“I’m starving,” I announced. “We should fuel up before my grandmother sends for us.”
“I think you should fill us in on any other secrets you’ve been keeping from us,” Quinn’s voice was teasing, but his eyes were dark.
“You’ve seen the magic here,” I said reluctantly. “My mother died when I was still a kid, so I just know the typical stories told to children. I don’t really know the truth of this place.”
“I have a feeling that the stories your family told you were a lot different than those we heard growing up,” Davis added as he followed me out of the pool.
I slipped into one of the dresses that the females were expected to wear here. Mike and Trevor both gave me strange looks, but neither of them commented on my choice of attire. I was here because I needed my grandmother to cooperate with what I wanted, and I was hoping that dressing per tradition would remind her that I was one of them by blood.
“Legend has it that this place was built by the goddess and infused with her magic,” I explained. “But doesn’t it seem more probable that it was built by the fae? Maybe it was one of their strongholds before the war that resulted in them being kicked out of this world.”
“Maybe,” Rich mused. “But the existence of the Morrigan makes it seem like there could also be a Jaguar Goddess.”
I bit into a corn cake and savored the flavors that brought back memories of my childhood visits here.
“Does it matter if this place was built by a goddess or the fae?” Davis asked. “The
Morrigan doesn’t seem that different from a fae anyway.”
I shrugged. “As long as we get the weapon we need, it doesn’t matter.”
“Truth,” Quinn said as he selected a piece of fruit. “Now, let’s plot and eat at the same time.”
Chapter 28
Sam was never more beautiful than when she got that dangerous look in her eyes, and right now, she was downright murderous. Her dark hair fell loose down her back, and her white dress only accentuated her tempting curves. Her grandmother had summoned us for a meeting not long after we had demolished her offering of food. Not even a crumb had escaped.
“Hába Nábia,” her venomous cousin simpered. “Isn’t merely speaking of our sacred duty to outsiders cause for execution?”
The older woman gave Ximena a dark look. “And isn’t speaking in my name without my permission a traitorous act? Especially when it results in my heir being abandoned in another country without family to guide her and teach her our ways? What’s the punishment for traitors?”
Ximena snapped her mouth shut and looked down at the table. I kept my face expressionless because Hába Nábia had made it very clear that while she would prefer us to be neither seen nor heard, she was willing to tolerate our presence. I owed it to Sam to make this go and smoothly as possible, and I wasn’t going to jeopardize our mission over my pride.
“Now, Búndzi,” Sam’s grandmother said as she turned her attention back to Sam. “I believe we were about to discuss your training.”
Sam shook her head. “No, we weren’t. I was about to tell you that we came all the way here because we need the Jaguar Goddess’s help in defeating a goddess of death.”
Hába Nábia’s jaw dropped. “Leave us,” she barked to the others in the room. Ximena shot Sam a resentful look, but she left along with everyone else.
“Have you heard of the Morrigan?” Sam asked her grandmother.
“No,” Hába Nábia answered. “Our legends speak of other gods, but none that fit the description that you gave.”
“I need to go down in the vault,” Sam said quietly. “I know there is something down there that will help us in our fight against the dark forces that are ripping our world apart. Surely, the
Jaguar Goddess would approve of us restoring balance to the world?”
Hába Nábia watched Sam thoughtfully. “Only someone who belongs to the goddess completely can enter. You already know this.”
Sam nodded, but she hadn’t mentioned that. What was her plan?
“Magic can’t be fooled,” her grandmother told her softly. “And it’s not easy to get inside. The goddess will require you to complete a task, and she will ask you to sacrifice something that you won’t want to give up.”
I watched Sam, and I could see the worry in her eyes. Sam told us that she thought all the legends of the Jaguar Goddess were complete bullshit, but she seemed to be a believer now. After seeing everything in this place, I was starting to believe as well. Anna had been to the fae realm, but she wasn’t here to tell us if this was fae magic or goddess magic.
“I’m willing to do what it takes,” Sam said with a raise of her chin. “There’s a mural on the wall that leads down to the vault showing the god of fire and war giving our goddess a spear that can bring death to anyone – even another god. That spear is shown on the vault door, along with the other treasures thought to be inside.”
“Yes,” Hába Nábia stated. “But you risk the goddess’s wrath by touching her belongings. She may strike you down.”
“Where has she been?” Sam asked. “Her people were banished from their lands and have been struggling to live here on the higher elevations of the mountains for hundreds of years. And even in the most inhospitable areas, they still weren’t safe. The drug runners came, the guerilla fighters came, and now we have the constant stream of tourists who get closer and closer every day. The culture that you have fought so hard to preserve is slowly being eroded away. What happens when the Kogi are gone, and we have humans wanting to build homes outside of your door?”
“She’s just testing us,” Hába Nábia insisted.
“She abandoned you centuries ago,” Sam told her tartly. “She won’t help save our world, and I’m not going to stand by and let it be destroyed. I’m getting into that vault, and I will take down the Morrigan myself if I have to.”
I could feel the pride radiating off Trevor at how fierce Sam was. This was a girl who would fight to the very end. She would stand back to back with you and not give up until every bone in her body was broken, and the last drop of blood had drained from her. She fit in this team, and she fit with me in a way I’d never expected to find.
