by Liliana Hart
His words sent a chill through Cade, and not because of the cold left from her leaving his arms.
“What do you mean?”
She tucked her knife away and grabbed a spear. “You can stay here tonight, but you must leave in the morning. Lead him away from this place, Cade, and don’t ever come back.”
Chapter Six
Aiyana disappeared behind the stone monoliths and into the darkness as if the night had devoured her, leaving nothing but a small waft of her scent mixed with his. Cade peered into the jungle, his heart thudding in a panic he shouldn’t be feeling. Damn her. He yanked on his pants, cursing as a sharp rock from the temple floor dug into his foot. He dusted the pebbles from the bottom of his feet before snatching his boots on.
He was an idiot. He should walk the hell away, leave her be, and never look back. She could obviously take care of herself. She’d wasted a vamp who’d killed a dozen people. But he didn’t want Max finding her either. His mentor could be a pit bull when it came to using another weapon against the beasts they stalked. Surely Cade could come up with some excuse to convince Max to leave this jungle and Aiyana behind. That’s what she wanted. He should want the same.
He thrust an arm into his shirtsleeve. He had other prey to follow. The vamp Aiyana had killed wasn’t the one who’d murdered his brother. That beast still hunted, killing without remorse. Cade snagged his pack. Yep, he should get the hell out and forget he’d lost his mind for a few satisfying moments.
The memory of their bodies intertwined, of her clasping him as he invaded her warmth, heated his core. Okay, more than a few minutes, and way more than just satisfying. She’d tilted everything he’d thought he’d known about making love onto its side, and catapulted him into the stratosphere. He didn’t know what had happened between them to cause that magic, but he probably wouldn’t experience its like again.
With a final sigh, he scanned the primitive room she called home to commit this dream to a memory, when a leather-bound book peeking from a wooden box caught his attention. He recognized the cover from the Order’s headquarters. In two steps, he knelt down and opened the book. Mayan hieroglyphs.
He wasn’t an expert, but someone had notated translations on the edge. “Not just a simple jungle girl, are you, Aiyana,” he muttered under his breath.
To say the least.
He shouldn’t do this, but she hadn’t answered his questions. He had to know. Ignoring the tug of conscience at rifling through her possessions, Cade dug into the cache of treasures. No mementos or weapons, strangely enough, but one by one, book after book revealed itself, most tattered on the edges. A centuries-old translation of the Popol Vuh, the Mayan creation myth; several old volumes on vampire mythology; a notebook filled with sketches he didn’t recognize from his own studies of hieroglyphs. But he had seen them before. Several matched the glyphs etched into the walls of her temple.
“Damn your secrets.” He swallowed around the block in his throat. Untold weariness ached through his bones. He’d believed in his feelings as he’d lain beside her. He’d trusted her goodness. And now, he didn’t know what to think except he couldn’t let her go.
The chill dancing at the base of his neck told him that he would regret this chase. His heart, on the other hand, quivered at the idea of seeing her again. His body still longed for her touch. His instincts warred with his desire. The day should have been easy. Return to the Order’s headquarters. Go after the next murderer. Kill a vampire.
He shoved the books into the box but slipped the drawings into his backpack. This time, he didn’t turn back. He skirted between the stones that protected Aiyana’s home and pushed into the oppressiveness of the dark, Belize jungle.
He’d tracked a killer vampire through the night. Now, he trailed a woman he couldn’t identify, a woman who held too many secrets for him to walk away.
Within a few seconds, his eyes adjusted to the blackness. The moon lit the way. Cade’s senses pierced through the ebb and flow of the heavy overgrowth of vines, the slight wind, and the bounty of life lurking around him. He held his breath, focused, and waited for the sounds of the jungle to speak to him.
Silence.
Nothing. No sounds, no chirps, no howls.
The eerie stillness screamed danger and dark magic.
Cade knew the signs. A vampire hunted nearby.
