Secrets of the Jaguar (Crimson Romance) (17 page)

He grinned and brushed his fingers against her own smiling cheek. “I am indeed a more powerful vampire darling, thanks to your sacrifice. I can feel it coursing through me, like nothing I’ve ever felt before. Watch this.” He hugged her to him and they disappeared in a mist.

A moment later, Michelle opened her eyes from Duncan’s embrace to see crisp white walls and soft gold curtains framing a view of the moonlight-darkened turquoise sea. The bed underneath her was soft and pillowy, thanks to an elegant down comforter that looked heaven sent, like the bed of an angel.

“Welcome to our home away from home.” Duncan’s voice was both sexy and sweet at once, and Michelle sighed in happiness.

“Where are we? Besides home away from home, I mean.” Grinning, Michelle pulled the white down comforter against her chest in case someone might walk by outside.

“Don’t worry beautiful, I have quite a stretch of beach to myself here. I mean, ours now. This is Tulum.”

Michelle nodded mischievously. “Ah yes, Tulum. I did a report on this place in the fifth grade. The project was called
mysterious exotic locations
.”

Laughter shook Duncan’s body and Michelle’s hand felt his hard stomach contract and she took pride in making him smile.

“Tulum is about an hour from Cancun. What you’re looking at is the Caribbean Sea.” Duncan kissed the side of Michelle’s face. “I’ve never misted this far before, but I knew I could after you healed me in the museum. I’ve never felt stronger. We’ll be safe here.”

Michelle sighed peacefully and let her head rest against Duncan’s shoulder. “Safe has never looked so beautiful.”

“You have never looked so beautiful.” Duncan kissed Michelle’s forehead. “You look like a woman who just realized how strong and unique she really is.” Duncan turned Michelle so that she faced him. He pressed a feather light kiss on her lips. “Michelle, I’m in awe of you. You saved both my life and your own. And not only that, but you made me healthier than I’ve ever been, and you didn’t have to.”

“Of course I — ” Michelle began to object, but Duncan quickly kissed her again.

“For all you knew, Michelle, I was a selfish vampire using you for whatever sick purpose Tzinacan had in mind. I should have told you the truth from the beginning. And I will. You were brave enough to trust your heart, and my goal in life is to always be worthy of that.”

Duncan hoisted Michelle into his arms, letting her legs wrap around his waist. In turn, he wrapped his arms around her shoulders and his hands massaged there as he kissed her with a longing passion. A soft moan of ecstasy escaped Michelle’s lips.

Let’s get in the shower. You look good in red my dear, but I don’t want to see Tzinacan’s blood again until I kill him.”

Michelle’s dreamy state was somewhat diminished as she realized that vampire blood still stained Duncan’s clothes and her skin. “You said let’s shower?”

A smile from Duncan sent shivers down Michelle’s body, “Yes. Let’s.”

• • •

Hours later after Michelle had drifted off to sleep, as the sun was beginning its climb, Duncan took advantage of his sleepless eternity to do some sleuthing. Duncan felt the weight of his body manifest as he arrived in the National Museum of Anthropology. He had to be quick because Michelle slept alone in Tulum, but he had to know what trouble might lie ahead. So here he was, hoping to find out what Tzincacan referred to back in Mexico City about the Codex Sangre.

His long legs took him rapidly through the museum as he sought out the Aztec codices. Finally he reached glass cases that contained the ancient Aztec writings. A tiny plaque on the glass case read “Codex Sangre.”

Inside the glass case was an ancient sheet of amatl — fig bark — with pictures depicting a journey of an Aztec people. The codex featured images strewn about in a somewhat chaotic fashion. Sacrifices were laid atop large round cactuses and a bat-like creature descended from the sky. Duncan let his hand dissolve into mist so that he could reach through the glass case and extract the entirety of the long codex.

A picture of were-jaguars and giant half-man half-bat creatures clashed in a violent war. Ancient graphics depicted the were-bats lifting the were-jaguars high off the ground and taking them away. In another scene, a giant stone was piled high with jaguar bodies, so much blood saturating the pictured ground that for a moment Duncan wondered if blood was seeping from the codex.

