"It has been ages since I have tasted a good wine. I will gladly accept. I hope you don't mind if I peruse your literature while I wait?"
"Be my guest, Matthias. I imagine I owe you at least that much." He left him in the library to browse while he headed towards the cellar.
"Matthias is here?" Xander was bristling. Even without fur, Alyssa could see it in his stance. The mood had been ruined between them when Nevar had asked her to bring Jessie some clothes, but when Xander learned that the man who held him captive was in the same house, it was all Alyssa could do to keep him from changing and tearing through the manor after her father.
"Xander," she tried, putting weight into her words the way Nevar had done, "don't lose control!"
She caught his shoulders and stood in front of him. She hadn't had time to dress herself yet, so she didn't feel very intimidating compared to his rippling muscles, but she felt his body relax under her touch. She felt his wolf itching to get out and saw he fierceness in his eyes.
"Jessie and I will handle him, but I need you to keep your composure. I might need your strength behind me." She had struck a chord with him. She saw the shift in his eyes from furious to protective.
He put his hands around her waist and bent down to kiss her with the wolf prowling just beneath the surface. "My strength will always be behind you," he whispered as he pulled away from her lips. "Though, if you ask me, you hardly need it. I do hope you put Matthias in his place, or if not you, surely your sister will."
"Oh, Jessie will have plenty to say, and she's growing more bold since she was bitten. Usually, I was the only one she was really stern with, but now, she's a firecracker waiting to explode. Which reminds me, I'd better get dressed and bring her some clothes. She should be finishing her shower soon."
It was easier, and less conspicuous, to travel by mist than to sneak through the manor naked and risk getting lost. It also saved her valuable time. She dressed quickly, though she wondered why she bothered at all. Too often it seemed she was threatening nice clothes to shredding either by transforming or fighting for her life with vindictive vampires.
But, since she couldn't very well have a civilized conversation naked, especially with her father, she chose simple cocktail dress and paired it with a khaki overcoat with elegant ruffles in the back and her black knee-high suede boots. For Jessie, she found an outfit that she had always admired. Her favorite copper sequined top with laces up the back, a black micro mini that would show off her beautiful legs, and a pair of strappy heels to compliment her ensemble.
Just as she was about to take the clothes up to her sister, she saw Snickers bound up onto the dresser with a plaintive call. "Oh, Snickers, where have you been hiding? I've missed you! You must be having the time of your life with so many places to explore here. I should take you out to the barn. Maybe there are some mice for you to hunt out there."
She meowed in return, arching her back as Alyssa pet her. Then, the cat looked at her with thin slits for pupils and the hair on her back stood on end. She tried to pet her again, but she hissed at her and swatted at her with claws extended. Something was wrong, she thought. She smelled different, wrong. And then, just like that, Snickers bolted away and disappeared around a corner.
She thought her behavior was odd, but being a feline, she was prone to fits of strangeness from time to time. She assumed it was the scent of the pelt she and Xander had slept on that had agitated her and pushed it from her mind.
She found the bathroom where Jessie had just gotten out of the shower and knocked on the door. "Jess? I've got some clothes for you."
"Just a moment, 'Lyss, let me grab a towel and I'll let you in!"
Alyssa stood patiently at the door, thinking of how she was going to explain Matthias to Jessie, but the door opened and she had come up with nothing.
"Come on in, 'Lyss," she invited.
"Here are the clothes I picked out for you."
"Oh, Alyssa! I couldn't possibly wear this! I've never worn anything so short in my life!"
"Jessie, look in the mirror! You've got the figure for it, and you always loved this outfit," she reminded her.
"It looks great on you, but I don't know about me," she replied. Alyssa watched her reaction as she glanced at the full-length mirror on the adjacent wall. Her eyes grew to about twice their normal size and her jaw dropped visibly. "Wow," was all she managed.
