Well, I don't know. It seems like this would be simpler than a museum heist. So how can two as-yet unidentified thieves steal three-hundred-million-dollars worth of art from a Boston museum by simply wearing fake mustaches and pretending to be cops, while you're struggling to get through a single padlock? I'll bet those guys didn't stand out in the dark all night long twiddling their thumbs and worrying about getting caught.
"Times have changed, Tezzie," Finn rebutted, removing the flashlight from his mouth so he could speak more clearly. "That was twenty-five years ago, and there are all kinds of high-class alarms to get around now. Plus, we'd already be inside if you hadn't made me run off and leave my backpack behind...."
As I recall, you were the one who lit out of El Azuzul without a backwards glance, Tez countered. But the god didn't argue any longer because he could see the way his worshiper's shoulders slumped at the memory. The poor wee mortal was clearly regretting burning that bridge, and Tez couldn't blame him—Ixchel was one hot mama. Tezcatlipoca missed her witty banter too.
Luckily for both of them, the padlock clicked open before the wind god could tease his worshiper again. And then Finn was slinking through the gate in feline form before padding deeper into the heart of Quetzalcoatl's stronghold.
Is it just me, or did you humans keep up his stuff a lot more carefully than you maintained mine?
Tez continued to bitch and moan just the way his worshiper expected. But, in reality, the god was shocked to take in the lack of dwellings and the depredations of time evident even here in this center of godly power. The land had become an archaeological site, for crying out loud! No longer were human sacrifices made at the tops of the pyramids. No longer were the names of gods spoken in reverent tones.
Times sure have changed.
A week ago, the words would have sent Tezzie into a tantrum. But now, he simply felt hollow inside, as if the wind had been taken out of his sails.
Well, I'm a wind god, aren't I? I guess I'd better create my own gust to move this ship forward.
Not the big pyramid, Tez instructed more loudly when his feline companion turned instinctively toward the massive Pyramid of the Sun. It seemed that his worshiper wasn't the only one who needed to keep his eye on the prize. Q's private pyramid is over that way.
Although smaller than the Pyramid of the Sun, the Temple of the Feathered Serpent was still plenty massive enough. Especially if you compared it to what was left of Tezzie's own pyramid at El Azuzul. Q did always get the better toys.
The moon hadn't yet risen, but feline eyes allowed Finn to pick his way easily toward the seat of Quetzalcoatl's power. Then he shifted to two legs in order to scale the steep steps—steps that had once been painted blue and polished to perfection, while they were now crumbling and tricky to traverse.
I didn't think a god could be mortal, Tezcatlipoca mused, taking in the state of the pyramid. But Quetzalcoatl hasn't been trapped in a stone prison for the last two thousand years. He's been free to round up followers and to accumulate power. So why, despite his freedom, is this all Q has to show for himself?
Perhaps his brother god had moved to another part of the country, or even of the world. Tez's time tuning into radio and television broadcasts had suggested that Mexico was no longer considered the center of the universe, so he could see why Q might choose to move elsewhere.
However, that hypothesis was negated when Tezzie noticed Q's powers silently sparking beneath the were-jaguar's feet and resisting the other god's approach. No, Quetzalcoatl was still very much present here in Teotihuacan. And yet, the feathered serpent god allowed the seat of his power to fall into disarray. Why?
"Is this a good spot?" Finn asked, pulling Tezzie out of his thoughts at last. The were-jaguar had reached the apex of the pyramid as his god pondered, a spot where stairs had given way to a massive pile of rubble. Below them, moonlit pyramids and temples stretched out in every direction, an inspiring sight despite their decay. "And you promise you're not trying to switch places with this other god tonight?" his worshiper continued. "Because we made a deal, Tezzie. No body swapping without discussing it in advance."
