The narrowing of his opponent's eyes gave Finn just enough warning to allow him to whirl out of the way before Mirabelle rose up and attempted to pounce on his smaller form. But the archaeologist-turned-cat merely hissed in annoyance at missing, then growled in pleasure as one massive paw reached out and whacked Finn upside the head.
And then the younger shifter was treading water, having been knocked into the exact same spot where he'd hoped to toss Mirabelle. Here's hoping Tezzie doesn't figure any body is a good body in a pinch....
But Finn didn't pause in his cat-paddling, making his way as quickly as he could toward the shore where he knew his foe would soon touch down. This was exactly why he'd begged Fernando to keep Ixchel away from the cenote this afternoon. The shifter thief had hoped he'd be able to overpower the larger were-jaguar, but he hadn't been certain enough of his own skills to risk his mate's life in the process.
And, apparently, Finn's instincts had been correct. Because he was now too waterlogged to fight, Ixchel had transformed back into her defenseless human body...and Mirabelle was crouching down in preparation for leaping after the female were-jaguar.
"I THOUGHT YOU WERE looking for a mate," Ixchel called across the pool of brackish water. She had no grand plan. No way of tricking Mirabelle into the cenote or ending their current farce of a battle. The vet was merely hoping that if she tempted the archaeologist to shift into human form in order to speak with her, she might buy a few more moments of survival, while perhaps giving Finn time to get away. Because, unfortunately, her favorite were-jaguar appeared to be severely outclassed by the opposition.
However, Mirabelle didn't pause before springing halfway across the cenote to land inches away from her nose. Her foe's feline form was tremendous, weighing perhaps half again as much as Finn's did. And the archaeologist's fangs, when he opened his mouth, seemed to be as long as her hand.
Having now seen two were-jaguars (not counting her own, which she'd sighted merely as a pair of paws beneath her nose), Ixchel continued to find the breed magnificent. Unfortunately, while Finn's feline half appeared strangely lovable in addition to being mildly frightening, Mirabelle's cat was ten times as terrifying.
Do not back away. No, Ixchel needed to stand her ground and keep talking if she wanted to get out of this mess alive. Remember your superior human intellect, she chided herself, stilling feet that wanted so badly to flee. Time to open your mouth and make stuff up.
And, to her surprise, words flowed freely despite the terror-fog in her brain. "I thought I'd already found a mate," the vet babbled, staring into Mirabelle's eyes as if he were a fascinating companion at a dinner party...not a massive feline poised to eat her up. "But Finn doesn't appear to have what it takes to keep me in the manner to which I've grown accustomed. I'm the only female were-jaguar left in the world—did you know that?—so I figured I deserved the best. Which appears to be you."
Mirabelle's tail rose just a fraction, proof positive that he was listening. Surely he couldn't be stupid enough to think that I'd change my loyalties at the drop of a hat? But who knew, really, how the male jaguar's mind worked.
"I'm looking for someone powerful," the vet continued. "Someone who will protect and cherish me." She ran her hands over a body that was—thankfully—clothed this time around. So perhaps Tezzie was responsible for that moment of naked surprise in Ixxie's clearing? Not allowing herself to wander too far down that particular thought trail, Ixchel donned her best femme fatale posture and pursed her lips into what she hoped came across as a seductive pout.
Am I actually relying on sex appeal in a life-or-death situation? the vet wondered. I guess I am.... Well, if I'm going for it, I might as well put everything I've got into the effort.
So she straightened her shoulders to push her breasts out to their maximum extension, then bent down to bring her face—and boobs—closer to Mirabelle's fanged jaws. "Don't you want me?" she asked at last.
And, to her delight, Mirabelle fell for the oldest trick in the book. His body shimmered as he shifted into human form...and in that instant of distraction Ixchel jerked the stick she'd been hiding out from behind her back. And whacked the psychotic archaeologist right into the water.
