The Amulet Read Free Page A

you just did. Before long, you will be able to maintain it without so much effort." His hands slid down her shoulders to brace her arms at her side. "Relax; this is going to feel strange the first time."
    His words, and the sensual feel of his strong hands, did anything but relax her, but before she had a chance to process what he was telling her, she felt herself dissolving. Her body broke into millions of tiny pieces and she was carried out the window of her home. Her senses were all still aware, but she was no longer solid. She could feel the wind, but it was different. She was a vapor floating on the wind. The city beneath her moving so fast, human eyes would have seen nothing but lights streaking past. She, however, saw everything. Every detail immersed her in overwhelming awe and she tried to drink it in and absorb every flickering light and glistening leaf that flitted by.
    They passed the coffee shop she liked to frequent, where she had spilled her coffee earlier. She saw a few late night party-goers stumbling drunkenly to awaiting taxi cabs, and worse, she could smell them. Their blood was tainted by alcohol and the foul aroma of cigarettes. From one, she picked up another toxin that left her stomach lurching. She did not recognize the scent.
    The walls around her mind crumbled and fell. It was difficult to maintain them, she realized. What is that horrible odor?
    Drugs, probably ecstasy from the look of them. They taint the blood and they taste just as bad as they smell. The cleaner the blood, the better it smells, and tastes. Yours was hard to resist. A little bit of wine just to sweeten it, but clean and healthy. Perfect. Maybe a little too perfect.
    Too perfect?
    I could not stop myself before it was too late. You were very near death. If I had not stopped when I did, you would be dead now. I did what I had to do in order to save you, but you are not the same. I have never lost control of myself like that before.
    His voice was heavy and thick with remorse. Her head was reeling with what he was telling her, trying to understand. She was missing something important, something blatantly obvious, but she just could not wrap her head around it. Something was wrong. Why couldn’t she understand what was happening to her?
    They continued through the party district into the outer skirts of the city. The buildings stretched out and allowed room for yards and gardens. Quaint little houses with cute little picket fences marked the beginning of suburbia. The wind shifted and they drifted with it to descend into a shady park. The sensation began to return to her as she materialized from mist to a solid form. It seemed gravity pulled more heavily on her than it had before. An ache in her stomach brought her attention away from the strangeness of having her body transformed into something inhuman and terrifying.
    She could smell Nevar behind her and was all too aware of his hands upon her. The wind caressed her skin and brought her new smells. The air was filled with a bouquet of aromas. The trees, still moist from the evening rain, the magnolias were rich in bloom and so strong they overpowered almost everything else. One in particular caught her attention. She smelled musk and pheromones. It smelled clean and delicious. Her stomach growled in response.
    Trust your instincts. Let them take over. Be careful, and take only enough to satisfy the hunger. You must be able to stop before you take too much.
    She closed her eyes, focusing on the scent. Its source was only a few yards away, to their left. Her sensitive ears picked up the sound of music playing from a set of earphones. Good. Her approach would not be noticed. She opened her eyes and searched the night for her quarry.
    He was tying a pair of running shoes, propping one leg on the seat of a bench. He was out for a late-night jog to beat the heat of day, no doubt. It was obvious that he kept himself fit. Lean muscular legs supported a strong core, broad shoulders and arms