Duncan’s body was still with dread. Did Tzinacan have access to an ancient army? Duncan touched his finger to the image of the pyramid and willed himself to mist to the location. A moment passed, but his body stayed where it was. He had never been able to mist someplace he hadn’t previously been before in the flesh, but Duncan knew he needed more information to save Michelle from what Tzinacan had planned. The codex showed no images of gold or treasure as Tzinacan had described, just a giant sun, a pyramid, and a massacre of jaguars. Touching the pyramid on the codex once more, Duncan focused his mind and then finally let it rest. And then he felt his body become lightness.

• • •

The exotic forest where Duncan found himself was thick, so thick that even if it were day, no light would have touched his skin. Around him the jungle was teeming with silence, and flora abounded in various hues of dark green and black. Suddenly overwhelmed, Duncan released a primal yell and punched a nearby tree angrily. He had no idea where he was now, but he certainly was not at the place pictured in the codex. No pyramid or clues to some ancient treasure or curse. Michelle was probably waiting for him back at his home in Tulum, and he would have to return with no clearer idea of how to protect her.

Duncan’s eyes glazed into a black storm and for a moment he felt truly vampire, dark and dangerous and desperate. Unwillingly his fangs elongated and he felt a growl escape his hollow chest. Suddenly his vampire senses picked up on eyes watching him. Turning around in a flash he immediately located the source of the watchful glare and leapt through the trees to corner his prey.

Duncan found his arms wrapped around a jaguar, but despite his lightning speed, the jaguar was ready and roared as it attacked Duncan. When the jaguar pushed them both off of the tree, Duncan misted them to the ground. Holding back, Duncan felt the sharp canines of the jaguar sink into his shoulder and claws slice into his body.

But in an instant the jaguar leapt off the vampire and instead of continuing the attack, stood looking at Duncan’s form through the night. Duncan readied himself to mist back to Michelle, his patience gone, but the jaguar began a slow shift into the form of a human.

Before Duncan stood a short, heavily-wrinkled albeit muscular man. He was probably nearing ninety years of age. The old man parted pale, chapped lips to speak broken Spanish. “Why, leech, do you day walk?” Duncan thought he made out a sad, angry glint in the old man’s eyes.

“All of my kind walk in the day.”

“Nooo!” The naked man screamed angrily. Then he brought his fingers, tipped with Duncan’s blood where his claws had been in, to his mouth and licked. Slow chanting began in a language Duncan could not understand.

Duncan spoke in Spanish so the were-jaguar would understand, “I know another like you.” But the old man was in a trance, holding his blood-tipped fingers in front of his face. Only another split second passed before the man snapped back to violent consciousness.

“You have blood of the Balam Centehua within you!”

Duncan saw the tormented glimmer in the were-jaguar’s eyes, so he spoke softly. “She is safe.”

“Ixchel?

“Are you her grandfather?” The man’s hands rested against his naked chest, which heaved up and down with every deep breath. His eyes were wrought with concern and he seemed overwhelmed by the news.

“I took her from the village nearby. It is in ruins since the final assault. The Zozt warriors, ancient Aztec vampires, came to our village to slaughter our people. They searched for the Balam Centehua — the chosen jaguar, a half-jaguar soul. She and I were the only in our village. We were also the only survivors.” A tear escaped down a tanned, wrinkled cheek. “Her mother died with the fangs of a half-bat Zozt warrior in her throat. Tzinacan and his half-bat warriors will be searching for her.”

“They have already found her.” Duncan’s voice was deep and reflected the darkness he felt in his heart when he thought of the night in the museum. “Tzinacan came for her, but she fought like a brave warrior. But you are right. He will be back; he talks of treasure and of a curse.”

“Yes. The curse.” The wise eyes dried and a look of determination took their place. “The treasure that Tzinacan seeks in daylight. Tzinacan and the Zozt are cursed by my people. Only the blood of the Balam Centehua can free them of their curse of night-walking.”

“If they are so determined, then why don’t you offer yourself up then?” Duncan growled. Duncan barely recognized the voice that came out of his lips, the sound laden with a fierce, murderous tone.

“I would if it came to that. But these warriors would wreak much havoc if they could penetrate the daylight. All except for Tzinacan spend their time in the caves. They come out at night only to terrorize local Mayan villages. Imagine what these ancient beasts would be capable of if they walked in the daylight.”

Duncan knew the were-jaguar was right. “Okay, then, we’ll just have to kill them all.”

