MayanCraving (5 page)

Nancy had said the ritual sacrifices back in San Lorenzo had
taken place just after dark. It was logical to assume that it would be the same
in Chichen Itza, so it was unlikely they could save anyone this night. Not that
he believed Robyn was even in the ancient ruins, but he’d rather show up the
next day before the sacrifice than for Nancy to find her sister dead and know
she’d been an hour too late. Hopefully, the element of surprise would give them
some advantage over the demons.

Though little more than an outcropping of large rocks, the
cave would provide some shelter. He saw Nancy shivering in the cold of the
desert night, and he decided to risk lighting a fire in order to keep them
warm.

Nancy curled up against his side, and he closed his eyes.

“Ash?” she said.

He loved the way her voice sounded low and sensuous against
his neck. He could feel her warm breath on his skin just below his ear and his
shaft responded. “Yeah?”

“Are you going to make love to me or not?”

His eyes popped open and he found her looking up at him with
wide, deep eyes. “I didn’t think you’d want to.” He didn’t know how to explain
his thoughts regarding her sister’s possible proximity and not wanting sex. Now
that he thought about it, he wasn’t sure what he’d been thinking. Finally, he
just said, “I thought you might be too tired.”

“Tomorrow we’re going to invade a demon lair and will
probably be killed. I figure waiting for a better time would be foolish.” She
smiled when she said it, but her words held a lot of truth.

Sitting up, he ran his hand through his hair. He didn’t look
at her, but kept his eyes on the fire. “I don’t want to be the kind of man who
turns down such a generous and beautiful offer, Nance. And don’t misunderstand,
I want you. I want you so bad that I ache with it.”

“What’s wrong?” she asked.

She sat up and leaned her back against the rock, watching
him warily.

“Why now, Nance?”

“What do you mean?”

He looked at her, and she turned away for a moment before
meeting his eyes again. “For five years we’ve been friends. Great friends.
We’ve worked side by side to help build a community at Teotihuacan. I would do
anything for you. I think you’ve known from the beginning that this,” he
indicated the two of them, “is what I’ve wanted all these years.”

She smiled and blushed a little. “I still don’t understand.”

“Why now?”

“Why not?” she countered. Her voice rose and the deep sexy
sound was replaced with belligerence.

“That’s no answer. You’ve never given me any indication that
you were the least bit attracted to me until yesterday. I want to know what
changed. Or has nothing changed, and if we survive the next few days, will you
pretend that none of this ever happened between us? Because I can guarantee
you, I cannot go back to just being a good friend. I wish I was that noble, but
I’m only human.”

He turned away and stared at the fire.

Her hand touched his shoulder, but he still didn’t turn.

“I feel like an idiot,” he said.

“No, Ash. I’m sorry. This is my fault. I am attracted to
you. I guess that yesterday was the first time that I really looked at you. And
maybe nearly dying made me take that look, but believe me when I tell you, I’m
very attracted to you. If we live, I could never go back to thinking of you as
just a good buddy again.”

He turned back to see her big brown eyes watching him in
earnest. “Is that true?”

She cocked her head to one side and the corners of her lips
bowed up. “You know I would never lie to you about anything, especially not
something this important.”

“And when we get back home?” he asked.

She looked away. “I don’t know.”

“Because of Ian.” It wasn’t a question.

Her silence confirmed his fears. He got up and moved to the
entrance of the little cave. His fist clenched so hard his calloused fingertips
bit into his skin. The muscles in his arms burned, but it was nothing compared
to the pain in his gut. “If I fuck you hard enough, will that make you forget
Ian?”

He heard her move, and in a moment, she rushed past him,
about to leave the cave. He grabbed her arm. “You stay. I’ll go.” Taking the
gun from the ground, he walked into the cool spring night.

It was just as well. Someone should be watching for demons.
Asher climbed to the top of the rock ledge protecting the cave below and
wrapped his arms around himself to ward off the chill in the air. Lightning
flashed in the west. Darker clouds moved in and large drops of rain showered
the ground. The rain came so fast that a flash flood washed through the desert.

