but the sunlight pouring through the eastern window was drawing very near the reflective surface of the glass, the rays being concentrated and focused through a large magnifying glass. He was about to be roasted alive, so to speak.

The room was already getting hot. The shackles on his wrists were no match for a vampire at full strength, if only he were. He just had to shift into mist to escape, but where was Jessie and Alyssa? He was unable to feel her. The amulet had taken the strength right out of him and his powers were greatly diminished. His wound was slow to heal. What he really needed right now was blood and a pint was not going to be enough to satisfy this time.

It had been centuries since he had taken a life. He did not relish the thought of ruining his record, but he may not have a choice. It was difficult to stop the delicious flow of life when he was only moderately hungry. Now, he was ravenous. His body needed energy to heal, and he needed strength to defeat Gabriel and save Jessie and Alyssa.

Gabriel was fuming. How dare that insolent half-breed insult him? He had the amulet! Surely, his strength far out-matched hers, but he was concerned. The amulet had chosen her over him. He had never encountered an equal to his power before and the amulet had remained with him those many years.

Only she had been able to touch the amulet since he had taken possession of it. It had not needed protecting. It guarded itself, but she had taken it. She was a threat and she had to be dealt with. The only way he knew to kill her was to take out her heart while she was in her wolf form, but he did not want to allow her to grow strong enough to transform.

It was dangerous. If she was stronger than he was, she may be able to kill him. It was a good thing he had leverage. Nevar was a noble vampire, and well-respected in most circles, but to share his blood and his bed with a half-breed was enough reason for Gabriel to use him as kindling. The thought brought a smile to his lips as he ascended the stairs to the castle tower. The only flaw in his plan was he had to keep Nevar alive in order to keep Alyssa at bay. It was almost noon.

He reached the top of the stairs where a large and heavy door blocked his way. This door had been hand-crafted. The room was built to be air-tight and this was the only way in or out. Vampires were hard creatures to contain. The door was locked. He took the amulet from around his neck and placed it in the groove designed for it and turned the lock.

He pulled the amulet back out before opening the door and placed it back around his neck, but he felt a slight resistance from the dragon. The ruby eyes were glowing menacingly. Soon, he feared, it would not accept him any longer. Alyssa's blood was beginning to fade from his veins. This was no good at all. He would have to kill her soon if he wanted to keep his precious medallion.

Opening the door, he saw a very fatigued and injured Nevar slumped over the pedestal where he was chained. Nevertheless, he looked up as he entered. A fierce determination marked his features that made Gabriel bristle with anger. Arrogant to the end he was, and it would be his undoing. He closed the door with gusto, hearing the lock click back into place. "Nicholas, you should learn when you have met your match. It took some effort, but this room serves nicely to contain, shall we say, unwanted guests of the vampire persuasion?"

"I imagine, Gabriel, that you have few 'guests', as you call them, that are wanted and fewer still that want to be here themselves."

"Perhaps this is true, such is our nature. You are a rare specimen, Nicholas. You have something of a coven crossed with a pack of dogs at your estate. I had heard that you were a collector of oddities, but I had not realized the extent of your hobbies."

He gauged Nevar for a reaction, looking for any hint of anger, but saw none. It didn't surprise him. He knew he would have to dig deeper to crack Nevar's cool, but he knew Alyssa was the crack in the iceberg of the dark-haired soldier. When Nevar remained silent, Gabriel took the chance to continue his dig, like a patient archaeologist unearthing a particularly valuable artifact.

"Your pets are quite exquisite. Generally, I avoid the taste of dogs, but Alyssa was rather pleasing to the palate. I may have to sample her again, assuming she enjoyed the meal I left for her. Animals have little care for blood except as food."

"You filthy bastard!" Nevar shouted, his voice reverberating against the stone walls.

"'He who lays with dogs shall get up with fleas', Nicholas. You should take a look in the mirror. That is why you are here. What better way to both reveal and rid your infestation than my
locum speculis
?"

"You still live in the past, Gabriel. You overestimate your own worth and your ignorance shall be your downfall."

He was fuming. His brow furrowed into deep creases. If he still had a heart, or ever had one, the vein in his temple would have been throbbing. "'Ignorance', Nicholas? We shall see which of us are ignorant!"

Alyssa watched the stone floor intensely. She feared she would hear the pain-stricken screams of Nevar piercing the quiet soon. She could feel it. The sun was rising to its zenith in the sky, but she also felt the moon. It pulled her blood the same way it pulled the tides. Fate had smiled on her. This was one of those rare times when both the sun and moon could be found in the same sky. She was growing stronger. Lucius and Jessie were drawing strength from the rising moon as well.

"It's time, Lucius, we can't tarry any longer. The sun will be at its height soon."

"Very well," he replied. "Has your sister recovered?"

"She's coming around now."

"Get her up and bring her up to speed. I have a few things to retrieve before we leave."

