Twelve Shades of Midnight:

by Liliana Hart

  Cade lunged toward her, but the spear pressed harder against his face. “Uh, Aiyana?”

  Her eyes shone so brightly a burning irritation bathed Cade’s throat. She gave the man holding her a half-hearted shove. “Achalal, let him go. He’s a friend.”

  “Doesn’t act like one,” the man who could have doubled for a tank, muttered.

  “He’s Jaguar,” she said quietly.

  A hush filtered through the men surrounding her, and they planted themselves between Cade and Aiyana.

  Such loyalty. If Cade had wondered about Aiyana, the allegiance of this village told him so much. “I won’t hurt her,” he said.

  The warriors parted and an old woman sprang through the line. “We have been waiting for you.”

  “Noy.” Aiyana knelt at the feet of the woman in reverence toward the weathered elder for the village.

  Striking blue eyes glanced back and forth between him and Aiyana. “I knew you would come.” Her fingers tucked under Aiyana’s chin. “Rise, child. Come, Jaguar. We have much to discuss.”

  Noy led them to a small palm-thatched roof hut. On the wall, a triangular-shaped design of reeds hung, matching the elaborate tattoo on the woman’s shoulder. She shooed the warriors away as Cade entered. A bench held a cluster of herbs and medicine bundles, jade stones and beads. She was obviously some sort of wise woman or healer.

  “Sit.”

  Aiyana knelt on an intricately hand-woven rug of red and black designs as the old woman offered them each a beverage that smelled like strong chocolate. “Drink.”

  A quick sip and heat suffused Cade’s body.

  Noy smiled. “Quite a kick, wouldn’t you say?”

  He cleared his throat. “Yes, ma’am.”

  “Don’t call me such a word. I am Noy. And I know why you are here.”

  He met Aiyana’s gaze and she simply shrugged. “I learned long ago not to question Noy. As did my parents.”

  Noy smiled. “They were good people. May their God cradle their souls. I did not understand their religion, but I knew their hearts spoke the truth. As I speak the truth to you now.”

  “Okay, hold it, umm…Noy. As much as this all seems kinda—spiritual—you couldn’t possibly know what’s happened and why we are here.”

  Noy smiled and shook her head. “Really.” She pulled out a stone tablet and began to read.

  And it shall be that a child of the Dark Lords shall reclaim the lost soul through an enemy. When the nightwalker lies with the jaguar, a new day of peace shall dawn.

  “You will fulfill the prophecy, Aiyana. You and your Jaguar.”

  “But, I’m a vampire. He is a Jaguar. We should be enemies.” The words hurt, but Aiyana couldn’t let herself hope for more. She knew herself too well. Knew her cravings. “I’m deadly to him. What if I lose control?”

  “He will defend himself.”

  Next to her, Cade’s entire body stiffened, as if he too were fighting an inner battle. She reached out a hand to touch his skin, hoping to feel the heat between them spark, but he pulled away.

  He didn’t want to touch her. And why should he?

  “A vampire killed my only brother,” he said, his voice hoarse with tension. “I should kill her but I can’t.”

  Noy’s hands caressed the stone carving. “It is a hard road you walk. Your blood is Jaguar by birth, and your father gifted you as he was gifted.”

  “My father died in a car accident when I was a kid. Or so my mother told us.”

  “You wonder if he wasn’t killed by a vampire, too.”

  His lips thinned. “Yes. My mother died before I knew to ask.”

  Each word nailed the hope in Aiyana’s heart closed as Noy studied Cade’s shuttered expression.

  “And yet, you let Aiyana live when she offered herself to you.”

  “She doesn’t deserve to die.”

  “Does she merit your love and your sacrifice?”

  Aiyana’s breath stopped; her heart quivered as she waited for his answer.

  Before he could speak, a stream of dawn’s light filtered through the roof of the hut and sizzled her arm.

  “Oh, my God.” Pain seared through her as blisters bubbled on her exposed skin. She curled up her body, trying to protect the exposed flesh. The light hit her neck and shoulder.

  A harsh curse echoed through the hut. “What the hell…?”

