Human and Freakn'

by Eve Langlais

  “Jealous?”

  “Yeah,” his best friend quietly admitted. “When I told the old man I was going on this trip and that it might be dangerous, he just grunted.”

  “I’m sure deep down inside, he gives a damn.”

  “Really, really deep. But who cares? We’re going on an adventure.”

  “A rescue mission,” Kendrick corrected.

  “Whatever. I am not going to let the fact my dad already cleared out my room to turn it into a study bother me.”

  Kendrick slowed as they neared a check-in area. “Did you spike his rum with a laxative before you left?”

  “Damned straight. And the whiskey too.” Joel grinned.

  “Think a violent case of the shits is going to send him to AA?” Kendrick asked as he slid off his shoes and began the pirouette as the agent at the gate scanned him for weapons. As if he needed something so paltry as a knife or a gun. His deadly inner wolf didn’t set off any alarms. The joy of being his own weapon.

  “My dad, go to AA? Only if they serve alcohol.”

  Despite the fact Joel would punch him if he knew, Kendrick felt sorry for his poor buddy. His mother, a human who never found out she’d mated with a shifter, left when Joel was just a pup. Unlike a shifter, humans were immune to the mating bond. Not so for the unlucky mate left behind. Devastated at her abandonment, Joel’s dad turned into an alcoholic who refused all help. There was no cure for a mate who lost the other half of his soul, even a human one. Poor Joel suffered the consequences.

  Kendrick wondered sometimes what would have happened to Joel if his parents hadn’t opened their home and hearts to him, giving him a place to crash when his dad went on one of his binges. They’d built a strong friendship over those hard years, hard years that Joel prolonged by staying at home, worried his father would hurt himself during one of his excessive moments. Despite himself, Joel couldn’t help but love his father, a man whose psyche never healed from the loss of his mate. A fate Joel swore he’d never suffer.

  For his sake, Kendrick hoped his friend would one day find a woman, a shifter woman, to love and trust. In the meantime, Kendrick decided Joel needed a break from the emotional nastiness of his life. Some time away from his father, a bit of R&R for himself, maybe some playtime with exotic girls. While the reason proved serious, the timing of the mission worked. When he got the call, Kendrick couldn’t think of a better partner to have on this trip, a rescue mission in the heart of the Lacandon rain forest, and home to a tribe of legend, the Luunnaa Xtaabay Jix, more commonly known as the Moon Ghost Jaguars.

  Boys grew up on stories of their prowess as warriors, how they survived in the wild, the last Mayan survivors, hidden from the real world. Of special intrigue, the rumors that the Luunnaa Xtaabay Jix stalked and kidnapped their brides, choosing from the most beautiful village girls and then spiriting them away from under their families’ and village’s very noses. These abductions were valued rather than feared or guarded against because of the riches left in the girl’s place. Gold. Jewels. Wealth enough to make a poor family celebrate their daughter’s good fortune.

  It sounded dashing and dangerous. Kendrick, once upon a time, wished he could have belonged to the Luunnaa Xtaabay Jix. Or, as Ma liked to call them, ‘those women stealing perverts’.

  But this time, the Moon Ghost Jaguars took the wrong girls. A botanical expedition of university students ended up the victims of a bride raid, or so the clues indicated. Three of the girls on that trip – one American and two Canadian girls, all pretty and under the age of thirty – disappeared into thin air. Left in their place? The most ridiculously sized emeralds and diamonds. Chaos erupted in the news before anyone could stop it.

  White slavers kidnap students on fieldtrip, but in an odd twist, leave payment.

  Virgin sacrifices have begun again deep in the ancient Mayan jungles. Pray to the gods for aide.

  Wild cat men are just one of the rumors behind some kidnappings in the rainforest. Villagers say it is the Moon Ghosts, men disguised as big cats …

  Usually, missing human girls wouldn’t make a person bat an eye, but when the news speculated on shifters? Action was required, along with damage control. And that’s where Kendrick, Joel, and a few other specially chosen shifters came into play.

  “How long is this flight again?” Joel asked as they took their seats on the plane and buckled in for takeoff.

