by Jane Cousins
Of course he needed the last Shard of power to get himself out from under Cum Hua’s clutches and be able to leave this place, this time. To travel to the future of unenviable riches and undreamt of comfort.
The High Priest fairly brimmed over with frustration, waiting for news from his Priestesses as they searched the future for any sign of the last Shard of Ixchel’s power. Then hope, only to have it fizzle out. Kristiah had almost had the Shard in her grasp, then it disappeared again. No sign of it for ten long years. A decade of battling K’in and her followers.
“Enough!” Gap’gn spoke again, his voice clear and decisive. Splitting combatants apart almost instantly as they sensed a shift in who held the upper hand.
Quinn’s gaze met Matias’s grim glare. His attention fixed solely upon the deadly instrument resting against her flesh.
The groups broke and reformed. Kristiah and Conchetta to flank their Master, the three remaining more primitive Jag-offs behind them. The power hierarchy very clear within the group.
“Let her go, and we will let you walk away unhurt.” Copper stepped forward to take on the role of spokesperson, as the group of visitors moved slightly closer together, but not enough to impinge anyone’s sword arm if an opportunity presented itself.
“K’in kej.” There was familiarity and amusement in Gap’gn’s voice. And only Quinn who was facing Copper saw the other woman wince ever so slightly at his choice of words. “If I walk away, I would choose to take my lovely prize with me.”
“Unacceptable.” Copper’s voice was cool, detached.
Matias however, was anything but, only keeping still and momentarily silent because Elijah and Nico had each grabbed one of his arms and were physically restraining him.
“I propose a counter offer. An exchange. The moon-haired woman for the man who carries the promise of power in his eyes.” A snarl issued from Gap’gn’s left. “You’ll have to excuse Conchetta, she is still fretting over their last encounter. When he used a…?”
“Car door.” The voice was guttural, low, yet female.
“Yes, a car door as a shield and a weapon. Most ingenious, and I’m given to understand impressive. It seems that the favour of the Gods runs in your family’s veins, K’in.”
“There will be no exchanges.” Copper returned.
“Matias? Will you bargain?” His name sounded strangled and rough as it emerged from Kristiah’s blunt snout. She’d noted the wild look of desperation on his face at the sight of Quinn held captive by her Master.
“Yes. I agree.” Matias managed to grit out despite the pain that flared up his arm when Elijah squeezed down in protest.
Copper turned, moving to block Matias. “There will be no exchange. The fate of the world hangs in the balance. At all costs you are to stay out of Gap’gn’s grasp.”
“Matias… no.” Quinn managed to say the words without spilling any of her own blood. “Under no… circumstances.”
The group remained frozen, Matias straining, held prisoner still by Nico and Elijah. Copper blocking his path.
Quinn sensed Gap’gn tense behind her with excitement. With the Shard so close he was eager to get his hands on the final piece that would grant him Godhood and set him free from this time and place.
“Perhaps if I honey… no, I mean, sweeten the pot? The moon haired female and… Kristiah, in exchange for the Shard Guardian.”
There were several growls of disapproval issued from amongst the Jag-off ranks, not the least of which were Kristiah and Conchetta. Able to verbalise, they began to protest but Gap’gn cut them off with a sharply worded command. Heavy silence abruptly falling.
Matias leant close to Nico, the two brothers conversing low and fast. Quinn couldn’t tell what was being said but she didn’t like the outcome as Nico stepped away, releasing his hold on Matias.
Elijah, thankfully appeared rock solid immoveable, prepared to hold on to Matias until the end of time. That was until Matias leaned in close an uttered one whispered word to the Head of the Enforcers. With visible reluctance Elijah released Matias.
Bloody Hell. Quinn wanted to yell, to protest. But Gap’gn prevented her simply by pressing the tip of the hollowed blade infinitesimally closer, enough to break the skin, as she felt a warm trickle of blood make its way down her throat, over her chest into her cleavage.
