Out of the Shadows: Shadow Warriors, Book 1 (8 page)

“My great god, please, I beg you to save the life of your shadow warrior.”

His voice boomed loud and strong. “Why should I? He died an honorable death. He has done his duty.” He pointed the tip of the spear at Tomás’s heart. Lightning surged down the shaft of the weapon.

She flung herself over Tomás. “No!” She couldn’t let him go. Not like this. “He is my spirit mate.”

The god pulled back his spear.

She pressed on further, afraid he would change his mind. “All I ever wanted was to find another person to share the burden of the ranch and my secrets. For so long, I believed that I could be an ordinary woman. But I’m not.” She turned her body so that he had a clear view of her tattoo.

The sun god’s eyes narrowed. “You are a guardian,” he said with little emotion.

“And a spirit mate.” She watched him, willing him to believe her.

“Spirit mates are unique, one soul for one soul. They are destined, not made. Perhaps you only think you are spirit mates. In five centuries, none have been found.”

“No!” Carolina denied vehemently. “I can feel it in here.” She rubbed a palm over her heart. “Tomás and I are destined to be together.”

“It is too late,” the sun god decreed.

“It can’t be,” Carolina cried. “I’ll do anything, sacrifice anything. My life for his.”

“You would do this?”

“Yes.” A tear rolled down her cheek and fell upon Tomás’s pale cheek. Gently, she brushed it away, absorbing it into her fingertips. She’d thought all the water inside her spent, yet in her pain she managed to still produce a tear. “I am a mere mortal. Tomás is a shadow warrior who fights for all of us in this world. He is needed beyond this lifetime. My life for his.”

“So be it.”

The sun god raised his spear to the sky. Carolina braced herself as she glanced down one last time at Tomás’s beloved face. “In this world or the next, I won’t stop fighting. I will always be with you in your heart. I love you, my spirit mate,” she whispered. Light burst forth from the tip of the spear and cracked the sky. Her tattoo pulsed against her skin as if it wanted to take flight. She closed her eyes, prepared to take Tomás’s place in death.

Fingers lightly caressed her cheek. Carolina’s eyes flew open and she smiled in joy. “Tomás? You’re okay?” She glanced up at the sun god.

“You sacrificed your soul. The bond between you both is complete.”

She didn’t quite understand, but she didn’t have time to ask. Tomás levered himself up, got to his feet and helped her stand. His body showed no sign of the brutal injuries of before.

She looked into his amber brown eyes. No longer did she see the feral wolf staring out at her, but the peaceful soul of a man.

“Carolina!” He picked her up and swung her around. He set her down upon her feet and kissed her hard and fast. “You gave me back my humanity.”

She wanted to run her hands over his newly healed body and kiss him until she was breathless, but it wasn’t time to celebrate just yet.

She grabbed Tomás’s hand and pulled him towards the sun god. “Wait. You must help Chica,” she pleaded. “You must save her.”

“Who is this Chica?” The sun god’s voice rumbled across the landscape like thunder.

“Your wife,” Carolina choked out. She ran the short distance to the few drops left on the ground.

For a second,
Huitzilopochtli
appeared stunned and then he was moving with purposeful strides. His shield disappeared, though he held on to his spear. He bent down and held his palm over the damp spot. “We have little time. I feel her fading fast and I cannot lose her again.” He straightened and from his waist, he pulled a small dagger. “Give me your palms, each of you.” Both obeyed without question, holding their hands out to him. He sliced a line in all four palms.

“Let the blood drip into the water,” he ordered.

Carolina watched their blood mingle with Chica’s essence.

“Put your palms together and hold them above the water.” The sun god raised his spear towards the sky and in a loud voice chanted in the Aztec language.

A river of energy flowed back and forth between Tomás and herself. She felt her spirit bind with his and, looking into his eyes, knew he felt it as well.

Power welled up within them and spilled over. Her tattoo strained against her skin as if wanting to take flight. A golden glow burst outwards, surrounding them, bathing the area. The sun god continued to chant. When she thought she could no longer hold her arms up, he ceased.

The light disappeared.

Before them, Chica stood, healthy and strong.

“Come,
Chalchiuhtlicue
.” The sun god offered his hand to his wife. “We have much to discuss.”

