She tried Jen’s phone again, and again got her voice mail. Mya wanted to apologize for not coming right back, but her friend wasn’t picking up. Though she was sure Jen would understand, she still felt a little guilty.
Mya turned her attention to the problem at hand. She had no idea how to find the Sinapu village, but she suspected that it was near the gas station where she’d run into David. Asking for directions would be useless. Obviously the locals did everything they could to keep people from finding these guardians. In light of what she’d learned from Trent, the isolation of the Sinapu made a little more sense.
When she was near Mesa Verde, Mya stopped at the same gas station she’d stopped at on her first trip. This time instead of going in, she sat in her car and surveyed the surrounding area. Truthfully, it all looked the same to her- miles of endless desert and jutting cliffs.
With nothing much to go on Mya decided to use the satellite feature on her phone to search for nearby villages. Her Internet connection was slow because of poor reception, but eventually she was able to pull up her satellite app. First she zoomed into her current location, and then began to search out from there. There were several dirt roads in the area, but they all seemed to lead nowhere. She couldn’t even find random mobile homes dotting the landscape, which Mya thought unusual. Everywhere else she’d been on the reservation, there were trailers and mobile homes all over.
Mya was almost ready to give up when she spotted a few specs against the landscape at the end of one of the roads. Zooming in, she saw that there were a number of mobile homes and adobe buildings nestled between two massive cliffs. If she hadn’t have been searching specifically for trailers, she would have easily missed them.
According to the GPS, the turn off to the village was about two miles north of the gas station. Mya stared at the highway, a feeling of uncertainty taking hold of her. She wanted to see David again, but what was she going to say to him?
Oh hey! Can you tell me what you know about demons impregnating young girls?
Even Mya thought it sounded totally ludicrous. She sure wasn’t going to come right out and ask David about it. But when he asked her why she’d come looking for him again, what was she going to say?
Angry that he hadn’t bothered to contact her for over a week now, she’d already decided that she wouldn’t give him the satisfaction of chasing after him. Now here she was, doing exactly that.
Mya let out a deep sigh and pulled onto the highway. On the bright side, at least she would get to see him again. Not seeing him was torture, though she hated to admit it, even to herself. Being in his company was like a breath of fresh air. When she was with David, she could almost forget all of the ugliness in the world.
She made it far enough that she could see the outskirts of the Sinapu village when she found the road blocked by two Harleys. Mya recognized the men as two of David’s riding buddies. They sat on their bikes, staring at her with cold - emotionless eyes.
She could still hear Donny telling her that the Sinapu wanted her out of the way. Coming out here was stupid and risky, but necessary. This was something she was sure of.
Maybe she should have been frightened, but what she really felt was irritated. Hitting the horn a couple of times, she waited for them to move.
They didn’t budge.
Of course not! That would have been too easy.
Rolling down the window, Mya stuck her head out. “Hey! Do you mind moving out of my way?”
One of the men got off his bike and slowly walked toward the car. He had a slight build and was much shorter than David, but Mya couldn’t shake the feeling that this was a guy that could get very mean. Maybe it was because his features were so hawk like, or the way his headband almost hid his cold - inky black eyes. Whatever it was Mya was sensing, there was no denying that the man struck a chord of fear in her heart that she’d never felt in David’s presence.
“What do you want?” he asked, his voice sharp and biting.
“I need to see David Bray.” Mya’s eyes flashed with anger.
An icy smile played on his lips. “He’s out of action right now.”
“It’s really important,” Mya told him, trying to keep the desperation out of her voice.
“I said no,” he snarled, but added in a mocking voice, “But maybe one of us can do it for you.”
Mya pasted on the sweetest smile she could manage. “I will see him … even if I have to put tire tracks over you and your bikes.”
He let out a sadistic laugh. “Well this skinwalker bitch has some fire … could be all of that Tchin'dih blood running through her veins,” he hissed.
“You’re insane!” Mya revved the engine to let him know she wasn’t bluffing.
He crouched down so that he was level with her. The look in his eyes sent a shiver down her back. She was staring right into the eyes of death.
“Your wicked little plan isn’t going to work.”
“Get out of my way you murdering savage!” The callousness in her voice surprised even her.
“Me!” he thundered. “If you want to know who the real killers are … you better look a little closer to home.”
Mya didn’t bother to answer. Slamming the car into drive she started moving forward.
There was a loud crack when he slammed his fist against the side of her car. “Wait!” he yelled. “We’ll take you to him, but then you leave here and never come back.”
Mya said nothing. She had no intention of doing as he said, but right now he was willing to take her to David so she wasn’t about to argue with him either.
He angrily stalked back to his bike. A moment later she was following the two men into the Sinapu village. Mya was driving slow enough that she had time to take in her surroundings.
