Page 100 of Inception

And for sure I wasn’t putting the thing on.

“That’s not possible,” said Gabriel, still stunned by the sight of it. “It has to be a fake.”

“I promise you, it’sveryreal.” Tessa circled the room in haste, closing the blinds and making sure all locks were secured. When she was done, she sat down on the coffee table opposite me. Our knees just inches apart for the first time in a very long time.

“Has the Council confirmed its authenticity?”

“No.” She answered without looking at him.

“Then how do you know it’s not a fake?”

“I just do, now will you please sit down,” she ordered cutting him a hard look. “I don’t have a lot of time.”

Gabriel lowered himself into the arm chair.

Her gaze softened as she took him in. “You said she was in danger and this is the only way I know how to protect her. Nobody can know about this—especially not the Council. Not yet anyway. I need to know that I count on you.”

“You know you can.” He said it sure as fact.

She refocused her sullen grays back on me. “I need you to put this on, Jemma, and I need you to promise me you won’t take it off until I tell you it’s safe to do so. Do you understand?” She held the necklace out to me like some morbid offering.

“I’m not putting anything on until you tell me what’s going on. What the heck is that?” I eyed the necklace accusingly.

She rolled the ruby red pendant between her ashen fingers. “Thisis the Blood of Isis. Better known as the Immortal Amulet.”

“Okay...and why is Gabriel so afraid of it?”

“I’m not afraid. I was caught off guard.”

“Because it’s a very powerful amulet, Jemma, believed to have been used in the First Rising Spell. The one that created the original Revenants.”

My head ticked back a notch. “And why would I want to put that thing around my neck?”

“Because, apart from its necromancy capabilities, the Immortal Amulet is one of the most powerful protective hedges known in our world.”

I turned back to Gabriel. “Necromancy?”

“The act of conjuring the dead—one of the forbidden arts.”

The room suddenly felt as though it were tilting. My sister was actually trying to strap me into some dead-raising necklace and worse, she was acting like it was just another day at the office. AndIwas the one they institutionalized.

“Look at me,” ordered Tessa, taking my chin in her hand. “You couldn’t conjure the dead if you tried doing it on purpose. You have nothing to be afraid of.”

I wasn’t sure if I should be offended by that.

“The only thing you need to know is that its Power of Protection ensures the wearer of the necklace is granted immunity from all perils; mortal or supernatural.”

“What does that mean? Speak English, Tess!”

“It means you’ll be indestructible as long as you wear it.”

Indestructible? “Wait, really?” I felt a wild, uncontrollable smile tugging at the corner of my lips. The truth was, that didn’t sound half-freaking-bad.

“Yes, really,” she said, raising the necklace and then carefully lassoing it around my neck. “As long as you have this on, no one can bring harm to you, but you’re not to remove it under any circumstances—not even in the shower. Is that understood?”

I nodded, picking up the amulet as I examined it with a curious eye. There was something incredibly hypnotic about it. Something about the way it caught the light and reflected back to me, letting me know I was in the presence of a great Power.

“This doesn’t mean you can start being careless now. If you find yourself in danger, avoid a confrontation at all costs—run if you have to. Especially if that situation involves Dominic Huntington. Is that clear?”

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