Hunter (Immortals of New Orleans, Book 10)

by Kym Grosso

  “Where exactly is here?”

  “In the rainforest.”

  Julian tugged on a leaf and plucked it. “Yeah I can see that.”

  “There was once an ancient Mayan civilization. A lost city. It’s here. Beneath the canopy. Literally thousands of structures.”

  “Society never ceases to amaze me.”

  “Our ancestors knew of these things, I’m sure. You never paid attention to Mama’s stories.”

  “Who’s the one disappearing? Oh yeah, that would be me. I listened well enough to that part.”

  “I listened too.” She shoved at his shoulder with a laugh. “Who knows what we are supposed to believe? One day we are living in a pack. The next, our parents are dead, and we’ve all split up. Until today. Now, it’s just you and me. I was told we would never mate and now…well.” Hunter. Willa’s face tensed, and she kicked away at the brush with her feet. “The path ends up here.”

  “I suspected it wasn’t all a lie. They knew if we spent too much time within a pack, we’d attract the attention of others. And not the good kind. As it is, the rogues managed to nab you and you were experienced. Problem is that even though you’ve been running as wolf, you aren’t experienced in fighting. Your instincts failed you that day.”

  “Thanks a lot, Jules. As if I wasn’t feeling bad enough.”

  “I’m sorry, Willa, but we’re a product of our environment, not just our genetics. Mama and Papa did everything to protect us, but they discounted the need for us to be with other wolves.”

  “Yeah, well, what makes you so special? You’re rogue too.”

  “I’ve spent a lot of time with wolves. Not here in the Americas but I’ve traveled the world. I never spend enough time in one place to join a pack. I’ve been in thousands of fights, rarely losing.”

  “Is that why you left Jake and his parents? It wasn’t fair to them.”

  “Jolia was a second mother to me. They took me in, and I loved them. But what’s inside me, I couldn’t stay in New Orleans. Challenging Marcel wasn’t a path I could choose.”

  “How is it you didn’t spend time with Hunter?”

  “I didn’t draw attention to myself. He’s older than the others. I’d been with Jake’s family for a long time and they’d moved round. By the time I landed in Acadian wolves, Hunter wasn’t around. He was off establishing his own pack.”

  “Nice pack he’s got. His beta is an asshole. How could he not see that?”

  “I don’t know. He might have been a good actor.”

  “You’d think the Alpha would know.”

  “You can tell me, you know?” Julian stated, wearing a sly smile.

  “Tell you what? Shit.” As the eight-legged creature landed on her, Willa jumped backwards, bumping into her brother. “Get off me!”

  “It’s just a bug.” Julian swatted it off her arm and laughed.

  “I’m fine with bugs. Not spiders. I hate spiders.”

  “Tell me about the Alpha. Your scent was all over him. And you’re wearing his. You haven’t known him that long which leads me to believe something is up. I’m not gonna say it.”

  “There’s nothing to say.” Mate. Mine. “We were together. He’s…okay.” Amazing. “There’s a lesson I learned long ago. Sometimes we can’t have everything we want.”

  “Yeah, okay. I still can’t believe this is happening to you. This is awesome news, yeah? It wasn’t supposed to happen to either of us.”

  “Nothing is happening,” she insisted, her voice terse as she pressed through the deep brush.

  “The thing is once ‘it’ happens, there’s not a whole helluva lot you can do about it. Your wolf. You will crush her if you deny her her…”

  Willa spun on her heels, pointing her finger at her brother. “Do not say it. Do you hear me? Don’t say it. Don’t. I can’t let myself go there. I just can’t.” Her voice wavered, emotion bubbling up through her words. “He left me back there. With his violent beta.” She shook her head, her hands on her hips. “No. I’m not going to be with someone who can’t value me enough to…Ah, why am I even talking about this? There is no way he can be my…you know. I am not saying the words, Jules. If I keep this quiet, it will go away. Right now, I need to focus, and I can’t do that if I’m thinking about him.” My Alpha.

  She sighed, and spun around, again making her way through the thick jungle. “This is going to take us all day. Maybe we should shift and run the rest of the way.”