  “Long enough for you to read the file instead of skimming it.”

  “Who says I didn’t memorize it?”

  Kendrick didn’t bother to smother his snort. “I know you.”

  “Can’t I get the cliff notes?”

  “Not from me, you won’t. Read. It will be good for you. Might wake up that brain of yours. And when you’re done studying the mission, I’ve got a book on the different species of plants and animals we can expect on our trip.”

  A prolonged groan rumbled out of Joel. “Way to suck all the fun out of this adventure. I thought this was supposed to be a hunt and rescue? Us against nature. Men in shining fur coming to the rescue.”

  “It is. I don’t know about you, but personally, I’d rather know which leaf not to wipe with given some of the foliage in that area can give even our tough skins a rash. Not to mention, I’d like to know what critters to avoid. Did you know there’s a bug in some waters that can climb up your tool and cause havoc?” Just the thought made his dick shrivel in an attempt to hide.

  A big sigh escaped Joel. “I hate it when you tell me shit like this after the plane has already taken off. Would it kill you to warn me ahead of time so I can tell you no freakn’ way?”

  “And have you miss out on the adventure of a lifetime? Buddy, have you seen the images of the three girls we’re supposed to rescue?”

  “Hot?” Joel queried, his blues eyes lighting with hope.

  “Very. And grateful. Don’t forget very, very grateful when we rescue them from the wild men who took them.”

  Lips stretched in a wide smile, Joel sat up. “Dude, you just said the magic words. Now shut up. I’ve got some reading to do.”

  Holding in a snicker, Kendrick turned to look out the window, the fluffy duvet of clouds he flew over almost anathema. Wolves traveled on land and by foot when possible, unless the drive spanned days and time was of essence, then flying would do. But no true shifter enjoyed it.

  What he could admit, however, was his appreciative male enjoyment as he watched the flight attendant bend over when Joel dropped his straw, the slacks pulling taut over her slim ass.

  It’s a long flight and I’ve never applied to the mile high club. No time like the present, he thought, flashing the stewardess a grin.

  A smart man, Kendrick would take what he could now because once they entered the jungle, they wouldn’t see any women until they managed to rescue the missing ones. Even then, traumatized by their experience, forget any fun time in the sack despite his words to Joel. He and his buddy would probably have to deal with a hysterical bunch that would require counseling – and severe hypnotism by the secret shifter council who kept their kind safe. Only once the council got through with them, would the human girls return to the normal world with no memory of their time in the jungle and any trauma they might have suffered.

  Despite knowing there would be no women, no real recognition, but lots of danger, Kendrick couldn’t wait for the adventure of a lifetime. A man and his wolf against a primitive jungle on a quest to find a tribe of legend.

  Totally freakn’ cool.

  I’d give anything to feel cool again. Ruth fanned herself and wondered, not for the first time, what the heck she was doing traveling thousands of miles from home. Her family warned her not to go, her mother pleading with her to stay so she wouldn’t lose another child. The authorities cautioned against it as well, but with her sister Carlie missing in the jungle and no clear answers from the people investigating, she couldn’t sit still. So on a plane she hopped, traveling way out of her comfort zone, with her nerves strung taut, hoping that
somehow, someway she might make a difference.

  Forget making a difference. I’m more likely to faint from dehydration. Not a breeze stirred the humid and heavy air at the airport, and the stench of hundreds of bodies – sweat and perfume blending with the aroma of cooking food – made her wish for the crisp cleanness of her garden at home. My oasis.

  People often joked they possessed a green thumb, but Ruth possessed more than that, or so people claimed when they saw the miniature jungle she’d managed to create on the rooftop deck of her apartment building. To say she loved plants put it mildly. From an early age, she’d developed a fascination for nature and the things that grew as a result of the earth’s bounty. When it came time for a career choice, botany seemed the most natural course.

  Had she arrived in the southern part of the Yucatan Peninsula for any other reason, she would have delighted in exploring and taking samples of the local fauna. But she had another purpose, and she wouldn’t allow herself to be deterred.