The only opposition left to Matias agreeing to Gap’gn’s offer of an exchange was Copper. Who was already reaching for one of the many darts she had tucked under the thin vines that wrapped around her arms and legs. But Elijah had second guessed her. Moving like liquid lightning. The two locked in a brief silent struggle as Elijah grabbed both her wrists and Copper fought to shake him off in time to prevent Matias from potentially ending the world.
With Copper momentarily distracted, Matias wasted no time in brushing past them, moving across the sand to take up a position directly across from Gap’gn. Nico following close on his heels.
The brothers stood across from the asshole that had started the whole chain of events that would eventually see their parents murdered by his most devoted follower. Sheer loathing for the Priest etched on their grim faces. But they weren’t so lost in their anger that they didn’t realise that the stakes were incredibly high here and the situation beyond perilous.
It was hard to believe that this man, this wiry, muscular man, wearing little more than a woven palm leaf loin cloth, was the epicentre of all the misery and trouble that had rained down on them.
He was slightly taller than Quinn, with a broad, flat face and high cheekbones. Eyes of pure black. Matted dark hair pulled back in clubbed ponytail. There was red in that black hair, as fiery glints caught the moonlight.
“For there to be an exchange… we will need a show of faith.” Matias’s voice was tight with anger.
Gap’gn’s chest rumbled with mocking laughter. “You expect something… for nothing?”
Matias crossed his arms over his chest. “You want to get your hands on me? You play the game my way.”
“What do you suggest?”
Matias looked at Quinn for a brief moment before shifting his gaze. “Kristiah.”
Kristiah’s lips peeled back and she snarled at Matias in contempt.
“Silence.” Gap’gn commanded. He looked at Kristiah for a moment. They had been together a long time. Only she, and Conchetta were left from the original group of Priestesses he had transformed over twenty years ago. They were lovers. She had travelled through time for him. Quested unceasingly in her search for the Shard. Never wavered in her duties. Never questioned his orders. Never become distracted by the lure of the future like so many of her sisters that he had been forced to put down. Kristiah understood that he was destined to be a God. “Go to them.”
With the knife having retreated a bare inch away from her throat, Quinn was able to turn her head slightly to watch Kristiah’s yellow eye widen for a moment in surprise. Hmmm, perhaps spending all those years out hunting down the Shard had begun to sway Kristiah’s loyalty. Though she wasn’t protesting Gap’gn’s order, more telling, she wasn’t moving forward like a good, obedient, mindless follower.
Quinn could only pray Matias had some sort of plan. Because him handing himself over to Gap’gn and letting this asshole attain Godhood would not end well.
The High Priest may no longer be on board with the plan to help Cum Hua rise from the underworld, but no doubt before long he himself would want to rule the planet. She tried to read Matias’s expression but all she got was focused intensity, without the vaguest clue of what to expect. Damn.
“Go.” There was power behind the word this time. Everyone on the beach could feel it. A good reminder that Gap’gn might look like a man, but he had devoured part of a Goddess’s power.
Hmm, but Quinn couldn’t help but wonder whether Gap’gn’s power levels were running low. Sending his followers back and forth through time had to be draining. And those recently converted Jag-offs, they were clearly more animalistic. And if Copper and her w
arriors were preventing any more human sacrifices it wasn’t like Gap’gn could entice any other Gods to back him.
On the other hand, if Gap’gn was running low on power, that would only make him that much more desperate and ruthless to get his hands on what was in Matias’s head.
It appeared Kristiah could not say no to Gap’gn and his command laced with power.
But as she took a slow step across the sand her features began to blur, her frame thinned and straightened. The fur retreated, her skin glowing under the moonlight, a dusky light brown. Suddenly she was clad in khaki cargo shorts and a white t-shirt. Black hair tumbled down her back in soft waves, a wry sensual smile turning up the edges of her lush mouth. Not only did she suddenly look fully human, there was no sign of the burn scars that marred her hybrid form. And more surprising, she had two seemingly functioning eyes. Pretty ones at that, dark green with golden flecks around the pupils.
A warm smile graced those lips as her gaze settled on the eldest Yanez sibling.