He pulled his machete free. The beast wouldn’t be far, and Aiyana could stumble into its path. Despite her prowess, she might not be so lucky a second time.
He studied his surroundings. A bent frond glared at him, signaling her direction.
Cade’s heartbeat quickened; his fist clenched around his machete’s hilt until he could swear the weapon fused to his hand. Following the subtle trail, his body tensed. He followed, quiet, focused on any sound. He had to find her.
The high-pitched squeal of a lynx splintered the strange quiet, then the noise vanished.
It was enough for Cade to leap forward and burst through a layer of palms.
Before him a figure crouched next to an animal.
He knew those curves, had touched the shape intimately.
With a start, she turned her head. Bloody lips. Elongated teeth.
“Damn you to hell, Aiyana.” He could barely keep his knees from giving way.
The swirling gold fire in her eyes flashed in panic. His stomach roiled, the acid rising to his throat.
The woman he’d made love with, the woman in whom he’d lost himself, the woman he’d relegated to a fantasy…She was a vampire.
Aiyana froze at the revulsion on Cade’s face. She knew how she appeared. Knew the beast within her became visible when she fed.
Her heart thudded against her chest. She quickly turned her head from his gaze and wiped away the proof of his words from her lips.
The lynx caught in her grip whimpered. She loosened her hold and stroked the fur on his back. “Go, small one. My thanks.”
The wildcat shuddered, gave Aiyana a leery glance and shot into the jungle.
“You didn’t kill it.”
Aiyana rose, her hunger not completely diminished, but satisfied for the moment. She hadn’t wanted him to see, to know. She took in a deep breath and faced him. “No. I don’t need to kill to feed.”
“I guess I should be thankful you waited to eat.”
The biting sarcasm stabbed her like a knife, but didn’t stop her gums from tingling with the memory—or the possibility. No matter. She refused to acknowledge the temptation that still remained for Cade’s blood. His would be thicker, sweeter, more satisfying. His was forbidden. He always would be.
“I don’t feed from humans, but you are lucky. I let you distract me, and I was tempted, Cade. Tempted by that which I can never have. I should have fed before now.” She rounded on him. “So, perhaps you ought to take my advice and leave. Before I give into my baser instincts.”
His gaze narrowed, and he grasped her arm. He squeezed tight until she winced, but the pain did nothing to stop the dangerous heat that flowed from his body to hers. She could feel his life’s energy, the danger that bubbled near the surface. His soul still came close to succumbing to the darkness. She’d warned him. Would he remember when all he longed for was revenge?
She grabbed the hand that held his machete and closed her eyes. “Do you feel the power flowing between us, Jaguar? I know the evil that teases your heart. Do you sense evil in me? Is your body tapping my strength?”
He tried to pull his hand from her clasp, but he couldn’t. Her eyes snapped open and she met his shocked gaze. “I didn’t think so.”
She wrenched away from him and met his baffled expression with a fierce glare. “Don’t know what to make of me, do you?”
He stumbled back, his body shaking with fury. “You can’t be a vampire. I’ve touched you. There is no evil. Only warmth. You made me believe in you, want you.”
The accusation hung in the air between them. She couldn’t bear to see the disgust on his face, but how could she blame him. D
idn’t she hate herself each time the temptation came over her? And yet, she survived. She fought the battle each day. She raised her chin. “You saw me feed. You witnessed the beast within.”
He shoved a shaking hand through his hair. “I don’t understand.”
A gentle smile tugged at her lips. He’d been taught a story morphed by generations of hatred. “I am a vampire. I was infected with the virus the night my parents died.”
“Then why doesn’t my power work against you?”
“Your power attracts the darkness within, not the light. You’re more vampire than I am, Cade. How many of my kind have you killed? How much of their soulless evil have you taken into your body? Did you think your actions would have no impact on your own soul?”
