When we hit the streets of the town, we rushed to the first house we could find. A pink number, with boarded up windows, patchy clay shingles, and vines crawling up the outside walls. We darted in like a school of fish, and Alex quickly barricaded the door with a desk.
“Find me some boards!” he yelled, fumbling in his pack for a hammer and nails.
Arlo tossed one over from the kitchen, and Alex quickly nailed it up. Mutants slammed into the outside of the door, smashing their ugly faces and yelping before backing up and charging again.
Alex passed the hammer and nails to Malisa. “Put up some more boards, Plum.” Then he grabbed Cruz, Catalina, and Alanza. “Upstairs! We’ll pick them off from up top!”
I was left with Arlo and Kayo flanking me protectively.
“Plum?” Malisa asked as if that were the most important thing to be confused about. “Isn’t that something the humans used to eat back before the food stopped growing?”
I rushed around, trying to find more boards. When I handed her the small pile I’d accumulated, I pointed to her head. “I think it’s because of your hair color.”
She looked up. “Oh. Purple hair. Plum. I get it now.” She nailed the boards up and shook her head.
Shrieks pierced the air as my dragons flew by. I rushed to a window, peering through the cracks of the boards, watching as they blasting the mutants with two different lines of fire. The mutants cried out in some strange mixture of a whine and a hiss before incinerating into huge chunks of charcoaled meat. Magic balls of shimmering energy darted from the sky, along with harpoons, and bullets. The hordes of mutants were getting fewer and fewer.
I quickly pulled out a baton and extended it into a crossbow, reciting my royal vows to myself as I loaded up a harpoon.
A queen is worth nothing if she doesn’t fight for her people. She has no honor if she hides from others’ distress. Royalty must not just sit on a throne but must lead their warriors into battle.
I might not be leading a charge, but I would damn well be pulling my own weight from downstairs. Sticking the tip of my crossbow through the cracks in the window, I aimed at the first mutant that came into view and fired. The harpoon lodged in the side of its neck, and it crashed to the ground a few feet from me.
I reloaded and locked onto a different mutant, pulling the trigger. It nailed the thing right in the chest, dropping it instantly. As it fell, it knocked into a third mutant and sent the other tumbling into the streets. A ball of magic flew through the air, hitting the last mutant, and he instantly went motionless.
After that, things quieted down. No more snarls. No gunfire, magic explosions, or harpoons zipping through the air. No more creatures smashing into the boarded-up doors and windows. They seemed to have all died or retreated.
Footsteps echoed at the stairs, as I collapsed my crossbow and put the baton away. Only three of the four who’d gone upstairs came back down into the living room. My eyes nervously scanned the faces of the group.
“Where’s Cruz?” I asked, panic swelling in my veins, making me nauseous.
Surely he wasn’t dead?
Alex cocked his head toward the roof. “He drew the short straw. He’s taking the first watch.”
I exhaled a massive breath, wishing I’d done it a little quieter. Now everyone was going to know how concerned I’d been for him. I ran my fingers through my hair, tousling my brown waves, as I tried to calm my nerves.
I was there to find the Legacy Stone and save my people. Nothing more.
But there was a definite dissatisfaction that settled into my chest at the thought.
Alex, Catalina, and Alanza flopped down on the musty, dust-covered furniture, relaxing after the fight. Malisa wandered around, touching the artwork on the walls. I found myself hovering near the bookshelf, scanning the titles for anything useful. I pulled a few books from the ledge and rested them on my hip.
“I’m gonna take these books up to Cruz and see if they spark any ideas for him.”
The guys nodded as if it were inconsequential, but the girls shot me suggestive glances. Heat rushed into my cheeks, but before I changed my mind, I quickly jogged upstairs and out of sight.
Cruz was sitting on the rooftop with his shirt off. The muscles of his back and abs rippled like crazy, highlighted by a drying sheen of sweat.
Maybe it was a bad time? He seemed like he wanted a little privacy. I needed to stop staring at his half-naked form. Turning to leave, I slipped on a broken shingle and lost my balance. One of the books tumbled to my feet as I fought to stabilize myself.