Sam was everything I never knew I wanted: brave, defiant, smart, snarky, and deadly. I was willing to fight and die by her side. We’d go out in a blaze of glory and be sipping a pint in Valhalla after we were dead. This girl was it for me.
Chapter 29
My grandmother wasn’t offended by my words against the goddess, and her smile of amusement made me wary. “Will you gentlemen excuse us?” she asked without taking her eyes off mine. “My granddaughter and I need some time alone.”
I heard Davis suck in a breath as if he were about to speak, and Trevor had a stubborn look on his face that told me he wasn’t going to move from his chair. “Yes,” I agreed with her before anyone else could speak. “My dearest grandmother and I could use some alone time.” The bite in my tone mollified Trevor, and his shoulders relaxed minutely. If he doubted for even a second that I could hold my own against one older jaguar, then I would have needed to kick his ass.
I shooed them out, and they went reluctantly, promising to be right outside if I needed them. I gave Mike a wink. “You might need me if you get swarmed by some of my younger cousins.”
I closed the door gently and turned back to my grandmother. “Alone at last,” I said sarcastically. “What was it that you were unwilling to say in front of them?”
Hába Nábia folded her hands in front of her. “Did you never wonder why I was willing to let my youngest daughter elope across the equator with a foreigner and then keep my granddaughter from me?”
I tilted my head at her. “I assumed that was my mother’s choice, and you preferred that she not bring my father here to your sacred space.”
She laughed lightly. “Your mother was a powerful jaguar, but surely you’ve realized by now that half-blood shifters are unable to change their forms?”
I frown
ed at her. “I assumed my father had shifter blood he wasn’t aware of?”
Hába Nábia shook her head at me. “I was willing to let your mother procreate with him was because he was the grandchild of a god. You have a god’s blood flowing through your veins, allowing you to be more than just a jaguar.” Her eyes were bright as she watched me carefully. “I had thought that you would return to us after you had grieved your parent’s death and started to crave family again.” Her mouth tightened. “I did not expect to see you be adopted into a pack of wolves.”
I shrugged. “That was short-sighted of you.”
“I wish for you to return to us and take up your rightful position,” she stated bluntly.
I stared into her unblinking eyes. “And I wish to return to Seaside with a weapon my new pack and I can use to save the world from the Morrigan’s destructive power.” “You can’t get in the vault without my help,” Hába Nábia warned.
“And you don’t have an heir now that both my mother and aunt are dead, and Ximena is unable to have children.”
“Who told you that?” she asked curiously.
“What other reason would there be for disqualifying her as heir?” I countered.
Hába Nábia smiled at me fondly. “You certainly inherited your mother’s intelligence and quick wit.”
I leaned forward. “You think that I will just abandon my pack and my world to come back here to a place that exists outside of civilization? To rot away in the center of a mountain that the rest of the world has forgotten about?”
“We’re just waiting,” she said softly. “If the gods are returning, it means that our time is coming.”
I shook my head. “One goddess was accidentally freed from a prison the fae had put her into, that doesn’t mean the Jaguar Goddess is suddenly going to reappear.”
“We’ll see,” Hába Nábia said with a secretive smile. “I think you’ll soon find that the
Morrigan isn’t the only goddess that has come back to this world.”
I narrowed my eyes at her. “Will you help me get into the vault or not?”
“If you agree to return to us afterward.”
My thoughts churned. Was giving up my freedom worth it? I could never ask the guys to give up their lives and come here with me. I’d have to leave everything behind. The very thought of telling them goodbye was tearing my heart in two.
“I will agree to return to this sanctuary after the Morrigan is defeated, and my pack is safe,” I said carefully.
Hába Nábia chuckled. “That gives you quite a few loopholes.”
I gave her a casual shrug. “Take it or leave it.”
“Very well,” she agreed. “I will ‘take it,’ as you suggested.”
I smiled at how awkward the casual slang sounded coming from her elegant lips and stood. “Great, let’s go.”
Hába Nábia laughed at me. “Patience, Búndzi. It will take time to prepare for the ritual to open the door. Tomorrow night will be soon enough. Enjoy your men tonight.” She waved a hand to me. “Go, and send the rest of my followers back inside. I wish to speak with them.”
I wished her a good night and walked to the door. I was definitely ready to let loose and have some quality time with the guys. After all, there was no guarantee that we would all survive our battle with a death goddess.
I collected the guys on my way out, and none of us said a word until we were back in our room. Quinn plopped down on one of the larger cushions. “Are we good to go on operation ‘steal from one goddess to kill a different goddess’?” he asked with raised eyebrows. “Yup,” I said simply. “But not until tomorrow, they need time to prepare for the ritual.” “The, uh, mating ritual?” Rich asked nervously.
I kept the smile off my face only with the full power of my will. “Yeah, only a mated jaguar can get in there. It has something to do with the extra magic formed with mate bonds.”
“Sorry, Sammy,” Quinn told me with a quirk of his mouth. “If I were going to go straight for anyone, it would be you. But I just don’t have it in me.”
