Secrets of the Jaguar (Crimson Romance) (16 page)

Duncan lurched at her ferociously, but it was too late — a force snatched her from behind and soon she was in the air looking down at him.

Dark haired fingers clutched her and an eerie voice cackled in her ear. “Balam Centehua.”

She screamed and watched Duncan disappear on the ground below her into a mist. The next thing she knew, Duncan reappeared on top of her attacker. In a flourish of movement, her attacker bellowed and she felt his dark talon-like fingers release her. She fell through the air, the ground thirty feet or so below her. Just in time, Duncan was back at the ground to catch her. The momentum brought them both tumbling, his stone-like chest breaking her fall.

For the first time, she could see her attacker and she fought back the urge to vomit. Or run. Or faint.

The outline was of a man, but with skin blackened by dark hair. Floating in the air, he was held there by large black bat-like wings that flapped ominously.

“So you will try to take her for yourself then. I see,
night baby
. But I think not.” With a forceful flap of the creature’s wings, the bat-like human powered toward her. Duncan shoved her out of the way and prepared for the impact of the giant were-bat.

She tried to scream in horror, but nothing came out; she wanted to run but couldn’t. Instead, she laid on the ground, paralyzed by fear. Her body went even cold at the villain’s words. She didn’t understand what he meant, but she could feel hatred coming off of the vampire in waves.

Take her for yourself?

She didn’t have time to question why she was a pawn in the hellish chess game; she only quivered with despair and shock. So many times Duncan had gazed longingly into her eyes, but now she realized that he might be longing for something besides her.

She watched the creature wrestling with her man in a flurry of fists and the sounds of thunder echoing in the room. But was Duncan really her man or was he using her for some sick purpose? Duncan was pummeling the creature despite being lodged beneath the giant batman. The beast snarled as it tried to sink its fangs into Duncan. She could barely see him from under the giant were-bat, but she heard him yell out for her.

“Get away from here, Michelle!”

Unable to heed his warning, she watched helplessly. Suddenly the bat was able to sink its fangs into Duncan. He bellowed in pain and anger, and continued to wrestle with a creature at least twice his size.

Fueled by Duncan’s pained yell, a fresh round of adrenaline coursed through her veins, and she ran at the giant were-bat. She jumped on the beast, intending to choke the life out of it or at least distract the vamp so Duncan could get the upper hand.

Instead, she was flung clear across the hall and her head collided with the edge of one of the artifact displays. She drifted in and out of consciousness as she lay on the floor, the hazy figures of Duncan and the massive creature teetering across her vision like a drunken nightmare.

• • •

From under the vampire-turned-bat Tzinacan, Duncan realized in horror that instead of running, Michelle had leapt into the tussle only to be flung away like a doll. He exploded in rage and sunk his teeth into Tzinacan’s hairy neck. Flesh tore from muscle in a hot spray of blood.

The evil vampire roared in pain and recoiled enough that Duncan could land a flurry of punches. As the blood quickly drained from Tzinacan, his bat form began to disappear, his body becoming smaller, the hair retreating to reveal human skin. Finally, both of them were equal, both weakened by lack of blood in their systems.

Still fighting with the shifting were-bat, Duncan glanced quickly to where Michelle lay on the ground. His body surged with worry, and that was all Tzinacan needed to throw him through a large glass display. The glass shattered under his impact like razor-sharp pixie dust.

He rolled up from the mess and shook off the pain, only to find his foe hauling Michelle from the ground with a blade in his palm. Duncan misted, but not fast enough to prevent the vamp from holding Michelle against the Sun Stone. The dagger was pointed at her heart.

Tzinacan looked smug as he held her against the stone. “You were unwise to try to cross me and have her for yourself. I could bleed her like this. However, it would be better to lay her on top of the stone. I will share the treasure with you if you cease your attack and help me.”

Duncan was across the room in an instant to rip the gigantic Sun Stone from the wall. The ancient calendar stone collided with the floor with a resounding boom as Michelle screamed.

Tzinacan smiled as he looked down at the Aztec monument lying on the ground twenty yards from where he held Michelle. “This is how it used to be,” his voice rasped.