The noise of rushing water, wind and thunder filled his
ears, and he realized he wouldn’t hear Nancy if she needed him.

The earlier fight forgotten, he started down to get Nancy to
higher ground. As soon as he began the climb down, he saw her hand grasping for
a hold on the wet stone. She lifted the packs to him first. Tossing them onto
the flat rock, he immediately reached down and grasped her hand to pull her up.

“I’m sorry,” she yelled above the pounding rain.

He shook his head, but she probably couldn’t see him. “I
asked for more than you can give and then got mean when I didn’t get my way.”

She didn’t say anything for a long time while they huddled
together on the rocks. The rain pelted them, but there was little chance of
finding shelter, as the sand below had given way to a rushing river streaking
through the desert. They were shrouded in complete darkness, broken only by the
intermittent flashes of lightning.

“Why can’t this be enough, Ash?” Her lips brushed his ear so
she could be heard over the pounding thunder. “I want you. I love the way you
want me. Why do we have to think about what will happen later, when there may
not even be a later? Can’t we just be together now?”

He turned his head, leaving only a sliver of space between
their lips. She licked her lips, and due to their proximity, her tongue touched
his mouth as well. His lips devoured hers and her hands slid under his shirt.
All his thoughts about what might or might not happen in the days to come flew
out of his head, rinsed away with the rain.

Booming thunder rattled the stones, but there was no escape
from the storm. They were fully exposed to the elements and each other.

Asher leaned back against a large rock, pulling Nancy onto
his lap, facing him. Her ass was soft and round in his hands and she smelled
like the lavender soap from the little pueblo and the earthy rain. Her legs
wrapped around his waist and she wiggled forward provocatively, pressing
against his already-responding cock. It finally started to sink in, this was
his Nancy and she wanted him. The fear of losing her that created the tightness
in his chest began to subside as the realization struck him. Her eyes were wide
open.
She wants me
.
Ian is hundreds of miles away and Nancy Jones is
in my arms.

With his lips, he followed rivulets of water as they ran
down her cheek and neck.

She arched her back, thrusting her tits forward and giving
him better access. The buttons of her shirt fell easily open and he took one
tight nipple into his mouth through her undershirt. He thought he heard her
squeal above the storm’s din. Encouraged, he gave the other breast the same
treatment before pushing her blouse off her shoulders and pulling the T-shirt
over her head.

In a flash of lightning, he admired her rounded breasts and
the way her torso narrowed to her waist. Her hips curved gently, disappearing
under low-slung jeans. He unsnapped the fly and slid his forefinger under the
waistband of her panties. She pressed forward against his touch.

His cock already strained painfully against his jeans, and
as if she could hear his thoughts, her small hands quickly freed his shaft and
curled delightfully around him. Her warm hand contrasted with the cool rain;
one sliding up, the other coursing down. The new sensation had him breathing
raggedly. He knew the only thing that would be better, at that moment, than her
fingers would be to bury himself deep in her tight wet pussy.

He moaned, but the sound was lost in the cacophony that
surrounded them. “Nancy, that’s so good.” He doubted she could hear him.

Her lips were on his ear. “I want you inside me, Ash.”

Her tongue traced a line around the curve of his ear.
Enchanted by her soft words his cock jump in her hand. Lifting her to standing,
he worked her sodden jeans down her legs with her panties. She stepped out of
them and straddled his lap once again, but this time she came forward until her
slick pussy rubbed his engorged head.

Her body’s readiness pushed him to the brink of embarrassing
himself. Asher closed his eyes and steadied his breathing for a moment. It
wouldn’t do to spill his seed all over the rocks before he’d even dipped into
her sweet pot. Besides, he wanted her to come, needed her to. The memory of her
pulsing around his rod, pulling every last drop from him, was enough to keep a
man going for a lifetime. Lucky for him, he would experience that miracle
again, but only if he controlled himself long enough. The strain caused a harsh
laugh to push up and out of his mouth.

