His Lost Mate (A Steamy Paranormal Romance Novel) (28 page)

Then his words sunk in. “You showed me that? You mean you’ve been giving me the dreams and visions?”

“Yes. You have to understand, danger surrounds you, surrounds all of your friends. Your lives are all in danger. One of the young warriors will have an unexpected injury. You must release the owl from the earth to repossess its power. The menace is here and will threaten you all. Please, Cimi, find the owl.”

“Unexpected injury? Who? When? Muan, tell me.”

“Your lives are all in danger.” Muan faded then disappeared. Lauren’s heart continued to pound.

* * *

N10 x E10. She stared into the grid, the one she worked in since the day she arrived. This time she was going to make sure that all her collection bags were labeled correctly. But she hadn’t uncovered anything all morning, except for the top of a large, smooth stone.

The stone was black, probably obsidian and larger than the palm of her hand. She hadn’t found the borders of it yet. She was trying not to get her hopes up. If this was the chisel that Muan told her about, then maybe the other things he had said were true—like the location of the jade owl. Sweat dripped into her eyes as she meticulously brushed dirt away from around the block. It was rectangular. It had to be the chisel.

A chill raised the hairs on the back of her neck. She stood up, grabbed her camera from her backpack and quickly snapped a picture. After another half hour, she lifted the black stone and held it in her hand as if it was a giant emerald. One end was flat and sharp, the other end, smooth and rounded. “I knew it. This is Muan’s chisel,” she said out loud.

“Come on, Lauren, take a break,” Kyle called out. He and Justin grabbed their bag lunches and sodas and walked toward Devil’s Pyramid. “Come join us. The view is great from up there.” The two men started climbing the steep stone steps. She waved them on and ran over to Margaret.

“Margaret, I found it,” she announced.

Sitting in a canvas camp chair under a shaded tree, Margaret looked up from her log book. “Found what, dear?”

“The chisel. The one that Muan predicted would be here. This proves that the jade owl is buried at the northwest site.”

“I’ve always believed your owl was buried there,” Margaret said.

“Really? You believed me?”

“Yes, dear. Too many messages from the universe for it not to be there.”

“Lauren, what did you find?” Kyle yelled from on top of the pyramid.

“Come down and I’ll show you,” she shouted.

Margaret held the chisel in her hand, turning it over and examining it closely. “Excellent find. Almost perfect condition. Well done.”

From the top of the pyramid, Kyle cried out. Then Lauren heard a sickening sound, like a stuffed duffle bag tumbling down the stone stairs. She turned and saw Justin somersaulting down the pyramid. “Justin!” Lauren cried as she and Margaret raced toward the pyramid.

Justin reached the bottom and remained motionless. Kyle ran down the steep steps. Margaret and Lauren knelt beside him. “Justin, can you hear me?” Margaret asked.

Justin replied with a moan.

“Move slowly, dear, but don’t try to get up. I want to see if you’ve broken anything.”

“Ouch,” Justin said.

“Ouch?” Kyle said. “After that fall all you have to say is ‘ouch’?”

“Shit,” Justin replied.

“That’s better,” Kyle said. “Where does it hurt, buddy?”

“My head, my elbow, my knees.”

Margaret examined his head. Blood dripped down from his eyebrow. “You have a deep cut here. It might need stitches. Lauren, find something to cover his forehead. Get some ice from the cooler. Kyle, go get Jim. Tell him to drive the Jeep out here. We need to get Justin to the clinic.”

Kyle sprinted down the trail to camp.

Lauren retrieved her bandana and placed some ice in a plastic collection bag. Margaret examined Justin’s arm, gently probing and helping him to bend and straighten it. “I don’t think it’s broken but we should get you to the medical clinic.” She placed the ice pack on his arm and wrapped the bandana around his head to stop the bleeding.

Minutes later, Jim and Kyle returned to the dig in the Jeep.

“What did you do, man?” Jim asked as he helped Justin to his feet.

“He tried to skydive off the pyramid, but forgot his parachute,” Kyle said.

“Very funny, dude,” Justin moaned.

Jim helped him into the backseat of the Jeep and Margaret followed.

“I’m going too,” Kyle said.

“Yes, please let Kyle come,” Justin pleaded.

Margaret turned to Lauren. “Can you collect everything up and bring it back to camp?”

