The Chosen (17 page)

She yawned and stretched, rubbing her eyes. “Are you always this much of a morning person?”

He grinned, just to goad her more. “Aren’t you?”

She didn’t even bother shaking her head. She just glared at him in response.

“I’ll take that as a confirmed no. In the meantime, how about more fruit?”

He pulled some from their packs and cut it open, handing it to her. “We’ve got a long walk ahead of us. You’d better eat up.”

They took care of what was necessary and headed off again. The days to complete their mission were quickly dwindling away. They were well into the jungle when the soft earth, spongy and dark from the litter from the trees and vegetation, shivered beneath their feet.

China glanced at him as he placed his hand on her arm to halt their progress. “Earthquake?”

“Doesn’t feel like any earthquake I’ve ever experienced. You?”

She shook her head as the ground vibrated beneath their feet, making leaves and twigs on the ground dance and branches high above them shimmy. The rustle of leaves alone indicated something unusual. Monkeys chattered excitedly high above them, and in the distance the sound of a big animal rang out a warning to the denizens of the jungle.

The hair on the back of Remy’s neck lifted in warning.

Not an earthquake, he thought, keeping his senses open, trying to pinpoint direction and what the impending danger could be. The animals around them knew to get the hell away. Birds scattered like buckshot from the trees, and swoops of orange butterflies flew south like well-organized confetti.

This was more like some giant thing or a huge group of little things was digging its way out of the soil like a coterie of prairie dogs. But bigger and a lot more dangerous.

Remington’s gaze darted across the open areas among the trees. The dirt and detritus began to split open in a dozen places, making it impossible to watch them all at once. Shiny bits of smooth white material speared upward from the soil.

China shifted to stand closer to him. “What the hell are those?”

“If I didn’t know better, I’d say they were bones.” A bulbous skull pushed through the soil, its sightless eye sockets and gaping nose hole pulling level with the dirt. It was really too bad that he wasn’t wrong more often.

One by one the skeletons emerged from the soil, crawling their way out of the earthen crypts. The bones were animated, humans without muscles or flesh, unseeing but apparently determined to wreak havoc.

“Oh!” China jumped forward, knocking into his back. “There’s more!”

He spun around and glanced behind them. They’d been so stumped by what was happening in front of them, they hadn’t realized the skeletons had them surrounded. Each held an obsidian blade, spear, or Aztec war club in bony hands, all tips pointed inward toward them. Blast.

“Any thoughts on how to best them?”

China huffed. “I’ve never fought off the dead before.”

The bone warriors continued to sprout up out of the soil, their arms outstretched. Their gaping maws letting out a collective bloodcurdling, dust-dry wail. Remy took a swing at one and it busted apart, the skull flying off and shattering as it hit the trunk of the massive tree to the side of him. China flinched as the chunks of bone scattered, nicking her skin.

But the blow didn’t stop the warrior. Headless, it kept coming as if nothing had happened. Its hands wrapped around Remington’s throat. The skeleton was surprisingly strong and its fingers hard, bruising the skin as it pressed off his airway.

Remington grappled with the thing, pulling at the wrist bones at his throat. Nothing broke its hold. Stars floated and popped in his vision. Time to use a different tactic. He swung his arms around, throwing them down hard on the forearms of the skeleton. The arms broke away at the elbow from the rest of the skeleton, but still the fingers squeezed the living breath from him.

Zzzot!
A bright blue flash of light filled the clearing, and the main body of the skeleton disintegrated into ash. The bony hands fell away, and Remington whipped around to find China armed with Marley’s Blaster. Her eyes were bright and her smile almost a leer. “Did you see that?”

“Of course I saw it. You almost hit me!” He ducked as another bone warrior took a swing at him with a wooden club covered with obsidian spikes. He hadn’t tried the Blaster before because frankly he hadn’t been sure he’d survive. But now that he knew it worked—“What are you waiting for? Follow me and keep shooting! We need a path out of here.”

China charged up the Blaster again, the electric hum of it filling the air like a swarm of angry bees. “Brace yourself!”

Remington knocked two bone warriors sideways, toppling to the ground with them as she aimed and fired another blast of blue electricity.
ZZZZot!

A charred path led straight out of the clearing, small tendrils of smoke curling about the edges of it. Remington didn’t waste a second. He grabbed hold of her hand, and together they fled into the jungle.

