Whoa.
It had been nearly a decade since Antonio had partaken of a mind-altering substance even as strong as coffee. Miguel's death had forced the former rabble-rouser to rebuild his entire being to make up for his younger brother's sacrifice, so his previous dabbles in drugs and alcohol were now a distant memory.
So maybe my mind is playing tricks on me...or maybe this is the secret our baby sister is working so hard to keep.
Of course, Antonio was too slow to catch that same sister before she jumped into the murky water after the were-jaguar. So Antonio was instead forced to stare down into the dark depths of the cenote and wait for what felt like centuries while human bodies stubbornly refused to reappear.
WHEN SHE THOUGHT SHE'd be forced to open her mouth and fill it with water in order to ease the burning in her lungs, Ixchel and Finn burst out of the cenote at last. It had been touch and go there at the end, but the pair had been successful. Mirabelle's heavy body was now sandwiched between them and Ixchel's new feline senses could pick up the archaeologist's heartbeat, sluggish but present beneath his skin.
Her first impulse was to find out whose soul inhabited the form they'd worked so hard to save, but Finn beat her to it by embarking on a tirade the likes of which she'd never heard emerge from his lips during their short, but deep, acquaintance. "What were you thinking?" Ixchel's favorite were-jaguar demanded. "To lead Mirabelle here by yourself was bad enough. But to dive in after him! You could've been killed! I was handling it. How could you be so stupid as to risk your life that way? Don't you know that you're not expendable?"
Ixchel refrained from giving her companion a point-by-point analysis of the inanity of his argument. If she could have been killed diving into the cenote, couldn't Finn as well? And if Finn was handling the situation so capably, how come the vet—who had promised herself to never cause a living creature harm—had been forced to nail the archaeologist with a tree branch? She'd be hearing the sickening crack of wood on skull in her nightmares for months to come.
But, instead of arguing, Ixchel used her strength to continue paddling to shore. And once Mirabelle had been hefted up onto solid ground—where he proceeded to vomit out the entire contents of his stomach—the vet took matters into her own hands.
She and Finn had so much to talk about. Was her favorite shifter angry that Ixchel had accepted the goddess's offer to transform her into a were-jaguar? Was she dreaming to think that he might finally take her into his confidence and allow her into his life now that they both shared whiskers? Or, since the immediate danger had passed, would Finn walk out as easily as he'd walked in?
These were questions that sorely needed answers, but Ixchel had another itch that was even more in need of scratching. Yes, Tezzie was (hopefully) lying waterlogged at their feet, but a groggy external audience wasn't quite the same deterrent as when that same god had eavesdropped in her mind at critical moments. And Ixchel had waited so very long to fulfill her physical longings without a brain worm to nudge her in another direction....
So the vet took the initiative. She stood up on tiptoes, grabbed the hair on the back of Finn's neck, and pulled his face down until the were-jaguar's lips were within easy reach. Then she kissed him long and hard, an act that had the side benefit of completely derailing her companion's tirade.
Yum. If she'd allowed herself to remember how good Finn's lips felt on her own, Ixchel would have ignored their pesky godly companion and taken the were-jaguar to bed days ago.
When their kiss began, Finn's body had been vibrating against the vet's skin in proof that his anger was merely a manifestation of terror at the idea of losing her. So, when she was finally able to think about anything other than the wonder of their shared kiss, Ixchel allowed her arms to drift down to encircle her companion in a hug. Then she simply held the shaking shifter against her smaller form until his muscles strengthened and his shoulders firmed back up into the manly posture she'd come to know and love.
Ixchel finally stepped back and watched as the shifter closed his eyes for a moment, drew in a deep breath, and then apologized prettily. "Please ignore everything I just said," he rumbled. "I was..."
"...worried about me," Ixchel finished for him. "It's extremely sweet. But we should probably take care of Tezzie—that is you, right, Tezzie?—before my brothers show up with handcuffs."
