He concentrated on my eyes and then raised his eyebrows as if he’d discovered the answer to a question. “Ah, I understand,” he said. Pacing behind the couch, he clasped his hands behind his back. “The answer I would give you is, not exactly. It is not my intention to make you a slave to my will, Young Lily.”
The dawn light spilled over Amon’s body, giving his skin a warm glow. Though it was definitely strange and all kinds of wrong to find him not only in the building I lived in but also on the same floor and just outside my room, I was surprised that I felt happy to see him, crazy stalker or not.
If I’d been logical, I would have been figuring out a way to alert the police or, at the very least, building security, but my desire to do so was weak, and I couldn’t bring myself to feel anything but relief. Amon, too, seemed reassured upon seeing me unharmed.
Of course, I also had to acknowledge that his answer to my Renfield question was “not exactly,” which meant that I was somehow bound to him like Renfield had been to Dracula. It was entirely possible that he was placing these placating thoughts in my head. Did I really trust him, or was he just coercing me to feel that way? At the same time, if I couldn’t rely on my own emotional response, what could I trust?
I took a few steps forward and then stopped, my mind at war with my feelings. Sunshine pooled around Amon, and I swore I could almost see the heat radiating from his body. The cold that had seeped into me since my bath hadn’t gone away, despite the thick down comforter I’d buried myself under when I went to bed, but Amon looked all kinds of warm—like a hot summer day at the beach mixed with sun-kissed tropical breezes all wrapped up in a heated blanket.
He appeared to sense my thoughts and smiled, his teeth dazzling and bright against his golden skin as he stretched out a hand. For a moment, I wondered if that warmth of his would encompass me, too, if I held on to him. But I immediately gritted my teeth, determined not to allow him to manipulate me, and stood my ground.
Folding my arms across my chest, I suppressed a shiver and hissed, “Answer my question. How did you get up here?”
Amon lowered his hand and frowned. “The man who guards the golden box showed me how to find you.”
“Stan?” I shook my head. “No. That’s not possible.”
He gave me a long look and sighed. “Many more things are possible than you can imagine, Lily.”
Apparently. And now common sense told me I needed to get away. I backed up a few steps and sidled a little closer to the open glass door. “What do you want from me, anyway? Why are you following me?”
“We are…connected, Lily.”
“Connected,” I repeated flatly.
“Yes. I have done a spell that has tied my ka to yours.”
“Your ka? What the heck is that?”
“Ka is like…” He slapped his palm against his head and walked away, his white skirt swishing around his muscular thighs.
With his back turned to me, I got a good view of his broad shoulders and his strong arms, which were only slightly less distracting than his wide chest and very nice abs. I shook my head to clear it. Was he really the most attractive guy I’d ever seen, or was he just manipulating me into believing that he was?
He spun around quickly and though he didn’t seem to notice my gaze redirecting from his body to his face, my cheeks burned. This time I didn’t get the sense that he was aware that I found him attractive. I frowned as I acknowledged that those feelings had come from my own head and not his.
“It’s like a life force,” he continued. “My life force is tied to yours.”
“I still don’t understand. Are you trying to say we’re soul mates?”
“Mates?” This time color stained his cheeks. “No. We are not coupled in that way.”
I couldn’t help it. I snickered. Biting my lip, I wondered if I should be glad or insulted that he didn’t like me like that.