Secrets of the Jaguar (Crimson Romance)

by Jaye Shields

  Her head collided against the carved monument.

  Michelle. Duncan rushed the vampire. Rage fueled his body and his fangs easily ripped through his foe’s thick skin, tearing like rubber. The ancient vampire was startled and released his grip on Michelle to fight him off. Duncan sent a powerful kick into Tzinacan that sent the vampire flying into the air. Before the ancient vamp landed, Duncan misted toward him, using his fists as jackhammers as they both fell.

  Duncan felt the iron grip around his throat as they reached the ground. The sight of Michelle’s body crashing to the floor distracted him before he could mist the beast away from her.

  The ancient vampire’s teeth tore mercilessly though Duncan’s jugular. Blood poured in waves of dark red crimson, spilling like a nightmare onto the pristine marble floor of the museum.

  He fought helplessly against the vampire as life escaped his body, draining along with the blood from his neck. His strength, already week from lack of feeding, was all but depleted.

  Realizing he couldn’t defeat the vampire, he only hoped he could be a distraction for Michelle to escape. He wrapped his hands around the vampire’s thick neck and tried to choke the life from Tzinacan.

  “You’ll regret not aiding me.”

  Pain exploded in Duncan’s chest. He looked down at the blade Tzinacan had plunged only inches from his heart. Michelle was in jaguar form laying lifelessly against the stone.

  He knew Tzinacan meant to torture him by narrowly missing his heart, but he was grateful to have a few moments more to let his eyes linger on the bright light of Michelle. Even in jaguar form, she was his angel.

  “Michelle! Stay conscious! Run, Michelle!”

  • • •

  As her vision blurred, she saw the carving of a jaguar in the stone where her cheek lay. Her body throbbed and hope began to leave her as Tzinacan’s chanting began. The incantation sounded eerily familiar, and foreboding crawled through her body. Where’s Duncan? The chanting continued, and the next thing she knew, her body was transforming on the stone against her will, replacing skin with fur and teeth with fangs.

  “Michelle, please.”

  She watched with hazy vision, trying to comprehend the nightmare unfolding before her. The evil vampire had a sick, satisfied smile. Blood poured from Duncan in thick streams.

  Duncan was dying for her.

  A sudden surge of power fueled her and she leapt up from the ancient stone. Her eyes found Duncan’s. In his gaze was an expression she was not expecting, a look to would forever linger with her: She was sure at this moment that he loved her more than anything, and always had. And now he wanted her to run.

  Too late. She watched in sick horror as Tzinacan shoved the dagger once more into Duncan. As the steel entered deep into his body, he never winced, never blinked, just held his gaze with her.

  Tzinacan cackled grimly. “I have been taking lives for thousands of years; surely you never thought you could steal my destiny from me. I led my people to kill every Balam Centehua but one, and now you will not stop me from shedding the blood of the last of the chosen jaguar to break the curse put upon my people so long ago. Time to die, night baby.”

  But as Tzinacan pulled back to usher Duncan his death blow, Michelle launched herself. Her claws tore into the ancient vampire with a ferocity she had never before embraced.

  A victorious roar echoed through the museum and the floors were painted with a new shade of blood, the dark black blood spilling from Tzinacan. Her claws raked down his thick hide like a scratching post. She smiled inside as she heard the ancient vampire scream and recoil in pain from his hold Duncan. Firmly attached to the vampire’s back, tearing with her teeth and raking with her claws, she inflicted as much damage as possible.

  With a primal scream and a string of ancient, furious words, Tzinacan reached back and tore her from his back. Her body flew through the air.

  Think like a cat. Her animal blood pumped through her veins and she landed on all four paws like a true jungle predator.

  Before she could launch a second attack on Tzinacan, the vampire began his transformation into the hairy bat, remaining the size of a man. “This ancient battle is not done yet. Better than you have not bested me.” The giant were-bat shrank into its true form, and she watched as it disappeared through the museum.

  Feelings of victory quickly faded though when she saw Duncan lying lifelessly on the ground in a crimson pool. The metallic scent filled her nostrils, so strong she couldn’t help but hiss. Scared to death, she approached Duncan’s body; her paws stepping into the puddle of blood. Her heart stopped.