“What?” she asked over the storm.

He tucked a clump of wet hair out of her face and kissed her
cheek. God she was beautiful. Drops of rain spilled down her face and clung to
her eyelashes. Each flash of lightning allowed him to see the spark of want in
her eyes.

“Nothing. I just want you so much, it hurts.”

Her mouth opened, either in surprise or because she was
going to say something. Then those sweet lips that he’d coveted for so many
years, closed without a word, but they curved up in a smile that let him know
she’d liked what he’d said. She rose to her knees, her small hand still held
his cock firmly, and she guided him inside her tight passage. Nancy’s slit was
warm and wet, and she encased him tightly in that perfect combination. Closing
his eyes again, he moaned her name, and this time he was sure he heard her
groan, and she did again and again with each rise and fall of her body around
him.

Her pussy held him so snugly that he thought for a moment he
would really lose control and come too soon. Asher’s hands gripped her hips,
assisting her up and down with each move, while setting a pace that would drive
them both mad, but also prolong their lovemaking. The boulder bit into his back
and the torrential rains battered them both, but he only felt the rising
sensation between his legs and the soft skin of the woman astride him. It was
like sliding into butter, with gentle suction around his shaft as she moved up,
leaving only his head inside her.

Her pace quickened with his need and in a flash he saw her
head thrown back. The rapture on her face satisfied him like nothing he’d ever
experienced before. Pleasing Nancy was all that mattered in that moment. He
brought one hand around and pressed his thumb against her clit, rubbing the bud
fast and hard. Her mouth opened, but the thunder drowned out her cries. She
rose and fell harder and harder with each plunge. His hips lifted to meet her
as his climax overtook him and he emptied himself inside her. She slammed down
one last time and this time he heard her screams over the storm’s rumble. Her
sheath pulsed around him, milking every drop of fluid from his cock and bathing
him in her warm juices.

Asher couldn’t catch his breath. He wrapped his arms around
her, pulling her close while resting his head against her heaving chest. They
stayed like that a long while, just holding each other while the shivers of the
orgasm gushed over them more powerfully than any downpour.

“Are you okay?” he asked.

“Yes. You?”

He adjusted his bottom. “Other than the fact that there’s a
rock jabbing me in the ass, I’m fantastic.”

He heard her low chuckle and felt sorry when she lifted off
him and grabbed for her jeans. He adjusted his dick and zipped his fly, while
watching her struggle into the soaked denim. She pulled and squirmed, lifting
one hip and then the other. Her tussle with the heavy denim was enough to leave
him straining against his zipper again. When she settled back down next to him,
he pulled a blanket from his pack and wrapped them both in it. Though wet, it
offered some protection from the wind.

“The cave was flooding when I came up here,” she said.

He nodded. “We’ll have to wait it out. It’s cold, but at
least we won’t drown.”

Her arm wrapped around his middle, she pressed her head
against his chest. He kissed her hair and pulled her tighter to him and they
waited. If hearts could sing, Asher Dove thought for sure his was blowing out a
full opera. Even with the storm battering them, holding Nancy in his arms filled
him with unexpected joy.

* * * * *

The storm broke as the sun attempted to peek into the new
day. The same red clouds that had followed them the past few days quickly
quashed any further try for sunshine.

Ten feet below them, the new river still flowed. Now the
surface was tame rather than the rapids of the night before. Everything they
owned was wet, including the guns, which meant that they might not fire when
needed. The Indian had been washed away, but he could see it a hundred yards
away, on its side with the tires buried in the wet sand.

Sloshing through the water to get to drier ground, they set
the motorcycle upright. Amazingly, the old gem started on the first try.

Chapter Four

The Indian had to be abandoned several miles from Chichen
Itza. Charging in on the noisy bike would have been like ringing the doorbell.
Neither of them possessed Aileen’s ability to shoot electricity from her
fingertips, so a frontal attack hadn’t seemed like a good idea.

