

## MARTHA BOURKE

**Jaguar Sun  
** by Martha Bourke

Copyright © 2011 Martha Bourke  
Smashwords Edition

Published by Balam Press  
PO Box 507  
Charlton, MA 01507  
email info@jaguarsunseries.com

www.jaguarsunseries.com

Author Services by Pedernales Publishing, LLC.  
www.pedernalespublishing.com

All rights reserved

Publisher's note: This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents are either the product of the author's imagination or are used fictitiously. And any resemblance to actual events, persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.

ISBN 978-0-9849240-1-1

Library of Congress Control Number: 2011962823

To my mother, Maureen, who's so patient with me, I'm not sure she's human. And to my husband Kevin, who unselfishly encouraged me to pursue my dreams.

I love you, love you!

### TABLE OF CONTENTS

Chapter One

Chapter Two

Chapter Three

Chapter Four

Chapter Five

Chapter Six

Chapter Seven

Chapter Eight

Chapter Nine

Chapter Ten

Chapter Eleven

Chapter Twelve

Chapter Thirteen

Chapter Fourteen

Chapter Fifteen

Chapter Sixteen

Chapter Seventeen

Chapter Eighteen

Chapter Nineteen

Chapter Twenty

Balam

Shadow-cloaked secrets  
for millennia left untold;  
in the moonlight, the panther waits,  
fearsome to behold.

In its blood cold beauty, it creeps  
till darkness stands aside;  
when nightmare gives way to form  
and reveals your spirit guide.

CHAPTER ONE

I was standing by my locker when it happened. I was listening to the twins standing next to me babbling in Spanish. Sadly, I didn't speak a word. (Hopefully they were discussing how cute I looked in my new Diesels.) I managed to decipher the name Matt from their conversation and suddenly realized they weren't talking about me, they were talking about my soon-to-be ex-boyfriend! Crap.

"Hey! We have a no-Spanish rule when it's about guys!" I protested.

"Oh, Maya, it's no big deal. Damian was just saying how hot he thinks Matt looked in AP English this morning," Alyssa said. Right on cue, Damian flushed a delicate shade of pink. Seriously, he was the most adorable gay guy on the planet.

"All I'm saying," I said, "is that if you expect me to take part in the conversation, use a language I can actually understand."

I don't know what I was getting all worked up about. It's not like I didn't experience this a hundred times a day. At El Desierto, my pointless high school in the New Mexico—yep, you guessed it— _desert_ , you either hung with the Hispanics and spoke Spanish or you had white friends. Sadly, being a Hispanic with a freakish inability to speak Spanish did not help my already nonexistent status.

"I just think that maybe you should make more of an effort. It's not like you're not Hispanic," Damian said.

"Yeah, well, my _Hispanicness_ ditched me when my loser-mom did," I reminded him.

We all shared knowing looks as I paused to think about my loser-mom, who'd abandoned me and my dad, and my friends tried to think of what to say. (I mean, what kind of mother takes off on you when you're four? And goes to Las Vegas? I'm sorry, but could that be more cheesy? Cheesi _er_? Whatever.)

Alyssa giggled. "'Hispanicness?' Is that even a word?"

"Yes and no. It's not in the dictionary; however, it is used in daily conversation, which, as I'm sure you know, is often how a word is added to the dictionary anyway," Damian explained.

Lyssa crossed her eyes. "Seriously, Maya, you should just have your grandma help you."

I knew that they both had the sweetest intentions, as always. But I spent so little time with Grandma, I wasn't about to waste it working on my foreign language skills. No. Way.

That's when I saw it. A dark shadow was moving along the wall. It paused at the end of our row of lockers, crouching there as if it were hunting something. Hunting me? A chill ran down my back. I started shaking uncontrollably. That was when the nausea hit.

"Uh, you guys, I gotta make a run to the ladies'—girly issues. I'll meet you in English!" I tore down the hallway and nearly knocked over Ashley Daniels, a member of the famed (and ho-ish) EDHS cheerleaders.

"Freak!" She yelled as her minions scrambled to pick up her books.

I hooked around the corner and into the girls' bathroom. Thankfully, I was alone. For a moment, I just leaned against the wall, trying to catch my breath and get a handle on my stomach. What the hell was that thing? I walked over to the mirror and looked at my reflection. The dark, sad eyes of my grandmother's people stared back at me. I looked at my long dark hair, olive skin, and high cheekbones. Locals often mistook me for some kind of American Indian. But I was from a different tribe. I was Mayan. It was Grandma's idea to call me Maya.

The girl in the mirror now looked like a stranger. I was sweaty, pasty, and I had dark circles under my eyes from lack of sleep. Had I just imagined it? How could a shadow just move all by itself like that? And it looked like some kind of animal. _Okay_ , I told myself, _there is no way there is some large animal roaming the halls of the school._ But I had seen it, hadn't I? What was happening to me? I splashed some water on my face and attempted to pat it dry with a paper towel. (Why do school paper towels feel like you're using an actual piece of paper to dry your face? Seriously, should I be able to take one back to class with me and use it to take notes on? I'm just sayin'.) I peeked out the door. The hallway was empty. _Crap, crap, crap._ I was late for English.

I couldn't focus at all during morning classes. I replayed what had happened that morning over and over in my head. I kept expecting the shadow to appear again at any minute. By the time we all met at the cafeteria for lunch, I was a nervous wreck. As the twins and I sat down at our usual table, I was met by two very annoying sets of eyes.

"What?" I asked, opening a can of diet Coke (aka, my elixir of life).

"You look like crap, that's what," Lyssa said.

"What, are you scouting for _Vogue_? I just haven't been sleeping well lately," I said, as I checked out some moron walking by our table with his jeans hanging below his butt. (Speaking of fashion, should anyone really accessorize with underwear? I mean, besides like, Madonna?)

"Are you still having those weird animal dreams?" Damian asked.

_All the time._ "Yeah, sometimes," I said. I carefully omitted that as of two hours ago, they were hunting me during waking hours as well.

"Is it the same animal every time?"

One thing about Damian, he was nothing if not persistent. And smart as hell. Absolutely nothing got by the kid. But I was not in the mood. I looked straight at my best friend's beautiful almost-black eyes, and said, "Give it a rest, will ya?"

"Are you losing your damn mind? The boy is just trying to help," Lyssa said, tucking one side of her brown, blond-streaked bob behind one ear. She was a very petite girl, just barely five feet tall, much shorter than me at five foot eight. I'd be surprised if she weighed a hundred pounds. But, man _,_ she had enough attitude for someone twice her size!

"Yeah, I know," I said. Jeez, I was a crappy friend. The Vasquez twins had been my best friends since the third grade, and here I was being a huge grump. Of course I had plenty to be grumpy about, but they didn't know that. And I wasn't so sure about talking to them about it. I mean, what would I say? _Hey, guys, guess what? A shadow thingy is after me and I'm scared shitless._ They would probably decide I was certifiable, immediately dial 911, and have me carted away. Sounds about right. One thing was sure; I was going to have to talk to someone about this or I really would lose my damn mind.

"Hello, earth to Maya." Damian waved his hand in front of my face.

"Sorry, Damian," I said.

"It's okay, honey. We just don't know what's going on with you."

They both looked concerned, and that made me more upset than I already was. I decided right then that, after last bell, I was driving to my Grandma Rosa's. It was quite a hike. She lived in a cabin about an hour outside of town where she could work on her photography. Grandma's beautiful nature photography was very well known. She said that living close to nature inspired her. She wanted to let people see the earth through the eyes of the Mayan people so that they would honor it. Go, Grandma!

As last bell rang, I stopped by my locker to pick up my things and noticed I had three new text messages. They were all from Matt. He wanted to know what our status was. Seriously, I felt like telling him that we had no status as long as he insisted on behaving like an ass. We'd been together "officially" for six months, but we'd been interested in each other long before that. And the truth was, I was still into him. He was Matt Caldwell—a six foot one sexy senior with light brown hair, beautiful brown eyes, a tanned, athletic body, and above average intelligence. Who wouldn't be into him?

And we did have a lot in common. We both lived with single parents. But since he made the varsity football team, he was changing. We used to spend lots of quiet time alone. (Not for _that_. You know, for cuddling and whatnot.) Sadly, since he made varsity, we hadn't spent any time alone. All he wanted to do when he wasn't playing football was party. I mean, I _was_ proud of him. He worked incredibly hard to make the team. And he had goals, like an athletic scholarship. I just wasn't so sure I was cut out to be the star quarterback's girlfriend. It just wasn't what I'd signed up for. He was also a year older than me, so I wasn't actually sure what we were doing, anyway. He was already eighteen and would graduate in the spring, leaving me deserted at El Desierto. (Ha! Deserted at "Deserted" High.)

I glanced at my watch. If I left right away, I could make it to Grandma's and back before my dad got home. It wasn't that he didn't like Grandma personally. I think he appreciated that she was a positive female influence. But all the Mayan traditions reminded him of my loser-mom and how she'd skipped town. But that was like a gazillion years ago. Sometimes I just wished that he could move on.

I headed for my Wrangler that my dad bought secondhand for my sixteenth birthday. It was perfect for New Mexico weather and I couldn't wait to get on the highway and ride to Grandma's with the top down. I was particularly careful to avoid the far side of the school parking lot where I could run into the twins or Matt. I didn't have time for socializing. If I was going to pull this off, I was going to have to make very good time.

Thankfully, when I arrived at Grandma's, she was home. I was afraid she would be out scouting for shots somewhere. Grandma wasn't just Mayan, she was a Mayan Elder, so I was pretty sure she'd be able to help me. At least, I hoped so. I opened the door to her cabin and walked in.

"Grandma," I called as I put my bag down and headed toward the kitchen. The cabin always smelled of _copal_ , the sweet-smelling incense that wafted through the little house. The scent of it immediately brought me back to my childhood and gave me a sense of peace.

"Oh, Maya, I'm in the darkroom. Go ahead and put the tea kettle on. I won't be long. Some of your favorite cookies are on top of the fridge."

Grandma's amaranth-cinnamon cookies are seriously yummy. She grows her own amaranth, just like the Mayan people did back in the day. She uses it in lots of stuff, but my favorites are her cookies. (Oh, and toasted amaranth! It's just like popcorn, but better.)

"I'm so glad you're here, baby," she said, coming out of her darkroom and giving me a big hug.

"Me too, Grandma." It was so good to see her. As usual she wore her graying hair in a long braid down her back. She was wearing a beautiful yellow blouse that set off her dark skin and eyes and a long colorful skirt.

"On a school day, Maya, is everything all right?" She poured us each a mug of tea and sat down with me at the kitchen table.

"I...I don't know," I stammered. Hot tears started to pour down my face before I could stop them.

"What is it _ts'unu'un_? You know that you can tell me anything and I'll understand."

Although I could feel my throat threatening to close, hearing her call me "hummingbird," her Mayan nickname for me, strengthened me. "Grandma, I've been having the most awful dreams."

She reached over and handed me a Kleenex, which was when I realized I was snotting all over myself. "What are these dreams about, honey?" She took my hand in hers and rubbed it gently.

"Well, they aren't always the same. But it's like they're real. Grandma, I've never had dreams like this before."

"Tell me, _ts'unu'un_ , what kind of animal is it?"

"It's always this same kind of cat, I dunno, like a jaguar. How did you know?"

"I know because you are dreaming of your _nagual_."

"My, my what?" I asked, wiping my nose some more.

"Your _nagual_ is your spirit companion. We all have one. Yours just happens to be _Balam_ , the Jaguar. Your _nagual_ is part of you. It's like having a double in the spirit world."

"But why am I dreaming about it?"

"It's easiest to meet your guiding spirit in your dreams. Think of it this way. Your dreams are where our world and the unseen world meet."

Okay, that wouldn't seem so bad if I wasn't running into my _nagual_ in broad daylight.

"Something else is troubling you. What is it, _ts'unu'un_?"

"Something has been happening to me. Grandma, I'm so freaked out!"

"Go on," Grandma said, handing me another Kleenex.

"Today I saw a shadow, I mean while I was awake. It's like...like _Balam's_ shadow is following me!" As soon as I managed to choke out the words, the fear and panic I had felt at school returned with a vengeance.

"Maya, you're very special. Remember when you were younger and I used to tell you—"

"That I was special because I had a lot of _k'ul_. I felt so proud because I thought you were saying that I was _cool_."

"Ah, you remember!" Grandma said with a little laugh. "Do you also remember that _k'ul_ is the life force that is in all things, _ts'unu'un_? I think that you may be able to see your _nagual_ when it manifests in our world because your life force is very strong."

"So _Balam_ wasn't trying to attack me?" _Phew_.

"No, no, of course not. Your _nagual_ is part of you. It's like your protector. And even though it lives in the Otherworld, it is possible for it to move from one realm to another. But I am curious about something, though."

"What's that, Grandma?" I asked, feeling much better knowing that there wasn't a murderous jungle cat prowling around trying to maul me to death.

"During any of your dreams, did you ever have the sensation that you were _Balam_?"

"Sometimes it seemed like I was seeing through its eyes," I said. "Like maybe from its point of view?"

"I don't want to worry you, Maya _._ And there is no way to be sure of these kinds of things, but—"

My stomach gave a nasty lurch. "What things, Grandma?"

"I think that you might be becoming a _mestaclocán_."

I swear I could feel the vomit threatening to come up my throat. _Mestaclocán_ was an ancient Spanish word, but you didn't have to be Mayan to know what it meant. Shape-shifter.

"I'm, I'm becoming a shifter?"

"I'm not sure, honey. But no matter what anyone else says, you know that shape-shifters are revered in Mayan culture for their powerful connection to their _nagual_."

"I know, Grandma, but it's different here. It's just so scary and...I dunno, complicated."

"I know, honey, but we aren't even sure of it yet. Most shape-shifters don't phase for the first time until they are at least eighteen. All we can do is wait. I know that's hard and probably not what you want to hear right now. But everything is going to be okay, whether you ever phase or not."

"Okay, Grandma. If you're not worried then I'll try not to."

"That's my brave girl. I love you, _ts'unu'un_ , and I'm proud of you. Nothing is ever going to change that."

"I love you too, Grandma." I looked up at the kitchen clock. "I guess I'd better get going. I have to make it home before Dad gets back." At that moment, I would have done anything to stay. But I was only allowed to visit Grandma on weekends. If he found out that I'd broken the rules, he'd ground me for sure. That would mean no Grandma at all.

"Take care," she said, pulling me close _._ "Tonight I will burn _copal_ and pray for guidance and protection for you."

All too soon, I was back in my car on the highway, alone with my worries and fears. I felt like crap. But the more I thought about it, the more I realized what my Grandma said was true. I had always felt different, but more like freakishly strange, not different in a good way. I guess going out with Matt had eased that a bit, but now I was supposed to tell him and the twins that I might be a shifter? No frickin' way.

Shifters weren't well accepted for the most part, even though we all knew they existed. People were maybe a bit intrigued by the magic of it all, but no one wanted to _be_ one, did they? Most shifters just buried it and moved on with their lives, kinda like gays that are still in the closet. Nope, I was definitely not overly excited about the idea. But since I didn't have much to worry about for another year, I couldn't see how telling my friends would make it any better. Then again, how could I not tell them? They had been so worried about me lately. I wasn't sure of anything anymore. No, actually I was sure of one thing. This really, really sucked.

CHAPTER TWO

_I_ _was peering through the darkness, suddenly aware of how easy it was to see. The cool chill of the night air was nothing to me. As I watched and waited, I stretched out my neck and smelled the air. I knew where my prey would be and I knew when. My powerful body was completely still. I became one with silence, allowing the night to swallow me into its infinite darkness. It was then that the mule deer dared to step out of the gloom. It stood motionless, bathed in moonlight. But it sensed something and I could not wait another moment. I bared my teeth and sprang forward with amazing force, hitting him from the side, my legs never touching the ground. I opened my powerful jaws and bit into the animal's skull, crushing its brain_ ....

I awoke with a start. My hair, boxers, and T-shirt were soaked with sweat. Damn, another nightmare. And this one had been so raw, so...Oh. My. God! I could still taste blood in my mouth! I ran into my bathroom and began to brush and rinse. Then I turned on the shower and waited for the water to warm up.

"Maya?" It was Dad calling up the stairs. "Are you up? It's 6:45 already."

"I'm up!"

"Okay, honey. There's some bagels in the fridge if you want a quick breakfast. I need to head out."

"Bye!" I slipped into the shower and let the hot water wake me up even as it eased my sore muscles. Wait—what could I have done to have sore muscles? My body ached like our crazy PE teacher, Ms. Lewicki, had made us run a zillion laps after doing a hundred push-ups. Of course I stayed in the shower way too long, not wanting to leave the awesome, soothing heat of the water. I really needed to sleep for like a week straight. On my way out the door, I grabbed a bagel and a diet Coke and practically flew to school. By the time I made it to homeroom, I was panting.

And it only got worse from there. I actually _fell asleep_ during first period English. Luckily, Ms. Mendoza didn't call on me. Thank God, Lyssa noticed and woke me up before I could have an embarrassing drool episode. (There's nothing worse than picking your head up with a string of drool still attaching your chin to the desk. Yikes.) The bell rang, but as we headed out of class, I heard Ms. Mendoza say, "Maya? Could I see you for a sec?" _Damn, so close._

I went over to her desk. "Maya, are you okay? You seem...well, not yourself lately. You're falling asleep in class, handing in sloppy assignments. I hope you don't think I'm prying, but are you having problems here at school or maybe at home?"

"Oh no, Ms. Mendoza," I said. "I've just been having some trouble sleeping."

"Well.... Get some rest then."

"I'll try," I said.

"Take care of yourself, Maya. And if there's anything I can help you with, anything at all...."

"Okay, thanks," I said. But, unfortunately, my ass-kicking didn't end there. Alyssa was waiting for me outside the door.

"Okay, look, enough is enough," she said, giving me her most threatening look. "Are you coming to Damian's game tonight?" (Did I mention that the twins are awesome soccer players? Like, in that Keira Knightly movie, _Bend It like Beckham_ , or whatever? Lyssa would totally be Keira Knightly in that movie. I don't know who Damian would be. Actually, I guess he'd be Keira Knightly, too.)

"Of course!" I grinned, hoping it would help get me off Lyssa's shit list. (That is one list you do not want to be on. Trust me.)

"Good. After the game, you, Damian, and I are going to have a discussion about whatever's going on with you." She turned and headed toward her next class. I watched her walk away.

I went in the other direction, aggravated that I was about to walk by the wing where most of the seniors had their lockers. I looked to my right and nearly jumped through the ceiling when I realized that _Balam_ was moving in perfect step along the wall beside me. A wave of nausea hit me so hard I had to bend over.

"Maya?" _Oh, my dear sweet Lord._ "Hey, are you okay?" Matt reached down and picked up my books that I just now realized I'd dumped on the floor.

"Yeah, I'm okay," I muttered. I couldn't look at him. "I think I've got a touch of that flu that's been going around. I'm just a little dizzy or something."

"Do you want me to walk you to the nurse?" I looked up into his beautiful, soft brown eyes and just for an instant I saw the old Matt. In that moment, I couldn't tell whether it was the panic or the way he was looking at me that was making my legs feel weak.

"I...I think I'm okay," I said, fighting the urge to let him walk me to the nurse's office just so I could keep looking at him.

"So, are you comin' to the game on Saturday? Josh is having a party at his house afterward."

Oh, joy.

Finally feeling like I could support my own weight, I moved away from the lockers and held my arms out to take my books back. "Um, I might have some stuff to do at home for my dad. I'll have to wait and see, 'kay?"

"Yeah, okay." He turned to go, but then suddenly turned back to me. "Look, My, I know that this football stuff isn't really your thing. But it's important to me and, um...I mean you're important to me too. I don't wanna lose you over this."

_Whoa._ It had been so long since he'd said anything like that, I had no idea what to say back to him. Finally, "We'll figure something out, Matt. Don't worry." I reached up on my tiptoes and gave him a peck on the cheek.

"I'll call you, okay?"

"Sure," I said, and headed off down the hall.

That night, I sat with the twins at Scoops, our favorite ice cream and all around hang-out spot. Our team had lost the soccer game, so thankfully there weren't many students from our school there to celebrate. I felt bad that my little bit of luck had come at Damian's expense.

"I'm really sorry about the game," I said.

"Win some, lose some," he said. "We're already in the playoffs anyway."

"That kid that kept foulin' you was on my last nerve," Lyssa said. Then she turned to me and raised an eyebrow expectantly.

"What?" I asked, as if I didn't know.

"You know what. Something's been up with you for days now."

"Come on, Maya. We're your BFFs. You know you can tell us anything," Damian said.

"Okay." I swallowed hard. "You know how I've been having all those dreams lately? Well, they're still all about that one animal."

"You mean that jaguar or panther thingy?" Damian asked.

"Yeah, but then the dreams got worse."

"What do you mean by worse? Like nightmares?" Lyssa asked, popping a fry into her mouth.

I took a sip of diet Coke for strength, stared her straight in the eye, and said, "I mean, I'm seeing the same animal while I'm awake now too. Or at least its shadow." Man, that took some guts. Unfortunately, those same guts were now threatening to make an appearance on our table.

Words cannot describe the looks on the twins' faces. I had expected Lyssa to make some kind of crack about how I need to get some sleep, but they just sat there looking at me. It was the longest moment of my life. Well, up until that point at least. Finally, Damian broke the silence.

"Have you spoken to your grandma about this?"

"Yesterday. I drove out there after school."

"What'd she say?" Lyssa asked.

"Well, she reminded me that the Mayan people believe we all have an animal counterpart, like an animal totem. It's called a _nagual_. I guess it's not at all unusual to dream about it." I took another sip of soda, mostly to give them a minute to process.

"Okay," Damian said, "so it's normal to dream about them. What about seeing their shadows when you're awake?"

_Normal_. My brain somehow got stuck on the word. My mouth turned to sawdust. This was the part of the conversation I had been dreading. I peeked around and lowered my voice.

"Well, I guess seeing your _nagual's_ shadow while you're awake is pretty, uh, uncommon." I fidgeted with my napkin.

"Okay, so what else did she say?" Lyssa asked.

"She said that maybe I'm going to be...you know.... a shifter." God, I wanted to hurl.

"Hey, you're white as a sheet," Damian said, reaching over the table and rubbing my arm. "It's gonna be okay."

And Lyssa said, "Look, Maya, you know I love your grandma and all, but there's no way she could know that for sure. I mean, you don't have the mark, right?"

The mark! That's right! I completely forgot about that. Every shifter had the mark of their _nagual_ on the back of their neck!

"No, no, there's nothing on the back of my neck," I said. _Thank God._

She smiled. "See? And all shifters have a mark. Everybody knows that."

"Listen, I don't think it's all that surprising that you would have a strong connection to nature," Damian said. "Considering your heritage."

I looked across the table at my friends and felt so thankful for them. I realized that neither one of them was freaking out about the possibility that I might become a shifter. They weren't judging me at all.

"Thanks, you guys," I said, giving them both a huge grin.

A few minutes later, I watched as the twins drove off in the little two-door Civic they shared. Their dad owned a small dealership. My dad had bought my Jeep from him. Driving home, I felt the best I had in days. The twins were absolutely right about the mark. I guess in my panic I had completely forgotten about it. But it was a surefire guarantee that I wasn't a shifter. At least not yet. I had a feeling I was going to sleep better tonight than I had in ages.

When I arrived home I found a note from Dad saying that he would be working late again and I should study. He was the first in his family to go to college and he was determined that I would go, too. And I did intend to study, well...something. He worked hard to support us, but I also knew it was easier for him to work a lot and stay busy. That kept him from obsessing about things he'd rather not think about, like his past. _Our_ past. Specifically, my loser-mom. When I was younger, she used to send me a card on my birthday with five bucks in it. Like my friends' grandparents usually did. Except even they got more cash than that! Eventually, the cards just stopped coming. By then I barely noticed.

I wasn't hungry after Scoops, so I decided to head straight upstairs and get a headstart on my homework. I can't say I'm the type to dive into homework on a Friday night, but academics had been taking a back seat lately as lack of sleep continued to kill off more brain cells. I'd always been reasonably smart, but math was something that always seemed to kick my butt. I was lucky. Damian could often spare some time out of his tight honors-only schedule to tutor me. That's if Lyssa didn't need his help. And, let's face it. Damian was her brother, so she got dibs.

I sat staring at my notes, trying to make heads or tails of what I'd written in class. But my sleepless nights were taking their toll. It wasn't long before I was struggling to keep my eyes open.

... _the night air was cooling from the day's warmth and I focused my attention on it briefly. I felt no need to feed after having taken such a large kill this morning. The moon hung low above me, and I was suddenly taken by a wild desire to give chase, as if all of the strength in my body could bring me closer to her. On and on I ran, feeling my weight as it fell heavily into the desert sand. I headed north toward Bear Canyon. I eased myself down rocks and along jagged cliffs. The cool, refreshing waters at the bottom were in my sight, and with a feeling of complete and utter freedom I launched myself from the cliffs and, for just a fleeting moment, it seemed as though I would finally touch the moon. I broke through the water's surface, shattering her reflection. I swam until exhaustion set in and finally pulled myself onto the shore._

I tossed and turned. My sheets were sticking to me and my hair was soaked against my pillow. Had I showered before bed? I hated going to bed with wet hair. Oh, man, I was sore all over. Again. Why did this keep happening? Why was there always sleep but no rest? I wasn't sure how much longer I could keep functioning like this. I pushed myself up on my elbows and then eased myself into a sitting position. It was then that I noticed the sand on the rug beside my bed. It didn't register at first; either because it didn't belong there or because I wasn't awake yet, possibly both. I looked toward the door of my room and noticed that there was an entire trail of sand leading to the bed. I took hold of the edge of my blankets and threw them off. I gaped in horror at the dirt and mud covering my legs. I leaned over the side of my bed and dry heaved until I thought the pressure would pop my eyes out of their sockets.

Suddenly, all I could think about was getting into my bathroom and seeing myself in the mirror. The thought of it made me want to be sick again, but I just had to see (kinda like an accident on the highway, you just gotta look). I stood up and walked across my sandy rug and into the bathroom, where I took a round make-up mirror out of the drawer. I pulled up my long hair, and picked up the mirror with my other hand. Slowly I turned around to peer at the back of my neck. I gasped. I had expected to see a mark of _Balam_ or, ideally, nothing at all. But there on the back of my neck was the mark of a _tree._ It was the most beautiful tree I had ever seen. Its leaves began at the edge of my hairline. They were lush and pushed toward one side, as though blowing in a warm, gentle breeze. The trunk was long and graceful as it moved along the length of my neck. But it was the roots that I couldn't stop staring at. They were long and expansive, twisting below the base of my neck and running along my back all the way to the tops of my shoulder blades. So, it had happened. It had really happened. I was a shifter. _Crap_.

CHAPTER THREE

"What the eff—" Lyssa said, gaping at my mark for, like, the fiftieth time. "That is just insane."

"Oh. My. God," Damian said from the back seat. "Lyssa, I swear if you don't put her hair down—"

"Okay, you two, I'm trying to drive here, and we've still got another twenty minutes before we get to Grandma's," I said. Thank God it was Saturday. I'd been able to sneak out of the house before Dad got up and go see the twins. I had (barely) sat through their intramural soccer game. I always enjoyed watching the twins play on their varsity teams at school, but watching them play together on their intramural team was a whole different experience. When they played together, they were so in sync with one another it was like each one knew what the other would do before it even happened. It was incredible. It had been that way since they were kids. Sadly, today I was so damn stressed I was hardly able to focus on the game.

"Don't listen to her," Damian said. "It's incredible."

"Thanks. Let's just hope my grandma can tell us something about it," I answered nervously. Like, I didn't already feel like a big enough freak? (I mean, the marks were beautiful and all, but a tree? Huh?)

As always, the moment I walked into Grandma's house and smelled the sweet scent of _copal_ , I felt myself relax.

" _Mis mellizos!_ " Grandma greeted the twins affectionately. "Oh, Maya, honey," she said, reaching out and pulling me into a long hug. "Come on, let's all go in and sit down and you can tell me everything that's happened."

After I told her about my dreams and showed her my mark, she smiled warmly. I needed to hear her reassuring words.

"Well, it most certainly seems that you have phased, _ts'unu'un_. I'm afraid I can't say why your mark is not of _Balam_ , but I can tell you what it is. It is a _ceiba_ tree. Our tribes consider it to be the Tree of Life. The branches represent the heavens above us, the trunk is our world, and the roots symbolize the Underworld."

I shivered when she said "Underworld." I couldn't help it. It just sounded so, well, _evil_.

Damian noticed. "I don't think she means Underworld in the malevolent sense," he said. (What the hell? _Ha_!)

"Damian, in English, please," Lyssa said, losing patience.

Grandma answered for him. "I think what Damian means is that the Mayan people regard each part of the tree as part of a whole," she said. "The roots support the trunk, and the trunk supports the branches which hold up the sky. No one part is more important than any other. If you lost any one of them, the whole universe would collapse."

"Huh," I said. I guess that made sense. "But why that instead of _Balam_?"

"I honestly don't know, _ts'unu'un_ , but I'm sure that will be revealed in time. One thing we do know is that the _ceiba_ tree is very important. It is at the heart of the Mayan people. We even plant one in the center of our villages. I think that having that mark means that you too will be very important."

"Me? But, Grandma, I don't even know how to deal with being a shifter! I mean, it's just a lot to take in. You know, they're not all that accepted."

"I think your friends can help you quite a lot with that part." She smiled at Damian and Lyssa who were both grinning like Cheshire Cats.

"Don't worry, honey, we'll figure it out," Damian said.

"Yeah, we love you no matter what. You're our girl," Lyssa said.

"You know," Grandma said after a minute, "I know a woman who is both Mayan and a shifter. She's older than me, and I think it might be helpful to have someone who knows what you are going through. She doesn't live far from you. I'll give her a call. In the meantime, I think you will find that if you commune with your _nagual_ and honor it, you will sleep a lot better. I have some extra _copal_ and the candles you'll need. Let me go and get them." She stood up and went into her kitchen.

We sat quietly and waited for her to come back. I kept looking at the twins, wondering why they hadn't run out of there screaming in terror. I mean, if I was horrified by all this, how could they not be? But then I reminded myself of what they'd both just said, and I felt like kicking myself in the butt for selling them so short. Jeez, I really needed to do something about my crappy self-image. Just then, Grandma interrupted my thoughts.

"Here, honey." She handed me a small box of _copal_ resin and four different colored candles. "I also have some reading for you to do about the proper way to do a Mayan prayer. And I'm sending you with an incense stove. You know how smoky it can get with charcoal, and I don't think that's a very good idea for your bedroom."

"Your dad would _love_ that," Lyssa snorted.

"Thanks, Grandma. I love you." I choked up a little as she hugged me tight. I swallowed hard, but couldn't seem to get rid of the lump in my throat.

"I love you too, sweetheart. I really think this will help. Call me if you need anything."

I could feel my eyes burn as we walked out to the car. I refused to cry, but it was all I could do not to run back to the house and beg her to let me stay.

"Are you gonna need help with your ritual?" Lyssa asked, looking up from the papers Grandma had given me.