“Sure, no problem.”

Jim hesitated for a minute. “I guess she’ll be okay. I’ll let Andreas and Miguel know. Deven and Sylvia should be back in a few hours.”

Lauren watched the Jeep disappear down the trail, then she started collecting the tools and collection bags. An eerie silence settled around the excavation. She shook off the uneasiness of being alone at the dig and picked up the chisel. Placing it in a bag, she found a marker and labeled the bag, making sure everything was correct.

She stared at the artifact and froze. Justin’s accident was the danger Muan had warned her about. The unexpected injury. She was sure of it. Would there be more accidents? Not if she could help it. “Danger surrounds you and all your friends. The menace is here.” Muan’s words echoed in her head and sent chills down her spine. She couldn’t take the chance.

She had no choice. She had to find the owl. Lauren snatched up her trowel and her backpack and headed for the northwest site.

* * *

Lauren marked off a small grid and recorded her GPS measurements. At least she was following proper protocol as best as she could. Falling to her knees, she began to dig with her trowel, making a neat pile of dirt to be examined later for small fragments of artifacts, bones and seeds. After an hour, she still hadn’t found anything. Wiping sweat with the back of her hand, she sat back on her heels. If she’d made a big mistake, it was too late to stop now, so she continued to dig.

Muan had predicted the crew was in danger. He had to be right, first Kyle’s encounter with the rattlesnake, then Justin’s “unexplained injury”. Danger threatened them all and she suspected something even more deadly was about to happen to the crew. Would a jade owl protect them? Could and an ancient artifact possess that much power?

As she removed several small stones, her heart skipped a beat, hoping each one was the owl. No luck. She couldn’t stop thinking about what Deven would say when he found out. He’d be furious. Despite the consequences, she had to find the owl. Their lives depended on it, she had a gut feeling.

Finally, after another two hours of labor, she found a stone. It was three inches long, smooth and rectangular.

“Yes. Yes. This has to be it.” She continued to dig. When she freed the green stone, she flipped it over and saw the carvings. Large eyes, small ears and feathers were intricately carved, depicting an owl.

“He was right.” She wanted to leap for joy, but it was a bittersweet triumph. Now what? How was she going to tell Deven?

A rustling in the jungle made her spin around. Someone approached the site. But no one knew she was out there. Her heart pounded as she clutched the jade owl in her hand. Bending down, she picked up her trowel and gripped it tightly.

Then Deven appeared, pushing aside a palm frond.

“I figured you’d be here. Margaret told me about the chisel.” Deven walked up to the grid and grimaced when he saw the hole. He shook his head. “I wish you had waited.”

The disappointment in his voice made her heart clench. She dropped her trowel in the dirt. “I know but I couldn’t wait. After Justin got hurt, I was afraid all of us were in danger. Muan told me it would be here, and he said I had to dig it up for protection. He was right about the location of the chisel, about the snake nearly biting Kyle, about Justin having an unexplained injury, and he was right about the jade owl. So maybe he’s also right about all of us being in danger.” She was shaking now. How could she convince him?

“Justin tripped. It was an accident and the jungle is full of snakes,” Deven shouted.

“How is Justin? Did you see him? Will he be all right?”

He ran a hand through his hair and softened his voice. “Justin suffered cuts and bruises. He’s going to be okay. Sylvia and I ran into them along the road to Tikal and followed them to the clinic. Justin is going to stay the night for observation.”

“I’m glad he’s okay. And I’m sorry I dug here without permission, but I had to see if it was here and I did find the owl. Look.” Lauren held it out in her hand and Deven picked it up.

“Nice find,” he said without enthusiasm then handed it back to her. “I’m going to have to ban you from the excavation.”

“What?” Lauren shouted.

“When the local officials find out that we’ve dug here before a permit was issued, they might shut down the El Zotz project. I have to show them that I’m dealing with this incident seriously. I have no choice, Lauren.”

“I know this looks bad but I have to finish the semester so I can graduate. I can’t afford to pay for another semester and many of my credits will be expiring in the fall.” Lauren tried to keep her voice steady. She wanted to burst out in tears.

“I’m sorry, Lauren. I know how much you want to graduate, but I don’t know what else to do. You’ll be lucky if I can keep them from arresting you.”

