The Night Series - Entire Series Boxed Set : New World Immortal Mayan Vampire Romance

by Lisa Kessler

  “And what of the innocent lives that will be lost?” All eyes turned to see Marguerite stepping out from behind the Guardian. “What kind of god allows his people to be slaughtered needlessly?”

  Mulac raised a brow with a smirk. “Who are you to ask me such questions?”

  “Leave her alone, Mulac,” Kane warned.

  He shrugged. “I merely asked her name.”

  “My name is hardly of any importance when the mortal world is being annihilated because of the ambitions of an immortal madman,” she said.

  “Oh, she has a sharp tongue.” Mulac grinned at Kane. “Perhaps you will share her with me.”

  Kane lunged at Mulac and threw him to the ground, his hands gripping his brother’s throat as he slammed his head into the earth over and over again.

  “Enough of this!” Issa pulled Kane back. “The sun will rise soon. There is too much emotion to think clearly now. We can decide what must be done at the next nightfall.”

  “No, we can’t.” Lukas stood in the opening of the chamber, cradling Gretchen in his arms. “Camalotz is trying to reproduce. We have to stop her now. Tonight.”

  Gretchen’s head felt like a ship’s anchor, too heavy for her neck to maneuver. Lukas cradled her in his arms; there was no way she’d be able to stand on her own at the moment. Not the best way to gain confidence in a room filled with immortals, but it would have to do.

  She fought the pull of gravity and forced her eyelids to stay open. The first brother she made eye contact with was the blond… She couldn’t remember his name. Just keeping her father’s lullaby running in her mind exhausted her.

  Gretchen met his gaze with heavy-lidded eyes. “I come with a warning from the Night Walker, Zafrina, fertility priestess on Cozumel. The Demon knows you gave her a sterile mate, and her instinct to reproduce is strong. Your Demon is in heat.”

  “This world cannot support Camalotz, let alone another Demon with her appetite.” Kane pulled his fingers back from his forehead through his blond mane as he paced. Shaking his head, he met Gretchen’s eyes again. “Camalotz has no mate other than the Guardian. How could she conceive?”

  Gretchen shrugged. “I don’t know. Zafrina said the Demon is not from this world, so I would assume no human man or mortal animal could impregnate her.”

  “Then who?” Kane asked.

  Gretchen lifted her drooping eyelids to look up at him. “Maybe one of you?”

  Kane stopped pacing, frozen where he stood.

  “What is it, Kane?” Issa asked.

  “The Demon was not after my heart this time.”

  Issa frowned. “I do not understand.”

  “Before Colin found me attacking Camalotz… I thought she was Rita. The Demon fashioned herself exactly like my mate. She seduced me and I thought…” He turned toward Marguerite, his expression filled with regret. “I did not know until our hands clasped together. She did not have your rose, my love. Her finger was bare. Until then, I thought I was holding you.”

  Marguerite paled, but underneath the shock, Gretchen noticed her hands ball into fists and her jaw tighten. “That is why she attacked me and drained my blood.” Her eyes shone, but she didn’t allow a single tear to spill. “She needed to steal my form and my mate.”

  “Night Walkers can’t have children though, right?” Kate asked.

  “No,” Issa answered. “Not as far as we know.”

  “But Camalotz doesn’t have the same genetics as the rest of you.” Gretchen rested her head against Lukas’s chest, taking comfort in the sound of his heartbeat. “No one knows what it would take to impregnate her. You’re immortal and so is she. It makes more sense that she’d choose one of you rather than a male of some other species.”

  Clenching his jaw, Kane turned away from Marguerite’s questioning gaze. “We cannot wait. If the Night Demon gives birth to an offspring, it will not be bound to Ch’en. Our magic may not be able to contain it. The Young One is right—the ceremony must take place tonight. Before sunrise.”

  Issa knew Kane spoke the truth, especially if he’d mistakenly lain with the Demon, but he couldn’t bring himself to confront what he knew must be done. Issa stared at Kate, the firelight dancing in her dark eyes, and his heart shattered inside his chest.

  To love her and never receive her love in return was heartbreaking enough, but to be forced to rip the life from her body not once, but twice, was more than he could bear.