  “If you’re okay with goin’ au natural and leaving our stuff here.”

  “No, I’m not crazy about doing that in the jungle. Besides it’s not that far. What I really need is a machete.”

  “I could make this easier for you, dear sister. That’s if you want to know.”

  “Know what? How to materialize a machete out of thin air? Because if you know how to do that, please do.”

  “Don’t you realize you have it inside you already?”

  “Stop screwing around, Jules. Either go flash somewhere and get one or let’s just get through this the hard way and be done with it.”

  “I’m not fucking around. Listen. Part of our legacy is power. Power other wolves don’t have. You’re never going to see any wolf do what I can do.”

  “Viktor can.”

  “He’s a vampire.”

  “True, but the magick is similar. Viktor doesn’t say how old he is. But my guess is thousands. And when did the first hybrid begin? Mama said the Goddess created them to be one with nature, from the very beginning of time. But was it? May have been before. Or after. But the very essence of the magick bestowed in our bloodline is royal.” Willa’s lips drew into a tight line. “While I don’t deny our heritage, I can’t say anymore what that even means. I did everything they told us. Our blood is different. We’ll be the end of the line. I’ll never have children because I’ll never have a…” Tears brimmed as she balled her fists. “Mate.”

  “Willa.” Julian’s voice softened. “I’m not saying that everything they said was true. But the power within you is already there. Your light. Give me your hand.”

  Willa’s eyes flashed to his in doubt.

  “Come on. Just indulge me.”

  She extended her hand, placing it in his. He turned it over to expose her palm.

  “Your skin.” He traced a finger up her wrists. “You don’t just sparkle.”

  Her heart squeezed in her chest, his words conjuring long-lost memories; running in the dark through the fields, she’d allow her skin to glow. She’d insist she was a star, her brother a warrior sent from the heavens, protecting the galaxy so she could shine bright.

  “Show me,” he told her.

  Willa smiled at him and sent the magick to her blood. Her arm tingled, the light dancing over her skin.

  “You’ve only ever seen light within your veins. But my dear sister, your energy is so much more than that. It’s power.”

  “I’m like a glow stick.” She laughed and went to pull her hand away, but he held firm to it.

  “It’s more than that. You just have to focus your magick. Let it flow from your skin to the object as if you’re touching it yourself. Start small and you will grow stronger. When I came into mine, I could only dematerialize short distances. Over the years, I honed my powers. Now there is nowhere beyond my reach.”

  “You’re serious?” Willa cocked her head in disbelief. “Julian, I may have been able to light our way in the dark like a firefly but that’s a far cry from what you’re suggesting.”

  “Indulge me.” He released her hand and glanced to the brush she’d been attempting to clear with her feet. “That over there. Start with the enemy at hand.”

  “You’re joking, right?”

  “Do you want to get what you need or what?”

  “Okay, fine. But we’re just wasting time. You could just flash and get me a machete. I’ll be fine while you go. It’s not the first time I’ve spent time out here by myself. It is, however, the first time I’ve been completely unprepared and
didn’t have my gear with me.”

  “You’ve got everything you need. Now focus. Reach for the weeds and move them. Whack them.”

  Willa stretched out her hand towards the brush. She attempted to concentrate but the thought of doing so struck her as funny. She bent over, laughing. “This is ridiculous.”

  “What are you doing? Have you gone mad?”

  “This is crazy.” She raised her palms up toward the sky. “Do you hear that, Goddess? Julian says that after years of running around glowing, I’ve got a superpower.”

  “Not technically a superpower.” He shrugged. “More of an enhancement to your current power.”

  Anger boiled inside her chest. Sick and tired of running, hiding from evil, she yearned to live her life in the open with her family. Hate for the wolves who’d kidnapped her burned deep in her belly, and her eyes went wild with rage. Tortured, used as bait for rabid vampires, she’d suffered at the hand of demons. A lifetime living a lie. Discovering she had a mate….one who’d left her alone with his violent beta. And now, trudging through a hotter-than-hell jungle, sweat drenching their bodies, they had no choice but to manually clear a path.