Shhhunk!
A fast-moving brush of air caused Remington to glance sideways. An obsidian blade lay half buried in the trunk of the tree next to his head. Holy hell. It was a good thing those skeletons weren’t more accurate. Then again, if he didn’t have eyeballs to spot his target he supposed he’d miss now and again too.

His legs pumped hard and fast. Massive leathery leaves slapped him in the face and chest as he and China barreled down what looked like some sort of animal path. The rattling sound of bones knocking together and dry wails didn’t abate. He glanced back and saw the skeletons were still hot on their trail.

The roaring sound of running water—a lot of it—pricked up his ears. “This way!” Without body mass, he doubted the skeletons could swim. If he and China could just make it across the river, they’d be safe. For the moment.

He dodged left, dragging China along behind him. Her breathing was harsh and fast. “Slow down; this thing is heavy!”

“Not a chance.” He grabbed the Blaster from her on the run and shoved her ahead of him. “Go, go, go! They’re right behind us!”

The roaring grew louder. China came to a dead stop in front of him, and he plowed into her. “What the hell are you—”

He looked in front of their feet at the edge of the ravine that dropped off into space. A waterfall plunged fifty feet down to rocks below.

Shhhunk!
Another deadly black glass blade missed them by mere inches.

“Jump!”

“What? No! I hate water! I can’t—”

Remington gave her a shove off the ledge just as a bony hand clamped around his throat and squeezed.

Before she could change into another bird, or a fish, or even a butterfly, China’s arms pinwheeled. Screaming she tumbled down in a freefall off the cliff toward the roaring bottom of the waterfall and churning river below. Spray from the waterfall soaked her well before she plunged into the ice-cold water.

Instantly her skin stung and burned from the impact, and the water closed over her head. The rolling current of the river, pushed by the waterfall, kept shoving her under as she tried to climb to the surface.

China kicked and writhed, her lungs burning. She rose to the surface, sputtering and coughing. Just then another wash of water slapped over the top of her as a big object fell into the river beside her.

She gasped, her arms flailing, barely able to keep her head above the surge of the water. A strong arm came from somewhere below and wrapped around her middle, just beneath her breasts, keeping her head up above the waterline.
Remington.

Droplets of water sprayed from his hair as he shook the water from his eyes when he broke to the surface. They were carried downstream through rapids. He did his best to shield her from the rocks with his body. As the water slowed, he moved them closer to the edge. With powerful legs and long sweeps of his arm he swam to the riverbank, keeping her tucked against his side.

They both crawled onto the wet rocks and lay there for a moment, just breathing, which was harder for her than for him. China turned to her side and coughed, her throat scraped raw and her chest sore as water came up.

He laid a warm hand on her back. “Just keep breathing. It’ll get easier.”

“I can’t swim,” she rasped. “I tried to tell you but you didn’t give me a chance.”

“You did see the army of skeletons after us, didn’t you?”

She turned her head and gave him an incredulous look. “Well, yes—”

“Then you know why I didn’t listen. I was more interested in keeping you alive.”

“By drowning me?”

He looked up at the sky and muttered underneath his breath, something about perverse points of view, before he turned and speared her with a hard gaze. “Look at it however you want to, but you’re still alive.” He stood up and offered her a hand. Water still trickled down him in rivulets, making dark streams on the gray rocks. His shirt and pants were plastered like papier-mâché, outlining every rock-hard curve of his impressive body.

If her body hadn’t felt capable of moving before, it certainly didn’t now that her bones had turned to the consistency of jelly. “You actually expect me to move after all that? I just started breathing normally again.”

He quirked a sleek, dark brow upward as if to say,
of course you ninny; now take my hand
.

China sighed and slipped her hand into his. It was a perfect fit, and it took hardly any effort for him to lift her up in one clean, fluid motion from the rock to a standing position right next to him. She grew instantly aware that her clothes were as wet and clingy as his, and that the tips of her breasts were hard as pebbles. His gaze dipped down for a moment, and when their eyes met again, a slow, sly smile crossed his sinful mouth.

“I’m cold,” she said, even as a blush began to heat her cheeks.

The smile got slightly bigger. “Naturally.”

China berated herself for being so insecure about it all. After all, the man had already seen her breasts completely bare; why did it matter if he noticed her nipples were erect? But it did. A lot.

