Born Into Love (18 page)

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Diego
released Luz from the restriction he had placed on her regarding Mercedes only to discover that giving his companion the freedom to voice her opinion was a mistake. She cornered him on the patio. “Forgive me, Master, but I’ve got a question.”

“Be quick. I must feed.”

“Why is Mercedes different from the others?”

“Perhaps because she makes me remember how unique humans are.”

His companion’s earrings rocked with her displeasure. “Love with a human. When the time comes, what will become of her? Will you let her die?”

“That is a question I cannot answer now.”
He initiated the process of transforming.

“Master, wait.”

“What?”

“Why are you letting our enemies win?”

“I’m allowing their natures to work against them as mine used to work against me.”

“Master, please.”

If he did not reveal the true situation, she would persist. “Mercedes has been poisoned. They will withhold the antidote if I do not comply.”

“Ah ha! She is the cause of our trouble. Does she know about the poison?”

“No, and it is to remain a secret.”

“Yes, Master.”

He would not use mind control on Luz again. Each time he used it, he felt less normal since oppressing people was contrary to what he wanted to be. Normal for him was not human, but aspiring to be so.

His
muscles ached. “I must leave even though my departure is earlier than usual.” Too many interruptions had weakened his body. He could say the same for too much truth. When he became his fanged self among the herd, he chose the closest animal. Eagerly he bit into its neck.

Sick with himself, he lay next to her and stroked her flank.
The other animals shuffled away. Worry mingled in his mouth with the taste of animal blood. Would being under threat in the jungle increase his beastliness?

Chapter 11

Mercedes jerked her elbow out of Remy’s grasp. “I can board the plane by myself.” She glanced over her shoulder to make sure Diego and Teodoro still stood on the tarmac and swallowed the fear that boarding was a trick that she would be sent off with Remy
alone.

He shoved her into a seat by the window. “Sit. Buckle up.”

“So you can pounce on me like prey? Think again.”

He grabbed a fistful of her hair and pulled. “It’s going to be fun to kill you.” Then he laughed and stored the duffels Teodoro had supplied behind a curtain.

She kept an eye on Procteur and turned in time to see Teodoro and Diego walk toward the plane. Good, she thought, at least she and Diego would have the same miserable fate. She examined her surroundings. The private jet cost enough to make it plush, but the inside was smaller and narrower than she imagined. The craft probably belonged to one of Teodoro’s business associates, but no logos popped up anywhere.

Claustrophobia dried her mouth. In the air hung faint traces of disinfectant. She stifled a cough; tried to convince herself that the jet wasn’t an aluminum balloon and that Remy wasn’t a hairy spider.

Procteur sat in the adjoining seat, a recliner like hers, constructed to fool the eye into thinking they were a sofa. “Has Castilla told you his big secret?”

She stared at Remy’s leather jacket and said nothing. He pinched her chin between his thumb and index finger and forced her to face him.
His features were already too familiar. The facial symmetry should make him handsome, but meanness in his eyes served to caution anyone who paid minimal attention. She wanted to bite off his fingers.

“What do you want?” she asked.

He laughed. The insulated walls and expensive upholstery failed to soften the contemptible sound. “To get you up to speed, Castilla’s dead. He drinks blood.”

“Old news.”

Procteur’s jaw dropped. “You’re okay with that; a coffin dick between your legs?”

Anger scorched her cheeks. “I’d rather make love to a vampire than a jerk.”

He slapped her across the face.

She blinked away tears. “See what I mean?”

“I haven’t finished with you.”

Teodoro and Diego entered the cabin. Both froze, aware of the tension. Teodoro, bull-like, pulled Remy into a standing position. “What have you done?”

“I just made our guest comfortable,” he whined.

The importer turned to her. “Is there a problem?”

She smoothed her hair instead of feeling for the welt blooming on her cheek. “A problem? Yeah. Some creeps have threatened to kill me and my sister. Is there a sky marshal on board?”

Teodoro smirked. “It’s good to have a sense of humor in your condition.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

Diego glimpsed her cheek. He grabbed Remy by the neck and threw him against the cabin ceiling. He landed in the narrow aisle gasping for breath. Diego turned to Teodoro.

“Oops,” he said with a deadpan face.

Diego
claimed the seat vacated by Remy and spoke to her as if nothing had happened. “Teodoro refers to your situation. You are a prisoner.”

The sorcerer also ignored Remy’s grunts upon rising and issued an order. “Tell the pilot we’re ready. We have connections to make in Lima.” The importer moved to the front of the small craft. Mercedes rubbed her neck to mitigate the stress with minimal relief. The jets roared. She glanced at the airport and wondered if she’d ever see her sister again. And the baby
, would she be there when he was born? What would happen to him?

Diego pointed to the seat belt. His gaze lingered on her white knuckles. “Buckle. If you cannot manage, I can help.”

“I know the procedure. There’s only one thing worse than being in a plane.”

“What?”

“Flying with them.” She gazed at their captors. “I suppose you enjoy being airborne.”

“It has been useful.”

“For avoiding villagers with pitchforks?”

“Your imagination controls your good sense. I do not expect affectionate thoughts of me ever again, but we are the only people on our side.” With a flick of his eyes he indicated Teodoro and Remy. “They plan to kill us and your sister and that means your nephew. If you practice restraint, you might live long enough to get out of this madness.”

“Why don’t you subdue them, tie them up?”

