If he was the real thing, the amber would be tuned. You couldn’t navigate the Dead City and the maze of underground tunnels the long-vanished Aliens had left behind without tuned navigation amber. The members of the Ghost Hunters Guilds, the monopolistic organizations that handled security in the Underworld, were obsessive when it came to nav amber.
She was obsessive about it, too, because most of her work was done belowground. She never went anywhere without at least a few pieces on her person. She had worn a tuned amber bracelet, tuned amber earrings, and a dainty ankle chain of tuned amber with her black gown. She would have worn an amber necklace as well, but the bride had insisted that all the bridesmaids wear the black crystal necklaces she had given them.
The bride was a clothing designer. She had chosen black and white as her wedding colors. She had thrown a tantrum when Lucy had shown up with the amber. Lucy had removed the obvious pieces for the ceremony and then put them back on for the reception.
When she had awakened in the Underworld of the Dead City, she had discovered that all of her tuned amber had vanished. The only item of jewelry left was the black necklace. She had given it to Otis, who adored it. Every time he showed up in the chamber, it was dangling around his furry neck. She glanced at him and saw that he was no longer wearing it. What did that signify?
Now Gabriel Jones was standing so close she could feel his body heat and an aura of energy. That was reassuring. It was also disconcertingly intriguing. Her senses stirred.
He looked formidable and dangerous, but he had very nice shoulders. Everything about him radiated power and control. She liked his amber-brown eyes. Fierce but not in an intimidating way, at least not at the moment. More like the eyes of a man who has been looking for someone for a very long time and has just found her.
He studied her while she munched the pizza.
“I take it the after-party didn’t end well,” he said.
She glanced down at the crushed skirts of her long gown and sighed. She didn’t have a mirror, but she knew she probably looked as if she had spent a hard night in a dark alley. Possibly several nights. Time had become fluid. That happened when you got lost in the Underworld. There was no day or night in the tunnels. The maze of quartz corridors and chambers radiated an eerie acid-green light day in, day out. As far as the experts could tell, they had been doing so since the long-vanished Aliens had disappeared.
“The after-party was a disaster,” she said. “Long story.”
“When did the dust bunny show up?” Gabriel asked.
“I don’t know. I made it to this chamber and collapsed. The dust bunny appeared at some point. I’ve seen dust bunnies from time to time in the ruins but I’ve never had one approach me. I could tell he expected me to follow him but I … couldn’t. He vanished. I assumed I’d never see him again. He came back with a pizza. That’s when I named him Otis. I know he’s been trying to lead me back to the surface, but I can’t get through the psychic gate blocking the door.”
Gabriel glanced at the entrance. “I didn’t have a problem entering.”
“Neither did I, obviously.” She glared. “It’s getting out that’s the big issue here. Do you think I’d still be hanging around in this horrible chamber if I could break through the barrier?”
Gabriel glanced at the entrance again. When he switched his attention back to her, there was a thoughtful expression in his eyes.
“No,” he said.
“Let’s hope you can get out,” Lucy said.
She sounded pissed off, but she didn’t care. It was probably not a nice way to treat the man who said he had come to rescue her, but she was not in a good mood. She was irritated, because she was pretty sure she knew where the conversation was headed. Gabriel—assuming he was real—was concluding she was delusional because she had spent so much time in a strong paranormal environment without the steadying influence of nav amber.
What really annoyed her was that he was right. True, she wasn’t delusional all the time, but she was definitely suffering recurring bouts of nerve-jangling visions. Deep down she was terrified that she was in danger of getting lost in a world of paranormal nightmares. When she got scared, she got mad.
Otis finished the last of his pizza and chortled.
The dust bunny resembled a large wad of dryer lint. He looked adorable because only his innocent baby blue eyes and the tips of his ears were visible at the moment. His second set of eyes, the ones he used for hunting, were closed and hidden by his gray fur. Dust bunnies were cute and cuddly. Until they weren’t. As the saying went, by the time you saw the teeth, it was too late.