The news was far better than Ixchel could have hoped for. As a result, she should have been ecstatic, chomping at the bit to hunt down her successful brothers and see what kind of men they'd become.
The trouble was, the vet was still quite capable of counting. Ixchel had five brothers, and Fernando had only listed four careers. Surely Miguel, her most level-headed sibling, would have done something equally fabulous with himself. Maybe it wouldn't have been flashy like her other brothers' choices. Yes, likely Miguel would have been drawn to a helping profession, would have turned into a therapist or a mediator.
But Fernando knew how close she and Miguel had always been. So leaving his name out of the litany of success had meaning. Their middle brother's absence from the list signaled that something bad had happened in prison.
Incarcerated prisoners get hooked on drugs all the time even if they go in clean, she couldn't help thinking. They also learn skills that change their lives for the worse instead of the better.
And the gang culture in prison made violence a fact of life. There was rape, assault, and even murder to deal with.
Ixchel didn't want to ask, but not knowing was even worse. "What about Miguel?" she said, hearing her own voice return to the pitch of childhood. She'd give anything to have Fernando present this news in person so he could enfold her in his strong male arms and protect her as she cried.
But, instead, the phone went silent and the vet heard the rasp of a masculine sob. Then a rustle as the device changed hands, followed by Antonio's husky tones. "Miguel didn't make it, sweetie," her second-oldest brother managed before his own voice broke. "Prison was tough, and he always had our backs. But, when push came to shove, we didn't have his. Miguel didn't come out alive."
I KILLED MY BROTHER. She might as well have pulled the trigger when she put kind, caring Miguel in prison where he'd be trampled beneath criminal feet. Her favorite brother, and she'd murdered him.
Ixchel only realized she'd said the words aloud when Antonio replied. "No, you didn't kill him, Ixxie. If anyone did, it was me." His words were angry, but the vet knew her brother well enough even after all these years to realize that he was angry with himself, not with her.
There was a pause as muffled words Ixchel couldn't quite make out drifted from the phone's speaker. And when Antonio spoke again, his voice was more controlled. "Look, Ixxie, Fernando wants to talk to you again. But I need to see you. We're on top of the ridge—can we come down?"
Despite herself, Ixchel's mood rose as she imagined Antonio bushwhacking through the Mexican forest in search of his errant sister. He was always the tough guy at school, but at home he was scared of spiders and hated getting his clothes dirty. Perhaps he really did care.
Okay, so the vet would deal with her feelings about Miguel later. For now, seeing two living brothers would have to be enough. "Okay," she said quietly, and listened as the phone was once again passed from hand to hand.
In the ensuing pause, the vet realized that there were more than two voices bickering on the other end of the line, and she was suddenly positive that all four of her remaining brothers had hotfooted it to Mexico the minute their aunt made that call. Ixchel could just imagine them fighting over Fernando's cell phone the way they'd bickered over the last tamale or the best seat on the sofa, and she suddenly couldn't remember why she'd worked so hard to stay away from this passel of brothers. In fact, Ixchel knew now that she loved them so deeply that her heart was trying to push its way out of her chest.
"This is Fernando," her oldest brother said, having laid claim once again to the phone. His words made Ixchel grin—who but Nando would feel the need to announce himself a second time after such a short pause? As if she might have forgotten who he was....
"Uh huh," she said simply.
"Look, I know this is a lot to take in all at once, but I also need to warn you. I tracked down your known associates when Maria called, and that Mirabelle guy is bad news. Really, Ixxie. He's wanted in four states, and he was nosing around your veterinary practice asking questions after you left."
Tell me something I don't know, Ixchel thought, rolling her eyes. Good thing Fernando hadn't been able to utilize the resources of the CIA when she'd first explored the world of dating, although the third degree he'd given each potential suitor at that time was bad enough. Papá had merely sat back with a smile during those endless family dinners. No need for her father to grill boyfriends when Fernando would do the job for him.
And now the vet was seeing the adult version of that protective older brother. Unfortunately, she was no more willing to clue Nando in to her current reality of gods and shifters now than she had been to spill her guts about cute boys then.
