The Amulet (34 page)

Gabriel let out an ear-shattering shriek that stopped Alyssa in her tracks. She was pawing at her ears, desperately trying to shield her ears. The wolf was begging her to make it stop. She had to push LunR into the darkness and return to two legs. This was becoming frustrating and Gabriel seemed to think it was a game. She wanted to win.

Nevar watched helplessly as Gabriel bit Jessie. As the fight wore out of her, he felt his heart breaking. He was supposed to protect her, but he just had nothing left to give. He didn't want to watch but he couldn't tear his eyes away from Alyssa's sister. Her eyes were half-closed and he thought she had given up.

Then, a strange thing happened. The air seemed to shiver around them and Gabriel's eyes grew very wide. He dropped Jessie and then vanished into thin air. "Jessie? Are you okay?"

She changed from wolf to woman, attempting to cover herself either from cold or embarrassment. Though she had nothing to be ashamed of, he thought. "Oh," she answered groggily. "I think so, but I'm a little light-headed."

"Don't stand up for a while. What happened? Did you see where he went?" he asked.

"No," she said, "but I don't really care, either, so long as he's away from me. I'm just happy he didn't finish me off."

"I need a hand over here if you don't mind," Xander groaned.

"Oh, Xander!" Jessie crawled to his side, trying to avoid the shards of broken glass. She gagged slightly when she looked at Xander's chest, but tried to hide it from him. "I'm not very good around blood, Xander, but I'll help however I can."

"I need you to pull this bone back into place. Try not to think about it but do it as quickly as you can."

She inhaled sharply. "Okay, I'll give it my best shot. Tell me when you're ready."

He groaned and said, "I'm as ready as I'll ever be."

Nevar winced at the pain he felt in his friend's mind. Amid the chaos in his head, he found a single clear thought. He was focusing his attention to lessen the pain and Alyssa was the centerpiece of his thoughts. It gave him comfort to think of her and Nevar blocked off his thoughts before he heard more than he wanted to hear.

Nevar thought he had loved her, and perhaps a part of him still did. He felt a twinge of jealousy, but he was also happy for his friend. She would make him happy and he would love and protect her. After a moment, Jessie had pried his rib back into place and Xander breathed a sigh of relief. Nevar saw tears in her eyes that she was desperately trying to hold back. She wanted to be strong, but it had hurt her to cause Xander pain.

"Jessie," he whispered, "please don't cry."

"Don't ask me to do that again... Please? I'm not cut out for this."

Xander chuckled softly. "It hurts less now, Jess. Thank you, but I will not be asking for a repeat performance any time soon."

She turned her eyes to the still form of Alyssa lying on the stone floor. "Is my sister okay?"

They faced off, neither of them making a sound. The dragon was warm around Alyssa's neck next to the cool gold of her mother's necklace. Gabriel eyed it with a desperate longing. This was never going to end if she didn't finish this somehow. Could she kill him? Did she have the stomach for it? The thoughts haunted the hidden part of her mind like ominous clouds. One way or another, this had to end. She would not put anyone else at risk anymore. Xander, Jessie, and Nevar all meant so much to her.

Alyssa.

Xander's mind caressed hers like a melody to a song. She was there with him, as close as skin and yet, so far away. A shiver ran down her spine at the thought of him and her eyes closed for the briefest of seconds. It was too long.

Gabriel shot forward at her, but she dodged left faster than him and came up behind him. Her fist landed at the small of his back. He arched at the force of the impact and groaned as the delicate nerves were pinched awkwardly. His body contorted and shrank. His fingers elongated, connected by a thin layer of skin and a fine sprinkling of hair. The super sonic screeches caused her to shield her ears with her hands. She saw a flash of white fangs as the bat grazed her on its zig zagged flight pattern.

He was big for a bat, more the size of an eagle with a wingspan of at least three feet. Suddenly, it made sense. He had all but given himself away long before now, but somehow, she had missed it. Now she knew why his horrible screeching had been painful to the wolves' ears. Werewolf genocide had been easy for him. He was practiced at disorienting them with his high pitches and then overtaking them like wounded prey.

"Xander's father..." She felt a swelling of rage. The wolf gnashed her teeth. Her fists clenched tightly. It would do her no good to let LunR out of her cage. She had to keep her anger in check. "You truly are an animal, Gabriel. There is no sliver of humanity left in your soulless carcass. Even a dog has more decency than you!"

His only response was a series of clicks and squeaks before he came back at her. His beady black eyes were gleaming with an eerie light. She was ready to snatch him out of the air when he darted out of her reach at the last second. The wolf snarled within her. He was trying to draw the beast out. At this rate, he would soon succeed. She took a deep breath to calm herself. This was going to be difficult.

Xander’s rib was healing nicely now and his attention had turned to Alyssa. He pulled her into his lap and held her close to him. She was cold to the touch and her skin was growing pale. The dragon amulet seemed to be smiling menacingly at him. There was evil in those ruby eyes. He could almost see it stealing the strength out of Alyssa. Her cheeks were growing sallow and her bones were becoming more prominent. He had to do something.

“
I can’t take this anymore. We have to destroy this stupid necklace before it destroys her!’

“
What do you mean, Xander?” Jessie asked him.

“
Hasn’t anyone noticed how weak she becomes when that thing is around her neck? She says it gives her power, but it looks to me like it takes more than it gives.”

“
You are not the only one, Xander, but we cannot touch the thing. How are we to destroy it?” Nevar looked at him solemnly.

“
I don’t know,” Xander replied, “perhaps Matthias would know?”

“
If he knows, then we must reach him quickly,” Jessie chimed in. “Who knows how long Alyssa can hold out with her power being stolen?”

