Secrets of the Jaguar (Crimson Romance)

by Jaye Shields

  An hour later, she was sure that he had hypnotized her with his hands, for she had never been so relaxed in her whole life. Duncan took his palms from her back and hugged his body to hers and laid a kiss on her cheek.

  Chapter Nineteen

  After a night that changed Michelle’s world and a morning that topped all mornings past, Duncan took her to the museum she had been dying to visit. The National Museum of Anthropology sat ominously in the rain with Aztec and Mayan monuments jutting out along the landscape. The building was simple cement, not giving away any sign that the most incredible collection of pre-Colombian artifacts lay hidden inside.

  “I can’t wait to get you inside now I have a real archaeologist with me to give me the scoop on everything,” he teased.

  “I’m hardly a real archaeologist.” But she grinned, soaking up the pride in Duncan’s voice.

  After going through security and purchasing a map of the different collections, she stood with Duncan admiring the layout of the museum. It was shaped like a square with a large uncovered plaza in the middle. People scattered to and fro visiting artifacts from various eras.

  Making their way to the nearest exhibit, Michelle found herself in a room full of skeletons. Tourists poked their heads as close to the glass coffins as possible to inspect the corpses.

  Duncan also seemed to be an exhibition himself, since every woman in the vicinity looked him up and down like some kind of sexual god. Well, he’s my sex god.

  “Hmmm.”

  “Not impressed?” Duncan lifted a brow at her muted response.

  “Well, no information is provided about the specific skeletons, you know, where they were found or anything. How do we even know if these skeletons are real? They look way too clean.”

  “Perhaps they pressure wash their finds nowadays.” He grinned, his eyes full of mischief.

  “Ha ha. Someone’s feeling like the boyish comedian I’ve grown to love.”

  “Boyish?” He maneuvered behind her, running his fingertips along her arms in a way that caused her to explode in goose bumps. “There is nothing boyish about the way I think about you, I promise.”

  She turned to appraise the man who could so instantly make her feel like a goddess. “Good.” She offered him a slow, lingering kiss.

  Michelle took his hand and pulled him through the next couple exhibits. They displayed everything from ancient animal bones to murals depicting the flora and fauna of ancient Mexico. As she led Duncan through the crowd, she almost forgot about all the lustful, lingering gazes that followed him.

  She noticed that Duncan seemed more impressed by her excitement than anything. He’s looking at me like he’s in love.

  • • •

  After their visit to the museum and a romantic boat ride at the nearby lake, they returned to the hotel as the sun was setting.

  “I’m going to head out and bring us back some food, I’m sure you’re hungry.”

  “Oh, I’m starving. You read my mind.”

  Her giant smile lit him up like a Christmas tree. He kissed her and disappeared before he began to grin like a lovesick puppy. Make that a lovestruck vampire.

  If he hadn’t actually floated via mist to Mexico City’s Chinatown, he would have felt like he was floating anyway. Telling himself that he deserved a chance at love, he let himself enjoy the peace that came with knowing there was someone as beautiful as Michelle in the world.

  Appearing in a darkened corner in the colorful Chinatown, he made his way toward one of restaurants still open. Looking up at the colorful lanterns lighting the night, he was distracted and never saw the figure come up behind him.

  “You are dallying more than I would like, so I assume you have not yet discovered the truth of her blood.” The voice that penetrated the night was low and sinister. “I was surprised to hear that she tore apart one of my messengers. You would be making a grave mistake to let her discover our plan.”

  Turning to face the dangerous, anciently accented voice, Duncan’s face turned to a stone expression of impatience and fury. “What exactly is our plan? You never exactly enlightened me.”

  “You will bring the Balam Centehua to me, and her blood will spill upon the altar and release the treasure. Free us from all of our curses. Your façade of companionship was convenient for my plan. It is said that the heart needs to beat while the blood spills on the ancient stone. But so many different treasures will be released by her blood, the blood of the Balam Centehua.”

  “Yes, Tzinacan,” he let the name roll like acid off his tongue, “but you have not revealed to me where I should bring her to fulfill this treasure hunt.”

