The Bloodgate Guardian (14 page)

She knew it was a mistake to get any closer to him, let alone kiss him. He had a duty to his gods as the Gatekeeper. She had a duty to rescue her father and right the nightmare they’d accidentally released. That duty involved the Gates at cross-purposes. Eventually, she’d be forced to make a decision to which she knew he’d object.

He might even be forced to kill her.

She remembered her mother’s face down in the cave, streaked with dirt but so beautiful. All her life, Jaid had struggled to understand that kind of love. That kind of sacrifice.

This man knew that sacrifice.

She tilted her head up and gazed into his solemn eyes.

“This is my last fight, my last sacrifice. One way or the other, I will end my brother’s torment. When he dies, so will I. My curse—”

She reached up and placed her fingers against those soft, full lips. “I understand.” Forcing a wry smile, she pulled away. She turned back to the table and continued to shove more notes into the carryall. The leather sides bulged, but she got it all inside. With some hard work somewhere safe, she’d figure out how to open that damned cenote and retrieve the White Dagger. What she’d do when she had that knowledge, she wasn’t sure.

An explosion rocked the compound. The floor shook beneath her feet. “The volcano—”

“No.” Ruin peeked into the hallway. “I would have felt the gods’ warning.”

Gunfire. Maybe this was Reyes’s diversion?

Madelyn rushed inside with a duffle bag, her eyes huge. “What’s happening?”

“Stay here,” Ruin ordered. “I’ll scout out the best escape route. Don’t leave without me.”

As soon as he was gone, Madelyn snapped, “What’s going on, Jaid? Who is he?”

“He’s the Gatekeeper.”

“But what does that mean? He’s dangerous, and I don’t think you should trust him.”

Jaid looked inside her heart and whispered, “I trust him with my life.”

“When did you meet him?”

“The first night I was here, someone attacked me on the way to my cabana. He saved me.” She didn’t try to explain that he’d been a jaguar, or that the only reason he’d saved her then was to stop his brother from killing her. “He’s going to help me get Dad out of Xibalba.”

Madelyn’s eyes narrowed as though she wasn’t quite convinced. Truth be told, Jaid still wasn’t sure how she’d convince him to help her. He would. He had to. She didn’t think she could do it on her own.

Muttering beneath her breath, Madelyn squatted down and rummaged in her bag. “This is ridiculous. What are we going to do, Jaid? I still don’t know how the Gate works, not exactly.”

“What time did Sam leave yesterday morning?”

Madelyn shrugged, jerked the bag closed, and very deliberately avoided her gaze. Standing, she slung the bag over her shoulder and began pacing. “I don’t know.”

Something wasn’t adding up. How well had her father known this woman? If he hadn’t told her anything at all about his plans to re-enact the ritual, he didn’t trust her.
But he didn’t tell me either.
Musing aloud, Jaid said, “Sam left, then the codex was stolen, and the massacre happened at Santiago Atitlan. What’s going on here, Madelyn? Why should I trust you at all? Dad warned me to keep the codex absolutely secret—not to discuss it with anyone. He specifically said not to give it to anyone at Venus Star. Who, exactly, do you work for? He didn’t tell you about it, did he? Or Sam. He also never mentioned you to me. I’ve never even heard your name from him. So maybe you’re the one he was concerned about.”

“Grow up, Jaid.” Madelyn stiffened, her features haughty and cold. “We were going to discuss our relationship with you in person as soon as he could arrange a trip back to the States. You ended up coming here, which he would have loved.”

Bitterness coated Jaid’s tongue. “Yeah, right, that tells me more than anything how little you know. Dad never wanted me to come on a dig. He certainly never planned to introduce you to me in the States. He couldn’t bear to tear himself away from this dig.”

Ruin stuck his head in the door, and his golden eyes immediately locked on her. “What’s wrong?”

“Nothing. Can we go?”

He didn’t push her, but he seemed to read her shock and grief in her eyes. She didn’t dare say more in front of the other woman. It might already be too late. Mentally, she made a tally of everything she’d said and demonstrated before Madelyn and Sam. She’d asked about the White Dagger. If Madelyn remembered that journal entry about the Gatekeeper, then she might also remember the line about the Eye of Heaven.

And Sam. What if all his awkwardness the last few months had nothing to do with the night she’d kissed him, and everything to do with his involvement in whatever Madelyn had planned? What if he was trying to steal the site out from under her father? Dear God, what if that really had been him entering the church?

Impossible. That would be like finding out that Geoffrey had really been a serial killer.