Asher had somehow talked her into waiting behind an ancient
wall while he looked around. Nancy’s clothes were nearly dry, thanks to the
warm weather and the whipping wind on the motorcycle. She reached back, rubbing
her neck. Between her capture, captivity, near sacrifice, sex and sleeping on a
rock in the rain, her muscles protested every movement. Asher had jumped off
the Indian like he was in peak shape. She’d smiled at his disheveled
appearance. His long hair stood out from his head, and he ran his hand through
it several times in a failed attempt to tame it. Now she thought of her own
hair and what a mess she must look. She shrugged, dismissing her vanity, and
looked around the corner for signs of Asher or demons.

The street was clear, not that the fact gave her much
comfort. Geoffrey had seen demons and hostages only a month ago during his
patrol. Those Demons couldn’t have gone much farther. They were at the very
edge of the Yucatan Peninsula, surrounded by the waters of the Gulf of Mexico
and the Caribbean Sea. The empty ruins felt wrong. The minions of Mictlan were
here somewhere.

Having Asher’s hands on her had been the first thing to feel
right since the End of Days. She could feel her mouth tipping up at the memory.
The entire world had become an abomination, but being with him felt like
finally coming home.

Finally she spotted Asher skirting around the ruined
building directly across the square. He made his way around, sticking to the
shadows and avoiding any open areas. A school bus blocked her view of his
progress. It took him ten times longer to get to where she waited, and by the
time he arrived, she knew her impatience showed.

“There’s no one here, Ash. I think you could have crossed
the square.”

“They’re here,” he said. “Can’t you smell them?”

A shift in the breeze confirmed his observation.

“What did you find?”

“The pyramid looks like it’s being prepared for something,”
he said, looking back. “It’s covered in newly painted symbols.”

“El Castillo. That’s what they called the pyramid.” She
glanced back at the structure.

He nodded. “I saw the sign. There seems to be something
happening to the west, but I’m not sure what it is. I noticed that the demons
have worn a path in that direction.”

“Balankanche.”

“What’s that?” he asked.

“I wish I still had that map,” she lamented. “I studied one
of Aileen’s old tourist maps of the area. The Cave of Balankanche is a little
over two miles to the west. It would be a perfect place to keep prisoners. The
caves were sacred to the Mayans.”

“A cave.” He grimaced. “That might make a rescue tougher.
How are we going to get in and out of a cave without being seen?”

“I don’t know, but if my sister is in that cave, I’m going
to get her out.” Her voice had risen.

He shook his head. “Let’s go look and see exactly what the
situation is before you lose your temper with me. I’m just trying to keep us
alive, Nancy.”

“I know,” she said. “But I’m not leaving Robyn behind.”

“We don’t even know if she’s here,” he countered.

“She’s here. I can feel it.” Even as she said the words,
Nancy realized they were true. She’d lost her entire family at the End of Days,
but somehow she’d always known that her little sister had lived. Only fifteen
at the time, Robyn had been traveling with their parents in Florida. The entire
family had gone down to visit their grandparents for the Christmas holidays,
but Nancy had refused to go. She’d stayed home in Atlanta, preferring to spend
time with her friends rather than visit with her family. She could never
forgive herself for being so stupid. Coming home after a one-year sabbatical
between high school and college, she’d been excited to see her friends and hear
their tales. She’d thought there would be dozens of holiday celebrations with
her family.

The guilt that had followed her for the past five years
flooded her once again.
How could I have been so selfish?

Knowing that these things could never be made right, she
shook off the remorse that had often been debilitating. There was no time to
give in to depression. Her only hope was to find and save her sister. Hope had
kept her sane and given her the determination she’d needed to stay alive.