Cruz turned around and grinned. He didn’t even look surprised to find me standing there. Certainly not startled by the noise. He must’ve known all along.
“Hey there,” he said, shooting me a sexy grin.
My god. That look, coupled his lack of clothing, was going to do me in.
I floundered, trying to decide whether I should retreat gracefully, or proceed determinedly. Taking an uncertain step forward, then another, I eventually wound up beside him on the roof. I put the stack of books between us and sat down. It was supposed to help cool the fire burning within me at the proximity of his body, but it did nothing of the sort. I was actually a little afraid I might catch the pages on fire.
I cleared my throat. “I found some books that might help us pinpoint a location.”
“Yeah?” He grabbed the top one and skimmed through the pages.
I nodded, though he wasn’t looking at me. Wrapping my hands around my knees, I gazed out across the battlefield. It was littered with decaying, mutant bodies. Not exactly the most romantic location. I supposed I should’ve been grateful for it. I wasn’t interested in romance, after all. I was interested in martyrdom.
Right.
My sea dragons soared high above us, leisurely coasting amongst the clouds. They must’ve been happy to finally have their bellies full for once. It made me think of my people back home. So many were fighting but failing, starving and dying. Would I be able to save them before it was too late?
Cruz glanced up at the dragons too, and it reminded me of the last conversation we had about dragons. I thought dragons were myths, he’d said. So did I, I’d agreed.
It got the wheels in my head turning.
Myths... lore...Mayan and Aztec legends...predictions... fate.
My mind raced from tangent to tangent.
“What if...” I said, hesitantly testing out how stupid I was about to sound, “it was fate that I met my two dragons?”
“I’m sure it was,” he said in all seriousness. “My mother says everything is preordained by the universe. Fate determines all.”
I smiled, happy to find he was taking me seriously. “We have all these details, little pieces of a puzzle. These very rare sea dragons; the quest for revitalizing the sea; this particular territory near the Mayan ruins; our specific team—including sirens, a mage, and a ranger. I feel like, if we can piece these together properly, the sacred resting place is going to simply make sense.”
Cruz nodded, brows mashed together in contemplation. He flipped to the index of the book he held in his hands.
“Let’s start with what the Aztecs had to say about sea dragons,” he suggested.
I nodded, but then had an idea of my own. “I’ll see if I can find anything about sirens or mages in the Mayan legends.”
After a while, Cruz nudged my arm and grinned. “Did you know the Aztecs had a name for serpent-like dragons of the sea? They called them cipactli.”
I leaned over and glanced at the picture on the page, inadvertently pressing the side of my body into his. Tingles ripped up my spine and fanned out across my scalp and arms. I had the sudden urge to push him back against the roof and kiss him. I shook my head to clear my ridiculous thoughts, as well as the physical sensation tickling my skin.
The drawings were nothing like Feroz and Bravo. There were similarities, of course, but I had a feeling whoever carved the illustrations hadn’t actually seen a sea dragon for themsel
ves.
“Did you know,” I said, putting my book on top of his, “that Yaxchilan was a strong Mayan city located right along a river which leads to the sea?”
Cruz glanced over at me. “You think because of its association with water it’s important? Important enough to be a sacred resting place?”
I couldn’t tell if he was mocking me or not. I took a deep breath and exhaled slowly.
“I honestly have no idea. The surface world is completely foreign to me. But... it’s a temple directly linked to the sea. We’re sirens, trying to save the sea.” I shrugged. “So maybe, yeah.”
“Then that’s where we should go.” He smiled at me, eyes sparkling with excitement.
It reminded me of the stars.
The stone, the stone, the stone! I didn’t need to be ogling at the mage’s eyes. I needed to be finding the stone’s resting place.
“I know you do,” Cruz said, skepticism swimming in his eyes.
Apparently, I’d accidentally spoken the latter part out loud. Thank god I hadn’t uttered the ogling bit.