“Guerillas have attacked the compound,” Ruin said. “The guards are defending the perimeter. If we can reach my city, I know a tunnel in the ruins that we can use to escape the compound unseen.”

From there, I’ll figure out how to get to Chich’en Itza—and make sure that Madelyn doesn’t
.

“Keep low and close to the wall. We’re going left, staying tight to the building, until we can make a break for the ruins. Ready?”

Jaid nodded. He stepped closer, took her arm, and drew her close to his body.

In the hallway, the shouts and gunfire outside were loud. Surely the guards were too busy fighting the guerillas to worry about two female professors making a break for it, especially after their panicked response to “the hole,” which even she had to admit hadn’t been that horrible of a holding cell.

They ran outside and turned hard to the left, racing along the wraparound front porch. She couldn’t help but clamp her hands over her ears and bite her tongue to keep from screaming. Shouts, explosions, some kind of artillery fire. It was deafening.

Ironically, her knee didn’t pain her at all, despite the jump off the porch. They raced across the open yard toward the ruins. She risked a glance back to check on Madelyn.

The other woman broke toward the guards. “Help! She’s escaping!”

Ruin snarled. “She betrays you.”

“Let her go.” Her voice remained rock steady, despite the tears blurring her vision. It would have been nice to have a mother, even a stepmother, in her life. She hoped her father hadn’t loved the woman much. Knowing him, he hadn’t. “I don’t think she knows enough to worry about.”

As he grabbed her arm and dragged her toward his city, she glanced back over her shoulder.

Madelyn jerked and her arms flung outward. Her body went stiff. Blood bloomed on the back of her white blouse.

Jaid bit her lip so hard she tasted blood, but she didn’t cry out. Whether the guerillas or the guards had shot her, the traitor had met an appropriate end. The bit of knowledge she might have had about the Gates wouldn’t get to Venus Star.

Ruin didn’t stop at the temple, but led her down a winding path through the crumbling pyramids to the far corner of the city. At the foot of the volcano, a large panel had been carved and inset into the rising obsidian. Automatically, she let her memory capture the images: three pyramids, mirroring the city; a priest on the tallest pyramid, holding a sacrifice up to the sky; a volcano spewing ash and rock into the sky as the lake whipped into a frenzy below.

Whispering in his language, he pushed on the sacrifice in the priest’s hand—surely a heart—and stone slid open to reveal a black tunnel. Shivers ripped up and down her spine. A dark, tight tunnel at the base of a volcano, where an earthquake could cause it to collapse at any moment.

Her teeth chattered and her palms dampened with sweat. So much for her conquered panic attacks. “Sorry,” she laughed raggedly. “Maybe I should stick to teaching and grading after all.”

He stroked her cheek. “This tunnel has existed over a thousand years and survived endless earthquakes. I’ll light some torches and we’ll get out of here. Can you make it?”

She nodded woodenly, her heart thumping in her throat. She would. She had to. Even if she had to walk with her nose buried against his chest. Or better yet, he could carry her out and she’d simply pull his hair over her face so she could breathe his scent.

He disappeared into the black mouth. Mentally, she began counting, imagining the corresponding Maya number. She knew she wouldn’t be able to get very far, but he’d surely be back by then.

Something slammed into her back and dragged her to the ground. Weight crushed her. Her right arm jerked backward so hard she thought it would tear out of its socket. Her ribs screamed with pain. She tried to get her head around to see who had attacked her.

A knife descended toward her throat. Black obsidian. Wrack had come back for her. Had Madelyn managed to send him?

Warmth gushed down Jaid’s chest. It took her a moment to realize it was blood. Her blood. There was no pain, just a fountain of red splashing against the black glassy rock. Weariness suffused her limbs. The knife came down again and she braced against the pain, but with a tug, the leather strap of her carryall fell down.

Her notes. He was taking her research, her life’s work.

She struggled to chase him, but she couldn’t control her limbs. Her arms and legs refused to move, as though puppet strings had been sliced.

Gone. Her research was gone. Too much blood. Dad was trapped. Demons were free because of her research, which was now in the hands of a deranged man willing to do anything to end his torment. Darkness closed in. She fought to keep her eyes open, her mind working, her heart beating. She couldn’t go. Not yet. She still had too much to do.

Hands rolled her over. She blinked hard, forcing her eyes to focus. Ruin leaned over her, his eyes blazing like golden beacons. His lips moved, but she didn’t hear anything over the roaring in her ears. She remembered his mouth, the taste of him, the solid press of his body against hers. He would have rocked her world. Devastated her resolve. Ruined her careful attempts to protect her heart.