Still, the memories flooded her mind. The news reports on
the eve of December 21, 2012 had warned that meteors could strike the Earth.
Most people didn’t believe it. Only religious fanatics had bought into the End
of Days prophecies. The news had stayed on long enough to report that Los
Angeles and Las Vegas had been vaporized by the first two meteors. They
reported that several large European cities were gone as well. New York must
have been next, because the broadcaster’s face turned a ghostly white, just
before the screen turned to static. That had been the last of the news, unless
you could find a ham radio.

Every major city had been demolished, killing most of the
populations. Other people just disappeared. Ian once told her that the woman
he’d been sleeping with had left nothing but an indent in the pillow. One
second she was there, and the next he was lying alone in his bed.

Even all these years later, her eyes welled up with tears,
when she thought of all that loss. Nancy had been alone in her family’s home
that night. The next morning her suburban neighborhood was empty. Scared, she’d
run to her Volkswagen Beetle, and driven south. She didn’t see another living
person on her way to her grandparent’s home in Florida. Not one. When she
arrived, the house was empty. They were all supposed to go to Disney world, but
she wasn’t sure what day. She’d run out of gas halfway to Orlando and walked
the rest of the way, but found nothing but an empty park.

She dashed away the tears freely rolling down her cheeks.
She felt in her heart that her parents and grandparents, as well as her brother
and older sister, were gone. Not much had survived the End of Days. A few
animals and some humans managed to live through the night. No one really knew
why one person lived and another died or disappeared.

Ten sunless months had killed a good portion of the
vegetation and the lack of food had weakened or killed off all but the most
resilient of animals. Things were coming back, and even in the demon infested
streets of a ruined Chichen Itza, she heard a bird singing.

Somehow she knew Robyn lived. Nancy had searched and
followed a few leads over the past five years, always feeling several steps
behind. Until now. Somewhere in this ruined ancient city, she could feel her
sister’s presence.

“Now you sound like Aileen,” he said.

His statement brought her out of her reverie. She glanced up
to find him carefully watching her. “I can’t explain it, Ash. I just know she’s
here. I know they have her in that cave.”

She saw his chest rise and fall in a long measured breath.
He sighed and looked off to the west. “Well, let’s go take a look.”

* * * * *

Careful to stay off the highway that led west to the Cave of
Balankanche, Asher ducked into another drainage ditch with Nancy following
close behind.

Blocking the entrance were six formerly human demons. Their
rotting flesh made it obvious they served Mictlan. A very large dragon also
guarded the entrance from its perch on the rocks above. Its leathery wings wrapped
around it in batlike fashion, but the red eyes watched in every direction.

She could feel the blood coursing through her veins. Fear
mixed with adrenaline created a heady combination. Robyn was held inside this
cave, she could feel it.

“Do you think there’s another way in?” he asked.

“I don’t know, but it’s a natural cave, so it might be part
of a labyrinth of adjoining caves and tunnels.”

“Let’s see if we can find an alternate entrance.” He took
her hand, leading her northwest, away from the road.

It was late afternoon by the time they found another cave
entrance. Stalagmites and stalactites dangerously lined the narrow passage.
Asher produced a flashlight and they navigated through the dark cave.

The passage sloped downward and they moved cautiously through
the winding cave. The walls seemed to be closing in as the way narrowed. Nancy
had never been claustrophobic, but she found herself wondering if the cave was
stable. Could the rocks around them crumble and trap them down here forever?

She didn’t know how long they’d walked before a gentle
weeping sound reached her ears. It was the first sign of human life besides
their own footsteps on the loose ground. The low-pitched ceiling left only a
crawl space. They had to inch under on hands and knees for a few feet, making
getting through more difficult. Her heart pounded when the next bend revealed
flickering light ahead, the second indication they were on the right track.

Asher turned off the flashlight and they peered around the
wall of the tunnel. The cave opened into a large chamber with a pillar in the
center, where a stalagmite and a stalactite had joined together, making it look
like a giant underground tree. Small fire pots burned all around the cavern.
Seven naked women were strapped to the pillar, which glowed red, casting them
in an eerie shadow. The women were little more than girls. Seven pairs of empty
eyes stared into nothing. Occasionally one of them would gasp or cry out before
returning to catatonia.

