Mayan Blood (18 page)

She focused, honed on her new inner power from bonding with the stone. The light in her chest churned.

Breathe deep.

Clear your mind.

Find your center.

She formed a clear picture of Sarian, recalling his appearance from head to toe. She had to remember every detail, which wouldn’t be very hard considering he’d haunted her for so many years.

Black hair. Even blacker eyes. A pointed nose. Sharp, cold eyes.

Her muscles twitched and her vision went black. She panicked, sure she had done something terribly wrong.

But when her vision returned, she stood in the sand, the cold brass of a cane leaning into her palm. With no time to adjust to her new appearance, she smoothed out her coat and stepped forward.

“Enough!” She nearly screeched, startled by the sound of Sarian’s baritone voice. “The stone is safe. They can do me no harm now that it is back in my possession. Leave now and return…” She had no clue where they should go other than… “Home.”

The raging battle came to a sudden halt. The beasts backed away from the attack, giving Arwan and Renato the space to shift their focus to her—him.

The largest creature approached. Its shadow covered her entirely when they stood toe to toe. Zanya puffed out her chest and straightened her back to seem as tall as she could. She swallowed, doing her best to muffle her trembling breaths. With salvaged courage, she looked the beast in its eyes.

“I said, return home.” Zanya dug the brass foot of her cane into the sand. “Dare you defy me?”

The creature pushed its nose closer to her, inhaled, and leaked a low growl.

She had forgotten one of Sarian’s defining characteristics—his bitter stench. She concentrated on her memory of the foul rank, and repressed a gag when the smell seeped from her skin.

The incubus jerked its head back. It turned and bellowed from deep in its chest. The rest of the creatures hissed in response.

With Zanya's friends still on the defensive, the smaller demons took flight.

The beast in front of Zanya crouched, gave a gurgled snarl, and leaped into the air.

Zanya exhaled in relief. It was the first time she’d exercised her changing ability. Now if she could figure out how to change back…

Renato charged toward her with a warrior’s cry, prepared to kill. She gasped and threw up her hands. The blade sliced through the air just as Zanya pushed out a burst of light, throwing Renato back. He skidded along the ground, his sword half buried in the sand beside him. “Renato, it’s me, Zanya.” She clenched her fist, bore down, and willed her body back to its normal state.

It was only then the full force of the transformation tore through her. She hadn’t noticed it when her adrenaline was pumping, but now that imminent death was no longer present, morphing hurt like hell.

Renato stared at her with a gaping mouth and scrambled to his feet. “Fantastic.” A fascinated light twinkled in his eye. “I’ve never seen anything like it.”

She slumped her shoulders and let out a deep breath. “Yeah, neither have I. It was something I read in one of those books you gave me. I can’t believe that actually worked.”

Renato laughed. “Brilliant. Just brilliant.”

Zanya turned and peered at the sky, still tuned in to the stone’s pleas for rescue. “Don’t get too happy. Something terrible has happened.”

Chapter Nineteen

Renato picked his sword up off the sand. “As long as we are all here, we live to fight another day.” He slid the gleaming blade back into its hilt. “We will get the stone back, that is for certain.”

“Yeah?” Hawa grudgingly accepted help from Peter for her wounds. “You think we’ll get it back, or was that our last chance gone down the drain?”

“Calm down,” Peter said.

She yanked her arm away from him, leaving the cut only partially healed. “Don’t tell me to calm down.” She glared at Renato. “As long as we’re all alive and well, my ass. We aren’t all well, in case you haven’t noticed.”

“Be thankful we are alive,” Renato said.

“Yeah, barely. And now the stone is gone and we’re back at square one.” She gestured to Zanya. “And you, our fearless leader.” The sarcasm in her tone made Zanya cringe. “All you care about is getting your little friend back, and the stone is a distant second. Get your priorities straight,
Stone Guardian
.” Hawa stormed back toward the house.

