“You know, if it is a gift, it may become stronger. The visions could become clearer as you learn how to use them. Kind of like Pax and Richard.”
He kissed her cheek. “What would I do without you?”
“You’ll never have to find out, my male. I promise.”
Adriana sat in bed with a book and a mug of tea. Her mate sat beside her watching the news.
“You know, Adri, the weirdest thing happened last night.”
“What’s that, my male?”
“I overheard Troy’s thoughts in the kitchen and he was thinking the name of a female.”
She placed her bookmark in her book. “How’s that strange?”
He raised a brow.
“Okay, it’s a little weird, but Troy’s intensely private. What was the name?”
“It was Evy. It wasn’t really the name itself. It doesn’t mean anything that I can think of. The way he was thinking of it, over and over, he was fixated, almost obsessive. And then, he flipped out and told me to get out of his head.”
“Huh? I didn’t know anyone could ever tell.”
He shook his head. “They can’t. At least not ‘til now.”
“I wonder who she could be.”
Richard shook his head. “I have no idea. He’s not exactly an open book. It’s the first time I’ve even gotten a read on him.”
“Maybe that’s why he could tell.”
He nodded. “Maybe.”
“Or…what if it was the protective instinct?”
“How do you mean?”
“Maybe that’s why he could tell. If he has strong emotions connected to this person maybe that tipped him off. It could also be why you got such a reaction out of him.”
“You may be on to something there. I just hope this doesn’t push him away. He’s been opening up more lately. He keeps to himself a lot. He’s been through so much. Brothers or no brothers, trust isn’t something he comes by easily.” He sighed. “Thank God he has X. It was a stroke of genius when Reyn made him Troy’s mentor. Their connection to the streets gave them a lot to bond over. You know, maybe it’s X’s mind I should be reading”
She looked at her mate and they both laughed. God, he was handsome. She saw that smile in their baby girl every day and her heart just about melted. She grinned, took her male by the back of the neck, and pulled him to her.
Ana sat on the bed, legs stretched out, laptop on. She watched as her psychotic bitch of a mother sat in her office. She was holding one of the glass vials. She held the luminous object in her hands, turning it round.
Ana swallowed hard as she remembered the first time she saw a nagual captured in one of the pendants worn by the shifters in the Initiative. She had seen it many times since then, but it never failed to make her stomach drop. She watched as her mother opened the vial.
“Èltah,” Victrixa said under her breath.
Holy. Shit. Mommie Dearest was practicing Yaman, the Maya spell work used to control a nagual. Ana had seen it before, but never like this—never on a second soul taken from its shifter.
“Èltah.” She spoke her command more forcefully, ordering the stolen nagual to come to her.
That was odd. As far as Ana could tell, the nagual hadn’t budged. Wait a minute. Something wasn’t right. If Victrixa was the true aj k’o’ol, the one who can take and control second souls, she wouldn’t have any difficulty. Holy fuck. What she was seeing was her mother practicing. She wasn’t the true aj k’o’ol. Ana thought back to the warning the Goddess had given them at the end of her mating ceremony. There was someone else more powerful than Victrixa—that must be the true aj k’o’ol, the one who would use the magic of the naguals to return to the Otherworld.
Think, Ana. X had mentioned something about the possibility of another god. But why would a god need the naguals to enter the Otherworld? Ana tried to remember the Goddess Akina’s story and how she fit into Maya mythology. Ana minimized the screen, opened up her notes on the Goddess and began to scan them. Legend says that Akina, the Maya Goddess of Love and the Moon, was destroyed by the other Gods for taking pity on an enemy soldier during a great celestial war. A lesser god, known as Bane, had seen her bringing food and water to the soldier and turned her in. It is not known if he received anything in exchange for this act.
Ana sat back against the pillows. Why would Bane turn Akina in for aiding the enemy if he wasn’t getting anything out of it? It was only one soldier. Hmm. There was nothing in her notes as to what had become of him. Ana got up and walked over to a pile of books on the desk. She rifled through them until she found what she needed. It sounded like Bane was expelled from the Otherworld for sleeping with another god’s consort. Expelled, expelled. To where? She flipped the page and read on.
