"How will I know when it's done?"
"Trust me, you'll know."
Amanda placed the medallion in her backpack purse next to the box with the Barbie doll Liza had given her. She'd started carrying the doll the night Tabitha had been attacked. It was probably stupid, but knowing the doll was there just in case comforted her. Besides, it was better than carrying a gun, and even with the spikes in the legs, she was sure it was safer.
As she closed her purse, her cell phone started ringing. Digging it out of the side pouch, she answered it. "Mandy, is that you?"
She wrinkled her nose when she heard Cliff's nasal voice. "I thought—"
"Listen," he said, interrupting her. "Something terrible has happened…"
He sounded as if he'd been crying. Even though they were over romantically, she couldn't help feeling concern for him. He might be a jerk, but up until a couple of weeks ago, she had intended to marry him. "What?"
"It's my mother," he said, choking on a sob. "Look, I know we're not on the best of terms, but I have no one else to call. Could you please come over here? I don't want to be alone."
She hesitated. A strange, sick feeling clenched her stomach. Attributing it to the fact she couldn't stand the thought of seeing Cliff again, she realized just how selfish denying him would be. He needed her. She would go for a few minutes, then return here to wait for Kyrian. "All right, I'm on my way."
"Thank you."
Acheron cocked a brow at her. "Something wrong?"
"A friend in need."
He nodded. "You go and I'll find your sister and watch over her." Acheron pulled on a black T-shirt. "By the way, be careful."
"Of?"
"It's nighttime and evil things are roaming out there."
Another ripple of fear went through her. "Should I be afraid?"
"Follow your gut, little girl. Do what you have to do."
She hated the way he referred to her as "little girl" all the time, and yet she couldn't seem to get ticked off about it. "You like being vague, don't you?"
"It was a choice of being a Dark-Hunter or a prophet. Personally I like the slash-and-kill stuff much more than prayers and the lotus position."
Acheron Parthenopaeus was a very odd individual.
Amanda fished her keys out and made her way back to her car. As she drove out of the driveway, toward the expressway, it dawned on her how strange that Acheron would send her out alone…Why would he do that when Kyrian had asked him to watch over her?
Because Tabitha is far more likely to get into trouble walking the streets than you are going to Cliff's. Oh yeah. That explained it. The only danger at Cliff's would be him boring her to death. It didn't take her long to get there.
Amanda walked up to Cliff's first-floor apartment, then knocked on the door and waited for him to answer. He opened the door. He was wearing a pair of Levi's and a yellow button-down shirt. "What?" he asked, looking over her shoulder. "No friend driving you this time?"
She glared at the jealousy she heard in his voice. How dare he! "What's that supposed to mean?"
He shrugged and opened the door wider."Nothing. I'm just upset tonight. Thanks for coming on such short notice."
Again she heard that voice in her head telling her to leave. Like a fool, she ignored it and stepped inside. He shut and locked the door behind her.
"Well, well," a familiar voice said from the kitchen. "What have we here?"
Amanda froze as Desiderius stepped out of the shadows.
CHAPTER 16
"You!" Amanda screamed and started for the door.
Cliff caught her. "Not so fast."
"How could you?" she asked Cliff. Then she turned to glare at Desiderius. "I don't understand why you're here. How?"
Desiderius sighed. "Please don't make this any more cliché than it has to be. It's bad enough that I had to stoop to such a primitive ploy to trap Kyrian. Now you expect me to dump my entire plan on you so you can escape and kill me?" He shook his head. "You know, I watch bad movies, too."
Suddenly, she felt Desiderius in her thoughts. Felt him goading and prying into her memories. Her head ached and swam as bizarre images played through her mind. Images of Desiderius embracing and caressing her. Of his breath on her neck. Worse, Amanda felt the barriers of her mind collapsing under the pressure of his fierce mental onslaught.
"She is as you promised, Cliff." His voice came at such a faint distance. Like a vague whisper on the wind. "Her powers are pure, virtually untouched."
"I know. It's what drew me to her the first time I met her." Cliff smiled.
"And with the information we gathered on how Kyrian fights from that night in the alley, we should have no trouble defeating him."