Tears of confusion and betrayal left track marks on her cheeks. Duncan’s body pulsed with fury as his foe moved his face next to Michelle’s. He wanted to rip the freakish bat-vampire to shreds.

With his cold, slimy lips near her skin, Tzinacan whispered eerily, “This will be just like old days, before your people cursed me!”

Michelle gasped through sobs, “My people?”

Duncan raged at the sight as the vampire tightened his grip on her, nearly squeezing the life out of Michelle. “Your people have taken my light, but now I will take your life, Balam Centehua.”

He watched Michelle wince as the cold steel of the blade pressed against her skin. Duncan stood near the stone, ready to embrace his darkest nature, ready for battle. The nightmare unfolding before him settled into his bones.

How to save Michelle. How to get the blade away from her fragile, mortal flesh.
These were the thoughts ripping through his mind as he desperately tried to figure out how to defeat his enemy. In the meantime, the dark beast inside himself struggled, needing to be freed from its cage. His opponent was a monster, but so was Duncan.

Duncan knew how easy it would be for Tzinacan to harm her. To know what Michelle was thinking was torture — besides feeling betrayed, he couldn’t imagine her fear.

“Release her!”

“With pleasure,
night baby.”

Tzinacan took the dagger from her throat, but Duncan was forced to watch her body being dragged like a ragdoll toward the ancient stone. He braced to mist to her now that the knife was down, but Tzinacan leapt high into the air and slammed her back down onto the Aztec stone with lightning speed.

Her head collided against the carved monument.

Michelle.
Duncan rushed the vampire. Rage fueled his body and his fangs easily ripped through his foe’s thick skin, tearing like rubber. The ancient vampire was startled and released his grip on Michelle to fight him off. Duncan sent a powerful kick into Tzinacan that sent the vampire flying into the air. Before the ancient vamp landed, Duncan misted toward him, using his fists as jackhammers as they both fell.

Duncan felt the iron grip around his throat as they reached the ground. The sight of Michelle’s body crashing to the floor distracted him before he could mist the beast away from her.

The ancient vampire’s teeth tore mercilessly though Duncan’s jugular. Blood poured in waves of dark red crimson, spilling like a nightmare onto the pristine marble floor of the museum.

He fought helplessly against the vampire as life escaped his body, draining along with the blood from his neck. His strength, already week from lack of feeding, was all but depleted.

Realizing he couldn’t defeat the vampire, he only hoped he could be a distraction for Michelle to escape. He wrapped his hands around the vampire’s thick neck and tried to choke the life from Tzinacan.

“You’ll regret not aiding me.”

Pain exploded in Duncan’s chest. He looked down at the blade Tzinacan had plunged only inches from his heart. Michelle was in jaguar form laying lifelessly against the stone.

He knew Tzinacan meant to torture him by narrowly missing his heart, but he was grateful to have a few moments more to let his eyes linger on the bright light of Michelle. Even in jaguar form, she was his angel.

“Michelle! Stay conscious! Run, Michelle!”

• • •

As her vision blurred, she saw the carving of a jaguar in the stone where her cheek lay. Her body throbbed and hope began to leave her as Tzinacan’s chanting began. The incantation sounded eerily familiar, and foreboding crawled through her body.
Where’s Duncan?
The chanting continued, and the next thing she knew, her body was transforming on the stone against her will, replacing skin with fur and teeth with fangs.

“Michelle, please.”

She watched with hazy vision, trying to comprehend the nightmare unfolding before her. The evil vampire had a sick, satisfied smile. Blood poured from Duncan in thick streams.

Duncan was dying for her.

A sudden surge of power fueled her and she leapt up from the ancient stone. Her eyes found Duncan’s. In his gaze was an expression she was not expecting, a look to would forever linger with her: She was sure at this moment that he loved her more than anything, and always had. And now he wanted her to run.

Too late. She watched in sick horror as Tzinacan shoved the dagger once more into Duncan. As the steel entered deep into his body, he never winced, never blinked, just held his gaze with her.