She nodded to him and he turned to leave, disappearing into the shadows. Alyssa turned to her sister, still huddled on the stone floor. "Jess? Are you awake?"

"Huh? 'Lyss? Is that you?"

"Yes, it's me. Are you ready to bust out of here?"

"Yes, definitely," she answered emphatically.

"We have to find Nevar. Do you think you're up to it?"

"I think I am," she said, sitting up. "I have a score to settle with Gabriel. Nobody calls me a dog and gets away with it."

"I'll make sure you get your chance sis, but I'm going to bring some reinforcement. I'll get you out of here first, then I have to get Lucius out."

"Who's Lucius?"

"He's the werewolf that turned Katarina. He's helping us escape."

"How are you going to get him out of here? If he's a werewolf, he won't be able to travel by mist. It would cause his body too much damage."

"I'll have to carry him out, unless I can give him some vampire blood, but I don't know if mine will work since I'm only half."

"No, yours won't do," Lucius said from behind them. "But, there's no need for that. I have tasted vampire flesh a time or two in my life. That's what landed me here in the first place. As Gabriel put it, 'a dog that bites the master's hand should be put down'. I always did have a problem with authority."

He inhaled deeply and Alyssa noticed the muscles on his frame were more defined. She frowned. All his hunting was about to go to waste, as she saw it. He needed as much strength as he could get and yet, he was lending it to her instead. She prayed silently that she would be able to stop herself in time.

"Stop that right now," he told her. "There's no room here for doubts or fears. Remember that. I have no choice but to trust you, but my trust is not handed out easily. You will not fail."

He said it as a command rather than encouragement. Still, it did the job and bolstered her resolve. "Are you ready then?"

"Wait one moment," he replied. "Return this to your mother for me?" He held out his hand holding a silver necklace bearing a large emerald surrounded by smaller diamonds. "I owe her that much. For you, I can only offer my strength, but perhaps once we get out of here, I can find a way to repay you."

She took the necklace from him and put it around her neck, the only place she had to put it. She felt odd standing in front of him wearing nothing but her mother's necklace. Suddenly, she had the urge to cover herself.

"A little late for that now," he chuckled. "You favor your mother, but alas, we have no time for such talk. Drink, and get us out of this dank pit."

He dropped to one knee and bent his head to one side, exposing his neck. She hesitated only a second, knowing he would not tolerate noncompliance. She lowered her mouth to his neck, close enough to breathe in his scent. He smelled like the dungeon, but underneath she smelled fresh cut grass and the salty spray of the wind off the ocean. She wrapped her fingers in his hair and pierced his flesh with her teeth.

His blood flowed slowly, protesting even as it left his body. It was much needed warmth in a world of cold. She felt she would get lost in the flow of life running through her. His were blood carried the added weight of the moon with it, but she was thankful that it did not hold the same allure as Xander's blood. His mind danced with the euphoria of a vampire bite. She felt when his heart began to slow and she forced herself to stop. Her tongue licked the wound closed and he fell into her arms.

Her strength renewed, she hoisted him up. It pleased her that his heart still beat strongly, if a little slower than normal. "Let's go, Jessie, she said. "We've got to get out of here."

Jessie stood up and stepped to Alyssa's side opposite Lucius, looking only a little anxious and more than a little determined. "Let's go, 'Lyss. I'm having payback for lunch."

Alyssa nodded and then transformed them into mist. Lucius and Jessie offered a little resistance, but did not hinder her travel. They floated up and away from the dungeons. Alyssa could not picture where she was going, but she knew her destination. Somehow, she found her way and brought them where Jessie could pick up Gabriel's trail. The castle was old and very grey. Gabriel had no interest in modern d
écor, apparently.

"I must leave you here to get Lucius to safety, Jess, but I'll be back with Xander. Stay safe and leave some fight for us when we get back."

"You'd better hurry if you want a piece of the action, sis."

"Don't worry, I will."

Without another word, Jessie turned and left. Alyssa saw her change just before she vanished in a whirl of mist and fur. She took Lucius from the castle and out through the countryside until she reached the cover of a dense wood. She was sure he could find some decent game to replenish his strength and regain some much needed weight.

"Lucius, I kept my end of the bargain and I wish you well, but I must finish this once and for all."

He sank from her into a patch of soft grass. He inhaled deeply and stroked the ground. "I will see you again, Alyssa, so do not fail."

"I won't, Lucius." She disappeared once more, but this time, she could picture exactly where she was going.

Xander picked at the plate before him, but he barely tasted the food. His father's ring was on his right hand, just the way his father used to wear it. His mind was filled with memories of his father and worry for Alyssa. It had been many years since he had spoken to his father, and now, he never would again. He would not lose Alyssa, too. He was lost in his thoughts.

He never even noticed the thin line of mist that permeated the room, until Alyssa was sitting naked in his lap. He wrapped his arms around her, trying to prove to himself she was real and not another fantasy. "Oh, Alyssa! You are real! I was afraid I was dreaming. This usually only happens in my fantasies."