She was getting through to him. She could see the understanding dawn on his face. “You know nothing. A wise woman told me the legend of the vampires. The Dark Lords remained good, but only if they did not break the laws of God to feed. As long as I do not take in human blood, I will not turn into one of them. I fight my instinct, but I live by that truth.”
Cade shook his head. “Vampires kill. They all kill. I’ve seen it.”
“I could say the same about the Order of the Jaguar. Your only mission is to kill, no matter if a vampire has done evil or not. That’s all I have seen of your kind, Jaguar.” She reached out a hand and clasped his. “Is that who you are?”
“You have no soul. It’s in the Popol Vuh. I know you’ve read it. I saw your books.”
Aiyana pulled his hands to her cheeks, feeling the warmth of his palms. “I’m different. We are not all the same. I live. I have a soul.”
“Impossible.” His resistance defied the truth, and she couldn’t stop her anger from igniting. She let out a hiss, and her fangs broke through her gums. “Is this what you want? Proof? I could kill you right now, Cade. I can make you want death.”
The beast pushed her conscience aside, and she let her fingertip stroke against his neck until she reached the throbbing pulse just beneath his skin. The rhythm mesmerized her. Her heart beat in time with his. A swirl of desire washed through her, and she eased toward him, breathing in his scent, stirring not only evil, but her passions.
“Aiyana.” Cade groaned as she nuzzled against him. He gripped her hair and met her gaze with his. His anger had melded into want and need.
He was Jaguar but she could smell the human within him. He could give her what the vampire within her craved. And he would do so willingly.
She inhaled the sweet scent of his blood. It would be so easy. She let her lips hover over his carotid artery, and savored a quick taste of his skin with one stroke of her tongue. The throbbing pulse quickened, and she pressed her lips against his throat.
Just one nick and she would feel the power. Just one…
“No!” She shoved him away and took in a deep breath, calming herself until her teeth retracted. “I won’t. I can’t. Oh, God.”
He blinked free from the vampiric trance she’d unwittingly placed on him, pressed his hand against his neck, then pulled his palm away. He grabbed his machete, his expression puzzled.
“You stopped yourself.”
“But at heart, I am a beast. Like the others. You should have known that.” She blinked, unable to see anything but a blur because of her tears. She turned away from him and wrapped her arms around her body. “I’ve never lost control like that, Cade. You should end it. Here and now. I can no longer be trusted.”
She had tried. God knows she had fought with everything inside of her to do what was right. And one man—her enemy—had stripped her defenses. She dropped her head, waiting for the machete to hack at her. She deserved no better. “Make it quick.”
No noise sounded behind her. Cade didn’t attack. He didn’t move, just as she made no move to run. She waited, even as the jungle chattered with life once more.
“Turn around, Aiyana,” Cade said, his voice hoarse with emotion.
So, he wanted to look into her eyes as he killed her. She could understand that. She lifted her chin and slowly turned toward her enemy, but making no move to protect herself.
She faced him and tried to read the expression in his gaze.
He dropped the machete to the ground. “No one without a soul would sacrifice themselves to protect others. I won’t kill you.”
His boots crushed the grass beneath his feet as he stepped toward her, in slow, tentative steps. He reached out a hand and clasped her fingertips within his, as if testing the reaction once more. The sizzle between them ignited. “I’ve never felt anything like it,” he said.
He took her palm in his. They both stared as the light flowing between them intensified.
“I’ve heard stories of a prophecy, but I’m not certain if it explains what is happening between us. I do know of someone who might know.” Aiyana couldn’t stop the thudding in her heart. “Will you come with me?”
With a measured gaze, Cade finally nodded. “Yes.” He stared up toward the high jungle canopy which hid the stars, but couldn’t block the sun. “We don’t have much time. Max will start tracking me come daylight.”
“And I must be back to my temple before dawn,” she said. “But I need to understand what is happening. For the same reason you do. We will visit my teacher. She is known as Noy or grandmother to the village. She shared the stories of the Dark Lords with me. She’s the only one who might understand.”
“Then lead the way.”