“Wait…” Zanya stepped forward, her gaze trained on the windows to Tara’s bedroom. “If we went back and changed the past…” She sprinted into the house, accidently shoulder-checkering Hawa before scaling the stairs. Ignoring Hawa’s chain of curse words, Zanya slowed her pace as she approached Tara’s bedroom door. “Please be there, please be there.” She held her breath and turned the handle, entering the room.

A mess of blankets and lumpy pillows were piled on the mattress. Tara had to be there, just under the covers. It was the only thing that made sense. They’d gone back, changed the sequence of events, and altered the future.

Please let her see bright red hair and her freckled cheeks.

She wrapped her fingers around the blankets, and with a deep breath, tore away the covers.

There was nothing more than cold, tangled sheets.

Zanya cupped her hands over her face and fell to her knees. She wanted to scream, cry, and destroy everything in her path. But most of all, she wanted her best friend back.

The sound of a flushing toilet sent Zanya springing to her feet. The bathroom door swung open and Tara stepped out, groggy, her hair a tousled mess. Tara rubbed her eyes, blinking through the bright sun filtering into her room. “What time is it?”

Zanya threw her arms around Tara and buried her face into the messy layers of curly red hair.

“What happened? What’s wrong?” She looked down at Zanya's bloodstained shirt. “Oh my God, you’re hurt!”

Zanya sniffled. “No, I’m fine. Everything is just right. Exactly how it should be.”

“Why are you crying? And what’s all over your clothes?” Tara’s eyes narrowed. “Did Jay do something? I swear—”

“No, no. It’s nothing like that.” Zanya tilted her head, admiring the familiar warmth of Tara’s pinkish skin. “I’m just glad you’re back.”

Tara perched her hands on her hips. “What the hell are you talking about? Back from where?”

“You don’t remember being taken?”

“I wasn’t taken anywhere.” She pressed the back of her hand against Zanya's forehead. “Are you all right? Have you been getting enough sleep? You look, well…like crap.”

If she only knew what they had been through to find her, but none of that mattered now. Every effort was worth it, because her best friend—no, her sister—was home, and she could breathe again. “I’m…” Zanya smiled. “Fantastic.”

“That’s good to hear.” She examined Zanya's shirt. “You should go change out of those filthy clothes. You’re a mess. Plus, whatever that is—” She crinkled her nose. “It smells funny.” Her eyes brightened. “Anyway, I’m starving. Maybe Peter’s making pancakes.”

How could she forget about Peter? He’d been just as worried. Zanya shouldn’t keep him waiting longer than necessary. She grabbed Tara by her wrist and dragged her out into the hall.

When their eyes met, Peter dashed up the stairs, two at a time, and scooped Tara into his arms.

***

After going to sleep that night, Zanya opened her eyes in the dark space. There was no doubt in her mind where she was. No beautiful beachside bedroom with silk draperies. No wall of windows or crashing waves against dark shores.

Sarian stood in front of her, his frail frame recognizable even in the dark. His shadow limped toward her. “Hello, young guardian.”

She backed up. “Get away from me.”

“I’m not here to harm you, dear. I merely wish to give my sincere congratulations on your bonding.” He extended his hand with a tiny box sitting in his palm.

Her chest jumped, and the light in her chest burst to life. “I don’t need your help, and I don’t want anything from you but my stone.”

Zanya forced herself to her feet. Something was really, really wrong. There was no way he would just turn the other cheek and be Mr. Nice Guy all of a sudden.

“You once asked me what I wanted.” He stepped closer. “With your rather intrusive dreamwalker interrupting us, I never had the opportunity to respond.” His posture was relaxed and his face seemed more pleasant than she’d ever seen before. He almost looked…handsome.

“An alliance. You and I, we could rule the middleworld together.”

The gleam in his eye. It had been there all along, and she hadn’t recognized it until now. But as Sarian’s tongue caressed the fold of his lips and his gaze hungrily devoured her figure, it was clear.

He wanted
her
.

Suspicion confirmed. This was really, really bad.

“You are power and beauty wrapped in one. An ideal combination.” Zanya cringed and stepped away. Just the thought of him wanting her in that way made her stomach churn. “I will be perfectly forthright. I wish for you to be my queen. We would be untouchable. The Stone Guardian on the throne beside the mightiest of kings.”

