The Death Skull: Relic Defender, Book 2

by Cassiel Knight

  Yaluk turned and shouted over the cough of the Jeep’s engine and jangle of metal. “We be there about one hour. Soon.”

  Mari’s teeth rattled so hard she couldn’t force open her mouth to respond so she simply nodded.

  Jackson leaned near. “Bet you wish you were back on a plane,” he drawled, laughter edging his voice.

  She turned to him to give him a caustic reply when she was catapulted into his lap by a bone-shattering dip of tire into what had to be a vehicle-swallowing hole. She squeaked. Jackson’s arms came around her waist to hold her in place as the back wheel hit the same hole.

  Afraid to move, she looked up into his lean, handsome face and into his laughing green eyes. Flecks of gold radiated outward that appeared brighter under the sun. As the Jeep continued to jolt over the road, she found she couldn’t move to go back to her seat. All she could do was lay there, half-in, half-out of Jackson’s lap, his warm arms surrounding her with the impression of safety and comfort.

  His laugh lines and smile slowly faded as he noted her intense stare. The gold darkened, pupils overtaking the color of the iris. Her breath caught, and her tongue came out to lick her lips. She leaned into him, feeling the solid strength of his muscles and lean, but not skinny, form.

  She inhaled, pulling in the scent of hot male mixed with the humidity of the air that brought the aromas of ripe vegetation and a tangy hint of the citrus grown in small groves throughout the jungle. Her gaze dropped to his mouth and she shuddered.

  “Darlin’,” he purred, his voice a husky rasp, “as much as I’m lovin’ you in my arms, I’m thinking this is the wrong place to be having this type of conversation.”

  Mari stared up at him. In the next instant, his words registered on her overheated emotions. She scrabbled off his lap, not caring when she pushed too hard on his leg near a certain part of him. He let out a soft grunt. Served him right. The bumping of the vehicle over the roads kept trying to toss her right back into his lap. Chuckles filled the air as he tried to help. He grabbed her upper arms, then pushed her upright and over to her side of the seat.

  Once there, she moved to the edge as far away from him as she could get. Which was not that far and, despite her best efforts, her left thigh stayed pressed against his. A solid reminder of her weak state.

  Hellfire, what was wrong with her? She was no stranger to the idea of lust and although she lacked experience, she’d seen enough males and females together to see the pleasure each took. Yet, she’d never felt the thing that caused flushed cheeks, wet mouths and dilated pupils. Until Jackson.

  She cast him a sideways glance. If she felt this way after having sex with him one time, how much better would it be to have regular sex with him and even sleep with him beside her? At the thought of spending all that time with him, heat flushed through her and she shifted.

  “You okay?” Jackson asked as his lips twisted into a crooked grin that only made him more attractive.

  “I’m fine. Just tired of being bounced around.”

  The dancing light in his eyes told her he knew that wasn’t the problem. “Guess civilization hasn’t made it this far yet.”

  She nodded and looked out the side of the vehicle into the thick jungle. Around the makeshift road, vines and tangled branches reached out, trying to snag the Jeep’s passengers as they made their way into the deep areas. Occasionally, she’d see a flash of color as parrots and toucans flitted within the green canopy. Despite having to deal with the heavy moisture in the air clinging to her skin and weighing down her clothes and hair, she could see the beauty in the land.

  The Jeep passed under a tangle of lianas—long-stemmed, woody vines that stretched across the road connecting the trees on either side. Once through, the jungle then opened into a large clearing. In the center, several dark-gray and crumbling structures built with stone blocks dotted the green carpet.

  Acan brought the Jeep to a shuddering halt in an empty parking lot. Kanek scrambled out and grabbed two of the backpacks. Yaluk pointed to the other side of the lot. “We must go there. Lubaantun is up that ridge. Farther into the jungle.”

  Mari climbed out of the Jeep and jumped to the hard pavement. The sound of her heels on the surface brought her gaze to her feet. The black dress boots, even with their low heels, were not made for traipsing around in a jungle.