  Tzinacan’s pale face looked unamused. “I believe you know quite well. Please do not be coy and try to take the treasure only for yourself. Even a young vampire such as yourself knows the Codex Sangre and the ritual needed. Do not tarry with my patience. I will be meeting with you again shortly, and we will both delight in the bounty.”

  Duncan gnashed his teeth as he assessed this foe, who continued to speak. “You look thirsty young vampire; clearly I have interrupted your hunt.” Tzinacan looked around carefully with a look of disdain. “Lust for Oriental blood, do you? Wait until you taste blood of the Balam, you will not be disappointed when you lick the blood off the altar.”

  As if someone had taken his body hostage, Duncan fought the desire to rip the vamp in half. His mouth watered at the thought of blood, he was hungry indeed. But hearing Tzinacan speak this way made him growl with the urge to protect Michelle.

  “So you have tasted the blood of a were-jaguar before then?” He practiced curious admiration to hide his disgust for the vampire.

  “Oh, yes, but not for some hundreds of years now. They are only born ever so often. The Balam Centehua were more plentiful while I was leader of my Aztec warriors. We prided ourselves on shedding the blood of the sacred Balam. None were greater than our people. Until the curse. You are young in this world and I am great. But you have what I desire, and so you will help me have it or you will die.”

  Before Duncan could further interrogate the ancient vampire, Tzinacan turned and left.

  Tzinacan had hinted at many things, including the vampire’s ancient origin and curse that led Duncan to believe the treasure Tzinacan sought was probably not gold. Was it possible the treasure Tzinacan sought might be an ancient remedy to living as a vampire? Whatever it was, Michelle was in greater danger than he imagined. Fury peeled away at his skin like tiny daggers as he passed through the lantern-lit alleys of Chinatown.

  The lightness he had earlier was gone.

  Chapter Twenty

  Michelle had thoroughly enjoyed her hot shower and now she was dressed and ready to chow down. Duncan, who had just returned, set a feast of Chinese take-out boxes on the table near the window. The lights dotting Alameda Park glittered in the darkness as the smell of sweet and sour chicken and fried rice wafted through her senses.

  “Oh my gosh, you’re a saint.”

  “Not really.” He snorted.

  She raised her brows at the disdain in his voice. “I’m starving and I love Chinese food. Therefore you have attained saint status in my book.”

  He sat at the table across from her as she picked through the boxes with her chopsticks. Plunking a lumpy pot sticker into her mouth, she noticed the startling expression on Duncan’s face. He looked unsettled, ravenous.

  Michelle set down her chopsticks and walked to the bathroom, her mouth still full of food. From inside the bathroom, she swallowed a gigantic bite and called out to Duncan. “I thought you’d be just as hungry, so I took the liberty of preparing something for you.”

  Sauntering out of the bathroom and toward the table, she carried a glass full of crimson. “Here, this is for you.”

  After Michelle sat the glass on the table, Duncan appeared to inhale the scent. But he didn’t react as she expected.

  He spoke in a voice so low that she almost couldn’t hear, his brown eyes immediately clouded black. Michelle sa
w a storm twist across his face.

  “What the hell is this?”

  He grabbed the glass and ferociously hurtled it across the room. She screamed as the glass collided with the wall and blood splattered and dripped down to puddle in the floor.

  “Don’t you ever dare offer yourself up as such!”

  The man with the angelic skin stood with his shoulders hunched, his fists clenched, and Michelle almost didn’t recognize him. He looked like a vampire; he looked like someone she wouldn’t mess with.

  She opened her mouth to protest his reaction, but she assessed the murderous expression on Duncan’s face and his now tight grip the table, as if he desperately needed a distraction.

  “You know, you’re a lot more handsome when you’re less scary looking,” she chided him, hoping to lighten the situation. The truth was, he looked sexy as hell but it was definitely a buzzkill that his frustration was directed at her. He carried his body like a warrior, his eyes full of challenge, and in this case, she felt like the bad guy.

