But, apparently, the wind god's machismo exceeded Finn's own. Hurry up and throw me in the effing water, the god demanded. Mirabelle's getting strong enough that he might be able to feel my presence if I'm above the surface when he arrives, and I don't want to risk tipping him off.
Whether the deity's words were simply an example of prideful bravery or were actually annoyance that Finn was holding up the works, Tezzie had clearly made his decision. "Well, here goes nothing," the shifter said. And he tossed the ancient Olmec figurine into the pool.
***
The statue fell into the water with a plop and immediately drifted down out of sight. Would I even know if Tezzie was gone for good? Finn wondered, shifting immediately into feline form. Sometimes he could sense the wind god's presence more clearly as a jaguar than as a man, but his mental feelers went unanswered that afternoon. Either Tezcatlipoca had fallen through the portal into the underworld, or Quetzalcoatl was holding his brother god in limbo halfway between the two domains as promised. Either way, Mirabelle would be walking onto the scene shortly, and Finn needed to prepare for his opponent's arrival.
The road wasn't very far away from the wooden platform on which he was standing, so Finn's feline ears caught the rumble of approaching tires as soon as he came out of his shift. He was glad to realize that he felt calmer now that the game was in play, the shifter's predatory nature taking over as he leapt straight up and settled into the shadows atop a rock ledge twenty feet above the pool. As a jaguar, Finn was used to launching himself onto prey from above, and he was counting on the element of surprise to give him that critical edge over his opponent today.
But Finn was the one shocked into immobility when two new visitors to the cenote came into view. Because, of course Fernando had failed in his task and Ixchel appeared first, traveling away from her car at a loping sprint. She was trying to escape from a demigod powerful enough that even Tezcatlipoca was sufficiently afraid to enlist the help of two friendly deities.
But the vet wasn't running in human form.
Which wasn't entirely a surprise. Finn had known as soon as he saw the woman's naked body in Tezcatlipoca's mirror that Ixchel had discovered a way to transform into a jaguar. Not my sister but my mate. The words had hummed through his mind even as the wind god did his best to reel Finn in with his subterfuge.
And Finn had also harbored a sneaking suspicion that Ixchel would be able to outwit her brothers and lead Mirabelle directly to the showdown site on her own. His mate wasn't the type who let herself be left out of events, and she also probably didn't trust her brothers to be privy to her tremendous new secret.
A secret that Finn had stopped her from revealing over the phone, but which he dared hope his mate had wanted to share with her fellow shifter.
So, no, Finn shouldn't have been surprised to see the lithe female jaguar bound toward the cenote, sunlight gleaming across her midnight fur. And he wasn't surprised. Instead, the male were-jaguar was astounded by his mate's beauty, by the realization that the pull he'd felt toward the woman from day one was magnified one hundred percent when he saw her running in his direction on four paws.
So he stared too long...and almost allowed Mirabelle to take down his prey.
Chapter 42
For five of the longest seconds of her life, Ixchel thought she was entirely alone at the cenote with a tremendous were-jaguar on her heels and intent upon her blood.
Of course, I'm a jaguar now too. The pep talk failed miserably. Yes, Ixchel had been given the gift of transforming into a jaguar...but she was still learning to walk straight on four paws. The newly fledged shifter had figured she was doing pretty well by not tripping over her feet during the run to the cenote, and she'd only made it that far by promising herself that Finn would be present to take the next part of the struggle out of her hands.
So arriving to find the elusive were-jaguar missing was a shock to her system.
And if Finn has decided to absent himself from my life entirely, did I or did I not make the right decision yesterday? Was this an example of the typical female pitfall of changing her life over a man, only to discover that today's love interest was gone tomorrow?