"Thanks, Lyss," I said. "Actually, I kinda feel like I need to do this alone."

I also realized that I was going to have to find a handy spot to hide what Grandma had given to me, and I was definitely going to have to do it while Dad was out. I knew that there was no way he was going to be cool with any of this. Well, there went wearing my hair in a ponytail, not to mention tank tops. I mean, it was New Mexico. That was practically all I owned.

As I dropped the twins off, they sweetly repeated their offer to help. I was really touched by it, but at the same time something inside me was telling me that this ritual needed to be private. I spent the rest of the ride home formulating a dinner plan.

I went into the house and started dinner while Dad sat at the kitchen table catching up on his paperwork. He taught natural sciences at Western New Mexico University. That was yet _another_ reason why I knew he wouldn't understand about me. Scientists had been trying for years to find some kind of mutant gene or something to explain shape-shifting, and so far they hadn't come up with anything. I mean _nothing._ I didn't blame him in the least. His brain needed proof and there just wasn't any. End of story.

"That smells amazing," Dad said, putting a pile of papers on the counter. "What's for dinner?"

"We're having stuffed shells with sauce and garlic bread."

"Mmm, sounds great. I don't know how you do it," he said, as he smiled at me.

"I don't know either," I muttered. "I like to cook. It relaxes me." This was actually true. But I dunno. It was something about working with my hands. And even though Dad thought I was some kind of culinary genius, a lot of the recipes I used were ones that my loser-mom had left behind. (Guess they don't eat in Las Vegas.) Grandma had given me quite a few over the years as well and— _voilà!_ Instant teenage chef.

"You headed out pretty early this morning," Dad said. "Where were you off to?"

"The twins had an intramural game this morning, and then I brought them up with me to see Grandma. They hadn't seen her in months," I added, "so they really wanted to go."

"Listen, honey, you don't need to make excuses or give a reason for wanting to see Rosa. She's an important part of your life. I don't have a problem with it, you know that. Just make sure you stick to the weekend-only rule."

_Yikes_.

"I know. I just...I feel bad about it sometimes, I don't know, like I'm reminding you of things from the past that you'd rather forget."

"I know you do. You know, sometimes I worry about you. You have a tendency to want to take care of everyone around you except yourself." He cleared this throat. "But I'm the adult around here. Let me worry about you for a change, okay?"

"'Kay," I said. I knew he was right. And he really was a great dad. I mean, he basically had been both parents to me for most of my life. But I also knew it didn't mean he would understand about me being a shifter. I just knew he wouldn't. It would scare him. Hell, it scared me!

It was also Saturday night, which meant he would be in the lab working on research. Which also meant tonight would be the perfect chance to work my first ritual. After dinner, I sat on my bed looking over Grandma's instructions. It didn't look particularly difficult. I don't know why I was nervous. I'm not sure exactly what I thought was going to happen. I mean, we're Catholic, and we went to mass, and mass is a ritual. It's not like if you prayed to a saint he would just show up and introduce himself.

Never having seen one before, I was kind of unsure about using the little incense burner. It was just a small tea candle with a little tray for the _copal_ suspended above it. I set it on my desk (not having an altar), took three pieces of the resin out of the baggie, and placed them in the tray. Then I lit the candle. A minute or two later, I noticed that the _copal_ had melted into a liquid. I began to smell its sweet scent.

I went over to my window and opened it to be sure that any negative energy would have a way to leave my room. Then I stood next to the incense and placed my hands above the _copal_ to let the incense purify them. I cupped my hands and wafted the incense toward the rest of my body as best I could. Then I began to recite the blessing that I had first heard my Grandma use when I was a little girl. I noticed that she had written in a few changes to the beginning on the sheet, so that it could be used for my specific purpose.

" _Balam_ ," I began, "you follow me in and out of shadows, a spirit that manifests in form. Knowing that your spirit is within me, guide me, great One."

I fidgeted for a moment as I tried to get my bearings and remember where north was so I could continue. Once I found it, I put the candles on my desk then placed each colored candle at its correct cardinal point. Then I turned toward the east. Lighting the red candle, I said, "Fire, you represent warmth and knowledge. May you bring me the gift of wisdom." From there, turning north, I lit the white candle. "Air, you give us life. May we learn to live in harmony." Next I faced west and lit the black candle, saying, "Earth, you give us stability. Lend me your strength so that I may do what must be done." Then I turned to the south. I lit the yellow candle and said, "Water, you cleanse and purify. Give me the clarity to see through my emotions so that I may unite with my _Nagual_."

But I knew I wasn't finished yet. Grandma had taught me that we had two souls: our human one and that of our _nagual_. My spirit was already soaring, as I concluded the invocations. "And may I be one with my Jaguar soul!"

As the last words came out of my mouth, _Balam's_ face flashed before me several times. At first, this made me feel slightly dizzy, but after a moment, figuring I had just imagined it, I walked to my desk and blew out the candle to let the resin cool off and harden again. I felt lighter than I had in weeks. I walked into the bathroom and looked at the back of my neck in the mirror. It was strange. I was in such shock the first time I saw my mark, and I was so confused about why it wasn't of my _nagual_. But now as I looked at it, it seemed more as though it was part of me. Like it belonged there. I was still curious about why it was different, but I didn't feel stressed about it now. And, almost instinctively, I knew that _Balam_ was sending me the strength to accept it as it was.

### ~ ~ ~

The twins were coming to the house later so we could have our weekly Gleek-a-thon. We're total Gleeks. I love me some Matthew Morrison! (Leave it to me to have a huge crush on an actor named Matt playing a Spanish teacher. Ha!) We had a rule that none of us was allowed to watch _Glee_ during the week. We DVR'd it and then took turns watching it at each other's houses on Saturday. So when the doorbell rang, you can imagine how surprised I was when I opened the front door and found Matt standing on the doorstep.

"Hey, Matt, what's up?"

"Hey, My, do you mind if I come in for a sec?" He smiled with those dimples, and suddenly I was totally unable to put two coherent thoughts together.

"Uh, yeah, sure." _Brilliant._ I let him in and we walked around the corner and into the living room and plunked down on the couch.

"I know, I usually call to make plans," he said, "but I was just on my way to Josh's and I saw your car in the driveway. You didn't come to the game."

"I know. I'm sorry. I had...I just had something really important that I had to do. You know, family stuff. There was no way I could get out of it. Please, please, don't think this has anything to do with not wanting to see you play."

"Okay, if you're sure. I just figured you'd be there."

"I'm really sorry." _I suck, I suck, I suck._ "It wasn't some kind of anti-football protest, I promise. I went to your last game," I reminded him.

"You're right. I know you can't be at every one." He took my hand, and I grinned at him like a huge idiot. Then with his other hand he moved a few stray strands of hair away from my face. I thought my heart was going to pound right out of my chest. "Your hair is so amazing," he said. He leaned in and brushed his lips gently against my cheek and then lightly over my lips. We kissed. Softly, searching at first, but then it deepened. Electricity shot through my body. It was just like he was the "old" Matt. I somehow forgot all the weirdness that had been happening between us.

And then he moved my hair to kiss my neck.

"Whoa! _Your_ Dad let you get a tattoo?"

_Oh, crap, crap, crap!_ "Uh, not exactly," I said, and pulled my hair back over my shoulder.

"Can I see it?"

What the hell was I gonna do? Damn! Just then, the doorbell rang. I was saved!

"Oh, Matt, that's the twins. We were just going to catch _Glee_ real quick," I said, standing up and making for the hall.

"So you're not coming to Josh's then?"

"Maybe afterward," I said. "Do you want to stay and watch?"

"Not so into it," he said. "But come by Josh's later if you feel like it." He gave me a smile, but it didn't reach his eyes. He said a quick hello to the twins on his way out and headed for his car.

Alyssa watched him drive away. "Ooh, let's have the details about the hottie," she said.

"Well, let's see. We were talking, then we were kissing, then he saw my mark."

"Oh. My. God. Maya, how did that happen?" Damian asked.

"Use your imagination," Lyssa said. "What did he say?" she asked me.

"He thinks it's a regular tattoo. He thought my dad let me get one!"

"Uh oh."

"I know. You guys, what am I gonna do? I can't believe I let my guard down like that. What if he tells anyone? Oh, my God. He's going to Josh's tonight. What if he tells someone at the party?"

"Okay, you're freaking out. I'm sure he won't even think of it," Lyssa said.

"Even if he does, don't forget that your mark isn't an animal like people would expect. There's actually nothing about your mark that gives you away as a shifter," Damian pointed out.

_Whew_. "I hadn't thought of that," I said. I had been so busy worrying about _why_ my mark was so different that somehow I had managed to overlook that one teensy little blessing. I mean, jeez, paranoid much?

"Honestly," Lyssa said, "I really think you're in the clear on this one. As long as your dad doesn't find out, you're good."

"He's going to know eventually," I said, cringing at the thought.

"Well, we'll just have to deal with that when it happens." She smiled and plopped down on the floor in front of the TV.

"I'll go grab the snacks," I said.

"Need some help?" Damian asked.

"I'm good," I said, and headed into the kitchen. I pulled some sodas out of the fridge, popped open a diet Coke and took a sip, then took some munchies out of the cabinet. I brought them back to the living room and joined my BFFs on the floor with some big pillows. I was more than happy to Gleek out like a regular kid for a while.

"So how did the ritual go?" Lyssa asked a minute later.

"Okay, I think. I definitely feel calmer, more centered. You know, it was the strangest thing...," I began, but then something stopped me.

"What's that?" Damian asked.

"Well, this is going to sound weird—"

"—weird? Coming from _you_?" Lyssa giggled.

"Chill, Lys," Damian said. He looked at me. "What happened?"

"Well, just as I finished the ritual, _Balam's_ face flashed before my eyes a few times."

"That's interesting. I wonder what that could mean."

"You mean you don't think I imagined it?"

"Well, do you?" he asked.

"No, I guess I don't. I wasn't sure at first, but now...."

"Then I don't either."

"Me, neither," Lyssa chimed in optimistically. "You know, maybe _Balam_ _is_ trying to communicate with you or something. I mean, first it was in your dreams while you were asleep at night. Pretty normal, as far as we know. But then he seems to be...not chasing you like you thought...but _following_ you and maybe even trying to get your attention. And now he shows up in your ritual."

"Hey, who says Damian's the smart one?" I grinned, knowing full well it was a sore spot for Lyssa.

"You know, she could be right," her twin said. The serious look on his face put an end to my silliness. "I hope your grandma can locate that friend of hers," he added. "I think there might be more going on here than meets the eye."

That night I lay in bed thinking about what the twins had said. I supposed it could be true that _Balam_ was trying to contact me somehow. Grandma had said that a _nagual_ could show itself in our world, especially if a person's life force was very strong. I had done the ritual alone today, but I figured it must have been far from perfect. And still I had somehow managed to conjure _Balam's_ face. What was going on? In spite of my musings, my eyelids felt like they weighed a ton. Wondering about Grandma's friend, I fell into a deep, blissful sleep. Alone.

CHAPTER FOUR

On Sunday morning, I was still sleeping when my cell phone started ringing. I sat up and looked at the time. Ten a.m! Whoa. I'd slept a miraculous twelve hours! I picked up my phone and checked the caller ID.

"Hello?" I croaked. (Morning voice. Yikes.)

"Good morning, I'm looking for Maya Delaney."

"Speaking."

"Maya, this is Victrixa Mata. I'm a friend of your grandmother, Rosa."

_Wha—? Oh!_ "Grandma's friend. I'm sorry. I guess I'm still half asleep."

"That's all right. That's what Sunday morning is for. I'm sure you didn't expect me to use your cell number, but your grandmother thought it might be best under the circumstances. She asked me to call you and see if we could set up a time to meet."

"Um, sure, what did you have in mind?"

"Are you free this afternoon?" she asked.

"That's sounds fine." I had homework to do, but I was hungry for answers and couldn't get them soon enough.

"Well, why don't you drive out here to my ranch? It's not too far outside of town and it's supposed to be a gorgeous day. How's noon?"

"Perfect." I wrote down the directions she gave me, said good-bye, and got up and took a quick shower.

Victrixa's ranch was only about thirty miles away, but it took a bit longer than I expected to get there because the tail end of the trip was on dirt road, which was common enough. The ranch was hard to miss. There didn't seem to be any other houses for miles. I drove through the open gate toward the ranch house. It was post and beam style, very typical New Mexico, but it was _huge_. I parked off to the side and stepped onto the large front porch. It looked like it curved around the far side of the house. I walked along it and peeked around to the back of the building.

"You must be Maya."

_Holy bejeezus!_ I could have jumped a mile out of my shoes. I turned around, and there, standing just outside the front door, was the most perfect human being I had ever seen in real life. Victrixa was tall and slim, but she had great curves and a strong build. Her skin was flawless and her hair was dark, long, and wavy. But it was her huge eyes that totally blew me away. They were this strange yellowish-green color. She wore a long, body hugging dress and an incredible plate necklace that looked like it was really, really old.

"I was just looking at the house." _Duh._

"You are more than welcome, here, Maya. I'm Victrixa. It's nice to finally meet you."

I walked over to her and reached out to shake her hand. Instead, she put her right hand over her heart " _In Lak'ech_." To my language-challenged brain, it sounded like "ing laketch." I smiled, and not knowing what else to do, said, "Nice to meet you."

As I followed her into the house, she said, " _In Lak'ech_ is the traditional Mayan greeting. But it's really so much more than that. _In Lak'ech Ala K'in_ means, 'I am you, you are me.' It's a gesture of Oneness." She added, "As Mayans, we believe that we are connected to all life—the animals, the trees, the Earth and of course to each other. And so, when you are greeted with _In Lak'ech_ , you put your right hand over your own heart and say, _Ala K'in_."

" _Ala K'in_ ," I said, putting my hand over my heart. Normally, speaking foreign languages confused the crap outta me. But I said it right the first time. It somehow felt natural. I liked it.

"Nicely done," Victrixa said with a smile. "I'm sure you're aware that the Mayan was the first world culture in which humans evolved into shifters. The _mestaclocán_. Of course other native cultures soon followed. But many shifter customs, such as the greeting, have been adopted from our culture to become part of the new shifter culture that's been quickly developing in the last hundred years. With today's technology, our community is growing faster than ever."

I wasn't sure how to reply to that, so I just said, "You have an amazing home," as I looked at what must have been at least fifty different artifacts that decorated the main room.

"Thank you, Maya. I used to spend much of my time out of the country, but I've come to consider this my home. I try to get here as often as I can. Please sit down," she gestured toward a leather sofa. "Can I get you something to drink?"

"I guess I'm okay for now."

"Are you sure? I have diet Coke," she said with a wink.

"Hey, how did you...Grandma." I laughed.

"You know Rosa. Let me get that for you." She walked off in the direction of what I could only assume was the kitchen. While I was waiting, I got up and walked around the room taking in all of the insane books and objects that lined the built-in shelves. I couldn't stop staring at a broken vase with a jaguar on it.

"Ah, I see you're drawn right to _Balam_ ," Victrixa said, handing me my drink. "The jaguar was greatly revered by pre-Columbian Mesoamerican tribes."

_What the hell?_ "Huh," I said, feeling more than slightly history challenged.

"Tribes, such as the Maya, the Olmec, and the Aztec, for starters. They were very connected to the natural world around them, and _Balam_ was the king of the jungle, so to speak. And speaking of _Balam_ , Rosa tells me that you've just recently phased."

I suddenly felt a bit wobbly and decided I'd better follow her over to the couch. "Um, yeah, I guess so."

"Is that upsetting to you? I know it's a lot to come to terms with. Am I the only other shifter you've met?" Victrixa asked.

"Well, you're the first one I know I've met."

"It is true that many shifters prefer to 'blend in,'" she said, "but all of that is changing very quickly. I think that once you meet others in the shifter community, you'll feel more comfortable. You've phased very early. I must say, I'm impressed. Many don't phase for the first time until well after high school. If I remember correctly, high school is hard enough without feeling different. Your grandmother mentioned that your mark is very distinctive. May I see it? That is, if you don't mind?"

"Sure," I said, turning around and holding the back of my hair up.

"Oh, Maya, it's incredible. You've been so gifted."

"Do you think so? I mean, do you know anyone else who has a mark that's different from their _nagual_?"

"No, to be honest with you, I don't."

Great, I couldn't even be a shifter without being a freak.

"But, Maya, I don't think it's a cause for concern," she added quickly.

"Really?" I asked.

"From what Rosa has told me, I think your mark is directly related to your strong connection to the earth. I could sense you before you even got out of your car." She laughed.

"You could sense me?"

"All fully matured shifters can sense one another. You have a while yet before you need to worry about all of that, though. But, as I said, you have a very strong presence."

"Am I going to keep phasing every night like I have been? I thought shifters could phase whenever they wanted to. I didn't think it was, I dunno, so werewolfy."

"First of all, Maya, 'werewolf' is a word perpetuated by the media. It's not a term we use to describe ourselves. There are no such things as werewolves."

_Oops_.

"Only the first few times should happen spontaneously. Has it stopped?"

"Well, it didn't happen last night. I did a Mayan ritual that my grandma gave me to help me connect with _Balam_."

"I should think you're probably in the clear then. The next step will be learning how to use your powers. For some lucky shifters, that seems to happen quite naturally. Most will need some mentoring."

"Um, _mentoring_?" I asked. WTF?

"It would entail just some general instruction."

"Well, I haven't exactly talked to my dad about any of this yet."

"Your grandmother mentioned that. Perhaps once you become more comfortable with being a shifter, you can tell him. It wouldn't be the first time it was kept from a parent. How about if we meet here? Next week? Would that be all right?"

"Sure, yeah, that would be great. I don't think I'll be able to stay much longer today, if that's okay. Sunday is a big homework day." I chewed the inside of my cheek, then picked up my glass and drank the last sip of soda. I stood up to go, hoping that was a polite way of saying that I'd rather have a panic attack alone in my car than in front of my new mentor. Thankfully, Victrixa seemed to take the hint. We walked out onto the porch.

"I'm going to send you home with a little homework of my own," she said. "Every shifter has a different trigger for phasing. It's usually a thought. Try to see if you can remember anything at all from your dreams. Try writing them down and see if that helps. And, Maya, once you learn to use your power, you'll have to be very careful. You'll need to remember that when you are in your second form, no one will know that you're the shifter. There are all kinds of accidents that happen when humans assume that a shifter is just an everyday animal. Bear shot during hunting season, that sort of thing. And while we have made some real headway recently, there have been incidents that ... well, let's just say they most likely were not matters of mistaken identity."

"I've seen some stories on the news," I said, not sure what else to say.

"Yes, well, I'll see you next week then, same time?"

"Great. Umm, Victrixa?"

"Yes, Maya?"

"I never asked you what your second form is."

"Oh, I'm sorry. It's _keeh_ , the deer."

I smiled. "I'll see you Sunday. And thanks for everything," I said.

On the drive home, our whole conversation was a ginormous blur in my head. All I could think was, _OMG, it's just like me to need a freakin' tutor._ I knew that even though I had agreed to let Victrixa be my mentor, I never really had any plans to phase after I learned to control my powers. I mean, I didn't want to disappoint Grandma, but I also didn't think I would ever be comfortable with being a shifter, either. Besides, adding the dangers of hunting season to my seemingly ever-growing list of worries didn't seem worth it. Not even close.

### ~ ~ ~

The next morning, the twins were waiting for me as usual when I pulled into my usual space in the school parking lot. I knew they wanted to know what had happened at Victrixa's. I was even wide awake for a change. I'd slept another night without phasing and I'd had two diet Cokes on the way to school. Hell, I was almost hyper.

"Hey, Maya!" Lyssa caught up with me, walking at her usual double-time pace.

"What's up, you guys?" I asked, as if I didn't know.

"Oh, please, just spill," said Damian as we walked through the front doors.

"Well, Victrixa seems pretty cool," I said. "Turns out, she doesn't know why my mark is different, either. But she did say that most shifters need a mentor to help them learn to phase. So I have to see her on Sundays for a while, I guess."

It happened so fast. We were walking down the hall, and Brett Nielson came charging over and slammed Damian against the lockers. _Hard._

"Faggot!" he spat.

"Hey!" Alyssa yelled.

"What the hell's your problem?" Matt appeared, seemingly out of nowhere. He gave Brett a huge shove back to the other side of the hallway. Thankfully, they were well matched in size, and Brett walked away without a fight.

"Are you okay, Damian?" Matt asked, helping Lyssa pick up him up off the floor.

"Yeah, I'll be okay," Damian mumbled, looking very rattled and embarrassed. God, I hated seeing him like that.

"I'll see you at lunch, My," Matt said, and he headed for his locker.

"Are you sure you're all right?" I asked. (Seriously, I can't stand homophobes. What is their deal? Bigotry just sucks, end of story.)

"Yeah, I'll be fine."

"New day, same bullshit," Lyssa said.

"I'm gonna be late," Damian said. "I'll see you guys at lunch."

"That just sucks," I said, as Lyssa and I took our books out of our lockers. She and I had really lucked out this year. We only had one locker between ours. Damian was way around the corner from us.

"Yeah, it's a good thing Matt came along, or I would have taken a piece outta Brett's sad behind."

Somehow I didn't doubt that. We started to walk to first period.

As we sat in our seats, Lyssa turned to me. "I know you've been having issues with the change in the Matt situation...."

"Uh, he's the star quarterback, Lyss, he's not married."

"You know what I mean, wiseass. You've been stressing about his priorities, right? What we just saw in the hall looks like the old Matt to me."

"Well, he likes Damian. He always has."

"Oh, come on, Maya, you cannot be that blind! Yes, he and Damian are friends, but he did that for _you_."

"What d'ya mean?"

"Oh, please, that boy is in love with you. Tell me you don't know that," she said, raising an eyebrow at me. (I've always wanted to be able to do that. Raise one eyebrow.)

"I wouldn't go that far. Look, I'm figuring it out," I said.

"Well, I wouldn't waste too much time figuring. You've got one of the good ones. Don't blow it."

The rest of the day went smoother from then on. After school, I made a brief appearance at Matt's football practice so he wouldn't think helping Damian this morning had gone unnoticed. I actually ended up kind of enjoying practice, even though I don't know a thing about football. But I could tell enough to know that Matt was good, really good. Even though he had only just made varsity in his senior year (he hadn't had much interest until then), I had no doubt that he could manage a scholarship to the University of New Mexico if he still wanted to go there. He had applied to several schools, not all of which were local. I think that was a big part of the reason why my heart couldn't quite commit. I wanted to, I really, really did. But something inside me always seemed to hold me back. One thing was for sure, Lyssa was right when she said he wouldn't wait forever. But how would he feel about being with a shifter anyway?

That night I finished my homework and studied for my history quiz, then cleaned the bathroom and vacuumed. (Ah, the joys of single-parent households.) Dad was at a conference in Denver for a few days, so I figured it would be a good time to work on my homework for Victrixa. I grabbed a small notebook from my desk and got started. But as I looked back through my writing, I couldn't seem to come up with anything specific. I checked the clock. It was 9:10. Not too late to call Grandma for some help.

"Is everything all right?" she asked after she said hello.

"I'm sorry. I guess it is a little late. Did I wake you?"

"Oh, no. I just finished up in the darkroom. What's going on?"

"Not much. Actually, I'm having a little trouble with the homework Victrixa asked me to do," I said.

"How can I help?"

"Well, she asked me to write down what I could remember from my dreams so I could maybe come up with my trigger for phasing. I can't seem to come up with anything."

"Remembering your dreams takes a lot of practice, _ts'unu'un_. I do have a suggestion, though. Do you have any lemon juice in the house?"

"I think so."

"Good. Drink a glass of warm water with about a tablespoon of lemon juice a little while before bed. That should help."

"Thanks so much, Grandma."

"You're welcome, sweetheart. Sleep well. I love you."

"I love you, too."

Right after I hung up the phone, I went downstairs and found the lemon juice in the baking cabinet. (I'm a regular Gordon Ramsey!) I drank it in some warm water as Grandma had suggested and hoped that it would help me remember my dreams better.

### ~ ~ ~

The rest of the week was pretty normal, except Matt was out on Thursday and Friday, which I thought was a little strange. Even weirder, he wasn't answering any of my texts. By Saturday, the twins had had enough.

"Just call him, already. Right now, before we start _Glee_ ," Damian insisted.

"He's at the game," I said. There was no way he was going to miss that.

"It's early yet," Lyssa pointed out.

"Okay, fine." I went into my bag, pulled out my cell phone, and hit speed dial. "It's going right to voicemail," I said. I figured he was already at the field and didn't bother leaving a message. "I'll just try him again later," I said, plopping down on the floor.

As I lay in bed that night, having dutifully finished my warm water with lemon, all I could think about was going to Victrixa's the next day. I wasn't sure why exactly, but the whole thing made me anxious. Maybe it was her, maybe it was phasing again. Or not phasing again, depending on whether or not I could even do it. Jeez. I just couldn't seem to get to sleep. Something was off. Then I remembered that I had forgotten to call Matt again like I'd planned. I grabbed my phone and let it ring until it went to voicemail again. This time I did leave a message.

"Matt? It's Maya. Where are you? You haven't picked up your phone or answered any of my texts since Tuesday. Please get in touch with me so I know you're okay."

I left it at that. I wanted to tell him how much I missed him, because I really did. I dunno. So much that was going on in my life seemed up in the air and, well, just down right crazy. And the whole shifter thing just seemed like it did nothing but dump another complication in my life. Suddenly, I realized that I hadn't done a ritual in over a week. No wonder I was stressed out!

That's when I remembered about Mayan spiritual baths. I may not have had access to a spa in Cancún, but I had _copal_. And I had herbs and fresh flowers for the bathwater, too. I moved my little incense stove from its hiding place under my dresser to the bathroom counter. I wandered the house in search of some flowers and herbs, then cut some marigold flowers from the fall plant on our front steps, remembering to thank the plant as I did. I also used roses from our rose bushes. I found some overgrown basil, rosemary, and sage that grew from the neighbor's yard into ours. Then I went upstairs to start my bath.

After I lit the incense stove and started to run the hot water, I placed the flowers and herbs in the water, watching them float about as the sweet scent of _copal_ filled the room. Once the top of the water had a light greenish tint to it, I crawled into the luxurious bath. While I soaked, I said some prayers to _Balam_ for wisdom and guidance. I didn't want to get out of the bath, it was so nice, even after my fingers and toes were all pruny.

By the time I dried off, my spirit was soaring. It felt as though a giant weight had been lifted off my chest. I crawled into bed and fell fast asleep in moments. And when I woke the next morning, I knew exactly what my trigger was.

CHAPTER FIVE

Driving out to Victrixa's ranch, I was actually looking forward to my first lesson. The positive energy of last night's spiritual bath was still with me and although I didn't feel totally confident, I was no longer nervous. When I pulled up in roughly the same place where I had parked before, I saw Victrixa waiting for me on the porch.

" _In Lak'ech_ , Maya," she said as she laid her right hand over her heart.

" _Ala K'in_ ," I responded with a smile, echoing her gesture.

"Come," she said, "sit on the porch with me a bit and tell me about your week." Jeez, she was beautiful. She was wearing a long caftan and the same plate necklace I'd seen before.

"Well," I began, "it took me a few days to figure out what my trigger might be, but I think I know now."

"And is it a thought? As it is for most shifters?"

"Yeah, it's—"

"No, no need to tell me. Some things are sacred. Let's head out in the Rover for some practice. It's parked just out back."

We walked around to the back of the house and climbed into her SUV. She off-roaded out into the middle of nowhere, which I figured was probably the point.

"You're going to find that phasing during the daytime is much different than what was happening to you at night," she said. "You'll be awake, so you will remember it all. That means the actual phasing, as well as the whole experience of being in your second form."

"Does it hurt? I mean, it's kind of hard to know the truth about it all with TV and whatnot." I hoped I wasn't insulting her again. _Yeesh_.

She gave a sharp laugh. "It's not painful as long as you make a full transition. And you don't ruin the clothing you're wearing, either. All of that is based on the idea that the phase is somehow chemical or genetic. But it's not, of course. Spirit magic is nothing like that."

She pulled up under a large tree that looked out on a vast field. We got out of the Rover and I followed her as she moved away from the tree line. She pointed at the field.

"All of the land we've seen here belongs to me. I own a hundred acres. No one will see us or hear us. Now what I want you to do is think of your thought and take it as deep within yourself as you can. It should be a positive one. Let it remind your soul of what the best part of phasing is for you."

I heard her and all, but to be honest with you, I was still kinda stuck on the hundred acres part. Hello!

I started by standing completely still and feeling the gentle breeze play in my hair, then I inhaled deeply and pictured _Balam_ in my head. And then I let myself think it: _freedom_. I felt an incredible sensation of being pulled forward by my belly button. I actually _was_ being pulled forward, and also upward a few feet. And when I landed, _I was_ _Balam_. Or rather, I was myself inside _Balam_. All of my human-girl thoughts and feelings were still there, but my body had completely transformed. I had four feet. I bounded off, feeling the strength, the speed and, above all, the freedom.

"Don't go too far!" I heard Victrixa call.

I can't say how long she let me run around out there, but it must have been quite a while because by the time I padded back to her, she was sitting in a folding lawn chair drinking sparkling water and reading a book.

She closed the book and smiled at me. "Now," she said, "to move back to your first form all you need to do is relax and desire it."

I focused on letting each part of _Balam's_ body relax, from head to tail. As soon as I let go, I was Maya again. Victrixa pulled another chair out of the Rover and handed me (glory of glories!) a diet Coke from her cooler.

"That was...." I wasn't sure. I couldn't find the words.

"That was _awesome_ ," Victrixa said with another laugh. "You're a natural."

"I am?"

"I should say so. How do you feel?"

"Awesome," I laughed, too.

We sat in the shade a while longer, enjoying the breeze and our cool drinks.

"So," Victrixa asked with a sweet smile, "have you found your mate yet?"

_Huh?_ "You mean shifters really do mate for life, like they say?"

"Absolutely. And it's always with another shifter."

"Hmm."

After we finished our drinks, we packed up the Rover and headed back to her house. Before I left, I turned to thank her, but I wasn't exactly sure what to say. She seemed to sense it.

"It's okay, Maya. You're not my first newborn, so to speak. Have fun. And remember what I said about being careful. And no skipping school to phase!"

"Thanks, Victrixa."

All I could think about as I drove home was how wrong I'd been. The fear of becoming a shifter had haunted me for days. Now I knew why she was warning me about skipping school. People probably did! The feeling of freedom was so overpowering. It was totally intoxicating. I had heard lots of stories of shifters who spent most of their lives in their second form. People probably did that, too. As I drove down the highway, the wind whipping through my hair, all I could think about was how soon I could make it out to Grandma's to show her how amazing it was.

### ~ ~ ~

"I just don't get it," I said to Lyssa the next morning as we walked into homeroom. "Where could he be?"

She shrugged. "No idea. Maybe he has mono or something."

"Since when does that keep you from answering your phone?"