“Xibalba. The Mayan Underworld. Bane is the aj k’o’ol!” She pulled her laptop to her, only to reveal a very frustrated Victrixa still trying to call the nagual from the bottle. So, her mother was collecting the naguals for the God of the Underworld.
She shook her head. Goddess help them all.
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
James slid into his boots. It was funny. He’d always dressed kind of conservative at school. Not preppy, just kind of mellow. No piercings or spiked clothing. Now he had no idea what his style was. Everyone wore boots of one kind or another on duty. He finally found some Harley’s he liked and X fitted them with a steel toe for protection. He was currently using one of Pax’s leather jackets, which was cool because it was really worked in and smelled good. Pants were another matter. Some of the brothers preferred the leather, because it offered more protection and, let’s face it, it looked badass. Others liked jeans. Some switched back and forth because they could get away with either, like Pax. SE wore only jeans and they fit his personality to a T. Same with Troy. He didn’t think he was the leather pants type, which was fine, but it meant he really needed some jeans. Like ten pair. He’d given himself a total migraine before he realized why it was so hard. He was eighteen. He’d been kidnapped and gone through two transitions in less than a year. No wonder he was having an identity crisis.
He walked down the hall and was just about to gleam out from the foyer when Pax walked by.
“Hey, where you off to?”
“I need to pick up some jeans and I thought maybe you’d like your jacket back.”
“No worries. Want some company?”
“I would but, honestly, you like to shop and I can’t stand it. It needs to be in and out or I’ll go batshit. Most places are only open ‘til nine anyway.”
“I know I don’t need to tell you to watch your back.”
“I will. I’m just going up the road to Chestnut Hill. It’ll be faster.”
It wasn’t until he had gleamed to a dark corner of the parking garage behind Bloomingdale’s that he realized he had no intention of going in. Seconds later, he was materializing in an alley along Boston’s club strip near Kenmore Square. He had no way of knowing whether running into Seth there had been by coincidence or if it was a regular rogue hangout, but it was all he had to go on.
He walked out onto Lansdowne and got lost in the crowd. His only hope was to catch Seth’s scent or pick up the hellion with his senses. Maybe if he could find other rogues, they would lead him to some kind of den. He wasn’t an idiot. He didn’t think he was going to find Seth and they were going to go play hoops together like the old days. But he needed to know how much of his best friend was left. He was clearly a rogue, so something had to be left. Helen was working on a cure for Toltec’s serum. Maybe they could even cure him. It sounded a little nuts, but hell, so did James the New Breed for God’s sake.
After an hour, he was just about to give up. He wasn’t thrilled about lying to Pax, even though he hadn’t planned to. It needed to look like he’d gone to the mall. He decided to give it fifteen more minutes and then head out. He rounded the corner by the Fenway Park’s Green Monster when he felt a tap on his shoulder. He wheeled around and Seth was standing behind him. His friend grinned and took off. He
headed in the same direction he took during their last chase, except this time, he stopped in front of Lucky Strike bowling and walked until James caught up.
“Well, looky here. James Landry, a New Breed. And here I figured all this time you were back at school still sleeping in the locker room.”
James stared at his—friend? Was he the enemy or was he just a kid who was in the wrong place at the wrong time like he’d been? His mouth went all sandpaper on him. “You knew?”
“Yeah, I knew. I didn’t tell anyone, not that it matters now. I didn’t see any point in mentioning it. Wasn’t your fault your parents were who they were.”
Clearly, Seth had somehow made it through the injection with everything upstairs intact, including his memory. James didn’t know what the hell he was supposed to do. Decapitate him? Split a pizza? Somehow he had a feeling this situation wasn’t covered in the New Breed manual.
Seth continued. “How the hell did you get out of the Tolie prison anyway?”
