We had been cautious about anyone else following us, and I had frequently retraced our path in panther form to make sure no one else surprised us from behind again. The jungle had been absent of any other murderous Zálzi, and the rest of our trip had been relatively uneventful. We hadn’t found anything useful on the men we’d searched, but I was hoping the rest of the jaguars would know more about who they were and why they would attack us.
I thanked Alfonso, our Kogi guide, for escorting us this far. He assured me that it had been an honor to accompany me here, leaving out any mention of my five companions. I smiled at him but hinted that he may want to spend tonight at a nearby Kogi settlement. There were easier ways to navigate through the mountains here, but none that were untraveled like the path we had taken. My grandmother would appreciate the extra step I took to make the journey more demanding, but that hadn’t been my main motivation.
It hadn’t been that long ago that the Kogi’s land had been invaded by drug traffickers and guerrilla fighters. The invaders had created an entire network of trails along the lower elevations of the mountain area where the Kogi had their homes. They had frequently wreaked havoc on the small villages by stealing both food and unwilling fighters from the Kogi.
My team of well-armed, military-looking guys would only be met with fear and trepidation by the Kogi natives that we passed. I had wanted to spare them from distress and worry and avoid their villages. I had also wanted to stay off the radar of any tourists that might be in the area. People had been flocking to spiritual places like Machu Pichu and the Lost City during what the masses were viewing as the apocalypse, and I’d prefer that our trip here go completely unnoticed.
Once Alfonso had departed the area, and the team was refreshed, I took the opportunity to address them. “We’re here,” I said simply.
Rich and Davis looked around reflexively, but Trevor kept his eyes on me.
“Here being where?” Quinn asked curiously. “I was kinda expecting people and maybe a building or two.”
I laughed and shook my head. “You’ve all been exposed to magic through Anna and some of the more recent adventures we’ve gone on, but I still think you may not believe what we are about to walk into until you see it with your own eyes.”
“Way to build up the anticipation,” Davis quipped. “You have me on the edge of my seat.”
“Buckle up,” I told him. “You’re in for a wild ride.”
“Promises, promises,” Mike murmured to me with a teasing light in his eyes.
Instead of explaining further, I pulled out my knife and made a cut against my palm. Red blood dripped from the wound, and I quickly pressed my hand to the rock formation in front of us.
“Shit!” Davis called out as the rocks in front of me grew hazy.
“Let’s go,” I called to him. “The door will only stay open so long, and I don’t want to have to keep cutting myself.”
The guys passed by me as they filed through the doorway, and I could see the tension in their shoulders. They were stepping into the unknown and were unprepared for what was to come.
The stone walls of the stairway glowed with faint magic to show us the way down into my grandmother’s domain. The air within the stronghold was cool and refreshing, like a fresh breeze on a spring day. That was just one of the few unnatural things about this place.
I led the way forward into the darkness that lay before us, the stone walls only lighting where we were walking. “My grandmother knew the moment we entered, and she’ll probably meet us at the main entrance.”
“That wasn’t the entrance?” Rich mumbled.
I smiled at him over my shoulder. “This is just another path to our main destination.” “Fantastic,” Quinn grumbled.
After ten minutes of walking down what seemed like hundreds of stairs, the floor evened out and brought us to an ornate doorway carved in the likeness of jaguars, ready to pounce on anyone who dared to pass through.
The door opened in front of us before I could even extend my hand forward to reach for the handle. “Búndzi,” my grandmother greeted me with a cold smile. “Finally, you’ve returned to us.”
The inner sanctum of the jaguars was nothing like the Kogi lands we had crossed through to get here. Stories passed down from generation to generation of little jaguar cubs told us that this stronghold was created for us by a goddess so that we could guard her treasure until her return. Every inch of stone in this place was infused with magic. Stepping inside was almost like entering another world.
The walls that enclosed the greeting room where we were currently standing were vividly painted to show the superiority of the Jaguar Goddess and her loyal followers. Elegant statues of influential figures in our history lined the walkway to where my grandmother stood before the altar to accept our sacrifices. Her loyal servants stayed at a respectful distance but were ready to respond if she needed anything.
“Hába Nábia,” I said with a respectful bow of my head. “I heard you’ve been looking for me.”
My grandmother elegantly inclined her silvery head. “Ximena has shown she is incapable of accepting the mantle of leadership. You are all that remains.”
“Thanks,” I said drily. “Good to know that I’m only here as your last resort.”
Hába Nábia’s amber eyes flared with anger. “After you abandoned your people and refused our generous invitations to return to the fold? You are lucky I don’t strike you down from where you stand.”
I sensed the guys’ tension building behind me, and knew they were moments away from drawing their weapons. “You mean when you sent Matias to Seaside in search of me?”
My grandmother was quiet for a moment. “No, I speak of when your mother left this plane. She should have been brought home to join our ancestors in rest.”
Confusion overwhelmed me. I had attempted to contact my grandmother, but it’s not like she had phones installed in the ancient temple she called home. I had a contact in a nearby town, and one of the jaguars would check in with him monthly when they gathered supplies for the community. The only message I had received in return was from Ximena. My eyebrows rose, and then I chuckled in surprise. “Ximena never passed on my message to you. The words she spoke were from her, not from you.”
