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"I'm afraid you'll have to do without that." His face became serious. "But I would like to ask you to wear this."
He demonstratively held out a belt with two daggers dangling from it. I looked at him in amazement.
"Why? Won't Hecate be able to protect me? She's a goddess, after all." A nervous laugh escaped me. What in the world of the dead could threaten me, even in the presence of a very powerful goddess?
"Hecate is as fickle as the moon. I wouldn't rely on her. She only does what she thinks is right. She is eternally loyal if you belong to her circle and would die for you. But we both know you are still far outside that circle." He raised an eyebrow. "So, it's better if you can defend yourself in an emergency."
Reluctantly, I examined the daggers and nodded in agreement.
"Don't look at me like that, Myrina." A false smile adorned his face. "You've decided to seek out your betrothed not with me but with the Goddess of Magic."
I got up resolutely and snatched the belt from his hand. "And I still stand behind that decision."
Tanael tilted his head. "Then why do I smell your fear?"
I gritted my teeth angrily. Why did he always know what I was feeling or thinking? It was maddening.
"You're wrong about that. I'm not afraid of Hecate, the realm of the dead, or meeting Alex," I lied thrice. In reality, I was terrified. Was Hecate's medicine stopping to work right now? That would definitely be the worst possible time.
Tanael leaned forward toward me until our faces were almost touching. "Are you afraid of me?" he breathed, and a glint in his eyes told me he already knew the answer.
"No!" I hissed at him. "Never. You can't intimidate me with your godlike demeanor."
"I know," he said emotionlessly. The brief moment his gaze slid to my lips, however, his rigid mask slipped, and desire flashed from beneath it. The gold of his eyes turned liquid, and a tug deep down in my belly stoked an equally desirous fire inside me.
As quickly as the moment had come, it was over again, and Tanael was already standing in the doorway.
"One more thing, Myrina," he said thoughtfully. "Always keep your necklace and leave the ring on your finger."
"What ring?" I wanted to know and eyed my hands in amazement. A ring adorned my hand with a snake holding a diamond between its head and tail. It was the same piece of jewelry he had given me that night on the roof terrace of the Metropolitan Museum of Art.
"What is this, Tanael? Why should I do that?" But when I looked up, the doorframe was empty, and the God of the First Light had disappeared. Crap! Why did he do that every time? I wanted to take off my necklace and ring out of spite. After all, he didn't think it necessary to tell me why I needed these jewelry pieces. I hated being kept in ignorance like that.
I liked to be in control of everything around me, and that was only possible if I knew exactly what was happening.
It was so frustrating! But I realized that for the time being, I was better off sticking to what he had said. For one thing, I didn't know what to expect, and for another, I didn't know the ring and chain's influence on the world I was about to enter.
From my last dream, I remembered that Tanael had also given Morgan le Fey this necklace to protect her from non-human beings. Did that mean that Morgan le Fey had sent me this amulet from the past? Or did Tanael have it placed in my room in New York? After the two waiters had almost raped and abducted me at the first gala at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, I found the necklace and pendant on the table in my bedroom. I had put it on and instinctively never took it off again.
Since then, apart from the situation with John Adam Nash and Jack, there had been no more incidents of this kind. Had the amulet protected me?
My hand gently closed around the piece of jewelry on my neck, which nestled warmly against me. It had now become a part of me.
But what was the ring all about? After all, a god, a fallen angel, had given it to me. So, it must have some ability. But what kind? It annoyed me that he assumed I would do what he told me to do without an explanation. Until I knew more about the why, I wouldn't bow to his whims. I wanted to find out more first.
I already had an idea of who I would ask about it. Hecate. She certainly knew more about it. I wanted to leave Aza alone today. The thing with her room took its toll on her.
Next time, I would remember to ask Tanael about it. She was my friend, and I would stand up for her. For some reason, she didn't do it for herself.
I quickly changed my clothes, hung the summer dress in Aza's wardrobe, and slipped into my trousers and blouse. The corsage caused me a little trouble with the lacing.
Finally, I stepped into the high, soft leather boots. The outfit was surprisingly comfortable to wear and gave me all the freedom of movement I would need in a fight.
I looked skeptically at the dagger-studded belt still lying on Aza's bed. It wasn't a simple belt like the ones I'd seen on my old jeans. It had several loops and looked more like climbing equipment. How was I supposed to put it on?
"I see Stephan has already brought you your clothes," my friend's voice said behind me.
"No, Stephan didn't do it. Tanael himself came here to give it to me." I grinned cheekily at her.