“I was rescued by some New Breeds.”
“Look at us. And we wanted to play for the NBA. Who’da thought?” He lit a cigarette.
Seth smoking? Was this America’s Funniest Home Videos? Seriously. Where was the hidden camera?
“So now what? You play for their team, play by their rules? You should run with us, man. Nobody tellin’ you what to do. Total freedom.”
“You’re killing innocent civilians, Seth.”
“Man’s gotta eat, right? We gotta survive.”
“You don’t have to kill to do it. That’s a choice.”
“The more we take, the stronger we are. It’s a mutant eat mutant world out there. I need to be able to handle myself. Tolies don’t know about us yet, but when they do, we’re gonna be number two on their most wanted list, right below your asses.”
“So why stay?”
“It’s not about Boston to them, James. You know that. This is a world domination thing. They have compounds all over the place. Boston’s the top dog, but we’d constantly be on the run. Where the fuck would we go? It’s not like I can gleam like you. Would you rather have me rob a bank so I could make plane fare?”
There it was. It couldn’t have been clearer to him if there had been a freaking neon as big as the Boston Citgo sign. The rogues were killing innocent shifters for their k’ul, even though they didn’t need anywhere near that much to satisfy their cravings. Seth had always been a smartass, but never about anything important. He could figure this thing out if he wanted to. He flat out just didn’t give a shit. No, the thing standing in front of him wasn’t Seth. He wasn’t sure what it was, but his best friend was gone.
Seth suddenly stepped back and his hand went to his army jacket pocket. “What the fuck, Nazgul?”
His eyes. Fuck.
“Yeah, I know all about the eye thing. I am a hellion.”
James unsheathed his knife and Seth laughed. “So, what, you’re gonna kill me now? Fine. Bring it. We both know there’s no way you’re gonna go through with it. You were a good friend, James. But you were always a pussy.”
That was all it took. James lunged forward. He grabbed Seth by the shirt and pivoted so he was holding him from behind. Seth’s eyes were wide as he looked up at James in shock.
“If I so much as catch a whiff of you taking one innocent life, I will hunt you down. You got me? ”
“Yeah, yeah. I got you.”
James dematerialized and was gone.
Helen took another look through the microscope and sighed. This wasn’t getting her anywhere. It was after nine and her brain had totally shut down for the day. She heard familiar boots in the hallway. Uh-oh. Her mate was tracking her down. Was she supposed to be somewhere?
Diesel leaned in the doorway. “Hey, Doc, are you aware that you’re missing movie night?”
“Damn it. I’m sorry, Dies. Give me a few minutes to wrap up here and I’ll be right there.”
He grinned. “Late for The Bride of Frankenstein. Unbelievable.”
“Ten minutes. I promise.”
“I’ll go make the popcorn.”
Diesel walked down the hall to the compound’s kitchen. Helen definitely was not acting like herself. Not like missing movie night was a federal offense. He was far more worried about the sex thing. She was holding back from him. There was no question. He didn’t think it was the nightmare. There was no way she was afraid of him. Wait a minute. Maybe that was the problem. It was the sleeping next door thing. Fuck. It’s not like he had a choice. Except she probably didn’t see it that way. He wished he could make her understand what he was capable of. Short of taking her out on duty for a whirlwind, guided tour, he didn’t see how that was gonna happen. All she knew was that he loved her, so naturally he would never hurt her. But he already had, and he didn’t even remember doing it. Damn it. He was afraid enough of himself for both of them.
He had absolutely no idea how to talk to her about any of this. Zero. So, I noticed last night when we were having sex…. There was a real conversation starter. Christ. Just shoot me now. He’d never even heard of mated couples having sex without their naguals connecting. Not that it was something shifters would run around talking about. So who the fuck knew?
He pulled the second bag of popcorn out of the microwave and headed back down the hall. The door to their room was already open.
“Dies, are you sure we got the movie back from Pax?”
“Yep. It’s sitting right next to the TV.”
“Oh, right.”