“I would never form an alliance with you.”

He stood still and silent. A quiver of fear rolled over her skin. She had learned when he was quiet was when he was most dangerous.

He lunged forward and clamped his hand around Zanya's throat. She grasped onto his wrist, choking beneath his solid hold. “Do not forget who you are speaking to.” The harshness of his voice sent terror screaming through her. He loosened his grip, just enough to allow her to breathe. She coughed and sucked in shallow breaths. “Or perhaps I should remind you of what I am capable of in your dreams.” He raised the handle of his cane to her face and trailed it down her cheek, then leaned in close to her lips. “So beautiful.” She clenched her eyes shut, just in time for the brass handle to deliver a bone-shattering blow. Zanya shrieked and held her face. He let her go, spilling her onto the ground.

“You don’t know him as well as you think, my dear. Your timebender—as he calls himself—has more to him than he leads you to believe. In fact, he and I, we aren’t as different as you think.”

Sarian turned and walked into the darkness. He paused, tilting his cane side to side, as if in contemplation. “By the way,” He faced her. “How is your friend? She and I got to know each other quite well.” He grinned. “She is very loyal to you. With all the suffering she endured, she didn’t breathe a word. Not even a hint.” He watched Zanya, rage parading behind his eyes. He was out to hurt her in ways much deeper than cuts and bruises. “Do you really think you got her back against my will? I never planned to kill her. Not when I knew how it would tear you apart.” He gave her his back and limped into the darkness. “Next time, I might not be so kind.”

Chapter Twenty

Alone on the beach, Zanya’s mind drifted past the distant waves. The skies this time of the year were gray, and the water plunged more violently against the cliffside. Sea birds stopped flying for enjoyment. Instead, they huddled in large colonies on the cliffs.

Yes, change was underway, not only in the season, but in her life as well.

“The weather’s getting colder.” Jayden strolled toward her from behind.

Zanya turned. “How long have you been there?”

“A few minutes. You looked so peaceful; I didn’t want to bother you.”

Peaceful was the opposite of what she was feeling, but there was nothing he could do to make it better.

The coastal winds infused her hair and tickled her nose with a hint of salt. It was a scent she’d grown to love. “I don’t think I’ll ever forget the smell of the sea.”

“What are you doing out here alone, anyway?” He sat beside her on the cool sand.

“I just needed to get away.”

“Away from what?”

She brushed hair away from her face. “Just…away.”

Jayden leaned back on his forearms, squinting up at the overcast. “So, in this getaway, is anyone allowed to come with you?”

“I thought the idea of getting away was to be alone.”

“It’s always more fun when someone goes with you.” Jayden sat up and inspected her face, then frowned. “Unless the person you really want isn’t anywhere around.” When she didn’t reply, he stood and brushed off grains of sand stuck to his clothes. “Sorry to bother you.” He turned and meandered down the beach.

Zanya stared after him. “I wouldn’t go down there if I were you.”

“Why not?”

“Because Peter finally convinced Tara to go swimming with him, and they’re spending some alone time together.” She needed a serious brain bleach to forget the image of them making out against the rocks.

“If you knew that, why would you go down there?” He shifted his weight, his eyes narrowing. “You sought them, didn’t you?”

“I was just trying to find Tara. I wasn’t spying.”

“So, it’s okay for you to seek your best friend, but I can’t seek mine?”

She stilled. “I’m your best friend?”

“Yes, and friends watch out for each other. Talk about the pot calling the kettle black.” He turned and walked back toward the house.

Zanya stood up, brushing the sand off her clothes. She was already in a shitty mood, and agitating her wasn’t going to end well—for him. “The difference is that you weren’t just checking up on me. You
were
spying.”

He spun around. “First of all, I have no idea what you’re talking about. That guy you were batting your eyelashes at could have taken advantage of you or hurt you. I was just making sure you were safe. And a good thing I did. There’s something wrong with him. Like, something really fucking wrong.”

“Who the hell do you think you are? You completely invaded my privacy! Now you’re calling him some kind of monster, and all because he didn’t appreciate you throwing yourself at me.” Her voice had risen to a near shout.