  Fuck this. Fuck all of it. She spun around toward the brush and sent her energy sizzling through her body. With nothing left to lose, she stretched her hand out. Rage tore through her mind, a jolt searing through her fingers. An invisible force whipped through the air, the plant stems snapping as if on cue.

  Willa stumbled back into her brother’s arms, stunned.

  “Fantástico, Willamina!” Julian clapped his hands together. “I told you you could do it!”

  Willa’s heart pounded in excitement. She stared at her hands, realizing the implications. A new power. She smiled, hope sparked. Retribution would be hers. The wolves who sold her to the demons would pay.

  With a flick of her wrists, she whipped her hands toward the path. The scent of fresh cut greenery filtered through the air. She turned back to Julian who stood with his hands crossed in front of his chest, smiling.

  “You coming?” she asked, with raised eyebrows. The leaves crunched underneath her feet as she strode ahead.

  “Lead the way, princesa,” her brother said, allowing his Brazilian accent to blend into his words. “A majestade.”

  “Yeah, that’s me. Royal as fuck,” she joked.

  “Don’t take this the wrong way, Willa, but I gotta say,” Julian stared up into the jungle canopy, “this is a little anticlimactic.”

  “I’m sorry this incredible, mostly unexplored lost civilization has disappointed you so greatly, irmão,” she said, sarcasm lacing her words.

  “All I see is trees. Snakes. And bugs. Don’t get me wrong. I love bugs.” Julian flicked a buzzing mosquito away from his face. “Where the hell are we anyway?”

  “Petén. Northern Guatemala. What are you complaining about? We grew up exposed to the rainforest. You always wanted to trek when you were a kid.” Willa smiled, recalling how Papa had warned them to stay in certain areas. She and Julian always pushed further and further, often getting in trouble.

  “Brazil is different. It’s home.” He sighed. “Besides, I’ve spent a lot of time in the city. I guess you could say I’m more of an urban wolf. It’s more my style.”

  “Oh, really, city boy. Where’s that?” She laughed, having a hard time picturing him without open land.

  “Miami. South Beach, baby.” Julian followed his sister as she continued to cut a path through the jungle.

  Willa turned to her brother, stopping but only for a second before delivering a fresh whack to the weeds. “We’re almost there.”

  “I know that look. I’m not crazy. The weather’s nice and warm year-round. None of that snow bullshit your boyfriend likes.”

  “He’s not my boyfriend.”

  “Nightclubs. Beaches. Parties. Boats. Did I mention beaches?”

  “And where does a wolf like you run in the big city?”

  “Everglades. It’s not as great as home but I like it. It’s spicy.” Julian waggled his eyebrows. “I love a good bachata.”

  “Yeah I bet it is. I know where you’re going with this and I’m good. I don’t need to know all your sexcapades.”

  “Don’t be a prude.”

  “I’m not a prude. I just don’t want to hear it from you.”

  “Truth is, I travel all over the world. But in the States? Miami’s my favorite.”

  “I haven’t been gone too long, but the plants grow quickly.” Willa sliced through a thicket of branches, revealing a stone wall. Covered with vines, the ancient structure was barely visible. “Let’s go this way. We’ve got to get to the front of the building.” Willa continued whacking at the weeds, until they reached a small clearing.

  “Jesus, Willa. This place really is in the middle of nowhere.”

  “That’s because it is.”

  “Where’s the door?” Julian studied the crumbling pyramid-shaped ruins.

  “The door is more like a tunnel.” Willa glided her palm down the wall, settling on a raised circular pattern that had been carved into the stone. Locating a small hole, she inserted her finger and depressed the hidden lever.

  “What are you doing?”

  “It’s kind of like a super-secret lock. I might need help with getting this stone out. Sometimes it gets stuck.”

  “Don’t you remember what Pa said about getting your tail bitten off?”

  “He was talking to you, not me. You’re the one who always had to go in the river. You just about had your tail bitten off by bull sharks and piranhas.”

  “Ah, the good old days.” Julian reached for the stone as Willa struggled to remove it. “Let me help.”