He walked up behind her and wrapped his arms around her. “Are you okay?”
“Yeah.”
Right. Much more of this and he was going to have to name the elephant in the room.
“Okay, come here.” He led her over to the bed and they sat down. “Look, I pull apart mutants twice your size for a living. I can’t be trusted while I’m asleep right now. But the second we know I’m in check, I’ll be heading back to this bed with bells on my toes. I promise you.”
“We won’t be able to base the results of the alpha-1 blocker on fewer flashbacks during the day when you’ve only had one. How are we going to know that you’re not having them at night if you’re sleeping alone?”
“I don’t know. I’ll have Pax sleep in the same room with me for a bit. You’ve pulled me off the other sleeping med, so he should definitely be able to tell. Let’s give it a week and then do that. What d’ya say, female?”
She nodded. “Yeah, okay. That sounds good.”
He looked into her gray eyes and saw no indication of relief at all. She wasn’t worried about the situation becoming permanent. He was wrong. Something was off. Way off. Whatever this was, it wasn’t just about him sleeping next door for a week. She was different somehow. Closed. Whatever this was, it ran much deeper. But how could he fight it when he didn’t know what the hell it was?
James woke with a start. He must’ve fallen asleep with the TV on. He rubbed his eyes. Someone was knocking on the door. “Come in.”
Pax poked his head in. “Hey. I’m sorry. Did I wake you?”
“Naw, man. I fell asleep watching TV. What’s up?”
“Nothing. Just wondered if you’d conquered the mall…I smell hellion, my brother. What gives?”
James ran his hands through his hair. Oh, no. Not now. He’d been fine all night. There was no fucking way in hell he was gonna cry like a little bitch in front of Pax. Unfortunately, his tear ducts seemed to have other plans. Shit.
Pax sat down on the bed. “What the hell happened out there?”
James shook his head.
“It’s okay, James. Whatever it is, you can tell me.”
He wiped his eyes with his hands. “Remember when I took off on you guys on Lansdowne? I did go after a hellion, but it wasn’t to get a piece of the action like I let you think. I…I thought I recognized him.”
“And tonight?”
“I gleamed to the mall and then changed my mind and went looking for him again. I just…I had to know if it w
as him or not is all.”
“Please tell me you didn’t engage it.”
“No. I talked to him—it.” He looked up into Pax’s warm, brown eyes and fell the fuck apart. “Pax, it was him. Seth. My fucking best friend is a rogue.”
Pax couldn’t believe what he’d just heard. As James started to cry, he pulled him into his shoulder. Jesus. Like he hadn’t already been through enough? He held the brother a little longer and then listened as James told their story—how he and Seth had hated each other until James had helped Seth when he first phased. How they’d ended up the only two shifters on Varsity, and Seth had made captain against all odds. How he knew about James living in the school the whole time he was homeless, but had been loyal. He finished with the confrontation outside Lucky Strike.
James shook his head. “I can’t believe what an idiot I was to go out looking for him with visions of the mutant cure dancing in my head. Like some kid. I was so sure he’d be the old Seth and we’d be able to help him. It never even occurred to me that he’d be different. Not really.”
“It wasn’t stupid, James. He was your best friend and in some ways, probably the closest thing you had to family. You believed in him. There’s nothing wrong with that.”
“Yeah, I guess you’re right.”
“Look, there is one thing you should probably keep in perspective. If he’s a rogue, then he’s not only on the Order’s most wanted list, but probably Toltec’s, too. He could very well end up dead. Can you handle that?”
Pax was glad to see the male’s unwavering nod. “Whatever that thing is, it’s not Seth anymore. I don’t care what happens.”
Good. Maybe the douche would end up in a ditch somewhere. He certainly wouldn’t mind being the one to do it. Pax startled himself when a low growl rumbled up from his chest.
He clapped the brother’s shoulder. “You’ve been through a lot lately. You’re very strong. I admire that. Listen, why don’t you get some sleep? I’ll pick you up for breakfast.”
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