Just yesterday, the goddess had given the vet a similar warning in kind, gentle Ixxie fashion. "Now you have a choice," the old woman had told her failed priestess when she accepted the cat charm out of Ixchel's reluctant hand. "I'm sure Tezcatlipoca made it seem like he was the almighty god overseeing all were-jaguars, but the truth is that he and I decided to split that responsibility right down the middle centuries ago. My brother god took on the male shifters, and in true Tezzie fashion he gave his followers no choice in their future. So if you'd been born a man, you would have transformed willy-nilly as soon as you came of age. Your friend Finn is proof of how difficult Tezzie's gift can be."
Ixchel had nodded, her mind running ahead and guessing at the conclusion of the goddess's story. Was she really about to be offered an opportunity that she'd thought would never come her way? To be true equals with the man who had inspired her trust and fascination over the last few days? But the vet held her tongue and waited for Ixxie to finish her tale.
"I, on the other hand, felt that perhaps my followers might not want to be saddled with a dual nature," the goddess continued. "To have to sheathe their claws and pretend to be part of the human world, or to fall prey to the endless treadmill of a busy human brain when one might prefer the supreme simplicity of mindlessly stalking prey in a tropical forest. So I gave each of my followers a choice. Feline, woman, or both—each were-jaguaress could choose her future when the appropriate time came.
"Unfortunately, I made a fatal mistake." Ixxie, unlike her brother god, handled self-chastisement very well. "I assumed we gods would always be strong enough to check in on our followers whenever we wished and to take a hand in each mortal's first shift. But once Europeans came to the continent and drove out the old ways, I was separated from my followers. So I've been unable to offer that decision to new female shifters for the last three hundred years. And as a result, no female were-jaguars currently exist."
The old woman had upgraded her actions at this point from handpatting to actively clutching five of Ixchel's fingers within ten of her own. "But you journeyed all the way to Mexico to find me, so you are the first jaguaress in centuries to be given the option of transformation. Now is the time to decide whether you want to return to your current human life or to take on the latent jaguar form hidden beneath your skin."
"I..." Ixchel began, but the old woman reached up to lightly brush one finger across her follower's lips.
"Not so fast, my child. I know you've fallen in love over the last few days. It's a wondrous feeling to dip into the human mind and experience the instant when a crush turns into an infatuation. Someday I'd like to experience those emotions for myself." The old woman's eyes crinkled up as she smiled.
"And maybe you've read the signs correctly," the goddess continued. "Maybe you're lucky enough to have found true love. Maybe you and your were-jaguar tom will live happily ever after. I'm a goddess, yet even I can't tell you what lies in your future."
But now the goddess's face turned stern, and Ixchel had the sudden impression that she was standing before her mother and being chided for allowing her boyfriend's hands to wander on their first date. "You can't know what will happen between you and Finn," Ixxie said after a moment. "But you can reach into your own heart and discover which world you'd like to spend the rest of your life as a part of. Do you want the peaceful safety of a human existence, or do you want the adventurous wonder of a were-jaguar's life? Do you want to be ordinary and protected or extraordinary and hunted? Because Mirabelle isn't the only danger facing were-jaguars in this modern era."
This time around, Ixchel made herself pause before opening her mouth. The goddess was right, of course. She'd known Finn for all of three days, and twenty-four of those hours had been spent wondering where her companion had run off to without explanation or promises for the fut
ure. No, the vet couldn't make this decision based on whether or not Finn would remain a part of her life.
But the truth was, Ixchel had fallen in love with the idea of a were-jaguar from the first moment she'd seen Finn shift into feline form in her veterinary practice's backyard. She'd been awed by his transformation...and she'd also been insanely jealous.
All of her life, Ixchel had struggled to make sense of interactions with other people, while at the same time being drawn to restful and loving animal companions. She'd carved out a niche for herself in which she could deal with cats and dogs and hamsters every day, but a career as a veterinarian was by far second best to experiencing that animal world for herself.
So, when the goddess sat patiently and waited with her head cocked to one side, Ixchel had nodded vigorously and known she was making the right choice for the right reasons. "Yes, I want you to wake up the jaguar inside me," she'd said.
