Who else could I call? Jack. Maybe he was back in the country. I pushed speed dial, but he didn't answer, so I left a quick message. Eddie maybe? I mean, he was the father-in-law of a god, for goodness sake. Didn't that give him superpowers? Still, I couldn't fathom Eddie up against Alister. He might be able to boss around the god of the sea, but a psychopath with a grimoire was another kettle of fish altogether. Still, there was one other person I could contact. I hesitated for a moment, but then punched the number.
"Hello?"
"Inigo. I need your help."
No sooner had I pulled into my driveway when I hit the ground running. Alister Jones was in my house. The thought kept tumbling over and over in my head. Why my house? What did he want with me? I mean, besides stealing my powers, of course. That seemed to be the modus operandi for bad guys these days.
I didn't have a gun. Not a real one. Mine shot wooden bullets or UV rays and were only good for hunting vampires. So, unless Alister had literally gone to the dark side, I was shit out of luck. I pulled out a blade instead. A blade isn't picky about the flesh it parts.
I let myself in through the front door and cautiously made my way down the hall. The house was empty. Quiet. Just as it should be. No sign of Alister. Had Emory's crystal been wrong? Maybe my relationship to Alister, such as it was, had messed up the scrying. Was that even possible? Kabita had seemed to think so, but I wasn't that close to him. Not like she was.
I slid my blade back into its sheath and let out a sigh, the breath from my lungs fluttering my bangs. Now what?
I'm not sure what alerted me. Maybe some sort of sixth sense. Who knows? But before I could think, my blade was out, and I was rushing through the back door into my yard. There on the patio sitting cool as a cucumber was Alister Jones, and he had a gun pointed straight at my chest.
Chapter Twenty-three
I stared at the gun in Alister's hand. I might be a quick healer, but there was no way I'd survive a bullet to the heart. I told myself to remain calm. Fat chance.
"Hey, Alister," I said, forcing a smile I didn't feel. "Kabita's gonna be real pissed if you shoot her best friend."
He gave me what I can only be described as a smirk. "My… daughter has nothing to do with this, Ms. Bailey." The pause he inserted before the word "daughter" got my hackles up. Alister's attitude toward Kabita had always been cold, but I'd only recently found out why. She was a Witch, and he hated her for it. Like it was her fault. It was Alister himself who carried Witch blood, and his daughter had paid the price.
"She might beg to differ," I said. My mind was still racing. I had to keep him distracted, at least until I could come up with something. "You've given us a merry chase Alister. You're a hard man to find."
His smirk widened. "Like taking candy from a child." He seemed inordinately pleased with himself. Prick.
"What do you want, Alister?"
"The amulet." His eyes were on my chest where the Atlantean amulet hung. The sapphire in the middle glowed softly in the moonlight.
"You're not getting it."
"Oh, I don't want to take it from you. Never fear. I just want you to do me a tiny little favor."
I narrowed my eyes. He really expected me to do him a favor? After all he'd done? "You've got to be kidding."
"Not at all. And when I tell you what that favor is, I'm certain you will jump at the opportunity."
I snorted. He sure didn't know me very well. "Fine. What is it?"
With his free hand, he pulled a small book from inside his jacket and laid it on the small bistro table next to him. The dark leather cover and glittering gold scrollwork stood out against the turquoise blue of the mosaic-tiled tabletop. In the center of the book was intricate gold filigree. In the middle of the carefully worked gold was carved a pattern, as though something fitted into it. It was a shape I recognized very well: the Atlantean amulet.
I wrapped my hand around the amulet, feeling the sapphire dig into my palm as the metal disc began to heat. "What do you want, Alister?" I repeated.
"I want you to take that amulet from around your neck and place it where it belongs. Here." He tapped the book.
"Why?" I asked. "What will happen when I do?" There was no way I was getting anywhere near that book with my amulet. Not while Alister was in control. There was no doubt in my mind whatever happened when the two ancient items met, Alister would use it to further his own agenda. That wasn't something I was prepared to be a part of.
"Do as I ask, Morgan, and no one will get hurt."
"Bullshit."
His smooth veneer cracked a little. "Take it off, Hunter," he snarled. "Or I will shoot you and take it myself."