  “Cover her,” Noy said, throwing Cade a blanket.

  Cade’s strong hands wrapped her in the rough wool. The steel-like fibers scratched her overly sensitive skin, and she couldn’t stop the whimper escaping her lips.

  “I’m sorry,” he whispered into her ear. “I should have realized…. We can’t stay here, Noy. The thatch won’t shut out the light. Where can I take her?”

  Aiyana couldn’t risk raising her head. The sunlight could blind her if it directly shone in her eyes. She was as vulnerable now as she was strong when darkness fell. Cade could easily destroy her. Yet, he cradled her gently, protecting her.

  “There is a cave just outside the village,” Noy said. “Follow her spirit brother, Achalal, to the cave. Once she is safe from the light, smooth this ointment on her burns.”

  Cade tucked the ends of the blanket around her, searching her body for any exposed skin. The burning screamed in agony, and she bit her lip against the pain.

  “Hang in there,” Cade said. “I’ll keep you safe. Trust me.”

  She had no choice, and yet, she didn’t fear he would betray her. The first man not of this village she trusted, and he was a Jaguar. The universe couldn’t have surprised her more.

  Noy snapped an order to Achalal. Cade tucked her head against his shoulder. The darkness cocooned her from the harsh rays of the sun.

  She heard Cade’s deep breath as the door slapped open. His heart pounded against her ear as he ran through the village and to the cave where she had hidden when she’d first become infected and been transformed.

  Though the distance to the caves must have only taken a few minutes, it seemed an eternity. Finally, Cade stopped and lowered her gently to the floor. He lifted the blanket from around her face and dropped the wool.

  He winced as he lifted her hands to his chest and studied the blistered skin on her arm to her shoulder. “Damn, honey.”

  His warmth made her shiver despite the pain. She stared into his eyes. He now knew her greatest physical vulnerability.

  “You know how to destroy me if you want to. A little sunlight goes a long way.”

  Achalal came up beside her and touched her hair with his forehead. He mumbled a few words. Aiyana smiled as tears burned behind her eyes.

  “What did he say?” Cade asked.

  “Not to worry. That I have chosen well. As a warrior you don’t hesitate and you will protect me.”

  Achalal touched a fist to his chest and nodded at Cade. He returned the acknowledgement and without speaking Achalal left the room.

  Cade dropped her hands, knelt and spread out the blanket on the ground. “Yeah, I did a great job taking care of you. I knew dawn was close, and I let this happen.”

  “It’s my responsibility. Not yours.” She scanned the blisters. “Noy’s ointment will help.”

  Kneeling beside Cade, she reached for the jar. His hands stopped her. “Let me.”

  Her teeth bit her lip, and the pinch countered the foreboding. The pain had diminished some, but if he touched her…

  He unscrewed the lid and with gentle but shaking hands, his fingertips spread the foul-smelling ointment over the burn. First on her forearm, then up to her shoulder and behind her neck. As if the ointment captured the agony, the pain eased, and she sighed in relief.

  “It helps?” he asked.

  Aiyana closed her eyes in contentment. “Oh, yes.”

  Now that the pain had vanished, a new heat filtered through his fingers. The connection between them ignited once more. She shot him a sharp look and he pulled away. “You’re hurt.”

  “Sleep will cure me. The burns will be
gone by nightfall.”

  He stared at her arm. “You’re kidding. You should need a skin graft.”

  “I guess there’s a silver lining to being a vampire,” she said.

  He stiffened, and she could have cursed herself for bringing it up again, then stopped herself.

  “If you can’t deal with what I am, Cade, you can leave. I’m not holding you here. I can take care of myself. I’ve been doing so for a long time.”

  He thrust his fingers through his hair. A frustrated exhale punctuated the movement. “Damn it. Give me a few minutes to change my entire outlook on life. Twelve hours ago, I believed every vampire that walked the earth was a dead demon without a soul. I need a few more hours to get used to a brand new reality.”

  “You don’t have to,” she said quietly. “I wouldn’t blame you if you left. You’ve saved me. You have no responsibility for me.”

