Cesar came through the kitchen and stood beside Matt. “Hey.”
“Hey.”
Cesar gave a nod toward the screens. “Looks like your mate has things under control.”
Matt nodded and took a swig of Coke. “Yeah.”
“Can you still feel her?”
“It’s the same. It comes and goes. When she’s focused, there’s hardly anything. But in between…” He shook his head.
“It’s bad.”
“The despair, it’s just…” He sighed and took another sip. “So, güey, how’re you holding up?”
“Okay.” Cesar grinned. “Do you ever get the feeling that our mates are, how do you say, high maintenance?”
Matt laughed. “Dude, you’re just realizing that now? So you think she’s okay then? Lyssa?”
“I hope for it. What else can I do?”
“When Nate gets back, he’ll help you figure it out. Have you had any reports from them?”
“Adriana called about an hour ago. He’s out of the ICU and in a regular room. They should be back within a week or two.”
“That’s great. Poor guy.”
“I know.” Cesar turned his back on the screens. “Do you think he’s gone for good?”
Matt sat down on the couch and put his feet up before he replied. “Who? Akil? Yeah, I’d say so. It wouldn’t surprise me if Maya dropped his sorry ass all the way back to Xibalba.”
Cesar nodded. “I’m going to head out. I have a meeting with Selena and the shifters in twenty minutes.”
“Anything important?”
“Just the usual.”
Matt figured he could either sit it out and watch more news or he could go crash. Alone. Again. Neither option was particularly appealing, but he was exhausted. Setting the Coke can on the coffee table, he walked into his room, pulled off his shirt, and grabbed his iPod. Sliding under the covers, he lay quietly for a moment. Nothing. It had been a couple of hours since he’d last felt her. He rolled over, turned on some tunes, and closed his eyes.
***
He was awakened by sun hitting him through the window. He looked at his alarm clock. Noon! He jumped up and headed straight for the shower. He had no idea how tired he’d been. As he was rinsing off, there was a knock at the door.
“Matt?” Cesar.
“I’ll be out in a sec.” He turned the water off and grabbed a towel. “What’s up?” he called through the door.
“I’m not sure,” Cesar called back. “You maybe want to take a look at this.”
“Okay. I’ll be out in five.”
When Matt walked out to the living room, Cesar was going from TV to TV. He was obviously looking for something.
“What’s wrong?”
“I’m not sure anything’s wrong, exactly,” Cesar said. “It’s just since I talked to you yesterday, there have been no reports of any more places where Maya might be, you know, fixing things.”
“Are you sure? What about overnight? While we were sleeping?”
“No, nada. I had Ryan monitor the news overnight.”
“Good call. Wait—I slept, like, fourteen hours? Man, I was tired. We’d better keep an eye on it.”
“I just thought you’d want to know.”
Matt gave Cesar a clap on the back. “Thanks.” He had just turned to head into the kitchen to catch some lunch with Selena when it hit. Without warning, he was suddenly doubled over in pain. He felt like his head and chest were going crazy.
“Matt? Matt, what is it?”
“Maya.” Everything was hitting him all at once. Despair, regret, sadness, loneliness. “I can’t breathe.”
Selena got up from the kitchen table and hurried over. “What is it? What’s wrong?”
Matt gasped and grabbed the sides of his head. “No, I’m sorry, so sorry.”
“It’s Maya,” Cesar said to Selena.
“Has it ever hit him like this before?”
“No, no, never.”
Selena reached up and put her hands on top of Matt’s. “Matt, it’s Selena. Matt, I need you to look at me. Look at me, Matt.”
Sweat was pouring down his face. He opened his eyes and looked into Selena’s.
“This is Maya, Matt, not you. These are Maya’s thoughts. These are Maya’s feelings.”
He gave another cry and crumpled again.
Selena turned to Cesar. “I need to break their connection as fast as possible. Help me get him to the bathroom.”
Moving as fast as they could without hurting Matt, they got him down the hall and into the bathroom.
“Get him in the tub,” Selena said. When he was in, she turned on the shower.
Cold water pounded down on Matt. He heard himself holler loud enough to wake the dead.
“Let’s give him another minute,” Selena said. “I want to make sure he’s all the way back.”
Matt tried to climb out, then jump out, anything to get away from that icy shower, but Cesar kept pushing him back down.
“Hey! What the hell!”
Cesar looked at his friend, then at Selena. “He’s back.”
Selena sighed in relief. She shut off the water and handed Matt a towel. “Are you all right?”
“I…I think so. What happened?”
“You were experiencing Maya’s emotions and, I think, maybe even some of her thoughts. I don’t know. Maybe your link has changed somehow?”
“Maybe it’s because Maya is more powerful,” Cesar added.
Matt tossed the towel on the bed. “Or maybe she’s in trouble.”
Feeling helpless, he parked himself in the living room again. Jesus, it looked like they lived in the showroom at Best Buy. As the afternoon wore on, there were still no reports of anything, supernatural or otherwise, that could be linked to Maya. After a while, he heard the kitchen door slam.
“Hey,” Ryan called out.
“Hey, Ryan.”
“Listen, why don’t you let me take over for a while?”
“I appreciate it, but you were up all night doing this.”
Ryan sat down in a chair and reached for two or three of the remotes. “I’m cool, Matt. Go take a break.”
“Thanks.”
“You got it.”
Matt walked outside, passed the gardens, and found Cesar sitting on the bench. He watched him as he ate an orange. Suddenly Cesar looked up at him and grinned.