  Issa took a breath and forced his legs to move. He reached out to take Kate’s arm when Calisto’s hand shot forward, grabbing his throat.

  “Do not touch her,” he spat.

  Issa sighed. Although they both knew Calisto was far too weak to stop him from taking Kate, he still tried to protect her. This man was worthy of her love.

  “Let me go.” Issa’s deep voice commanded obedience. “There is no other way.”

  Calisto’s grip tightened. “Mulac gave her the words. Mulac called the Demon. Mulac should be the sacrifice.”

  Issa started to answer, but Calisto stopped him. “You asked for another solution, for any other way to end this. I am giving you that way. Please. Do not hurt her. Kate did not unleash this Demon. Mulac used her for his bidding.” He released Issa with a final word. “Please.”

  Issa looked over at Kate, watched her shoulders tense as she took on more of Calisto’s weight. Her concern over the new blood soaking through her mate’s shirt was palpable on her face. When she raised her eyes to meet Issa’s gaze, emotion overwhelmed him.

  The world be damned. He would not kill this woman twice.

  Gretchen stirred, breaking the tense silence. “You said the Demon can only be trapped with the blood sacrifice of the one who called her, right? Kate didn’t even know the Demon existed, and Mulac gave her the word… So technically, he called the Demon.”

  Issa pondered the mortal’s words, which echoed Calisto’s thought process, and turned to Kane, placing his confidence in his brother’s tendency toward feeling first and thinking later. “They are right. If anyone called the Demon forth, it was Mulac. Kate was his puppet. Were it not for Mulac’s interference, she never would have freed Camalotz, and none of us would be here right now. Colin would not be injured, Marguerite would never have been harmed, and the Demon would not have deceived you. All of this is Mulac’s doing.”

  “This is ludicrous!” Mulac scoffed. “The Demon is tied to Ch’en’s soul, not mine. I could not call her to the ceremony, and she would never follow my body into the cenote to the center of the earth.”

  “But she would follow me.” The Guardian stepped forward with his head held high, his large chiseled frame still poised with the confidence of a warrior in spite of his blind stare.

  Marguerite took his large hand. “You have done your part in this. More than your share. Let the brothers finish it.”

  He looked down at her, covering her hand with his. “They need me.”

  “But you will die.”

  “And the rest of you will live.”

  “You deserve better than this.” A red tear drifted down Marguerite’s cheek. “You are my friend.”

  “And that is why I have volunteered.” A smile tugged at the corner of his ancient lips. “I am your friend, and I want justice for you.”

  “Then it is settled,” Issa said. “If we are to do this tonight, we must hurry.”

  Issa never saw Mulac’s blow coming. His world simply went dark.

  Chapter Twenty-Nine

  Blood gushed from the back of Issa’s head as his body slumped to the ground. Mulac hovered over him like a vulture waiting for his feast to finally cease breathing. His claw-like fingers now resembled the talons of his spirit animal as he toyed with the open wound and the tender brain matter that was now exposed.

  If Gretchen hadn’t already been so light-headed she might’ve thrown up. After witnessing Calisto’s horrific chest wound, maybe she was getting numb to the sight of blood.

  “Come any closer, and our dear brother will be mindless for
the rest of eternity.”

  “You need him for your plan to succeed,” Gretchen said. She felt Lukas tense up. She probably should’ve kept her mouth shut but the blood loss made it hard to think straight. It was too late now. Besides, she trusted Lukas would keep her safe.

  “I need his hand to plunge into Ch’en’s chest. That is all I need. And it will be far easier to accomplish it without his affection for her making him weak.”

  Mulac bent to lick the rich blood from Issa’s open wound, his eyes burning with fire. This time Gretchen’s stomach did roll. In the shadows, she saw Kane circling behind their insane brother.

  “And Kane would be far better served to listen with his ears rather than his heart.” Mulac glared over his shoulder at Kane with a cold grimace. “Do not touch me.”

  “You were always far too arrogant, Mulac,” Kane growled.