“As I
explained, that is no longer in my repertoire. And I know you don’t want me to go so far as to take a life. Besides, Teodoro has something I need. Until I get it, he stays safe. You waste your time if you try to injure me with your words. You cannot think less of me than I do of myself.”

“Let’s not talk.”

“Can you reconcile your hatred with the necessity of working together? This may take as long as two weeks. Can you bear with me for fourteen days?”

Reluctantly, she made the admission. “I am being hateful, but you’ve earned it.”

She wanted him to pay for the way he had hurt her. “Can you turn into something useful and fly us out of the jungle?”

He
feared transporting her might hasten her death. He tried not to lie when he answered. “A bat is not able to carry a human. Nor will I teleport us to a city. The jungle will limit my powers. I am strong, but nowhere near capacity.”

“`Capacity’ being the strength you’d have on human blood.”

“Yes. There are other threats as well that limit my actions. For now, it’s in both of our best interests to go along with our captors...”

The plane banked. Remy chose the seat nearest the bar. The silence built. She couldn’t stand that either.
She decided that talking to him would be an acceptable way to break the unbearable tension. “What do you remember about the jungle?”

“Rodrigo and I had heard stories about hostile tribesmen and giant snakes that came from the water or dropped from trees. Boas. Anacondas. Some of our compadres entered the territory figuring they would be safe since they were well armed.”

“What happened?”

“They never returned. The jungle is beautiful but dangerous. I am not talking about just hostile natives. I remember insects and spiders with leg spans as big as your head. There are also plants with spines and voracious ants.”

“Wow. I can hardly wait.”

Ignoring the cabin warning sign, Procteur unbuckled his seatbelt and poured a drink. The jet hit turbulence and slammed him into the wall. She hoped for broken bones.

“Remy is foolish,” Diego whispered. “We will count our blessings.”

“I’m worried for us.”

Diego cocked an eyebrow. “Us? That is the first kind thing you have said to me since—“

“Your big revelation.” She resisted the urge to rub her neck. “You’re a bygone worry. My concern is for Annie.”

“The boy’s arrival is not under your control.” Diego’s eyes narrowed. He slid his fingers along her inflamed cheek. She jerked away.

Although his cool touch eased the burn, she would never let him get physical ever again.

The pilot announced they could unbuckle. Behind her, lost in a contrail, lay New York. She pictured herself in the jungle. How would she manage?
Normally, she refused to go into the garage because of crickets.

“Are there jaguars in the rainforest?”

“There are, but Luz says they are smart enough to hide from tourists.”

“Snakes?”

“In abundance. Bushmasters, fer de lance. And everything’s hungry.”

“You don’t have to be so honest.”

Sadness altered the lines of his mouth. “Yes, I do. Every lie hurts. Every lie has hurt.”

She glanced at Teodoro and Remy. “How’d we skip security?”

“Teodoro has a diplomatic passport. Our gear has been searched, but not by airport staff.”

“I’m afraid of him.” The sorcerer registered he was the topic of conversation. He speared her with a feral gaze. She looked away at a pile of magazines but not before dread climbed her spine. “When you and Remy unloaded the luggage at the terminal, Teodoro gave me another seed.”

“I saw.”

“When it comes from him, I think
it’s poison.”

“He would never be that obvious.”

She reached for a magazine. “How long is the flight?”

“Several hours more, then
we have another hour or so to Ciud’Ak. Are you going to rest?”

“No. I could use a cup of tea.”

“I will get it.”

After she drained the cup, her body still buzzed. “Will Luz die while you’re away?”

“No. Refrigeration solves many problems.”

“Gross. Want to talk about your past?”

“Not much you do not already know. We sailed away ignoring alarming stories as exaggerations. When the opportunity arose, we literally ran to the port.”

“And then?”

“We went to Panama and Ecuador and along the coast.”

“Tell me about the ocean.”

“The stars became friends. We remained on deck until ordered below. The fresh air nurtured us; the horizon and the sea blended. Each night we dreamed of filling our pockets with anything that sparkled.”

“Did you fish?”

“Flying fish volunteered.”

“And when you were on land?”

“Hunger overcame our excitement. I am grateful I do not dream.”

“What was Rodrigo’s woman like?”

“Charming; she was taken as a prisoner at age ten. Braided hair cascaded down her back to her waist. Strips of silver had been woven into the strands. When we controlled Ciud’Ak, she saw her chance to escape. With the death of her nobleman husband in battle, she turned to Rodrigo.”

“How’d they meet?”

“He inventoried her home for gold and their romance began. She promised him personal riches if he would take her to the jungle. He agreed. Our horses scared her until her legs grew tired from walking.”

“How’d you get to the rainforest?”

“An endless narrow path took us to a place called La Boca del Sol.”

“The Mouth of the Sun. Tell me about your first view of the Amazon Basin.”

“Magical. When the sun rises over the
selva
, the jungle, the mist follows.”

“Were you scared to go below the cloud cover?”

“We expected to die, but we would not turn back. Soon we had to go without the horses which left us more vulnerable. That should have alerted us to the folly of such an undertaking.”

“Was it easy to leave Ciud’Ak without direct orders?”

“Our safety concerned us, naturally, but we witnessed gold being carried to foundries and wanted some for ourselves. That is what Marta promised.

Mercedes leaned back. “
It happened so long ago. How can you retrace the route?”