I sat all through the first half of the day barely hearing a word my teachers said. It just didn't make any sense. And that's when I realized I was going to have to do it. I was going to have to go to the moronic jock table that Matt sat at during lunch. I had to find out what the hell was going on. Of course, I grabbed the twins on the way for moral support, then I walked up behind two creeps (I swear, there's, like, no telling them apart) and pushed by them, only to find myself surrounded by half the football team and their cheerleader girlfriends. _Crap._

"Hey, Josh," I said, "Do you have any idea where Matt is?"

"Last time I checked, it wasn't my job to keep track of your boyfriend for you."

_God,_ they were a-holes.

The bell rang and as everyone walked around us, I leaned toward the table and put my hand on the end that Matt usually sat at. Suddenly I felt a wave of nausea and chills as Matt's face flashed in front of my eyes and the cafeteria disappeared. It looked like he was...crying?

Damian looked at me. "Maya, what is it? Are you all right?"

Lyssa was staring at me. "What the hell?"

I could hardly speak. "I dunno. No. Listen, something's wrong with Matt. I gotta go." And I sprinted out of the cafeteria to the parking lot. It was a good thing I had a perfect driving record, because I took a lot of chances on the highway as I drove out of town in the direction of Matt's house. What the hell had just happened? Had I just had some kind of vision? Jeez. I was a freak before I was a shifter, and now I was a shifter who was a freak? Talk about your irony. I pulled onto his street, so lost in thought I almost forgot to slow down. What the—? His car was there.

I ran up the front steps and banged on the front door. "Matt! Matt!" I yelled as loud as I could. I waited. No answer. "Maaaatt!" Finally, the door started to open just enough for me to see his face. His eyes were red.

"Matt, what is it? What's wrong?"

"Go home, Maya."

"What are you talking about? What's going on?"

"Nothing. Just go home."

"Let me in," I said, surprising myself by how forceful I sounded.

"Maya, just go home, please," he said, sounding suddenly desperate.

"Let me in. Now."

"Fine!" He slammed the door against the wall and walked away from me. I followed him into the living room. "You wanna know what's going on?" he snarled. "Fine. My life's over, that's what's going on."

I stared at him, taken aback by his strange behavior. And that's when I saw it—the beautiful mark of the gray wolf on the back of his neck. I could hardly believe my eyes.

"Wait, wait...you're...you're a shifter? That's what this is about?"

He turned to face me. "Yeah, that's right. I'm a shifter. So I guess it's out. Are you _laughing_? What the hell's the matter with you? I tell you I'm a shifter and—"

"I'm sorry," I said. I mean, I was in total shock. Catching my breath and turning around, I slid my hoodie down over my shoulders and held up my hair so that he could see my mark.

"Oh, come on, Maya, it's not the same as getting a tattoo, you know that." He rubbed his palms over his eyes. "God, I'm going be the only shifter in school!"

"Matt! It's not a tattoo!"

"What?"

"I'm a shifter." I managed to smile.

"Come on, My, you're not even eighteen. And what are you telling me, you phase into a tree?"

I looked into his eyes, those beautiful, sad eyes, and I begged _Balam_ to tell me what to do.

"Get your coat," I said.

"What?"

"Don't get all dumb jock on me. Get your coat." And that's when I realized that he probably hadn't even left the house in days. "Come on, no one's going to see you where we're going."

I finally got him to the car, but his face said it all. He was going through everything I had gone through, and worse. He didn't have Grandma, the twins or a mentor to help him through it. Well, I said to myself, maybe he didn't have an actual mentor, but he had me.

"Where're we going?" he asked.

"Relax. Just sit back and enjoy the ride," I said as I put the top down. I swung onto 180 and headed toward the Gila Forest. I took us a ways in, taking it slow.

"So," I asked him when we were out of sight of the highway, "so when did it start?"

"Last Tuesday. In P.E."

_Yikes._ I pulled over to the side of the road and got out of the car.

"What're you doing?" he asked.

"Do you want to learn how to phase or not?" I watched his face. It showed all of the fear and uncertainty that I had felt. But he was curious, too.

"So you really are...." His voice trailed off.

"Do you seriously think my dad would let me get a tattoo?"

"Now that I think about it, it did seem a little off."

"A little? Okay, I'll go first. The key is to find your trigger. It's usually a thought. My trigger is remembering the freedom that phasing gives me."

"What's your second form?"

"Watch."

I turned away from him, relaxed a moment, and held the image of _Balam_ clearly in my mind. Just as before, I thought about freedom and I started to feel the pull forward from my very center. Then I let go.

Matt gasped. "Maya, oh my God, you're—you're so beautiful!"

I trotted back to him and stopped right in front of him, nudging at his hand with my nose so he could feel my fur. He scratched me behind my ear. Man, did that feel good. _Yum_! After a couple minutes of bliss, I moved away from him, let everything relax, and phased back.

"What?" I said.

"So, you really don't lose your clothes when you phase. Gee, that's too bad."

I smacked him in the arm, but I was glad he was starting to relax. "Ready to try?" I asked him. The fear returned to his face almost immediately. "Okay," I said, "but first let me tell you that it doesn't hurt. Um, maybe you should tell me about how it happened."

"I was feeling nauseous while we were doing laps in P.E. Dave Turner clipped me when he ran past me. I guess it pissed me off."

"No, I mean tell me how you felt when you phased for the first time." God, I hoped I was doing this right.

"You mean scared shitless?"

"No, you weren't. Think back. I don't think you were afraid when you were Gray Wolf. Fear is your human reaction afterward. I felt the same way."

He gave this some thought. "You know, you're right, I don't think I was scared. I think I felt...powerful."

"Good. Now try to relax, clear your mind." I watched as he cracked his knuckles and moved his head from side to side. ( _Jocks._ ) "Okay, now picture Gray Wolf in your mind and focus on that feeling of power. Don't be afraid. He's part of you." I knew that _Balam_ was guiding me.

Phasing myself was one thing, but seeing someone else phase for the first time ... well, Matt was right, it _was_ amazing. And fast. I mean, it seemed pretty quick when I phased, but watching it now I realized it took only seconds.

And suddenly there he was! He was the perfect combination of strength and beauty. I walked up to him and stroked his muzzle, and as I did I looked into his eyes and realized I could see him. I could see Matt inside them. His eyes were the same color as his human eyes and, yep, Matt was definitely in there. And suddenly I laughed, and then I backed away from him and phased. My jaguar eyes stared into his wolf eyes for a moment, and then I took off into the forest, daring him to keep up with me.

On and on we ran, knowing only freedom and each other. We stopped to drink from small creeks here and there, but we spent most of the time moving. We ran, we chased, we played and just generally tested our new bodies. We headed to the lake and peered out from the tree line to see if anyone was camping nearby, then we walked down to the water's edge, and I phased back, wanting to be with just Matt again. He looked at me and cocked his head to the side. The silvery moonlight reflected off of his shiny gray coat. He looked magnificent.

"Just desire it," I said.

He phased back and we plopped down on the sand, exhausted. We lay on our sides facing one another, and then he pulled me close, so close our bodies were perfectly aligned. He brushed my hair away from my face and cupped my cheek with his hand.

"I love you," he said, his eyes searching mine. And then the craziest thing happened. The wall that had been between us melted away as though it had never existed. I had always cared about him, but something inside me changed at that moment. My soul understood his, and I knew that he felt the same.

"I love you, too," I said.

Laughing, he rolled over and pulled me on top of him.

"Hey, what's so funny?" I asked.

"I dunno," he said, kissing my forehead. "Life, I mean, this past week has been hands-down the worst week of my life, but now here you are. It's like, if I had known that I was going to be here in this place with you while all that other shit was going on—"

"You would have dealt with it gladly?"

"Well, gladly might be a strong word."

"Hey!" I was laughing, too.

"Seriously, though. We still have a lot to deal with," he said. "School. Our parents...."

"I'm not worried," I said. And it was true. I knew that whatever happened, we would deal with it together. "How are things with your mom?" I asked.

"It's hard. I mean, she's always been totally supportive of me, you know that, and she's been worried about me and how upset I've been. I'm sure she's confused. She's super Christian, and this isn't in the Bible. But I know she loves me. You know, babe, you're gonna have to tell your dad."

Oh, God! The minute he said that I could feel my eyes start to burn. I lowered my head and started pushing bits of sand around with my fingers. How was I going to tell Dad? Sure we were close, but Matt and his mom were like best friends. My dad was not going to understand this.

Matt touched my cheek again. "Hey, you know, I didn't even have to go through telling my mom because I couldn't hide my mark. My mark pretty much did the telling for me. I can see how it's different for you, though. I know it's hard. But the longer you wait, the worse it'll get, I mean, this is part of you, My. Do you really want to hide that from your dad?"

I looked into his eyes. "So we're saying that we're making the choice not to hide who we are? Not to hide that we're shifters?" I searched his face. Lots of shifters hid their marks with clothing or makeup and just went on with their lives. Others chose not to and faced losing friends and whatnot. It was a really personal choice.

He took a deep breath. "Well, I go to college next year. Tons of university students don't hide their marks because it's considered cool. You know, it's a different environment. But you'll have another year of high school and—"

"I don't wanna hide my mark!" I said. It scared the hell outta me, but I knew it was the right thing. _Balam_ didn't want me to. And I didn't either.

"Okay, then we don't hide it and we deal with it together." He kissed my cheek. "Hey, My, isn't it kinda funny, you and me being together when you're basically a cat and I'm basically a dog? Shouldn't I be, like, chasing you around?"

I snorted. "I'm a jaguar. You just try and chase me around, and I'll kick your butt."

That's when he pulled me to him and kissed me. Oh, God. It was like my whole body woke up. Something was different. I could feel his strength and power, the perfection of his being. I ran my hands along his chest, slid my hands under his shirt, felt the heat of his skin. I wasn't just some high school junior with a schoolgirl crush anymore. I wasn't nervous. I wasn't trying to figure out what he was thinking. I didn't wonder where we stood. Every muscle, every nerve ending, every fiber of my being was completely attuned to him. He was my mate. I was home.

CHAPTER SIX

When I pulled into the school parking lot and parked next to Matt's car the next morning, he was waiting for me like we had planned. I grabbed my hair and quickly put it up in a high ponytail so my mark would show. Then I grabbed my bag and got out of the car.

"Ready?" I asked.

"Not yet." He took my hand in his. "Now I'm ready. Let's do this."

And just like that we walked into school, holding hands, heads held high. At first, nobody noticed. Everyone was buzzing around the halls, babbling about one thing or another. It started with a few gasps, and then seemed to grow from there. We just kept walking. Matt stopped at my locker to drop me off. He slid me gently up against my locker and kissed me.

"See you at lunch," I said, "Text me if you need me."

"You do the same, okay?" He grinned at me and walked off toward his locker.

I turned to find Lyssa staring at me. "So, what happened to you last night? First you take off, then you leave us with nary a word?"

"'Nary'?" I said.

"Well, Damian was gonna rub off on me at some point. So what the hell happened?"

"Matt's a shifter!" Damian exclaimed, coming around the corner so fast he smacked right into us. _Jeez, word travels fast._

"Oh. My. God." Lyssa said.

I couldn't help but chuckle at the looks on their faces.

Lys and I said see you later to Damian, walked into homeroom and sat in our usual seats.

Lyssa leaned over toward me. "So that's what was up with him all this time?" she whispered.

"Yep. He was pretty freaked out."

"And now everything's okay? 'Cause you two just marched in here like you're ready to take on the world."

"Well," I said, trying to hold back a smile but failing miserably, "I showed him how to phase and—"

"Wait, wait— _you_ showed _him_ how to phase? Did I miss something here?"

"Kinda," I replied. "Victrixa showed me on Sunday, so I showed him yesterday and, well..." I leaned closer and whispered in her ear, "We phased and ran through Gila for hours and ended up on the beach. Alone."

She sat up straight. "Seriously? Oh. My. God. Maya, spill," she demanded.

"We said, you know...that we love each other," I mouthed.

"Holy shit!"

"Shh. We're mated. We also decided that we are not going to hide being shifters."

"Jesus, Maya, that's...." She stopped talking and slowly looked around the room. I couldn't figure out what she was doing until I looked for myself and realized that everyone was staring at us.

"Excuse me," Lyssa said loudly, "This may be English class, but you all don't have any lines in this play!" Jeez, I loved her.

That's when the teacher walked into the room. "Neither do you, Ms. Vasquez," Ms. Mendoza said.

"Ouch." Lyssa grimaced and turned around in her seat.

We spent the rest of class continuing to study Edgar Allan Poe's "The Raven," which I kinda like. (I'm Mayan and a shifter. Figures I'd like a poem with a damn talking bird in it.) While we were answering the questions in the text, I looked up and thought I caught Ms. Mendoza watching me. She had the oddest look on her face. When I looked up again, though, she was correcting papers.

I didn't hear from Matt all class, which I thought was a good sign. Actually, I didn't get a text all morning. My own day was going pretty uneventfully so far. Well, there was some staring and whispering, and in history I heard Ashley Daniels tell Christy Lee that she didn't understand how it was possible to turn into a tree. (I should have asked her how it was possible to turn herself into a blond.) But, truthfully, I had expected worse, much worse. Then when we were walking down the hallway by the cafeteria at lunch....

"What is that?" Alyssa asked.

We were both hearing a strange sound coming from the cafeteria.

"I dunno," I said. I stopped short in the doorway.

"Are they...howling?" Damian asked.

"Oh! Matt!"

The entire jock table was howling wolf calls at Matt, who was standing a few feet away looking like he wanted to pound someone's head in. I was horrified. I stalked over, took his hand and led him out into the hallway.

"Are you okay?" I asked him. "Maybe we should eat outside today?"

"No way," he said through clenched teeth. "I can't believe I thought those douche bags were my friends. Unbelievable."

"Let's just eat at our table," Damian suggested sweetly. That kid had a heart of gold.

"Yeah, let's just do that," Lyssa added.

We walked back in and sat across the room at our usual jock-free table. Trying to keep everything as normal as possible, we took out our lunches. But Matt kept looking at the guys from the team. I didn't know what to say. He looked angry, but I knew his feelings were hurt, too. I tried to eat, but my lunch tasted like a pile of sawdust. Even the twins were totally silent the entire lunch.

Why couldn't it have been me instead? I mean me, I'm a dork. I totally expected to get the brunt of the bullying. I hadn't thought that Matt's friends would turn on him like that. But I should have known. They had only liked him for his status, Matt the Quarterback. Why the hell hadn't I seen this coming?

At the end of lunch, we headed down the hall and stopped by my locker. I looked up into his eyes and his face softened.

"Are you okay?" I asked him.

"Yeah, I'll be all right." He sighed. "It's not like I didn't see this coming."

Unlike me, he had expected this? Crap! I wasn't sure if that made it better for him or worse.

"And, anyway," he added, "it's not like football matters much now. I'd never be allowed to play in college, and that's what I was shooting for."

Matt was right, I realized with a start. Shifters were still largely unaccepted in a lot of ways, but out of all of them, sports were the worst. They were able to keep shifters out by claiming that they had unfair advantages, like unnatural strength and speed. It was a lie, of course. When we were in our human form, we didn't have the same abilities we had when we were in our second form. It's not like avian shifters were flying around in their human forms. What was hiding at the heart of those claims? Prejudice. And as I looked into his face, I could see that he was thinking the same thing.

"Well, you could always just be a geek, like me," I smiled up at him.

"A gorgeous geek," he said, and he kissed me.

Lyssa, who had followed us, groaned out loud. "Hey, enough with the PDA. You make me want to gouge my eyes out already."

I hadn't planned it, but somehow when I got home, I just didn't feel like taking my ponytail out. After my first day of school as a shifter, I just didn't want to hide who I was anymore. Besides, at that point, I had other worries to think about. I still had no idea what the deal was with that weird vision I'd had. What was going on? I had never heard of shifters developing other abilities. And I wasn't sure who to talk to about it either. My first thought was Grandma. Or maybe Victrixa? No. She seemed nice enough, but she'd only been my mentor for, what, two weeks?

"When did you get home, honey? I didn't even hear you come in," Dad said, looking up from his work.

"Um, just a few minutes ago. Could we, uh, talk about something before I start dinner?"

"Sure. What's up?" He opened the fridge and took out a seltzer.

"It's...well...it's more something I need to show you." I took a deep breath, picked up my ponytail, and turned around.

"What the hell? Did you get a tattoo? Maya, come on, what were you thinking!"

"No, Dad, it's not what you think." I took another deep breath. "I'm, I'm a shifter."

"You're—you're _what?_ "

"A shape-shifter."

He looked at my mark again. "But, that doesn't make any sense. Your mark, it's the Tree of Life, isn't it? That doesn't make any sense."

"I know it doesn't. It's a _ceiba_ tree. We've been trying to figure that out. Why I've got a tree."

"We?"

_Crap._ "Grandma and I."

"Your grandmother? How long have you known about this? Have you phased already? I mean this is...it's crazy. You're not even eighteen."

"I know. I phased early somehow." I could see the next question in his eyes, but I didn't know if he could ask it. It would make the whole thing too real for him. Maybe I had waited too long to tell him? Was I totally messing this up? _Balam, please help me make him understand._

"My second form is Jaguar." I heard him gasp and then suck in his breath. _Balam, make me strong_ , _give me the right words._ "Dad," I said as calmly as I could, "I'm still me. I'm still Maya."

He shook his head like he was trying to shake something out, then he kissed me on the cheek. "I know that, honey. This is...well, it's just going to take some getting used to. Can you be patient with your old man?"

I smiled at him. "Sure I can."

After dinner I decided to call Grandma to see if she knew anything that could help me figure out the weird vision I'd had. I walked into my bedroom and plopped down on the bed and dialed. She answered right away.

"Hi, honey, how is everything? Victrixa called and told me how beautifully you phased!"

"Yeah, I guess I did. Something really amazing happened to me last night, Grandma. I found my mate!"

"That's wonderful, _ts'unu'un_. Is it Matt? Has he phased?"

"Why do you say that?"

"Because he loves you! If a Mayan Elder phases, oftentimes the one that is meant for her will phase as well."

"Whoa, what are you saying? That Matt phased because of _me_? He wouldn't have phased otherwise?"

"His soul wanted to be with you," she said. "And because shifters mate only with other shifters, he made the transformation."

I thought I was going to puke. I'd turned my boyfriend into a shifter. Or rather my soon-to-be ex-boyfriend. _Again_. Then something else she'd said hit me.

"But why do you say I'm an Elder? You're an Elder, Grandma, not me."

"Why? Because I'm old?" she laughed. "I didn't start out that way, you know."

"You're not old, Grandma."

"Maya, I want you to listen to me now. It's not possible to have the strong life force that you have and not be an Elder. In fact, you have more _k'ul_ than anyone I've ever known."

I didn't know how to take that. I was quiet for so long, she asked if I was still there. All I could say was, "I'm scared, Grandma."

"The unknown is always scary, _ts'unu'un_."

"I know...it's just that...well, now I'm having visions," I choked out.

"Are these visions during rituals, honey?"

"Um, one was, but yesterday I had one in the school cafeteria. That's how I knew something was happening with Matt."

It seemed like an eternity went by before she answered me. "You know, Maya, that sounds like a different kind of vision. It sounds more like a premonition."

_Huh?_ "A premonition?"

"Some people have the ability to see the past, present or future. It sounds to me like you saw the present."

"Is that some kind of shifter or Elder thing?"

"No tribal Elder that I know could do it without first opening a portal into the Otherworld. And to do that, the Elder would need a ritual. I've never heard of a shifter being able to have a spontaneous vision at all." She was quiet for a moment. "Maybe I should speak with Victrixa."

"Thanks, Grandma. That would be great. I'll talk to you soon, I love you."

"I love you, too, _ts'unu'un_."

I put the phone down and lay on my bed, staring at the ceiling. I was totally stressing. I was having weird visions that no one could explain. This just wasn't normal. And it didn't help that Grandma wasn't sure what was going on. All my life, she had known the answers. And then there was Matt. I'd turned my boyfriend into a shifter! How would he feel when he knew that I was the reason he had phased? Would he be angry? Something inside my head whispered that he wouldn't want to be with me once he knew.

And I was an Elder? Jesus, were there even sixteen-year-old Elders? I had seen pictures of the Elders from Grandma's tribe and they all looked like, well...like Grandma! I mean, there were reasons why they were called Elders! They had lived long lives and had all kinds of wisdom and stuff. I couldn't figure out how to balance equations!

After a while, I got up, opened my door, and yelled for Dad to see if he'd already left for the lab. No reply. So I picked up my cell again and, trying to control my breathing, dialed Matt's number.

"Hey, babe," he said on the first ring.

"Are you busy?"

"Not too busy for you. I'm just doing homework. What's up?"

"I wondered if maybe you could come over for a little bit."

"Sure. Half hour sound okay?"

"That'd be great."

I lay back down on the bed, and I swear I didn't move until the doorbell rang. I flopped down the stairs and stopped at the door, trying to collect myself. This might be the last time I ever saw him. An image of his tortured face as he told me he was a shifter ran through my mind. I took a deep breath and pulled the door open.

"Hi, come on in," I choked out.

"Hey," he said. I started walking in the direction of the living room when he stopped me. "What? No hug?"

"I'm sorry," I said, snuggling into him. "Do you want something to drink? A Coke?" I asked, more to stall than to be polite.

"I'm good."

I led him to the couch and we sat down.

I had to speak, I couldn't just sit there. "Um, there's something I need to tell you, something I just found out."

"You're as white as chalk," he said. "Maya, what's wrong? Are you all right?"

_All right?_ "Well, you know how shifters have only one mate and it's always another shifter?"

"Sure. Everyone knows that."

"Well, it, uh, it turns out...." Jeez, how could I say this? "It turns out that I'm probably a Mayan Elder."

"Really? Well, I guess that's no surprise. Your Grandma Rosa is one. That's great, My! I'm proud of you."

"Could, could you just let me finish?" I stammered. My hands were shaking, so I tucked them underneath my thighs. "Usually two shifters find each other and they mate for life. It's almost _always_ two shifters. But, but I'm an Elder and I phased, so you phased too." I looked into his eyes and waited, waited for the moment that they showed understanding.

Yep, there it was.

"So you're saying that you phased and because I was meant to be your mate, I phased, too?"

"Yes." That was all I could think of to say. I looked down at my lap. The tears that had started to run down my cheeks said the rest. But instead of flying into a rage or walking out, he wiped a tear away with his thumb.

"Did you think I would leave you?"

"Uh huh," I said, nodding like an idiot. By now, I was just about ready for full-on snot-a-thon.

"Maya, look at me," he said tilting my chin up. "Maybe this is true, maybe it's not, but if it is, it just means that we're meant to be together."

"But everything you're going through might be because of me."

"It doesn't matter. Don't you see? My heart wanted you. And it did whatever it had to do to be with you. I love you, My."

"I love you, too." I sniffled again.

And then he kissed me. He kissed me in a way he never had before. In a way no one had ever kissed me before. It was hard and deep, hungry. I felt a rush of pleasure that was different from anything I'd ever felt. I reached up to the back of his neck to make sure he didn't stop. He put his arms around me and lifted me up, then laid me down on the couch. I could feel electricity everywhere our skin touched. I slid my hand down the back of his jeans trying to pull him against me. He moaned. It was like we were channeling the animal spirits within us. We broke away for a moment, panting, looking into each other's eyes. And I could see that the Wolf was there, but there was love there, too. So much love. I knew then that I would do anything for him. Anything.

CHAPTER SEVEN

A few minutes later, I saw Dad's headlights in our driveway as he pulled in. Matt and I walked out into the cool November evening. He took my hand, and I followed him to his car. I felt a sudden pain in my chest with the realization he was leaving. I didn't want him to go, even though in my head I knew he was just going home. _This is what it's like to be mated,_ I thought.

"Maya," he said, "you have to promise me something. If we ever find out that what you said is true ... If we learn that I phased so I that could be with you, promise me that you'll never ever feel guilty. I would have done anything to be with you. And I still would."

"And being Gray Wolf's not so bad?"

"I gotta be honest with you, My," he said with a laugh. "It totally sucks."

"Matt, do you feel sort of funny, I mean, about leaving?"

"You mean here?" He touched the left side of his chest. "Yeah, I felt it the first time the other night, after we first phased together and then we left to go home."

"I think it's because we're mated, don't you?"

"Yeah, it's like...."

"It hurts to just think about being apart."

"Yep."

I touched the side of his face. Instantly, the electricity surged through me. I pulled his neck down and kissed him. It got hotter when he suddenly pulled away. Shocked, I looked up into his face.

"We'd better not go down that road again," he smiled.

"I know. I'm sorry. It's just...."

"I know. I feel it, too. It's not like a normal, human thing. I've always wanted it with you, My, believe me, but this is...I dunno...."

"It's primal," I said, finally realizing what was happening. Sure, we were mates in the sense that we were meant to be together for life. Like all shifters. But there was more to it than that. There was a sexual part that seemed so overpowering. It seemed like since we both had phased, I could hardly get near him without needing to touch him. And the pull was getting stronger, I was sure of it. I had no idea how to deal with it. I mean, animals don't have to hold back. What the hell was I supposed to do, though? Ask Victrixa about it? _Hey, Victrixa, why am I, like, beyond horny?_ Yeah, right. Talk about your embarrassing conversations.

"Well," I said after a minute, "we're definitely going to have to do something about this."

"I second the hell outta that!" He laughed and got into his car.

### ~ ~ ~

Next morning before school, I met the twins in the parking lot. I knew I had to tell them about the vision I'd had, but, honestly, I wasn't looking forward to it. The more I talked about it, the more it seemed real. But I didn't want it to be real. I swallowed hard (not that I had any spit to swallow).

"Hey, guys," I said, "thanks for meeting me early."

"No problem." Lyssa smiled as Matt walked up.

"What's up?" Damian asked.

"Well, I needed to talk to you about a couple things and I didn't want to be overheard. Remember how weird it got at lunch when I thought something was wrong with Matt? Well, I haven't said anything to you because I wanted to talk to my grandma first. Anyway, the reason I knew that Matt was in trouble is because I had a premonition."

"What did your grandma say?" Lyssa asked.

Damian answered for me. "She had a vision."

"Does that happen a lot with shifters or with Tribal Elders?" Matt asked.

"How's that?" Lyssa asked. "You're a freakin' Elder?"

"Yep. My grandma told me last night that she thinks I might be a Tribal Elder."

"No shit! Maya, that is so cool!"

"Anyway," Damian said, looking directly at his twin, "I was wondering about the vision myself, so I did a little research."

"There's a surprise," Lyssa smirked.

"What'd you find out?" Matt asked.

"There is no known record of any shifter having visions unless they were also a Native American using ritual. And, actually, your vision was neither premonition nor precognition because those are always of the future. But that doesn't mean it wasn't a vision."

Sunday could not come fast enough. I was beginning to feel kind of desperate. What if Victrixa couldn't help me figure out what was going on? Or worse, what if she thought I was some kind of freak?

### ~ ~ ~

" _In Lak' ech_ , Maya," Victrixa said, greeting me on the porch.

" _Ala K'in_ , Victrixa."

"So how is everything going? Tell me about this mate of yours," she said with a mischievous smile. We sat down on the leather sofa in the "artifacts" room.

"You've been talking to Grandma."

She laughed. "Of course."

"Well," I said, "his name is Matt. He's a senior at my school."

She smiled again. "Well, that's handy. Do you have any questions for me? Feel free to ask me anything, Maya. I'm here to help with all of the strange and wonderful things that come with being a shifter."

"Well, I was wondering about something," I began nervously, "I feel like there's this pull between us. We hate to be apart physically and...uh...."

"Sexually?"

I nodded, feeling my face flush. God, this was embarrassing. It felt like we were having "the talk," except I was sixteen and she was definitely not my loser-mom.

"That's perfectly normal. Shifters have a bond with their mate that is different than a human bond. Your bond with your mate truly touches your soul. It's incredibly powerful. Do you know the human expression 'soul mate'? That term was originally used by shifters. In reality, we come much closer to it than humans ever could because of our strong _k'ul_. The expression just sort of caught on. We also feel the instinctual pull of our _naguales_ to mate. So you see, Maya, what you're going through is perfectly natural."

"Oh."

"You look like you could use a diet Coke. Let me get one from the kitchen. Are you hungry? I can fix a snack."

"That would be great."

When she went into the kitchen, I stood up and walked around the room, taking in all of the amazing pieces from Mayan history. I knew I probably shouldn't touch, but I picked up the vase with _Balam_ on it. Suddenly, out of nowhere, I felt a chill run down my body followed by a crippling nausea. Then there came a flash in front of my eyes that made me suck in my breath.

_...I'm sure that she's more than a shifter_ , I somehow heard a voice saying _. The grandmother trusts me. She has told me that Maya is having visions. But I need more time. If she is who we think she is, this has to be done right._ It was Victrixa's voice. She was talking to a group of others who were hidden in the shadows.

_Time is running out, Trixa,_ said one of the obscured faces.

Don't worry. She's incredibly naïve. I'll have her right where I want her very soon.

I was suddenly aware that I was panting so hard it was like I had forgotten to breathe for the last ten minutes. But it hadn't been that long, nowhere near it. I looked around the room again. Victrixa was still in the kitchen. Damn—I had to get the hell out of there, but how? I put the vase down and practically ran back over to the couch.

That's exactly when Victrixa walked back into the room. "Here we are," she said. She was carrying my diet Coke, a glass of wine, and some kind of fancy cheese with crackers. She put the tray on a small table and turned to me. "So," she paused, "Rosa tells me that your mate followed you into the phase."

Huh?

"Oh, that's just an expression shifters use to describe it when someone who would not normally have phased otherwise follows a Tribal Elder or another who possesses great _k'ul_.

Shit. I had no idea how to get out of there without answering more of her questions. "Oh, right," I said, nodding. If I nodded again, I was sure my head would bounce off my neck. A thought arrived. "You know," I said, talking fast, "I just got a text while you were in the kitchen. My math tutor needs to meet with me a little earlier than usual. I'm sorry," I said, "but math is really tough for me."

She looked slightly miffed. "That's fine," she said. "We'll continue this next week then."

She walked me to the porch and waved as I drove away. Oh, man, had that been believable? Did she know that I was onto her? And just _what_ was I onto? Why was she so interested in finding out more about me? As soon as I was out of sight of her land, I slammed my foot onto the gas and bolted to the highway. As I drove, my head spun. Then my stomach gave me its usual poke, letting me know that my stress level was off the charts again. All I could think was that Victrixa was Grandma's friend. Or, at least, she was pretending to be. But if not, then who was she? And what had she meant when she said I might be more than a shifter? It just didn't make any sense.

Well, in a way it did. Everyone seemed pretty much in agreement about two things. Matt had followed me into the phase (or whatever the hell it was called) and it was not normal for your basic everyday shifter to have visions. And here I'd just had another one. _Crap._ One thing was for sure—Victrixa wasn't who she said she was. End of story.

I was so busy trying to figure it all out that I almost missed my exit. I seemed to be doing that a lot lately. At first I headed toward home, but instead I hung a quick left and headed for the twins' house. I was feeling a twinge of guilt. What had I gotten my friends into? What had I gotten Matt into? Grandma? I saw the twins' car in the driveway and pulled in and parked behind them. Then I took out my phone and texted Lyssa to find out if they were home alone. My answer came right away as she pulled open the front door and waved me in.

"Maya, what the—?"

"I need to talk to you guys!"