  “Be my guest.” She gave a tight smile, aware she’d sealed the entrance a little too well.

  “Can’t we just flash inside?”

  “It’s protected by ancient Mayan wards. This will just take a minute.”

  “If you say so.” Julian effortlessly slid the stone out of the wall and set it aside onto the ground. He stared down into the small opening. “What’s next? You expect us to what? Oil up and slide inside this hole? There has to be an easier way in.”

  “Suck it up, Jules. It’s only a few feet.” Willa inwardly laughed at her brother. He had always been her hero, one of the bravest wolves she’d ever known. And he still was except for one weakness, his fear of enclosed spaces.

  “More like suck it in. Ladies first.” Julian gestured toward the hole.

  Willa didn’t hesitate. Headfirst, she shimmied inside and navigated the claustrophobic passageway crawling on her forearms. She held her breath as a cockroach scampered over her wrist and down toward her legs. “Incoming!”

  “Jesus Christ.” Julian followed behind her, scrunching his nose as the insect darted through his hair and down his back.

  “You’re doing great.” With a grunt, she hoisted her body out of the tunnel hands first. Her legs quickly followed, and she shoved up onto her feet, turning to her brother.

  “A little help?” Julian’s hands dangled out of the hole.

  “I’ve got you.” Willa laughed and grabbed hold of his forearms while he settled his feet onto the floor.

  “I could’ve gotten stuck inside there. You’re this little thing and then there’s me.”

  Willa stared up at her big brother, realizing she’d forgotten how tall he was. At six-five, he towered above her.

  “Sorry. But it’s the only way I know how to get in here.” Willa sent her energy to her hands until they glowed bright, illuminating the vestibule. “It’s a little tight. There’s a small tunnel here, but I promise, it opens up. This way. It’s not too much further.”

  “More tunnels. Awesome.” Julian brushed the dirt off his jeans.

  “I discovered this place about ten years ago. For the longest time, I used it as a sanctuary of sorts. Archeologists discovered the city this century, but it’s far too vast of an area for them to excavate all at once. There’s actually only a few digs in th
e entire area.”

  As they emerged from the passageway and entered the main area, Willa smiled. Hundreds of needled sunlight beams pricked light onto the floor. Vines climbed the walls, colorful flowers blooming along the edges of the room’s perimeter. To the far-right corner, a spring percolated from the mouth of a triangular symbol that had been carved into the wall.

  “What is this?” Julian asked in wonderment, scanning the interior.

  “It’s a Pibna. A sweat lodge. It’s about healing. This building though. It’s unusual. The pibna does not sit alone. It sits within this magical structure.” She gestured to the spring water. “It’s good. I’ve drank from it. It must filter through from a local cenote. There’s one a few miles from here.” Willa stepped toward the ivied wall and slid her finger over a leaf. “I suspect most of these plants grew organically, perhaps a seed flying through the wind, or birds. But these ones here.” She bent to sniff a bright fuchsia-colored flower. The size of a dime, its delightful fragrance filled her senses and she smiled. “I believe they knew of its healing power. Not only that, I believe they cultivated fungus.” She pointed to mushrooms sprouting across one of the walls. “Psilocybin.”

  “Well, hello there.” Julian gave a broad smile. “Magic mushrooms.”

  “Peyote. Other hallucinogens were probably used during rituals.”

  “I can feel a buzz all right. But it’s more of the woo woo kind,” Julian commented.

  “I feel it too. Because that’s what’s in this place. All around us. Infused in every molecule of those plants. There’s a small bush outside the building. It’s how I discovered it. Nature or magick both have a way of spreading.” Willa sighed and put her hands on her hips. “The villagers understand that I often use natural ingredients as well as western medicine. The day the child was injured, I had to do something. She would have bled to death.”

  “You’ve always had a big heart, minha irmã.”

  “Doesn’t matter at this point, because I’m destroying the formula.”

  “Maybe you should destroy all these plants too? I know you don’t want to, but you could torch this whole place, and no one will know.”

  “Are you crazy? I’m not doing that. This entire site is a historical treasure. It’s a wealth of information about an important ancient society.”