Michelle slept through most of the next day, seemingly unaware of all that occurred while she dreamed. Now as they walked along the soft white sand beach, the sun setting the sky on fire, romantic shades of red and gold, Michelle had eyes only for the man walking beside her. Duncan was tall, his body a lean mass of muscled man. His skin was smooth and glowed against the sunset, his dark eyes black as Maya obsidian. The man looked like an angel, definitely not heaven sent but too incredibly beautiful to be of this world.

“Tzinacan is not a vampire like I have encountered before, but I should tell you I have not encountered many. Remember when we first met, I told you I sensed an evil presence, which was Tzinacan. So when I found him trailing you again on campus, I attacked. But he had incredible speed and strength. And when he confronted me about you — describing you as the key to a treasure, I became intrigued.” Duncan cupped her cheek. “I was intrigued not by the treasure, but by the reason he sought you. I knew my strength alone could not best the ancient creature — I had to find out more about the vampire in order to destroy him. He has minions as I learned; you saw yourself.” Duncan chuckled. “As a matter of fact you took one of them in the Alameda park.”

“That’s right. Grrr. I’m fierce.” Michelle playfully raked her fingers down Duncan’s chest, trying not to be hurt that he had held the truth from her for so long. “No more secrets from now on. I have one last secret to release to you, but it is a good secret and so you will have to wait until tomorrow. Tonight I have other plans.”

Duncan’s mouth curved up a little. If he had a bashful smile at all, Michelle figured that was probably it, but instead he just looked like a sex god about to begin a night of endless pleasure. Michelle admitted he never looked more handsome than when he had a lingering smile in his eyes. Michelle wetted her lips.

“You look like you’re about to eat me up.” Duncan smiled; his fangs were subtle but glinted sensually as he tipped his mouth slowly down to hers. After tasting her mouth in a slow, relishing kiss, his eyes lingered on Michelle’s for a long moment, a curious smile on his face. “Your eyes are glowing.”

Michelle blushed slightly at the vampire sweet talk and smiled to shrug off the compliment, but Duncan pressed another kiss to her lips.

“No, really.” Duncan chuckled, happiness lighting up his handsome features. “Your eyes are beautiful darling, but indeed they are truly glowing golden right now.”

“Oh!” Michelle was instantly mortified, realizing she’d begun to shift in her excitement. “Yeah, that’s a side effect. It doesn’t happen very often.” Duncan stroked her cheek as she explained. “It, it happens when I haven’t changed in a while. My animalistic side pulls at me more.”

Duncan’s smile disappeared and instead a look of pure sexual intent played on his features. In the blink of an eye, Michelle was swept of her feet, and Duncan’s face was inches from hers. “I love your animalistic side.”

Her body couldn’t help but respond to the strong arms that held her in such intimate proximity. She could feel her eyes becoming a deeper gold, could feel her eyelids darkening like smoked kohl.

Duncan misted them both gently to the ground, Michelle lying on top of him. Before Michelle even realized they were laying on a bed of sand, his lips were crushing hers in a way Michelle had only dreamed about until she met Duncan. She planted her palms against his strong chest and pressed down against him with her entire body, assaulting him with her lips, proving to him that she, too, had a passion for him to be reckoned with. Excitement stirred within Michelle as a soft moan escaped Duncan and she felt her claws magically begin elongating where her fingernails had been, embedding into Duncan’s flesh.

Duncan gave no hint that the claws affected him; he simply savored every inch of Michelle’s body as she licked his mouth with her heated passion. But then Michelle took her lips away from Duncan in alarm. “Oh my god, you’re bleeding!”

Duncan never looked down. “It will heal.”

But Michelle had become motionless, staring down at the blood she caused.

“Hey, what happened to my fierce sex kitten?” Duncan smiled, but Michelle burst into sobs.

In an instant, Duncan transformed from a loving sex god to an ominous vampire ready to drag Michelle’s tears to an ancient battlefield. “Don’t cry, I l — ” He halted midway as Michelle interrupted him.

“I can’t even seduce you without turning into a big hairy jungle cat!” Michelle quit sniffling when she noticed that Duncan’s expression had turned to a dangerous one and then in a moment she felt herself disappear.

A surge of wetness surrounded Michelle and she recognized the warm water of the Caribbean at sunset flooding her senses. Her eyes were squinted under the water but as she squeaked them open, she was met with the sight of Duncan pressing his lips tightly to her own, blowing air into her lungs and sealing it with a hot, lingering kiss before bringing them both up to float in the cozy warmth of the Caribbean.