Ruin. It almost made her smile.

He touched her forehead and suddenly she heard him, deep inside her, his words a growling echo of night jaguar.
“I can save you, if you will it.”

She didn’t understand how it was possible for him to speak in her mind. However, she also didn’t understand how the Gates actually worked, or how he was able to transform into a jaguar, let alone how he could sacrifice everything for the love of another. She did understand the flood of emotion in her heart at his voice, regret, longing and more. He would grieve at her death, this Gatekeeper sworn to kill her.

She wanted to stay alive to help her father. She couldn’t die and leave the Death Lords destroying her world, killing innocent people.

And yes, she wanted to remain with Ruin.

Her head moved in a feeble nod.
“Do it, as long as you don’t have to cut out my heart.”

He must have heard her words, for the barest smile tugged on the corner of his mouth. His brow remained furrowed, telling her he was worried. Why? If he could save her…

The cost. What was the cost? Who would pay it? Everything had a cost. For once in her life, she was willing to pay, whatever it took.

His eyes glowed brighter, twin suns that consumed her vision and burned her. She opened her mouth to scream. Then the light of his eyes obliterated the world.

Watching Jaid sleep, Ruin felt a tug deep in his chest. He carried another piece of her in his heart. First, an affection he dared not admit, now a magical bond tied their spirits together. He anchored her spirit in this world.

What would happen to her when he finally died the final death?

The itching compulsion he usually felt from his magic to eliminate all threats had completely disappeared. Because she was innocent? Or had he merely betrayed his duty once more by listening too closely to his heart?

They huddled inside the tunnel with the panel shut, but he dared not leave as he’d planned. Her body needed to recover from such trauma. She’d almost been beyond even his power, too much sacrifice spilled on the ground for the gods to allow her spirit to remain. His will was as strong as his magic, though, as was hers. She’d clung to life, her fingers digging into his arm right up to the very end.

Head dropped back against the rock wall, he let his thoughts roam wild and free. A tumult of doubts, hopes and fears that he could never voice churned in his mind. This woman touched him like no other. She made him want to abandon his quest to stop his brother, to allow his love and rage—that which had sustained him all these years—finally rest at peace.

He could love her as much as he loved his brother.

The thought shook him to the core. He’d destroyed his entire city for Wrack. What would he sacrifice for her?

He remembered the great pyramid of Kukulkan he’d once seen on the other side of the portal. Slick black glass had reached to Raised-Up Sky with a massive golden sun at the peak. He remembered the jade feathers and golden scales of the god, Kukulkan’s curse and his commission. Since Ruin had destroyed so much, he would become destruction on this earth, killing any who threatened the Gates.

His greatest task, though, was to end his brother’s torment, which meant killing him.

Yet his brother could not die. Every time he’d struck him down, his brother had laughed and killed him instead. Nothing he’d done ever harmed Wrack. How could it, when he had no heart? Only when he was reunited with his heart in Xibalba would he finally be at rest.

He wasn’t alive. How could Ruin kill someone who didn’t bleed or breathe?

Now Jaid had tied her life to his. Even now, he felt her body as his own, his power flowing in her veins with every beat of her heart. As deeply as she’d drunk of his spirit to survive, she would likely share the same connection with him. The sacrifice had been great. Sitting here in the darkness, he suddenly realized he’d unconsciously synchronized his breathing with hers.

Claws of fear dug down his spine. He’d lost count of the number of times he’d died in his cursed duty. Would she die with him? Did she bear enough of his power now to rise again as he did, or would he awaken only to find her dead body beside him?

She stirred and released a soft moan. He felt her heartbeat quicken. He knew the instant she opened her eyes and realized they were beneath thousands of pounds of rock, trapped in the darkness. He felt the twinge in her knee, the remembered pain of her childhood injury. Automatically, he reached out and took her hand. He didn’t need to fumble in the dark; he knew exactly where every graceful limb and tempting curve lay in the darkness.

At his touch, the panicked tension bled out of her. She rolled to him, her free arm wrapping around his waist, her face against his thigh.

Her first thought whispered in his mind.
“I’m alive.”

“Yes.”

She froze, her heart thudding louder.
“You can hear my thoughts.”

“And you, mine.”

“The price.”

Good, she understood.

Her thoughts settled. Her thoughts immediately turned to the puzzle of the Gate, the best course of action, and their vast array of enemies and difficulties. Grief gnawed at her, as well as worry. Another person had died in her quest. Her precious bag was gone, and she felt its loss keenly. It represented her last hope to save her father. With trembling fingers, she traced the tender scar that curved about her throat.
“Thank you.”