  She tried to eat, but her appetite was gone. The food in her mouth was tasteless and her mind spun trying to figure why he’d looked so tortured ever since he returned from Chinatown.

  “Tell me what’s bothering you,” she said gently.

  “No.”

  That’s it. Throwing down the gauntlet, in this case her chopsticks, she challenged him. “Why are you being a jerk?”

  His eyes were cold, black stones. “I’m worse than a jerk. Michelle, I’m a vampire.”

  She glared back, hoping that her own blue eyes were at least half as intimidating as his. “I’m sorry, I keep forgetting since you refuse to drink blood!”

  That got a response as Duncan grabbed her arms. She closed her eyes, and when she opened them, they were standing in the archaeology museum. He had misted her back to a happier time in their day.

  The building was dark, which left her disoriented. Duncan disappeared again and in a moment the lights were on. She didn’t recognize the room. It was huge, housing hundreds of artifacts and large stone carvings. Nearest to her was a giant stone jaguar in the Maya style.

  She sucked in a breath as she stood next to the monument, which surely weighed tons. The body of the jaguar was strong and graceful, with sharp fangs jutting out from a wild face with wise eyes. The stone carving would have taken unfathomable effort and skill, and she felt a pang of pride that her own animal spirit was worshipped so highly.

  Then Duncan was at her side again. “I thought this was a good place to start.” His long length of body swept her up against his chest so that they were eye to eye. His gaze had softened and his mouth was relaxed. “I’m sorry I — ”

  “It’s beautiful. Thank you.” She hugged him close and felt his fingers caress her hair. “I won’t pressure you anymore, but know that I want to take care of you like you take care of me.”

  Across the room, the Sun Stone, the Aztec calendar monument, rested against the wall with its ominous presence. Holding all the secrets to the Aztec calendar, the monument, which measured twelve feet across, could easily fit the size of a man within, and purposefully so. Duncan leaned in to study the stone. Every inch of it was covered in intricately carved figures in perpetuating circles. The figure in the middle, the sun god Toniatuih, had a round human-like face, adorned with a wide bar piercing its nose and other head adornments, and a tongue jutting out of the mouth. “Archaeologists believe this stone would have been a sort of altar where blood sacrifices were performed atop to appease the fierce Sun God.” Michelle heaved a sigh. “The Aztecs were both scientific and highly superstitious. Lumped together, the Aztecs were a force to be reckoned with.”

  He seemed lost in thought. “Sacrifices?”

  “Yeah, blood sacrifices were significant to the Maya and Aztec peoples.”

  Duncan lurched at her ferociously, but it was too late — a force snatched her from behind and soon she was in the air looking down at him.

  Dark haired fingers clutched her and an eerie voice cackled in her ear. “Balam Centehua.”

  She screamed and watched Duncan disappear on the ground below her into a mist. The next thing she knew, Duncan reappeared on top of her attacker. In a flourish of movement, her attacker bellowed and she felt his dark talon-like fingers release her. She fell through the air, the ground thirty feet or so below her. Just in time, Duncan was back at the ground to catch her. The momentum brought them both tumbling, his stone-like chest breaking her fall.

  For the first time, she could see her attacker and she fought back the urge to vomit. Or run. Or faint.

  The outline was of a man, but with skin blackened by dark hair. Floating in the air, he was held there by large black bat-like wings that flapped ominously.

  “So you will try to take her for yourself then. I see, night baby. But I think not.” With a forceful flap of the creature’s wings, the bat-like human powered toward her. Duncan shoved her out of the way and prepared for the impact of the giant were-bat.

  She tried to scream in horror, but nothing came out; she wanted to run but couldn’t. Instead, she laid on the ground, paralyzed by fear. Her body went even cold at the villain’s words. She didn’t understand what he meant, but she could feel hatred coming off of the vampire in waves.

  Take her for yourself?

  She didn’t have time to question why she was a pawn in the hellish chess game; she only quivered with despair and shock. So many times Duncan had gazed longingly into her eyes, but now she realized that he might be longing for something besides her.