  Peering around, she managed to decipher where her baggage would arrive and scooped her suitcase without mishap. Lugging it behind her on squeaky wheels, she weaved and dodged, heading toward what she hoped was the exit.

  What a chaotic place. Ruth tried not to flinch as a wave of sound enveloped her. Used to quiet places and small groups of people at a time, this pushed the boundaries of her comfort levels. But she couldn’t turn back. Not with her sister’s wellbeing possibly at stake.

  As she fought to remember her bits and pieces of Spanish to relay to the taxi driver where she wanted to go, she heard the bellow of an irate passenger. “What do you mean you lost my freakn’ luggage?” For some reason, it caught her attention and she turned her head only to see the broad back of a man, more like a giant, gesturing wildly.

  It sucked to be him, she thought as she handed her own meager set of bags to the driver who piled them into the cab’s trunk before taking her on a hair-raising drive to her hotel. It seemed speed limits and road rules were the choice of the driver. Thankfully, hers must have trained with some stunt-devils because she’d never seen someone slide into so many tight spots at high speeds, and without even a scratch.

  Despite having lost about ten years off her life, she checked in without mishap. The place she’d chosen, found on the Internet and not as pretty as the images on the site suggested, appeared clean, if worn out by time and the passage of people. The flowered bedcover on the sagging double bed hung over the sides, thin and faded from many washings. Artistic prints framed in brass rectangles hung on the painted – salmon pink and peeling – cement walls. As for the window, it didn’t open, and even if it did, thick bars were bolted outside of it. How reassuring.

  As for the teeny, tiny bathroom? It did possess one saving grace. It smelled of lemon scented cleaner and had toilet paper.

  Not bothering to unpack, Ruth headed into the tiny bathroom to wash her face. In the chipped mirror, she caught sight of her reflection – wan with dark circles under her eyes, a result of too many sleepless nights since her sister’s reported disappearance. How could she rest when as soon as her eyes closed, the nightmares descended, horrible dreams that woke her crying for her lost sibling?

  Splashing more tepid water on her face, she changed the blouse sticking to her skin to a fresh one and reapplied some antiperspirant, which worked all of two seconds before the pervasive heat made her skin sticky again. But by then, she’d already headed out again with instructions to find the local police station.

  She returned an hour later frustrated beyond belief.

  How can they not tell me anything? It was her sister lost in the jungle. Kidnapped, or so the evidence indicated. Never mind the naysayers and those with averted eyes saying she’d be found. She knew they lied to placate her. Ruth knew better than to listen to them. Carlie was alive. She could feel it.

  “What are you doing to find her?” she’d asked the officer in charge of her sister’s case.

  “Do not worry. We are looking into it.”

  The generic answer echoed around her as other people inquired about their own personal problems. It didn’t reassure. Frustrated, she left the police headquarters and headed back to the hotel.

  If the police won’t help me, then I’ll just have to do something myself. Easier said than done. Finding a guide was easy; finding a guide who would take her into the jungle to find her sister’s last location? An exercise in futility.

  But she wouldn’t give up. Not while she knew in her heart of hearts that Carlie was alive.

  I will find her.

  She just didn’t know how. Dragging her feet back to the hotel, wondering if she should invest in a good night’s sleep before tackling the police again, an employee of the hotel waylaid her.

  “Package for you, miss.”

  A package? She took the small box addressed to her in boldly printed letters and frowned. No one in her family had time to send her anything and no one else knew she was here. So what the heck was in the box?

  She took it up to her room and stared at it for a moment, wondering if it contained something dangerous. A white girl, alone in a strange country, ripe picking for criminal sorts – or so her mother wailed at the airport – she had to wonder if opening it would prove dangerous.

  Maybe it’s booby trapped and I’ll release a gas that will render me unconscious until I wake up in some harem as a sex slave to a handsome prince. Wrong country. She didn’t think the Yucatan had royalty. And speculating wouldn’t open the mysterious package. Slitting it open with a nail file she had stashed in her luggage, she flicked the lid open and jumped back just in case. Nothing sprang out so she leaned forward and peered at the contents.