I just want to talk to him. Actually, Tezzie felt strangely guilty that he'd even considered the notion of imprisoning Quetzalcoatl in his stead. But no matter how he felt about the issue, that option wasn't on the table at the moment. The replica of a wind jewel—a sliver from the top of a conch shell—that Finn had picked up in a tourist shop a few hours earlier would be sufficient to capture his brother god's attention, but they'd need a much more powerful artifact if Tez had intended to imprison Q's soul. You don't even have to drop me in the mirror, the deity reassured his external conscience.
In fact, Tez would prefer not to be submerged again. The statue's previous dunking had raised the water levels within his prison dramatically, until Tez had been reduced to treading water once again in order to stay afloat. It had taken him hours and far too much mental energy to drain his living space back out, and the formerly waterlogged couch now appeared to be growing mildew.
So Tez merely watched without complaining as his follower pulled out the mirror bowl along with a container of bottled water, then added the wind jewel to the mix. Nearly immediately, the other god's power, which had been nipping at their heels ever since Finn entered the compound, concentrated on the bowl.
"Yikes!"
Okay, so maybe Finn's reaction to the streak of lightning that emerged out of the clear night sky and struck the ground at the base of the pyramid was a bit more R-rated than 'Yikes.' But, despite the mortal's hair standing on end and a string of curses emerging from his lips, the shifter merely stood poised and waiting for Quetzalcoatl's approach.
Now that's a warrior worthy of the wind god, Tezcatlipoca found himself thinking. In an earlier lifetime, the deity might have considered having a were-jaguar like Finn at his beck and call was merely his due. But now, he felt honored by the other's continued presence.
Although pride would make more sense if my pet shifter chose to follow me because of my own worth rather than because I found his weak spot and squeezed. For a moment, Tezzie wondered what that might be like—to have Finn at his back because the were-jaguar wanted to be there rather than because the god had manipulated him into place.
But before Tez's mind could wander any further down that particular dark alley, Quetzalcoatl stepped out onto the top of the pyramid from the far side. His brother god was now present in the flesh.
Chapter 38
You're a woman!
It wasn't the way Tezzie had planned to greet his brother (sister?) god. Instead, he'd initially meant to remind Q how much the latter owed him for letting Tez rot in a stone prison for two millennia. He'd meant to mention the battles the two had fought side by side, the times when Tezzie had protected Q's back.
And, all the while, he'd be striving not to let Q bring up the ways Tez had tricked his brother god and gotten them both into trouble in the past.
But the sight of a female body encompassing the spark of life that Tezcatlipoca knew to be his brother god was too much for the deity to take in all at once. So he exclaimed and would probably have rambled on indefinitely if the woman hadn't stopped him.
"Yep, a woman," Q said, twirling around so Tez could take in her feminine curves. "I thought I'd give it a try. After all, body-hopping seems to be in vogue this millennium, and it gets boring after a while to follow the same path time after time. Plus, there are definite benefits to the female form."
For the first time in his life, Tez didn't know quite what to say. This wasn't at all what he'd expected from the great feathered serpent, and it shook up his entire game plan. It had suddenly become mandatory that he figure out why Q had made the decision s/he had and how those choices would impact his own future.
Yet, at the same time, Tezzie found himself afraid of angering his brother god...and not because he thought Q might smite him down. No, Ixchel's subtle influence had helped Tezzie realize that Quetzalcoatl was the closest t
hing he had to a friend, and the wind god found he didn't want to drive the other deity away just yet.
And that's just plain strange thinking.
"Ixxie warned me you might be coming up this way," Q continued. "She said you hadn't grown up much, but I think she might have been wrong. No boob jokes? No 'how the mighty have fallen'?"
No, Tez said finally. If it works for you.... But isn't it strange sharing space with a mortal? Then, peering more closely at his brother god, Tezcatlipoca mused. Only you're not sharing space, are you? I don't see another spark of life in there. Did you kill it?
The concept was something Tez had considered when his pet shifter first placed his hand on the stone statue. The easiest option for escape would be to jump into Finn's mind and then squash the mortal's will, completely taking over his human body. Finn's flesh wouldn't have lasted very long that way, but the technique definitely would have been more expedient than begging and pleading for two mortals to take him wherever he needed to go.