"Maya, what's wrong, honey?" Damian asked. He looked worried.

"Something's happened, and before I tell you about it, I need you to know that this could be bad. Very, very bad." It was all I could say to warn them because I had absolutely no idea what I was warning them about.

"Is it about the vision?" Lyssa asked.

" _Visions_ ," I clarified. "Plural."

"What happened?" Damian asked.

"I was at Victrixa's, and when she went to get me a diet Coke, I picked up this vase in her room. I don't know. It triggered another vision somehow." Suddenly I realized I had a whopping headache.

"Maya, you're shaking," Lyssa said, leading me to the sofa.

"The vision...well, what I heard...it was of Victrixa, and she was talking about me to a bunch of other people."

"Who?" Damian asked.

"I don't know. I couldn't see their faces. They were someplace too dark. It was like some kind of meeting or something. But I could see Victrixa. I know it was her, for sure. And they were talking about me!"

The twins shared a look. "What did they say? Could you hear them?" Damian sat down on the other side of me so that I was now sandwiched between my friends. It made me feel a little safer.

"Victrixa said that I might be more than a shifter, but that she needed more time. And some guy, I think it was a guy, said that time was running out. And she told him that she almost has me where she wants me!" And as I said it out loud, it just kind of hit me. "Damian, she knows I have visions. Grandma told her, she knows!" I collapsed in tears against the back of the sofa.

"I'm gonna call Matt," he said.

"Yeah, she needs him," Lyssa said, grabbing an afghan from the back of the couch while Damian dialed his cell phone.

I somehow didn't hear what he said, but it wasn't long before Matt was there and I was in his arms. Damian must have told him what had happened. The conversation continued right where it had left off, except now it was sort of going on without me as I lay with my head on Matt's lap and he stroked my hair.

"I think we need to go to the library at WNMU," Damian said.

"Let me guess," Lyssa said. "Research."

"Well, something's going on," Matt said. "I trust Maya's vision."

"So we blow off classes tomorrow," Lyssa said. "Let's meet in the visitor parking lot at the university campus tomorrow morning."

"We'll have to be careful," I said. "Tomorrow's Monday. My dad will be on campus."

Matt touched my cheek. "Shh. We'll manage."

By the time I got home it was 7:30 and I hadn't even touched my homework. It was a good thing we wouldn't be in school tomorrow. I did my best to get done what I could, but it was impossible to focus. _More than a shifter..._ It kept playing over and over in my mind. I had been so scared when I first learned that I was a shifter. But then Matt had phased too and we were so happy. It seemed like it was our destiny to go through this great adventure together. But then things just kept spinning out of control, and I was starting to wonder if I'd ever have control over anything in my life again.

An hour later, I gave up and tried to fall asleep. When I heard Dad shut his door, I realized I'd been lying there for over an hour. I got up and quietly walked to my dresser. I pulled an old T-shirt out of the second drawer and, rolling it up, laid it along the crack at the bottom of my door. Then I opened my window and lit my little incense stove. I dropped in some _copal_ , waited for it to melt, and began to purify myself with the smoke.

" _Balam_ ," I whispered, "you are my spirit guide. I ask that you send to me your wisdom and lead me to the answers that I seek. You have gifted me with the power of your vision. Help me to use it wisely and to not be fearful of it. _Balam_ , I ask that you show me how to be worthy of the trust of my friends and the love of my mate. And may I continue to be one with my Jaguar soul."

My spirit felt calmer. I walked over to close the window. An owl hooted softly somewhere. I blew out the little candle and crawled back into bed. Thankfully, I fell into a long, dreamless sleep.

The next morning, as I drove to the university where Dad taught, I decided I'd better call Grandma and let her know what was going on. I pulled over and hit my speed dial.

"Maya," she said, "should you be calling me during school?"

"I'm just heading in to class," I said. Man, I hated lying to her. My gut tightened. "Grandma, I need to tell you something really, really important." I sighed. This was going to upset her.

"What is it, _ts'unu'un_?"

"I had another vision ... and it was ... it was about Victrixa."

"Victrixa? Really?"

"Yeah, and, Grandma, it wasn't good. I think she's involved in some kind of cult or group or something." I hated telling her this. She was so trusting, she was so ... me.

"Well, that doesn't sound like her." I could hear the confusion in her voice.

"I know," I said, "but she and this...this group think I'm not just a shifter. They're trying to find out more about me for some reason. I think they might be dangerous."

"And your vision was very clear, Maya?"

"Yes. I'm sorry." I didn't know what else to say. "Grandma, please don't see her or speak to her. I'm afraid for you."

There was a pause on the other end of the line. "I trust your vision, _ts'unu'un_ ," Grandma said. "It is a great gift. I won't speak with her again."

"Thanks, Grandma. I know this couldn't be easy to hear."

"Your safety is what's most important. Please be careful."

"I will, I promise. I love you."

"I love you, too, honey."

I had arrived at the university. I hung up my phone, turned the corner, and pulled into the visitor lot. My friends were already there.

"I come here all the time," Damian was saying to Matt. "All we need to do is get around to the front and get in. There are plenty of tables in the back on the second floor. We just need to get in without Maya's dad seeing us."

I looked at my watch. "He should be in class right now. We should be good," I said.

We walked in without a hitch and signed the visitor log. From there, we followed Damian to the ancient history section, where he started pulling books off the shelves and piling them into our arms.

"Um, shouldn't we be looking up information on shifters?" I asked.

"No, I don't think so," he said, looking at another spine. "Victrixa seems to be looking for something else. You guys go on upstairs and get started," he added. "I've got something I wanna check out."

"But what are we looking for?" Lyssa asked from under her pile of books.

"We'll know when we find it," her twin answered.

"Okaay...."

Matt took a few books off the top of her pile, and we walked up the back stairs and found a table way in the back. Then we started to read. And we read. We must have been there at least an hour before anyone said anything.

"This sucks," Lyss said. "There's too much information to get through."

"Look, I know there's a lot," Matt said. "But somewhere in here is the answer to what's happening to Maya and why it's so important to Victrixa."

Lyssa was right. I'd had no idea how incredibly huge the Mayan civilization had really been. But it drew me in...their gods, their work with math and the stars. I couldn't seem to stop reading.

"What?" Damian, said, suddenly staring at Lyssa with a look of aggravation on his face.

"Huh?" Lyssa said, looking first at Damian, then at me. I shrugged.

"What did you just say to me? That's just rude, Alyssa."

"Uh, no one said anything," Matt said.

"No, she did. She just said that this is another one of my pathetic ideas." Damian sounded angry.

"I did not!" Lyssa said, "I didn't say anything. I was just thinking that... Holy shit! I was just, just thinking what he said!" She clapped her hand over her mouth and pointed wildly at her twin.

"Whoa," I said. "Wait. What?"

Matt looked from twin to twin. "Wait a sec," he said. "Alyssa, don't talk, just think something. Damian, you just sit quietly."

"Oh. My. God," Damian said. "Whisper to Maya what you just thought."

Lyssa whispered in my ear, then nodded at Damian.

"Lyssa thinks Matt's a hottie," Damian said.

"That's right!" I exclaimed. "That's what she said she thought!"

"Now try it the other way," Matt said as he sent a smartass air kiss to Lyssa.

It was Damian's turn. When he had finished his thought, he whispered it to Matt, who was sitting next to him.

Matt grinned. "Okay, Lyss."

"Damian just thought my outfit makes me look like a ho," Lyssa said, then she made evil eyes at her twin.

It was amazing, but the whole time this was happening something was scratching at my brain. This all made sense, somehow, like I'd had thoughts about it before. And then it clicked.

"Holy crap! That's it! This is how you guys always seem to know what moves you're going to make ahead of time when you play soccer together! I think this was always there, at first maybe just some kind of intuition. And now it's like full-on telepathy!"

"But it's just between you two?" Matt asked.

"I dunno," Lyssa said, "everybody sit quietly for a minute."

"Anything?" Damian asked.

"Nope," Lyssa said.

"Wait," I said. I picked up one of the books I'd been reading. "I think I saw something in this book about a set of twins."

"Shut _up_ ," Damian said.

"I think we're going to need these books for a while," Matt said.

"But we can't use my dad's card without him knowing, and you know how he is about all this Mayan stuff," I said. "Plus we totally blew off classes today."

"No card needed," Matt said, walking over to the window. "Who wants to play catch?"

CHAPTER EIGHT

We were hard core criminals. (Well, maybe not hard core, but throwing university property out the library window had to at least make us badasses.) We didn't take all the books, of course, just the ones that seemed most important. Sadly, we had to leave one behind because it was too fat to fit through the suicide safety windows. Carrying our load of books, we ran around the back of the building and then to the parking lot.

"Let's hook up at our house," Lyssa said. "The rents won't be home until late. See you there."

Matt and I watched them drive off. "How Bonnie and Clyde was that?" he said, giving me a quick, breathless kiss.

"You goof," I laughed.

I followed him to the twins' house, and when we got there we found them in the living room, ready for a full-out study session that even included Cokes and snacks. I was fumbling through the books for the red one that had mentioned something about twins when a small blue book caught my eye.

"Damian, is this yours? The one about names?" I asked.

"Yeah. That's the one I went looking for in the library."

"What for?" Lyssa asked.

"Oh, just a hunch." He took the book out of my hands, and then we all settled into comfy chairs, sofas and pillows and started to read.

"Lyssa, could you read to yourself, already?" Damian said.

"I am reading to myself. It's not my fault you're in here with me!" she said, pointing to the side of her head.

"Whoa," Matt said, "You guys are really going to have to learn to control that."

It was true. They fought all the time as it was, just like every other brother and sister I knew. But, seriously, what was going on here? Clearly, everyone around me was developing these crazy powers. But why? I tried to focus on what I was reading, marking pages that might be important with sticky notes as I went.

"Oh. My. God!" Damian yelled so loud I practically jumped off my chair.

"What is it?" Matt asked, standing up and moving to where Damian was sitting on the couch.

"I think this is why Victrixa thinks Maya's more than a shifter!"

"Oh? It has to do with her name?" Lyssa said.

"Um, that's really annoying," Damian said, "but, yes, it does have to do with her name. This is a book about the origins of different names. Listen to this: _The name Maya is found in almost every major religion in the world. In India, Maya, spelled M-a-y-a, was Queen Maya of Sakya, the mother of Siddhartha Gautama, the Buddha._

"Buddha had a mom?" I asked.

"Well, duh," Lyssa said.

"Shh," Matt said.

Damian read some more, then looked up. "This same spelling of the name also refers to another name for the Hindu goddess Durga, meaning 'invincible.' As Durga, she is the protector of the world, vanquishing evil, such as greed, hatred, and prejudice. She is a savior in times of chaos—"

"That's incredible," Matt said.

"Wait, there's more. There's another spelling of her name." He started reading again. _"In Greco-Roman mythology, Maia, M-a-i-a, was the earth goddess, the eldest and most beautiful of the seven sisters of the Pleiades. The name meant 'mother,' or 'great one.'"_ Damian looked around at what must have looked like blank expressions. "Hellooo! Am I the only one seeing a common theme here? All of these women were amazing. The mother of Buddha. Greek and Hindu goddesses. Saviors."

"But what does all this have to do with our Maya?" Matt asked.

"I think these women were all the same soul," Damian said. "I think that she's only 'our Maya' to some degree. I believe that she is the reincarnation of all these earlier women."

Suddenly I heard a loud crack.

"Shit! Maya, are you okay?" It was Lyssa's voice coming from somewhere.

"I got her." It was Matt's voice.

I felt myself being picked up and put down on something soft. Then I heard Damian's voice.

"I'll get some ice."

"She's gonna have a nasty bump," Lyssa said, sounding closer to me.

"She'll be okay," Matt said.

I opened my eyes. I was lying on the couch. They were all staring at me. "What happened?" I asked.

"You fainted and hit your head on the coffee table," Matt said, holding ice wrapped in a kitchen towel to the back of my head and stroking my hair. "Can you see okay?"

"Uh, yeah," I said. How the hell could the reincarnation of anything but a huge dork possibly faint and smack her head on a table?

Matt helped me sit up, and I sat there, holding the ice against my head as gracefully as possible while the debate continued.

"I don't understand what this really means," Lyssa was saying. "What's the point?" Damian gave her a look. She tilted her head to the side for a moment and said, "Oooh."

I couldn't stand it. "Hey, hey, wait a minute! You can't do that! Jeez, this is worse than you two babbling in Spanish all the time."

Matt looked at Damian. "Wait a second. Did you just show her what you know?"

"Yep."

"That is so awesome," Matt said.

"Yeah, it's freakin' fabulous," I said.

"Look, honey," Damian said squeezing in to sit next to me, "I know all this is scary, believe me, I do. I mean, you have no idea how frightening the very thought of having her in my head all the time is—"

"—hey!" Lyss broke in.

"As I was _saying_ ," Damian said, "I think there's a reason for everything that's happening. I'm just not sure what that is yet. But we'll figure it out."

I could somehow hear, in my soul, _Balam_ telling me that Damian was right. This wasn't about just individual powers or shape-shifting. I should have been afraid, I guess. How could I be as important as all those Mayas in the book? I couldn't even vote yet. But there was obviously something happening that was bigger than us. I looked around, thinking about how different we were just two weeks ago. The changes in us were happening fast, as if there was some kind of urgency to it. Damn, my head was killing me, and I was tired of everything running around in it. Well, I guess it was better than having two people running around in it. I couldn't imagine what the twins were feeling.

"Time for a break," Matt said, grabbing the remote and sliding down to the floor between my knees. We snacked on Doritos and dip while we channel surfed.

"Hey, go back a channel," I said.

"The History Channel? Not exactly the kind of relaxation I had in mind, babe."

"Shh," I said. He went back, and we watched and listened as the narrator described the end of the Mayan calendar that was set to occur on, according to many researchers, December 21, 2012.

"Isn't that the end of the world thing?" Lyssa asked.

"My God, it's only three weeks away," Matt said, looking up directly into my face. "Maya?"

"This is it," I said, "I know it, Matt. I can _feel_ it."

"I think we're just going to have to trust it," Damian sighed. "Which sucks. I'm a man of reason, not faith."

"We'll figure it out somehow," I said. "I mean, we've made it this far." I could feel _Balam's_ strength filling me. "I ... I feel like I'm being called to something. We're on the right path, I know it. This is going to sound crazy, you guys, but I think we're going to be led to the next step. We just have to wait."

"I just can't believe I missed it. It's been all over the news and the Web," Damian said.

Matt stood up and pulled me to my feet. "I think I'm gonna take Maya home. She probably shouldn't drive, just to be on the safe side. Do you guys mind if we leave her car here overnight?"

"No. Lyssa can drive it in to school tomorrow," Damian said.

"I can speak for myself, thanks," she snapped.

"Oh, my God," I said.

### ~ ~ ~

That evening I somehow managed to catch up on most of my homework, even though my head still hurt. I was just starting to look through the list of topics for our upcoming biology project when the doorbell rang downstairs. I heard voices briefly before Dad called me down.

"Maya," he said, "there's a Ms. Mendoza here to see you."

Aw, crap, crap, crap.

I sighed and walked downstairs, pretty much resigned to my fate. I mean, I'd ditched school. I'd been caught. Now I had to take what was coming to me. It was a little bizarre that my English teacher had bothered to come to my house to see me about it. But there she was, standing in my living room. She was wearing a skirt, jacket, and heels, like she'd just now come from school. And she wasn't smiling.

"I'll let you two ladies discuss your business," Dad said, shooting me a look before closing the door to his office.

" _In Lak'ech_ , Maya," my teacher said, holding her hand over her heart.

My eyes bugged out of my head. "You're ... you're ..." I couldn't speak.

"A shifter, yes," she said. "Is there somewhere we could talk?" She looked around the house and changed her mind. "Maybe we could go for a drive?"

My stomach was practically jumping out of my body. "Uh, sure," I mumbled. "I'll just let my dad know." She was only the second adult shifter I'd met, other than Victrixa. What if she was somehow part of all that? That shady group? I knew deep down that it wasn't Victrixa I feared as much as the others who'd been in my vision. I hadn't been able to see them. They could be anyone. Maybe I was just being paranoid. I hoped I was. I swallowed hard.

"So, uh," I said, as I closed the passenger side door of her car, "is this about missing school today? I mean, I've never ditched classes before, and I promise it was for a really good cause," I blurted.

She smiled and started her car. "Not really. Although I did notice that Matt Caldwell and the Vasquez twins were also absent today. Also without permission, I might add."

"Oh."

She continued to drive and when she started to leave my neighborhood, my heart rate doubled.

"Relax, Maya," she said as she pulled into a parking space at the Galleria. "I just didn't think it would be a good idea to talk about this in your house with your father there."

"Talk about what?"

"Victrixa Mata."

God, just the mention of her name gave me the creeps. I could feel goose bumps all up and down my arms. "You know her?"

"Well, we know _of_ each other, let's put it that way. Maya, my name is Adriana Mendoza. I _am_ a shifter, and I'm also of Mayan ancestry, just like you are. I was asked to take a teaching job at your school so I could watch you and make sure Victrixa kept her distance. Unfortunately, I only just found out that she was mentoring you last week."

"Who is she, Ms.—"

"Adriana, please. Call me Adriana. Victrixa Mata is a leading member of a group called Toltec. It is Toltec's mission to make sure that the world, human and shifter, does not transition into the New Age on December 21, 2012."

"You mean that shit is _real_?" I said, before I could stop myself. "Oh, I'm sorry." I felt myself flush.

"No need to apologize, I'm sure it comes as quite a shock," she said. "But it is indeed very real, and Toltec will do anything they can to stop it."

"But ... why?"

"Well, what we know is this. There are two surviving holy books from the Mayan civilization that existed thousands of years ago. One of these books, the _Popol Vuh_ , contains the Mayan creation story. The second book, the _Chilam Balam_ , holds prophecies based on the famous Mayan calendars. I assume you've learned something of those?"

"Yeah. In Spanish class," I said. (It made total sense. It was the only part of Spanish class that was in English, so I'd actually understood something for once in my sorry life.)

Adriana smiled. "Basically, we believe the _Chilam Balam_ tells us that when the Mayan Long Count calendar ends on December 21st, a New Age will arrive. This New Age will be the opposite of our current times. There will be no war or violence, no greed, no hate. The earth will be cherished as it once was and no longer be destroyed as it now is. All of the peoples of the world will unite, and there will be an end to chaos."

"That's _it_? That's what all the fuss has been about? All the TV shows and movies?"

"Well, no one is guaranteeing a smooth transition. There could be some bumps in the road. It would probably take weeks or even months to see the effects. Maybe longer. We can't be sure."

"And these Toltec people?"

"Toltec is by far the greatest threat to the change. They want very much to stop this from happening. Its members profit far too much from the fear, hatred, and chaos in the world the way it is now. They value money and power above all else. They are corrupt and evil."

"But, but...what I don't get is, what would they want with me, Ms.—Adriana?"

"The events of the 21st won't just happen by themselves, I'm afraid. Has your grandmother explained to you the meaning of _k'ul_?"

"Sure, it's the flow of life. The life force we all have."

"That's right. It's the divine force in everything. It's energy. Different people have more or less of it. Shifters happen to have quite a lot. That's how we can identify one another. You see, Maya, this energy runs through everything all over the earth. And, in order to set the transition in motion, the energy must be set in motion."

"Huh," I said, "I did a report on the Egyptian pyramids once, and it said that they're supposed to be, like, processors of energy or giant conductors or something. Is that kind of what the Mayan pyramids were built for?"

"Exactly."

"But you'd still need something to start the whole process off, though. Right? I mean, what's supposed to get the transition started?"

"You are."

CHAPTER NINE

But that's insane!" I protested. "I'm just a high school junior. Why does everyone think I have anything to do with this?"

But I knew in my heart it was true. It was the reason why my mark was different and why I'd been having visions. It was why my friends were developing crazy powers. My heart was pounding and my arms and legs were going numb.

"Because you have more _k'ul_ than anyone our world has ever seen," Adriana said. "You've been accumulating it for centuries, all for this one day in time."

"The reincarnations," I said. "So Damian was right."

"The Mayan people have always believed in reincarnation. We had been searching for you for years, as had Toltec. But it wasn't until last summer that you were found."

"Last summer?" I asked.

"It must have been quite soon after you and Matt got together and all the changes started happening. You had such incredibly strong _k'ul_ that Richard sensed it. Around the same time we also learned that Victrixa had purchased a large piece of property nearby. That also tipped us off."

All I could do was blink my eyes and try to keep up with all of it. "Who's Richard?" I asked.

"Richard is my mate. He found you last June. He's been keeping an eye on you ever since."

"His second form wouldn't be an owl by any chance, would it?"

She laughed. "Yes. _Tunkuruchu_. I'll have to speak to him about his hooting habits." She laughed again. "Oh, Maya, you have no idea how very glad we are to have found you ... if for nothing else than to keep you safe from Toltec."

But I knew that wasn't the only reason. As we talked, the weight on my shoulders was growing heavier.

"I need to talk to my Grandma," I told her.

"Of course you do," she said. "I'm sorry. This is a lot. I know it must be very hard for you to take it all in." She laid one hand on my shoulder. "I can't even imagine. But you're not alone in this. You need to know that. And before you say anything, I should tell you that, either way, we are prepared for your answer. If you decide to go, we have everything all arranged. And if not, we will be able to offer you our protection until after solstice on December 21st."

It was funny how she phrased it that way, as if I really had a choice, because we both knew I didn't. Plain old history class seemed like a total waste of time when you compared it to actually helping to make the world better. I just wished I believed in myself as much as Adriana seemed to.

"Matt will want to be there with me," I finally said.

"I would expect nothing less. He is your mate and he has that right."

"Oh, crap, Adriana—the twins! I can't believe I forgot about them. Something else has happened. They've become telepathic. They can read each other's minds!"

She nodded. "We wondered if they might phase or some other such thing."

_No, not again._ "So I did do that to them? Is it from being around me, like what happened with Matt?"

"First of all, Maya, I want you to understand that although it's not common for one mate to follow the other into the phase, it _does_ happen. I followed Richard."

"You did?" _Holy crap!_

"Yes, I did. So I can tell you with total honesty that it just feels totally natural to me. And I'm sure Matt feels the same way. As for the twins, something tells me that they still have some part to play in this whole thing. I'm just not sure what."

"Will they need to come with us?"

"So you've agreed then!"

"Yes, I...I guess I have." Sometimes I wished my heart and brain would just shut up for two seconds already.

"I think it would be best if they came," she said. "And your grandma. I think there's a chance we'll need her wisdom." She smiled warmly. I didn't know if she was just saying that or if it was actually true, but I couldn't have cared less.

As we pulled into my driveway, Adriana put the car into park and turned to me.

"Maya, we need to be ready to leave for Mexico no later than the day after tomorrow. I'm going to need you to talk to your father about a trip with your grandmother to spend Christmas with your relatives there. I know it's not going to be easy, but you're going to have to be very convincing. It's important for his safety. We can't risk him trying to find us or asking any questions. Do you think you can do that?"

I nodded. I hated lying to Dad, but I knew he would be worried sick if he knew what was really going on. And if it would keep him safe...

"It will work best if Matt and the twins use the same story. Do you have your cell with you?" I handed her my cell phone and watched as she quickly hit the keys and then handed it back to me. "I've programmed three numbers into your cell," she said. "You have mine and Richard's. You also have Alma's. She runs the safe house in Mexico. If you get into trouble, use them, in that order. And, Maya, this is very important. I need you to be very, very careful between now and the time we leave. There will be shifters here, around your property, to keep an eye out. Richard is here now. _In Lak'ech_ , Maya. And be safe."

" _Ala K'in._ And thank you." I got out of the car and, lost in my thoughts, watched her drive away.

I started to walk toward the door when I suddenly felt a strong arm grab me around the waist and a gloved hand go over my mouth. Frantic with terror, I tried to pull away, but the guy was too strong for me. I was being dragged to the back of the house. I knew that if we got that far, I'd never survive. I tried to phase, but I couldn't calm down long enough to focus. I managed to hook my boot on the corner of the house, but that only slowed us down momentarily. And that's when I heard it. It sounded like a rabid dog, snarling and growling. I managed to turn my head just enough to see. It was Matt in his gray wolf form! My would-be kidnapper turned and ran toward the trees, phased into an eagle, and flew out of sight. Totally freaked out and exhausted, I fell against the side of the house. Matt trotted over, phased back, and put his warm, human arms around me.

"It's okay, My, it's all right. I'm never gonna let anything happen to you." He held me while I cried. It wasn't until I finally calmed down, that I began to wonder why he was here.

"What are you doing here?" I asked.

"I'm here with Richard," he said, to my surprise. "While Adriana was with you, Richard paid me a little visit."

"Jesus, Matt!"

"I know, I know. It's a lot. Listen, I'm relieving Richard for the night, so I'll be here if you need me."

"I want to meet him," I said. "Thank him."

"He's already gone. We'll see him tomorrow. Come on, let's get you inside."

We walked around to the front of the house where Dad was standing just inside the front door.

"What the hell happened out there?"

"Just some kind of stray dog," Matt said. "It caught us by surprise."

"Sounded like a whole pack of stray dogs," Dad answered.

I noticed Matt couldn't help but grin at that. I leaned up and squished his cheeks.

"Well," he said, "I guess I'd better get going. I don't want Mom worrying about where I've got to."

Thankfully, Dad excused himself and went up to bed after warning us to keep it short.

"You're gonna be out there alone?" I asked, worry creeping into my chest.

"I'll be fine, babe. And there's backup further out if I need it. I'd never forgive myself if something happened to you."

"Ditto," I said, leaning up and touching the side of his face. " _In Lak'ech_ ," I said, laying my hand on his heart.

" _Ala K'in_." He put his hand on mine and he pulled me into a soft, gentle kiss that made my insides warm.

We said good night and I walked upstairs and knocked on Dad's door.

"Come in, sweetheart," he said. He had his glasses on and was lying on his bed reading.

"Dad, could I talk to you about something?"

"Of course. But first tell me why your English teacher was here tonight."

More lies. I hated this. "Well, she's been working with me on something for English ... an essay contest, and she just told me that I was accepted into the first round. She just bought me a coffee. She wanted to talk about where we were going to go from here."

"That's excellent, honey! I knew you'd been working hard lately. I've hardly seen you."

_One down._ "Uh, I wanted to ask you something, too. Grandma has invited me to go to Mexico with her to celebrate Christmas with her family. I know we usually spend the holidays with your family, but Grandma just thought it would be good for me to meet my other relatives." I waited while he thought about it.

"Well, you know how I feel about that Mayan business," he began. "Now hang on," he said as I opened my mouth to protest. "Hear me out. You know how I feel about it. But on the other hand, I feel like I kind of owe you one after how I acted when you told me about being a shifter. I should have been more supportive. So, yes, you can go. As long as you make up your school work." He put on his most serious face.

"Really? I can go? That's great, Dad! Thank you so much!" I ran over and gave him a hug.

"You're welcome. Now good night."

"Thanks again," I said, heading for the door. But as soon as it clicked behind me, my smile faded, because I knew what he didn't know. What I was going to Mexico for was far from a holiday.

When I woke up the next morning, Dad's car was already gone. I took a shower, put on some jeans and a sweater, and ponytailed my hair. Not only was I happy to be able to wear my hair my favorite way again, but I also felt proud to show my mark. (Even though the rest of the world thought I was just super fond of tattooed trees when they saw it.) I had just started to put some things in my duffle bag, but when I picked up Grandma's little incense stove I felt the familiar chill run down my back....

Grandma was walking outside on her land. She raised her camera and took several photos of some birds. She was backing up as she looked through the lens, trying to get the best angle she could. But she wasn't looking where she was going. There was a hole in the ground behind her. Her back foot slipped and as she tried to get her balance, she fell in.

"Grandma!" I yelled. I ran to my bedside table, grabbed my phone, and hit the speed dial for Adriana's number.

"Maya, what's wrong?" she asked as soon as she picked up.

"It's Grandma. I had a vision. She's fallen or is about to fall in a huge hole on her land."

"Maya, listen to me. I want you to stay where you are. I have shifters who can fly there quickly. I'll call you as soon as I know anything." She hung up.

_No, no, Grandma_ , I thought, gripping my phone for dear life. I rocked back and forth on my bed, tears flowing freely. Fifteen long minutes later, my phone rang in my hand. It was Adriana.

"Maya, we've got her. She's going to be okay. It looks like she's got a broken ankle and a bunch of scrapes and bruises."

"Thank God. How did you get to her so fast?"

"We have a couple of shifters that phase into hawks." She paused. "Listen, there's something you need to know. The hole wasn't a natural sink hole. It was dug out by shovel. There were several of them."

"You...you mean this was done on purpose?"

"Toltec. Had to be. We're taking her to Gila Regional. I'm sure you'll want to see her. But with her age and injuries, I'm afraid she won't be able to make the trip with us. I know it's a blow. Stay strong now. I don't think they intended to kill her. I think this was done purposely to rattle you. You can't let them get to you."

"Right now I just wanna see her."

"Of course. But take Matt with you."

What the hell was I going to do? What was happening to the people I loved? They were all being hurt just because of me. They were all in danger. Damn it! I heard the screen door slam.

"Maya?" _Matt_.

"I'm up here," I called. "I'm coming." I grabbed my bag and headed down the stairs.

"She's okay," he said, putting an arm around my shoulders as we walked to his car. "She's gonna be fine."

When we got to the hospital, it was all I could do not to race to her room.

"The doctor is still with her," the pretty blond nurse in puppy dog scrubs said, "You'll have to wait a few minutes."

We sat down on some chairs in the hall. I sat with my legs over Matt's, playing absently with the silver Figaro chain he always wore around his neck. He traced my mark with his finger. Neither of us spoke. When they finally told me I could see Grandma, I got nervous jelly legs. I've never particularly liked hospitals, and I didn't want to see her hurt, lying helplessly in a hospital bed. I peeked around the corner of the door. Her eyes were closed. At first I thought she was asleep, but she caught me.

"Maya, baby, come in."

"Hi, Grandma, how are you feeling?" God, she looked awful. She had cuts and bruises everywhere and they had her ankle elevated.

"I feel okay. They gave me something for the pain. Come over here and give me a hug."

As she held me, I started shaking and I could feel the hot redness of my eyes threatening tears.

"Oh, Grandma, I'm so sorry," I said.

"Sorry for what, _ts'unu'un_?"

"This is all my fault. Toltec is trying to get to me. If it wasn't for me, this never would have happened."

"Listen to me now," she said, tucking a stray strand of hair behind my ear. "What you are doing is an extraordinary good. Toltec did this to me in their evil, not you. You can feel badly that this happened, but I will not have you take on guilt for something you are not responsible for. You do that far too often."

"I'm scared," I whispered.

"Of course you are! What you're doing takes a tremendous amount of courage. But you can do this. Draw on the wisdom of the great women whose souls you share and on the strength of _Balam_. I believe in you. You were born to do this, _ts'unu'un_."

"I wish you could come with me," I said.

"I do too," she said and hugged me tight again. "But my spirit will be with you."

"I love you, Grandma." I kissed her cheek and left the room before I turned into a puddle.

Matt took my hand and we walked out into the sunlight.