The chemistry between her and Remington was different than anything she’d come across before. He pushed her buttons, but he also had the capability of soothing her too. Hot and cold. All intensity. “Which way would the temple be from here?”

Remington patted down his pockets. He shoved his hand into his pants and came up with nothing but a sodden piece of paper. He gingerly peeled apart the folds of the map, but it was no use. Ink smeared and dripped from the page. The paper began to sag and tear. The map was ruined. He tore off his pack and found the codex equally wet, but slightly more intact. But until it dried out, he wasn’t about to pull the fragile pages apart. “What in the blue blazes do we do now?”

China cocked her head to one side. “We find our way there.”

“Fantastic,” he said, his voice heavy with sarcasm. “How?”

China closed her eyes and sought out the familiar tug in her gut that she’d had from the minute they’d reached land after being cooped up in the submarine. Surrounded by all that metal, her shifter senses had been dulled, but on land she could more easily access them. She’d been using them as a double-check to Diego’s map, but hadn’t told Remington. There was no need to share more with him than necessary about her Darkin abilities.

The shimmering pull came from the northeast. She swiveled around until it tugged at the center of her gut, then opened her eyes and pointed. “It’s that way.”

They trudged on through the jungle. Remington made use of the machete gauntlet again because the Blaster had gotten wet. It made going slow, and as the afternoon wore on, their clothes became only marginally drier than they’d been when Remington and China had come out of the river.

“How does anyone survive in this humidity?” China grumbled, swatting at the mosquitoes that seemed to appear in clouds now and again.

“They simply sweat. Judging by the mosquitoes, we must be closer to fresh water. Lots of it.”

Oh joy. Just another reason for her to hate the little bloodsuckers.

He stopped in his tracks, turned, and narrowed his eyes at her. “You don’t have to growl about it.”

“I didn’t growl.”

The hard, firm line of his mouth said he didn’t believe her. “Well, if you didn’t growl, who did?”

Raw-awrr! Grrrrrr.
From between the large, shiny leaves appeared the massive black head of an enormous jaguar the size of a hellhound. Its black lips were peeled back, revealing lethal white canines, and it stalked, low to the ground, shoulders rolling, tail twitching as it came closer. It growled low and deep, and she could feel the vibration of it straight through to her spine.

Remington grabbed her arm hard. “Do we run?”

China could barely shake her head. “It’d kill you in one pounce.”

Remington knew the machete wouldn’t do more than scratch it and give it another reason to bite them into meat treats. The Blaster was useless until it dried out. He had more chance of killing himself with it via electrocution than of killing the giant jaguar.

“That’s not a normal jaguar, is it?”

China sniffed the air and subtly shook her head. “It’s Darkin.” She moved slowly away from him. “I’m gonna try somethin’.”

Remington’s gut clenched. He hoped like hell she knew what she was doing. “What are you doing?”

“I’m going to shift. See if you can keep it distracted long enough for me to complete the change.”

“No! Are you crazy, woman?” He kept his eyes on the beast, seeing its coiled muscles beneath the sleek black fur. The low, deep-throated growl grew in intensity. The six-foot long tail whipped back and forth, back and forth. “You’re at your most vulnerable in between forms.” Shifting into a predator large and vicious enough to scare away the giant cat made sense, but not if China ran the risk of being devoured when she was half her and half something else.

“You’re wasting time. Hurry up!”

Shit. At this point Remington had to wonder, what exactly did one do to try and attract the attention of a massive cat without increasing the chances of dying painfully? Shouting seemed the answer.

“Hey! Over here, you big furball!”

Ggggrrrrrr.
The jaguar took a measured step on paws the size of Thanksgiving platters toward Remington, and it took every ounce of guts Remington had not to take a step back.

“That’s right. I’m the one you’re interested in. I’m the threat to your master, Rathe.”

Good God that thing had razor-sharp teeth six inches long that were most visible when it roared. Its golden yellow eyes the size of his fists were dilated, befitting a predator on the hunt. China had better be damn close to changing into whatever it was she planned to be.

Remington looked out of the corner of his eye, not wanting to look away from the direct threat bearing down on him. Another giant black jaguar stepped from the jungle vegetation.
Let it be China. Let it be China. Please, let it be China.

It swiped a huge paw, lethal claws extended, at the hindquarters of the other jaguar. The first cat swung around and slapped back. A riot of hissing and spitting, growls and roars filled the air as the two battled each other. They clawed and bit and moved so fast, Remington had to shimmy up a tree to make sure he didn’t get trampled.