  Duncan’s eyes were closed and his face seemed peaceful, looked like an angel who had just fought in a battle between heaven and hell. As she stared at the sight, her body shifted back into that of a woman, and she realized she was sobbing. Blood had stopped pouring from the wound in his neck, as if it was all depleted.

  Oh God, what can I do?

  Please?

  She remembered the dagger that lay on the ground not far away. A small grain of hope wiggled into her heart and she darted to the dagger and returned to Duncan’s side. She laid next to him, her body curled to his as closely as possible, oblivious to the pool of blood that stained her skin.

  Taking the dagger, she drew the blade down the length of her arm from wrist to elbow. With one hand she held open Duncan’s mouth, his body too lifeless for his fangs to elongate and sharpen. Her other arm poured blood, and she felt the heat slide down and held it eagerly over his mouth, trying as best as she could to feed him.

  A minute later, she ignored the dizziness that began to swim in her head. But hope overcame all other emotions as she saw that his wounds seemed to be healing. The skin slowly began to regenerate. The wounds closed before her eyes and she became giddy.

  Blood red eyes opened wide and she immediately recoiled, pulling her arm back, away from where it dripped into his mouth. For a moment she was petrified. What had she done? Had she brought to life some sort of zombie?

  His eyes smiled in recognition a second later, and it was the look of the man she knew well. His voice was strong and full of relief. “You’re safe.”

  She laughed, but sobs escaped in the same breath as she pulled Duncan close into a desperate hug and numerous kisses. His hands roamed down the skin of her back, moving towards her sides, still bare from shifting back to her human form. Their bodies pressed together and she felt his hardness beneath her. Looking into his eyes she smiled mischievously. “You’re obviously fully recovered.”

  In response, Duncan kissed her with the honest passion that made her glad to be alive. If nothing else, life was worth living for his kisses. His lips were soft, fitting against hers perfectly, and she swore the whole time they kissed, she could hear him whispering gently, I love you. But then, after this evening, she didn’t trust her senses to know the difference between fantasy and reality.

  “Michelle, your blood has done something to me. I feel like a new vampire.”

  “Ah-ha, I’m like the fountain of youth.” She threw her arms up in the air in triumph.

  “Jesus Christ! I forgot, the venom doesn’t work on you. I’m such a selfish asshole.” He grabbed her bleeding arm gently.

  A smile lit up her face. “You forgot because you got lost in the moment. I can barely even feel the pain.”

  Taking her arm gently between his fingers, he laid kisses against her wounds. They were deep; if his venom did not work as it did on humans, then she would surely need stitches.

  Slowly, she began to feel the edges of the cut numb. Before their eyes, the blood from her wound gradually began to dry, and the skin stretched back together almost as if a magnetic force pulled at the skin.

  He grinned and brushed his fingers against her own smiling cheek. “I am indeed a more powerful vampire darling, thanks to your sacrifice. I can feel it coursing through me, like nothing I’ve ever felt before. Watch this.” He hugged her to him and they disappeared in a mist.

  Chapter Tw
enty-Two

  A moment later, Michelle opened her eyes from Duncan’s embrace to see crisp white walls and soft gold curtains framing a view of the moonlight-darkened turquoise sea. The bed underneath her was soft and pillowy, thanks to an elegant down comforter that looked heaven sent, like the bed of an angel.

  “Welcome to our home away from home.” Duncan’s voice was both sexy and sweet at once, and Michelle sighed in happiness.

  “Where are we? Besides home away from home, I mean.” Grinning, Michelle pulled the white down comforter against her chest in case someone might walk by outside.

  “Don’t worry beautiful, I have quite a stretch of beach to myself here. I mean, ours now. This is Tulum.”

  Michelle nodded mischievously. “Ah yes, Tulum. I did a report on this place in the fifth grade. The project was called mysterious exotic locations.”

  Laughter shook Duncan’s body and Michelle’s hand felt his hard stomach contract and she took pride in making him smile.

  “Tulum is about an hour from Cancun. What you’re looking at is the Caribbean Sea.” Duncan kissed the side of Michelle’s face. “I’ve never misted this far before, but I knew I could after you healed me in the museum. I’ve never felt stronger. We’ll be safe here.”