  She couldn’t apport in and out of the place, but were all her powers gone? She looked around. No one appeared to be paying any attention to her. She held an image in her mind and passed her hands over her feet.

  The boots shimmered and changed, becoming a pair of midcalf-high, brown hiking boots with sturdy soles. She wiggled her toes and smiled. Much better. They didn’t go with her outfit, but what’s style in the jungle? And she was glad to see that something of her abilities worked, even something as small as changing her footwear. Maybe it meant that once inside Belize, some of her powers were available to her.

  At a soft sound, she looked over and caught the gaze of the boy, Kanek. His eyes were wide, the brown dominating the white. She touched a finger to her lips then winked at him. He jerked back a bit, then cocked his head like a bird. He held her gaze for a few seconds before a smile broke out on his brown face and he laughed. With a nod, he bent down and picked up her backpack, shouldered it and set off after Yaluk, who waited for them at the start of the trail.

  “Looks like you found yourself a friend, Mari.” Jackson had come up and stood by her.

  “A child? I don’t know anything about children.” She cast him a sideways glance. “Well, except for a certain human adult who acts likes a child.”

  Jackson put a hand on his chest and staggered backward. “Me? You wound me.”

  “I could only be so fortunate,” she muttered and strode off, hearing the scrape of his boots on the stones as he followed. A smile tugged at her lips. Despite the arrogance and know-it-all attitude, and beyond the attraction that simmered below the surface, she found him much too charming.

  When they reached Yaluk, the old man gestured. “Come. We go through here.”

  She eyed the heavy shadows. “How much farther?” Mari asked.

  “Not far,” he said. “Come.”

  With Kanek directly behind Yaluk, and Acan and Vulun bringing up the rear, she followed the Mayans. Despite the site being a tourist destination, quite a bit of jungle debris cluttered the path. She stumbled over a half-buried rock and was saved from falling on her ass by Jackson’s steadying hand. His touch, as brief as it was, seared her skin through the layer of fabric of her top and pooled in the pit of her stomach.

  She would have to do something about him, and the hunger inside her, soon. Lexi called the Texan a playboy, and when she’d asked what that meant, had said, “He’s a love-’em-and-leave-’em kind of guy. Means he runs from commitment faster than you can think the word.”

  “Is that a bad thing?” she had asked. The nuances of human relationships still eluded her after centuries.

  Lexi had shrugged. “Depends.”

  “On what?”

  “On what you want.”

  “I don’t understand.”

  “It’s like this. If all you want is sex without anything after, then you want a playboy, or player. If you want to form some kind of relationship with the guy, then a playboy is the last type you want to be involved with.”

  By Lexi’s explanation, with Jackson, everything would be different. From the standpoint that they worked together. Could they have regular sex and still be a team? It didn’t seem to bother Lexi and Mikos, yet they were bound in a much stronger way. Mari didn’t feel that intensely about Jackson. She pulled her lower lip between her teeth. Did she?

  They began to climb a ridge. Despite Mari’s peak physical condition, she felt the tug on the muscles of her calves the higher she and her group got. Finally, they crested the ridge. In the large clearing, sprawled out in a pattern that probably only appeared to make sense to the Mayans, were several stone structures.

  Mari came up beside Ya
luk. He pointed at the stones. “Lubaantun.”

  During the infernal plane ride from Los Angeles to Belize, she’d read about the Mayan site. The original name of the place was not known. It had been named Lubaantun—which meant “place of fallen stones”—by one of its early explorers. From what she’d read, the pyramids at Lubaantun were only platforms. Atop the stones had stood perishable buildings that had long since been destroyed by man, weather and the jungle.

  The research she’d done had talked about the structures being built of stone and assembled without mortar. They were unique in that they featured rounded corners, which was unlike any other Mayan ruins in the region. Lubaantun was thought to be used for festivals, ball games and other sacred ceremonies.

  From their vantage point, Mari could see the Columbia River, which cut through the valley. Not far from Lubaantun was the village of San Pedro, where they’d decided not to stop. They didn’t have time and they didn’t want to have the attention of any of the officials or others who might question what they were doing.