  “What about the prophecy?”

  “Perhaps this is all you had to do. You saved me. You learned the truth. Go back to your world, Cade. Find the vampire who killed your brother. Try not to touch too many of those with no souls. Perhaps you can help others who are falling into the darkness.”

  “Like Max?”

  She lowered her eyes. “Max’s soul is very black. I don’t know if he can be saved.”

  “But there’s a chance.”

  “Maybe. If he still has some compassion left within him.” She tilted her head and met his gaze. “What do you sense in him?”

  Cade shut his eyes and focused on his mentor, the man his brother had called partner, the man he had always looked up to. Memories of the last time he’d shaken hands stirred within. Waves of darkness had pelted his soul. “I don’t know.”

  With an emptiness that pained him, he studied Aiyana. Her face had grown milky white and her eyelids fluttered against the bruises beneath her eyes.

  “I’m sorry. I’m so tired. I can’t stay awake any longer,” she whispered.

  She sagged against him, so trusting, so innocent.

  “Then sleep.” He kissed her forehead and cradled her in his arms. As he rocked her body against his, he let the fatigue that had been threatening him take over. For the moment they were safe. As soon as he was certain Aiyana would be healed, though, he would have to leave. He would have to find a way to convince Max to abandon this part of the jungle…even if he had to kill one of his own.

  Chapter Eight

  A hand nestled beneath his shirt, stroked his chest and tugged Cade out of a very erotic dream. His body tight with desire, he kept his eyes closed, praying that the dream would not end, and that the hand would explore every inch of skin before finally caressing him to fulfillment.

  When soft lips pressed against his chest, he groaned, the rumble deep from within. “Don’t stop.”

  The lips smiled and a sweet tongue bathed one nipple in passion.

  Then his memory doused him in ice water. His eyelids snapped open and he focused on Aiyana. Naked and beautiful.

  The puckered, burnt skin was smooth and supple to his touch. Completely healed.

  His fingertips caressed the softness and she shuddered above him. “Amazing,” he said.

  He cupped her cheek and tilted her face to his before pulling her mouth to his lips. Letting the world outside fade into nothingness, Cade enveloped her in his arms and pushed aside the blanket. She softened beneath him.

  With no pretenses, she savored his touch, giving as well as taking. Her hands shoved his clothing aside. “How can I please you?” she asked, as her lips worked down his chest past his waist to his hips. She closed around him and he arched against her, unable to speak, only to respond by pulling her closer.

  He brought her lips back up to his and cupped her cheek. “You give everything, don’t you, Aiyana? You don’t hold anything back. How can that be?”

  She sighed and rested her head against his chest. “I have seen the truth in your heart. How can I not love you? We belong together, even though we don’t.”

  The words sent Cade over the edge, as if he’d plunged down the highest waterfall in Belize to the white rapids below. He let her love sweep him away and succumbed to those sacred emotions. For now, for this moment, there was no past or present or future. In this place, they would be one.

  He took her mouth with his, and when he finally sank inside her body, a white light exploded off the cave walls. His heart opened to the truth.

  With each thrust of his body, his pulse raced in time with hers, and the magical white heat crackled between them, surrounding them, overwhelming whatever darkness had existed within him.

  He sagged against her, knowing he had finally come home.

  She sighed, tears on her cheek and touched his chest just over his heart. “You accepted me. The evil has vanished. Do you feel it?”

  Cade lifted himself away from her and bathed in joy on her face. His mind felt free. The torture of five years of loss had melted from him. “What did you do?”

  “I did nothing but love you. You let the past go.”

  “It’s strange.” He lowered his forehead to hers. “I didn’t know how dark my life had become.”

  When he lifted his head and gazed into her eyes, his expression was solemn. “And now I have to leave you.”

  The hurt in her eyes skewered him. “Why?”

  “Because I’ve changed. But Max hasn’t. The Order hasn’t. If I don’t go back, they’ll hunt us down. I won’t let that happen.”

  She hugged the blanket around her. “I can take care of myself.”