"Yes, I am Tezcatlipoca. In the flesh, alive and reporting for duty." Mirabelle/Tezzie had managed to stand while Finn and Ixchel were lost in their own private world, and the vet was relieved to find that the deity seemed much less damaged than she'd expected from her memory of how loudly that stick had struck flesh. But, after all, Tezzie was a god. Surely that should count for something, even if the deity was currently inhabiting a mortal form.
Mixed in with all the other issues she had to worry about, Ixchel had been dreading this moment when she'd be forced to gaze into Mirabelle's face and smile. But when she looked up, the vet was relieved to find that all she saw now was Tezzie. The former archaeologist's bone structure was the same as ever, but the entire manner with which the god carried his body was different from the menacing shifter whom Ixchel had come to know far too well. What a relief. Because Ixchel didn't intend to allow this orphaned god to make his way alone in the world, and she didn't want to have to fake her reactions every time she had him over for dinner either.
Equally surprising was Tezzie's apparent lack of arrogance. After bantering with the wind god inside her mind for days on end, the vet had expected imperious commands combined with lots of whining after he got a feel for the limitations of his human body. Instead, while Tezzie didn't quite offer up a thank you, something about the way he stood with one shoulder lower than the other hinted at both apology and gratitude.
And the wind god's words, when he spoke, were draped in humor. "I'd love to hang around and watch you crazy kids seal the deal, but I'm afraid it's time for me to take my leave."
Chapter 46
So Tezzie's not our only audience, Ixchel realized as she caught the sound of a cleared throat at the edge of the trees.
Both the vet and her companion whirled around, discovering the source of the noise at the same moment. But their reactions to the newcomer were entirely different. Finn—who had never met any of her siblings in person—seemed to be preparing to don his jaguar fur and claws, while Ixchel smiled faintly in welcome. The uninvited but not entirely unwelcome intruder was Antonio.
"Just you, Tony?" Ixchel asked, narrowing her eyes as she wondered how long her second oldest brother had been watching. Surely he couldn't have followed all the way from the gas station? No, Antonio wouldn't look so calm and collected if he'd been privy to humans turning into jaguars and jaguars turning into humans with wild abandon. Nor would he appear so serene if he'd watched his kid sister dive into the deep waters of the cenote.
Antonio might, however, hesitate to let a serial killer loose on the world. Luckily, Tezzie was already taking command of his new body and would, hopefully, be ready to flee shortly. Despite injuries that would have laid out a human for days or weeks, the god seemed to be healing before their very eyes, the gash in his head no longer leaking blood and a spring coming into his step. In a pinch, Ixchel suspected she could distract Antonio long enough to allow the deity to bolt.
But it appeared evasions might not be necessary. "Is that what you want, Ixxie?" Antonio asked quietly. "To let Mirabelle go?" Her brother's hand was tucked under his shirt, likely atop one of the pistols that she'd caught Fernando passing out that morning, and his shoulders were tense. But her brother had yet to put the weapon to use, for which the vet was profoundly grateful.
Just what I don't need today—to be responsible for stitching up more gunshot wounds. Ixchel found herself subtly shifting her stance so her body shielded the larger form of the newly-turned god. Talking Tezzie out of this predicament was still her first priority, but in a pinch she was willing to act as a human shield. Antonio would never risk pointing a gun anywhere near his sister, a
nd one wound was plenty for the god to heal up as he grew into his new body.
Not that Tezzie obeyed her unspoken request to look small and insignificant. "Ixxie, huh?" the god said with a chortle that made even Finn's lips turns up in response. Despite the fact that Ixchel had hoped the troublesome god would allow himself to fade into the woodwork, she had to admit that his joyful laughter helped make their harrowing journey to reach this point worthwhile.
Well, Ixchel thought, tucking her hand in amidst Finn's larger fingers, Tezzie's joy isn't the only thing that's made this journey worthwhile.