Whether she would thank him when he died, he didn’t know.
“You have no need of notes, lady. The codex is written in my heart.”
Her head raised, her eyes vainly trying to see him in the blackness.
“You’ll help me?”

As if he could deny her anything now.
“Why else do we linger here? As soon as night falls, we’ll use the Gate and travel to Chich’en Itza. We must retrieve the White Dagger before my brother thinks to take it. The Death Lords must not be allowed to reclaim their weapon of sacrifice.”

Ruin pushed open the panel slightly and moonlight shone through. Immediately, Jaid felt a rush of relief from the hint of light. Endless darkness beneath a mountain of rock was her own personal hell, although he’d gone to great pains to distract her with the gentle stroke of his fingers through her hair.

“I’ll transform to the jaguar first and scout my city.” He pulled the T-shirt over his head. “We need to know if the guerillas took over the compound, or if the guards are still looking for you. If I don’t return within half an hour, light a torch and follow the tunnel deeper beneath the volcano. Within a few hours, you’ll exit on the other side of the peninsula of Lake Atitlan. I’ll find you as soon as I’m able.”

Jaid’s mouth went dry at the sight of his muscled chest. As a library geek, she’d never been attracted to brawn, but for him, she’d make an exception. Silky black hair waterfalled over his shoulder as he bent to untie his hiking boots. “If everyone’s gone from the compound, I’d like to grab a few things. A change of clothes, some of Dad’s journals I couldn’t cram in my bag.”

“I expect at least the guards to remain looking for you. Their jobs—and their lives—depend on it.” Straightening slowly, he gazed at her through his tumbled hair, eerie golden eyes glowing. His hands settled on the fly of his jeans. When she didn’t look away, white teeth flashed against his dark skin. “You might feel rather strange when I transform.”

Was that why her heart pounded so loudly she was afraid he could hear it? The attraction she’d felt earlier exploded into something demandingly feral. Heat pulsed deep in her abdomen, a whirlpool of desire that threatened to overwhelm her.

He unbuttoned his jeans and shoved the denim down his rock-hard thighs. No underwear. Thankfully, it was still rather dark in the tunnel or she would have likely embarrassed herself like a schoolgirl sneaking her first glimpse of male anatomy.

Moonlight sculpted his body into hollows and shadows that still made her drool. Need clenched tighter, and her breathing became erratic. His was too, she realized. Golden light sparked about him, tiny fireflies growing stronger, swirling in tune to the desire blazing in her. Her body jolted as though she’d stuck her fingers into a light socket. No, as if a lightning bolt picked her up and slammed her to the ground.

Weak-kneed, she propped herself up against the tunnel wall. Wrapped in a glowing nimbus, he glided closer. His scent was stronger, rawer, the musk and fur of a jaguar. Yet she smelled him, too, the man who’d saved her by dragging her back from the bowels of death with his magic.

She felt the heavy pounding of his heart, the rush of power filling his veins as his body shifted, and his response to her.
He wants me.

The thought rocked her to the core. Even when he’d allowed her to kiss him earlier, she hadn’t been sure how much he really felt for her. Now, his soul was laid bare before her, as hers must be to him. A double-edged sword.

“Yes.”
He whispered in her mind, a growling purr of seduction.
“I can’t hide it from you any longer. A price I’m willing to pay. How about you?”

She grabbed a handful of his hair and pulled him down to her.
“Show me.”

This kiss had nothing soft and gentle about it. On a low growl, he thrust his tongue deep. He licked the roof of her mouth, the rim of her teeth, crushing her lips. Groaning, she sucked on his tongue, reveling in his wildness. One big hand cupped her breast, searing her flesh through the shirt. He rubbed his palm in torturous circles, growling with approval at the feel of her swollen nipple.

With a last tug of her lip between his teeth, he took a step away. He glowed so brightly she had to shield her eyes. Blinking, she focused on a massive jaguar. He pushed his head into her hand, rumbling an earth-shattering purr. The big jaws gaped to take her hand in a gentle bite, teeth pressing delicately into her flesh. His tongue curled around her fingers, sandpaper rough.

“Wait here.”
It was Ruin’s mental voice but deeper, winding through her like a cat twining around her ankles. Black fur, golden eyes, curled inside her.
“You can have my shirt. I have clothing stashed at every Gate.”

Then he was gone.

Panting, she slid to the floor and concentrated on regaining control. Her heart raced and her hands were sweaty. She picked up his shirt, held it to her nose, and felt a flood of liquid heat between her thighs. His musky, wild scent shot straight to her core.