  She watched the creature wrestling with her man in a flurry of fists and the sounds of thunder echoing in the room. But was Duncan really her man or was he using her for some sick purpose? Duncan was pummeling the creature despite being lodged beneath the giant batman. The beast snarled as it tried to sink its fangs into Duncan. She could barely see him from under the giant were-bat, but she heard him yell out for her.

  “Get away from here, Michelle!”

  Unable to heed his warning, she watched helplessly. Suddenly the bat was able to sink its fangs into Duncan. He bellowed in pain and anger, and continued to wrestle with a creature at least twice his size.

  Fueled by Duncan’s pained yell, a fresh round of adrenaline coursed through her veins, and she ran at the giant were-bat. She jumped on the beast, intending to choke the life out of it or at least distract the vamp so Duncan could get the upper hand.

  Instead, she was flung clear across the hall and her head collided with the edge of one of the artifact displays. She drifted in and out of consciousness as she lay on the floor, the hazy figures of Duncan and the massive creature teetering across her vision like a drunken nightmare.

  • • •

  From under the vampire-turned-bat Tzinacan, Duncan realized in horror that instead of running, Michelle had leapt into the tussle only to be flung away like a doll. He exploded in rage and sunk his teeth into Tzinacan’s hairy neck. Flesh tore from muscle in a hot spray of blood.

  The evil vampire roared in pain and recoiled enough that Duncan could land a flurry of punches. As the blood quickly drained from Tzinacan, his bat form began to disappear, his body becoming smaller, the hair retreating to reveal human skin. Finally, both of them were equal, both weakened by lack of blood in their systems.

  Still fighting with the shifting were-bat, Duncan glanced quickly to where Michelle lay on the ground. His body surged with worry, and that was all Tzinacan needed to throw him through a large glass display. The glass shattered under his impact like razor-sharp pixie dust.

  He rolled up from the mess and shook off the pain, only to find his foe hauling Michelle from the ground with a blade in his palm. Duncan misted, but not fast enough to prevent the vamp from holding Michelle against the Sun Stone. The dagger was pointed at her heart.

  Tzinacan looked smug as he held her against the stone. “You were unwise to try to cross me and have her for yourself. I could bleed her like this. However, it would be better to lay her on top of
the stone. I will share the treasure with you if you cease your attack and help me.”

  Duncan was across the room in an instant to rip the gigantic Sun Stone from the wall. The ancient calendar stone collided with the floor with a resounding boom as Michelle screamed.

  Chapter Twenty-One

  Tzinacan smiled as he looked down at the Aztec monument lying on the ground twenty yards from where he held Michelle. “This is how it used to be,” his voice rasped.

  Tears of confusion and betrayal left track marks on her cheeks. Duncan’s body pulsed with fury as his foe moved his face next to Michelle’s. He wanted to rip the freakish bat-vampire to shreds.

  With his cold, slimy lips near her skin, Tzinacan whispered eerily, “This will be just like old days, before your people cursed me!”

  Michelle gasped through sobs, “My people?”

  Duncan raged at the sight as the vampire tightened his grip on her, nearly squeezing the life out of Michelle. “Your people have taken my light, but now I will take your life, Balam Centehua.”

  He watched Michelle wince as the cold steel of the blade pressed against her skin. Duncan stood near the stone, ready to embrace his darkest nature, ready for battle. The nightmare unfolding before him settled into his bones.

  How to save Michelle. How to get the blade away from her fragile, mortal flesh. These were the thoughts ripping through his mind as he desperately tried to figure out how to defeat his enemy. In the meantime, the dark beast inside himself struggled, needing to be freed from its cage. His opponent was a monster, but so was Duncan.

  Duncan knew how easy it would be for Tzinacan to harm her. To know what Michelle was thinking was torture — besides feeling betrayed, he couldn’t imagine her fear.

  “Release her!”

  “With pleasure, night baby.”

  Tzinacan took the dagger from her throat, but Duncan was forced to watch her body being dragged like a ragdoll toward the ancient stone. He braced to mist to her now that the knife was down, but Tzinacan leapt high into the air and slammed her back down onto the Aztec stone with lightning speed.