“Your privacy doesn’t matter compared to your safety. And…fine! I’m sorry, okay?”

She threw her hands up in the air. “This is ridiculous. I’m a big girl. I can draw my own conclusions, and you conclusion is you can’t just go kissing people.”

“You’re not
people
. You were my girlfriend.”

“Exactly. I
was
. You need to get a grip on that.”

“Yeah. I’m realizing that.” Jayden kicked at the sand. “What are you going to do now?”

She shrugged. “My friends are all I have. If you can be my friend, we’ll be okay. If not...” She couldn’t tell him to leave. Not after everything. “Well, even if you can’t, you’re still important to me.”

He tilted his head, trying to get a better look at her face, hidden behind drapes of long, wavy hair. “I’m important to you?”

“Yeah. I mean…you’re a jerk. Don’t get me wrong. But…you’re my friend.”

He stepped toward her. “I want more than that.”

She held his gaze, steady and sure. “You threw that chance away when you left.”

“You’ve got to stop holding that against me. I told you, I had no choice.”

That was such a load of crap. He kept saying he was forced to leave, but Jayden couldn’t be forced into doing anything he didn’t want to do. That much she knew about him from years of his stubborn pride. “If you really loved me, you would have stayed. Hell or high water, you wouldn’t have left me there. You chose to go, and then you chose to barge back into my life, unannounced and uninvited.”

His eyes narrowed. “What you mean to say is unwanted. I barged back into your life, unannounced and unwanted.” He backed away. “Well, you won’t have to worry about me barging into your life anymore. I’ll leave you alone.” He walked up the beach and disappeared into the house.

So that was it. He was just going to throw a temper tantrum and run away—again. She should be used to people leaving when things got rough, though it never hurt less.

As she meandered back toward the home, the tides whispered to her; waves rolling onto the beach, bubbling with white water, and then retreating again. But when the whispers formed words, Zanya stopped and listened.

Her heart flooded with misery, as if someone had reached inside her chest and torn it out with a hot iron.

It was her stone. From wherever Sarian held it captive, it managed to break through the barrier to deliver a message.

The obedience spell was failing.

Her light bolted to life so violently, her back arched and her chest jerked toward the sky. Behind her lids played a succession of images.

Raging water.

Flashes of light.

A tree, hanging onto the edge of a cliff with vines consuming the trunk.

Flashes of light.

She gasped and held her breath when ice cold shocked her skin.

White water and bubbles.

Flashes of light.

Her lungs burned.

Flashes of light.

The water roared in her ears.

Flashes of light.

Her throat tightened.

Flashes of light.

Panic streaked through her. She couldn’t breathe.

Flashes of light.

She ground her teeth and swallowed down the need to pull in a breath.

The soft glow of something, pinched between two rocks. A string, from what she could tell, swayed in the water’s current.

When her light flickered off, her eyes flew open and she collapsed to the sand. She gasped and coughed, choking on the memory. Her body shook as she struggled to stand. The vision had torn through her. She’d never experienced anything like it.

One thing she knew for sure.

That wasn’t her stone.

When her stone spoke to her, she
felt
it.

This was more like an infliction—a vision she had no way to control.

She had to go there. She had to find the place with the waterfall.

It took longer than usual to make it to the house. The more she walked, the lighter her muscles became. After she had walked through a few wings, she was as good as new. Maybe it was that whole healing thing that helped her recover so fast, though it was hard to tell.

When she reached the north wing, Zanya knocked on the door. It creaked open and Hawa peeked out. Her hair in a tight ponytail, she resembled a black leopard. “Yes?”

“I need your help.”

Hawa rolled her eyes. “What now?”

“Listen. I’m coming to you because I think you can help me. I need to go out. You—I think—can take me there.”

She arched a perfectly shaped eyebrow. “Why me?”

“Because you don’t care about keeping me safe.”

Hawa opened the door a bit wider. “Sounds like an adventure.”

“Yeah.” Zanya shrugged. “I guess you could call it that.”