And when Ixchel first shifted onto four paws, it was all she could do not to race off into the forest and explore what dew felt like on cat whiskers and how a tail could be used to balance her leaps. The new skin was rapturous.
"Let yourself grow into it," Ixxie had warned with a smile. "Start with short shifts somewhere safe. Every adventure benefits from a little practice and planning."
Little did Ixxie know that, the very next day, her follower would be facing down a tremendous male were-jaguar who had enjoyed years of growing into his own skin. And who wanted nothing more than to overpower the only were-jaguaress currently in existence.
Which is why Ixchel's heart was racing and her throat felt tight as she whirled around and prepared to defend herself. But, despite Finn's absence, she still didn't think she'd made the wrong move in accepting her feline nature the day before.
No, even if she went down fighting this very afternoon, at least the vet would know that, for once in her life, she'd truly lived.
Chapter 43
Without another thought, Finn leapt from the ledge, aiming for the older male's shoulder. He didn't want to damage the body that Tezzie would shortly be inhabiting, but he also didn't want to give Mirabelle time to rush any closer to his mate. Instead, Finn hoped to knock his foe into the sinkhole immediately, using his momentum to push Mirabelle down toward the submerged figurine that acted as a trap.
Unfortunately, the archaeologist seemed to have developed a sixth sense that had him turning to face his attacker even as Finn was struggling to change direction midair. So the younger were-jaguar landed on needle-sharp claws that swiped through his fur and dug into the skin atop his neck, while Mirabelle didn't budge an inch from his position.
Maybe a few karate classes would have been a good investment after all.
Despite enjoying a life of crime, Finn had always opted for stealth over brute force and he didn't have the first idea how to fight such a tremendous feline. But what he lacked in experience he made up for in sheer desperation.
And the younger shifter soon realized that if he drifted into his jaguar nature, the automatic reactions of the animal would take over. Spinning even more lightly on his feet than usual, Finn hoped that although the element of surprise had been lost, he might be able to vanquish his opponent the old-fashioned way.
The younger shifter batted and bounded, but he never allowed Mirabelle to reverse their positions and block Ixchel from his sight. The afternoon's goal was to quell the archaeologist and free the god, but his mate's safety was an even higher priority. So when Finn glimpsed the jaguaress leaping to safety on the other side of the pool, he sighed with relief. At least his mate could escape the archaeologist's wicked claws...as long as Finn was able to wrestle Mirabelle into the cenote before being torn apart, that was.
An outcome that was still in serious question. Because the older shifter continued to hold his own, and Finn was already tiring from his increasingly frantic exertions. I'll just have to make it work, the younger shifter thought. He knew that Mirabelle could easily leap after Ixchel if Finn failed, and the bristling fur on the other jaguar's ruff suggested that the older shifter was itching to punish both parties involved in his entrapment.
The narrowing of his opponent's eyes gave Finn just enough warning to allow him to whirl out of the way before Mirabelle rose up and attempted to pounce on his smaller form. But the archaeologist-turned-cat merely hissed in annoyance at missing, then growled in pleasure as one massive paw reached out and whacked Finn upside the head.
And then the younger shifter was treading water, having been knocked into the exact same spot where he'd hoped to toss Mirabelle. Here's hoping Tezzie doesn't figure any body is a good body in a pinch....
But Finn didn't pause in his cat-paddling, making his way as quickly as he could toward the shore where he knew his foe would soon touch down. This was exactly why he'd begged Fernando to keep Ixchel away from the cenote this afternoon. The shifter thief had hoped he'd be able to overpower the larger were-jaguar, but he hadn't been certain enough of his own skills to risk his mate's life in the process.
And, apparently, Finn's instincts had been correct. Because he was now too waterlogged to fight, Ixchel had transformed back into her defenseless human body...and Mirabelle was crouching down in preparation for leaping after the female were-jaguar.
