His Lost Mate (A Steamy Paranormal Romance Novel) (7 page)

She shrugged and tried to keep a professional tone, clenching her jaw to keep from grinning. “Just collecting data right now. I’ll appreciate your input when I have adequate information.” By his expression, she thought that he probably sensed her teasing innuendos. Stop flirting.

Lauren picked up her coffee cup took a large swallow and made an attempt to change the subject. “The coffee is wonderful. Wish I knew how they made it.”

“They grind the coffee beans with peanuts. It takes the bitterness away,” Deven said as he raised his cup to his lips and smiled.

* * *

The ride to Tikal was a lesson in international intrigue. Deven and Sylvia were engulfed in a discussion again. Lauren was enthralled but a bit uneasy.

“I would like your assessment of the confiscated artifacts, noting any damage, as soon as custom officials ship them back,” Deven told Sylvia.

“I may not get them for a few weeks. They’re being held for evidence,” Sylvia said. “The museum claims that only three items were stolen, however, customs said there are seven pieces. They’re trying to figure out where the other four pieces came from.”

“That’s odd. Have there been reports of other thefts?”

“Not that I’m aware of. Someone will show up to claim them soon.” Deven nodded. “Does the government have any theories on where the artifacts were headed?”

“Intelligence agencies believe that the artifacts were heading to private collectors overseas.”

“Where?” Lauren asked.

Sylvia glared at Lauren over her shoulder as if she was a rude child interrupting an adult conversation. “Europe, most likely. There is quite a demand for ancient Mayan artifacts in the underground European market right now.”

Justin closed his paperback and Kyle pulled his headphones down around his neck. They exchanged a curious glance and then leaned forward.

“Wicked secrets, like do we get to hunt down international smugglers?” Kyle asked.

“Sure, some spy you’d make,” Justin said. “With those tunes of yours, you couldn’t sneak up on a corpse.”

“Did they catch the smugglers?” Lauren asked Deven.

Deven stared at Lauren from the rearview mirror. “Don’t worry, Lauren, the government and intelligence agencies are handling it.”

“Oh, I’m not worried,” Lauren lied. She was concerned that this issue would threaten the field school and her chance to learn the required skills. She tried to hide her impatience. “It comes with the territory. They’re like modern-day pirates looking for buried treasure. I’m sure this is a typical problem at most excavation sites. I can’t understand why they won’t let us into the field camp so we can get to work.”

An awkward silence followed. Did she say too much? Lauren shifted in her seat and stared out the window.

After they parked at the entrance of Tikal, Sylvia left for the museum and the rest of the group paraded up the dirt trail toward the ruins. As they walked, Lauren studied the map. “Can we go to the Temple of Inscriptions? It says here, ‘the temple is eighty feet tall and has a roof comb that’s completely covered with hieroglyphic text’.” She held the map up and pointed to a trail that branched off to the left. “It’s this way. I’ll lead.”

“That works for me,” Kyle said.

“It’s a long walk so we can stop there first,” Deven said.

The path was shaded by giant sagging ferns. Vines as thick as trees dangled from the tall trees. Bright green parrots squawked loudly attempting to be heard above the monkeys.

“Boy, they’re noisy,” Lauren said. “I expect to see Tarzan swinging through the jungle any minute.”

Margaret laughed. “I for one wouldn’t mind running into Tarzan. I’d ask him for a private tour of his tree house.”

Deven grinned and arched his eyebrows. “Looks like I’ll have to keep an eye on both you ladies.”

Lauren was so busy admiring the scenery that she hadn’t noticed the two men dressed in camouflage uniforms with rifles walking down the trail toward them. She froze. “Who are they?” she whispered.

“It’s okay,” Deven said calmly. “They’re park security guards.”

As they passed the group, Deven greeted them. They smiled and nodded in return. When they were out of earshot, Lauren asked, “Are they always here, or is it because of the recent guerrilla presence?”

“There is no guerrilla presence,” Deven snapped. “Guatemala doesn’t have a police force. They use their military for security the same way we use police or security personnel.”

“I’m surprised we haven’t seen them in the park before.”

“It’s a big park,” Deven answered.