  While Kane had Mulac’s attention, the blinded Guardian found his target, tackling Mulac without a sound. They fell to the ground, the white-haired immortal wrapped up tightly in the Guardian’s arms. Mulac’s scream of rage gave way to the screech of an eagle, but even in his animal form he couldn’t break free of the larger man’s impenetrable grasp.

  “Bring him, we have wasted far too much time already,” Kane instructed the Guardian as he and Colin helped Issa to his feet. “Issa? Can you make the journey into the jungle?”

  His brother’s tired eyes fluttered and slowly opened. “My head…”

  “It is still bleeding,” Colin finished, looking over at Kane. “He needs blood to speed his healing.”

  Kane brought his wrist to his teeth and bit deeply into his veins. He placed the wound to Issa’s lips, wincing as his brother pulled hungrily at his wrist. Even exhausted, Gretchen couldn’t miss the way he kept staring at Rita.

  The petite blond knelt beside the Guardian and helped pull him up to his feet while Mulac continued to struggle in the Guardian’s arms.

  Kane finally focused on Issa again. “Can you make the journey out to the altar?”

  This time his brother nodded in agreement. “Yes.” His dark eyes narrowed with the gleam of a predator. “And Mulac will be my sacrifice.”

  “We’re finished here,” Lukas whispered, following the others into the heart of the rainforest. Gretchen still faded in and out of consciousness. Her soft skin was now clammy and pale. He’d taken far too much of her blood. “I’m taking you to the hospital.”

  “Don’t you dare,” she mumbled against his chest. “Archeologists would kill for the chance to see an ancient Mayan sacrificial ceremony. And last time I checked, I was still a damn good archeologist. I’m not going to miss this.”

  “If we don’t get you to a hospital, you might die.”

  “No!” She looked up at him with the glare of a very healthy woman, and he couldn’t help but smile.

  “All right.” He raised a brow. “But you stay awake. Any more fainting, and I’m taking you to see a doctor, like it or not.”

  “Deal.” She settled against him again, her head nuzzled into his chest.

  Lukas held her close, burying the emotion welling up inside of him. Love seemed too simple a word to describe what he felt for the woman he carried in his arms.

  Kate walked just ahead of them, her arm tightly around Calisto’s waist, supporting him. The others had tried to convince her to leave him behind, telling her he would slow their progress, but she had flatly refused. With a Demon on the loose, she wasn’t leaving him unprotected and alone.

  Lukas could understand her protectiveness. He glanced down at Gretchen, at the soft smile warming her lips, and caught himself smiling, too, when he looked back up to follow the others.

  “We’re almost there?” Gretchen mumbled against his chest.

  “Yes, I recognize the path now. It shouldn’t be much longer.”

  What he failed to mention was that the sun would also be rising soon. His limbs were already beginning to feel heavy and lethargic. Lukas had no idea how long the ceremony would take, but they would all need to find refuge from the sun very soon. He tightened his hold on Gretchen.

  They had to banish the Demon tonight. He couldn’t rest knowing Gretchen was alone and unprotected all day if Camalotz hunted somewhere in the jungle. She had to be stopped.

  Marguerite guided the Guardian’s steps as they made their way to the remote altar. Mulac had finally ceased his futile struggling, and the unnatural silence embraced them. He did not know if all the animals were dead, or if they escaped to find safer habitats. If Camalotz truly had an offspring growing in her womb, it was likely there would not be enough life in the jungle to sate her hunger.

  The Guardian glanced down toward his guide. Her mental shields were weakening with the tide of her emotions. She tortured herself with visions of Kane holding another woman, with the thought that another carried his child. A child she would never be able to bear. And now Camalotz might carry the offspring of the only man Rita had ever loved.

  He cleared his throat, aching to comfort her. “We will finish this tonight. There will be no child.”

  She gave his arm a gentle squeeze. “I never dreamed I would know pain such as this.”

  “Kane believed he had found you. Do not let that thought escape you. His loyalty and love for you has never been in question, has it?”

  “Love is a fool’s dream,” Mulac growled from the Guardian’s arms. “Kane had an urge and satisfied it, as any man is entitled. He should be honored that Camalotz chose him to sire her child.”