I wasn’t sure how I felt, knowing that my rejection had been due to my jealous and insecure cousin, and not to the jaguar that stood before me. I had been young, scared, and alone when my parents were killed. If my grandmother had reached out to me and offered to take me in, I would have accepted at that time. My teenage years may have been easier here than living in a group home, but I wouldn’t have found the marines. I shifted my weight as I thought about the last five years I’d spent as a warrior and how it had led me to Seaside. I wouldn’t have become the person that I was now if I hadn’t taken the rough road. And I never would have found my guys.
My grandmother’s mouth tensed. “It seems she has overstepped her bounds.”
I shrugged. “That’s not why I’m here.”
“We’ll speak later, in private,” she told me. “For now, I will allow you and your companions to recover from your journey.”
I held in the sharp response that I wanted to give her and instead just gave her a short nod. “That would be acceptable.”
Her eyes hardened. She wasn’t the only one who could play petty power games with her words. And I wasn’t the type of person to play nice.
She waved for me to step forward, and I confidently strode down the path to the altar, not letting my face show my fear or doubt. I knelt before the golden statue of the Jaguar Goddess and took a deep breath. The goddess waited for my sacrifice with her hands outstretched as two jaguars lounged at her feet.
I cut my wrist, avoiding any major arteries or veins, and let my blood drip down into the bowl before the goddess. The bowl came to life with magic, and my blood swirled as it tested my intentions. My blood remained red before it was absorbed into the gold metal, and I stood with relief. If my blood had turned
black, my grandmother would have had to refuse me entrance, and order my death.
My task done, I waved for my guys to follow me further into the next room, but my grandmother held up a hand. “They do not belong here and shall not pass this room into our inner sanctum.”
“They stay with me,” I insisted. “You can trust them just as much as you can me.”
Amusement crinkled at the corners of her eyes. “Interesting choice of words, Búndzi,” she said. “They must make the sacrifice and pass my inspection,” she announced after a moment of deliberation.
I turned to face Trevor and the others. “The bowl will read your heart and determine if you are a threat to us or the goddess,” I said pointedly. “Make sure that your thoughts are honest and clear.”
Trevor gave me a solemn nod and strode over to the statue to mimic my actions. When he passed the test, some of the tension bled out of me. If Trevor could pass this, then so could the others. One by one, the goddess found them worthy of entrance.
My grandmother waved Trevor forward. “You are the leader of these men?”
Trevor shook his head. “Sam is.”
My grandmother laughed out loud. “And what is it about my Búndzi that would make you willing to follow her into a potential death trap?” She smiled at Trevor’s stoic face and gestured for him to give her his hand. “No need to speak, I will see it all in a moment.”
She took Trevor’s hand and grasped it with both of hers as she closed her eyes. It was said that with the title of Hába Nábia came a host of powers from the goddess. Those powers were how she had been able to locate me in Seaside before I had even known I would be headed there. I held my breath with every heartbeat that passed. What was she seeing deep within Trevor?
After what seemed like an eternity, she opened her eyes and released him. “I have seen into your heart, and I approve of you as one of my Búndzi’s protectors. She will need you for what is to come.”
My jaw dropped with shock. I hadn’t expected anything close to approval.
“Now you, young wolf,” she called to Davis as she motioned for Trevor to step aside. One by one, she examined each of my companions and was satisfied with what she found. “I had been worried that your father’s influence would make you unable to live in our world,” she said with a smile. “But instead, I see you have taken to the old ways of having multiple mates.
The goddess would approve.”
She turned to Quinn. “And if you follow your heart, you will pick the correct branch of the crossroads where you currently stand.” Quinn gave her a solemn nod, but I was too frazzled from her previous statement to puzzle out what she meant with her cryptic words to him.
I made a strangled sound as blood rushed to my face. Mates?
Hába Nábia took my arm as she led me to the next room. “Deep breaths,” she murmured as she patted my hand. “Your males feel the same way you do, you’re all just too stubborn to admit what is in front of your faces. But no worries, we can have the binding ritual before you go on your quest.”
This time it might have been a squeak that came out. I’ll deny ever making such an embarrassingly wimpy sound, but I couldn’t push down all the panic that bubbled up inside of me. It was way too soon for this. I had barely just decided that I might want to stay in Seaside. “Quest?” I asked once I was able to form words. There’s no way I was ready to discuss her other words.
“Rest, and cleanse yourselves from your journey,” she told us. “I shall have food sent to your rooms.”
I mumbled my thanks as one of my grandmother’s followers led the way. She was young and dressed in the pure white gown that signified she was a priestess who had dedicated her life to the goddess. Amaya introduced herself and offered to get us anything that we needed in Spanish. Most of the jaguars here could speak both the Kogi language and Spanish, but not all were fluent in English. I politely asked her for food for the men, and she gave them an appreciative look and said that she would need help to carry the amount they were going to eat. Amaya gave me a shy smile and avoided eye contact with the guys as she left.