  From what Yaluk told them, the site didn’t get that many tourists and was usually pretty deserted. They’d be able to explore without interference.

  Yaluk started ahead, stepping into the grass around the structures. Mari followed and Jackson came up behind her. He’d spent most of the hike watching her ass as she walked but now he could only stare at the structures. He’d never seen anything like this.

  Within the clearing, the serenity and ambience of the site was overwhelming. The massive stone structures were covered with bright green moss. Protruding vines poked from the tiny crevices. Cool breezes rustled through the huge canopy stretched over him, reaching for the other side. There was no indication of humanity—no vehicles rushing by, no sounds like the honking of horns or shouts of aggravation. Only the songs of birds and buzzing of insects provided the natural music that added to the overall comforting picture.

  He hastened after Mari, who moved confidently ahead, seemingly unimpressed by her surroundings. Not far from her was the boy, Kanek. He stepped behind her like he was her shadow. Jackson couldn’t stop the smile that stretched his mouth. She may not like it or realize it, but the boy had definitely attached himself to her. The unwanted attention would be good for her.

  Mari halted beside one of the slightly taller structures. She stood there, her gaze roaming from the bottom to the top and down again. When he reached her, she had a perplexed look on her face.

  “What’s wrong?”

  She shook her head. “This seems…familiar. Like I’ve been here before but I know that’s impossible. I’ve never seen this place.”

  “Are you remembering it from the books on the plane?”

  For the second time, she tugged her lower lip into her mouth. Jackson’s throat went dry, for the second time, at the subconsciously seductive movement. He shifted, his jeans pulling over his crotch. Christ, he needed to get laid again, if such a simple thing as her thinking made his dick ache.

  “No, not from the books.” After placing a hand on the stones, she looked at him. “I don’t know why but I know I’ve been here. Sometime.”

  Jackson nodded. He had no reason not to believe her. Hell, he’d seen enough things over the past six months that defied explanation and if he could go with them on faith, he could do it with Mari.

  “Okay, so what now?”

  Mari looked upward again. “Yaluk,” she called. “Where was the crystal skull found?”

  Yaluk jerked as if surprised. “The skull? What skull?”

  She slid him a sharp look. “The famous one that was found here years ago.”

  “I do not know of a skull.”

  Jackson stared hard at the older man. His words said one thing but his body language—the dropping of his gaze, shifting of his feet and fiddling of his fingers at the red scarf around his neck—told something else. Yaluk knew damn well what skull she meant. But for some reason, he hid his knowledge of it.

  “I know where it is,” Kanek said. “I take you.”

  Yaluk looked over at the boy and rattled off something so fast it sounded as if it were one long blurt of words. The youth replied, his face smooth and somber, but his eyes were lit with the glow of excitement. When it seemed as if he was adamant in whatever he told the older man, Yaluk grabbed Kanek’s arm. Anger had drained Yaluk’s tanned face. The knuckles on his other hand turned white as he clenched his fingers into a fist.

  Jackson’s stomach flipped. He laid a hand on Mari’s shoulder as she made as if to move, then he strode over to the man and boy. “Hey, old son, you want to let go of him.”

  Yaluk glared at him. “He is my grandson.”

  “I don’t care what he is. Take your hand from him.”

  The old man stared at Jackson for a few seconds, then released Kanek’s arm. Under the tanned skin, bright red dots—from the tips of his grandfather’s fingers—shone brilliantly. Jackson’s lips thinned. His own fingers clenched into fists then unclenched.

  He felt Mari come up and stand next to him. Her turn to rest a calming hand on his shoulder. The heat of it burned through his shirt into his skin. The strength in her grip never failed to astonish him. He’d felt that strength when they’d made love. Power and intensity coupled with tenderness. A heady combination.

  Easy, old boy. No good can come of thinking of this now. Especially since nothing she’d done since then had said she wanted a repeat.

  Ignoring Yaluk, Mari crouched to the boy’s height. “Will you show me?”