Only uncertainty about how far Finn's body could travel on its own, and whether or not Tez would be flung back into the figurine when the shifter died, had stayed the god's hand at that time. A thought that now made Tez feel strangely queasy.
"Naw, humans are dying all the time," Q answered, seeming not to notice Tez's abstraction. Or, more likely, Q was merely giving his/her friend time to get his shit together.
And that was an odd thought. To realize that Quetzalcoatl cared how Tezzie felt.
"I slipped into this body when the baby was in the womb," Q elaborated. "The soul hadn't stuck and the mother was going to miscarry, so I figured I'd give it a whirl. Interesting experience to start life as an infant. You should try it sometime."
In the past, Tezzie would never have put his weaknesses on display so openly. But now, he found himself being truthful, rather than evasive, with his brother god. I don't have the power right now to do that, he answered slowly. As best I can tell, I could swap places with a less-powerful god if I used a place of power and an item strongly linked to that deity. Or I could slip into the skin of a were-jaguar...but only if one came right up to me so he could hold my statue in his hand. And what are the chances of that?
As Tez spoke, Q turned to glance at the shifter who was standing silently a few feet away, watching and listening to the godly exchange. Finn had likely understood the subtext of the gods' conversation, had probably realized that Tezzie could squash the life right out of him and steal his body whenever he felt like it. Yes, the were-jaguar's muscles were tensed as if to flee...and yet, Finn waited for the wind god's will.
No, that's not right, Tezzie admitted to himself. Finn had never shown the slightest inclination to bow down before a god. So why was he still present? Why hadn't he opted to save his own skin?
Perhaps the draw was as simple as the female were-jaguar that Finn had been so fascinated by during that morning's session of peering through Tez's mirror.
Or maybe not. Despite setting up the vision specifically to mold his pet shifter to his will, Tez now dared to hope that Finn's recent frequent use of Ixchel's pet name for him had something to do with why the were-jaguar was still standing his ground. Perhaps the shifter felt that "Tezzie" was worth helping, even if the god could snap the tether between the mortal's soul and body with a single thought.
"So, what's your plan?" Q asked.
And, making sure that his voice was being broadcast to human as well as to brother god, Tezzie began to fill his companions in.
Chapter 39
Her brothers were overbearing, bossy, maddening...and Ixchel couldn't imagine ever spending another day without them in her life. They'd set up tents—tents! perhaps Finn wasn't the only one who traveled with camping gear—in Maria's backyard, had assessed the hazards of the situation, then had settled in for the duration.
"It looks like Mirabelle tapped into the GPS in your rental car," Antonio said, glancing up from his laptop as Maria finished clearing what had been a laden dinner table half an hour earlier. Ixchel could barely move after stuffing herself with her aunt's offerings, but she'd still pushed herself to her feet in order to help with the dishes. To her surprise, three brothers who'd refused to be caught dead in the kitchen during their shared childhood had immediately whisked the job out from under their sister, and Santiago was even now forcing their hummingbird of an aunt into her easy chair while he took over her task of ferrying items into the kitchen.
"Well, I guess it's good you relocated the car before coming after me then," Ixchel answered Antonio absently. She couldn't decide whether it was stranger to see her brothers doing housework or to have them all so focused on disentangling her from her current predicament.
Or maybe what surprised Ixchel the most was the way her older siblings had accepted her omissions when she refused to reveal some of the more complicated aspects of her current life. Details like were-jaguars and gods seemed like a lot to spring on brothers whom she hadn't set eyes upon in a decade, and they'd clearly noticed the omission in her story. Noticed...and moved on.
"Yeah," Antonio agreed. "There's still a chance he'll find a way to hack into the stored data and track you back to this location, but we'll take turns keeping an eye out overnight. And tomorrow, Fernando has a safe place in mind for you to hole up while we deal with your stalker."