"I really can't explain why right now, Antonio," Ixchel said slowly, trying to think of an explanation her brother would understand and drawing a complete blank. "But I'd really prefer it if you let go of the gun and allowed Te..I mean, Mirabelle...to walk out of here unharmed. He's had a change of heart and is a different man than he was when he fell into the cenote. Surely that's something you can understand?"
"He's had a change of heart that negates the fact he's a serial killer?" Antonio sounded dubious, but her brother still allowed Ixchel to stare him down, slowly removing his hand from the butt of the pistol.
The vet's throat tightened, knowing that she and her brother were both remembering other nights when their younger selves had bantered over similar decisions. At that time, Antonio always brushed off Ixchel's requests...and the little sister had responded by forcing a prison sentence that ended up getting their middle brother killed.
A decade later, each sibling had a reason to resent the other. And yet both entered their current disagreement with a willingness to listen to reason...even when explanations couldn't really be made. It was a testament to how much Antonio had changed that he didn't simply overpower Ixchel's objections in order to do what he thought was best for his little sister. That fact, alone, gave Ixchel hope that her family unit might someday grow back together despite the rift she and Antonio had created between them nine years before.
But, for now, Tezzie was the vet's top priority. So she was relieved the moment she saw resignation flicker across her brother's face despite her lack of explanation. Then Antonio's features opened up into a rare smile so much like Fernando's that it made Ixchel's breath catch. She'd almost forgotten how much she'd loved her second oldest brother before he turned to a life of crime.
Still, Antonio seemed to feel the need to at least pretend fierceness. "I can't believe I'm doing this, but go on, get out of here!" he growled, jerking his head from Tezzie to the parking lot. And the god took full advantage of his reprieve.
"I'll be in touch," Tezzie promised. Then, with a jaunty wave, the Olmec god of change through conflict walked over to Mirabelle's car and drove out of their lives.
Epilogue
What was I thinking to stay away for so long?
Finn could smell Tezzie's recent presence as he skulked through the bushes that lined the veterinary practice's perimeter. With a month to make good on the crush he harbored, their favorite god evidently hadn't dredged up any compunction against moving into Finn's territory while the latter was off finding himself in Costa Rica. No, Finn didn't doubt Tezzie's actions one bit...just like he hadn't doubted Ixchel's fidelity until he returned and smelled the other male were-jaguar's scent so strong around her office and home. But now Finn had to wonder—how could he expect Ixchel to wait for his return when nothing had been settled between the two of them when he left?
At the time, the delay had seemed worthwhile. Ixchel professed to understand Finn's need to track down his family one last time; in fact, she was the one who suggested that the shifter make the trip in the first place. And Finn had been only too glad to agree since his mate's abrupt transformation from two to four feet forced him to wonder whether his sister was the flip side of the coin—a human consciousness trapped inside an animal's body.
Meanwhile, the shifter had gained closure from his recent experience, if nothing else. He'd started off with a visit to Ixxie, who had lent him Ixchel's cat necklace, promising that the newly blessed charm would give any female relatives the option to shift into human form if they so desired. With necklace in hand, Finn had then traveled to the cloud forests that lined a familiar mountain's peak, where he soon tracked down his sister, although his mother was nowhere to be found.
This time, Finn was more secure in his ability to shift quickly. So he'd gotten much closer to his twin in both human and jaguar form, building up as much of a rapport as he was capable of in a short period of time. Finally, the shifter had transformed back and forth several times right in front of his sister's nose. See, he was trying to tell her without words, you can be a human if you want to.
She'd spat and hissed at first, of course, but had finally tilted her head to the side consideringly. Did the jaguaress actually understand the opportunity he was presenting? Finn wasn't sure, but he'd been separated from his mate for so long at that point that his heart was pulling him away and he knew there was no more time to spend in Costa Rica.
Whenever he'd visited with his sister in human form over the last month, Finn had spoken softly to soothe them both. But, as his twin became more relaxed in his presence and he became more accustomed to sitting in human skin beside a gigantic cat, the shifter found himself expanding his repertoire from "There, there, it's okay" to a recitation of everything that had happened since he'd left his twin's side a decade before.
