JaguarintheSun (9 page)

The adult members of the Children of Sol gathered at the
temple, carefully warding the doors against intruders, knowing every one of
them risked their lives by taking part in the coming ceremony.

It was written in the annals that when the first combined
council of all the clans came together and it was suggested blood sacrifice
should be outlawed, only the Children of Sol voted against it. It had been a
difficult time and difficult situation, as only those with intimate knowledge
of the mysteries knew the true significance of their sacrifices, and all of
them were sworn to secrecy. The members at that first council had signed the resultant
laws into being, knowing there was one they wouldn’t be able to follow.

The sacrifices had to continue.

At the time they had already extended the sacrificial time
to every hundred years, but they made appeals to Sol and, when all the proper
calculations had been made, they determined it would be appropriate to extend
the time further. When they had lived on the human side of the Veil, it had
been imperative it take place often. On this side they found time worked
differently and they rejoiced in it. No one liked having to give up one of
their own to the flames, no matter how necessary it was. Even every five
hundred years was too soon for them.

All this Cassandra knew, having read the annals for herself.
Now she stood before the assembled clan, the pyre laid behind her waiting to be
set alight. There was sadness in many of the eyes looking up at her, and she
appreciated that more than she ever thought she would. She’d accepted her role
but distanced herself from the clan, first out of anger for having been born
the chosen and then from a wish not to be pitied, or to form bonds with people
she’d only have to leave behind. Of course life wasn’t lived in a vacuum, and
there had been others she’d grown close to. She’d worried about how her friends
at the café would feel when they heard she’d died, was sorry she couldn’t
prepare them for it, but she’d taken a vow of silence and she’d had to stick
with it, no matter what.

The sand trickling through the hourglass in the corner of
the temple, which was turned each year on the autumnal equinox, was almost gone
and the priests stepped forward to light the pyre.

Sweat broke out beneath her long white robe. Something was
wrong. Sol had promised he’d intervene, explain to the clan what was going to
happen, but there was no sign of him. That probably meant he’d realized it
wouldn’t work, and she was going up in flames after all. The kernel of hope
that had begun to grow in her heart earlier withered, but she kept all signs of
pain off her face. Displaying her terror would only make it worse for everyone
else.

I love you, Xbal.

The connection between them was so strong she thought she
felt him, his love flowing into her frigid limbs, warming her.

“It’s time, Cassandra.”

The priests came to flank her, two on either side, and she
nodded, looked one more time at her parents before turning to face the pyre.
Taking a deep breath, she stepped forward and then almost leapt back as the
fire unexpectedly flared white-hot. She blinked to clear her vision and it was
only then she saw the figure in the midst of the flames.

Clearly Sol was something of a showman.

A collective gasp rose from the crowd, and there was the
sound of everyone going down on one knee. Cassie followed suit, but not before
getting a wink from the irrepressible god.

“Children of Sol, your service finds favor in my eyes.” The
god’s voice boomed and echoed through the temple, and Cassie heard someone
begin to sob. She couldn’t blame the person. It was pretty freaky even for her,
who had met Sol in person before. “Because of your faithful commitment and the
sacrifices of my sons and daughters the world still exists. But this continued
loss of life causes me great pain, no matter how far apart the sacrifices
come.”

He fell silent for a moment, and Cassie heard a low murmur
from the crowd behind her. Glancing up, she saw Sol looking back at her, his
face solemn and stern, and his expression made a shiver trickle down her spine.

“So now I ask this chosen one to make the ultimate
sacrifice, so no one else has to walk the path she has. If Cassandra Solinar
agrees she will take the burden of sacrifice on herself for all time.”

There was a collective gasp, questioning and shocked, and
Sol spoke over the rising murmur. “I will make of her a phoenix, able to burn
in the sacred fire and, after one cycle of Sister Moon, rise again from a
jeweled egg, reborn. On her shoulders will rest this charge, eternally, and
because she will not truly die the Children of Sol can step out of the shadows,
unafraid that others will discover their secret and condemn them before the
law.”

Now the murmurs turned to rapid-fire talk, excitement and
fear seeming to permeate the room until the air was thick and soupy. Now that
the choice was laid before her, Cassie wondered if she were crazy to consider
it. Life eternal, watching all she knew and loved wither away, punctuated by
periodic trips into the flames to burn?

Not all I love.

The thought came to her, steadying the nerves sparking
beneath her trembling skin. She would have Xbal, and the knowledge that no
other of her clan would ever awaken to the knowledge his or her existence would
be foreshortened. That shadow had followed her all through life, slowly killing
something fundamental in her soul, leaving her unable to give of herself
freely. Making her unable to fully love. It was a fate she wouldn’t wish on
anyone else.

No matter what was to come, her sacrifice would be worth it.

“Cassandra Solinar.” Sol’s voice cut through the noise, and
the temple immediately fell silent again. “Will you take this burden on
yourself? Accept the pain that inevitably will come, the losses and hurts this
path will bring?”

“Yes.” She didn’t hesitate, knowing it was the right thing
to do, the only thing.

“Then come to me, my daughter. Come into the fire and let me
transform you into a gift for your clan, and for the world.”

Rising, ignoring how her legs shook and her belly rolled,
she walked toward the god, keeping her gaze on his, seeing the fire part to let
her in. Not flinching even when the heat and flames licked at her robe and then
began to scorch her skin.

“Good girl,” Sol murmured, taking her hand, obviously seeing
how she clenched her teeth to hold back the agonized scream building in her
chest. “Just a moment more…”

And then everything went blessedly black.