Nancy gasped and her hand flew to her mouth. “Robyn.”

Nancy could feel her body flush with fury. The sight of her
sister and the other women might have made her turn away in the past, but now
she wanted to destroy those responsible. The tears that filled her vision were
tears of rage and she brushed them away quickly.

Filth covered Robyn’s tall body. Her long red hair fell
matted and scraggly around thin shoulders. Nancy could see her sister’s ribs
clearly even in the dim light and her cheeks were hollow, revealing too much of
her fine bone structure. The eyes that Nancy had seen laughing all her life
held no emotion.

Asher’s voice cut through her vengeful thoughts. He sounded
sure and steady and she marveled for only a second at how he had changed from
the quirky boy she had met years before. “Okay, let’s take care of that first.”
He pointed at an enormous demon who walked into the cavern.

Some of Mictlan’s minions had been brought from Hell. The
thing guarding the entry had never been human, with its bulbous head and
hammer-like fists. The demon’s skin appeared slick, with a grayish-green tone.
After entering, it stood at still at the main opening.

“You ready?” he asked.

“What are you going to do?”

She could just make out his white teeth in the near
darkness. Before she could ask any other questions, he had his crossbow and
arrows out of his pack. He stood in the smaller entrance and let one arrow fly.

It pierced the large demon in the throat, staying any cry he
might have made. In a flash, Asher’s second arrow went directly though the
beast’s left eye and the bulbous headed demon hit the ground with a resounding
thud.

Nancy cringed at the sound of the falling body. Asher move
to just inside the larger entrance.

An instant later, a small female demon rushed through the
door, followed by two males. These demons had all been human and had chosen to
follow Mictlan rather than die. Now the skin of the she-demon’s face pulled
away from her eye sockets, giving her a melted appearance. The demon to her
right had spotty black hair that stood straight up on his pockmarked head, and
he was missing an ear. The other looked mostly intact, but his dead, bloodshot
eyes left no doubt he worked for the Lord of the Dead.

Nancy stepped out from her hiding place and waved. “Hello,
ugly.”

The trio stopped and stared wide eyed before the female
screeched and rushed forward, lifting her ax high.

Nancy pulled the AK-47’s trigger in a short burst and the
male demon on the left dropped immediately in a heap on the stone floor.
Bullets had flayed the she-demon’s abdomen wide open, but she still leaped
forward, determined to bring her ax down on Nancy.

Nancy stepped aside and kicked out, sending the she-demon to
the ground, where she finally lay still. The third started forward, but only
moved one step before Asher stabbed him through the back with a long knife that
he always kept with him.

Nancy’s stomach did a flip before she turned away from the
demons. Those things couldn’t be saved. The girls strapped to the pillar
hopefully could. The sight of those prisoners, including Robyn, quashed any
sympathy she might have felt for the demons seduced by Mictlan.

Asher retrieved his arrows, then stood beside Nancy. He cut
through the rope holding the seven girls in place.

The now freed prisoners made no move away from the treelike
formation. Swaying rhythmically in unison, one young girl still cried, but none
of them made any outward indication that they knew Nancy and Asher were there.

Nancy went to her sister. “Robyn?” she said keeping her
voice low.

The joy she should have felt sank into the pit of her
stomach. She had seen it before. Demon fever, a vicious affliction, left its
victims lifeless as if their souls had been sucked out. Robyn’s large brown
eyes held no recognition of her sister. Even though it had been five years,
Nancy was sure Robyn should recognize her. She didn’t even know her rescue was
at hand.

Taking Robyn’s shoulders, Nancy shook her gently. “Robyn,
it’s Nancy.” She shook harder, but the girl’s head lolled to one side, and she
began to weep.

Asher’s hand stilled Nancy’s. “Relax.”