FINN HAD REACHED THE edge of the pool and just started pulling himself out of the water while Ixchel seduced Mirabelle, an allurement that was laughable in its falsehood while still managing to leave the younger shifter panting with desire. Unfortunately, his mate then assaulted Mirabelle with a little too much enthusiasm, so the older man not only fell into the cenote, he immediately began drifting unconscious toward the bottom of the deep pool.
If the younger shifter had taken the time to think about it, he might have made another decision at that point. But his immediate reaction was that he didn't want Ixchel to be responsible for murdering another human being, even if her opponent was a cold-blooded serial killer. His second thought was that Tezzie needed that body. So Finn clambered to his feet on the bank of the cenote, shifted into human form, and dove after the archaeologist without sparing Ixchel a single word.
Only after the tepid water closed over Finn's head and his eyes were struggling to acclimate to the murky liquid did he realize his mistake. If Mirabelle drowned, then Tezzie would have no other option than to take over Finn's own were-jaguar body. And that was assuming Ixchel's blow hadn't done enough damage to the archaeologist's head to make the wind god resistant to taking over in the aftermath anyway. Given those factors, plus Tezzie's supreme disregard for anyone's feelings other than his own, Finn didn't have high hopes for making it out of the water still attached to his skin.
But that's okay. Finn found his thoughts strangely peaceful as he used powerful strokes to push himself closer to Mirabelle's human body. Ixchel's safety is all that really matters.
Which is why the second splash above his head surprised Finn into cursing aloud, taking in a mouthful of water in the process. No, despite her words to Mirabelle, Ixchel wasn't willing to stand by and passively allow herself to be rescued by some overprotective male. She'd literally dived right in behind him.
Chapter 44
Tezzie drifted within the cenote, falling back into the meditative slumber he'd enjoyed for most of his years of imprisonment. With no radio or television waves to sidetrack him, he simply peered dreamily up at the surface of the pool while Q's strong arm kept him from falling into the abyss leading into the great beyond.
I wonder what's down there? the wind god pondered. But all he could see or feel beneath his prison was black emptiness. So he shivered and turned his attention back toward the sunlight streaming into the top of the cenote from the human world above.
And then, abruptly, his pet were-jaguar was treading water above Tez's head, the feline's body seeming to end halfway up, cut off by the reflection of the sky above. And this bozo is the one I selected as my head worshiper? Tezzie thought, rolling his eyes. Finn wasn't supposed to be swimming in the water; Mirabelle was.
But before Tezzie had time to fully embrace his exasperation, the waves of terror rolling off his follower's form struck the god like a tsunami. And, for once, Tez wasn't annoyed by a mortal's emoting. Instead, the wind god watched through Finn's eyes and felt agony very much like the shifter's own as Mirabelle pounced nearly upon Ixchel's slight human form.
Not Ixchel! he roared silently.
Finn appeared to be worse than useless, allowing his jaguaress to trot directly into danger. And Ixchel was barely a kitten in shifter terms. She couldn't be expected to take care of herself.
Good thing Ixxie's follower had a second god looking out for her wellbeing.
The wind god struggled as he never had before to break free of his prison. In the past, Tez had merely been irked at his enforced captivity, but now he had a real reason to burst through the figurine's stone walls. So the deity gave the endeavor everything he had.
But despite battering himself against the statue's walls, the stone encircling Tezzie's prison remained as strong as ever. And even though h
is incorporeal form shouldn't have been able to feel pain, Tez had the distinct sensation of bruises rising up through his skin after pounding himself repeatedly against the unyielding rock.
Someone needs to do something! the god broadcast to all and sundry.
Unfortunately, Finn was too busy swimming to notice Tez's admonition, and no one else was able to hear him. So this is what it feels like to be a human, the god thought as he reluctantly stayed his hands. To be mortal was to rail against unknowable forces that played games with humans' fate.
For the first time in his long life, the wind god finally understood the full frustrations inherent in the human condition. And he didn't like it one bit.