Alyssa laughed at her sister, who had always been quietly beautiful, but the wolf had made her stunning. "There are advantages to this life, Jess. Beauty and allure are among them, and for us, the promise of never growing old. It wasn't something I planned on, but I like to look at the bright side of things if I can."
"You could have told me I turned into a super model overnight before now! Geez 'Lyss, I'm beautiful!"
"You have always been beautiful, sis," she used the term affectionately. "The Were gene only enhanced what was already there, although, it did put some much needed curve on that skinny frame of yours." She winked at her to stave off the onslaught brewing in Jessie's eyes.
"I guess I did lose a little weight after the break-up," she admitted sadly.
"If I can be honest, I never liked him anyway. He was a jerk, Jess, and he certainly didn't deserve you!"
"I never did understand why you acted so weird around him. You always looked at him like he was spit in the punch bowl."
"Because he was, Jess. I never told you this, but before you were supposed to get married, I saw him trying to pick up some tramp after one of my auditions. The girl couldn't act her way into a soap opera, but James wasn't interested in her for her acting. All he saw was her obviously fake double D's that she hardly made an effort to cover up. When he tried to take her back into his office, I walked up and slugged him."
There were tears streaming down Jessie's cheeks, but also a look of pride about her. "His black eye, that was you? Wait, is that why we had to play cover-up with the tabloids when rumors about you getting into a fight were going around?"
"Yes to both, actually. I forgot about the reporters being there when I did it. I was pretty good at dodging the cameras, though. At least, they didn't get a good angle of my face, so it was all speculative. James knew I'd blow the whistle on him if he talked, so he kept his mouth shut. You gave me quite the lecture after that one, even though there wasn't any solid proof that I did it."
"Thank you, 'Lyss, and sorry about that. You should have told me sooner. Maybe I wouldn't have moped around as long as I did."
"You weren't ready to hear it. You needed time to get over the man you thought he was before hearing someone call him a pig, but he was a pig."
She managed a laugh and gave Alyssa a big hug. "Alright, I think I'll go get dressed now."
"Let me know when you're ready. We've got company waiting for us in the library."
"Who?"
She decided to come right out with it. "His name is Matthias, and he's our father."
"Our father? Are you sure?"
"Mostly sure, but you can ask him yourself once you're dressed."
"Do you really think this is appropriate attire for meeting him?"
Alyssa smiled and gestured to her own ensemble. "How often do you see me wearing sweatpants or T-shirts? Nevar doesn't have any women's clothes just lying around."
"Uh, models! You have some grudge against comfort," she scoffed. "Fine, get out so I can get dressed."
Alyssa obliged and excused herself, closing the door behind her. Xander was waiting in the hallway for her, nonchalantly leaning against the wall. "You look exquisite," he said to her.
"Why, thank you," she replied. "Has that silver tongue of yours ever gotten you into trouble?"
"Not yet, but it has gotten me out of a tight spot once or twice," he chuckled.
"That doesn't surprise me. Are you ready for this?" She saw the change in his demeanor immediately, which answered her question better than words ever could. "I was afraid of that," she sighed.
"Don't worry about me,
'Lyss. I'll behave, but if he steps out of line, I make no guarantees that the wolf will."
"I understand, and thank you, Xander. I know this is difficult for you." She wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed his soft, velvet lips.
Your touch soothes the savage beast. He whispered the words into her mind to keep from breaking their kiss. She could feel the wolf in him curled peacefully in the shadows of his subconscious. The blue flames were starting to appear in his mind as their kiss deepened when they heard the door open behind them, breaking the moment. They turned around to see Jessie stepping out of the bathroom.
"Wow," Xander said.
"Jessie! You look amazing!" Alyssa echoed. Even though her hair was still damp, she looked better than Alyssa had ever seen her. The copper top enhanced her hazel eyes and her legs looked a mile long. She didn't look like a porcelain doll now, she was a knockout.
Jessie was blushing and she looked self-conscious, not that she needed to be. "Do you really mean it?"