  No way. Did she dare believe what she beheld? Did she dare hope? Can I be so lucky? She sure hoped so.

  Chapter 2

  Haven’t I had my share of bad luck yet?

  “What do you mean the group started without us?” Kendrick growled, not that the wizened old man before him seemed to care.

  “You were late. They left.” Gnarly shoulders shrugged.

  “Because the bus from the airport got a flat.”

  “Still late.”

  “But I’m supposed to lead the damned expedition.”

  “Then you should have set a better example and arrived on time,” the old geezer announced all too smugly.

  “Well that’s just freakn’ great.” And getting mad at the guide, the only other one available, unfortunately, wouldn’t change a damned thing.

  It seemed things went downhill the moment after they stepped on the plane. Or as Joel joked, they must have offended Lady Luck because since their departure, they’d encountered nothing but problem after problem, which translated into delay after delay.

  It began with turbulence midflight. Forget joining the mile high club, despite the overt invitation from the cute flight attendant. Who could think of screwing when his stomach spent most of the rocky flight in his throat, reinforcing his belief that four-legged creatures should keep their damned paws on the ground? The roughness eventually passed, but then they got held for hours at some airport. Not allowed to leave the plane, he could only watch with great concern as men in grey jumpsuits swarmed one of the wings with tools and even a blue-flamed torch. So reassuring.

  The plane lifted and nothing caught on fire or fell off. They made it to their destination in one piece – without a single antacid left on board. Things continued to go wrong. Landing should have ended his woes, the bouncy, inflatable slide off the plane was especially fun. So what if a few people stared at him funny when he dropped to his knees and kissed the ground? Did his problems end there?

  Nope. It seemed they’d offended someone with a higher power as their luggage didn’t appear as scheduled, and only after they hunted down an airport staff member and threatened to feed him his balls did they get him tracking the missing bags. Yeah, they found them eventually, mangled and torn, but at least most of his clothes survived, if reeking of Axe body spray. By then, the taxi
s were gone and they waited a ridiculous amount of time for the next one.

  After a shitty night’s sleep – a mattress with poking springs, a noisy couple who enjoyed angry sex, and the whine of mosquitoes in his ear – bleary eyed, they set off on the next leg of their trip.

  What a nightmare. He should have rented a car because the buses in this Godforsaken place made him want to call his mother so he could tell her one last time he loved her. Okay, he exaggerated. The first few weren’t too bad, but the last one to this most remote and hellish of places? Hot, sweaty, jam packed, not to mention late because it drove using wind and prayer, a lot of prayer. All the Hail Marys in the world wouldn’t have saved that tire, though.

  Then, to top off a marvelous two day voyage? The other team members left without him and Joel. Nice teamwork. If not for the shifter council’s insistence they work together because of their individual skills, Kendrick would have said screw them and bypassed their group altogether.

  “Who cares if they went ahead?” Joel remarked. “We’ll catch up to them, no problem.”

  “I know.” But it still didn’t explain his overpowering need to find the group. Sure, he’d kind of gotten assigned leader position, but only because nobody wanted it. Leader meant paperwork. Who volunteered for that kind of punishment? So he if he didn’t really care who was in charge, then why the big hurry?

  Ever since they’d hit the village, impatience gripped him. Hell, even his wolf woke to pace his mind, urging him to hurry. To get his lazy ass moving. No reason given as to why, but the urgency made Kendrick irritable.

  Determined to not let minor setbacks ruin his adventure, Kendrick took some deep breaths, and allowed his senses to open up, to fully embrace and enjoy the wildness surrounding them. I’m here. In a land man and his modern ways has yet to ruin. It didn’t take long once they left the village to lose all signs of civilization. Inside the dense jungle, nature reigned supreme.

  Towering arboreal monoliths stretched high, their thick canopy shading the travelers from the sun. Wild blooms in a rainbow of colors sprouted around them, their scents heady and yet pleasing, their foliage vivid and perfectly displayed against the green. The lush smells of the forest tickled across his nasal passages – rich earth, foliage, the trail of wild animals, and things more exotic.