All I can do is be ready to leap onto whatever opportunity presents itself, Tezzie murmured, attempting to soothe himself. Ixchel, bless her scheming little heart, had managed to halt the large jaguar's approach with her prattling, and Finn was doing his best to sneak up on their opponent from behind. So, with a little luck, perhaps this afternoon would have a happy ending after all.
Luck. Wasn't that exactly what mortals believed in, despite Tezcatlipoca knowing that each human's fate was instead decided nearly entirely by decisions and skill? The deity recalled berating his followers time and again after they prayed to the gods for a boon despite having the ability to grant their own wishes. Why be lazy and beg, he'd wondered, when you can do something about it?
Now, watching the human female who had reluctantly befriended a bereft and cantankerous god, Tezzie finally understood what had driven his followers to such stupidity. Sometimes mortals really aren't able to change their own futures, he realized.
And am I actually going through all of this craziness to become what is little more than a glorified mortal?
Then the wind god cheered as Ixchel brought forth her stick and aimed one glorious blow up against the side of Mirabelle's head. Home run! Take that, you loser! Tezzie crowed. He couldn't believe how much his heart lifted when he realized that Ixchel would now be safe.
OF COURSE, EVEN IF Ixchel were to survive this confrontation, there appeared to be a good chance that Tezzie might not.
Mirabelle must have exercised until his body was made up of pure muscle because the archaeologist's human form hit the water and sank like a stone. One minute the were-jaguar was falling onto the cenote's surface; the next, the god's quarry had already drifted past Tezzie and out of reach.
No, no, no, NO! the god howled, and this time Tez was pretty sure he was broadcasting directly into Finn's mind. Because why else would the were-jaguar grab Tezzie's prison in one strong hand as he arrowed down through the depths after Mirabelle? Why else would his follower work so hard to secure his deity's future?
A future that Tezcatlipoca was no longer sure he wanted. The further they sank into the cenote, the harder it would be to push himself back out into the human realm rather than allowing the underworld's seductive allure to yank him all the way through the portal. Plus, Mirabelle's spark of life was weakening by the moment, and Tez wasn't at all sure the archaeologist's flesh would hold up to the switch if the god made the planned leap into Mirabelle's form.
Finn, on the other hand, was a pretty good second-best host. The younger shifter was less powerful than Mirabelle, but that was a problem easily remedied with a little selective hunting. And Finn's younger body was also far more appealing to Tez's aesthetic nature.
Plus, most importantly, Finn's human form was strong enough to swim back to the surface once the switch was made. The god could sense that his carrier's lungs were beginning to strain against their current lack of oxygen. But if Finn turned back now, he could easily break the surface before passing out.
Or, rather, Tez could after jumping into the younger were-jaguar's body. Mirabelle would perish in the process, of course, but what was one additional mortal body rotting into bones at the bottom of a cenote that had seen dozens of like offerings?
And maybe Finn wouldn't mind too much about extending his human life with a good, long stay in the safety of the entrapping figurine. Because down here where Tez was embraced by Ixxie's power, he was pretty sure he could push a mere mortal into the statue to take his place.
Ixchel wouldn't approve, you know. It must have been a strain for Ixxie to broadcast her words into his head while still keeping an ever-deepening cenote tethered to the human plane. But the goddess's words seemed as serene and calm as ever. No one can stop you from taking over Finn's body, Ixxie continued. But if you do, you should know by now that my own follower will never speak to you again.
It shouldn't have mattered. The druthers of one mortal woman, whom Tezzie had known for only a few days? And whose heart was already promised to another? What could Ixchel do in reprisal—give Tezzie the silent treatment for the rest of their lives?
The very idea sent a shiver of sadness down the deity's spine for reasons he refused to examine. Okay, okay, he thought grumpily. And then, pouring every bit of his own godly strength into his follower's body—while keeping his soul safely tucked away within the figurine—Tezzie watched as Finn's turbo-charged limbs made short work of the remaining distance separating them from the sinking archaeologist.
There was no time to waste on pretty speeches and incantations. So when the younger shifter pressed the little stone statue up against Mirabelle's skin, Tezzie simply thrust his soul outward as hard as he was able.