"You should have seen her," I said, "She looked so little and frail. She had cuts and bruises everywhere and they have her leg up in this sling thing. I've never seen her look like that before."

"Grandma Rosa has a ton of spirit, My. She's like a force of nature. She'll be okay."

Matt dropped me off at home so that he could finish packing. I noticed that my car was back. The twins must have been by while we were at the hospital. Yep. There was a note on my windshield telling me that they knew about Grandma and that they would be visiting her that evening. Once I was finished with my packing, I started what would be the last dinner for my Dad and me, at least for a while. I decided to broil a steak. I usually tried to keep his red meat to a minimum, but this seemed like a special occasion. He might not have known it, but I did.

"It's very generous of Rose to offer to take your friends down with you," he said.

Oh, no. Dad had no idea about Grandma, and she was our cover!

"Yeah," I said, "well ... I think she thought it would be a really good experience for everyone. You know, the twins go down quite often, but this would give them a chance to see the Yucatan. And Matt's never been at all."

He cut another bite of steak. "This is delicious, sweetheart. You really went all out tonight. Any special reason?" Man, he was not making this easy.

"No, it's just that I'm going to be away for a while, leaving you to your take-out and frozen dinners." (Not that it mattered to him. He'd eat like a truck driver if I let him. Sheesh.)

Dad volunteered to do dish duty, so I headed up to my room and my phone so that I could text everyone a reminder that our parents could not know that Grandma was in the hospital. I also asked the twins to be sure to remind Grandma about it. Man, lying just sucks.

CHAPTER TEN

It turned out there were only six of us on the actual trip: Adriana and Richard, Matt and I, and the twins. It was nice to finally meet Richard. He was tall with very dark hair, pretty gray eyes, and the darkest lashes I had ever seen. He introduced himself quickly and then went on loading the SUV. He was definitely all business, that's for sure. Damian and Matt helped him, and as soon as they were finished, we all packed into the Explorer. Richard drove, with Adriana riding shotgun, Matt and I took the middle seats, and the twins were in the third row.

Our trip was a long one. Living in the middle of nowhere meant we couldn't just hop on a plane and go to Mexico (or anywhere else). We had a long drive to get to any real airport. We also had to be sure that we weren't followed. We couldn't risk Toltec figuring out the location of the safe house in Mexico. The obvious route would be to leave from a major airport in New Mexico, but instead we drove a little over three hours to Tucson, where we boarded a private jet.

"Toltec aren't the only ones with support and connections," Adriana said, giving me a wink.

The long flight gave Adriana and Richard the opportunity to start working with me on energy exercises that would help me to recognize the _k'ul_ inside of me and eventually control it.

"Should we start with becoming aware of energy?" she asked.

"Let's just work on meditation and centering. I'm not sure having her work with energy on the plane is advisable," Richard said.

"You're right. Playing with energy in a small enclosed space...."

"Especially 30,000 feet up in the air," I said.

"Technically," Damian began, "Cruising altitude varies between 25,000 feet and—"

"Oh, whatever," Lyssa said.

"Twenty-five thousand and what?" Adriana asked.

"Oh, no, see, it's not good to encourage him," I said.

"I know, right?" Lyssa giggled.

"Hey!" Damian protested. "I'm right here!"

"And here!" Lyssa pointed to her head. For some reason, that just busted everyone up. There had been so much tension over the past couple of days that I guess we just needed an excuse to finally let go. Everyone except Richard, who sat there grinning and shaking his head at us. (Seriously, I think for him that _was_ letting go.)

And Matt slept through the whole thing. (I swear that guy could sleep anywhere.) While I sat in the lotus position on the floor of the plane and Richard played Yoda to my Luke, the twins worked on their telepathy.

When we arrived in Merida, Yucatan, it was night, but the city was wide awake. There were tons of people everywhere and a lot of traffic and noise. It took us a while to get through town in our unmarked van, but once we were out of town, everything went pitch black. There were no lights on either the highway or the road that ran alongside it.

"This drive normally takes under three hours in daylight," Richard said, "but we really need the cover of darkness so our movements can't be tracked." He had to drive incredibly slowly to avoid hitting anything. We were all starting to drift off when a huge bang woke us up again.

"Sorry, everyone!" Richard said.

"Do we have a flat?" Matt asked.

"No, we hit a _tope_ ," he answered.

Wha—?

"Speed bump," Adriana said. "They're all over out here. To keep traffic from speeding through the Mayan villages."

"And, unfortunately, they're impossible to see in the dark," Richard added.

As we continued to drive, I finally managed to drift off. I didn't wake up again until we stopped. We had made it to the safe house by first light. I looked at the villa-style white stucco home that stood before us. It was all one level and was quite large. It actually reminded me a lot of New Mexico. Beyond the house I could see a garden, and I also noticed that the house and land were totally surrounded by a tall, white stone wall that didn't look original to the place. It must have been ten feet high. It reminded me that we weren't here on vacation.

"Look, Maya!" Lyssa pointed across the yard.

Damian looked, too, and grinned. "Hey, it's a _ceiba_ tree. It looks just like your mark!"

"Yeah, it actually does," I said.

"This used to be an inn before we acquired the property," Adriana said. "Alma should be around here somewhere."

We grabbed our bags and followed Richard into the house. The inside had an open floor plan with a large kitchen at its center. The living area and patio were at one end and a hallway with several rooms was on the other. The floor was all tile to help keep it cool on long, hot days.

Alma came down the hallway and greeted us with a warm smile. She was very petite, barely five feet tall, and had light mocha skin and short, cropped, dark hair. She looked like she was almost sixty. I noticed that she didn't have a mark.

"Oh, you are here!" she said in accented English. She gave Richard and Adriana a hug.

"Where is everyone?" Richard asked.

"Oh, out prowling around." She turned to the rest of us. "You must be the twins." They babbled briefly with her in Spanish, then she directed them down the hall to their rooms.

"Alma, this is Maya Delaney," Adriana said, "and this is Matt Caldwell, her mate."

"It's wonderful to meet you," she said. "I gave you two the room with the blue door, across from the twins' rooms. Why don't you unpack and rest? I'll have breakfast ready in half an hour. If you ever need anything, my daughter and I live in the little house next to this one."

"Thanks, Alma," I said, smiling.

Matt and I headed down the hallway. I looked across the hall into the twins' rooms where Damian was listening to his iPod and Lyssa was unpacking. She wiggled her eyebrows at me when she saw me follow Matt into our room. I shut the door behind us. Man, she could be annoying.

"Uh," I said, "slightly weird to be sharing a bedroom with my English teacher just down the hall."

"Well, number one, she's not really your teacher. And you know it's different with shifters. They don't even think about it. You know, when Richard told me that he and Adriana had been together fifteen years, I asked him if they were married and he was, like, 'why?'"

"Yeah," I said. "I guess it's not really part of shifter culture."

"It _is_ part of Catholic culture, though."

"Yep. We'll definitely be getting married." I dropped my bag on the bed.

"No doubt. I might be a foot taller than my mom, but she still scares the hell outta me!"

We plopped down on the bed to wait for breakfast, and I totally surprised myself by drifting off for twenty minutes. Then we heard a slight knock on the twins' door, then on ours, and we knew it was time to eat. For breakfast, we had tortillas with scrambled eggs, black beans, and plantains, along with fresh orange juice to drink. We were all starving after the trip, and the food was delicious. No one said a word while we ate, and afterward everyone gave a quick nod as we headed back to our rooms to catch up on some much needed sleep.

"Do you need to use the bathroom?" I asked Matt.

"Nope." He was already heading for the bed. I should have known. By the time I had washed my face and brushed my teeth, he was fast asleep. I crawled in beside him. Sadly, I was sharing a bed with my mate for the first time and I was hardly awake long enough to notice.

When I woke up late that afternoon, I could hear Matt in the shower, so I decided to go across the hall and see if the twins were awake yet. They were both in Lyssa's room, already showered and dressed.

"Hey, look who's up," Damian said.

"How long have you guys been awake?" I asked.

"Not long. So...how's your mate?" Alyssa asked.

"Oh, shut it."

"Touchy, touchy."

I had to change the subject. "So have you guys met any of the other shifters yet?"

"Alma said most of them will be around later to eat and change up guard duty."

_Change guard duty?_ I wondered how many of them there actually were. I was more than slightly uncomfortable about all of that. It should have made me feel safer, but for some reason it only seemed to reinforce the fact that there were some serious haters out there...somewhere.

Sometime after dinner, the shifters began to trickle in, a couple at a time. I was surprised to see that they weren't all Mayan, or even Hispanic for that matter. There seemed to be more or less equal numbers of men and women, maybe twenty or so, and they were all older than we were, with the exception of Ana, Alma's daughter. She looked about twenty. She was very tall, taller than me, and I'm well over average height. It was kind of comical, seeing her next to her mom. She wore her dark hair in a chin length bob that was cut up in the back to show off her mark. It was a tribal mark of a snake. Her haircut was a really cool idea. Kinda made me wanna cut mine. Almost.

I loved the pride they all had in being shifters. Grandma had been right (as usual). Shifters were respected here. People looked up to them. No one here was hiding who they were. I could tell that it was definitely something that agreed with Matt, and I was so glad for him. Until....

"Matt, is it okay if you take the next watch with Chris and Sara?" asked a redhead named Liam. He had a cute brogue.

"Sure," Matt said.

"Wait," I said. "Whoa, you're not going out there, are you?"

"Richard, could I speak to you for a moment?" Adriana said in a tone that made it clear she wasn't really asking. They walked down the hallway that led to the bedrooms. A door closed.

" _I told you this would happen."_

" _He's her mate, Adri. It's natural instinct for him to want to protect her."_

" _Well, I'm sorry if I'm less concerned with his manhood than I am about making sure that Maya is comfortable here."_

" _She'll be fine. I'll just have him take one short watch a day, daylight only."_

" _I can't work with her and expect her to focus when she's worried about Matt all the time. It's just not gonna work. We're all giving up things for this, Richard. He's going to have to as well."_

I noticed Matt walking quickly toward me from across the room. I couldn't imagine what my face must have looked like. I had just seen and heard everything that had happened between Adriana and Richard while they were a hundred feet away behind a closed door. What was happening to me?

"Matt, I...." I started to speak, but I stopped when I realized how incredibly dizzy I was. At this point, my senses were flashing between the two rooms and I couldn't make them stop.

He must have figured it out because he started to lead me to a kitchen chair. "Richard!" It sounded like he was yelling under water.

"What is it?" Adriana asked, coming quickly into the kitchen.

"I don't know. Something happened to her right after you left."

"I'll get her some water," Richard said, heading to the refrigerator.

"I was afraid of this," Adriana said. "Maya, can you hear me?"

"Er...."

"What's happening?" Matt asked, looking from one to the other.

"She's coming into her abilities so fast now, I'm going to have to start working with her right away. She either learns to control them or they will control her."

"What's going on?" Lyssa and Damian came in from the patio.

"Maya's visions are advancing," Richard said.

"She can see and hear what's going on in other rooms," Matt added.

"My guess is that she can do much more than that," Adriana said. "But starting tomorrow, teaching her how to control her energy is going to be top priority. And that should give the two of you plenty of time to work with your own abilities," she said to the twins. "You need to work on putting up a wall around your thoughts so that you can use your telepathy only when you want to."

"Hellz, yeah," Lyssa said.

"What she said," Damian agreed.

"Well first," Richard said, "everyone needs a good night's sleep."

Matt and I walked back to our room and got ready for bed. I couldn't believe how tired I was, considering we had just gotten up a few hours ago. I crawled into bed next to him and he pulled me close. It felt so good to be in his arms. Slowly, the stress and weirdness of the day began to melt away.

"How are you?" he asked.

"Better," I sighed. "Matt?"

"Yeah?"

"I want you to go ahead and do some guard duty with Richard."

"Where did that come from?" he asked, propping himself up on an elbow.

"Well, when I overheard him speaking with Adriana in the other room, that's what they were talking about. Adriana didn't want me to worry about you. She was afraid it would break my concentration while I was working with her. Richard didn't think so."

"Well, will it? I'm all for contributing, but I don't think I'd be helping out much by worrying you."

"But you have a right to do it if you want to," I argued.

"Sure, but that doesn't mean that it's the best thing for _us_. I can find other ways of helping out. There's a ton of work that needs to be done around here."

"Are you sure? Because Richard—"

"Hey, I'm not Richard. And I should have checked with you first. Right now we're all on Team Maya. We need to be behind you."

"Okay, well, just so you know it's not always going to be that way."

"I know, but for right now you're just going to have to accept it or _else_ ," he said, tickling me until I froze up in a little ball.

"I love you," I said, snuggling into his chest.

"I love you, too, My."

I lay there, awake and still thinking, long after I heard Matt's breathing even out.

The weight on my shoulders was increasing. I had been a little nervous during the trip, but here everything around me seemed to remind me of what was expected of me (never mind the dangers). I mean, I had _guards_? _WTF?_

Finally I decided to get up and call Grandma to let her know that we had arrived safely. The Yucatan peninsula ran only an hour ahead of New Mexico time, so I didn't think it would be too late to call. I found my cell, opened the door quietly, and tiptoed out to the living room. All the lights were off, so I assumed that everyone had gone to bed.

"Oh, Maya," she said when she answered, "I'm so glad you called. How was your trip down?"

"It was fine, just long," I said, "How are you feeling?"

"Much better. I'll be going home in the morning."

"Grandma, isn't there someone you could stay with for a while, so you won't be alone?" I wanted to make sure that she would be okay after leaving the hospital, but I knew that deep down I was also worried about Toltec trying to get to her again. It still upset me to think about that first attack.

"I'll be staying with Jack and his wife," she said. "I think you've met them before."

"I think so, once, a long time ago. I'm glad you have somewhere to go."

"I'll be fine. I don't want you worrying about me. Are you settling in okay?"

"Yeah, I guess."

She must have heard something in my voice. "What is it, _ts'unu'un_?"

"I'm starting to have more visions, Grandma. Really powerful ones. I could see and hear Adriana and Richard when they were talking in another room. Then I got so dizzy. I dunno. Adriana says we have to start working with _k'ul_ right away."

"I know it's hard," she said, "but try not to be afraid. When you are able to balance your energy better, those kinds of things will stop."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes, honey, I am. Now you go and get some rest, _ts'unu'un_. You have a lot of work ahead of you."

"Okay, Grandma. I love you."

"I love you, too, sweetheart."

I left my dad a quick voicemail to let him know we had arrived safely, then I turned my phone off. As I started to walk down the hallway, I stopped. A shadow moving in the kitchen startled me. As my eyes adjusted to the light, I realized that it was one of the shifters who had come in from duty after dinner. I could just barely make out the outline of his tall body and dark shoulder length hair. He said nothing as he turned and walked out into the moonlight.

CHAPTER ELEVEN

At breakfast the next morning, we all sat at the long table that ran directly down the center of the big kitchen, with Lyssa, Damian, Matt, and I at one end. We pretty much kept to ourselves. It was hard to get to know the other shifters, who lived in two big log cabin-style buildings at the back of the property. They were always taking their turns at guard duty, so when it came to meals, we sat at the table with a totally different configuration of people all the time. But this morning, I couldn't help but notice the guy I had seen in the kitchen the night before. He was sitting across the table near the other end.

I watched him curiously as he tucked his hair behind one ear. He was very tan and was clearly Mayan or from some other Native American tribe. He was definitely tall, maybe a couple of inches taller than Matt, who was 6-1. I was wondering if he had overheard my conversation with Grandma the night before. Was I paranoid? He seemed much less threatening in daylight, but when he looked up and caught me looking at him, I quickly put my head down and grabbed my orange juice and took a long drink. When I looked back up, though, he was still staring at me. _Whatever_ , I thought. I could appreciate that he was here to help, but he seriously needed to learn some manners. I looked at Matt, who was sitting to my right. He was looking directly at the guy.

After breakfast, boot camp started. Adriana led me down the hallway and through the room she shared with Richard. I was surprised to see that there was a sunroom off their bedroom. It was at the back of the house, so I hadn't noticed it yet. The room was all windows except for the ceiling, and it was air conditioned so it was as comfortable as the rest of the house. And the view! It was beyond beautiful. There was a huge garden to the right where the most lovely irises, orchids, and plumeria grew, surrounded by guava, papaya, lemon, and orange trees.

"What kind of trees are the ones with the bright yellow flowers?" I asked Adriana.

"Those are called _lluvia de oro_. In English it means 'rain of gold.' But I think people call them golden shower trees."

"I like the Spanish better," I said, surprising myself.

"Me, too," she agreed. "Well, I thought this would be the best place for us to work. It's secluded, away from all the comings and goings of the rest of the house. And being surrounded by nature can often help us to connect to it. Now we've worked on some centering and meditation. The idea is that you need to learn to calm your inner noise, your thoughts, so that you can recognize the _k'ul_ that flows through your body. Once you can do that, you will learn how to build power and use it."

"That will stop it from going all wonky?"

"That and so much more, I promise. Today we're going to work on grounding. It's important to stay balanced so you stay in control. But first I want to explain portals."

"Portals?" _Why did that sound familiar?_

"Yes. When you activate a portal, you create a space that is sacred. That sacred space lets you pass into the celestial realm. That realm is where your personal _nagual_ exists. Each time you phase, you are actually calling the spirit of your _nagual_ through a portal so that it can share its power with you. Shifters have enough _k'ul_ to be able to do that at will. Maya, you have an incredible amount of _k'ul_. I believe that you will be able to summon and use a portal or possibly even multiple portals any time you wish."

"Really?" I was stunned. It finally came to me when I had heard about portals before. Grandma had mentioned them. But hadn't she said that even the Elders needed to use ritual to open them?

"Wouldn't I need to use a ritual to use a portal for something other than phasing?" I asked.

"That's the traditional way to open one, but you will be able to do it without any ritual at all."

"How do you know that?"

"I believe the portals are the source of your visions. They're also what allowed you to be able to see and hear me talking to Richard yesterday. I think you've been opening portals without even realizing it. First, you learn how to harness your _k'ul_ and open and close these portals at will. Once you can do that, you'll be ready for what you'll need to do on the day of the winter solstice."

"The last day of the Mayan calendar." I suddenly felt my stomach starting to churn.

"Exactly. You know, I'm picking up on a lot of stress coming from you. Let's just forget about the solstice and focus on the task at hand, okay? I know that it's scary, Maya, but once you get things under control, I think you'll feel better."

Maybe Adriana was right. I prayed she was right.

"Let's start working on grounding. First, stand perfectly still. Don't slouch. Stand up to your full height, like there's a marionette string attached to the top of your head and holding you up."

I straightened up. "Like this?"

"That's perfect. Now close your eyes. Notice your breath as you breathe in clean air and breathe out what your body no longer needs. As you breathe in, visualize the air going down through your body, down your legs, and out through the bottoms of your feet. Imagine it connecting you to the earth and all the life that the soil contains. Continue downward, as though your connection to the earth is in long tendrils, like the roots on your mark. Okay, now imagine that your roots are opening up and allowing the earth's energy to begin to move through them. Let it come up through your roots, entering your legs. Follow it through your torso and up into your arms. Can you feel it?"

_Could I feel it?_ I was positively vibrating. And it was collecting in me, stronger by the second. "Uh, Adriana, how much should I be feeling this?" I asked.

"It should feel like a gentle thrumming."

Gentle? Not so much. I was totally suffused with power. The feeling was most intense in my hands. Without thinking, I opened my eyes and looked at them. They were _glowing._

"Uhh...Adriana," I said, my voice filled with panic.

Adriana opened her eyes and looked at me. "Okay, I want you to lie down on the floor. Quickly. Put your body in contact with the ground as much as possible. Let any extra energy go back into the earth."

I got down on my stomach and put my head down, my cheek against the floor. I watched as my hands slowly returned to normal and the pressure inside me calmed. After a couple of minutes, Adriana told me that I could sit up normally. I sighed with relief.

"Was that supposed to happen?"

"I've never seen it happen before," she said, "but clearly you are capable of harnessing an amazing amount of energy."

"Is there such a thing as too much _k'ul_?" I asked.

"There is, yes. Too much _k'ul_ can be harmful, especially if you're out of balance. But you weren't, Maya. You were completely grounded. Clearly, you are strong enough to contain it."

"What would have happened if I hadn't sent it back down into the earth?"

"If you knew how to control it, you could use it. But you're not there yet. Now that you've let go of the extra energy, can you feel a gentle thrum in your body?"

"Oh, yeah," I said.

"Okay. Cross your legs and focus. Follow your breathing."

I followed my breath as it passed in and out of my body. Slowly, my mind cleared.

"Tell me what you see," Adriana said.

"I see...Matt. He's over by the eastern wall. He's talking to that shifter with the long dark hair."

"Cesar? What are they saying?"

I let myself go deeper into the vision. They were...arguing.

" _You heard me,_ Matt was saying _. I wanna know what your deal is with Maya. You were staring at her at breakfast, and it's not the first time."_

" _So because you're her mate you own her? Is that it?"_ Cesar answered in accented English.

" _No, I don't own her. But if you're doing something that I don't like, I'm sure as hell gonna let you know."_

" _And what exactly do you think is going on?"_ Cesar asked.

" _I've seen you watching her and I wanna know why,"_ Matt repeated _._

" _Is this a joke? So I looked at your mate. What are you going to do, gouge my eyes out?"_

" _Damn right!"_

I could sense the energy coming off of him. "Oh, my God," I exclaimed. "He's gonna phase!" I ran to the porch door and pushed through it, then dashed in the direction of the eastern wall. I ran around the corner just in time to see Matt become Gray Wolf.

"No!" I yelled. Too late. Cesar phased into a Kodiak bear. I felt a sudden surge of power inside me and I watched in disbelief as the two huge animals flew apart in opposite directions. They landed on their sides and phased back, looking confused and disoriented. I stopped cold, watching as they slowly stood up.

"Maya, are you all right?" Adriana came up behind me and put a hand on my shoulder.

"Did you see...I just...." _What just happened?_

"I know, honey, I saw it. You still had a lot of energy in you."

"But how did I...?" I just stood there. A moment later, Matt came up to us and startled me out of my thoughts. I looked up at him. His eyes searched mine, looking for some kind of explanation. But I didn't have one. I didn't know what to say. I didn't know who I was anymore.

"My, what happened?" he asked. "Are you okay?"

"I guess I saw you two phase and...I just, I panicked."

"Did you—?" He turned to face Adriana. "Did she?"

"Yes," Adriana answered. "We were working, and she had a vision of you two arguing, and she ran out here and stopped you."

"Jesus, My, I'm so sorry. Look, I shouldn't have lost it back there. But there's something going on with that guy."

"Cesar?" Adriana asked. "How so?"

"I don't know. He stares at her all the time. He watches her. Something's not right."

"Matt, you're going to have to deal with people looking at her. I know your protective instincts are stronger than a human's, but you can't phase every time someone gives her a glance."

"That's not it," Matt said.

"Look," Adriana said, "Cesar has been with us for almost five years. I appreciate you looking out for her, Matt, I really do. But Cesar can be trusted. I promise."

"Okay, fine," he answered. He turned and walked away toward the house.

Adriana put an arm around my shoulders and walked me back to the sunroom. "I'm sure you'd like to talk to Matt," she said. "I just wanted to explain to you how that whole thing probably happened."

"I threw them apart! Two huge animals and I threw them apart like they weighed nothing, like toys. How could I do that?"

"Well, actually, you didn't."

"What?"

"You didn't physically push them. You opened two different portals and sent each of them through a few feet."

_WTF?_ "I did?"

"You did."

"Huh."

She smiled at me. "Now, why don't you take a break? We can work some more after lunch."

I walked back into the house, cutting through Adriana's bedroom again, then looked in on the twins. They were in Damian's room with Richard, working on their telepathy. I turned and quietly opened the door to my and Matt's room. He was sitting with his back to me on his side of the bed. As I watched, he leaned forward on his elbows, rubbing the stubble on his unshaven face as if deep in thought. I closed the door behind me with a quiet snick.

"Matt? Are you okay?" I whispered.

He turned his head. "Yeah. I was just thinking. Come here."

I walked over and sat down next to him. I stared at the floor, wondering what he could be thinking about me and this newest display of my freakish powers. I could feel a massive stress headache coming on. I rubbed my temples.

"Are _you_ okay?" he asked, putting an arm around me.

"I guess."

"That was pretty incredible, what you did out there."

All I could do was shake my head. "It may be incredible, but it's not _normal_ , Matt."

"Come on, don't do that."

"My hands were glowing— _for real_ —while I was working with Adriana."

"Okay, so you can manipulate mind-blowing amounts of energy. We knew that. That's why we're here, babe."

"Yeah."

He straightened up. "Look, I need to ask you something. Have you noticed Cesar looking at you or doing anything...unusual?"

"I saw him looking at me at breakfast."

"Anything else?"

"I don't think—oh, wait." I thought for a minute. "I saw him in the kitchen last night. I couldn't sleep, so I went out to the living room to call Grandma. I saw him in the kitchen after I hung up."

"Do you think he was listening to your conversation?"

"I don't know, maybe, I'm not sure when he got there. Matt, what's going on?"

"I have an idea," he said. "You're not gonna be real psyched about it."

My stomach gave me its usual jolt. "What is it?"

"I know we agreed that I wouldn't do any guard duty, but I think I'll be able to keep a better eye on him and find out more if I get in with the rest of the shifters."

I exhaled. "You really think it's that important?"

"Yeah. I do. And if I could think of another way of dealing with it, I would do it, you know that."

"I know," I said, laying my hand against his cheek. "Just be careful, okay?"

"I will. I promise you," he said.

"Okay. I guess that's all I can ask." Man, I desperately needed to clear my head. "Let's go see what the twins are up to and give them an update."

We went across the hall and found the twins in Lyssa's room, watching a _telenovela_ on Mexican TV.

"That's a sad, sad replacement for _Glee_ ," I said, shaking my head in mock disgust.

"Whatever," Lyssa said. "I'm going through withdrawal. I'll do what I gotta do to get my fix."

"It does have a somewhat addictive quality to it," Damian agreed.

"Oh, please," I said.

"So, guys, how's the telepathy going?" Matt asked.

Damian looked at his sister, then at Matt. "Well, the good news is Lyssa can bug the hell outta me from really far away now."

"The bad news is that learning how to put up our mental walls and get some privacy totally blows," Lyssa added.

"Yeah, it's really hard," Damian said.

"There's no friggin' way we're gonna figure it out in this lifetime."

"Listen," I said, "Matt and I need to talk to you guys about something."

Lyssa popped some gum into her mouth. "Shoot," she said.

Matt quietly shut the door and sat down on the bed next to me. "I think we've got an issue with one of the shifters," he said in a low voice. "Do you guys know who Cesar is?"

"Tall, dark, and hottie?" Lyssa asked.

"Shoulder length hair," Damian added.

"Yep. Well, I think something's up with him. I've caught him watching Maya a lot," Matt said.

"Okaaaay. What if he's just checking her out?" Lyssa asked.

Matt shook his head. "I don't think it's that kind of watching. If it was, I wouldn't be concerned. I think it's something else."

"Like what?" I asked.

"I wish I knew."

CHAPTER TWELVE

I felt restless the next afternoon while I was waiting for Matt to come back from his first official guard duty. I knew he was doing it for a good reason, and I was actually glad he was getting a chance to contribute. That was important to him. I just wished it wasn't fraying my nerves into little itty-bitty pieces. I paced from the kitchen to the living room and back again, getting lost in my thoughts and imagining the worst. I was sure that if Toltec made any kind of move against us, it would happen while he was on duty. Just to prove how sucky my luck was. Just to piss me off.

"Hey," Lyssa said, coming down the hall.

"Ohmygod, are you done practicing?" I asked her.

"Mm hmm."

"Hallelujah," I said. "I've been going crazy out here. Where's Damian?"

"Richard lent him his laptop."

"Well, that's the last we'll see of him," I said with a snort.

"Ya think? Hey, I have a little surprise for you. And by the hole you're wearing in the floor, I'd say now's the perfect time."

"For what?"

Lyssa walked over to the fridge and (wonder of wonders!) pulled out a diet Coke.

"No frickin' way!" I snatched the can out of her hand with a big, goofy grin on my face. "How'd you ever get this?"

"Richard said that two shifters were going into Valladolid for supplies they can't get around here. I happened to mention a few things that could go on the list."

I grinned at her. "I wondered where you got more gum!"

"Oh, but it gets better. Take a look in the fridge." She opened the door again, waving her hand with a little flourish. " _Ta-da_!"

"Whoa!" I squeaked. "A six pack!"

"Uh-huh. And the rest is under your bed. I figured it would be safer there."

"There's more? You're the best, Lyss," I gave her little bod a big bear hug.

"Okay...squishing the girl."

"Sorry," I said, and backed off, taking a seat at the kitchen table. Lyssa sat down next to me, rubbing her temples. "Is it your head?" I asked her.

"Yup. This headache brought to you by the letters E, S, and P."

"It's not getting any better?"

"Yeah, actually, it is. We just have to work really hard at it, you know? It takes so much energy just to keep the wall up for a really short time. And then we always have the headaches after."

"It'll get better," I said, as if I knew anything. "You just need to be patient."

Lyssa leaned forward until our noses were practically touching and squinted.

"What the hell are you doing?" I asked.

"Just making sure it's really you in there and not Richard."

"Smartass."

Just then, a petite shifter named Selena came in from the patio. She had a little wispy blond bob and big blue eyes. She always wore the front of her hair wrapped in a different funky scarf every day, and she also wore the most beautiful silver rings, many of them with precious stones. She seemed really cool in an offbeat sorta way, but, like most of the shifters, I hadn't gotten a chance to know her.

" _In Lak'ech_ ," she said brightly.

" _Ala K'in_ , Selena," I said, smiling at her.

"Waiting for your man?" she asked me. "Don't worry, honey. He's doing a great job. He should be back in about an hour."

"Yeah." I let my chin rest in my hands.

"Hey," she said, "how about if I do a reading for you? It'll take your mind off your troubles."

"You mean, like, a Tarot reading?" Lyssa asked. "Hell, yeah! Those are awesome."

"Um, I guess," I said, not feeling quite as enthusiastic as Lyssa. That stuff always kind of creeped me out (yes, even twenty-four hours after the glowing hands episode).

Selena sat across from us at the kitchen table. She reached into her bag and pulled out a deck of cards and a big paper chart. Even though I was looking at it upside down, I could see that it was full of numbers and symbols.

"This kind of divination is going to look a lot different than what you might have seen in the States," she said. "It uses ancient Mayan glyphs on the cards. But don't worry. I'll interpret them as we go. Now, when were you born?"

"August 7, 1995," I said.

"Okay," she said, pulling a card out of the deck and laying it on the table, "Your sun sign is _Balam_ , the Jaguar. That's the obvious one. It's the symbol of divinity."

Divinity?

"Now, the Jaguar birth sign is also called the White Wizard, which is shown on this card."

The picture (I mean, glyph) on the card looked nothing like a wizard. Actually, it looked kinda like a round white marshmallow.

"The White Wizard's characteristics are Magician, Healer, and Psychic. And you must have a deep connection to Mother Earth."