“You still wear my necklace,” she whispered.

“I never stopped looking for you.”

Chica took a step forward, then stopped. She shook her head violently. “I cannot. Please do not ask me to go with you.” Her voice was filled with anguish.

“Why? What is it you fear?” He lifted his nose into the air. “I do not smell another man on you.”

Chica drew herself up tall. “I would never dishonor my vows in that way. I ask your forgiveness, but I cannot be with you. You must let me go.”

“I will not,” the sun god ground out.

“Tell him,” Carolina urged. “Working together, you are stronger. He deserves to know what it is he faces.” Carolina held her breath, knowing she may have overstepped her bounds, but she believed in what she said.

“You have become very wise, my daughter, though I do not believe there is an answer in this particular case.” Chica took several steps until she stood directly in front of her husband. “You chose a very foolish woman for your wife. I allowed myself to be tempted by the legend of the chalice. I believed if I could know the future and the past, I would be able to find a way to defeat
Itzapoptl
.” She bowed her head as if it were too difficult to face her husband any longer.
Huitzilopochtli
tipped her chin up.

“Did you drink from the chalice?” he asked.

“Yes,” she whispered. “In the vision of the future, I saw myself kill you. I saw your blood on my hands.” She reached out and clutched his arms. “I will not risk you. You are too important to this world.”

The spear disappeared from his hand. He embraced his wife and held her fast to him. “And you are important to me. We will find a way to change this vision.”

Chica shook her head. “You are not listening.”

“Trust me.” He stared down into her face, the fierceness of his feelings for his wife plain for everyone to see. Carolina bit back tears at the sight.

Chica smiled, hesitant at first and then wide and bright. Her happiness radiated outward like the rays of the sun reflecting off the surface of the ocean. She laced her fingers with her husband’s.

The two then turned to face Tomás and Carolina. Carolina braced herself for the worst. Her goddess would leave her and so would Tomás.

Huitzilopochtli
seemed to grow in stature before them. “This war has only just begun. Rebellion in the pantheon is growing.
Xiuhcoatl
lost this battle today, but he will be back as will others searching for ways to wreak destruction on this plane. I need both of you and your courage.”

“I have always fought for you,” Tomás declared.

Carolina glanced at her goddess, who nodded. “I give you my loyalty as well.”

The sun god tilted his chin in acknowledgement. “As Tomás’s spirit mate, I grant you the gift of immortality and a wolf spirit to mate with his.” His spear reappeared in his hand and he touched her tattoo with its tip. She actually felt the wings of her tattoo beat against her skin. “Together you will become one unit, and together you will fight in a war that has been rising against us. But today marks a turn in the tide. The two of you are spirit mates, and with your merging, a new shadow warrior has been born to join our ranks.”

The tip of the spear glowed against her tattoo and sent a jolt through her before he removed it. “Come, daughter. No longer are you a guardian but a shadow warrior.”

Deep in her soul, she felt a curious shifting as a second spirit joined with hers. Carolina closed her eyes and reached out with her mind. She felt the touch of her beast inside her, female, loyal and determined to fight on the side of light.

A feeling of warmth and acceptance flooded into her.

Slowly, she turned to face her spirit mate. Tomás’s arm wrapped around her waist and pulled her under his shoulder. Carolina brought her hand up to cover his hand at her waist, joy flooding through her.

Huitzilopochtli
then plucked three feathers from his hair and blew on them. They transformed into hummingbirds. The tiny birds gathered the corpse of the
tzitzimime
and winged it to the netherworld.

“I grant you seven days. Use them wisely.” The two gods faded from sight, Chica’s laughter sprinkling over them like raindrops. Water ran through the riverbed, and green grass and plants sprouted, covering up all signs of battle.

Tomás gathered Carolina in his arms. “I’ve never had a vacation. What do humans do?”

Carolina smiled. “They travel, visit places, relax.”

“I’ve seen the world and have spent my whole existence traveling. I have, however, never relaxed.”

Carolina’s smile grew wider. “I think I know a great way to relax.”

His eyes crinkled at the corners. “Does it involve a bed?”

“Oh, yes.” She reached up and nipped his chin with her teeth.

