Lights of Aurora (The Stone Legacy Series Book 3) (4 page)

“Will you still want me?” His voice was ragged.

She furrowed her brow. “What?”

“Just…please.” He buried his fingers in her hair and pressed his forehead against hers. “Tell me you will still want me, no matter who I am.”

She sensed his anger, fear, agony—all radiating through his touch and the desperation in his tone.

“Please believe me. I would never do anything to hurt you.
No puedo vivir sin tu amor.
”

She pushed a strand of hair out of his face and brushed her thumb over his eyebrow. “You know, you’ve got to start translating for me.”

She waited for him to crack a smirk. When it failed to come, she kissed him anyway. The fire warmed her back while a chorus of sounds echoed around them. The jungle was deafening at night, but in that moment, his touch drowned out the noises.

He slid his arms around her and crushed her against his chest. She squeaked, and then melted into him, twisting her fingers in his T-shirt, finding solid muscle underneath. She couldn’t help but push under the material to explore.

His skin was warm, and her fingers brushed against a thin line of hair trailing down his stomach. She followed it until it vanished beneath the buckle of his pants. His chest expanded with a sharp inhale. The subtle fluttering in her stomach exploded into a fierce energy radiating through her body.

His lips slid to the corner of her mouth and down her jaw. She tilted her head back toward the night sky while his mouth ran over her neck.

He pulled away, nearly panting. “Zanya—”

“No.” She rose on her tippy-toes and kissed him again. She wouldn’t have him try to talk reason into her. Not now, when they were finally alone.

When dawn broke, they would risk their lives. This could be their last chance to be together if it all fell apart.

She spread her hands across his back and trailed them over his shoulders. His fingers dug into her hips and he broke their kiss again. “Heavens help me,” he whispered in a raspy breath. “Zanya, please.”

She shifted her weight. “What’s wrong?”

He shook his head.

“Don’t you…” The thought of saying it aloud made her blush. Maybe he
didn’t
want to move forward, though his kiss said otherwise. She hung her head. How could she have been so wrong?

He hooked his fingers under her chin. “I can’t. It wouldn’t be fair.”

“Fair? What are you talking about?” She bit her lip, trying not to notice the electrical current that spread over her skin from his touch. What the heck was wrong with her? She’d never acted like this before—wanted anyone so much.

He brushed his finger along her cheek. “Please, trust me.”

She paused, realizing she’d moved her hands under his shirt, and was resting her hands against his solid muscle. The mental haze slowly faded. Being this into him was a little scary.

Zanya slowly pulled away and pressed her hands against her sides. Maybe it was the fresh jungle air, or maybe it was just that they were headed into the unknown the next day. Whatever drew her to him was relentless. Her head spun, and she rested her fingertips on her temple. It was as if something had taken her over. Something with an insatiable need.

She blinked away clouded vision and forced a soft smile. He was right. Waiting was better. She’d sworn she’d take it slow. He’d promised he’d wait. Not push. Not pressure her. And he hadn’t. Not even a little. There was nothing wrong with taking things one step at a time.

Except suddenly she wanted to leap.

Chapter Four

Arwan

Two miles to go before they reached the caves. That gave Arwan just two miles to make Zanya smile. She’d been forlorn all morning. Perhaps because of what happened the night before. Of course she would be upset. He’d rejected her, but not because he didn’t want her. Certainly that wasn’t the case. If she had pushed, even a little more, he might not have shown the willpower he had.

He watched her, so quiet and despondent. “Do you need a break?” It was a legitimate question, but a part of him just wanted to see if she’d answer.

She shook her head.

Not quite the response he’d hoped for. “We’re making good progress. At this pace we will arrive in less than an hour.”

Zanya glanced at her watch. “Good. We don’t have a lot of time to waste.”

Her tone was cold, distant, and so unlike her. He’d hurt her feelings, though not intentionally. They had no other option than to slow down. That, or they would have done something she might later regret.

Especially after today.

“We should skip lunch,” she called over her shoulder. “The less we stop, the quicker we’ll get there.”

The tension in his muscles wound tighter. Each passing minute meant they were growing closer—closer to the caves, closer to the underworld, and worse, closer to Zanya finally knowing the truth.

He was the only one who could get her past the gate. It was the reason he’d volunteered to escort her, and though he hated the idea of her going at all, if she went alone, she’d never be able to get through, and that would crush her.

“I think we should take a short break. You need to keep up your strength.”

“I told you. I’m not hungry.” She squirmed under the weight of her pack while pushing forward, fighting against the pull of the load on her back.

She was angry, but that didn’t make her invincible. “You clearly need a break, Zanya.”