For an hour Aiyana shared stories with Cade. How the Dark Lords came into being. How the virus that infects each vampire will finally destroy the soul.
“Isn’t there a cure?”
“If there was, it has been lost through time. Noy told me as long as I do not feed from humans, the virus will not consume my soul. The moment human blood touches my lips, the virus will multiply, and slowly evil replaces good.”
“Can I be infected?” he asked. “We kissed, we made love. I’ve had many vampires’ blood on my hands.”
She winced at the truth of his violent past, but knew very few vampires kept their soul for more than a few years. Once a man or woman tasted power, not many had the self-discipline to stop the decline. The Mayans, the Anasazi, the Atlanteans, the Romans had learned this first-hand.
“Not unless you tasted the blood of a vampire. Only then can the virus take hold and multiply.” She swallowed back the bile. The ones who had killed her parents had forced their blood down her throat. She’d had no choice.
They trudged a few more minutes. “How far are we from the village, Aiyana?” Cade asked.
“A half hour or so.”
“Good. We need to stop for a moment.”
He pulled his knife from his boot and opened up his pack. He cleaned the blade with an alcohol pad from his first-aid kit, then removed his jacket and shirt. Aiyana couldn’t help admire the strength in his chest, the dusting of hair that arrowed down toward his waist—until he lifted the knife to his arm.
She grabbed his forearm. “What are you doing?”
He pointed to the slight bump beneath his skin. “Max can track me wherever I go. Your temple has already been compromised. If he discovers I was in the village, he’ll never stop hunting.”
The tip of the knife drew blood. “Do you need to leave me while I do this?” he asked.
Aiyana wanted to run, but if Cade was brave enough to dig a tracking device out of his arm, she had enough courage to face her demon.
Cade showed no emotion as he sliced the side of his arm. Within a few minutes, he had removed a small chip.
A red stream ran to his elbow, the crimson river dripping to the jungle floor. The scent tugged at her resolve, but she forced her instincts back. She hurt for his pain even as she hungered for his blood.
She had to overcome both.
Aiyana dug into the medical bag and pulled out antibiotic ointment and a bandage. “I can help.”
“You’re certain?”
She took in the angles of his face, the kindnes
s in his eyes. “No matter how this journey ends, there will be pain. We might as well become accustomed to the fight.”
Chapter Seven
The wound on his arm throbbed, but he ignored it. He’d left the microchip amid the debris of the jungle. He’d cut his alliance with the Jaguars. No backup would come to fight beside him now. He took in the figure of the woman beside him. His gut tightened. What the hell had he done? Thrown away five years of his life—for a vampire?
Because she could make him cry for mercy when he made love to her? Because when he touched her angels wept for joy? Because she made him feel alive for the first time since his brother had?
What was he thinking?
“We’re nearly there,” she said. The softness in her voice tightened his heart. “They’re watching us.”
“For about fifteen minutes.”
She shot him a surprised glance, and he shrugged. “I’m a tracker.”
His gaze caught a small movement beyond the trees. “Will they attack?”
“You before me,” she smiled. “They like me.”
“Good. I like you, too.”
“But not my kind.”
He paused. “I can’t change overnight. I’ve seen too much. I picked up the pieces the beasts left behind. I can’t forget that.”
The hurt in her eyes chopped at him with as much force as his machete. “Am I one of your beasts, Cade? Would you always see me as evil because I’m infected—because I was turned into a vampire?”
He grasped her arm and spun her to face him. “What do you call the evil you killed tonight? He massacred a dozen people. I’ve seen hundreds torn apart like those men, including my own brother. Tell me, Aiyana, does it make me less than human to want them to pay for what they’ve done?”
Suddenly, two dozen Mayan warriors, who could have used the same spears a millennium ago, surrounded them. A sharpened blade rested against Cade’s cheek. “Friends of yours?”
A smile broke out on her face. “Achalal. Little brother.” She leapt into the arms of a man who hugged her tight.