  He quirked a smile. “I know, but Max won’t stop hunting until he finds you. I know him. He thinks you know something we could use.”

  “He wouldn’t listen?”

  “I doubt it.” Cade met her gaze. “But I want to try.”

  “Let me come with you. I can prove to him—”

  “I’m going alone.”

  She stood silent for a moment. “You’ll come back after you send him away?”

  He didn’t say a word and she could see the truth in his expression. “You’re never coming back.”

  “I can’t, Aiyana. Digging out the tracking device bought some time, but that’s all. You have created a home here. There are people here who love you. Maybe someday…”

  He stood and ventured to the mouth of the cave. “It’s mid-day. I’ll find Max. Somehow, I’ll convince him that there is nothing to find. That the rumors about you and Noy were just that. Rumors.”

  He returned to her side as if he couldn’t bear to be apart, knelt beside her and kissed her lips gently. “I will never forget you. Thank you for giving me back my soul.” His thumb touched her lip. “My heart, though, stays with you.”

  He couldn’t bear to watch her tears fall as he walked into the daylight. The one place where she could not follow.

  Cade left the cave. With all his strength he sliced at a palm frond blocking his path. The huge leaf fell away, leaving him an easy trail for a few feet. But too soon he became blocked in. Each step away from Aiyana cut through him as if his machete slid through his skin. Severing himself from her, abandoning the joy and light within her, tore the foundation from his soul, but he had no choice.

  Worse still, he could never come back to her. Not as long as the Order ignored the truth. Being with her put her in danger.

  How had this happened? He was Jaguar. He’d sworn to kill all vampires. To avenge his brother’s murder. How could he love Aiyana and fulfill his vow?

  Could he go back to what he had been now that he knew every kill would blacken his soul once more? A wave of nausea hit him at the very thought of taking in the dark power. After experiencing true goodness with Aiyana, could he take another life?

  A heavy cloud of worry descended as Cade worked his way through the jungle toward the location where he’d buried the tracking implant. If he were lucky, he might be able to snag the device and stuff it into his pocket. Max would never have to know what he’d done. And then he’d figure out how to prove to the Orde
r’s leaders that not all vampires were evil without putting Aiyana in danger.

  Damn it all. How did you persuade a group of men and women that everything passed down to them for hundreds of years was only partially true? How do you convince them that given time, the Order would become as evil as the creatures they fought?

  A few hours into the scorching heat, sweat dripped down Cade’s back. Not far now. He pushed aside an ironwood branch. His pulse quickened as he crept into the clearing where he’d hidden the device. His search lasted only a moment before he found the tell tale signs of blood, and he knelt. It should be here.

  Scattering the groundcover aside, he sifted the dirt.

  “Looking for this?” Max’s voice growled through the trees.

  Cade eased his hand to the butt of his H&K .45. Slowly, he rose and turned.

  Max and his second-in command-stepped forward. “You lose, Quincy. There’s no sizzle and ash. He’s not been turned … yet, anyway.”

  Disgust oozed from the face of the man Cade had once called friend and mentor. “Tell the men to keep searching the area. I’ll be in touch.”

  Once Quincy left, Max suddenly grabbed Cade by the throat. “Took me on a wild goose chase, didn’t you boy? Saw the temple. Saw the books. You found that jungle woman, didn’t you?”

  “Yes, but she’s not a problem.”

  Max’s grip tightened. Where their skin touched, a black evil oozed into Cade, winding its way around his heart like an anaconda ready to crush its prey. In a quick movement, Max brought his fingertips to the edge of Cade’s windpipe. One squeeze and his trachea would be crushed. He’d be dead. Aiyana would be at Max’s mercy. “Sounds like you forgot who the bad guys are.”

  Cade met Max’s narrowed gaze. “I haven’t. Have you? You gonna kill me, Max? After everything we’ve been through?”

  “You bet your ass I will if you betrayed me and the Order. Now, tell me about the temple.”

  His one-time mentor clutched Cade’s throat. He wanted to shove the bastard away, but he knew better. The one thing the Order had taught him was to keep your enemies close and use their strength against them.