His expression became serious. “Carolina, we are tied together for eternity. You gave me back my humanity and I took your freedom.”

“Is that all there is between us, a matter of debt?”

“No.” He sounded offended. “In your arms, I discovered love. I am alive.” His eyes burned bright with meaning, flashing amber and gold.

Carolina snuggled into him, relishing the feeling of being in another’s arms. “Then I am the luckiest woman in the world and I have an eternity to show you exactly why.”

About the Author

Gabriella Hewitt is the pen name of creative writing talents Sasha Tomaszycki and Patrizia M.J. Hayashi. Together they weave tales of romantic suspense and dangerously sensual paranormals, delivering on their promise of Excitement, Suspense, and Passion. Check out the website
www.GabriellaHewitt.com
to find out about upcoming releas events on their blog and free recipe booklets.

Look for these titles by Gabriella Hewitt

Now Available:

Dark Waters

Coming Soon:

Shadow Vision

The gods play…and mortals pay.

Bad Blood

© 2011 Lucienne Diver

Latter-Day Olympians, Book 1

Tori Karacis’s family line may trace back to a drunken liaison between the god Pan and one of the immortal gorgons. Or…maybe it’s just coincidence that her glance can, literally, stop men in their tracks. While her fear of heights kept her out of the family aerobatic troupe, her extreme nosiness fits right in with her uncle’s P.I. business.

Except he’s disappeared on an Odyssean journey to find himself. Muddling through on her own, she’s reduced to hunting (not stalking, because that would just be weird) brass-bra’d Hollywood agent Circe Holland to deliver a message…only to witness her murder by what looks like the Creature from the Black Lagoon.

Suddenly, all of her family’s tall tales seem believable, especially when Apollo—
the
Apollo, who’s now hiding out among humans as an adult film star—appears in her office, looking to hire her. She knows the drill: canoodling with gods never works out well for humans, but she’s irresistibly drawn to him. Maybe it’s her genes. Maybe not.

Given her conflicted feelings for one hot and hardened cop, it’s a toss-up which will kill her quickest. The danger at her door…or her love life.

Warning:
Contains pot-boiling passion between a heroine who may—or may not—be a descendent of Medusa, and a hot god and a hunky copy with the…equipment…to handle her, even on her worst bad-hair day. Beware of killer kisses, trickster gods and bearded grandmothers Who Know Everything.

Enjoy the following excerpt for
Bad Blood:

“I need a bath,” I croaked, hand to my throat as if it would make any difference. “Right now I feel like I’d pass out bending over to start the water. I’d never have called you to begin with if—” my voice gave out, which was probably a good thing, given that what had been coming out sounded all wrong in my head. I swallowed and tried again, softer. “Not that you were my last choice. Just—I need a girlfriend.”

Armani looked at me like a suspect he intended to crack, as if every word spoken had some other meaning. Finally, he swiped a hand hard over his face.

“Look, you witnessed a murder, came face-to-face with the killer. We probably should have set some sort of watch on you right from the first. My fault. But—dammit, by the time you’re through flirting and baiting, it’s a wonder I remember my own damned name,” he growled.

I was flummoxed. “So I
do
get to you.”

He practically glared. “Yeah, like that’s a freakin’ newsflash. Why else do you do it?”

“Because I can’t help myself,” I answered.

Damn and double damn. I should have stuck with the pen.

My admission didn’t seem to make him any happier. “Look, you’re a witness in an ongoing investigation.”

“Yeah.”

“And a pain in my ass.”

I was tired, I was soaked to the bone, but as much as I wanted that bath and my bed…

“So?” I challenged.

“
So
, we can’t do this.”

“
Do what?
” I asked, exasperated. “We’re not doing anything—”

In the blink of an eye, Armani had risen from his chair, taken my face in his hands and shut me the hell up with a kiss. And not just any tentative little first kiss—a breath-stealing, heart-pounding, fade-to-black kind of showstopper. I found I wasn’t nearly as exhausted as I’d thought. With minds of their own, my fingers buried themselves in his hair, reveling in the feel of the thick strands, kneading his scalp. My thoughts scattered as his tongue thrust inside my mouth and I gasped in reaction.