  Marguerite slapped Mulac hard enough to draw the attention of the others. “Keep your sour mouth shut.”

  Mulac took a breath to speak, but the Guardian clamped a large hand over his mouth. “Enough poison from you.” The Guardian’s pace intensified. “The sun is coming, and we cannot wait.”

  Issa approached the ceremonial stone altar with a heavy heart. Even after countless nights under the sand in Egypt, the memories of this place never ceased haunting him. No words could measure the dread building inside of him, to stand there, to see it again, touch it, and know what must be done by his hand.

  “Time is short. We should begin.” Colin gathered the roots and jungle flowers needed to conjure the smoke and fire for the ceremony with one hand, careful to keep his other arm in close to his body.

  Kane reached for Ch’en.

  Issa grasped Kane’s wrist. “Mulac will be our sacrifice. Her blood will not stain my hands. Not this time.”

  Kane pulled free of his grip. “We only have one chance. What if Mulac’s sacrifice is not enough? We cannot afford to fail in this, Issa. The coming dawn and the possibility that the Demon could reproduce demand that we act now. I do not wish to harm Kate, either, but events are in motion that must be halted at all costs. Do not be foolish.”

  Issa looked at Kate. Their eyes met, and in that moment he felt like he could see into her soul. He saw music and love and laughter—caring, compassion, and courage. His love for Ch’en remained an open wound, never allowed to heal, and yet bitterness had never filled the void. He’d never known another spirit like her, and now, against all odds, she lived again. How could he steal her from this world again?

  “I am not being foolish.” Issa straightened, meeting his brother’s eyes. “I know what I can and cannot do, and I cannot sacrifice her. Kate did not call the Demon. Mulac did. He simply used her voice.” He looked over his shoulder to the Guardian. “Prepare him.”

  The Guardian hauled Mulac to the altar. The God of the North struggled in his arms, kicking and tearing into the Guardian’s flesh with his sharp teeth. The Guardian wrestled him closer to the altar and finally slammed his head against the stone. With a hollow thud, the white-haired immortal went slack in his arms.

  “He will heal, but for now he will not trouble us.”

  Marguerite nodded and helped her large friend position Mulac lengthwise on the ancient altar. Lightning pierced across the sky, brightening the night as they rushed to bind his wrists and ankles to the altar. C
olin adorned Mulac’s body with the ritual flowers and lit the torches to open the door to other worlds.

  Issa approached them with Kane at his side. “We will have to act quickly. Once Mulac awakens, he will break these bonds. Unlike Ch’en, he is not a willing sacrifice.”

  Kane took his place at Mulac’s left side, symbolizing his upholding of the East, and Colin took his place at Mulac’s feet, symbolizing his rule over the South. Issa took his position at Mulac’s right and growled in frustration. “We need a fourth to uphold the North. The magic will not work unless all four corners of this world stand united around the altar.”

  The brothers glanced between one another as Issa ran his fingers back through his long black mane with an agitated sigh. Why hadn’t he considered this before? They were so busy placing blame on who called the Demon that they hadn’t thought it through. They couldn’t sacrifice Mulac. They needed him. Maybe his own destiny was already cast. He was fated not to be Ch’en’s lover, but her executioner, throughout time.

  An irreversible destiny. An inescapable fate.

  “I will stand.” They all turned to see Lukas lowering Gretchen carefully to the ground and stepping forward.

  Issa frowned. “You are not a god.”

  “I’m a male, and I’m a Night Walker. I’ve been studying these glyphs for ages.” He took his position at Mulac’s head. “And at this point, I’m the only immortal here who knows anything about this ceremony. I don’t see that you have a lot of other choices, do you?”

  Kane sighed, glancing at Issa. “He does not know the ceremonial chants. We have only one chance. Please Issa, rethink this choice.”

  Issa shook his head. “There is no other choice.”

  The tumultuous night sky raged above them. Thunder roared and the rain fell over them like a thick, wet blanket of steamy heat. Gretchen stood in the shadows with Calisto and Kate. In spite of her dizziness and fatigue, the tension in the air kept her alert. She had no idea what to expect.