There was nothing particularly unique about the village. It looked the same as the dozens of other little settlements scattered across the reservation. Most of the houses and trailers appeared to be in bad need of repair. But what she did notice was that the closer they got to the cliffs, the better the housing was.
It had to be some kind of class system, she concluded. The higher a person’s station within the clan, the better their living conditions.
When they had reached the base of the cliff, the two bikers stopped. They were in front of a large - elaborate adobe house. While it blended well with the desert surroundings, it seemed out of place among the other homes nearby. The brownish - red adobe exterior was very southwest. At the front of the house was a large porch furnished with a swing. For some reason she just couldn’t imagine David Bray sitting in that swing, serenely gazing out over the valley below.
This time it was the other biker that came to her car. “Come with me,” he told her. He didn’t strike Mya as being as much of a jerk as the first guy, but she still wasn’t going to let her guard down. He was a husky guy. Instead of a headband, he wore his long black hair in braids. This made it easier to see his eyes. He stared at her with something akin to caution, but not the obvious hate she’d seen in the other biker.
Mya followed him up a short dirt trail before they reached the log stairs leading to the front porch. He had no sooner knocked and the heavy wooden door swung open. A young woman with large - chocolate brown eyes stared out at them. As soon as she saw the biker, she stepped aside.
He led her into a living room that was nothing like what Mya had been expecting. Indian blankets were draped over beautiful log furniture. A rock fireplace took up one wall, and the wooden floors were polished to a high shine. At the back of the room there were large windows and a sliding glass door that led out to a massive deck.
No, this wasn’t what she had been expecting at all. It seemed so unfair that someone should live in such luxury, when only yards away, others were living in poverty. Something about this just didn’t fit.
Aside from the girl that had answered the door, there were two other women in the house. One of the women sat on the couch, busily mending a shirt by hand, while the other stood near a
hall, glaring at her.
“What is she doing here?” The young woman’s eyes were cutting Mya to shreds.
“Where’s David?” he asked, without bothering to answer the woman’s question.
She nodded her head toward the hall, her long black hair moving in waves as she did. Mya silently followed him down the hall and into a large bedroom. The curtains were drawn, making it difficult to see until her eyes adjusted to the dark. That’s when she saw him lying on his back in the large - oversized bed.
Mya’s throat constricted painfully when her eyes fell on his pale - lifeless face. “What’s wrong with him?” she cried.
“Your skinwalker friend did a number on him,” he frowned.
Mya was already hurrying to his bed. “They’re not my friends!” Mya shot back, without bothering to turn and face him.
She slid her fingers across his face, flinching at how cold his skin was. “Why isn’t he in a hospital?”
“Bilagáana medicine won’t do him any good.”
“Then what will?” Mya’s voice cracked with emotion.
“He’ll be okay,” he assured her. “But you have to leave now.”
She shook her head violently. “I’m not leaving him like this.”
Mya felt a large hand on her shoulder and she was jerked roughly around to face him. “Why do you even care?”
Her lips parted as she tried to put words to her feelings, but there was no rational explanation for what she felt. All she knew was that her entire life had been leading her to David Bray and if something happened to him, an integral part of her would wither away and die.
“I don’t know … I just know I need to stay with him.”
“Can’t you see what this is? It’s the witchery.” The biker whispered urgently.
Mya would have been angry with him, if it were not for the sympathy she saw in the man’s eyes.
“What’s your name?” she asked.
He blinked rapidly, clearly startled by her question. “Cole.”
“Well Cole …” Mya swallowed hard. “He was there when I needed him. He pulled me out of a mangled car. I know I need to be with him right now,” she added in a soft whisper.
Cole leaned toward her, exhaling sharply. “You have to see that what you are feeling is going to kill him. Just look at him now.”
Mya was shocked by his words. “I didn’t do this to him.
“Let her stay.” It was David’s voice, though scratchy and weak.
Cole gave her one last pleading look before turning on his heels and strolling out of the room.
Kneeling down next to the bed, Mya reached out and placed her hand over his. He laced his fingers through hers and squeezed.
Leaning closer, Mya whispered in his ear, “I will leave if you want me to.”
David shook his head.
Mya softly kissed his lips. It was the only way she knew of to let him know how she was feeling inside. Words didn’t seem right; even if he stayed awake long enough to hear them.
* * *
David opened his eyes. The fog cleared from his head and he became aware of the warm body lying next to him. It still hurt to move, but not as badly as it had earlier in the day. One of the blessings of being a Sinapu was having the ability to heal quickly. Wounds that might take days to heal for others, only took hours for them.
Rolling onto his side, he raised himself up on one elbow. He could see in the dark as well as he could the light, but it wouldn’t have mattered. Even in the dark her gentle beauty shone like a beacon from heaven. The urge to reach out and run his fingers through her silky flaxen hair was almost overwhelming. Though she slept now, the image of her brilliant sapphire eyes had already been burned into his memory.