***
"I thought you were looking for a mate," Ixchel called across the pool of brackish water. She had no grand plan. No way of tricking Mirabelle into the cenote or ending their current farce of a battle. The vet was merely hoping that if she tempted the archaeologist to shift into human form in order to speak with her, she might buy a few more moments of survival, while perhaps giving Finn time to get away. Because, unfortunately, her favorite were-jaguar appeared to be severely outclassed by the opposition.
However, Mirabelle didn't pause before springing halfway across the cenote to land inches away from her nose. Her foe's feline form was tremendous, weighing perhaps half again as much as Finn's did. And the archaeologist's fangs, when he opened his mouth, seemed to be as long as her hand.
Having now seen two were-jaguars (not counting her own, which she'd sighted merely as a pair of paws beneath her nose), Ixchel continued to find the breed magnificent. Unfortunately, while Finn's feline half appeared strangely lovable in addition to being mildly frightening, Mirabelle's cat was ten times as terrifying.
Do not back away. No, Ixchel needed to stand her ground and keep talking if she wanted to get out of this mess alive. Remember your superior human intellect, she chided herself, stilling feet that wanted so badly to flee. Time to open your mouth and make stuff up.
And, to her surprise, words flowed freely despite the terror-fog in her brain. "I thought I'd already found a mate," the vet babbled, staring into Mirabelle's eyes as if he were a fascinating companion at a dinner party...not a massive feline poised to eat her up. "But Finn doesn't appear to have what it takes to keep me in the manner to which I've grown accustomed. I'm the only female were-jaguar left in the world—did you know that?—so I figured I deserved the best. Which appears to be you."
Mirabelle's tail rose just a fraction, proof positive that he was listening. Surely he couldn't be stupid enough to think that I'd change my loyalties at the drop of a hat? But who knew, really, how the male jaguar's mind worked.
"I'm looking for someone powerful," the vet continued. "Someone who will protect and cherish me." She ran her hands over a body that was—thankfully—clothed this time around. So perhaps Tezzie was responsible for that moment of naked surprise in Ixxie's clearing? Not allowing herself to wander too far down that particular thought trail, Ixchel donned her best femme fatale posture and pursed her lips into what she hoped came across as a seductive pout.
Am I actually relying on sex appeal in a life-or-death situation? the vet wondered. I guess I am.... Well, if I'm going for it, I might as well put everything I've got into the effort.
So she straightened her shoulders to push her breasts out to their maximum extension, then bent down to bring her face—and boo
bs—closer to Mirabelle's fanged jaws. "Don't you want me?" she asked at last.
And, to her delight, Mirabelle fell for the oldest trick in the book. His body shimmered as he shifted into human form...and in that instant of distraction Ixchel jerked the stick she'd been hiding out from behind her back. And whacked the psychotic archaeologist right into the water.
***
Finn had reached the edge of the pool and just started pulling himself out of the water while Ixchel seduced Mirabelle, an allurement that was laughable in its falsehood while still managing to leave the younger shifter panting with desire. Unfortunately, his mate then assaulted Mirabelle with a little too much enthusiasm, so the older man not only fell into the cenote, he immediately began drifting unconscious toward the bottom of the deep pool.
If the younger shifter had taken the time to think about it, he might have made another decision at that point. But his immediate reaction was that he didn't want Ixchel to be responsible for murdering another human being, even if her opponent was a cold-blooded serial killer. His second thought was that Tezzie needed that body. So Finn clambered to his feet on the bank of the cenote, shifted into human form, and dove after the archaeologist without sparing Ixchel a single word.
Only after the tepid water closed over Finn's head and his eyes were struggling to acclimate to the murky liquid did he realize his mistake. If Mirabelle drowned, then Tezzie would have no other option than to take over Finn's own were-jaguar body. And that was assuming Ixchel's blow hadn't done enough damage to the archaeologist's head to make the wind god resistant to taking over in the aftermath anyway. Given those factors, plus Tezzie's supreme disregard for anyone's feelings other than his own, Finn didn't have high hopes for making it out of the water still attached to his skin.
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