"Yeah, I'm trying to stay away from Mirabelle," the vet said at last when her oldest brother seemed to be waiting for a response.
"Well, you're not doing a very good job of it," Fernando answered. "He followed you out of the country, and as best I can tell he's homing in on your current location as we speak."
Chapter 37
Do you have any idea how frustrating it is to be merely along for the ride while you have all the fun?
Despite his grumbling, Tezcatlipoca had actually been enthralled to see his home country unfold before them as Finn ran, then drove, then flew north toward the seat of Quetzalcoatl's power. The process had taken most of the day, but Tez wasn't in any hurry. Not when he saw the thousands...no, millions...of potential worshipers who had spread out across the landscape in his absence.
Now, if the deity could just keep his wayward worshiper on track long enough to reclaim that heritage....
Are you listening to me?
"I'm a little busy here, Tezzie." The words were merely a breath of sound, whispering out of Finn's human mouth and around a tiny pen light that the shifter was pointing toward his nimble fingers. "Breaking into a world-famous archaeological site with no equipment isn't as easy as you obviously seem to think."
Well, I don't know. It seems like this would be simpler than a museum heist. So how can two as-yet unidentified thieves steal three-hundred-million-dollars worth of art from a Boston museum by simply wearing fake mustaches and pretending to be cops, while you're struggling to get through a single padlock? I'll bet those guys didn't stand out in the dark all night long twiddling their thumbs and worrying about getting caught.
"Times have changed, Tezzie," Finn rebutted, removing the flashlight from his mouth so he could speak more clearly. "That was twenty-five years ago, and there are all kinds of high-class alarms to get around now. Plus, we'd already be inside if you hadn't made me run off and leave my backpack behind...."
As I recall, you were the one who lit out of El Azuzul without a backwards glance, Tez countered. But the god didn't argue any longer because he could see the way his worshiper's shoulders slumped at the memory. The poor wee mortal was clearly regretting burning that bridge, and Tez couldn't blame him—Ixchel was one hot mama. Tezcatlipoca missed her witty banter too.
Luckily for both of them, the padlock clicked open before the wind god could tease his worshiper again. And then Finn was slinking through the gate in feline form before padding deeper into the heart of Quetzalcoatl's stronghold.
Is it just me, or did you humans keep up his stuff a lot more carefully than you maintained mine?
Tez continued to bitch and moan just the way his worshiper expected. But, in reality, the god was shocked to take in the lack of dwellings and the depredations of time evident even here in this center of godly power. The land had become an archaeological site, for crying out loud! No longer were human sacrifices made at the tops of the pyramids. No longer were the names of gods spoken in reverent tones.
Times sure have changed.
A week ago, the words would have sent Tezzie into a tantrum. But now, he simply felt hollow inside, as if the wind had been taken out of his sails.
Well, I'm a wind god, aren't I? I guess I'd better create my own gust to move this ship forward.
Not the bi
g pyramid, Tez instructed more loudly when his feline companion turned instinctively toward the massive Pyramid of the Sun. It seemed that his worshiper wasn't the only one who needed to keep his eye on the prize. Q's private pyramid is over that way.
Although smaller than the Pyramid of the Sun, the Temple of the Feathered Serpent was still plenty massive enough. Especially if you compared it to what was left of Tezzie's own pyramid at El Azuzul. Q did always get the better toys.
The moon hadn't yet risen, but feline eyes allowed Finn to pick his way easily toward the seat of Quetzalcoatl's power. Then he shifted to two legs in order to scale the steep steps—steps that had once been painted blue and polished to perfection, while they were now crumbling and tricky to traverse.
I didn't think a god could be mortal, Tezcatlipoca mused, taking in the state of the pyramid. But Quetzalcoatl hasn't been trapped in a stone prison for the last two thousand years. He's been free to round up followers and to accumulate power. So why, despite his freedom, is this all Q has to show for himself?
Perhaps his brother god had moved to another part of the country, or even of the world. Tez's time tuning into radio and television broadcasts had suggested that Mexico was no longer considered the center of the universe, so he could see why Q might choose to move elsewhere.