“Would you stop being so fussy? I’m a big girl, Arwan, and I know when I’m tired.” She continued walking with more determination.

He squared his jaw and caught up in a few long strides. He grabbed the nylon handle of her backpack and yanked, stopping her mid-step. Her arms flailed as she fought to keep her balance, and she spun around to face him. He didn’t expect to fall victim to the bitterness that poured from behind her eyes.

She balled her fists. “What?”

“What’s wrong with you?”

“You know…” She pursed her lips. “Never mind. Let’s just go. We don’t have time for this.” She turned and stalked back up the trail. A few moments later she glanced over her shoulder and noticed he hadn’t moved. She stopped. “What are you doing?”

“I was fine with giving you space, but if you’re upset with me, you need to tell me why.”

She scoffed and faced him. “You’ve got to be kidding.”

“You’re angry.”

“Oh, really?” She threw her hands in the air. “That’s a very astute observation. Anything else, or can we go now?”

“Is it because of last night? Zanya, please. I just didn’t want to—”

“Yeah, you made that much really,
really
clear.” She crossed her arms and hung her head, digging into the soil with the toe of her shoe.

He let out a long exhale. “You didn’t let me finish.” She waved her hand, as if saying
go ahead
. He cleared his throat. “Trust me. I wanted to.” He slowly closed the space between them. “But you have to understand that I need you to be sure, and you can’t be sure. Not yet.” He trailed his fingers down her arm.

She jerked away. “Don’t—” She glanced up at his face. “Don’t touch me.”

He stepped back. “You don’t want me to touch you?”

“I…” She looked away. “I do, but…”

He gathered her in his arms and hugged her close. She didn’t respond at first. But soon she uncrossed her arms, slid them around him, and rested her head against his chest.

“Why are you trying to torture me?”

He pulled back and stared into her face. “What are you talking about?”

“You keep…” She stepped back and extended her hand, then let it scale the length of his body. “…looking like
that
. And when you kiss me, I swear, it feels like you really want me, you know? And I don’t know what the hell is wrong with me. I can’t seem to control this feeling.” She shook her hands out as if they were cramped, then rested them on her hips and hung her head.

A grin pushed through. He couldn’t help it.

Her head bobbed up and her lips parted. “Well, I’m glad you’re so amused. Ugh. I should have known better than to tell you.” She covered her face with her hands. “This is so humiliating.”

He let out a laugh and wrapped his arms around her again. “It’s all right, Zanya. I’m so sorry you’re suffering like this. But if it makes you feel any better, it’s not your fault.”

She uncovered her face. “What do you mean?”

He couldn’t stop grinning. “It’s the solstice that’s making you…imbalanced.” He hooked his thumbs around the straps of his backpack. “I remember when my first real solstice hit me.”

“Wait. What do you mean? What hit you?”

“Think of it as a rite of passage. When a Riyata reaches maturity, their abilities take hold. You just turned eighteen, so it makes sense you’re going through this now. Plus you recently bonded with your stone, and you’ve been using your powers more. That’s good, but it creates…side effects. Your inner ability is being awakened by the pull of the energy of the solstice lights.”

“Lights?” The word came out in a squeak.

He let out another laugh. “It’ll go away after the solstice is over. For now, just know that you’re not abnormal. And…” He laced his fingers with hers and grinned. “I hope you don’t stop touching me altogether.
Extrañaria tus caricias.
”

Her breath hitched. “That’s another thing. You have to stop doing that.”

“Doing what?”

“Saying stuff in Spanish that I don’t understand. It’s bad enough with you looking at me the way you do, but then you say those things and…it’s just not fair.”

Warmth spread through his chest. He had no idea he affected her so deeply. If he were honest with himself, it was endearing. He couldn’t help teasing her further. “And if I were to translate,
mi mariposa
?”

“Arwan…”

“
Mi Vida.
”

“You’re so mean.”

“
Mi corazón.”

“I swear. I’ll get you back.”

“I doubt it,
mi cielo
.”

“You…” She pointed at him, an escaped smile winning over her attempt to appear stern. With her finger pressed against his chest, she dropped her head and stared up at him through feathered eyelashes. Her smile bloomed.

Mission accomplished.

Chapter Five

Zanya

Finally the caves were in sight. Good thing, because it meant Zanya could finally break the awkward silence. Her humiliation and raw need for some alone time had prevented her from saying a word for the last hour.

Yes, Arwan had handled her little predicament with class—but still. Your libido being ramped into overdrive
was
abnormal, no matter how much he wanted to claim otherwise.