  Michelle sighed peacefully and let her head rest against Duncan’s shoulder. “Safe has never looked so beautiful.”

  “You have never looked so beautiful.” Duncan kissed Michelle’s forehead. “You look like a woman who just realized how strong and unique she really is.” Duncan turned Michelle so that she faced him. He pressed a feather light kiss on her lips. “Michelle, I’m in awe of you. You saved both my life and your own. And not only that, but you made me healthier than I’ve ever been, and you didn’t have to.”

  “Of course I — ” Michelle began to object, but Duncan quickly kissed her again.

  “For all you knew, Michelle, I was a selfish vampire using you for whatever sick purpose Tzinacan had in mind. I should have told you the truth from the beginning. And I will. You were brave enough to trust your heart, and my goal in life is to always be worthy of that.”

  Duncan hoisted Michelle into his arms, letting her legs wrap around his waist. In turn, he wrapped his arms around her shoulders and his hands massaged there as he kissed her with a longing passion. A soft moan of ecstasy escaped Michelle’s lips.

  Let’s get in the shower. You look good in red my dear, but I don’t want to see Tzinacan’s blood again until I kill him.”

  Michelle’s dreamy state was somewhat diminished as she realized that vampire blood still stained Duncan’s clothes and her skin. “You said let’s shower?”

  A smile from Duncan sent shivers down Michelle’s body, “Yes. Let’s.”

  • • •

  Hours later after Michelle had drifted off to sleep, as the sun was beginning its climb, Duncan took advantage of his sleepless eternity to do some sleuthing. Duncan felt the weight of his body manifest as he arrived in the National Museum of Anthropology. He had to be quick because Michelle slept alone in Tulum, but he had to know what trouble might lie ahead. So here he was, hoping to find out what Tzincacan referred to back in Mexico City about the Codex Sangre.

  His long legs took him rapidly through the museum as he sought out the Aztec codices. Finally he reached glass cases that contained the ancient Aztec writings. A tiny plaque on the glass case read “Codex Sangre.”

  Inside the glass case was an ancient sheet of amatl — fig bark — with pictures depicting a journey of an Aztec people. The codex featured images strewn about in a somewhat chaotic fashion. Sacrifices were laid atop large round cactuses and a bat-like creature descended from the sky. Duncan let his hand dissolve into mist so that he could reach through the glass case and extract the entirety of the long codex.

  A picture of were-jaguars and giant half-man half-bat creatures clashed in a violent war. Ancient graphics depicted the were-bats lifting the were-jaguars high off the ground and taking them away. In another scene, a giant stone was piled high with jaguar bodies, so much blood saturating the pictured ground that for a moment Duncan wondered if blood was seeping from the codex.

  Duncan’s body was still with dread. Did Tzinacan have access to an ancient army? Duncan touched his finger to the image of the pyramid and willed himself to mist to the location. A moment passed, but his body stayed where it was. He had never been able to mist someplace he hadn’t previously been before in the flesh, but Duncan knew he needed more information to save Michelle from what Tzinacan had planned. The codex showed no images of gold or treasure as Tzinacan had described, just a giant sun, a pyramid, and a massacre of jaguars. Touching the pyramid on the codex once more, Duncan focused his mind and then finally let it rest. And then he felt his body become lightness.

  • • •

  The exotic forest where Duncan found himself was thick, so thick that even if it were day, no light would have touched his skin. Around him the jungle was teeming with silence, and flora abounded in various hues of dark green and black. Suddenly overwhelmed, Duncan released a primal yell and punched a nearby tree angrily. He had no idea where he was now, but he certainly was not at the place pictured in the codex. No pyramid or clues to some ancient treasure or curse. Michelle was probably waiting for him back at his home in Tulum, and he would have to return with no clearer idea of how to protect her.

  Duncan’s eyes glazed into a black storm and for a moment he felt truly vampire, dark and dangerous and desperate. Unwillingly his fangs elongated and he felt a growl escape his hollow chest. Suddenly his vampire senses picked up on eyes watching him. Turning around in a flash he immediately located the source of the watchful glare and leapt through the trees to corner his prey.