“You’re excused,” I told him with a grin. “Four should be enough for now.” I looked around the room to see how many of the guys were sweating, but they were handling my ruse better than I expected. Rich looked thoughtful, Davis had a wicked look in his eyes, Mike was wearing a soft smile, and Trevor was looking at me as if I were prey. “So, any objections?” I prompted them. “Now’s your chance to speak up.”
“Nah, I’m good,” Davis said with a sexy grin that had my core heating.
“I think we should probably practice mating now,” Mike teased me. “We want to make sure we get the ritual right.”
I rolled my eyes and then looked at Rich, but he gave me a small shake of the head. “I’m
in.”
My eyes shifted to Trevor, and he didn’t need words to tell me his thoughts. Heat simmered in his eyes, and his body was tense as if he was holding back his primal need for me right now. Magic swirled around him, escaping his tight control and drifting towards me.
I licked my lips. “I was just fucking with you guys,” I admitted reluctantly. I hated to give away the joke before I got the reaction I was going for, but this was going to end badly if I didn’t tell them the truth now. “It’s just a ritual to open the vault, no mating necessary. I just wanted to freak you guys out a little.”
Quinn laughed out loud. “Nice try, Sammy. But I think that backfired on you.”
A knock sounded on our door, and I stood up in a hurry. Trevor immediately snapped to attention to evaluate the potential threat, and the other guys shifted into serious mode. This train to disaster or utter bliss had been derailed, and I wasn’t sure if it was a good thing or a bad thing.
I used my magical senses to feel for who was on the other side of the door. “It’s Ximena,” I announced to the others.
“I can hear you,” she called from outside. “I already know you don’t want to see me any more than I want to put up with you, but I want to talk.”
I glanced around at the guys before heaving a sigh and opening the door. “About what?” I snapped at her.
She strolled in without an invitation, her chin raised haughtily. “About you leaving.”
I rolled my eyes. “I’d love to, but we’re kinda on a mission here.”
Ximena whirled around to face me, her white dress swirling around her legs. “You don’t belong here,” she hissed. “What makes you think you deserve to go anywhere near our ancient artifacts? You’re an outsider. You’ve never wanted to be a part of our culture before, you’re just here to steal from us.”
She and I circled around each other warily. This was a fight that was bound to happen at some point, we might as well get it over now. “You were the one who made sure I wouldn’t be welcomed back,” I said coolly.
“What do you even know about our ways?” she spat. “You’ve spent your whole life living as a rich American without any cares or troubles. You have no idea how we’re struggling just to keep our people alive.”
I laughed at loud at how ridiculous her assessment of my life was, but I couldn’t stop the feeling of guilt that also crept inside. Her words were off-base, but there was a kernel of truth to them. If I hadn’t needed an artifact from the vault to help in the fight against the Morrigan, I wouldn’t be here right now. I had always embraced my father’s culture as my own and only lived in my mother’s world a couple months a year while I was growing up. Had I been ignoring half of who I was?
Ximena untied her dress and let it fall to her feet before shifting into her jaguar form. The guys all reached for weapons, but I waved them back. This was my fight, not theirs. I was glad that I had decided to wear one of the traditional dresses in an attempt to please my grandmother, because I slipped it off easily and shifted into my black panther form.
We took each other’s measure as we circled cautiously. Ximena was a burnt orange color that faded to cream on her body and was covered in the rosettes that were the trademark of the
typical jaguar. My coat was as black as night, which marked me as different. She had spent her entire life embracing her life as a jaguar, while I had been forced to stay in my human form for long periods. While she might be more comfortable in her cat form, I was willing to bet that I was the better fighter, regardless of what shape we were in.
She lunged for me and swiped a paw to try to get my nose. I growled to let her know that I wasn’t playing and then dove for her aggressively. I managed to dig my claws into one of her shoulders before she slid out of my reach and circled around me, growling under her breath.
I didn’t take my eyes off of Ximena as I paced around her, trying to get the perfect angle to take her down. My opportunity came when her eyes flicked back to the door, and I lunged. She rolled on her back to try to get her claws into my sensitive belly, but I went right for her throat. She twisted and managed to block my bite, but I pressed my advantage of having her on the ground. I threw my weight on top of her in an attempt pin her to the ground, but she used her powerful back legs to launch me off her and regain her feet.
We circled around each other again, but this time we were both panting a little. The tussle had gotten my blood pumping, and I was ready to sink my teeth into her. She growled viciously at me, and I returned the favor. This time we both lunged simultaneously and clashed together with our limbs and claws moving faster than a human eye could track. We wrestled, and I could feel her movements getting slower, the power in each of her strikes waning. I was covered in scratches, and my back leg was sore from where she had attempted to use her crushing bite on me, but I wasn’t giving up.
I finally pinned her down with my weight overtop of her and locked my jaw around her throat. She whimpered and flailed her limbs, but she didn’t have enough strength to dislodge me. Her struggles grew weaker and weaker until she stilled and let her body go limp. I hadn’t used enough force in my bite to permanently injure her, just enough to let her know that I could have killed her if I had wanted to. Once I was sure that she had submitted to me, I slowly released her and backed away a few steps.
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