She still had a lot to learn about being Riyata, and this was definitely a curve ball. Especially when it was caused by a force completely out of her control or understanding. Worse, she had no idea when these feelings would calm down, or at least lend her a little sanity. Plus, even though she hated to admit it, Arwan was right. She couldn’t be sure. Not yet. Not until she learned exactly what Renato was referring to and what was eating away at Arwan so deeply, that he refused to talk about. For now, she’d have to be satisfied with finding something legitimate to discuss so the topic didn’t come up again.

God, please don’t let the topic come up again.
Her cheeks flushed.

“Do you want to set up camp here or go straight into the caves?” She focused on the terrain ahead, doing her best to keep her distance—even if they camped out again, jaguar lurking in the jungle or not.

“We need to keep moving,” Arwan replied from behind her. The texture of the earth changed under her feet as they drew closer to the entrance. The ground, once spongy and cushioned with layers of fallen leaves and soil, had hardened to dry, compressed dirt. The shadow of the towering mountain face cooled the air and sent a chill over Zanya’s skin. It wasn’t just the temperature that made her shiver, but the dark energy that grew stronger with every step.

She was able to ignore it until the light in her chest flickered on by itself, and her stone responded to the energy with a burst of panic.

Zanya stopped and clenched her hand over her stomach. She peered into the gaping mouth of the mountain. “This place is freaking me out.”

Arwan stopped beside her. “We’re about to enter the gate to the underworld. I’m not surprised.”

She should have expected as much, but she never thought the cave would carry so much power. A pool of saliva collected under her tongue. “So, do we just go in?”

“I guess we don’t have a choice.”

“Right.” She swallowed. “Okay. Let’s do this.” She pulled out the most gung-ho tone she could muster, then shifted the weight of her pack, drew in a cleansing breath, and took a step forward.

The atmosphere shuddered, and a vicious energy forced her to her knees. She clawed at her chest, every breath burning her lungs.

Arwan grabbed her around the waist and pulled her to her feet. She clung to him, working hard to regain her balance. It was as if they had walked into some kind of barrier. One she didn’t react well to. His clenched jaw and stiff brow told her he sensed the change, too.

“Let’s just keep going,” she said between her teeth. It took a few yards, but she was finally able to shake the effects and stand on her own.

As they stepped into the darkness of the cave, Zanya brightened the light in her chest to guide them. A wavering glow, like that of a candle, cast over the rock walls.

The textured surface of the caves was a canvas for ancient drawings. Zanya examined the crude figure of a man in a headdress. Speckles of blood dripped from the blade of a knife, which protruded through the man’s tongue clear to the other side.

Zanya narrowed her eyes and rested her hand against the cold surface of the rock. “What the hell?”

“Bloodletting. It’s a common practice among the Maya during religious rituals.”

“Jesus.” She peered at the surrounding images of women with pierced breasts, and children—she took a step back, allowing her fingers to slip away from the stone. “Why didn’t they just kill a goat or something? This is barbaric.”

“Human blood appeases the gods. Animal blood is inadequate. It’s considered an insult.”

She scanned the painted walls and realized there were drawings all around them. “Let’s just get out of here.” The cave’s raw power scraped at her nerves. Another chill ran over her skin. “These people were monsters.”

“These people are our ancestors.”

“Those
people
,” she jabbed her finger at the paintings “may be our ancestors, but we’re nothing like them. They were obviously evil or they wouldn’t be killing kids to summon rain. It’s stupid to think that would work anyway. It’s just sick.” She turned and threw her pack on the ground.

Arwan didn’t reply. Probably because there was nothing to say in their defense. How he could even remotely side with that kind of religious practice?

Killing people to please higher powers. What kind of god would require that? Not any
she
chose to revere, that’s for sure.

Arwan set his pack beside hers and pulled out a bottle of water and an energy bar. “You should eat something before we move on.” He cracked open his water and drank it down all at once. “I don’t know when we’ll have a chance to eat or drink again.”

Zanya removed her stone from her pack and cradled it in her hands. Its colors morphed from dark blue to violet. She frowned and rested it against her chest. “I know you’re freaked out. Just try to stay calm. We won’t be here long.”

He leaned toward her. “You’re talking to it?”

“Yeah. It understands me. But it’s scared.” She ran her fingers over its hot surface. Her skin scalded with red blisters and then healed. She was getting used to the pain and the relief that soon followed. Too bad she hadn’t had that ability back at the orphanage. Zanya clenched her jaw. “You know, it’s just like Sarian to do something like this. He breaks the obedience spell with that book, and instead of just doing whatever he has planned, he drags it out. I mean…” She slumped her shoulders forward, aching from the weight of her pack. “I don’t know what he’s up to, but it’s typical for him. He gets off on watching people suffer.”

“Which is why we need to keep going.”

“Yeah, I know.”