"Take it from me, Jess," Xander interjected. "Even immortal men would fall all over themselves to be in your company."
Alyssa glanced at him briefly, but he was telling her what she needed to hear: the truth. After hearing his opinion, Jessie stood a little straighter and put a hand to her hip. "Let's do this, then. If Matthias is my father, as you say, he's got a lot to own up to for leaving us the way he did."
"This way, ladies," Xander bowed them down the hall like a perfect gentleman. How long would his good humor last, she wondered. She hid the thought from him under the smallest of shields she could manage. Most of her was an open book, but today, there would be things she wanted to keep to herself.
As they entered the library, Nevar was busy pouring glasses of wine. It was hinted with spice notes that filled her nose with tantalizing aromas. She detected a woody overlay and decided it was probably aged in an oak barrel. "Cabernet?" she asked him.
"Yes, one of my finest," he added. "You have a discerning nose for wine, Alyssa."
"I love Cabernet," she answered simply. It was the same kind of wine she had been drinking the night he bit her. The thought sent a chill down her spine. It seemed so long ago. She could see that Nevar heard her thoughts by the regret that showed in his eyes.
"Please, let me pour you a glass," he said. Before she had a chance to answer, he was handing her a chalice of red wine. "Let me know if it suits your tastes."
She held the glass for a moment, staring into the dark red liquid as if some answer were hidden there. When she raised the wine to her lips, Matthias stopped her before it reached her tongue.
"A toast," he announced. "To the gathering of all of us here, may it not be the last."
Alyssa could see Jessie and Xander both clench at his words. She raised her glass and added to her father's words, "To new beginnings, to Matthias, who gave me life, to Nevar, who gave me a new life, and Jessie and Xander, without whom my life would not be complete."
Nevar was the first to join her in acknowledging Matthias' toast. At her prompting, Xander and Jessie followed suit. The tension in the air was so thick, you could almost see it. A little wine might loosen the nerves, she thought. She finally took a sip of Nevar's wine and it tasted just the way it smelled. It was sweet and tart at the same time and the spice notes danced over her tongue like a parade.
"Well said, Alyssa," Matthias complimented her.
"Enough," Jessie interrupted. "You've got some explaining to do. Who are you?"
"Forgive me, child. I have not been formally introduced. I am Matthias Verelius, and you must be Jessie. My, how you've grown! I believe your mother would be so proud to see you now."
"My mother died in a fire and I am not a child! What business do you have with me now?"
"You wanted answers, did you not? I am here to bring them to you. I will start with your mother by saying that she is not dead. She has had to fake her own death a few times over the years, but she is very much alive."
"She's dead to me! First, you leave me like some piece of garbage you don't need anymore then, she comes up here and bites me and destroys any chance I had at a normal life! I have never known a mother's love and what vague memory I had of one died many years ago!"
The wolf inside Jessie was raging and her eyes had gone from hazel green to ice blue. "Jessie, you need to calm down or the wolf will take over," she warned her softly.
"And that's another thing," she continued, "this balancing act between the wolf and me, controlling my emotions. She brought this on me! I didn't ask for this and I want somebody to stand accountable!"
"I'm afraid I cannot claim responsibility for that one, but I understand your distress," he said calmly.
"You don't know the first damn thing about distress," Xander countered.
"Cobalt, it has been centuries since I have seen you. Forgive me, I have done you wrong, I know that now, but I did not then. It wasn't until Nevar freed you and the rest of your kind that I understood. Because of that day, I found a new perspective through Katarina. Love can change a man, myself included."
"My name is Xander, but you never bothered to know me as a man. Your only interest was in the wolf, Cobalt, but he is but a fraction of who I am. Though, it doesn't appear that love has changed Katarina at all. She is still luring men under her spell and recruiting new werewolves," he added, pointing to Jessie.
"She is not here to defend herself," Alyssa pointed out. "There are questions that we need answers to and we won't get them if we stand around throwing stones."