She wanted him with an intensity that scared her. Touching her lips, she wasn’t surprised to find them tender and swollen from his kiss. Tangling with a man like him would mean bite marks and quite possibly bruises from the force of his lovemaking. Her inner muscles clenched like a fist, drawing a groan from her lips.

Stiff with dried blood, her shirt was a brutal reminder of how close she’d come to dying. She stripped it off and slipped his T-shirt on. The too-big shirt wrapped her up in a hug. His scent enveloped her, keeping her heartbeat fast and frantic.

Closing her eyes, she felt him out in the night. He slunk from shadow to shadow, invisible, and watched his prey pace the fence. He heard the enraged orders to find her at any cost buzz through the guard’s phone, and the man’s clipped, furious response.

“They have to be in the ruins somewhere. Search every inch.”

The jaguar screamed a warning.
“Run to the altar stone above the lake.”

Jaid scrambled to her feet and stepped out into the night. She had no idea how many hours had passed, or what time of night it was. Using her shoulder, she shoved the tunnel door shut. No sense in letting the guards know their secrets. It was hard to get her bearings in the darkness, but the pyramids made perfect landmarks. As fast as she dared, she slipped and slid across the scree-covered slope.

Stelae marked the rear entrance to the city. She raced across the plaza toward Lake Atitlan. Not a hint of panic tightened her chest, and her knee felt fine. She almost laughed out loud with relief. After hours beneath the volcano, the wide-open ruins didn’t seem so bad.

A black shape streaked across the ground and took the lead up the ramp. Breathing hard, she reached the stone altar, leaned against it, and concentrated on catching her breath. She remembered this spot from her father’s ritual. The lake shimmered below, deep and magical in the night. Golden light danced around the jaguar, telling her Ruin was transforming.

Would he be weakened? Disoriented? She didn’t know how his magic worked.

Voices echoed in the plaza. The guards had entered the city.

In her mind, the map in the temple blazed as clearly as though she stood in the secret room. Standing on the volcanoes, she gazed across at the symbol for Chich’en Itza. Quickly, she dialed the location round to the Sacred Cenote and the other to seven.

His human form glorious in the moonlight, Ruin lifted a massive flat stone set beneath the altar and retrieved a blade painstakingly carved from an aged ivory-colored material.
I really don’t want to know what kind of bone that knife was carved from.

Straightening, he closed his eyes and breathed slowly and deeply. She felt him centered within her, vibrating with intent, his will focused wholly on the Gate. He muttered words she didn’t understand and drew the blade across his left palm.

Fisting his hand, he dripped blood on the two rings and then flung his hand outward to sling blood out onto the waters below. So little blood was required. Why had her father killed a goat? She was ashamed of the images she’d always conjured of the priest slaughtering an innocent person for his sacrifice.

Breathlessly, she scanned the lake, waiting. When her father had performed the ritual, he’d released an inland hurricane. She glanced at Ruin and then back at the lake. “That’s it?”

His mouth quirked. “When done correctly, yes.” Stones clacked together. He whipped his head around, staring down into the darkness of the plaza. “They’re close. We need to go.”

“Go where?” Bewildered, she searched the still waters, the three volcanoes perfectly reflected. Something pinged on the altar and chips of stone flew up, stinging her arm.

He shoved her up the ramped stone, using his body to cover her. “They’ve seen us. Go!”

On the rock slab that hung out over the water, she felt her stomach pitch and her head whirl like a merry-go-round. Shimmering waters beckoned, but it was at least a twenty-foot drop. This lake was so deep that it’d never been sounded. Shivering with fear, she reached back and clutched his hand. He wrapped his other arm around her, and together, they jumped.

Water enveloped her, warmer than she’d expected, and thick. In the murky darkness, she couldn’t see anything, not even the man beside her. He dragged her down, his arms locked about her. Instinct screamed at her to kick for the surface and fight his grip, but she felt him calm and sure in her mind. He hadn’t saved her earlier to let her drown now.

Lungs burning for air, she squeezed her eyes shut and concentrated on not breathing. She would not open her mouth. God, how deep? Where was the bottom?

“Almost through. Don’t panic.”

She clung to his mental voice like a lifeline, the stroke of fur inside her odd and yet terribly comforting.

Darkness closed. Fire exploded behind her eyeballs, searing her skin and blasting her mind. Cold seared her to the bone, making her teeth ache. Involuntarily, she gasped and choked, her lungs filling with water. It actually felt and tasted like water, and not some viscous slime.