"You have no idea," Lyssa said, reminding me of yesterday when I was face-planted on the floor, frantically trying to give Mother Earth's energy back.

"You are a natural leader," Selena continued, "but you must keep in mind that your ability to win over others must never be misused. You walk with great humility, integrity, and gratitude. Never lose those guiding principles, because without them, your sign's energy can corrupt you."

I looked up and noticed that Adriana had come in and was standing behind Lyssa's chair.

"Are you doing a full reading, Selena?" she asked.

"Yes. I just started."

"Mind if I watch?" The question seemed directed at me, so I gave a quick nod in response.

"Now," Selena said, pulling another card out of her deck, "I'm going to place your birth sign in the center and place four cards around it, one at a time, representing north, south, east, and west."

I watched her lay out the first card with a mixture of curiosity and jittery excitement. I wasn't even sure I believed in the whole card thing, but my sun sign sounded interesting enough to make me want to hear more. _Who knew?_

"Okay," she said, "now, the card at the top, or north, is called the White World Bridger."

"Ah," Adriana said knowingly.

"The White World Bridger means that your purpose is to bring harmony to peoples of different races, cultures, ideologies, religions, and so on."

I swallowed hard, not wanting to look up from the table, because I knew what I would find. All three of them would be sharing looks of understanding. I was pretty sure that what was suddenly occurring to me was no doubt dawning on them as well. That card represented what I was supposed to do on the December, 2012, winter solstice.

Selena laid the card down. "The third card is placed at the bottom to represent the south." I noticed this one had a yellow marshmallow on it. "The Yellow Human card tells us that you have very strong psychic abilities in addition to your spirit magic."

"Huh?" I looked from Selena to Adriana.

"Don't worry, Maya," Adriana said. "It isn't like we're just finding this out right now. You're working on controlling your powers. You'll be fine."

I threw Lyssa a glance, and she looked back at me as if to say _no worries_. But as I kept looking at her for a moment, I saw the look fade quickly. Then I realized she might be thinking about her own psychic powers. It was just now dawning on me that Lyssa might be as unsure and nervous about her powers as I was about mine. I mean, sure, she had Damian, but still.... I made a mental note to not get so caught up in my own stuff.

Selena took another card from the top of the deck. "The card on my left is the Blue Hand. That tells us that you are destined to become a healer."

"That makes sense with her sun sign being the Jaguar," Adriana said, smiling. "Selena is also a wonderful healer, Maya."

Selena flushed slightly and continued. "Remember, Maya, bad memories can weigh us down and keep us from developing healthy self-esteem. We all need to release our own pain so we can continue to progress on our paths."

"So you're saying that the thing I need to work on most is—"

"Yourself."

Was she kidding me? Suddenly, this whole wax on, wax off approach was starting to give me a headache. I mean, dealing with past issues could only mean one thing, my loser-mom. And my brief life history had taught me that the less I thought about her, the better. I refused to give her any power over me.

"What's the last card?" I asked, eager to move things along.

"The last card is placed to the right, representing the east." Selena slid the next card off the top of the deck, flipped it over, and laid it on the table.

Suddenly, I heard Adriana suck in her breath. I looked up at her. The look on her face was one of pure shock. Then I glanced at Selena, who was just staring at the card in silence. I gazed back down at the card. Red marshmallow.

"Are you sure that's the right card?" Adriana almost whispered.

"Yes," Selena answered, "I'm positive."

"What's going on?" Lyssa asked in a nervous voice.

"This is the Red Serpent card," Selena said.

"Er, what does that mean?" I asked.

"Well...just like every card, it is interpreted based on what it is and where it lands."

"But what does it mean in the east position?" Lyssa asked impatiently.

"In this case, the meaning is one of duplicity," Adriana said.

Wha—?

"Someone that we believe is an ally is actually working against us," she explained.

My thoughts went immediately to Cesar. He and Matt were outside the stone wall in the surrounding jungle. Was Matt in danger? Were we all?

"There's more," Selena said, "the sign is a serpent. Victrixa's second form is _Kan_ , the snake."

"Wait, what? No. She told me that it was a deer!"

Adriana shook her head. "I'm sure she told you that because she wanted you to feel safe. She needed you to trust her. But the cards clearly show a double meaning here. Someone that we think is working with us is spying on us. Or possibly worse."

"Do you think it might be Cesar? Like Matt thought?" I asked.

"I'm not sure, Maya. But we're going to find out," Adriana said, pushing away from the table. "I need to go find Richard. Selena, thank you very much for your help."

"Of course," Selena said, still looking worried as she picked up the cards and her chart.

Adriana paused at the door. "You know, perhaps you could help in another way too," she said. "Would you be willing to take over working with the twins while Richard deals with this?"

"Absolutely," Selena answered with a kind smile.

Alyssa and I hadn't moved an inch when Matt came through the kitchen a few minutes later. He looked beat and ready for a shower.

"What's going on?" he asked us. "You two look like ghosts."

"You were right," I said. "There's someone here who is working for Toltec."

"Are you sure? Did something happen?"

"It's all based on this Mayan divination thingy," I said.

"What?"

"Come on," I stood up and took his hand. "I'll explain it on the way."

"I'm gonna see if I can surgically remove my brother from Richard's laptop so I can fill him in," Lyssa said. "See you guys at dinner."

"Okay," I answered, following Matt into our room. "Why don't you jump in the shower first?" I told him. "I really should try to call my dad."

He gave me a quick kiss. "I'll be right out."

_Whoa_ —suddenly I had the overwhelming urge to follow him. And when I say follow, I mean like chase him down and jump on him. (Talk about your mating call, _jeez_.) Sighing, I took my cell phone out and carefully dialed the international codes. Dad wasn't home, which I had pretty much expected. He probably hadn't even left campus yet. It was just as well. What was I supposed to say to him? I could barely hear his voice on our voicemail without choking up. I managed to swallow the lump in my throat and leave him a quick message that I was fine and that we were having a fabulous time. _Fa-bu-lous_. Yeah, right.

I needed to deal with my ever-increasing stress level, so I sat in the middle of the bed and crossed my legs and closed my eyes. I evened out my breathing and started following my breath as it flowed in and out of my body. Slowly, my mind let go and I felt the tension in my body begin to ease. Adriana and Richard's room suddenly came into focus.

"... _but, who could it be, Richard?" I heard Adriana saying, her voice cracking with emotion. "Who could it possibly be? Half of them have been with us since the beginning."_

" _That's true," he said. "And there's another fourth that have been here for almost that long. Ten years or so." He paused. "But I'm not even sure that we're looking at it the right way."_

" _What do you mean?"_

" _Well, does it follow that the shifters who have been with us the longest are necessarily the most loyal?" Richard asked._

" _Oh, God, I don't know. I just don't know." Adriana sighed. She sat down on the edge of the bed with her face in her hands. "Let's think. No one knows about this except you, Selena, Matt, Maya, and me. And none of us would say anything, right? Selena is completely loyal."_

" _There's no doubt," Richard said. "I'm sure the twins know by now, too."_

" _That's not a problem. They won't say anything."_

" _Right," Richard said. "After dinner, we'll make sure that everyone in our little group understands that no one else is to know we've got a visitor. In the meantime, I think Matt and I are going to do a little investigating. We need to figure out who it is and what information they have given to Toltec."_

" _We're just so close, Richard."_

" _I know," he answered. I saw him sit down on the bed next to her and put his arm around her shoulders. "We knew this wasn't going to be easy—"_

"Maya?"

_Holy bejeezus!_ I almost jumped out of my skin.

Matt touched my shoulder and I jumped again. "Sorry, babe. I didn't mean to startle you," he said.

"It's okay," I said, "I was just trying to de-stress a bit."

"So, what's the deal with the Tarot cards?" (Deal? Cards? Ha!)

I brought my focus back to him and our room. "Well, they're pretty much used like regular Tarot cards, except the pictures on the cards are Mayan glyphs. Selena was doing a reading for me while I was waiting for you to get back. Anyway, she and Adriana think the last card showed that there's a traitor here...som—someone..." Out of nowhere, my eyes blurred so much I could hardly make out Matt's face. I started to feel weak. I began to lose feeling in my legs, like they were going totally numb. I couldn't hold myself up.

"Maya? My? Jesus, My, you're white as a sheet! Here, just lay back on the pillow. I'm gonna get help."

"What the hell happened?" I heard Richard ask as he came into the room.

"I don't know." Matt's voice was filled with panic, "One minute she was talking, and the next she looked like she was about to pass out."

"Adriana?"

"Someone get Selena. _Now_."

CHAPTER THIRTEEN

"Well, is it related to what we found out with the reading today?"

I could hear Adriana's voice, but I felt too weak to open my eyes. All I wanted to do was lie there...forever.

"I'm not sure yet," Selena answered. "It's too soon to tell. It's not just physical, though. Her energy is way, way off."

All of a sudden my eyes popped open.

Matt was kneeling next to the bed. He took my hand, and I was able to slowly turn my head and face him.

"Hi," I said.

"Hi," he said, smiling in relief. "She's coming back," he said to the others, trying to wipe away a tear with his sweatshirt without me seeing.

Selena came closer. "Maya, how do you feel?" she asked.

"Still kind of weak," I managed.

Then I saw Richard step forward. "Why don't we let Maya rest," he said. "We'll bring you some dinner in a bit," he added, and then he ushered the twins away from the door. He and Adriana followed them out.

"I'll stay with her," Matt said to Selena.

"Okay. Just call if you need me." She walked out of the room, closing the door behind her.

Matt slid into bed next to me and gently pulled me into spoon position. "Just rest, babe," he said, stroking my hair.

And just like that, I fell asleep.

### ~ ~ ~

I didn't wake up until the next morning. Surprisingly, I felt just like myself. Letting Matt sleep in, I hopped in the shower. Suddenly I realized that I was starving. I brushed my teeth, put on shorts and a tank top, and threw my hair in a quick ponytail. When I got to the kitchen, Alma was starting breakfast.

"Good morning, Maya," she said. "You are feeling much better?"

"I feel great," I said, grabbing a can of diet Coke from the fridge and popping the tab.

"I'm so glad," she smiled.

"Would you like some help?" I asked.

"No, no, I'm fine. Ana helps, but she is on duty right now."

"That's okay. Let me help you. I'm actually not a bad cook."

"Okay, _gracias_ ," she said sweetly.

Together, we made enough scrambled eggs and browned enough ham to make about a hundred breakfast burritos. Ana made it back in time to squeeze the fresh orange juice.

" _In Lak'ech_ ," I said to her.

"Here," she said brusquely. "I'll finish that. It's my responsibility."

"I don't mind helping out."

"I've got it."

Feeling in the way, I pretty much hightailed it out of there. It wasn't long before everyone came piling in. I noticed that Richard, Adriana, and Selena seemed to want to keep the events of the night before on the down-low. Matt and the twins followed suit, so no one asked me how I was feeling around the other shifters, but they all seemed relieved to see me at breakfast.

After we ate, we met in Damian's room.

"Now," Adriana asked, as she shut the door behind us, "how are you feeling?"

"Normal," I said. "It's weird. It was so overwhelming at the time, but now it's like it never happened."

"Well, it did," Richard said. "So try to take it easy and let us know if anything feels off. That goes for everyone. We aren't sure exactly what's going on yet, but as we continue to get closer to the solstice, we need to be more vigilant."

"And we're going to have to keep everything between us," Adriana added. "Richard and Matt are working on figuring out who's working for Toltec. But they can't do that if the spy thinks that we're on to anything."

Richard started for the door. "Matt and I are going to head out now. Everyone else, just go on as usual," he said.

As Adriana and I got ready to head to her sun porch, the twins and Selena all gave me quick hugs.

"I'm so glad you're okay," Lyssa said.

"Ditto for me," Damian said.

"So am I. See you guys at lunch," I said, having a déjà vu moment about, like, every school day I'd ever had.

"You're sure that you feel up to this?" Adriana asked.

"Yeah," I said, "actually I feel totally fine."

"Good. I'm glad. We were worried."

"Do you...I mean, does anyone know what happened to me?" I asked her. God, I could barely get the question out. I wanted to know, but at the same time I wanted to forget the whole thing happened. Like amnesia of convenience or something.

"Well," she said, "it could be related to how long it takes your body to get used to containing so much energy.

"But that's just a guess, right?"

"I'm afraid so. But it's by far the most logical. We need to keep working."

"Okay." I sighed.

We sat down face to face on the floor. Once I had closed my eyes and grounded my energy, Adriana asked me to open my eyes. To my surprise, she was holding a thick, white, pillar candle in her hand.

"Now that you're ready," she said in a quiet voice, "I want you to focus on this candle. We're going to work on opening a portal and sending it through the Otherworld to another location."

"But, I've never done that when I've been trying to," I said.

"Not when you've been aware that you've been trying to. Try to focus on the energy moving within you. Now feel it building, building, building...."

_Whoa!_ Just like that, the candle disappeared. "Uh...Adriana...where did I just send it?"

"Who knows? The point is you can use the energy at will.

"Right."

Suddenly, the door opened, startling me.

Lyssa looked in. "Uh, somebody lose a candle?" she asked, arching a brow.

"Where'd it land?" I asked.

"Oh, on my lap in the middle of a session with Selena. I almost peed my pants," she said, and we all cracked up. I laughed until my sides ached.

After dinner, Matt and I decided to take a walk around the grounds. He pretty much had the layout of the compound down, whereas I had hardly been outside.

"I just realized during dinner that you really have no idea how beautiful it is out here," he told me. "We can't leave the compound, but the land is great."

We walked through the gardens, holding hands as the setting sun slid down behind the wilderness of the western jungle.

"Is it really a jungle on all sides of us?" I asked.

"Yep. It goes on for quite a bit before it hits the nearest villages. But we don't patrol that far out."

"So...what's it like, guard duty?"

"Well, we're always in our second forms. It's safer for us and keeps us from being seen by Toltec. That's assuming they're even out there. Hey," he said, noticing the look of worry on my face, "don't worry. There are very few predators out there that are bigger than I am when I've phased."

"I'm sorry," I answered. "I told myself I wouldn't worry."

"I'm hardly ever out there now. I'm with Richard all the time, trying to figure out if we're right about having a mole."

I nodded. "Ah, Detective Wolfe."

"This is _you_ bringing up a forensic cop show?"

"Mmhmm, Criminal Shifter Investigations. Sorry, couldn't help myself."

"Okay, Gleek. Hey, I heard what you did today!"

"Yeah, I sent Lyssa a candle," I mumbled. I guess the coolness of it had worn off.

"Are you serious?" he asked.

"Come on, Matt. I didn't have any idea where I'd sent it."

"Well, that's the next step, right?"

"Sure," I said.

"You know what you need?"

"What?"

"Some serious playtime!"

Before I could ask him what the heck he was up to, he had already started to phase. I phased too, and was on his tail in seconds. We chased each other all the way to the back of the compound and back around again, practically flattening two of the shifters in the process. When we had run ourselves out, we lounged in the shade of the west wall.

After a few minutes, I phased back. "I seriously need a diet Coke," I said. "Let's go see the twins."

Matt phased back and followed me into the main house. We found Damian and Lyssa in the kitchen, eating flan.

"Ohmygod, Maya, you have got to try this," Damian said. "It's amazing."

"Where is it?" I asked.

"In the fridge," they answered in chorus.

"You guys are starting to sound like identical twins," I said.

"Bite your tongue," Damian said, rolling his eyes.

"Actually, our wall dissolves right around this time," Lyssa said. "So it's lasting a lot longer."

"Seriously? That's great, you guys," Matt said, try-ing a spoonful of flan. "This stuff is good."

"That's almost the whole day! You must be relieved to be yourselves again," I said.

"You have no idea," Damian said. "Hey, Maya, _Viva la Reina_ is on in a few minutes. Wanna watch with us?"

"You know how I feel about that sorry _Glee_ replacement. And, anyway, it's all in Spanish."

"We'll translate for you!" Lyssa said.

"That's if you even need it. I mean, it's a soap, so it's pretty formulaic."

Matt cleared his throat. "Actually, guys, tonight's date night."

"Ooh, 'nuff said," Lyssa giggled.

We cleaned up after ourselves and then said good night. Matt and I went into our room and plopped down on the bed. I grabbed my brush and gave my hair a quick run through while he watched, his eyes hungry. Then he grabbed me playfully by my hair and pulled me down next to him.

"I love you," he said, his voice husky.

"I love you, too." I pulled him down against me, looking deep into his eyes. Matt was there and so was the Wolf. And I wanted him, _all_ of him. I wanted his love, his heat, his wildness. He kissed me hard and I opened my mouth to him, my body exploding with sensation. I grabbed at the hem of his shirt and he helped me pull it off. As I ran my hands along his bare chest and stomach, his muscles quivered at my touch. I raised myself up off the bed slightly, so that he could take my tank top off, then we fell back down against the bed, our legs entwined, our bodies fusing together. And that's when I felt it. _Oh,_ _no, no, no!_

Matt's face blurred out.

"Maya? My? Can you hear me? Shit!"

I could hear him, but the weakness was every bit as bad as it had been the first time. I couldn't even open my eyes. I tried to answer him, but I could barely part my lips. I felt him move, I heard him open the door, and then there were other voices.

"You call this taking it easy?" Richard growled as he flew in the room.

"I'm telling you, she's been fine all day!"

Then I heard Adriana. "Stop it—both of you. How is this helping her?" It got quiet. "Now," she said, "does anyone know where Selena is?"

"She's in the garden helping Alma. I'll go get her," I heard Lyssa say.

I started to shiver and briefly remembered that I was lying on the bed in just my shorts and bra. I felt someone place a quilt over me. I tried to speak again, but the best I could do was sigh.

"It's okay, honey," Adriana said. "Selena's coming. Lie still and rest."

Pretty soon (I guess), I heard Selena coming into the room. "Is it the same as before?" she asked.

"It seems to be," Adriana answered.

I heard, or felt, Selena kneeling on the floor beside the bed. "Oh, no, her aura is completely white. She's in trouble. Matt, do you know where my room is?"

"Yeah, it's the cabin on the right." His voice sounded shaky.

"Yes, the room at the back. I need you to go into my supply cupboard and take out some pillar candles. I need exactly six green ones, six brown, one white, and one black. Hurry, Matt!" I heard him go out as Selena spoke again. "Richard, could you move her onto the floor?"

"I'll get the lighter from the fireplace," Damian said.

I felt the quilt being tucked underneath me as Richard gently lifted me in his arms and laid me on the floor by Matt's side of the bed. I heard the sound of hurried footsteps and heavy breathing. I remember thinking that Matt was very fast.

Selena spoke again. "Okay, I need everyone to leave the room except for Adriana."

"Okay, let's head out," Richard said. "Matt, they need room to work."

"It's okay, Matt," Adriana said. "Selena's the best there is."

I heard the door close.

"We need to set up the candles in a protective circle around her," Selena said. "Set the black candle at her head for protection and the white one at her feet to balance it. Then we'll fill in the rest of the circle in green and brown."

"Should I light them?" Adriana asked.

"Yes, one by one, in order, going clockwise in direction."

I don't know exactly how long I spent on the floor, but when I opened my eyes and tried to sit up, it felt like I had been sleeping on a board for a week.

I felt Adriana's hand on my chest. "No, Maya, don't try to sit up just yet," she said. "Her color's coming back."

"Yes, she does look better," Selena said. "Okay, let's blow out the candles."

They helped me to sit up and gave me a bottle of water. After a couple more minutes, they helped me to get my legs so I could sit on the bed. I felt like crap in ways I couldn't quite identify.

"How are you?" Adriana asked.

"Just tired," I said. "Really tired."

"Can you tell us anything about what happened?" Selena asked.

"I'm not sure. I just felt so weak all of a sudden...and...it was like I could feel my soul...dying." I shivered as I remembered how it had felt.

"You've been through a lot," Selena said in a comforting voice. "And we still aren't sure what's causing it. So you're going to have to really take it easy this time, okay?"

"Do you think you could eat something?" Adriana asked. "Alma is fixing omelets in the kitchen for Matt and the twins."

"I think so."

I was a bit wobbly, but walking came easier and felt more natural with each step. Selena walked on one side of me and Adriana on the other, just in case.

"Maya," Lyssa said as we got to the kitchen. She was grinning.

"How are you?" Damian asked.

Matt immediately stood up and walked over to help me the rest of the way to the table.

"Like I could sleep for eternity," I said, stifling a yawn and trying my damnedest to sound like I was my normal me again. I didn't want them worrying about me more than they already were. I took the chair next to Matt's.

"Can I get you a diet Coke, babe?" he asked.

"Oh, yeah."

"Alma's making breakfast for dinner," Lyssa said.

"My favorite!" I smiled, grabbed my hair, and threw it into a quick ponytail.

"What the hell?" I heard Matt's voice behind me.

"What?"

"Your mark. It's gone."

CHAPTER FOURTEEN

"What?" Had I heard him right?

Then I heard Damian. "Oh, God."

I was already up and on my way to the hallway bathroom. Once there, I started tearing the place apart looking for a small mirror.

"It's not gone, it's more like faded," Lyssa said, coming in behind me.

"Just help me find a mirror, dammit!" I said.

"Here, here," Damian said, handing me a small makeup mirror.

I turned around so I could see my neck and shoulders. I gasped. Lyssa was right. I could still make out the markings, but just barely.

"Let me by, please," Adriana said as Selena and Matt followed her in.

Selena lifted my ponytail out of the way so she could get a better look. "Of course! I can't believe I didn't see this before!" She scowled and flew out the bathroom door, down the hallway, and into Lyssa's room. She waited for us to follow her in, then she shut the door.

"What is it?" Adriana asked.

"I just figured her body was having difficulty housing so much energy. But there's no way that would cause her mark to fade."

"What are you saying?"

"I'm saying that the _opposite_ is happening. Someone must be using ritual to open a portal to the Otherworld. Those two attacks on Maya were not physical. They were spiritual!"

"Wait," I said. "Can someone do that?"

"It's not easy, but, yes," Selena said, "Someone has been communing with Maya's guiding spirit, contacting her _nagual_ and coaxing it away from her."

"Is it Toltec?" Matt asked.

"I think it would have to be," Adriana said.

"But it isn't easy to work this kind of dark magic," Selena said. "This person would have to be very close by. And they would need an altar."

"The traitor indicated by the cards," Adriana said.

Selena nodded. "That's what I'm thinking."

"Cesar," I heard Matt mumble under his breath. And before any of us knew what was happening, he had shoved his way out the door and was flying down the hall.

"No!" Adriana yelled, "Matt, wait! We have no idea who it is!"

The whole group of us flew out the door after him.

"Matt!" I yelled. Damn, he was fast. He hadn't even phased and he was way ahead of us. But Damian and Lyssa, our other resident athletes, were close behind and gaining. I watched as Matt barreled through the door of the log house on the left. By the time Adriana, Selena and I got there, he was ransacking Cesar's room and the twins were yelling at him to stop.

"Nothing here," he said, breathless. "There's no altar. As much as it kills me, I don't think it's Cesar."

"Let's check the rest of the rooms," Adriana said. "Everyone in this house is on duty right now." She pulled on Matt's arm before he could go in the next room. "But we need to do it neatly in case we don't find what we're looking for. We can't afford to alert the other side." She turned to face the rest of us. "What we're looking for is an altar or some other ritual tools."

"Mayan altars may have candles or _copal_ for rituals and prayer," Selena added. "That's common. But if you find anything you're not sure about, let me or Adriana know so that we can take a look at the evidence."

_Evidence._ Now I was living in a cop show.

It took us about an hour to fully search the house. We found a few things, incense burners and such, but nothing suspicious. Anyone could have those things. Hell, I had those things. Adriana and I attempted to put Cesar's room back together, but we knew it was pointless. He was going to know that someone had searched it, and he wasn't going to be happy about it. Not that I could blame him.

"Well, it's not too bad," I said, surveying our handiwork.

"As long as he agrees not to tell the others until we figure this out, we should be okay," Adriana answered. "I'm going to get Richard and have him call a meeting with the other house so we can check their rooms. Make sure you all wait in here. Quietly." Her expression was troubled. I knew she felt like this was a betrayal of their privacy. And it was. All for the sake of—how had Matt put it? _Team Maya. Rah, rah_.

We watched quietly from inside the cabin as the shifters walked to the main house for their "meeting" with Richard. One by one, we searched their rooms. Again, we came up with nothing.

"This just doesn't make any sense," Selena said, perching on the back of the couch in the cabin's living room.

Adriana nodded. "Well, let's get out of here before the other shifters see us," she said.

"Maybe we should walk around the back way," Damian added.

Matt took my hand and we all headed out the back door of the cabin, around the back of the other cabin, and on toward the garden. Our spirits were low. I had really thought we'd figured it out. And then to have come up empty-handed? It was almost more than I could take.

"So," Lyssa whispered as we walked, "this form of magic would definitely have to be made close by?"

"I can't imagine anyone powerful enough to do it any other way," Selena said.

"No one in Toltec?" Matt asked.

"No, not that I know of," Adriana said.

"Well," he replied, "I'm sure it's not being done in the surrounding jungle. Not with all the protection we have in the area."

Selena shook her head again. "I really thought we would find something."

"Wait a minute," Matt said, almost to himself. "We haven't checked _all_ the houses—"

"What?" Adriana asked as he took off. "Matt, don't you dare!"

We all chased after him toward Alma's little house. We followed him in, confused and panting. He was searching her living room.

"Matt, come out of there right now," Adriana yelled.

Selena walked down the little hallway and went into one of the bedrooms.

"Selena, not you too!" Adriana said. She started toward Ana's bedroom, then turned her head. "He's probably already got half the shifters ready to quit," she said. "I guess it won't hurt to—oh, my God!"

"What is it?" I ran in behind her. I sucked in my breath. There, right on the floor of Ana's bedroom, was an altar standing next to the far wall. From where I stood, it looked like a crate covered in some black velvety cloth.

Selena walked closer. We all followed her.

"Is this it?" Adriana asked, her voice almost inaudible.

Selena nodded. "There's no doubt."

Lyssa leaned forward. "But what's different from the other stuff we found?" she asked.

We could all see candles, an incense burner, and a dish that looked like it was all stained, and a rock of some kind.

"Obsidian," Selena said.

"You mean the volcanic rock?" Damian asked.

"Yes," Adriana said. "It can be broken into sharp pieces, like flint. It's used for bloodletting. Look," she pointed at the stained dish, "she's been offering her own blood as a sacrifice."

" _Qué pasa aquí_?" I didn't even need to turn around. It was Alma. She had caught us. She looked from Selena to Adriana and back to Selena again.

"Alma, do you know where Ana is?" Adriana asked.

"She went to the market at the village," Alma answered. I heard her gasp. My eyes followed hers to the altar on the floor. "No, no, Ana," she said, beginning to sob.

"Could you all leave us alone, please?" Adriana asked.

Heads nodded as we clamored out of the bedroom. We headed back to the main house.

"She's gone," Matt said. "We'll never find her now."

"Poor Alma," I said.

"Poor Alma? How do you know she wasn't in on it?" Matt asked.

"No," Selena said, "There's no way. I'm going to go find Richard. I'll see you later." She touched my shoulder and walked off.

We walked together to Damian's room and sat down on the floor.

"I can't believe it was Ana," Lyssa said.

"I can," I said, surprising myself. Somewhere on the walk back from Alma's, I had realized that what I had mistaken for Ana's shyness, or maybe even just an aversion to people, had actually been contempt...for me. "But I think Selena's right," I added. "There's no way Alma is involved."

Matt took my hand again. "How are you feeling?"

"She should feel gradually better," Richard said, coming in behind us.

"I feel fine," I said, answering them both.

"Maya, I owe you an apology," Richard said. "We promised to protect you. I shouldn't have allowed myself to become so convinced of the shifters' loyalty."

"No, you really don't," I said.

"I'm going to figure out how all this happened. I promise you." He turned to Matt. "Ready for duty?"

"Yeah, let's go."

"Maya, make sure you rest. Selena will check on you later," Richard said as they walked out.

Lyssa gave my hand a squeeze. "Maya, I'm gonna grab you a soda."

"Thanks," I mumbled.

Damian scooted closer to me and gave me a hug. "Hey, this isn't your fault, honey."

"I know."

"Do you?" Lyssa came back through the door.

"What do you mean?"

"It's just, you have this...tendency to blame yourself for things a lot."

"I do?" I guess I'd never really thought about it before. My mind went back to what Grandma had said in the hospital. Maybe that's what Selena had been talking about while she was doing my reading. Was I really my own worst enemy sometimes?

"Yes, you do," Damian said. "There's no way you could have prevented what happened with Ana."

I gave a deep sigh. "No, you're right. But I feel so bad for Alma."

"Yeah. I think we all do. She must be in total shock," Lyssa said.

"Listen, I think I'm going to hit the hay," I said, completely forgetting about my diet Coke. (Now there's a first.)

### ~ ~ ~

I slept late the next morning. By the time I had gotten up, Matt was long gone. I walked into the bathroom, took my compact out of my makeup case, turned around, and looked at my mark. It was almost all the way back. What a relief! I had kind of figured that it would take longer, like recovering from a cold or something. I showered and headed out to the kitchen to scrounge for leftovers from breakfast. I turned the corner and stopped short. Alma was doing the breakfast dishes. I hesitated for a moment, and then something inside of me seemed to guide me to her. _Balam_.

" _Permíteme ayudarte, Alma._ " What the hell did I just say?

" _Maya, hablas español?_ " She asked, looking up at me in confusion.

And then I just started rambling, _in Spanish_. I told her how very sorry I was about Ana and that I wish it could have been different. Her look turned sadder and her eyes teared up some. So did mine. But she managed a small smile.

" _Maya, no te sientas mal. Yo siempre amaré a Ana. Pero ya ha elegido su propio camino._ " She shook her head.

"Okay," I said. Hearing that Alma didn't blame me for what happened made me feel a little better.

She went to the fridge, took out an omelet sandwich and diet Coke, and handed them to me.

"Eat," she said, reaching up and giving my cheeks a little squeeze.

" _Gracias_ ," I said, and headed down the hall to see the twins.

I looked in Lyssa's room. The twins were sitting on the floor and working with Selena.

"Come in, Maya," Selena said. "How do you feel?"

"My mark is pretty much back...oh, and it seems I can speak Spanish now."

"What?" the twins chorused at me.

"I went out to the kitchen and just starting speaking to Alma in Spanish," I said, shrugging my shoulders and taking a huge bite out of my sandwich.

"Holy shit! How cool is that!" Lyssa said.

"Yeah, well, it's starting to feel a bit like a lab rat over here," I said, taking another bite.

"It definitely fits though," Selena said, "I mean, you're meant to unite many cultures."

Damian blinked. "Wait, so you think she might speak more than just Spanish?" he asked.

"It's possible," Selena said. She turned to face me. _Pouvez-vous parler en français_?"

" _Oui, je pense que je peux parler en français_ ," I answered without hesitation. I gave her a huge grin and opened my diet Coke.

"That is so awesome," Damian said.

Selena smiled. "I have to agree with you."

"Is anyone else seeing the irony here?" Lyssa asked, grabbing my sandwich and sampling a corner.

"Maybe a tad," Damian said. "But, look at it this way. She won't yell at us for speaking Spanish around her anymore."