The wind god nearly wasn't strong enough to make the switch, not after sharing his power with Finn moments earlier. But, at last, Tezzie was able to thrust his way through the archaeologist's skin and flesh before entering Mirabelle's bloodstream and dispersing like a quickly multiplying virus through his host's body.
Immediately, the archaeologist's spark of life winked out at the same time that the stone statue began to glow. Finn released the figurine as if his fingers were on fire, and Tezzie felt rather than saw the little hunk of carved rock slip past Ixxie's carefully held boundary line and out of the human world entirely.
But still Tezzie was unable to force his new body to move. The mortal was close to death, water having filled his lungs while the brain expanded into a concussion within his skull. No way would the ex-god be able to push his way back to the surface, not in Mirabelle's used-up body.
I made the wrong decision! Tezzie thought mournfully as he continued to drift toward the bottom of the underground pool.
Chapter 45
Oh no she didn't! Antonio thought as the taillights of Mirabelle's car veered off onto a small dirt track to his right. But, yes, his sister really had managed to shake her brothers off her tail...despite one of those brothers being a fully-trained CIA agent and despite all four of the siblings currently focusing their entire attention solely on her safety and wellbeing.
Well, she'd gotten rid of three of her siblings. But Antonio hadn't quite trusted the serenity of his sister's expression that morning. Ixchel had never looked so calm before something so minor as a spelling test, let alone preceding a life-or-death confrontation that threatened the safety of her beloved family members.
In contrast, Antonio vividly recalled watching his baby sister spill the contents of her stomach all over the hospital tiles while Santiago was having his leg stitched up following a childhood bicycling accident. No, Ixchel hadn't been involved in the wreck. She'd vomited from pure empathetic agony.
More recently, she'd sprouted waterworks at Fernando's wedding—which was probably wise, Antonio would now admit, considering how marriage did turn out to be a fate worse than death. (Good thing Nando liked the life-altering condition.)
And his baby sister had cried her eyes out multiple evenings running during her high-school career while begging Antonio not to lead his siblings off on another night of carousing.
Of course, it was possible their youngest sibling still hadn't forgiven her brothers for their youthful indiscretions, especially since Antonio's stupidity had led directly to the deaths of Miguel and their parents. If Ixchel cursed her brothers' names, why bother fretting
over leading her family members into a perilous situation?
At first, Antonio had simply assumed that was the case. After all, he'd never forgiven himself for those three deaths either.
But Santiago had been hardly more than a baby when he'd willingly taken the fall for a subset of Antonio's crimes. The long-ago scheme—dreamed up by Miguel—had managed to get all five brothers jailed, but for a relatively short term that didn't brand any as felons. In actuality, Antonio knew he'd deserved a far worse fate...and the judge would likely have locked the ringleader up and thrown away the key had his siblings not stepped up to take the fall for the majority of his crimes. Which was all a long way of saying—given Santiago's selflessness, who could blame their sainted youngest brother for the sins of his elders?
Once Antonio began to think more logically, he'd also recalled the icy tranquility on Ixchel's face when she'd testified against her brothers at their hearing. No, he decided, Ixchel was only this cool and collected when she had something up her sleeve. And Antonio fully intended to find out what that something was.
So he'd tweaked the brothers' schedules so he was the one keeping watch at the final gas station. Then he'd sped up as they neared their final destination so Mirabelle's car remained just barely in view. Being sighted was against Fernando's policies and Antonio didn't want to tip off their mark either...but he also didn't want to miss the moment when Ixchel made her move.
And he hadn't. Antonio pulled into the parking area behind his sister's car while her voice was still ringing out through the muggy air. And he made it down the pathway just in time for his eyes to capture a sight that set his mind reeling. A massive black jaguar was standing on the shore of the cenote one moment...and the next moment a man was in the same position preparing to dive into the water.
Shifter Origins (Series-Starter Shifter Variety Packs Book 1) Page 77