***

It took almost an hour to get to the place from her vision. When they arrived, Zanya followed Hawa out of the car. Soft soil sank under her feet in the humid night air.

“Where to now?” Hawa stepped out of the car and shut the door behind her.

Even with the Jeep’s headlights, the waterfall was shrouded in darkness. Its presence would have been cloaked completely if the water weren’t for the roaring rush of the water. A light mist coated her skin.

“I’m not completely sure.” Zanya listened carefully, half expecting a booming voice to echo down from the skies and direct her where to go.

“Well I seriously hope you didn’t drag us out here for nothing. I’m missing my beauty rest to take you on this little excursion.”

Zanya held up her hand. “Just…shut up for a second.”

Hawa huffed and swatted at the bugs swarming around the light from the headlights. “Make this quick, would you? I don’t particularly want to be eaten alive.”

The jungle’s sounds were deafening. Zanya carefully walked forward, every step more unsure than the last. Staggering around in the jungle at night wasn’t exactly smart, but her vision was so strong, she wasn’t left with a choice. It was either follow the clues or not sleep again—ever.

She scanned the jungle foliage.

“Anything?” Hawa called from behind her.

Zanya’s scanned the jagged cliffside to the top, where silky moonlight cast over a single tree. Vines wrapped around the trunk as if they were eating it alive. “I think I got something.” She glanced over her shoulder at Hawa. “This way.”

She scouted the easiest way up the side of the cliff, spotting what may have been a game trail. Without a second thought she pushed forward, stumbling over rocks and thick branches on her way.

“Hey!”

Zanya ignored Hawa’s calls. Her pulse quickened with every step toward the tree. She had to get to it. She needed to see what was there.

“Hey, crazy woman. Does being the guardian give you night vision, too?”

“I have to get to that tree.” She clawed at the ground and scrambled her way there until she reached the top of the cliff. When she looked down at the car, Hawa’s silhouette was carved into bright beams from headlights.

Hawa cupped her hands around her mouth. “You’re going to get yourself killed!”

Zanya reached the tree, the toes of her shoes close to the edge of the cliff. The tree grew in an awkward spot, tilted over the edge. She rested her hand on the trunk and peered over at the raging water below.

Vertigo made her head spin. She pushed back, her stomach lurching into her throat.

Her vision had brought her to the tree, and then…

“Oh, hell no.” She stole another glance over the cliff. “This is so not a good idea.” Her muscles rigid, she ground her teeth and then stripped off the outer layer of clothes. “I’ve finally lost it.”

“What the hell are you doing?” Hawa yelled.

“I don’t know!” Her shouts echoed through the jungle. She tossed her sweater on the ground and gathered all of the courage she had, which under the circumstances had to be a lot. She curled her lip. “This better be worth it.”

She ran forward, and with the third step, she hit air. Zanya flailed her arms as she fell to the churning pool below. When she hit the white water, her first instinct was to gasp from the shock of cold. Instead she swallowed down the urge and kicked as hard as she could.

Panic streaked through her as she fought to find the surface. The water tossed her in every direction. Bubbles swirled in circles and her hair floated all around her.

A warm glow caught her eye. She searched below, but the waterfall’s power swept her away.

The glow streaked past her again. Her lungs were on fire, and the idea of retrieving whatever was there became a distant second to taking a breath. She kicked and scrambled until she found rock and skimmed her hands along its slick surface to the top. She pulled in the most wonderful air she’d ever breathed, and then another. Water fell over her head, pushing hair into her face.

“Are you fucking crazy or do you have a death wish?” Hawa stood at the edge of the lake, flailing her arms in the air.

“There’s something down there.”

Hawa paused, and then threw her arms out to the sides. “Great. There’s something down there.” She paced. “I need your help, she said. It’ll be an adventure, she said.” Hawa laughed. “Just great.”

“I have to get it.”

Hawa turned toward her. “Don’t you dare. Renato will kill me if something happens to you.”

Zanya shivered. She had to retrieve the glowing object. She tightened her jaw. “This better be worth it.” She drew in a deep breath and dunked under.