Quinn had to give the woman props, Kristiah intended to brazen her way out of this situation. Wow, talk about manipulative with a side ordering of delusional bitch.
Matias clenched his hands into fists as Kristiah drew near. When he’d been fighting her earlier he’d been consumed with a mindless, vengeful rage. And here she was now, within killing distance and all he could think about was Quinn, a knife held too close to her throat by that scheming bastard, Gap’gn.
He could see in those black eyes that the man was all business, killing Quinn to win… to prove a point or even just to teach him a lesson would mean nothing to the High Priest. Just one more manoeuvre to make in his quest towards attaining his goal. Raw power.
As Kristiah drew warily closer still, Matias swallowed down all that rage, all that anger. His parents would not want him to be that person. The kind who valued revenge over the importance of another human being’s life. And not just any person, Quinn.
It was a slap in the face - bring everything into perspective – moment, and he was surprisingly grateful for it.
Sure, killing Kristiah would feel like justice had been served. But it would be a momentary act. It wouldn’t bring his parents back. Restore the last ten years. Erase who the three Yanez siblings had become because of the events that occurred that day on the boat.
Quinn. He looked into those blue stardust eyes and knew bone deep that he loved her. He hated that she had been caught up in this mess because of his own selfish vendetta and consuming need to find and save Copper. Who, truth be told, didn’t seem like she needed much saving.
Quinn, who was slyly funny. Warm, caring and driven. Smart, beautiful and courageous. Ready to risk her own personal safety every time she reached out to help someone. Someone like him. Who came into her life and strong armed her into helping him. Wrecking havoc in her orderly world. Putting her life in danger again and again.
Fucking hell, Matias’s entire existence had shrunk to this moment. Quinn in danger. The next few critical minutes. To save Quinn… and to save the world. Saint Medard, he prayed to the Saint of storms at sea, that all would go as planned.
Reluctantly Matias shifted his gaze to watch as Kristiah took three last steps across the sand, her stride graceful, hips swaying, shoulders back so the light of the moon would showcase her cleavage to a better advantage. Finally drawing to a halt before the brothers.
“Nico.” Her voice was low and musical. “Its good to see you again.”
“I wish I could say the same.” Nico, standing at his brother’s left, had watched Kristiah approach with a scary level of intensity.
“I heard that you looked for me.”
“Yeah, I looked for you.” There was the faintest hint of bitterness underlying Nico’s words. “Of course that was when I thought you were missing, like Copper, an innocent victim caught up in what ever horrible thing happened on the Maverick that day. It was quite the eye opener to discover that you were the horrible thing.”
Kristiah tossed her head, laughing under her breath. “Always so serious, Nico. Responsible. The good son. The dependable older brother. But not so saintly when it came to me, were you? Remember those nights in my cabin? All the naughty things we got up to? So rough… just the right side of pain. For one so young, you were highly trainable. Have you found someone to replace me?” Kristiah’s wry smile changed into more of a smirk. “Or did you discover the truth? That there’s only one true love for everyone in the world, and I’m yours.”
“Please.” Nico barked out an unamused laugh. “Who are you kidding, Kristiah? You set me up. Set my entire family up. You played a role. None of it was real.”
Kristiah’s chin tilted up in a haughty manner, those green eyes full of challenge. “Oh, but I beg to differ. You loved me, Nico.”
“I fell for a mirage. A woman who never existed.”
Kristiah held her arms out wide. “Yet here I stand before you, so very close, just the same as you remember. We could have that again you know.” Kristiah’s voice was suddenly husky and seductive. “We could be together.”
“And what would I have to do to make that happen? Betray my siblings? Betray the memory of my dead parents? The parents you murdered along with the rest of the crew? For what, for a woman who isn’t even a woman? We both know what’s under that disguise you wear, Kristiah, the truth. And I’m not just talking about the scars and the missing eye.”
“The truth is I’m just a woman. A woman you cared for. Loved. Intended to marry. I can be that woman again… if you just let me.”
“All I have to do is sell my soul?”