“Good,” I said with a nod, acting as if I’d said it aloud on purpose. “Now that we’ve got that cleared up, I’m going to go to...”
I did not need to finish that sentence. I most definitely shouldn’t be talking about bed with Cruz, especially when that sexy smirk was creeping back onto his face.
“Bed?” he asked me, his starry eyes twinkling brightly.
I swallowed hard. Damn him for saying it anyway. Heat flared to life in my core.
“The tub,” I said, defiantly. Which was honestly not much better, considering most people got naked when they were in the bath. I wouldn’t be; I was too used to being in my skinsuit. But based on how his eyes had suddenly gone dark, I had a feeling that’s exactly what he was imagining.
“To sleep,” I clarified quickly. “I like to sleep underwater.”
“I see.” There was a devilish air of mischief about him. “Well, goodnight, Your Majesty.”
“It’s Liliana.”
I had no idea why I said that. It was a dumb mistake that just tumbled off my tongue before I could stop it. The sound of my name on his lips had the potential to be seriously problematic for my hormones.
But Cruz just kept on grinning. “Good night, Liliana. Sweet dreams.”
“Yeah,” I said dryly, trying to contain the heat from spilling through my entire body, “you too.”
“Oh, I will.”
He quickly raised and lowered his brows, a gesture that was almost a challenge. One I would not be accepting.
Not yet, anyway.
Chapter 12
“Yaxchilan?” Alex asked, the next morning.
Our group gathered around a dusty table in the kitchen. Pots and pans hung in neat rows from the ceiling, and moldy food occupied the cupboards and the refrigerator, which no longer boasted electricity.
My stomach rumbled almost painfully. I was famished. It had been days since I’d eaten last—if you called charcoaled rodent food. I almost wish we’d tried our luck with fried mutant as my dragons had.
“Yes, Yaxchilan,” I said, explaining what Cruz and I had discovered in the old books.
“That’s at least an eight-day journey on foot,” Alex said, rubbing the stubble on his chin. “Probably closer to twelve once you count in all the breaks.”
Catalina threw him his gun, which he only barely caught before it smacked him in the face. “Then buck up, ranger. We’re on this journey, come hell or high water, no matter how long it takes.”
He smiled, apparently intrigued by her fiery nature. “Yes, ma’am.”
I caught Kayo glaring at him but he said nothing.
Alanza picked at the dirt under her fingernails with pursed lips. “Let’s hope no one gets any nasty cuts or scrapes along the way. You know, since Malisa let the healer get killed...”
Malisa’s mouth fell open, and she clenched her fists. “What? I wasn’t in charge of her!”
“You were closest.”
Malisa huffed and sputtered over her words. “That doesn’t—that’s not the—Ugh!” Then her anger fizzled out. “It wasn’t my fault.”
“No,” I said, relieving her from Alanza’s accusatory glare. “It was all of our faults. We should have protected her better.”
“You mean like you protected Cruz?” Alanza asked mockingly.
It made me want to slap her. Not just because she was being bitchy, but because she was right. I’d made damn sure Cruz was taken care of, but it never once crossed my mind to ensure Zia was safe. A fatal mistake I never should have made.
“Hey now,” Cruz said gently, coming to my aid. “If I had been hurt or killed, you all would have burned alive. Her protecting me was actually her protecting all of you.”
Alanza raised a brow. “Would that not have also been true for the healer? There was another dragon we could’ve strapped her to.”
I pursed my lips and bit back any snide remarks I’d like to make.
Catalina slammed her fist on the table. “And with both dragons out of the fight, we might’ve lost a hell of a lot more people than one healer. We could go round and round about this, but the outcome will still be the same.”
“You’re right,” I said, addressing Alanza. “I’ll take full responsibility for Zia’s death. I should have made sure she was safe, put her on Feroz’s back, and kept her away from danger. I don’t know why I didn’t think of it in the first place.” I sighed, then immediately straightened my spine. “But it’s done and belly-up in the current now. We just need to be as careful as we can be, and pray to Poseidon we avoid any infections or serious injuries.”