  Duncan found his arms wrapped around a jaguar, but despite his lightning speed, the jaguar was ready and roared as it attacked Duncan. When the jaguar pushed them both off of the tree, Duncan misted them to the ground. Holding back, Duncan felt the sharp canines of the jaguar sink into his shoulder and claws slice into his body.

  But in an instant the jaguar leapt off the vampire and instead of continuing the attack, stood looking at Duncan’s form through the night. Duncan readied himself to mist back to Michelle, his patience gone, but the jaguar began a slow shift into the form of a human.

  Before Duncan stood a short, heavily-wrinkled albeit muscular man. He was probably nearing ninety years of age. The old man parted pale, chapped lips to speak broken Spanish. “Why, leech, do you day walk?” Duncan thought he made out a sad, angry glint in the old man’s eyes.

  “All of my kind walk in the day.”

  “Nooo!” The naked man screamed angrily. Then he brought his fingers, tipped with Duncan’s blood where his claws had been in, to his mouth and licked. Slow chanting began in a language Duncan could not understand.

  Duncan spoke in Spanish so the were-jaguar would understand, “I know another like you.” But the old man was in a trance, holding his blood-tipped fingers in front of his face. Only another split second passed before the man snapped back to violent consciousness.

  “You have blood of the Balam Centehua within you!”

  Duncan saw the tormented glimmer in the were-jaguar’s eyes, so he spoke softly. “She is safe.”

  “Ixchel?

  “Are you her grandfather?” The man’s hands rested against his naked chest, which heaved up and down with every deep breath. His eyes were wrought with concern and he seemed overwhelmed by the news.

  “I took her from the village nearby. It is in ruins since the final assault. The Zozt warriors, ancient Aztec vampires, came to our village to slaughter our people. They searched for the Balam Centehua — the chosen jaguar, a half-jaguar soul. She and I were the only in our village. We were also the only survivors.” A tear escaped down a tanned, wrinkled cheek. “Her mother died with the fangs of a half-bat Zozt warrior in her throat. Tzinacan and his half-bat warriors will be searching for her.”

  “They have already found her.” Duncan’s voic
e was deep and reflected the darkness he felt in his heart when he thought of the night in the museum. “Tzinacan came for her, but she fought like a brave warrior. But you are right. He will be back; he talks of treasure and of a curse.”

  “Yes. The curse.” The wise eyes dried and a look of determination took their place. “The treasure that Tzinacan seeks in daylight. Tzinacan and the Zozt are cursed by my people. Only the blood of the Balam Centehua can free them of their curse of night-walking.”

  “If they are so determined, then why don’t you offer yourself up then?” Duncan growled. Duncan barely recognized the voice that came out of his lips, the sound laden with a fierce, murderous tone.

  “I would if it came to that. But these warriors would wreak much havoc if they could penetrate the daylight. All except for Tzinacan spend their time in the caves. They come out at night only to terrorize local Mayan villages. Imagine what these ancient beasts would be capable of if they walked in the daylight.”

  Duncan knew the were-jaguar was right. “Okay, then, we’ll just have to kill them all.”

  Chapter Twenty-Three

  Michelle slept through most of the next day, seemingly unaware of all that occurred while she dreamed. Now as they walked along the soft white sand beach, the sun setting the sky on fire, romantic shades of red and gold, Michelle had eyes only for the man walking beside her. Duncan was tall, his body a lean mass of muscled man. His skin was smooth and glowed against the sunset, his dark eyes black as Maya obsidian. The man looked like an angel, definitely not heaven sent but too incredibly beautiful to be of this world.

  “Tzinacan is not a vampire like I have encountered before, but I should tell you I have not encountered many. Remember when we first met, I told you I sensed an evil presence, which was Tzinacan. So when I found him trailing you again on campus, I attacked. But he had incredible speed and strength. And when he confronted me about you — describing you as the key to a treasure, I became intrigued.” Duncan cupped her cheek. “I was intrigued not by the treasure, but by the reason he sought you. I knew my strength alone could not best the ancient creature — I had to find out more about the vampire in order to destroy him. He has minions as I learned; you saw yourself.” Duncan chuckled. “As a matter of fact you took one of them in the Alameda park.”