“Remember what it was like between us. The heat. How we fit so well together. How right it felt.”
Nico chuffed a laugh. “Still trying to manipulate after all these years. I was little more than a boy when we came together Kristiah. I’m not that easily led anymore.”
Kristiah’s green eyes travelled slowly up Nico’s rugged frame. “I’m guessing it would be even better, hotter, between us now.” She raised a hand slowly, flawless dusky brown skin looking velvet soft by the light of the full moon. “Aren’t you even a little bit curious?” She reached for Nico.
He grabbed her hand before it could touch him, bringing it to his lips and brushing a soft kiss across her knuckles before he took a step closer to her. Bringing his other hand up to slide around her throat and cup the back of her head. He leant in, their eyes on the same level.
Kristiah pursed her lips, perhaps thinking he meant to kiss her but all Nico did was hold her gaze for a moment. “Am I curious?” With a lightning quick move he snapped her neck. “No.”
Kristiah’s body slumped to the sand.
Conchetta, standing on Gap’gn’s right, raised her head and howled, releasing a sound of anguish and pure pain. Gap’gn did no more than flick a quick glance down at his former lover and devoted follower before re-focusing upon Matias. “Kristiah’s death does not negate our arrangement.”
Matias slowly began to walk forward. Quinn shook her head ever so slightly, mouthing the word, no. But Matias kept on coming. Merciful Lady, she prayed he knew what he was doing.
Three feet away now, Matias halted. “Let her go.”
“Closer.” Gap’gn ordered.
Matias didn’t argue or protest. He closed the distance quickly, grabbing Gap’gn’s wrist, the one holding the knife, pulling it slowly away from Quinn’s throat and redirecting the tip of the blade so it rested against his own chest, just above his heart. “Go.”
Quinn bit back the desire to protest, to wail that Matias was risking his life. She prayed he had a plan. Bloody hell, she hoped he had a plan. Sending Matias a hard – you stay alive or there will be consequences – glare, she attempted to move away. Gap’gn dropped the arm locked around her chest, but then whipped it up fast. Gripping Quinn by the back of the neck now, like a kitten he intended to pick up or throttle.
“I-” Quinn winced at the ultra tight hold.
“You said you’d trade her for
me.” Matias grit out.
Gap’gn looked pointedly at Matias’s hand still wrapped around his wrist, the one holding the knife. “Let’s just say after what happened to Kristiah, I felt it only right to retain some… insurance.”
Matias flicked a quick look at Quinn, anger making his jaw clench before he forced himself to relax, very aware of the obsidian blade digging into his t-shirt clad chest. “So, how do we do this?”
“Eager? So rare.” Gap’gn’s black eyes sparkled with intelligence and calculation.
“Just weary of your continued existence fucking up my family and my life. Once we get this over with, I can finally start living.”
Gap’gn tossed his head back, eyes of purest night shimmering with the reflection of the stars above. His laughter sounded practised and contrived. “I wish we had more time to enjoy this moment. But I have the distinct feeling if I pause too long to savour, then one of your colleagues will attempt some rash action to try and stop me.”
“Shouldn’t we be calling up your God pal? This is the end of days, isn’t it? You promised Cum Hua endless night.”
“Gap’gn had a change of heart.” Quinn shared. Relating what she seen from Gap’gn’s memories. “He’s intending to branch out on his own after hearing about all the wonders of the future. In fact, that’s where he intends to go as soon as he has the last Shard.”
“Flush toilets alone would be incentive enough to lure me there. But all those people? With so much, wealth, food, shelter, and yet they are lost. Needing someone to tell them what to do. What to believe.”
Matias grit his teeth. It was all he could do not to reach over and wrench Quinn free of Gap’gn’s hold. To be this close and not be able to save her, to know that she was safe. His gut roiled with a combination of fear and anger.
Matias glanced down once more at the wide, flat blade, the sharpened point pressing against the flesh directly over his heart, just how did the bloody thing work? Oh, he understood the pointy end killed. What he didn’t get was how it had been used to store the Shard.
