“Right. Well, I just want to make sure I look good for when I kick him in the ass. He deserves it for what he did to you.”

“Aye,” Ahnvil said thoughtfully. “But if he had no’, I wouldna have gotten tae meet you.”

She hadn’t thought about it like that, and again it gave her pleasure that he had.

She went to walk out of the room, but he stopped her, moved in front of her, and kept her a step behind his back as he led her down the stairs. The entire time they moved through the house and down the stairs he kept her in a protective position, making sure his body was guarding hers at all times.

She thought about saying something, about showing her exasperation, but in the end it was kind of soothing to feel so well protected. There was something strongly pleasing about it. It seemed as though for the most part all of what he was doing was giving her pleasure. In one form or another. And just thinking about some of the forms that pleasure had taken had her flushing rosy red as she followed him.

They went down to the second story, and she realized there were more suites of rooms down here. The main house itself was enormous, and she had noticed a couple of other houses situated behind it a little distance away. All and all the property was mammoth. The driveway to get to the house had been very long. And all around them for as far as the eyes could see was land. Allowing them privacy, she realized, against whatever paranormal activity might happen there.

“Wait! I forgot about Bella! I have to leave her a note. She could be here anytime.”

“After,” he said. “Then we can write your note and tack it tae the door. I’m still no’ comfortable wi’ you talking tae the spirit.”

“She’s not a spirit,” she felt the need to point out.

“Whatever she is, I doona like it.”

“Well, maybe we’ll find out something about her from your forger.”

“Aye. That’s a possibility. Here we are.” They stopped at a closed door and he rapped his knuckles against it.

“How do you know he’s in there?”

“He’s confined tae his rooms more often than no’. We’re still wary of his intentions, so he has limited access tae the house. But we have grown more lax abou’ it over time. I doona agree with it, but I doona question my Pharaoh all that much. He’s a wiser man than I and has proved it over the many incarnations I have been with him for.”

“But everyone deserves questioning,” she said with a frown.

“Aye, but like I said, he’s proved to be right more often than no’.”

The door opened just then, revealing a tall, athletically built man with dark hair, bright blue eyes, and pretty astounding good looks.

“Jeez, do all of you have to look like you just stepped off the cover of a romance novel?” she muttered.

“Kamenwati,” Ahnvil said, ignoring her remark. “I need … I need a favor,” he gritted out from between his teeth. She knew how much it took for him to say those words. Even Kamen raised his brows in surprise.

“Do come in,” Kamen said with politesse, swinging the door open wide and stepping back to allow them to pass. After they had filed into the room, Ahnvil once again put her slightly behind him, but lifted the pendant around her neck, displaying it against his palm for Kamenwati to see.

“It’s called Adoma’s Amulet,” he said tightly. “And she canna get it off.”

“I know what it’s called,” Kamen said, a cultured nearly British accent coming from him. Maybe a little more … South African? He came forward slowly, presumably not to spook the big Gargoyle standing between her and him, and lifted the Amulet into his own hand. “It has something like a curse on it. ‘When the child of dark dons the Amulet of Adoma, it shall forever bring insight and protection to the wearer, but will never be removed.’ How is she a child of dark? Is she a Nightwalker? I always presumed that was what it meant.”

“No, she is no’. She canna go out in the sun though. She has a disease.” He looked to Kat for help.

“Xeroderma pigmentosum,” she supplied dutifully.

“I see. They call you the children of the night.”

“You’ve heard of it?” she asked with surprise.

“I have many centuries’ worth of medical knowledge.”

“Oh. Okay.”

“I had originally thought ‘child of dark’ meant a Nightwalker. I was researching it more carefully before donning it myself. I did not want to be reckless.” The remark was pointed.

“Hey! How was I supposed to know it had a curse on it?” she grumbled.

“I’m not sure I can get this off for you,” Kamen said. “But perhaps with access to all new spells, incantations, and research source material I will find something I didn’t find before.”

“Our recorded histories,” Ahnvil explained to Kat, “or rather, those of the Bodywalkers, were separated when the war began. Each faction commandeered different storage areas and relocated what they found there. That left the historical sources split in two. They only have access to partial resources and so do we.”

“My research thus far was unsatisfactory, but … how did you come about possessing this? The last I saw it it was in my quarters at the Templar stronghold.”

“A Templar named Panahasi stole it from your belongings,” Ahnvil explained, the bitterness in his tone growing. “He was the one who captured me and held me. He seemed tae think I was the ‘slave, born of the infinite Nightwalkers.’ I thought it said: ‘The slave, born of the infinite Nightwalkers, will set free the power wi’in. The one that harnesses Adoma’s Amulet will have such power as to make a god weep.’ What you’re saying is different.”

“There was more to it than what you heard. And you may be the slave. I certainly thought you were. Or rather, a Gargoyle in general. I don’t really understand, and these things are really subjective when it comes to interpretation. As for breaking the curse and removing the Amulet, I’m not entirely sure I can do that, either. But as I said, I will need access to your stored resources.”

A look of utter suspicion crossed Ahnvil’s features.

“I doona think that will be allowed.”

“Then I can’t help you,” Kamen said, looking genuinely regretful. But she could tell Ahnvil would never trust him in this.