How could someone so beautiful carry with her the blood of demons?
Twice now they’d slept together, but they hadn’t consummated their relationship. If she’d been anyone else, he would have devoured her by now. Just the thought of feeding his hunger with her luscious body sent his hormones into overdrive.
David reached out to gently brush away the hair that had fallen in her face as she slept. She stirred but didn’t wake.
Was his unbearable need for her due to some enchanting spell?
In the end it would make no difference. He could not love her - he could not even entertain the idea. When the time came, he would mate with this own kind, and then he would retreat into that world known only to the priests - a world of moonlight and the hunt.
But if he could have just one night with this dark angel! Maybe just one night would last him a lifetime.
David banished the idea from his thoughts. Even if it did last him a lifetime, it wasn’t fair to her.
* * *
His nearness - his touch penetrated her dreams. She could feel his lips on her neck - sharp teeth biting into her flesh like razors. The pain was tantalizing, even beautiful. His hands slid between her legs and fire erupted at her core, spreading throughout her body.
Mya’s eyes flew open. Her dream had been so real she would have sworn he was making love to her while she slept, but he wasn’t - not physically. His hands were not on her, but his fiery eyes of moonlight caressed her as surely as if he were reaching out and touching her.
She wanted to tell him how much better he looked, but she couldn’t make her voice work. His eyes were drawing her in - devouring her until she felt as if she couldn’t breathe. In that instant she was filled with an unfathomable hunger that threatened to sear right through to her soul.
It was impossible to resist. She had to touch him. Mya reached out and softly ran her fingers across the skin of his bare chest. She felt him inhale sharply.
“That’s not a good idea,” he whispered.
Mya barely heard his protest. She was too caught up in the sensation of feeling his hard muscle rippling beneath his smooth skin.
Suddenly he was pulling her roughly - almost violently, into his arms. She was crushed to his chest as his lips claimed her mouth, his tongue sending shivers of desire racing through her until she was sure she would melt.
His passionate hunger left her trembling with need. More than anything, she wanted to be consumed by the intensity of the moment. Her tongue danced with his, telling him without words that she welcomed him - craved him.
He broke the kiss and buried his face in her hair. Brushing her hair aside, he ran his tongue along the pulsating artery in her neck, making his way to her ear.
When she felt his hot breath in her ear, it sent a new wave of fire coursing through her veins.
“Mya … we can’t let this go too far,” he said in a low - husky voice.
“Why?” she gasped.
He said nothing, but continued to hold her close, his lips searing a trail down her neck.
“David,” she moaned.
He stopped kissing her. His large hand cradled her head against his chest. “Sweetheart, if I could … I would eat you up.”
“Please do.” she lifted her head and kissed his jaw line.
“If we let this happen, you’ll hate yourself later … and me,” he said, stroking her hair.
“Is it because you don’t think it’s real … that it’s just some kind of spell? You don’t really believe that do you?” Mya’s voice trembled with pent up passion.
When she felt his body stiffen, she knew that the moment was gone. She would never know what might have happened between them.
“Thanks for staying here with me,” he said, releasing her.
“Thanks for staying … but you want me to go now. Is that what you mean?” Mya’s voice was tight.
“It would be best,” he said, looking away.
The pain of his rejection was so intense that it actually felt as if someone were squeezing her heart. She was angry with him, and she was angry with herself. David was one man that could shift from hot to cold so fast that he made her head spin. Although she knew this, she couldn’t help but crave his touch.
Sighing, Mya sat up on the edge o
f the bed with her back to him. “I’ll go, but I want you to know that I don’t believe in any of this. I don’t think witchery is the reason we were brought together.”
“What else could it be?”
She turned to look at him. “Are you saying that you could not be attracted to me unless you were under some kind of spell?”
He shook his head. “That’s not what I’m saying at all. I’ve had many women, but none that have been able to get into my head like you have. It’s just too bizarre and too much of a coincidence.”
“David … tell me that you don’t believe I was fathered by a demon for the purpose of destroying you. I mean Really!”
His silence was deafening. All of the sudden she didn’t want to hear what he might say.
“What happened to you anyway?” Mya asked, pointing to the bandage on his upper chest.
He stared at her for a long time before answering. “I was shot.”
“Shot!” Mya’s lips parted in surprise. “Why didn’t you go to the hospital? Did you tell the police? Who did it?” She fired off questions one right after the other.
David sighed. “I’ll be fine. It’s just a good thing for me that they were a terrible aim.”
Mya pursed her lips together in frustration. If he wanted to be difficult, she wasn’t going to argue with him.
As much as she feared what he might say, she had to tell him what she’d come for. “I actually had a reason for coming here.”
Bad Moon Rising - Paranormal Romance Page 14