* * * * *

“Wow. Couldn’t you have just let me rise immediately,
instead of going through all this rigmarole?” Cassie stretched, trying to
forget the sensation of being burned alive, and looked around the large,
high-ceilinged room. Sol apparently liked plants. The entire place was filled
with them, and beyond the huge windows was a garden, bright with flowers of
every hue. “I do have a life to go back to.”

Sol chuckled. “There’ll be plenty of time to do whatever it
is you have planned. Believe me. Besides, you know how the clan likes ritual
and ceremony. Just having you burn and then reappear would be anticlimactic.
They need to feel they’re an integral part of the process, so guarding the
jeweled egg will give them that.”

Cassie wandered over to the window and looked out. Just
beyond the garden she could see the sea and the sight made her smile.

“Well, I guess I’m due a little vacation anyway. Here is as
good a place as any.”

She just wished she could see Xbal, reassure him all was
well. There had been scant time to explain what Sol suggested and none to go
into the detail he wanted. There had even been some threats thrown Sol’s way,
which the sun god had ignored after one long glare at Xbal.

“Make yourself at home. I’m rarely here, so you’ll pretty
much have the place to yourself.”

The thought was a little scary—being stuck in a strange
place with no one else around—and Cassie turned, saying, “Oh, but…”

Her voice faded, as she saw Sol was already gone and in his
place stood Xbal. For the course of three or four long beats neither of them
moved and Cassie’s heart stumbled at the light in the jaguar god’s eyes.

“Now,” he said, in that low growling tone that immediately
made her weak with desire. “Where were we before we were so rudely interrupted
by that damn sun god?”

Reaching for the fastenings of her robe, she started to undo
it. “Don’t forget the ceremony of fire. That was a bit of an interruption too.”

His nostrils flared. “How could I?” With a few long, silent
strides he was in front of her, dragging her into his arms. “Dammit, Cassandra.
I never want to go through that again, wondering if it would work the way Sol
said it would, crazy with terror that I might never see you again.” Tangling
his fingers into her hair, he tugged her head back and kissed her, hard. When
their lips parted they were both panting and there was no mistaking the
roughness of his voice as he demanded, “Tell me you meant what you said before
you left. Say you still love me—that nothing has changed except now we can be
together forever.”

With his words a weight she hadn’t known she was carrying
fell away, and Cassie pulled his mouth back to hers for a long, love-filled
kiss. Deep inside she’d been worried he wouldn’t still want her, that the
promises he’d made in the heat of passion wouldn’t stand up to the reality of
this new life she’d been given. Knowing his feelings hadn’t changed freed her,
causing the last bonds holding her emotions in check to fall away. When she
drew back far enough to see his eyes, she knew he already had his answer, but
told him anyway, wanting to say the words.

“I wanted to do this for the other Children of Sol, for
those not yet born on those solstice nights to come, to free the clan from the
continual fear and burden. But the only thing that made the thought of living
forever bearable was knowing you would be with me, loving me as much as I love
you.”

The expression on his face almost undid her, for it was one
of love so full and true and strong she knew she’d never have reason to doubt
ever again, no matter how long eternity turned out to be.

“You’re mine, Cassandra.” The words were a pledge and demand
all in one, and her body and heart thrilled to hear them. “As long as I exist
I’ll love you, want you, need you.”

Then he gave her no chance to reply, for he was kissing her
again, his hands freeing her from her clothes even as she fumbled to get his
off too. And they made love, reveling in the magic they created between them,
coming together with an explosion of erotic pleasure so intense Cassie was left
thinking if she weren’t immortal, it just might have killed her.

Lying spent and sated in his arms, listening to his
heartbeat slowing, enjoying the rise and fall of his chest beneath her cheek,
she smiled, even knowing he couldn’t see it. Pressing a kiss to one handily close
nipple, she said, “Hey, you know what?”

“What?”

The thread of amusement in his voice made her smile widen to
a grin. She loved how easily he read her moods and responded in kind. “I was
just thinking… I have the time to master it now, so how about teaching me
atraspa
?”

“Shit.” He half-groaned, half-growled. “I may be a god, but
if you started practicing sex magic on me it might just spell the end of me.”

Rolling onto one elbow, Cassie grinned down at him, knowing
he’d do it and enjoy every damn minute of the tutoring. “Yeah, but what a way
to go.”

He laughed with her, already letting the magic loose to
caress and stroke and tickle over her skin, sensitizing it, getting her ready
for another round of loving. Then he dragged her across his chest to kiss her,
and murmur against her lips, “The only way to go,
querida
. The only way
to go.”

After living a checkered past, and despite an avowed
disinterest in domesticity, multi-published author Anya Richards settled in
Ontario, Canada, with husband, kids and two cats who plot world domination, one
food bowl at a time. Having trained the humans around her to recognize the Do
Not Disturb vibes she gives off when writing, she’s still trying to get the
cats to honor her need for space. The suspicion is that they perfectly
understand, but choose those moments when she’s most engrossed to once more
prove who wears the pants in the house.

Anya welcomes comments from readers. You can find her
website and email addresses on her
author
bio page
at
www.ellorascave.com
.

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Jaguar in the Sun

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Jaguar in the Sun Copyright © 2013 Anya Richards

Edited by Grace Bradley

Cover design by Fiona Jayde

Cover photography by thereedfiles.com, iconizer, HunterXt,Janelle
Lugge/shutterstock.com

Electronic book publication December 2013

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