The two jaguars seemed to reach a stalemate, each circling the other and breathing hard, their growls still low and mean. The second jaguar glanced up at him in the tree, and Remington saw the flash of silver eyes. It was China!

Instantly his gut took a dive. She was bleeding. He couldn’t let her continue to fight without help. He hoped like hell the Blaster was dry enough to work properly.

He pulled it from the pack and fired it up. The angry buzz of the machine caught the first jaguar’s attention, and it flicked its gaze to Remington’s spot in the tree. It pulled back its lips and hissed, striking out with a paw to swipe at him.

He was grateful he was out of reach. He checked the gauge to see if the Blaster was ready and fired. For as big as the cat was, it moved lightning fast. The blast scared it momentarily, but missed.

Below the tree China in jaguar form growled, baring strong white razor-sharp teeth. He didn’t know what she wanted, but their distraction would only work for a short time. He hurried down the tree and approached her cautiously. China rubbed her massive black, furred cheek against him, nearly knocking him to the ground.

“We don’t have much time. We need to get out of here.”

She bent down, bringing her belly to the forest floor, and nudged him with her nose.

“You want me to ride you?”

She blinked at him.

The foliage stirred as the other jaguar began to pace the clearing, watching them. Time had run out.

Remington questioned the sanity of the idea in his mind, but climbed onto China’s back all the same. He flung one leg over her broad back—as wide as a horse’s, but lower to the ground. Her muscles shifted and bunched beneath lustrous thick, soft fur. He secured himself by grabbing fists full of fur, and tapping lightly with his heels, he indicated he was ready. More than ready. The other animal was growling low and deep, the swishing tail like a lash.

She roared a warning to the other jaguar, a sound that shot straight up, rattling from his tailbone up to his skull, then spun on her paw and bounded off into the jungle.

Everything became a blur of green, color, and shadow as she moved swiftly. Despite her enormous size she was lithe and graceful, her muscles bunching and pulling with each stretched-out stride as she ran at top speed. It was all he could do to hold on tight. He’d thought a lot about riding China, but had never imagined this would be how it turned out.

The crashing of branches and the growls told them the other jaguar was in hot pursuit, but had fallen far behind. But they could only move so fast on the ground. China was beginning to tire, and the trickle of blood at her neck was still flowing, shiny and dark, matting her black fur. She slowed, trotting and panting, sides bellowing in and out.

Remington leaned close to her massive furry ear. “You’re losing blood. I can’t patch you up until you’re human again.” She chuffed in response and came to a stop, slumping down to the ground. Remington eased off of her big feline body and watched with renewed appreciation for her skills as she transmogrified, her shape blurring and shrinking into the familiar petite form he’d come to appreciate most.

He bent down beside her and lifted her head to the side, looking at the scratch marks on her neck. “Well, the good news is, the marks are all in proportion. Looks like you got into a scrap with a house cat instead of a cat the size of a house.”

China gave him a weak smile. “Still burns like the devil.”

He strained his senses and listened intently to the sounds around them, trying to hear if the jaguar was close. Only the twitter and squawk of birds, the hum of insects, and the sound of the wind in the leaves filled the air.

“I don’t hear it anymore.”

“Maybe it gave up the chase.”

“Maybe.” But he doubted it. Darkin didn’t just give up as a general rule. Not when they were ordered by Rathe to kill something. He cleaned her up as best he could using water from their canteen. Her black dress was torn, her skin marred by deep red scratches on her neck and back. He wished he could do more to soothe her wounds. Guilt burned a hole in his stomach. He should have been the one to take those. Not her.

 

 

China leaned back on her hands and stared up at the canopy. Every bit of her ached, or stung, or both. She might have been a match for the giant jaguar, but fighting it had taken a toll. A chill had settled deep in the pit of her stomach, and China knew she wouldn’t be shifting again anytime soon. It would take hours to recover, maybe even a day or two.

“Thank you.” His simple words startled her.

“Whatever for?”

“It’s not often a Hunter has his life saved by another. We usually are in the business of doing the saving. I sincerely doubt I could have battled that giant jaguar on my own. So, thank you.” He brushed a kiss against her forehead that made the aches start to fade.

“You never told me what you would have been if you hadn’t been a Hunter.”