"Good point," Lyssa giggled.

"Has anyone seen Matt?" I asked.

"Yeah," Selena said. "He's helping Cesar cut firewood out back."

"Wait—Matt? _My_ Matt?"

"Basically, he's making up for what he did to Cesar's room," she answered.

"Whose idea was that?" I asked.

"I dunno," Lyssa said, "Not Matt's, obviously."

There was a knock on the door, and I turned around to see Adriana smiling at me.

She walked in and picked up my ponytail. "Wow," she said, "it looks to me like you're ready for your next lesson."

"That all depends on which language you're planning on teaching in today," Selena said with a laugh.

CHAPTER FIFTEEN

"What?" Adriana asked.

"It seems Maya can speak, well, at least two languages besides English now," Selena said.

"And possibly more," Damian added.

"Really?" Adriana turned to me. " _Vediamo se riesce a parlare italiano_."

" _Sí, posso parlare cazzo italiano_ ," I answered back.

"Did I detect some foul language?" Selena asked.

"Possibly," I said. Seriously, end of testing the trained monkey. "Adriana, would you mind if I called my grandma real quick?"

"Sure. I'll wait for you on the sun porch."

I headed across the hall, grabbed my cell and started dialing.

"Maya, oh, honey," she said when she picked up, "I'm so glad you called. I've been worried something might happen to you."

"I'm sorry, Grandma. Things have just been a little crazy here."

"I'm sure they have. How are your studies going?"

"Okay, I guess. I'm learning about opening and closing portals and the different amounts of energy I need to do different things."

"It sounds like you've been working very hard, _ts'unu'un_."

"Yeah." I paused. I had to tell her more. "And then there's some, well, weird stuff happening. Like today I found out that I can speak pretty much any language." I felt myself trying to hide the sudden fear I felt at saying it out loud. Seriously, I think it would have freaked anyone out, but me? Come on. After three years of Spanish, I could barely remember how to do basic greetings. Now, suddenly I have mad skills? I mean, some things just go against nature.

"Are you all right, Maya? There's no need to be afraid, sweetheart. You have been very blessed."

"Grandma, I...I'm scared." My eyes were growing watery and a huge lump was forming in my throat. "Everything's happening so fast. I feel like I don't even recognize myself anymore."

"Are you asking _Balam_ for the strength to bear your gifts?"

"I guess I haven't been." As we talked, I left out the part where someone was trying to break my connection to Balam. It was over now, and I didn't want to worry her.

"Try to remember to ask _Balam_ , honey. You will need great courage and strength of spirit to accomplish all that is being asked of you."

"Yeah, that's what scares me the most. The solstice is a little over a week away. What if I'm not ready? What if I can't do it?"

"Everyone fears the future sometimes, _ts'unu'un_. But you must choose faith over fear. Faith that you've been chosen because you can do what is being asked of you. And most of all, faith in yourself."

"I'll try," I said.

"I know you will, _ts'unu'un_. I love you."

"I love you too, Grandma."

As soon as I hung up, I found my incense burner and filled the little tray with _copal_. As the resin melted, I purified myself with its sweet incense.

" _Balam_ ," I whispered, "you are my spirit guide. I ask that you send me the courage to accept your many gifts. Help me to be worthy of your blessings. Lend me your strength when I am afraid. _Balam,_ show me how to leave the past behind and teach me how not to be fearful of the future. Please make me worthy of the trust of my friends and the love of my mate. And may I continue to be one with my Jaguar soul."

As I finished, I began to feel a lightness of heart, and a new strength of spirit filled me from head to toe. I realized then that what had happened during the attacks really had damaged my connection to my guide. I was so glad to have it back, I actually caught myself grinning at nothing in particular. I blew out the little candle and set the burner on the windowsill to cool.

As I walked back to Adriana's sun porch, I felt hopeful and energized. It was as if all the fear had left me and been replaced by a new determination. I walked through the bedroom and out onto the sun porch. As always, the garden greeted me with its burst of colors. Adriana was sitting on the floor, her eyes closed. I sat down quietly and waited for her to finish her meditation. After a few minutes, she opened her eyes and smiled.

"Thank you for waiting, Maya. You look like a whole new person. That must have been a good talk you had with your grandmother."

I smiled again. "Yeah, and I took a few minutes to reconnect with my _nagual_ too. I guess the physical damage from the attacks was pretty obvious, but now I feel so much better, you know, spiritually," I said.

"I'm glad. You've come a long way in a very short time. Okay, today the first thing we really need to do is talk about what December 21st is going to be like. It's approaching fast. I want you to start preparing yourself. So let me share what our plans look like, and if you have any questions, feel free to jump in, okay?"

"Okay."

"This compound is southeast of Valladolid. Right at sunup we'll head to the Chichen Itza museum. On any solstice, the grounds would be teaming with people. But on the day the Mayan Calendar ends, it'll be wall to wall. But that's actually going to work in our favor. It will be more difficult for Toltec's people to spot us."

"That makes sense," I said, but my stomach gave a squeeze.

"Now, most of the shifters will already be at the museum when we get there. That way, they can enter in a scattered manner with the rest of the crowds. You will enter the museum with Matt and Cesar. Richard and I will be waiting for you at—"

"Wait, wait. I'll be with Matt and Cesar? Is that a good idea?"

"Cesar is by far our most capable shifter. He also grew up near the museum, so he knows every inch of that park. And I think we both know that neither one of them would do anything to put you in danger."

Huh?

"Look, I know that you and Matt are mated. Cesar knows that too. But that doesn't mean he doesn't care about you."

"But, how is that possible? I mean...shifters mate for life, right?" I was starting to get all squirmy and uncomfortable.

"That's right. But Cesar hasn't found his yet. He will in time, but until then, he's entitled to his crush as much as the next person."

_His crush?_ Totally mortified, I felt my face get all hot. I did the only thing I could. I changed the subject. _Fast_.

"So where will you be waiting for me?" I asked, oh, so smoothly.

She handed me a folded sheet of paper. "Here, I brought Richard's map just to give you an idea of how the museum is laid out. We'll be waiting here, inside the Jaguar Temple by the Great Ball Court. We'll be right there, on the first floor. It's not far from the museum entrance. It's just across from El Castillo."

"That's the main pyramid, right? The famous one with all the stairs?"

"Right. That's your target. Together, Matt, Cesar, Richard, and I will get you to the bottom of El Castillo. And that's where things get tricky.... No one has been allowed to climb up the steps to the top of the pyramid for the last five years. For safety reasons."

"Then how will I be able to do it?"

"By that time, all the shifters will have collected at the base of the pyramid with us. They will find you an opening, and once they do, you'll have to make a break for it."

"You mean...run up the steps?" Clearly she had no idea who she was talking to.

"You'll have to. Carefully. And it's not going to be easy. The steps are steep, and there are almost a hundred of them."

_Holy hell_. I had a sudden flash of myself trying to run the bleachers in gym class, and it wasn't pretty. I wasn't like Matt or the twins. I'd never been what you'd call athletic.

"Once you get to the top," Adriana continued, ignoring my reactions, "you will have to go into the High Temple at the top where you can't be seen. There you will open a portal and move yourself to its roof."

"Wait." _What?_ "But I never know where anything I move is going to end up. I can't control it like that."

"But you will. You're almost there now." She gave me a reassuring smile.

Grandma had told me to rely on _Balam's_ strength. "Okay," I finally said.

"Actually," Adriana said, "I wanted to move forward with that today. I'd like you to work on focusing on an object in a remote location, opening a portal, and bringing it to you. So let's start out by grounding ourselves, and then we'll begin."

It didn't take long for me to realize I was going to have some trouble grounding my energy. After what we'd just talked about, I couldn't seem to focus. Images of what the solstice might be like kept coming to mind and I would have to push them away again. I was pretty sure that Adriana could tell, because it took me longer than usual to center myself.

"All set?" I heard her ask.

"I think so," I said, feeling the energy surging through my body.

"Okay. I want you to think of something in your room. Don't make it too hard. Choose something that's in a very obvious place."

I pictured my hair brush on the bathroom counter. "Okay, got it," I said.

"Now build your power while continuing to focus on the object."

Moments later I heard a thunk. I opened my eyes. My brush had landed right at my feet!

"Excellent, Maya! That was great, really great!" Adriana wrapped her arms around me.

"Yeah, not bad." I had to admit it, it was pretty awesome. I hadn't expected to get it on the first try.

"Tomorrow, you get to move _you_ ," she said.

That sent chills down my back. We practiced for a while longer, but we were interrupted when my cell started to ring. I picked it up and looked at it. "It's my dad," I said. "I need to take this."

Adriana nodded and left the porch.

"Hey, Dad!"

"Hi, honey! How are you? How's the trip?"

"It's been just...really, really busy. And exciting! I'm so sorry for not trying to call you more."

"It's fine, sweetheart. Rosa has called a couple of times when you've been on day trips to let me know that things are okay." _Yes! Way to go, Grandma!_

"It's been...a real experience, Dad. I'm so glad you let me come."

"That's great, Maya. Listen, I'm pulling into the lot on campus. Make sure you take lots of pictures and stay safe."

"I will. I really miss you, Dad."

"Miss you too, honey. Bye-bye."

Man, was he in for a shock when I had no pictures of my long-lost Mayan relatives to share when I got home. I still felt so guilty about lying to him, and I knew that there was a possibility that he would never trust me again. The fact that Grandma knew and he didn't was going to make it all even harder for him to swallow. All I could hope for was that he would understand that I really had no choice. It wasn't like there was an understudy or some kind of alternate waiting to take my place. I was it. (You lucky world, you!)

After a minute, I headed inside and met the twins in the kitchen to start dinner. Since Ana was gone, it had been decided that we were all going to pair up and cook one night a week. That gave poor Alma some well-earned down time. Tonight I wanted to put together something really great. I guess I still felt partly responsible for what had happened with Ana. Don't ask me why.

"Okay, chef," Damian said, "what are we cooking tonight?"

"Pasta with homemade sauce, salad, and garlic bread."

"You're making the sauce?" Lyssa asked.

"It's not as hard as it sounds."

"What's for dessert?" Matt asked, coming up behind me and kissing my mark.

"I had Liam pick up some _churros_ in Valladolid this morning."

"Hmm, not what I had in mind," Matt said.

"Oh, for cripes sake, go take a shower," Lyssa said.

"And make it a cold one!" I called for good measure. _Yeesh._

The cooking went faster than I had planned. With both twins helping out with the basics, I was able to concentrate on the sauce. And cooking was totally changing my mood. It wasn't just that I enjoyed it. It seemed to have a very soothing effect on my nerves. It really took me out of my head. And with all the time I spent in there, that could only be a good thing.

"You put carrots in spaghetti sauce?" Lyssa asked. She was chopping up veggies for the salad.

"Don't question the master," Damian said.

"It's my secret ingredient," I told her. "Some fine shavings help to balance the acidity of the tomato."

"But don't tell anyone," Damian whispered very dramatically. "'Cause then she'd have to kill you."

I raised my wooden spoon with equal drama. "All right, you goofs, let's get the table set. Round one is due in any time."

I always knew that I could cook, and obviously the shifters didn't get treated to Italiano every day, but the compliments on the sauce were awesome.

"Well, I really had a lot of help," I said, flushing. "And the fresh vegetables from Alma's garden really put it over the top," I added, giving her a big smile. When I looked across the table and caught Cesar staring at me, I blushed all over again. After dinner, we all ate our _churros_. We had a blast dipping the long cinnamon pastry sticks into the rich chocolate sauce. That was the most fun I'd had preparing and eating a meal in a long time.

As head chef, I wasn't in charge of cleanup, so I decided to take a walk. The truth was, getting the chance to cook like that again made me miss Dad. I thought about how I had lied to him about coming to Mexico with Grandma and wondered what would happen to him if things didn't go well on the solstice. Who would take care of him? It wasn't something I really wanted to think about, so I tried to push it out of my mind.

I walked through the garden in the darkness, letting the lovely fragrances surround and fill me as I thought about what Adriana and I had talked about. Of course, I was still worried, even with _Balam_ lending me his strength, but I was coming to understand something. As I looked back on our conversation, I realized that all of these plans had taken years. First, it had taken them years to find me. Then they had all watched over me and protected me. And they were continuing to do that as they taught me how to use my spirit magic. They all believed in me, _all of them_. And I wasn't going to let them down by not believing in myself. Not anymore.

As I moved between two papaya trees, I saw a shadow moving off to my right.

_Matt._ "Dishes done already?" I asked. I thought I heard him coming up behind me.

And that's when they hit me.

CHAPTER SIXTEEN

I woke up totally disoriented and with a headache that made me nauseous and gave me fuzzy vision. And then a voice I recognized broke through my muddy senses.

"Maya, here, drink some of this."

"Victrixa?"

"Yes. I'm sorry about your head. You may have a slight concussion. They were supposed to have used ether, but they panicked. Neanderthals. You have quite a bump on your head. It's all right, though. Drink this. It will help with the pain."

"Where am I?" I whispered. Anything louder threatened to make my head explode.

"I'm afraid I can't tell you that," she said. "The less you know the better. But you have a regular bed, a table and a chair. And your own bathroom. There's also a very small refrigerator with some snacks and bottles of water. But, please, Maya, don't make trouble. If you're a model prisoner, we'll release you after the solstice."

I drank what she gave me without a fuss, mostly because I figured it would either help my headache or kill me. Either way, the damn headache would be gone.

"Lay back now and get some rest," she said. "In a few hours, I'll have a meal sent down."

I lay back against the cool pillow. I was on what seemed to be a twin-sized bed. When I heard the clinking of keys and metal bars, I groaned. I was so screwed. I just lay there on the bed, waiting for the medicine to work. Slowly, very slowly, the pain began to ease and I was able to drift into an uneasy sleep.

### ~ ~ ~

"So—you want something to eat, or what?"

I opened my eyes and immediately noticed that my vision was almost completely clear. I looked up just in time to see Ana unlocking the door to my cell.

"Seems to me I've seen you somewhere before," I said.

"The princess speaks. Here's your dinner, your heinous." She walked across the room and set a plate down on the table, along with a glass of something.

"I don't get it," I said. "Why would you turn against us like that? Against your own mother?"

"Alma? You've got to be kidding." She gave a laugh that sounded like a bark. "You know, for someone who is supposedly so important, you're not the cleverest cat in the jungle are you?" She walked out of my tiny cell and locked the door behind her.

"What's that supposed to mean?" I asked.

"Do I resemble Alma at all? Can you think of a single thing where we're alike?"

It wasn't like I hadn't noticed it. There were the differences in height and personality, but I just figured she had a really tall father. Actually, now that I had seen the two together, she resembled....

I gasped. "You're Victrixa's daughter!"

"Took you long enough."

"But...but, how?"

"Victrixa's people found out that Alma was looking for an older child to adopt. Victrixa saw it as the perfect opportunity and made arrangements for me to be adopted by Alma when I was ten." And that was it. She said it just like that. Then she turned and walked up the stairs.

_God_ , I thought, _Victrixa gave up her own daughter?_ At first it seemed incredible to me, until I remembered that it wasn't so different from what my loser-mom had done to me. It seemed pretty clear that Ana disliked—no, she probably hated me. She practically vibrated with anger. But who wouldn't hate the reason their own mother had handed them over to a stranger? How the hell do you deal with that?

I stood and looked around my little cell. It looked like it had once been a cellar of some kind, with a tile floor and the walls made of stone. Not a normal place to find, say, a prison cell with its own bathroom. I figured it had to have been built specially for me. And I was so honored, let me tell you.

I turned to the little table and looked at my meal. It was just normal, everyday Yucatan cuisine. Hopefully, it wasn't poisoned, though, because I was starving and chowed it all down. Then I picked up the glass of cloudy liquid. I recognized it as the same drink I'd been given for the headache. I left it on the table, walked over to the mini-fridge and opened it. Fruit, tortilla chips and salsa, coconut candy, _Takis_ (which are like rolled up corn chips that taste like tacos. Sounds weird, but, whoa, are they good!). There was bottled water, even some Canel's gum (Lyssa's hands-down Mexican favorite). They weren't trying to starve me to death, that's for sure. I took a bottle of water out and closed the door.

I sat down on the bed and tried to wrap my head around this new (and more than slightly disturbing) situation. I noticed that there was a clock on the little table next to the bed. It was after six o'clock, which meant that I had been missing from the compound for almost twenty-four hours. I waited for someone to come down into the cellar to take my tray. That didn't happen until nine o'clock. Once the tray was taken away by some guy who pretended that I didn't exist, the lights went off.

"Looks like there's a curfew," I said to no one in particular.

I decided to take advantage of the dark. I sat on the bed with my legs crossed and started to center myself. I had never tried to eavesdrop on anyone from this far away before, but I hoped it would work. I grounded my energy and focused hard on the compound.

" _It's been twenty-four hours!" Matt was yelling at Richard. "We have to do something!"_

They were standing in his and Adriana's bedroom. "Look, we have everyone possible working on it. We can't do anything until we find out where Toltec is hiding her."

" _Maybe they're not hiding her," Matt said, his voice breaking. His eyes welled up._

" _We're going to find her," Richard said, "I promise you."_

" _You can't lose hope," Adriana said, walking into the bedroom and laying one hand on Matt's shoulder._

" _I'm gonna go see if there's any news," he said, tearing out of the room._

Richard watched him go and shook his head. "This isn't good. We only have five days until the solstice," he said.

" _Is that all you care about? She could be dead, Richard! That innocent, beautiful, brave, young woman could be dead. And Matt. It's already starting. You know how bad it could get for him. He's her_ mate _. And he followed her into the phase, for God's sake. He could completely lose it being away from her like this, not knowing whether or not she's alive."_

Richard walked behind her and shut the door to their room.

" _Keep your voice down, Adri. Listen, we can't fall apart. We don't have that luxury. We are the only thing holding everyone else together, especially Matt." He placed his hands on Adriana's shoulders. "We are going to find h—"_

A loud noise above my head made me lose my concentration. I couldn't get it back. I realized I had tears streaming down my face. The idea that Matt thought I might be dead was unbearable to me. And what did they mean when they said he could "lose it"? I sat in the dark on my bed, my eyes closed, just leaning against the wall. I had to do something. Find a way to let them know that I was alive. But I couldn't let Toltec know that I was using my magic. Whatever I did, it would have to be at night in secret. I slid down the wall and lay flat on the bed. I drifted in and out of a restless sleep most of the night.

I woke up the next morning to find my breakfast on the table and some clean clothing folded on the chair. There were just a few pairs of shorts, some T-shirts, and a package of new underwear. There was also a sweatshirt, which I was really thankful for. It was much cooler below ground than it was above. I ate breakfast and headed into the bathroom for a shower. It was small, with just a sink, toilet, and a shower. But the water was almost hot, and I let it run down my back as I thought about how I could let everyone at the compound know I was okay. For now, anyway.

I was sure that if I could use telepathy to see what was happening back at the compound, then it would be pretty easy to do the same here. I might even be able to overhear some of Toltec's plans. The real question was whether or not they could find out that I was doing it. I wasn't convinced it was worth the risk. Victrixa said that they intended to let me go after the solstice, but I wondered if I could trust anything she said. She seemed sincere enough, but, then again, she had tricked me into believing she was my mentor without even breaking a sweat.

I came out of the bathroom to find Ana picking up my breakfast dishes.

"I see my clothes fit you," she said. "You better make sure nothing happens to those."

I decided to be polite. "Thank you," I said.

"Whatever."

"So, it was you who was working dark spirit magic to try and kill me, and now you're lending me clothes?"

"Just following orders," she grunted, wiping off the table.

"You seem to have some kind of personal issue with me. Care to share?" I asked.

"I couldn't give a crap about you. I just want this whole effing thing over with so I can get on with my life." She walked out, locked my cell, turned, and walked up the stairs.

"Okay, then," I said, heading back into the bathroom. There was no way I was going to be able to wait ten more hours to check in with the compound. I closed the bathroom door, put down the lid of the toilet and sat down. It wasn't the most comfortable place to sit, but I was able to cross my legs. Within minutes, my mind was with Matt, Lyssa, and Damian in Lyssa's bedroom.

" _I keep thinking that if I only knew she was still alive, you know?" Matt said. He looked like he needed a shave, and he had dark circles under his red eyes._

" _You need to sleep, Matt," Lyssa said. "You can't keep going out there with the search parties with no rest."_

_Damian spoke up. "I've been thinking_...."

" _Here we go," Lyssa groaned._

" _And I really think the odds are in her favor."_

" _What do you mean?" Matt asked._

" _They don't need to kill her to accomplish their goal. All they need to do is keep her away from Chichen Itza on the solstice."_

Lyssa nodded. "Unless they think she's just too powerful to keep around."

" _I can't deal with this," Matt said before she could say anything else. "I'm sorry, you guys, I know you're trying to help. But I just can't sit here and talk abou—"_

Suddenly a searing pain went through my chest, breaking my connection. Gasping, I opened my eyes. It was Matt. I could _feel_ his anguish. Oh, God, he was in so much pain. I burst into tears, rocking back and forth on the toilet seat. Then, just when I thought I couldn't stand it another second, the pain eased, leaving nothing but a pit of emptiness inside me. He'd gone from pain to despair. And, slowly, from that point on, my panic began to grow. I had to get a message to them somehow. And then I had to figure a way out of there.

I flushed the toilet (in case anyone was listening), then walked back to the bed and sat down. I closed my eyes and sent a silent prayer to my spirit guide. _Balam_ , I thought, _I have no offering for you. But my mate is in trouble. I've been taken away from him, and he is in such pain. Balam, please send him your strength. And please help me to figure out a way to contact him so he knows that I am alive. Show me how to get back to my friends. And may I continue to be one with my Jaguar soul._

I opened my eyes to see Victrixa standing outside my cell.

" _In Lak'ech_ ," she said.

"Do you really expect me to answer that?" I asked.

"Look, Maya, I know that we don't share the same goals. But there's no reason for us to be enemies."

"Are you kidding me? What the hell are we then?"

"We're fellow shifters. Nothing has to change that."

All I could do was shake my head. "You can't be serious. You want the world to stay the way it is. You don't care about the people who will continue to suffer if the world doesn't change. And it will only get worse. You told me that you had respect for humans. You lied."

She took a step forward. "How can you not see that we are the chosen? We are the superior race! Humans are not worthy to commune with the Otherworld as we do."

"Oh? If not, then tell me this: Why am I here? If humans are not deserving of this change in consciousness, then why have I been reincarnated? Don't you get it? By keeping me here, you are going against nature. You have no right to make this choice for them. It's already been made!"

She stared at me for a long minute. "Well, I wouldn't go that far. But you'll come around, one way or another. Oh, I brought this down for you. I thought perhaps you could use it." She pushed a cold can of diet Coke through the bars.

_Damn that crazy bitch_ , I thought, grudgingly taking the soda from her. I popped the tab and watched her walk up the stairs, wondering what reason she could have for buttering me up. I took a large gulp and then it hit me. My lips slowly began to curve into a smile. _Thank you, Balam_ , I thought, chugging the rest of the soda. I went back into the little bathroom, closed the door, and sat back down on the toilet seat. I had absolutely no idea if I could pull it off, but I was already so excited I could hardly concentrate. I was able to slowly relax my mind and concentrate on the compound. I was back watching Lyssa.

" _What are you trying to do, anyway?" she was saying. She was watching Damian use Richard's laptop._

" _It's a mapping system," he said. "I'm using the information Richard gave us to see if there's some kind of pattern to it. See how I'm plugging in these points?"_

" _Okaaaay. Ouch!" She rubbed her shoulder. "What the hell?"_

" _What happened?" Damian asked, whipping around._

" _I don't know, I..." And then her eyes caught it. The empty diet Coke can was rolling across the floor. "Oh, my God! Damian, Maya's alive! She just hit me with that Coke can! We gotta find Matt!" She picked up the can and ran out the door with Damian on her heels._

" _Matt! Matt!" Lyssa yelled, running at Matt, Richard, and Cesar in the yard. "She's alive! Maya's alive!"_

Matt turned toward her. "What?"

" _She just hit me with this can!"_

" _Oh, God!" He scooped her right off her feet and into a huge hug._

I watched for a while as everyone hugged, laughing and crying. I swear, even Richard was smiling. I wiped a tear from my eye with my sleeve.

_Okay, guys_ , _now it's your turn._

CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

By the third morning, I thought I was going to lose my mind. I was starting to feel like a caged animal. Plus, the more I thought about my last conversation with Victrixa, the more I wondered if they really did intend to let me go. But I knew it didn't really matter. I had to be at the top of El Castillo on the solstice, no matter what.

I ate my breakfast and took a shower before trying to check back in at the safe house. When I was ready, I settled back on my throne and focused on my breath. My mind cleared and I began to feel the energy build inside me. Soon the twins' rooms came into view. There was no one there at all that I could see. In fact, I couldn't seem to sense anyone in the main house at all. But something seemed different.

It took me a minute before I picked up on what it was. There were pieces of paper, messages taped up all over the place. They were everywhere, and they were for me! It was like Twitter on steroids. Some of them were cute little notes from Damian telling me to keep my spirits up. Lyssa's were not all PG13, but they made me laugh like crazy. There was just one in Matt's familiar boy scrawl. It said, _I love you_. And I saw others written in bold black marker. They all said the same thing— _Maya Meeting 9 PM_.

I opened my eyes and considered what I'd seen. No doubt it had been Richard who'd figured out how to use my powers to our advantage. It would be easy to send them another object to let them know that I was there watching during the meeting. But, I realized very quickly, it wasn't going to be very helpful with information only going one way. And I didn't have anything to write with. _Crap_. I had to figure out a way to communicate, but I had no idea how. I could hardly keep throwing cans at them.

As I looked around my little cell and tried to think of a way to get messages to them, I started to get the feeling in my gut that meant _Balam_ was trying to tell me something. I walked into the bathroom, shut the door, and sat down, then closed my eyes and tried to focus on my gut. All of a sudden, out of nowhere, I could see a room I didn't recognize. It looked like it might be some kind of library or study.

" _If she refuses to join us, then we'll simply kill her," a tall man with silver hair was saying. He was dressed in a white linen suit and looked perfectly cool, lounging back in a big armchair._

" _Look, Avery, we've been over this," a second man said. "We have no way of knowing what she's capable of. If we don't kill her now, who knows what could happen." This guy was pacing back and forth._

Then I realized that I could hear footsteps above my head. They were in the room right above me! I focused again.

" _It doesn't matter what she's capable of," Victrixa said, "it only matters what she knows, what she's been taught. There hasn't been enough time for Adriana and Richard to discover all of her abilities. The possibilities are infinite."_

" _But—"_

" _No, Trixa is right, Lucas," the man called Avery broke in. "They would need to focus on the task at hand."_

_Victrixa spoke again. "Toltec has existed for thousands of years with one single purpose. To destroy all incarnations of the goddess Maya. It was decided that it was necessary in order to stop the start of the New Age. But this is 2012. Toltec has changed. We have evolved, as has Maya. I don't believe that she is a reincarnation of the goddess. I believe she_ is _the goddess. And it's time to see if we can use this power to our own ends."_

What did she just say? _Goddess?_

" _Conjecture!" one of the men exclaimed. "You have no proof! And the idea of actually having her join us is utterly ridiculous. Check your ambition, Trixa. You're overreaching, just like always." It was Lucas. He sounded very impatient with her. "We should kill her now while we have the chance."_

" _Isn't the power that she wields proof enough?"_

Now Avery spoke up. "But still," he said—it sounded like he was trying to make peace between them—"she may have been given that power simply to do what she was intended to do. We shall have great power on our side soon enough. Perhaps Lucas is right."

There was a sharp knock at the door and two shifters walked in....

And the vision disappeared. I opened my eyes. I could hardly believe what I'd just heard. Toltec's mission wasn't only to stop the New Age from happening. It was to kill me. And they thought that I was a...a...I couldn't even think the word. The room started to spin uncontrollably. I lifted the lid to my "throne" and puked my guts out. (Handy, huh?) Then I stumbled over to the bed just to lay down for a bit. My mind was racing.

I hadn't meant to fall asleep, but when I woke up the clock next to my bed read 7:30. I had an hour and a half before the meeting, and I still had absolutely no idea how to communicate with the compound. _Ugh._ And I still felt slightly nauseous. I couldn't even look in the direction of my dinner, which sat on my little table. I walked over to the mini-fridge, opened it, and sank down on the cold floor, staring at all the junk food inside. I had barely touched any of it. The meals were filling enough, but my mind was on other things. Maybe some gum would settle my stomach.

I must have sat there for half an hour, just looking at the packages of gum. Of course, part of my dismay was the fact that all of the labels were in Spanish and I could actually read them. I have to admit that blew my mind. And then it hit me! The labels were in Spanish, but I could still tear off individual letters to make English words! I just needed something to stick them together with. Man, I would have given anything right then for some Scotch tape.

I thought about first aid tape and I tore apart the bathroom looking for a kit. The closest thing I could find was a box of tampons. (So nice of them to think of my feminine needs before they bumped me off.) Well, crap. There had to be something I could use. I shut the cabinet doors under the bathroom sink and walked back into the other room. I looked at the clock. I only had thirty minutes left. I opened the fridge and carefully started to tear the labels off the packages of snacks. I opened a box of Canel chewing gum and popped a piece into my mouth.

_Hmm_ , I thought, _now this might work_. I chewed the gum a few more times and took it out of my mouth. It was no _Bubblicious,_ but it seemed pretty sticky. Lyssa would definitely approve. I tore a letter from the Canel box and stuck it to the gum. It stayed! My own little version of a sticky note. But I sure didn't envy the first person to pick it up. _Ew_. I put the gum back in my mouth, added several more pieces, and continued to make multiple alphabets out of the food boxes, bags, and wrappers.

Soon I had several duplicate alphabets laid out on the bathroom counter next to the toilet. Sadly, I was missing some letters, like K and W, which aren't really used in Spanish. Others, like X, I had very few of. I just hoped I had enough to get my messages across. I closed the bathroom door and wedged the chair under the knob, just in case. Then, with just a couple of minutes to spare, I sat down and began to call energy to myself. Within moments, Damian's room came into view. Man, I was getting good at this.

"... _we'll wait for her to send us a sign that she's with us and then we'll get started," Richard was saying._

I focused on the empty water bottle in my hands and soon it was careening through Damian's room. Luckily, it only hit the wall.

Everyone started yelling my name and jumping around with excitement, and I sat there on the john, grinning like an idiot. Richard and Adriana quickly reminded us that we needed to move things along.

" _Maya, we still don't have your location," Richard said. "Do you know for sure if you're with Toltec?"_

To conserve letters, I took one Y, stuck it to a tiny bit of gum, and sent it through a portal.

" _What was that?" Damian asked, as the chewing gum whizzed past his nose._

Matt picked it up off the floor. "It's...gum."

" _Gum?" Adriana asked._

" _Yeah," Lyssa said, "it's Canel with a Y stuck to it."_

" _That must mean 'yes,'" Richard said. "She doesn't have anything to write with. Maya, do you have any idea where they're keeping you?"_

I sent another piece of gum with an N attached through a portal and watched as Richard's face fell.