Tzinacan cackled grimly. “I have been taking lives for thousands of years; surely you never thought you could steal my destiny from me. I led my people to kill every Balam Centehua but one, and now you will not stop me from shedding the blood of the last of the chosen jaguar to break the curse put upon my people so long ago. Time to die, night baby.”

But as Tzinacan pulled back to usher Duncan his death blow, Michelle launched herself. Her claws tore into the ancient vampire with a ferocity she had never before embraced.

A victorious roar echoed through the museum and the floors were painted with a new shade of blood, the dark black blood spilling from Tzinacan. Her claws raked down his thick hide like a scratching post. She smiled inside as she heard the ancient vampire scream and recoil in pain from his hold Duncan. Firmly attached to the vampire’s back, tearing with her teeth and raking with her claws, she inflicted as much damage as possible.

With a primal scream and a string of ancient, furious words, Tzinacan reached back and tore her from his back. Her body flew through the air.

Think like a cat.
Her animal blood pumped through her veins and she landed on all four paws like a true jungle predator.

Before she could launch a second attack on Tzinacan, the vampire began his transformation into the hairy bat, remaining the size of a man. “This ancient battle is not done yet. Better than you have not bested me.” The giant were-bat shrank into its true form, and she watched as it disappeared through the museum.

Feelings of victory quickly faded though when she saw Duncan lying lifelessly on the ground in a crimson pool. The metallic scent filled her nostrils, so strong she couldn’t help but hiss. Scared to death, she approached Duncan’s body; her paws stepping into the puddle of blood. Her heart stopped.

Duncan’s eyes were closed and his face seemed peaceful, looked like an angel who had just fought in a battle between heaven and hell. As she stared at the sight, her body shifted back into that of a woman, and she realized she was sobbing. Blood had stopped pouring from the wound in his neck, as if it was all depleted.

Oh God, what can I do?

Please?

She remembered the dagger that lay on the ground not far away. A small grain of hope wiggled into her heart and she darted to the dagger and returned to Duncan’s side. She laid next to him, her body curled to his as closely as possible, oblivious to the pool of blood that stained her skin.

Taking the dagger, she drew the blade down the length of her arm from wrist to elbow. With one hand she held open Duncan’s mouth, his body too lifeless for his fangs to elongate and sharpen. Her other arm poured blood, and she felt the heat slide down and held it eagerly over his mouth, trying as best as she could to feed him.

A minute later, she ignored the dizziness that began to swim in her head. But hope overcame all other emotions as she saw that his wounds seemed to be healing. The skin slowly began to regenerate. The wounds closed before her eyes and she became giddy.

Blood red eyes opened wide and she immediately recoiled, pulling her arm back, away from where it dripped into his mouth. For a moment she was petrified. What had she done? Had she brought to life some sort of zombie?

His eyes smiled in recognition a second later, and it was the look of the man she knew well. His voice was strong and full of relief. “You’re safe.”

She laughed, but sobs escaped in the same breath as she pulled Duncan close into a desperate hug and numerous kisses. His hands roamed down the skin of her back, moving towards her sides, still bare from shifting back to her human form. Their bodies pressed together and she felt his hardness beneath her. Looking into his eyes she smiled mischievously. “You’re obviously fully recovered.”

In response, Duncan kissed her with the honest passion that made her glad to be alive. If nothing else, life was worth living for his kisses. His lips were soft, fitting against hers perfectly, and she swore the whole time they kissed, she could hear him whispering gently,
I love you.
But then, after this evening, she didn’t trust her senses to know the difference between fantasy and reality.

“Michelle, your blood has done something to me. I feel like a new vampire.”

“Ah-ha, I’m like the fountain of youth.” She threw her arms up in the air in triumph.

“Jesus Christ! I forgot, the venom doesn’t work on you. I’m such a selfish asshole.” He grabbed her bleeding arm gently.

A smile lit up her face. “You forgot because you got lost in the moment. I can barely even feel the pain.”

Taking her arm gently between his fingers, he laid kisses against her wounds. They were deep; if his venom did not work as it did on humans, then she would surely need stitches.

Slowly, she began to feel the edges of the cut numb. Before their eyes, the blood from her wound gradually began to dry, and the skin stretched back together almost as if a magnetic force pulled at the skin.