Lauren fought back tears while she collected her tools and the precious artifact. She packed them in her backpack then strode off to camp. Deven followed several paces behind. Neither spoke during the walk back. The atmosphere between them was cold and distant. The love of her life had slipped through her fingers, her career was disintegrating and it was all her fault.

When they arrived at the camp, Deven walked straight into his tent without a word. Lauren fled into her tent, plopped down on her cot and gave in to sobs.

A knock at her tent silenced her weeping, and she quickly brushed her tears away. “Who is it?”

“Lauren, it’s me, Kyle. Are you okay? What happened? Deven looks pissed and you’re upset. Can I come in?”

Lauren dragged herself up and unzipped her tent flap. “Come on in.” She wiped tears away with the back of her hand and plopped down on her cot again.

Kyle stood over her. “Did you guys get in a fight or something?”

“Deven has banned me from the Big Dig.”

“Why?” Kyle sat down next to her.

While Lauren explained the story of unearthing the owl without permission, she retrieved the jade carving from her pack and showed it to him.

He turned it over in his hand then handed it back to her. “Cool. Now I know why Deven is pissed but I understand why you did it. I probably would’ve too.”

“In one afternoon, I managed to ruin my career and…other things.”

“Lauren, I know you and Deven have a thing going.” When she started to deny it, he interrupted her. “Come on, it’s obvious to anyone with half a brain. If there’s anything I can do let me know.” He paused for a moment then smiled. “Do you want me to beat him up for you?”

Lauren laughed at that. “No, don’t beat him up.”

“It’ll work out. You’ll see. And if it doesn’t, that’s his loss. I’ll go out with you.”

“Thanks for trying to make me feel better.” She sighed heavily. “I need to take a walk. Maybe I can figure a way to repair the damage.” She stood up and dropped another water bottle into her backpack.

“Want some company?”

“No, I really need to be alone. Thanks anyway.”

“Where are you going? Dinner will be ready soon.”

Lauren stepped out her tent and Kyle followed. “To the waterfall to take some pictures. I have a feeling I’ll be going home early, so I better take them now. Maybe the distraction will help.”

“Okay. See you later. Don’t miss dinner.”

Lauren jogged down the trail to the waterfall and pond. By the time she reached the water, she was panting and sweating. Should have worn my bathing suit, she thought. She knelt down by the edge of the pond and splashed water on her face with cupped hands. The water was refreshing, the scenery beautiful and tranquil. It still didn’t help to ease the hole in her heart.

She dropped her backpack and climbed up the waterfall. She remembered watching Deven climb up the stones, his body hard and glistening in the sun. She didn’t think he’d ever forgive her or trust her again professionally or personally. It was over between them.

She stepped behind the waterfall and listened to the roar of water plunging over the ledge. She reached out her hand and let the water rush over it until her fingers felt numb. Leaning back against the wet stone wall, she closed her eyes and felt the moisture penetrate her T-shirt.

“I found your owl, Muan. Now what?” she said out loud.

Would he return and tell her what she was supposed to do? Would she have any more dreams or visions? She hoped it was all over. Maybe by finding the owl the ghost could rest peacefully. Unfortunately, it had to be at her expense.

Lauren checked her watch. She had about another hour before Kyle would come looking for her. She didn’t have any appetite for dinner. How could she face the crew?

As she stepped out from behind the waterfall, she saw two men at the edge of the pond wearing camouflage uniforms and each carrying rifles. One had her backpack in his hand. She felt the heated rush of adrenaline surge through her body. She had to stop jumping every time she saw these guys. They waved for her to come down.

“I know, I’m late. Sorry.” Squinting, she tried to see who they were. They didn’t look like Miguel or Andreas, maybe they had taken a day off and these guys were filling in.

As she walked over to them, she said, “Hi,” and waved, trying to look confident and not scared. “Did Deven send you to get me? Jim have dinner ready?” She reached for her backpack and they pulled it away from her.

“You come with us, now,” the one with the backpack said.

Lauren nodded then started walking toward the trail. The other man with a beard grabbed her arm. “This way.” He indicated the opposite direction and started dragging her.

“Let go!” she shouted as she tried to jerk her arm free. Ignoring the presence of guns, she kicked him, aiming for his crotch, but he turned and she only hit his thigh.