“We can’t take our packs with us.”

Her head bobbed up. “What? Why?”

Arwan zipped his pack closed and shoved it against the wall. “We won’t be able to bring them through the portal.”

“Oh.” But her stone was large and too awkward to carry in her hands. She had to figure out a way to take it and not have it weigh her down. After a moment in deep thought, she raised it to eye level. “I bet you’d be awesome as a river pebble.” Arwan continued to watch her, but she didn’t mind. He was curious, and for once, it was nice to know something he didn’t.

She cradled the stone against her chest and closed her eyes, focused on holding the image of a river pebble clearly in her mind. A soft plume of power rippled through her body, and when she opened her eyes, her stone had changed to a smooth, oval rock nestled in the palm of her hand. Though it retained its color and light, it was much more portable.

She closed her fingers around its hot surface, causing her skin to scream. Zanya ignored the pain and focused on calming down the stone with deep, cleansing breaths.

“How did you do that?”

“It’s called transformation. It’s an ability I read about in one of Renato’s books.” She opened her hand to the stone. Its colors slowly returned to white and blue. “I practiced it at home a few times with some things from my mom’s old vanity. Cool, huh?”

“It must be strange to feel the stone’s thoughts and emotions like you do.”

“A little, but in a way it’s been a part of me my entire life.” Back in the orphanage, she’d dreamed about the stone again and again. She was drawn to it. Linked to it. No matter how much danger there was around her, she always sought it out. Of course, Sarian had managed to step in the way each and every time, but she’d never stopped searching until she found it.

She slipped the stone into the front pocket of her sweater. “Okay. I think I’m ready.”

Arwan propped her bag against the rock wall. “We’ll leave our supplies here and get them when we come out.”

The air chilled as they traveled deeper into the caves. The narrow passage they were following finally opened into a grand cavern. Stalactites hung from the roof of the chamber, giving off an eerie amber glow. The angles of each formation guided droplets of moisture to their points until the drops slipped to the stone ground, filling the space with soft patters and drips.

In the corner sat a stone altar. Zanya crept toward it over the slick ground. As she drew closer, the light in her chest allowed her to better see the slab. Her heart dropped.

A small stack of bones was piled on either side of the sacrificial altar with a stone bowl rested on top.

The bones could only belong to a child.

Zanya’s stomach slithered. “This is wrong.” The words caught in her throat.

Arwan slipped his fingers between hers, reassuring her with his touch. “I know.”

They stood side by side in a mutual moment of silence for the tiny victims.

“You were right,” he said in a low growl. “They
were
monsters.”

Carved markings on the altar’s base caught her attention. She took a hesitant step closer, peering at the symbols. “What is this?” Zanya stooped to see them more clearly, as they were dusty and discolored with age. She brushed her fingers over the glyphs. Each carving seemed to represent a word, like the logograms she’d learned about in ancient history class in the orphanage. “What does this say? Can you read them?”

Arwan crouched beside her and analyzed the markings. “This is a sacrificial portal.” His gaze rose to the stone bowl fused to the top of the altar. “Child sacrifices were used to gain access to the underworld when those trying to enter didn’t belong.”

“What do you mean, ‘belong’?”

“Blood analysis isn’t as new as science likes us to believe.” He stood and rested his hands on the rim of the stone bowl. He dragged his fingers along it, then paused over a sharpened edge. It was still darkened with bloodstains from the last sacrifice. “Those who are at least part underworlder are required to give a blood offering before they are allowed to pass. It’s the only way to cross without a life being given in exchange.”

Bile churned in her stomach. Everything about this place was dark. The energy of the cave, the weird glowing stalactites hanging from the ceiling, the altar, and the bones. The metallic stink of blood still hung in the air.

“This is too weird. We need to keep moving.” She couldn’t stand being near the remains for another second. Not when the faces of the innocent children rose through the folds of her imagination. Their tiny bodies must have struggled, knowing what was about to happen, while grown men forced them to lie down.

She had once read that being offered as a sacrifice was an honor, and often times the elder shaman would give women and children a message to deliver to the gods before they were killed.

A shiver ran down the back of her arms. What a horrible, unnecessary way to die.

She stepped back. “How do we get to the portal?”

“This
is
the portal.” He turned to face her, his gaze piercing, intense, and unsettling. “Tell me you’ll always want me.” His words came out in a soft plea.

“What?” She shifted her weight.

His grip tightened over the stone bowl. “Please, just tell me that after this, you’ll still want me.” His eyebrows arched, as did the panic tearing through her.

Before she could reply, Arwan pressed his wrist against the bowl and slid it across the sharpened rim. His skin sliced open, and his blood began to flow.