"Thank you, Alyssa. Now, Jessie, I'm sure you are wondering why we left you. As with Alyssa, we wanted to give you a chance at a normal life growing up. Our life is difficult for a child to comprehend and there would be too many complications. Your mother found a nice young man with good morals and an affinity for children to raise you.
"She has always had a way with men, it's true. Katarina is like a siren, and we believe that she is a descendant of one. She courted him and made him believe the child she bore was his own, so that he would raise you and love you unconditionally as his own flesh and blood. He was a good man and did well by you. Our intentions were purely for your benefit."
"Bull," Jessie said. "That's just an excuse. I was an inconvenience. I feel like a cuckoo, planted in someone else's nest. Is there any shred of decency in you?"
He took a long sip of wine and sighed as if exasperated. "You are as fiery as your mother. There is much of the wolf in you. I suppose there is little I can say that will appease you. I never claimed I would be able to make it up to you, but what I say is the truth."
"I want to know why she bit me?"
"More importantly, what was she doing here in the first place? It may answer both questions," Alyssa asked.
"We came together that night," Matthias started. "We had just learned that our daughter had fallen into our world. I traced you here, and I admit, the irony came as a bit of a shock when we learned that the worthy Nevar had changed you. I knew you were in good hands with him. I taught him well. We were caught off-guard by Jessie. Katarina reacted out of instinct by shifting and then, she was cornered.
"When Jessie screamed, it triggered a reaction in Katarina. 'Bite first, ask questions later' type thing. She regretted it afterward, but by then, the damage had been done. I do admit I was intrigued by the prospect of comparing the two of you side by side. Since you come from the same bloodlines and you are both vampire-were crosses, yet one bitten by wolf and one by vampire, it holds great potential for study, but no matter, really."
"Don't tell me that you came up here to see which of us is stronger?" Alyssa was outraged.
"I would be a liar to say the thought had not crossed my mind, but that is not why I came. Do you have more questions to ask?"
Alyssa sat down on a chaise lounge and hoped Jessie and Xander would take the hint and do the same. They didn't. "What about my grandmother? She was convinced that you were her son."
"Charlotte was a dear soul, but she was unable to b
ear children. When I found her, she was alone in life and very depressed. I changed her memories. I gave her a son and gave her happy memories of raising him, and a few of scolding him. Imagine how much happier she was, and welcomed me with open arms. The love was her own, I did not alter that for her. I let her get to know Katarina as a love interest, then a wife and mother-to-be. She loved you immediately. I have never seen a human with more heart than Charlotte had."
Alyssa had tears in her eyes. She had loved her grandmother dearly. She had taught her to reach for the stars at any cost and never give up on her dreams, but Charlotte's life had been a lie. Alyssa found some solace in the fact that, at least, she had raised one child, and she had been blissfully unaware of the truth when she died.
Sorrow turned to anger in her. The wolf stirred. She pushed it back down. This was not the time. "You did not deserve her love, Matthias! She was too good for you, and so am I." She stood up and turned her back on him to leave the room. Xander started to follow her.
"Co- forgive me, Xander, wait! I have something that belongs to you."
Alyssa stopped in the doorway to look at Xander. He met her eyes as if waiting for something. He was asking permission. Her heart ached at the depth of his loyalty. She gave him a small nod and he turned around towards Matthias. Matthias reached into his pocket. He pulled something out and tossed it to Xander. It was a large gold ring. Xander caught it in his right hand and stared down at his palm.
It was a signet ring bearing a coat of arms, two wolves fighting over a shield, and the writing around the border was backwards. When pressed in wax, it would read: Honora potissimum. It was Latin, but she was not familiar with the language enough to translate.
"This was my father's ring," he said, barely above a whisper.
"Yours now," Matthias returned.
"Why do you have my father's ring?" Alyssa could feel the anger building in him despite his level voice.
"He gave it to me and made me swear I would see it on your hand."
"He would never hand over his ring to the likes of you!"
The Amulet Page 21