In the process, he'd also given her a name—Maya. Tez's jibe about Finn's self-appropriated moniker still stung weeks later, so the shifter wanted to be sure that his twin, at least, was blessed with a name provided by someone who truly cared.
Not that it appeared she'd need the handle since the jaguar remained resolutely in feline form even after she finally allowed her brother to drape Ixchel's charm across her spotted back.
"This necklace gives you the option to be like me," Finn had explained one last time, knowing that he barely had enough hours to return the trinket to Ixchel's favorite goddess before catching his flight back to the States. But this final attempt to help Maya transform couldn't be rushed.
"I've missed you, Maya," he continued. "The world is big and scary and strange, but there are benefits to walking through it on two feet. If you join me, I'll do my best to make sure you don't fall into any of the traps I've stumbled into. And I know Ixchel's family will take you in the same way they did me."
Strangely, even this last sentence was true. Fernando had been furious when he arrived at the cenote only to find Mirabelle gone and both Antonio and Ixchel adamant that their oldest brother not use his CIA connections to track the killer down. In fact, Nando had nearly decked Finn when he saw Ixchel's pale cheeks and sodden clothes. But the shifter had merely stood his ground and decided to take his lumps. After letting Ixchel stray into harm's way, Finn knew he deserved whatever his mate's older brother wanted to dish out.
And then, in some human turnaround Finn didn't yet fully understand, Fernando had changed his mind in an instant. Glancing back and forth between the shifter and his sister, Nando had ended up shaking his head fondly, and when he punched Finn it was merely a brotherly tap on the shoulder. "Look me up if you need any help with my sister," he'd said at last. "She's a hellcat." And it was almost as if the other male was passing the mantle of protection from his own shoulders into Finn's keeping.
Now, the shifter shook his head and gently stroked the soft fur between his sister's ears. Fate was a strange beast. When Finn had embarked on this expedition, he had done so out of a yearning for family. And he'd found a clan to be part of...but not in the place where Finn had thought family would be located.
Maya still wasn't entirely comfortable with a human touch, and she shook off his hand before Finn was ready to let her go. But he'd done his best. His twin had been offered the goddess's choice, which Finn had explained as best he could using both actions and words. And it seemed that Maya had chosen to stay here in the cloud forest where they'd both grown up.
It was a bittersweet parting when he
walked down the damp trail and left his sister behind for the last time. As he went, Finn found himself glad that he wasn't a real human, since he might have then felt compelled to hold back the tears that streamed down his cheeks. The shifter glanced over his shoulder only once, catching a final glimpse of Maya's tail tip disappearing into the forest. Cat-like, his sister had already chosen to forget their shared past and move on into her future.
Luckily, Finn was more than half jaguar himself. So by the time his plane took to the air, he was looking forward to holding Ixchel in his arms once again. Yes, he may have lost the dream that Tezzie had planted of sharing this half-human existence with his twin sister. But Finn had gained much more in the process—notably, a mate who was patiently waiting and ready to slip Finn into the life and family she'd created for herself.
ONLY NOW, FINN WASN't so sure that was the case. Tezzie could be charming when he wanted to be, and Finn had been gone for a rather long time. Would Ixchel even want a semi-socialized shifter back under her roof?
It was evening again, just like the first time the two had met, and Finn found himself wavering on the vet's doorstep until the last car drove out of the practice's lot. And despite being worried about his reception, the shifter couldn't resist sneaking up behind his mate and greeting her with one hand boldly thrust across her eyes. "Guess who."
"Finn?" Ixchel spun in his arms and the were-jaguar almost thought he heard his mate purr as her sparkling eyes took in his face. "Finn!" she repeated, flinging her arms around his neck and locking her lips with his own. Well, his mate's enthusiasm—and the lack of flavor of another male on her mouth—answered that question. For the first time in a month, the shifter felt his muscles unclench and his jaw relax.
Shifter Origins (Series-Starter Shifter Variety Packs Book 1) Page 78