However, that hypothesis was negated when Tezzie noticed Q's powers silently sparking beneath the were-jaguar's feet and resisting the other god's approach. No, Quetzalcoatl was still very much present here in Teotihuacan. And yet, the feathered serpent god allowed the seat of his power to fall into disarray. Why?
"Is this a good spot?" Finn asked, pulling Tezzie out of his thoughts at last. The were-jaguar had reached the apex of the pyramid as his god pondered, a spot where stairs had given way to a massive pile of rubble. Below them, moonlit pyramids and temples stretched out in every direction, an inspiring sight despite their decay. "And you promise you're not trying to switch places with this other god tonight?" his worshiper continued. "Because we made a deal, Tezzie. No body swapping without discussing it in advance."
I just want to talk to him. Actually, Tezzie felt strangely guilty that he'd even considered the notion of imprisoning Quetzalcoatl in his stead. But no matter how he felt about the issue, that option wasn't on the table at the moment. The replica of a wind jewel—a sliver from the top of a conch shell—that Finn had picked up in a tourist shop a few hours earlier would be sufficient to capture his brother god's attention, but they'd need a much more powerful artifact if Tez had intended to imprison Q's soul. You don't even have to drop me in the mirror, the deity reassured his external conscience.
In fact, Tez would prefer not to be submerged again. The statue's previous dunking had raised the water levels within his prison dramatically, until Tez had been reduced to treading water once again in order to stay afloat. It had taken him hours and far too much mental energy to drain his living space back out, and the formerly waterlogged couch now appeared to be growing mildew.
So Tez merely watched without complaining as his follower pulled out the mirror bowl along with a container of bottled water, then added the wind jewel to the mix. Nearly immediately, the other god's power, which had been nipping at their heels ever since Finn entered the compound, concentrated on the bowl.
"Yikes!"
Okay, so maybe Finn's reaction to the streak of lightning that emerged out of the clear night sky and struck the ground at the base of the pyramid was a bit more R-rated than 'Yikes.' But, despite the mortal's hair standing on end and a string of curses emerging from his lips, the shifter merely stood poised and waiting for Quetzalcoatl's approach.
Now that's a warrior worthy of the wind god, Tezcatlipoca found himself thinking. In an earlier lifetime, the deity might have considered having a were-jaguar like Finn at his beck and call was merely his due. But now, he felt honored by the other's continued presence.
Although pride would make more sense if my pet shifter chose to follow me because of my own worth rather than because I found his weak spot and squeezed. For a moment, Tezzie wondered what that might be like—to have Finn at his back because the were-jaguar wanted to be there rather than because the god had manipulated him into place.
But before Tez's mind could wander any further down that particular dark alley, Quetzalcoatl stepped out onto the top of the pyramid from the far side. His brother god was now present in the flesh.
Chapter 38
You're a woman!
It wasn't the way Tezzie had planned to greet his brother (sister?) god. Instead, he'd initially meant to remind Q how much the latter owed him for letting Tez rot in a stone prison for two millennia. He'd meant to mention the battles the two had fought side by side, the times when Tezzie had protected Q's back.
And, all the while, he'd be striving not to let Q bring up the ways Tez had tricked his brother god and gotten them both into trouble in the past.
But the sight of a female body encompassing the spark of life that Tezcatlipoca knew to be his brother god was too much for the deity to take in all at once. So he exclaimed and would probably have rambled on indefinitely if the woman hadn't stopped him.
"Yep, a woman," Q said, twirling around so Tez could take in her feminine curves. "I thought I'd give it a try. After all, body-hopping seems to be in vogue this millennium, and it gets boring after a while to follow the same path time after time. Plus, there are definite benefits to the female form."
For the first time in his life, Tez didn't know quite what to say. This wasn't at all what he'd expected from the great feathered serpent, and it shook up his entire game plan. It had suddenly become mandatory that he figure out why Q had made the decision s/he had and how those choices would impact his own future.