“
Jessie,” Nevar sighed, “you are the best link we have to Matthias. You have the strongest connection, so you must be the one to contact him.”

Nevar was trying to be delicate, but still, Xander could see her bristle with agitation. He half-expected her to argue, but then she closed her eyes and he felt her mind stretch as she sought her father. He was able to follow her mind as she reached him.

Matthias?

Yes, my daughter? You are troubled?

We need to destroy Gabriel’s amulet. It’s stealing more energy from Alyssa the longer she wears it.

It will be difficult, but it can be done. The amulet exists on both planes. Alyssa must destroy it on the grid, at the same time, it must be destroyed on our plane.

How can we destroy it? We can't even touch it!

I said it would be difficult, didn't I? Alyssa needs to keep her mind shielded or the amulet will never let you destroy it. I have faith in you, Jessie. You will find a way.

Alyssa?

It was Xander again. She couldn’t afford to let him distract her.

I
’m a little busy at the moment, handsome. Can this wait?

Her eyes followed Gabriel's movements closely. It had become a game of cat and mouse, and she was tired of playing. The wolf had grown bored. He was waiting for something, but she had no idea what that something was. The pull of the moon was only growing stronger in her veins. She felt stronger than ever.

This can't wait. Put your shields up.

Okay. Why?

The amulet is draining your power. We need to destroy it.

What do you mean destroy it? I've never felt better than I do right now.

As soon as the thought was formed in her mind, she saw herself through Xander's eyes. What she felt was an illusion. The amulet was stealing the life out of her. Her body was a ghostly white. She was thin to begin with, but now, her bones were visible under her skin. The amulet was a leech. It had been living off of Gabriel so long, it had taken all he had. Only when she had taken it from him had he began to feed and grow strong again. Little did he know that losing the wretched thing was a blessing.

How can I destroy it?

You must destroy it on the plane at the exact same time we destroy it here. Keep your shields up so it can’t read your thoughts. Matthias seems to think the amulet wouldn’t be too pleased if it knew you were going to destroy it.

Alyssa looked down at the dragon and held it in her hand. She had to get rid of it before it turned her into an empty shell. Gabriel was circling around her at a safe distance. He was trapped on the plane with her and it seemed he was leery of coming too near while she had the amulet in her hand. She took the necklace off of her neck and held it tightly in her hand.

The action attracted Gabriel’s attention enough to entice him to return to his flightless form. He stretched himself out, letting the bat retreat. He was probably the reason Hollywood associated vampires with bats. As old as he was, no doubt he had fed on countless victims. How many of them had he dared to let live, she wondered. There was greed in the way he looked at her, but he kept his distance for now.

I
’m ready whenever you are, Xander.

Actually,
it was Jessie this time,
we decided that I may be better suited for this, since we’re sisters, the amulet will probably accept me.

Good thinking. Tell me when you
’re ready.

Jessie was looking at the gold necklace around her sister’s neck with a growing sense of dread. Its glowing red eyes seemed to be staring directly at her. She was afraid that it would reject her the way it had Nevar and Gabriel. Her fingers reached reluctantly for the heavy gold chain. Xander was holding Alyssa so the necklace could be removed from her thin, frail body. Jessie pushed her hair out of the way and her fingertips grazed the thick gold chain. She flinched out of reflex, but she felt no pain. In fact, the necklace gave her a feeling of warmth that ran up through her fingertips and up her arms into her body.

Her eyes met with Xander
’s and she nodded at him. Reassured that the dragon had accepted her, she lifted it off of her sister and held it in her palm. She glanced around the room uncertainly. “What now?”

Gold is a soft metal,
Nevar told her.
If you hit it with one of those heavy stones from the door, you should be able to break it.

Okay, Alyssa,
she said,
I’m ready.

Alyssa knew the moment the necklace had been removed from her body. Immediately following, she felt a wave of weariness wash over her. She needed to get this over with quickly. She would not be able to hold her shields and remain on the plane much longer. She would have to sacrifice one or the other soon.

“
You cannot keep this up, half-breed. You are weak. Give up, and I may let you and your lover live.”

“
Giving up is not in my nature and your word is worth about as much as a bucket of spit. We will end this now, Gabriel.”

On my mark, Jess.

They linked their thoughts: each of them seeing through the other's eyes. Jessie had the amulet carefully placed on the stone floor beside her and plenty of swinging room. Alyssa was stretching her arm to its full height. She wanted as much leverage as she could allow herself. Gabriel was looking at her strangely, trying to figure out what she was doing.

I am ready,
‘Lyss.

Alyssa smiled and she watched as Gabriel
’s eyes grew wide. Realization dawned on his face and it was followed closely by fear. He started towards her at the same time she slammed her hand down.

Now, Jess!

Jessie had the heaviest stone she could find in her hand. At Alyssa
’s signal, she heaved it with all her strength to collide with the amulet on the stone floor.

Alyssa threw the amulet with such force, that she was unable to hold her shields. The dragon screamed at her to save it. She hardened her heart to it.

You did nothing but take from me. You hurt the ones I love. I want nothing more to do with you. Be gone.

She saw through Jessie's eyes the moment the stone hit the dragon's head. The amulet hit the floor of the plane, just as her mother's necklace had. The images combined in her head simultaneously. It was as if the gold had somehow changed into glass. Both shattered like delicate crystal and exploded. The light released was powerful enough to burn her eyes and cause her to turn away.

She heard Gabriel screaming in agony and she could feel a strange pain coursing through her. Something was happening to him. She looked up, squinting to catch a glimpse of him. He looked like he was on fire, but he did not appear to be burning. The light from the amulet was growing brighter and Gabriel was growing dimmer. His screams sounded like they were getting farther away and the pain she felt through him was fading.