Davis was the first one to let his bag thump to the stone floor. “This is… not what I expected,” he said as he turned in a circle to look around the room.
The ceiling was over twelve feet high, and the walls ornate with carvings etched into the stone and embellished with gold accents and precious stones. The room itself was large, and had a short table surrounded by cushions in the center of the room. To the left was a huge bed that could fit at least three of us comfortably, and four if we squished in. To the right was a pool that was fed by a small waterfall that cascaded down the wall.
Everything here was ancient but designed to make life comfortable for those who were loyal to the goddess. “Yeah, Sammy,” Quinn griped. “You couldn’t warn us about that shit, even just a hint?”
“Cats seem to like creating mystery and puzzles for other people, just as much as they like solving them,” Mike said with a smirk.
“I suggest you cut it out with the cat jokes while you’re here,” I suggested. “You’re greatly outnumbered within these walls.”
Mike gave a soft chuckle, but drifted over to the waterfall pool with Rich, probably in an attempt to see how it worked.
I sat down to take the boots off my aching feet. Days of walking hour after hour had taken a toll on my body, and my feet were feeling the pain. Davis wrinkled his nose as I stretched out my toes and tossed a dirty sock at him. He ducked with a laugh. “The pool looks like it could fit about six people,” he said slyly.
“Excellent plan,” I purred. “You guys stink, and I could use a harem to wash my back.” I peeled off my shirt and let it fall to the ground as I took a step towards the pool. I had every eye on me, just the way I wanted it. Most shifters weren’t strangers to public nudity, but I could feel the desire in their eyes as I covered my bare breasts with one arm and stepped out of my panties.
Quinn groaned. “I’m not in the mood to sit on the sidelines and watch a hetero orgy.
Sammy, you got any hot male cousins who are into dudes?”
I laughed. “I’m sure you have nothing to worry about, because I know everyone here can keep their hands to themselves.” I heard groans come from a couple of them.
“You don’t want to take a walk for an hour, Quinn?” Davis suggested.
“In an enemy stronghold?” Trevor growled. “No. We stick together.”
I stepped into the refreshing water after treating the guys to a peep show and sank down so that the water covered my head. It was refreshing to wash away the sweat, dirt, and all the other remnants of our journey through the jungle. I popped my head back out of the surface and smoothed my wet hair back. “Who has the soap?”
The building tension broke, and Quinn threatened to cannonball into the pool before
Davis tossed him in. After getting clean under the waterfall, I sat on the ledge that was built into the side. I soaked in the water and gave the guys the chance to do some grooming of their own. I even did my best not to perv on them, even though I was so tempted.
“Should we be concerned about your grandmother offering us a mating ritual?” Rich asked curiously.
“Would you turn it down?” Davis said with a smile. “Because I wouldn’t.”
The pounding of my heart thudded in my ears as he met my eyes. “Mating is a serious thing,” I said weakly. “It’s permanent, not like a human marriage.”
Davis looked around the room. “I can honestly say that I know you better than any other chick I’ve ever dated, and I think everyone else here can say the same. We’ve spent months living together, training together, and fighting together.”
“I recognize the sound of your breath,” Trevor told me. “Even when blindfolded.”
My eyebrows rose. “That’s…”
“I think he was going for romantic?” Quinn offered.
“I can do better,” Mike said before I could answer. “Sam, I hear the sound of your footstep
s coming towards me from across the house, and I start to smile.”
“Better,” Quinn quipped. “But you’re still not there.”
“Uh…” I still couldn’t make words come out of my mouth.
“I walk into the gun store, and I find myself immediately looking for something you’d like,” Davis told me earnestly.
“Rich, you’re up,” Quinn said. “And go deep because the other ones are stuck in the kiddie pool.”
“I think what we all want to say,” Rich said before he paused. “Is that you have enriched our lives enormously, Sam. We might not have all the right words to form the pretty bouquet that most women would want, but we see the world differently than most men. Instead of bringing you flowers, we’ll present you with ammo and knives.”
My eyes widened. “I like ammo,” I squeezed out. “And knives.”
Davis gave me an intimate smile. “I know.”
“I’ll rig things to explode, just for you,” Rich said with a grin.
Quinn looked exasperated. “Love, the word you are all struggling for is love.”
“I…” I tried to speak, but there was a lump in my throat, and my eyes were wet from more than just the water from the pool. “I think I might love you, too.”
Quinn laughed out loud. “Oh, the five of you definitely belong together.” I splashed some water in his direction, but he only laughed harder. He probably would have gotten dunked in the water by everyone else if the food wasn’t being carried into the room at that very moment.
The girls in white dresses left the trays of food on the center table and giggled at the sight of all of us in the pool at the same time. The community here in the sanctuary was largely female. The males of our species preferred not to live in a group setting, but to have their own territories. Some females chose to leave with a mate, but most preferred to raise their children in the community here. The sanctuary here was very sheltered from the rest of the world.
The girls left after I thanked them, and I climbed out of the pool and grabbed a towel.
Finding Buried Secrets: A Seaside Wolf Pack Novel Page 20