Yet, at the same time, Tezzie found himself afraid of angering his brother god...and not because he thought Q might smite him down. No, Ixchel's subtle influence had helped Tezzie realize that Quetzalcoatl was the closest thing he had to a friend, and the wind god found he didn't want to drive the other deity away just yet.
And that's just plain strange thinking.
"Ixxie warned me you might be coming up this way," Q continued. "She said you hadn't grown up much, but I think she might have been wrong. No boob jokes? No 'how the mighty have fallen'?"
No, Tez said finally. If it works for you.... But isn't it strange sharing space with a mortal? Then, peering more closely at his brother god, Tezcatlipoca mused. Only you're not sharing space, are you? I don't see another spark of life in there. Did you kill it?
The concept was something Tez had considered when his pet shifter first placed his hand on the stone statue. The easiest option for escape would be to jump into Finn's mind and then squash the mortal's will, completely taking over his human body. Finn's flesh wouldn't have lasted very long that way, but the technique definitely would have been more expedient than begging and pleading for two mortals to take him wherever he needed to go.
Only uncertainty about how far Finn's body could travel on its own, and whether or not Tez would be flung back into the figurine when the shifter died, had stayed the god's hand at that time. A thought that now made Tez feel strangely queasy.
"Naw, humans are dying all the time," Q answered, seeming not to notice Tez's abstraction. Or, more likely, Q was merely giving his/her friend time to get his shit together.
And that was an odd thought. To realize that Quetzalcoatl cared how Tezzie felt.
"I slipped into this body when the baby was in the womb," Q elaborated. "The soul hadn't stuck and the mother was going to miscarry, so I figured I'd give it a whirl. Interesting experience to start life as an infant. You should try it sometime."
In the past, Tezzie would never have put his weaknesses on display so openly. But now, he found himself being truthful, rather than evasive, with his brother god. I don't have the power right now to do that, he answered slowly. As best I can tell, I could swap places with a less-powerful god if I used a place of power and an item strongly linked to that deity
. Or I could slip into the skin of a were-jaguar...but only if one came right up to me so he could hold my statue in his hand. And what are the chances of that?
As Tez spoke, Q turned to glance at the shifter who was standing silently a few feet away, watching and listening to the godly exchange. Finn had likely understood the subtext of the gods' conversation, had probably realized that Tezzie could squash the life right out of him and steal his body whenever he felt like it. Yes, the were-jaguar's muscles were tensed as if to flee...and yet, Finn waited for the wind god's will.
No, that's not right, Tezzie admitted to himself. Finn had never shown the slightest inclination to bow down before a god. So why was he still present? Why hadn't he opted to save his own skin?
Perhaps the draw was as simple as the female were-jaguar that Finn had been so fascinated by during that morning's session of peering through Tez's mirror.
Or maybe not. Despite setting up the vision specifically to mold his pet shifter to his will, Tez now dared to hope that Finn's recent frequent use of Ixchel's pet name for him had something to do with why the were-jaguar was still standing his ground. Perhaps the shifter felt that "Tezzie" was worth helping, even if the god could snap the tether between the mortal's soul and body with a single thought.
"So, what's your plan?" Q asked.
And, making sure that his voice was being broadcast to human as well as to brother god, Tezzie began to fill his companions in.
Chapter 39
Her brothers were overbearing, bossy, maddening...and Ixchel couldn't imagine ever spending another day without them in her life. They'd set up tents—tents! perhaps Finn wasn't the only one who traveled with camping gear—in Maria's backyard, had assessed the hazards of the situation, then had settled in for the duration.
"It looks like Mirabelle tapped into the GPS in your rental car," Antonio said, glancing up from his laptop as Maria finished clearing what had been a laden dinner table half an hour earlier. Ixchel could barely move after stuffing herself with her aunt's offerings, but she'd still pushed herself to her feet in order to help with the dishes. To her surprise, three brothers who'd refused to be caught dead in the kitchen during their shared childhood had immediately whisked the job out from under their sister, and Santiago was even now forcing their hummingbird of an aunt into her easy chair while he took over her task of ferrying items into the kitchen.
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