Touchy subject with him, Lauren thought. If there was no guerrilla presence why were local authorities delaying the excavation? The project meant so much to him, but what risks was he willing to take to keep the excavation running? Was he so obsessed with the project that he’d ignore obvious dangers to the field crew? Lauren didn’t think so, but the doubt still crept into her mind.

Lauren kept pace with Margaret and let Deven and the two other students move ahead and lead the way. They continued along the dirt path for about twenty minutes until the trail finally ended at the Temple of Inscriptions. The pyramid had the typical Mayan structure with a center stairway that led to a top platform and a wedge-shaped roof comb. Justin and Kyle sprinted up the pyramid with Deven following right behind them. Lauren laughed at Deven’s enthusiasm. “He really loves this place,” she said to Margaret.

Margaret smiled. “Yes, he’s enchanted with the ruins and the rainforest. It’s his tenth year in Guatemala.”

“I have to agree with what you said before, Margaret, Tikal is a magical place.”

Margaret nodded and looked up as the three men reached the top. She placed her hands on her hips. “If I didn’t know better, I’d say he was showing off. Let’s go on up.”

Huffing and puffing, Lauren and Margaret finally reached the top of the temple. Lauren pulled out her water bottle and took a few large gulps as she strolled over to the base of the roof comb to study the carvings of hieroglyphics. Vertical rows of glyphs depicted likenesses of animals, birds and people. Various designs of whorls and dots made up other glyphic text. “It’s amazing,” Lauren said.

“Impressive, isn’t it?” Deven said.

Lauren jumped. She hadn’t heard him walk up behind her. He stood so close, if she stepped back a step, she’d be resting against his chest. The scent of soft musk drifted by and Lauren breathed it in deeply. Mmmm, he smelled good. She wanted to turn around, slide her arms around him and mold her body into his. Did he realize how close he was? A knot of yearning tightened within her chest.

“Yes, it is impressive,” she said dreamily. “I always wonder about the people who carved these glyphs. Who were they? Who decided what messages to carve? What was their life like? Were they happy or fearful?”

“So you’re interested in the social everyday lives of the Maya.”

She nodded. “Even those small details can add to the puzzle and create a complete picture of ancient times.”

“True. I suppose I concentrate more on the bigger picture. I want to uncover clues about the society, the political structure and most of all, determine what happened to their civilization that caused thousands of Maya to disappear around 900AD.”

“That’s a tall order, Deven. Do you think the answers are in the translation of these texts?”

“Possibly, but archaeologists haven’t translated all of the text yet, much of the carvings have been worn down by the elements and can’t be deciphered. My sister has done work on the hieroglyphics at Tikal. She’s an expert in ancient writings.”

“You have a sister who’s an archaeologist?” Lauren turned around to face him and stood firm within the intimate space between them, almost a challenge to see who would be the first to step back and widen the space.

He was only inches away. The angles of his muscular chest were outlined beneath the tight-fitting T-shirt and heat radiated from his body. Lauren noticed a glint of amusement in his eyes.

He nodded. “Sarita’s my younger sister. She’s working on a project in Greece.” He studied her for a moment with a slight smile and a sultry gleam in his eyes. Then his smile faded and he became the stiff and formal teacher, as if he remembered she was his student. He stepped back and turned away from her.

Lauren’s heart sank like a stone thrown into a pond. He probably thought she was just another student infatuated by his good looks and charm. Maybe she was playing with fire. Her divorce was only finalized two years ago. Her heart still felt bruised. Did she really want to take the risk of a relationship again?

She didn’t trust herself enough to avoid falling head-over-heels in love before she could see the red flags. Love was blind, like the saying goes. Lauren never saw Tom’s red flags—his lies, his late nights at work, his affair. She had no idea he was using her to support him while he finished medical school until he handed her divorce papers on the day of his graduation. The memory squeezed her heart. It was time to back off and remember why she was here.

“We should head to Temple of the Two-Headed Snake if we want to get that climb in today,” Deven said. “It’s the largest pyramid and the view is incredible.”

“Am I still the navigator?” Lauren asked.

“You’ve done well so far. The job is still yours,” he said with a wink.

* * *

Along the dirt road next to the Temple of the Two-Headed Snake, three Jeeps loaded with boxes and crates sped by the field crew.

“I thought motor vehicles weren’t allowed inside the park,” Lauren commented.

“There’s another archaeological excavation east of here. This is the only access road,” Deven answered.