  He nodded. She stood. Before she could react, Kanek grabbed her hand and tugged her after him. Jackson caught the look of dismay that pinked her cheeks before she and the youth were out of sight around the structure. Anger faded as he chuckled and shook his head. Yep, that little boy was going to shake up the demon’s world, for sure.

  Yaluk mumbled then hastened off after the pair. Jackson pinned Acan and Vulun with a look. “Stay here. We’ll be right back.”

  He didn’t want the men with him—wasn’t sure he wanted Yaluk now that the friendly appearing old man had shown a different side, but figured he’d have a hard time getting the boy to go anywhere without his grandfather.

  When Yaluk grabbed Kanek, Jackson’s vision had narrowed until all he had was a pinpoint of anger focused on the older man’s rough grip on the boy. Reminded him of things better left forgotten. Or, at least, pushed to the side.

  Still, the memories found a way inside so that the contents of the letter he’d been given shone in his mind like writing on a whiteboard. He didn’t want to know how the letter had found its way to him—just knew it had.

  He had little choice. Or did he? He shook his head again. He’d worry about this later.

  Hustling after the rapidly moving pair—the demon and young human—Jackson dodged fallen blocks of limestone and sandstone that made up the ruins. Despite those, the site was relatively free of jungle encroachment or tourist destruction.

  He caught up to Mari and Kanek as they passed through the outer blocks and ended up near a small clump of boulders huddled at the base of a tree. Thick vines draped over the group.

  “There.” Kanek released Mari’s hand and pointed to the grouping. “The skull was found there.”

  She smiled at the boy and with a careful movement that seemed to suggest she was uncomfortable, patted him awkwardly on the shoulder. Jackson felt his mouth twitch so he turned his face away. He didn’t want her to see his amusement. She might think he was laughing at her instead of being entertained and affected by her attempt at human contact.

  At the group of fallen rocks, she paced around the outside ring, a frown narrowing her eyes and lining her forehead. Jackson joined her but stood beyond her path. He figured she knew more about what they’d been seeking. To him, the pile of stones just looked like that—a pile of stones. Maybe with more shape than the others, but still a pile.

  After two circles, she stopped near him. “I sense—something. I’m not sure what it is. An energy of a sort,
but weak. Old.” Her gaze lifted to his.

  “The skull?”

  Her shoulders rose then fell. “I cannot tell. But likely.” She looked back at the stones.

  “You think this was an altar?”

  “No. It’s too far away from the city. Disconnected.” Her head tilted. “Unless this came later. Maybe even set here by Mitchell-Hedges.”

  “To what purpose?”

  “Deception.” She caught her lower lip between her teeth, sending a shaft of pleasure zinging to his groin.

  Shit. She needed to stop doing that. He shifted, feeling the front of his jeans tighten. Damn. Focus, old man. This is not the time to be thinking about those perfect, and deadly, teeth nibbling your skin.

  When he met her gaze, he thought he saw a flare of something before it was quickly banked. Hmm. Did she hunger for him as he did her? More importantly, would she act on it like she had last night?

  Pretending he needed water, he cleared his throat and spun the lid on one of the water bottles from the packs they’d brought with them, then took a deep gulp. Sealing the bottle, he asked, “Deception? What kind of deception?”

  “The kind where humans found the skull at another location but moved it here to prevent others from finding the real site.”

  “But not that the skull wasn’t real?”

  From what he’d read, there was a lot of debate as to whether the skull was found or placed by the senior Mitchell-Hedges as a birthday gift for his daughter, Anna. Seemed many believed the lack of notes about the skull in Mitchell-Hedges’s journals supported those who believed the skull being found at Lubaantun was a hoax.

  Wouldn’t they like to know what he knew? That the skull was indeed real and in danger of becoming a weapon of power in the hands of a very nasty demon.

  “The skull is real. I think they found it elsewhere.” She turned to Kanek. “Do you know where the skull was really found?”

  He stared at her for a minute, which seemed to stretch into several. Dark eyes bored into hers, unblinking in their intensity, as if Kanek was trying to see something beyond Mari’s outward appearance. Something deep inside her. Maybe who she really was.