"Now, wait a minute," Ixchel started. She wasn't going to allow herself to be sent away like an unruly child while her brothers took care of her problems....
But a ringing cell phone interrupted her thoughts for the second time that day. And for the second time, the vet's heart leapt into her throat.
She didn't pick up the phone immediately, though. Instead, she waited while Fernando hurried out of the kitchen alcove and popped open the lid on his laptop before joining his siblings on the couch. "Wait for it, wait for it," Fernando murmured. Then: "Gotcha!"
Because her phone line was no longer her own. Not when her siblings were positive that Mirabelle would follow Nando's lead and track down Ixchel's number, then put through a call in an effort to lure her into his clutches. To that end, her CIA agent brother had prepared to pinpoint the location of her next caller, and he'd also set it up so he could listen in and guide Ixchel through the conversation to come.
But the vet hoped that wouldn't be necessary. Yes, Mirabelle would need to be dealt with...eventually. And yet, she still hoped that her favorite were-jaguar would contact her before she was forced to handle their opponent on her own.
"Ixchel?"
This time, her guess about the identity of the caller was accurate. Finn's voice settled onto her skin like a warm blanket, and the vet felt her shoulders relaxing for the first time all day. "Yes," she breathed. Then: "Wait a minute."
Taking a precious second to glare at her oldest brother, she ordered, "Get off the line, Nando." Then she waited...and waited...and glared harder until her sibling typed a few lines and then pulled the headphones out of his ears.
"It's not Mirabelle?" Fernando asked, and the vet simply shook her head as she got to her feet and slipped out into the Mexican night.
"Sorry about that," she said at last, sinking down onto the stoop and pulling her legs up against her chest so she could pretend it was Finn hugging her skin. "And thanks for calling."
"Thank you for answering."
Ixchel could tell that Finn felt as awkward as she did to be speaking on the phone when they'd only known each other for a few days. But he'd put in the effort to dial her number, and that was all that really mattered. So she offered up a bone to get the conversation flowing.
"I have so much to tell you," she started, only to be interrupted by a were-jaguar on a mission.
"No, don't say anything important," he interjected quickly. "Tezzie's still listening in. And even though I think he and I have finally come to terms we can both live with, it's probably better that you don't mention details he shouldn't know."
Ixchel paused and let Finn's words percolate down through her consciousness. Read
ing between the lines, she figured Finn meant that he'd talked the wind god out of locking Ixxie away in his personal prison...but that Finn didn't really have confidence that Tezzie would adhere to his word when push came to shove.
Unfortunately, as much as the vet liked to see the best in people, she didn't really trust the wind god either. So she was glad of the warning.
And she owed Finn a similar indication of his own need for caution. "Tell Tezzie hi for me," she started, hoping to appease the god while she and her favorite were-jaguar talked over his head. Then, without waiting for an answer, she added, "And you should know that I'm with my brothers right now."
"Your brothers? The SOBs who've been chasing you for your entire adult life?" Ixchel liked to think that she was an independent, modern woman, but the protectiveness in Finn's voice still made her grin. "Are you okay?" he continued, making her smile wider. "Where are you? I'll come get you."
It was exactly what Ixchel wanted to hear...but not what she wanted Finn to do. "I'm fine," she reassured him. "They've grown up since I last saw them. My brothers aren't anything like they were a decade ago...."
"And they're listening in right now, aren't they?" The vet could hear the were-jaguar's predatory nature coming through in his voice. "Okay, what do you bastards want in exchange for letting Ixchel walk out of your lives? Money? I've got plenty of money..."
Well, actually, he didn't. Not if the tremendous wads of cash Ixchel had found in his backpack were what the shifter was counting on to bribe her brothers' complicity. But before she could interrupt Finn's attempt to ransom her out from under her siblings' noses, Fernando proved that he hadn't cut the connection after all. Never trust a spy to resist listening at keyholes...or tapping into your phone line.
Jaguar at the Portal Page 17