“What? Do I have something on my face?” Matt asked.
“I was just remembering something. How are you?”
Matt sat down on the arm of the bench. “I’ve been better.”
“Things will be okay when she comes back.”
“I don’t think she’s coming back,” Matt said.
“What? What do you mean?”
“Cesar, you saw me earlier. That gives you some idea what she’s dealing with. She’s not thinking straight. I don’t even know if she knows who she is right now.”
“And you think you know where she is?”
Matt stood up. “Actually, yeah, I think I do.” He started back toward the main house. On the way, he pulled out his cell and started making calls.
***
That evening, Cesar walked into Matt’s room. “Hey. I just got back from duty. I thought I’d stop by and say good-bye.”
Matt zipped his duffle closed and turned to give his friend a clap on the shoulder. “You’ve got my cell number, right?”
“Ya, I’ve got it. Are you sure there’s nowhere I can drive you?”
“Thanks, but I think this is something I need to do alone.”
Cesar nodded.
“Listen,” Matt said. “I am taking the SUV, though. Would you have a couple of shifters pick it up in Playa del Carmen so Richard doesn’t have a seizure?”
Cesar smiled and gave a nod. Then he put his hand on Matt’s shoulder. “Que tu nagual te proteja. Be safe.”
“You, too. I’ll call if I can.”
After Cesar left the room, Matt did one last check to make sure that he had eve
rything. He picked up his duffle and walked to the door. As he turned to hit the lights, he found himself staring at his room. Their room. He realized he might never see it again. Taking one last look, he quietly closed the door behind him.
Outside, he got into the SUV, threw his duffle on the back seat, and then set the GPS for Playa del Carmen. The drive was only two and a half hours. It was only seven now, and the last ferry didn’t leave until ten, so he had plenty of time. The last thing he wanted was to hit a tope in the dark and get stuck fixing a flat.
The drive seemed to take forever. Finally, when he was about twenty minutes from town, he pulled out his cell and hit Grandma Rosa’s number.
“Rosa?”
“Matt, m’ijo!”
“I’m sorry. I know it’s late.”
“Oh, no, I’m so glad you called. I’ve been so worried with everything that’s going on.”
“I should have called sooner,” he said.
“Is it Maya?” Rosa’s voice sounded shaky.
“I think she’s okay.” He wished that had sounded more reassuring.
“You’re not with her?” Rosa asked.
“No, I’m not. Listen, there’s a lot you need to hear, but I’m going to have to give you the short version for now.” He explained about Maya and Akil, then related what had happened in Rio.
“And everything that was put right, that was Maya?”
“It’s all been her,” Matt answered.
Silence.
“It’s a lot to take in,” he said in a quiet voice.
“I’m just so worried for her,” Rosa finally said.
“I know. That reminds me, do you think you could get ahold of her dad? With everything that’s been going on, he must be worried, too.”
“I’ve tried, m’ijo. He’s impossible to find. It’s always been that way. You know how he’s always in the lab. Well, lately, he doesn’t even return my messages.”
Matt shook his head. “Would you do me a favor and keep trying?” he asked.
“Yes, of course. Where is she, Matt? Where’s my hummingbird?”
“I’m not sure,” he said, “but I’m heading out to look for her now. I won’t stop till I find her.”
“Please be careful. And m’ijo—bring our Maya home.”
“You know I will. Take care, Rosa.”
Matt hung up his cell just as he was pulling into the lot. He grabbed his duffle and walked out to the pier, where he searched for the sign for the right company, then headed down the dock. He had made some seriously decent time. The few passengers who would be taking the last ferry of the night with him were just beginning to board. Matt got in line next to the high-speed water jet that would carry him out to sea. He handed his ticket to a crew member and boarded.
A few passengers exchanged greetings, and he joined in briefly before finding an empty, quiet space toward the side of the boat where he could wait for departure. The boat pulled out, turned, and began its push toward the open ocean. As it hit high speed, Matt leaned against the railing, letting the spray hit his face. He closed his eyes and said a silent prayer to Gray Wolf. He wasn’t much for that kind of thing, but if he ever needed the help, it was now.
Moments later, something bumped into him. Startled, Matt opened his eyes and found himself looking into the beautiful face of a little Mayan girl. He couldn’t believe what he was seeing. It was like he was looking at a young Maya. The girl couldn’t have been more than ten. She looked up at him with a big grin, and he couldn’t help but smile back. He watched a moment longer as the girl rejoined her family. Then he walked to the front of the boat and looked up at the half visible moon. It shone in the night sky, taking him to his mate and leading him home.
About the Author
Martha Bourke grew up in Burlington, Vermont, often considered a hub of "free thinking." She was encouraged to write and be creative at a very young age. Martha also had her father's talent for languages, which later became her career. She spent fifteen years creating and teaching in foreign language programs for young children. She continued to write on the side, trying out a variety of fiction genres. Then she discovered YA - specifically, paranormal romance. She was hooked!
Martha and her husband of fourteen years have carved out their own little piece of Vermont in the Massachusetts countryside. When not writing, Martha loves spending time with her animals, listening to good music, thrifting, and adding to her Converse collection.
For more information about the author, please visit www.marthabourke.com.
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Jaguar Sun (Book 1 in the Jaguar Sun Series)
Don’t miss Revelations (A prequel novella to the Jaguar Sun Series) out late October 2012!
Jaguar Hunter (Book 3 in the Jaguar Sun Series) out in 2013.
Jaguar Moon (Jaguar Sun Series Book 2) Page 18