Cruz turned to me and lowered his voice. “I’m a mage, Liliana. I’ll do what I can to heal any wounds with magic.”
I stared at him intently. “At what cost to you?”
I hadn’t yet forgotten what holding that first spell had done to him.
He stared right back and shrugged. “It doesn’t matter. If I can help, I will.”
My chest tightened as my heart swelled. I needed to turn away but found myself staring longingly into his big brown eyes. My gaze then drifted down to his lush lips. We were only a couple feet from each other. It wouldn’t be difficult to bridge that gap and kiss him. Maybe if I did, I could rid myself of this infatuation, and get on with the mission?
“Aaand...we’re back to the Cruz-show,” Alanza muttered.
I growled, and my sea dragons, who’d been peering in through the kitchen windows from outside, growled too.
Arlo gripped Alanza’s shoulder and forced her into a dining chair, getting mere inches from her face. “Keep your smartass remarks to yourself, mollusk! You are only here to appease your family back home, but trust me, they will never know if I boil you alive and feed you to the queen’s sea dragons. They’ve already gotten a taste for Torres. Do you understand?”
Her eyes went wide and she nodded.
“Do you understand?” he shouted.
“Yes, sir!”
“Good.” He straightened up, then tipped his head to me, almost as if nothing had happened. “We should keep moving, Your Majesty.”
I was still speechless from his threat, so I simply nodded. Thankfully, he didn’t require a verbal response from me. It almost made me feel bad for Alanza.
Alex took the lead, and Catalina was the first to follow.
“Cat, wait,” Kayo said, looking a little awkward. “Would you like to walk with me? We haven’t talked in a while.”
Her eyes lit up and curiosity crossed her face. “I mean, we haven’t really talked ever. I usually just admire you from afar.”
Kayo smiled. “Well, let’s change that, then.”
Alex turned around and eyed them with an unflinching expression. I had a feeling there was an interesting love triangle developing there.
At the merest hint of romance, my gaze slid onto Cruz. He was leaning against the wall with a cheeky grin on his face, arms crossed, completely unfazed by all the
testosterone being thrown around. So confident and sexy...and staring at me.
Heart quickening, my eyes quickly dashed away from his gaze.
I needed to get my shit together.
///
We’d barely made it a quarter of the way to Yaxchilan when the storm clouds rolled in.
Not just any clouds either. Hurricane clouds. Complete with devastating winds that ripped whole trees from the ground, and endless rain that flooded the lower valleys completely. Alex had to explain to us sirens what the hell was even happening—we’d never seen winds like that before. Actually, we’d never really seen wind at all.
“What should we do?” I shouted up to the ranger, as twigs and branches soared through the air and smacked into us.
He had one hand holding down the hat on his head, and the other latched onto a small tree to help propel him forward.
“We keep moving!” he shouted back over the agonized moans of the breeze. “We need to find shelter! An elevated cave would be ideal!”
Feroz and Bravo screeched, hovering nervously in the air above us.
“You should send your dragons away,” Alex added, staring up at them with a grim expression. “If they soar high enough, they’ll be safe until the storm passes.”
I nodded at them. “He’s right. Rise! Take care of yourselves, and I’ll see you when this is over.”
They let out a gentle shriek of protest, but it sounded unconvincing, even to me.
I smiled wide and nodded again. “Go. It’ll be fine. I’ll be fine.”
They growled low as if they weren’t quite sure whether to believe me or not. Then they spun around, pumped their wings, and disappeared into the cloudy horizon.
It made my heart hurt to watch them go, but most of all, I was glad to know they’d soon be safe beyond the reach of the storm.
Suddenly, a loud snap ripped through the air but was quickly muffled by the gale. I turned around to search for what had happened and was just in time to watch Alanza get smashed in the face by a falling branch. It instantly knocked her out cold, and she dropped to the jungle floor in a heap of deadweight.
Siren Awakened (The Cursed Seas Collection) Page 10