After the Jeeps disappeared into the jungle, she began the long climb up to the temple. “It was nice of the Maya to build the largest pyramid on top of this steep hill.” Her chest heaving while she tried to catch her breath.

“This isn’t a hill. It’s the pyramid,” he explained. “The base of the temple isn’t excavated. Over the last several centuries the jungle grew up around it.”

Tree roots wove a maze along the trail. Lauren used the protruding roots as natural steps and pulled herself up using vines and branches as handholds. The group took several breaks along the way to catch their breath and gulp down water. The air was humid and as thick as warm syrup.

Lauren wiped sweat from her forehead with the back of her hand as she peered through the thick growth of trees and saw the pyramid’s roof comb.

Deven moved in front of her. “Be careful, it gets a little steep here.”

Lauren slipped on loose gravel and started sliding down the bank. Deven quickly reached out and grabbed her arm. As he pulled her up to level ground, she noticed his arm muscles bulge.

He turned to Margaret and the other students. “Here, Margaret, take my hand.” He reached out and grabbed her.

“We’re fine.” Margaret, Justin and Kyle were linked like a human chain with Kyle at the lead. They scrambled up to the small plateau where Deven and Lauren waited.

After several minutes, they reached the exposed portion of the pyramid. Lauren eyed a metal ladder embedded into the stone wall of the temple. Next to the ladder, a sheer wall dropped down about two hundred feet to the forest’s floor. Even though the height made Lauren dizzy, Justin and Kyle scaled the ladder without hesitation.

“It looks a bit treacherous, but it’s safe,” Margaret said.

Deven turned around at the top of the ladder, looking down at Lauren. “I thought you were right behind me. Are you okay?”

“I’m fine,” she tried to sound confident. She eyed the top of the tall ladder warily, then glanced down to the right where the sheer wall of the temple dropped all the way to the bottom. She gripped the railings with sweaty hands and swallowed hard.
Omigod. Don’t slip
.

Margaret continued to urge her on and stayed close behind her. “The view is worth the scary climb,” Margaret reassured her.

At the top, Deven reached out for Lauren’s hand and pulled her up. Then he did the same for Margaret. Lauren sighed with relief. She’d made it.

She swung around to look at the view and her mouth dropped open. As far as she could see, the dense green rainforest spread out in all directions. About a half mile away, the stone roof combs of Temple I and II at The Great Plaza peeked out above the tops of the trees.

Thunderhead clouds rumbled and roiled into tall black towers against the indigo sky. She let out a long whistle.

“I knew you’d be impressed.” Deven’s eyes glinted with pleasure.

“What a view. Looks like a storm is coming.”

“It’s far off. It shouldn’t bother us.”

Standing at the edge of the temple, Kyle and Justin examined the steep staircase that led to the bottom. Most of the steps were missing or crumbling.

“This looks like the shortcut for daredevils,” Kyle said.

“Hey, Dr. Chandler,” Justin shouted as he pointed to the edge of the pyramid. “I could hang glide off here.”

Kyle burst out laughing. “Yeah right, Justin, and break your neck when you hit the trees. Where do you expect to land?” Kyle gestured out toward the horizon. A sea of tree tops stretched out in all directions.

“Well, it would’ve been wicked to try.”

“With a long rope, I could rappel off the pyramid,” Kyle said.

“Cool, dude. Not now though, after lunch. I’m starved.” Justin pulled his bag lunch out of his backpack and sat on a large rectangular stone. Kyle sat down next to him.

The hotel had packed roast beef sandwiches and oranges for lunch. Lauren and Margaret sat far away from the edge of the temple to eat theirs.

Deven sat down next to the young men, his mouth slowly curved into a mischievous grin. “You two picked a great place to eat lunch. Did you know they performed human sacrifices on this slab?”

Both students stopped chewing for a moment, looked around at the stone they were sitting on, then shrugged their shoulders and began eating again.

Margaret laughed. “Men.”

“I guess they aren’t the squeamish type,” Lauren said, then asked, “Anyone like a wet wipe?” She dug into her pack and pulled out a bottle of water, flashlight, bug spray, small cosmetic case and a trowel until she found the pack of towelettes. She pulled one out and wiped her face and hands. The damp cloth cooled her.