" _Damn it," he said._

" _Maya," Adriana said, "what can you tell us? Are you safe?"_

As quickly as I could, I put together a message that looked like text messaging. _Thy pln to ill me if i dnt oin them_. I sent it through. Talk about your texting nightmare.

" _Okay, they want her to...join them or they'll...kill her," Lyssa read off the gum._

" _Oh, my God," Matt said, putting his hands to his face._

" _Join them? That doesn't make much sense," Richard said._

" _Let me see that," Adriana said. She looked at the message for a moment. "Maya, what else do you know? Tell us anything at all, even if it doesn't seem important."_

I fumbled for the right letters and put together, _I am goddess_. I didn't have a question mark, so it sounded like I was calling myself a goddess. This time Damian picked up my sticky message.

" _It says, 'I am goddess.'"_

_Adriana frowned. "I'm not sure what that means. Maya, what do you mean?" she asked._ It was weird. They were talking to me while looking into thin air.

I looked at my slowly dwindling letters, pulled some more gum out of my mouth, and stuck _tltc inks_ to it. Then I sent it through, wondering what they would say. Would they think it was ridiculous? I mean, it was. But then, why was my stomach clenching up?

Richard got the message this time. _"Toltec thinks that she's a goddess? Does that seem right, Adri?" he asked._

" _Maya, is that right?" Adriana asked._

Man, my nerves were shot. This was worse than charades. My hands shaking, I stuck a Y on a piece of gum and sent it through.

" _I'm not making a lot of sense out of this," Richard said._

" _Hey, maybe they don't think that she's just a reincarnation," Damian said. "Maybe they think that she is an_ actual _goddess, like the goddess Maya. Remember when we researched this at WNMU? At least two of the entries referred to actual goddesses, one Greek and one Hindu."_

" _My God, we've gotta get her out of there," Adriana said. "Maya is there anything else?"_

I thought for a moment and then sent through a reply. _N_.

" _If it's okay, I'd like us to be alone for a minute," Matt said. Quickly, everyone said their good-byes to me and cleared out of the room._

" _I love you, My," he said. "I miss you so much. Lately, I've been able to feel what you're feeling. Has that been happening to you?"_

My eyes welled up with tears as I sent through a Y.

He picked up the gum and then closed his eyes. He just stood there quietly for a moment.

What was he doing? All of a sudden my heart filled with a feeling of love so strong it nearly knocked me over. The tears in my eyes started to spill over. I put my hands to my chest, not wanting the feeling to fade, not wanting to ever lose it.

" _Can you feel it, My? Maya? I can feel you panicking! What's wrong?"_

Banging on the bathroom door. I had to open my eyes and break our connection. Now someone was pushing against the door. _Shit!_ I had totally forgotten about the curfew!

"Open up this door, Maya! Do you hear me?" It was Victrixa. She was screaming with rage.

I quickly grabbed at the letters on the sink and tried to gather them up, but it was too late. She had forced the door open.

"What the hell have you been doing in here?" She looked down at the sink. "You've been communicating with them all this time?" And she slapped me in the face so hard I thought my eye was going to explode. I fell back against the wall.

"Answer me!" she yelled.

"No," I stammered. "J—just this once."

"Avery! Avery, get down here!" she screamed.

He walked halfway down the stairs and poked his head down. The man from my vision was now real. "What's going on?" he asked.

"Get me two shifters," Victrixa barked. Then she turned back and looked at me. "You are going to wish you had never been reborn," she said. And then, right before my eyes, Victrixa phased into the most terrifying snake I had ever seen. I mean, she was _huge_. Her whole body wouldn't fit into the bathroom. Watching _Snakes on a Plane_ didn't make me an expert, but she had to be an anaconda or python or something. I stared into her yellowish-green eyes, desperately looking for the human inside. But all I saw was rage. Sweat pouring down my face, I tried to make myself as flat against the wall as I could. Slowly and carefully I moved my jelly legs toward the shower. That was the only shelter I could think of. But when her head flattened and her hood opened, I realized just how wrong I had been.

She opened her mouth, revealing two large fangs. She hissed and lunged at me. All I could do in my panic was move my hand and move her through a portal, hurling her backwards against the bathroom door. Her head smacked hard against it and part of the wall crumbled. I couldn't seem to move her any further. I was too freaked out. Then I felt a sharp pain in my right shoulder and everything went black.

### ~ ~ ~

When I woke up, I was tied to a chair in the study that I had seen in my vision. There was no one in the room with me. My T-shirt was torn and my right shoulder was still sore from whatever had hit me. I could only hope that it hadn't been a fang. I turned my head to look out a window and saw that the sun was low on the horizon. God, what day was it?

I heard a man's voice. "I see you're awake. Good. Don't worry. You were not bitten. You were put out with a small tranquilizer dart. You and I have some things to discuss." I turned my head so I could see him. "My name is Avery Wells. I am a member of Toltec. I'm sure that needs no explanation."

I tried to shake my head, even though it hurt. "Victrixa and I have already talked about that," I said, "and the answer is still no."

"Oh, is that what you two were doing in my basement? Talking?" He had some kind of accent, but I couldn't place it.

"Yeah," I said. "And maybe you should rein in your snake, and I do mean _snake_."

He took a step closer to me. "Well, we're going to discuss it again. And this time, you'll listen. I have plenty more tranquilizer darts where that one came from. It would be a very easy matter to simply put you out until after tomorrow."

_Crap, crap, crap._ How long had I been out? Panic seized my insides as I tried to appear calm on the outside. I had to get out of there. _Now_.

"Look, Maya," he was saying, "it's all very simple. If you agree to join us, then you live. If you insist on playing the hero, then you'll die like one. It doesn't seem like a difficult decision to me."

"No, you asshole, it wouldn't," I practically spat. I made a kicking motion with my right foot, even though I could only move it about an inch.

"There's no need for language," he said, squatting in front of me. "You have such power, Maya. We can show you how to use it..."

As he went on, I went into my mind, trying to connect with the earth below my feet as much as possible. As soon as I connected, I began drawing energy from the earth. This time I had no intention of grounding myself. I would never join Toltec, so if they were going to kill me, I figured I had nothing to lose. I felt the power moving up through my legs and into my torso. It was so strong I wondered for a moment if I could contain it. But it just continued to move on throughout my body.

I continued to stare at Avery, trying to look like I was listening and blink at the right times. He was pacing know, enjoying the sound of his own voice as he talked about how great I could be. I focused on the _k'ul_ inside me until its power permeated every part of my being. I looked down at my body, which was outlined in a faint light. But Avery didn't seem to notice the glow. He had walked toward the window, as light from the setting sun now filled the room. I watched him as he turned his back to me. I focused hard on the compound and let go.

In the blink of an eye, I was gone.

CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

I landed on the ground with a thud. I felt like I'd been hit by a truck. I don't know how long I lay there in a heap, but I know it was dark and the grass was cool. And something smelled so divine that I just wanted to lie there forever.

"Maya!"

Wait. I knew that voice. Cesar?

" _Dios!_ Liam, Liam! It is Maya!"

I heard a familiar brogue. "Let's get her to the house."

Then as I felt myself being carefully scooped up, a voice spoke soothingly to me in Spanish. I moved my head and looked up into Cesar's black eyes. He smiled down at me and held me a little tighter.

Somewhere a screen door slammed, and then I heard Richard yelling at Damian to go find Matt.

They carried me inside. "Let's get her on the couch," Richard said. "Easy, that's it." He raised my head enough to tuck a couch pillow under it. "Maya? Can you hear me, Maya?"

"Yes."

Suddenly Adriana was there, too. "How do you feel?" she asked me. "Should we get Selena?" she asked Richard.

"No, no," I said. "I'm okay, just...sore. Really sore."

"That's probably from hitting the ground," Richard said, "Do you feel like you've broken anything?"

"No, I don't think so."

Out of nowhere my soul was hit with a sudden urgency so overpowering that I started to scream. "Matt! Matt!"

"He's by the outer wall. Damian went to get him. It shouldn't take long," Adriana answered.

"No, no, I need him _now_ ," I said, gripped by panic. "Matt!" I tried to sit up, but Adriana was gently pushing me down. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Cesar slip through the sliding door in the kitchen.

"Easy, Maya," Richard said, "He'll be here any minute."

"What's going on?" she mouthed to Richard.

"It's the mating call. Being forced apart must be speeding things up a bit."

"A bit?" Adriana said, holding me down more forcefully.

Then I heard the screen door slam and watched as everyone backed out of the way.

"My?" Matt landed on his knees beside me. "Maya," he whispered softly, tears running down his face. He laid his head on my chest and I brushed his soft hair with my hand as we cried together. There was a sense of completeness inside me that I had never felt before.

"Come on, everyone," Adriana said after a minute. "Let's give these two some privacy."

Matt raised his head and looked into my eyes. I don't know how long we sat that way. Then he stood up and took my hand, helping me with my wobbly knees. We walked slowly hand in hand toward the door, still looking into each other's eyes.

"Matt," Adriana said.

"No," Richard said, holding her back. "Let them go. He'll have her back in time. This may be the only chance they'll ever have."

As the door swung closed behind us, Matt phased and waited patiently for me as I got my bearings. I phased and he circled me once before taking the lead. He ran toward the back gate of the compound and jumped it easily. I followed him out, and we disappeared into the lush jungle. On and on we ran. We pushed forward with a wild urgency, barely stopping to rest. I followed him southeast until the moon was high above our heads and I could see the rainforest begin to open up ahead of us. We reached a rocky cliff that looked down on a secluded white sand beach. The dunes lay below Mayan ruins that sat on a high cliff along the water.

Matt made his way down the rock face to the sand and I followed him across the beach to the water's edge. We had hardly phased back before we were pulling each other's shirts off. We kissed and cried, our tears mixing together like the salty ocean that lapped at our feet.

"I was so afraid you were dead," he said, as I caught his tears with kisses, "so afraid I'd lost you."

"Shh, I'm here now."

"I love you so much," he said fiercely, pulling me to him. Then he picked me up and laid me down in the sand. We kissed hard, so deeply it was like we were trying to disappear into one another.

It was overwhelming at first, being able to feel his emotions as well as my own. I got lost in his pain, his urgency, his hunger. But then it only seemed to propel my desire, and something else took over. It was wild, feral, and I couldn't stop it. I didn't want to. I raked my fingernails down his back. Matt groaned. We licked at one another's mouths, pulling at the rest of each other's clothing.

I arched my back against him, moaning as he kissed me down my neck, my chest, my stomach. As he lay on top of me I could feel how every inch of his hard body fit perfectly into my soft curves. I wanted to roar in ecstasy. I wanted to bay at the moon. When we were finished, he pulled my tangled hair out of my face, his hands framing my cheekbones, and looked into my eyes.

" _In Lak' ech_ ," he murmured.

" _Ala K'in_ ," I whispered, moving his hand from my face and kissing his palm.

We lay together on the sand, our bodies entwined, and looked up at the stars.

"I know this was our first time," I said, "But this was...I mean...."

"Yeah, it must be a shifter thing. It was like I could feel you, all of you."

"Like our souls connected somehow."

"Feel like connecting them again?" he asked.

"Oh, yeah!"

Afterward, panting, sticky, and full of sand, we decided to take a quick swim to clean off. The water was warm, and as he held me in the moonlight, it looked like the horizon went on forever. I wanted to stay there safe in his arms and never go back. And for a little while, I was able to pretend that we could. I wrapped my arms around his neck and kissed him as he held me close. He tasted like salt and smelled sweet and clean.

Finally, though, we dressed and sat together on the beach, enjoying the last moments we would have together before we had to go back. Matt took my hand and we stood up. He took something out of his pocket.

"Adriana gave me this so I could give it to you."

I gasped. It was a beautiful silver necklace with seven square plaques held together by chain. Each plaque was a couple of inches long and had a different Mayan glyph carved into it. It was so beautiful. I turned and lifted my hair so that he could put it on me. Somehow, it felt oddly familiar, as though I had felt its weight on my shoulders before.

"It once belonged to a Mayan Elder," he said. "It's been passed down by Adriana's ancestors for hundreds of years. I wanted to give you something, you know, before...." His voice trailed off.

"I love it," I said. "Thank you."

"You look like the Mayan Queen that you are," he said. He took my hand and we turned toward the forest, walking into the unknown, but walking into it together.

### ~ ~ ~

By the time we got back, we could see the headlights of the vans as the shifters were all ready to head to Chichen Itza. Soon we would be doing the same. We walked into the kitchen, where Adriana and Richard were sitting at the table.

"Look who's here!" Richard said, giving us a half smile.

I flushed about ten shades of red.

"Would you two like some tea?" Adriana asked. "We've still got a little time before we have to leave."

"I'll have some," I said, sitting down at the table.

"I'm good," Matt said.

I looked into the living room, where I could barely make out the dark outline of Cesar sitting alone on the sofa.

"Cesar, do you want some tea?" I asked.

"No, thank you," he replied politely.

To my surprise, Matt got up and walked over to him, sitting down on the arm of the sofa. Within minutes they were deep in conversation about something.

"Huh," I said.

"A few things have changed while you were away," Adriana said.

"You mean those two are getting along?"

"Well, I can't say that they'll ever be the best of friends, but they've found one thing they can agree on," Richard said.

"What's that?" I asked.

"You."

"Oh," I said. _Yeesh_. I went back to sipping my tea.

"Good morning," Adriana said, as the twins came into the kitchen.

"Uh, we have a slight problem," Damian said, turning around. There on the back of his neck was the mark of a beautiful, bright sun. It wasn't all one color like a shifter's mark. It was in full color with bright yellows and oranges.

"What the—" Richard began.

"—Wait," Damian said. "There's more."

Lyssa lifted her hair. On her neck was a gorgeous blue crescent moon.

"Oh, my God," Adriana said. "Richard, the Hero Twins!"

"It has to be," he answered.

"Wait," I said, "the hero what?"

"The Hero Twins. From Mayan mythology. But they were boys. And, oh, Lord, I can't believe I didn't see this before! They were ball players!" Adriana was shaking her head in disbelief.

"Like soccer?" Lyssa asked.

"No," Richard said. "The ancient Mayan people played a different ballgame. But the Hero Twins were incredible players. Just like you two."

"Isn't there a myth about the Hero Twins defeating some kind of sky god?" Damian asked.

"There is. Actually, they defeated several gods in the Mayan creation story. But most of them were in Xibalba," Adriana said.

"She-bal-ba," I repeated, "What's that?"

"The Mayan Underworld," Richard said.

"Maya, remember when we talked about the _Chilam Balam_?" Adriana asked.

I nodded.

"Well, the Hero Twins come from the other Mayan book I mentioned, the _Popol Vuh_. It actually contains numerous stories about the Hero Twins," she explained. "At the end, one of the twins becomes the sun and the other becomes the moon. That has to be what their markings stand for. The question is, which story fits?"

"Maybe none of them do. It's possible that they're meant to help Maya," Richard said.

"Okay, hold on." Damian took a step closer to his twin. "Watch this."

The twins took hands and closed their eyes. For a moment, nothing happened. Then, out of nowhere, I heard a yelp come from the living room.

"What the hell!" Matt yelled.

"What did you do?" I asked.

"We pushed a thought into Matt's mind that his sneaker was on fire," Lyssa giggled.

"Don't ever do that again!" Matt sounded pissed.

"Your powers have expanded since you got your marks?" Adriana said. "That's fantastic. I wish you had more time to practice."

"Well, we already know we can push thoughts and visions. And we can still read each other's minds, too, but we still can't read anyone else's," Damian said.

"Looks like you were right all along, Adri. They must have a purpose to fulfill," Richard said.

"You two should stay with us at the museum until we figure out what it is," Adriana said.

"And we'd better get going," Richard said. "The sun's almost up."

The next thing I knew, we were packed into the van and heading to Chichen Itza. I sat next to Matt and laid my head on his shoulder. We took the highway, so the trip was smoother and a lot shorter than I expected. Or maybe it just seemed that way as I sat looking out the window, wondering and worrying about all that was to come. Matt held my hand and gave it a squeeze as we pulled into the parking lot at the museum. There were already tons of cars and busses filled with tourists in the parking lot.

Immediately, Adriana, Richard and the twins walked into line at the front gate, while Cesar, Matt, and I stayed in the van and waited. Matt and Cesar were both wearing watches, and they checked the time repeatedly, which made me even more nervous. Finally, Matt looked at Cesar and nodded and we all clambered out. I noticed that as soon as we started walking toward the line, Matt and Cesar never left my side.

It took us a good half hour to get through the line and inside the museum. Once we were inside, we headed northeast to the Jaguar Temple. The crowd was so thick we had to push our way through, so I was grateful to have the guys as bumpers on either side of me. They were heading straight for our meeting point, but I couldn't take my eyes off of El Castillo, which was directly to my right. It looked so much taller than it did in photos and I couldn't believe how steep the stairs were. There were ninety-one of them, practically all going straight up. I cringed. Adriana had told me to wear jeans to protect my legs in case I slipped while I was running. Looking at it now, I felt like I should have worn knee and elbow pads and possibly even a helmet.

We finally got to the entrance to the Lower Temple of the Jaguar by the Ball Court. The entrance itself was made up of several very ornate carved columns. There was a worn Jaguar Throne at the entrance. I touched it briefly with my hand and felt a sudden jolt of power. I looked around me, but no one seemed to notice.

"Cesar," Richard's voice startled me out of my thoughts, "Good, you made it. Have you seen anyone from Toltec?"

"No, but they are here, I am sure," Cesar replied. "This crowd is thick."

"Well, let's just hope that this wall of people is hiding us as well as it's hiding them. We're going to have to be very careful. And remember, no one phases unless it's absolutely necessary. The last thing we need is a riot on our hands," Adriana said.

"I have a feeling we're going to end up with one no matter what we do," Matt said.

"Okay, Maya." Richard turned to me. "Tell me what you're going to do."

"We make our way to the bottom of El Castillo. I wait until I'm signaled and then I run the steps. I enter the temple at the top where I can't be seen, open a portal, and move to the roof. Or I could just open a portal at the base of the pyramid," I suggested hopefully.

"No. That's too dangerous," Adriana said. "You could miss."

I gave an internal groan as I thought about the hellish run that awaited me.

Richard took over. "Once you get to the top of the roof, you'll feel the pyramid amplifying the power from the earth. Just follow your instincts," he said.

"Okay." I nodded, but I actually had no idea what that meant. Especially since my instincts at that particular moment were telling me to turn around and get the hell out of there. But I knew I couldn't run. I knew what had to be done, and I knew that I could die doing it. _Please be with me, Grandma_ , I thought. Just then I felt Matt take my right hand to comfort me and a vision of my grandma chanting before her altar flashed before me. I knew instinctively that Matt's impulse to reassure me had come from someone else. I smiled to myself as we rounded the corner and began the walk to El Castillo.

CHAPTER NINETEEN

It turned out that picking our way through the crowd on the way to El Castillo was pretty slow going. That was fine with me. The longer it took us to get there, the more time I had to get my head together. Cesar walked on my left, Matt held my right hand, and Richard and Adriana formed the front and back of the square. The twins were out in front of Adriana somewhere. Suddenly the earth began to shake and I was thrown against Cesar.

"Don't worry, I have you," he said, somehow managing to stand up straight while the rest of us flailed about.

"What the hell was that?" Matt asked Richard.

"It's most likely the beginning of the transition. We'd better speed this up."

Just as we began to press forward with more speed, another quake hit. This time, people began to scream. Some dropped to the ground in an effort to steady themselves, but they only ended up getting trampled by others who decided that running was the best way to deal with the situation.

"Stay together, stay together!" Richard yelled. "Everyone grab a hand on each side and keep moving for-ward!"

Suddenly, with a great groan, the earth began to split apart beneath my feet. I saw the people around me diving out of harm's way, but I was too late. I cried out as I felt the earth beneath me crumble away. I held on to the edge of the chasm, my feet struggling for some kind of foothold. I could hear the terrified cries of people all around me, as they could no longer hold on and were forced to let go. I kept my eyes forward, not want-ing to look down. But my hands were slipping. Then I felt hands gripping my forearms.

"You got her?" Matt asked Cesar.

"No problem," Cesar answered.

Together, they lifted me like I weighed nothing and set me on my feet. As we hurried away, I turned my head, expecting to see a crack in the ground. Instead I found myself staring at a miniature version of the Grand Canyon. It was nowhere near as wide, but it was so deep that its bottom was swallowed by darkness.

"You guys, we have to hurry." Then I panicked. "Wait—where're the twins?"

"They're fine," Matt said. "They're with Richard and Adriana over there. They weren't as close to the split as we were. My, I'm so sorry. You just slipped out of my hand."

"It's okay, I'm fine."

As we started to walk toward the twins, I spotted Avery Wells in the crowd.

"Come on," I said, picking up the pace. "Did you guys just see him?"

"See who?" Richard asked.

"Avery Wells," I said. "He's right over...where'd he go?"

"I'm sure you saw him," Adriana answered, looking around at the thinning sea of tourists. "We've spotted some of Toltec's shifters and Lucas Moss since the museum started to clear out some. They lost a few shifters. That could work to our advantage."

"Our biggest worry right now is getting you around this chasm and up to El Castillo," Richard said.

And as I turned around to get a better look at the situation, I could easily see what Richard meant. The split had sliced the park right down the middle. The Temple of the Jaguars was completely gone, as was half of the Venus Platform that had been diagonal to it.

"We'll have to take her back down the other side by the rift's tail end," Richard said after a minute.

The ground started to shake once more, but this time there didn't seem to be any new rifts opening up. Though people began to scream again, the noise soon died down when the tourists began to see that they were safe. Then we heard it. It sounded like high-pitched _eek eek_ sounds coming from deep within the pit. All eyes were fixed on the pit as a black, winged creature soared up. Its face and body were like a bat's and it had a long skinny tail. And it was _huge_. I felt every cell of my being shrinking in revulsion as I watched it fly higher, making that terrible screeching sound. Everyone seemed frozen in fear and disbelief.

"Demon!" Richard yelled. "We've got to go _now._ But slowly. We don't want to attract its attention with too much movement."

No sooner had Richard spoken than the bat thing honed in on a woman trying to run for safety. It swooped down, picked her up in its talons, and dropped her into the pit. I turned away. As we all slowly made our way to the right, the crush of the crowd became too much. People were shouting out names, looking for their friends and loved ones. I could see that the throng was headed toward the exit gate and was pushing way too hard. More people had fallen and were now being walked on. When a young woman fell right in front of us, Matt grabbed her under the arms and quickly set her on her feet again. All of a sudden, I noticed that the twins weren't following us. I stopped dead.

"What are you guys doing?" I yelled. "Come on!"

Damian slowed down and looked back at me. "It's okay! I've got a feeling this is where we come in," he called.

I looked from him to Lyssa, who was nodding her head.

"Wait, no!" I hollered. "We can't just leave them here!"

Richard laid one hand on my shoulder. "Maya, the demon is from _Xibalba_. We've been given our job to do and they've been given theirs. Let's go!"

We sped back toward the front gates, then took a sudden left turn. As we ran, I kept an eye on the twins until El Castillo blocked them from my sight. Would we ever see one another again? Up until today, we hadn't even known what part they would play in all of this, and now it wasn't just Matt anymore. There was a chance that I could lose my best friends. Still running, I wiped away my tears.

The weirdness of the earthquake and flying demon had both helped us and hurt us. As the museum emptied out, we could fight as shifters without worrying about being seen by too many tourists. On the other hand, we ourselves were now out in plain sight. There were no more crowds to hide in. As we got closer to the pyramid, it became obvious that Toltec had no intention of letting me near it.

I stopped running and looked up. "Richard," I said, "I could open a portal to the top."

"No, it's just too dangerous. If you were off by even a fraction we could lose you," Adriana said.

"She's right," Richard said. "It's too risky

Before I knew what was happening, shifters were phasing all over the place. Matt and Cesar remained at my sides, looking for an opening. But not all of Toltec's shifters had phased. I could see several of them standing at the foot of the monument to make sure we couldn't get close.

"My, quick! Come back here," Matt said.

I followed him around the northern side of the pyramid, where he took my arm, pointing to a small doorway under the staircase.

"Stay here until we can deal with the shifters," he said. "Don't come out unless Cesar or I come for you."

I looked at the opening. It was pretty small. "Okay," I said.

He helped me over the rope that kept tourists from entering, then I walked inside and followed a short tunnel. Before long, I came to a steep, narrow staircase. It led to several tight passageways and small chambers. I kept going. Then I spotted a red, jade-studded jaguar throne. I ran my hand over it. There was _Balam_ , so ancient and yet so much a part of me. Just seeing the throne made me feel more at ease. That is, until I heard footsteps coming into the chamber.

"Matt?" I whispered.

"I'm afraid not." _Victrixa._ "You know what they say about payback?" she asked in an acid tone.

"And let me guess. You're the bitch."

She smiled. "We gave you your shot, but you turned it down. Now it's over."

She phased into _Kan_ and I could feel a cold chill run down my spine as I once again looked into her menacing, reptilian face. Then she began to slide toward me. I looked around. There wasn't anything here to fight her with. People weren't even supposed to be here. Would it be easier to fight her if I phased? No. There just wasn't enough room. She was closing in fast. This was worse than when I'd first met her in the bathroom. Now I had only one choice. I closed my eyes and centered myself as fast as I could. My powers were definitely expanded here. I could feel it right away. No sooner had I visualized the little doorway of the temple than I was there. Blinded by the sunlight, I just stood there until I heard Cesar's voice.

"Maya, come quickly!"

He steadied me with one hand and we ran around the other side of the pyramid. Two of Toltec's shifters suddenly appeared and came barreling after us. Matt was already around the corner, fighting a Toltec shifter that was twice his size. Cesar punched the guy's face so hard there was a sickening crack when he made contact.

"Thanks," Matt said.

Cesar gave a quick smile. "Okay, when we find an opening, we go all three of us. Like your American football."

A wily smile crossed Matt's face. Cesar was learning to speak his language, that's for sure. As soon as they saw a break in the lower perimeter of the pyramid, they charged forward, carrying me between them. With their outside arms and shoulders leading, they were ready to pummel anyone that got in our way. We tore forward, and they thrust me partway up the stairs. For a moment, I was actually airborne. I hit the stone hard, which tore a hole my jeans and gouged my knee. When I looked back, they were in the middle of a fist fight with two Toltec shifters.

"My! Go!" Matt yelled.

Jolted out of my stupor, I turned and pushed off against the steps. I threw everything I had into propelling myself upward. My legs burned. I could feel the shin splints coming before I even hit the halfway mark, but I let the adrenaline carry me. My lungs complained with each breath I took. I refused to take my eyes off the top. I pushed the pain to the back of my mind and kept climbing. I lost my footing and slipped several times, but each time I pushed myself up and kept going. At some point, I noticed that I was leaving bloodstains on the stones. I knew it would only be a matter of time before Toltec sent someone after me.

I reached the top! I collapsed against the wall of the Temple, trying to catch my breath. And that's when I felt it. Adriana had been right. I could feel the power that the pyramid was amplifying. I looked down at the fighting, so far below me. It looked totally surreal. Still staggering, I walked around the corner, following the edge of the Temple. There was the bat demon, still flying above the museum. But something was wrong with it. It kept shaking its head, like it was trying to fly straight but couldn't. Then I spotted Damian and Lyssa far below. They looked so tiny. They were facing each other and holding hands, and somehow they were pushing thoughts into the bat demon's mind.

The twins were kicking some serious butt. Now it was my turn. I ran back around the corner and entered the temple. It was time to tap into the energy of that baby and see what it could do. I closed my eyes, focused, and where it would normally take me minutes to tap into the earth's energy, up here, it was only seconds. I let go and found myself standing on the windy platform on the very top of El Castillo.

I could feel the power from the earth beginning to enter my body before I even called for it. I moved my legs apart for a firmer stance, took another deep breath, and opened myself up to it. _Give me strength, Balam_ , I called. _Give me strength._ I don't know how long I stood there, trying to let in as much _k'ul_ as I possibly could. I looked down at myself. I was blazing with bright light. I was my own sun! And then, suddenly, it felt like something was going horribly wrong. My insides felt as though they were burning, like someone had sent acid through my bloodstream. Still I allowed it in until I couldn't take it anymore. I let out a piercing scream and raised my arms up above my head in a V. I let go. Power streamed out from my hands, like a giant flame thrower, lighting up the sky. As the _k'ul_ poured out of my body, the pain gradually subsided.

From my perch, I could still see the twins standing close to the abyss. They were struggling against five demons now, trying to focus their telepathy on a couple at a time. After a minute, one of the demons looked up and turned its attention to me. I had an idea. It took almost every ounce of strength I had to work against the _k'ul_ exploding out of my body, but I was able to get my arm down enough to aim the energy at the demon. It instantly burst into flames and fell like a comet back into the pit.

I took out two more the same way, then I looked around again. I saw shifters battling one another as both humans and animals. There had to be fifty of them, and I knew at least twenty of them were ours. From where I stood, it could have been something off of _Animal Planet_. There were large birds swooping down from the sky, doing a lot of damage with their talons and beaks. I spotted _tunkuruchu_ among the birds and wondered briefly if it might be Richard. Liam had phased into a polar bear and was attacking a huge bull. At first, they looked evenly matched, but then I saw the danger. The bull lowered its head and gored Liam. I had to look away. When I looked back, he had phased back to his human form and had both hands on his stomach. He fell to the ground. My heart sank.

As I bowed my head, I suddenly caught a glimpse of Victrixa out of the corner of my eye. She was standing at the bottom of the pyramid just next to the abyss. What was she up to?

I looked along the other edges of the chasm and noticed that Avery Wells and Lucas Moss were doing the same thing further along the pit. What was going on? And why weren't those disgusting bat demon thingies attacking any of them?

I took out another demon with a fiery blast of _k'ul_ , only to see Victrixa turn around and look up. I looked down at her with a big grin on my face. Honestly, I just couldn't help it. She just looked so pissed, and I was so way tired of her trying to kill me. As the power running through me began to weaken, I glanced down behind me and saw that there were wounded shifters on the ground. I looked for Cesar and found him fighting an elk, but why couldn't I find Matt? Where the hell was he?

As the energy flow continued to cut back, a feeling of total exhaustion started to replace it. When the last of the energy had left my body, I started to fall forward. I was caught just in time by Matt and Richard.

Then I heard Matt's voice. "Oh, my God! Look what it did to her, Richard! Look what it's done!"

"Okay, Matt, let's hand her down," I heard Richard say. He sounded far away. "Cesar," he was saying, "take her nice and slow."

Barely conscious, I could feel myself being passed from one set of strong arms to another. When I woke up, it was just for a moment. I could feel the motion of the van as it rocked back and forth on the highway. I opened my eyes and realized I was riding with my head in Matt's lap.

"Shh," he whispered. "Go back to sleep, babe." The last thing I remember was the expression on Matt's face. He looked devastated. But I realized I could only tell from the look on his face. I couldn't _feel_ him anymore. Just for a split second, before I passed out again, I saw Cesar lay his hand on Matt's shoulder.

CHAPTER TWENTY

I heard Richard's voice again, still far away. "We'll have to cut her out of these clothes."

"Damian," Adriana's voice, "would you go find Selena, please? And ask her to bring her kit." She paused. "I don't know how we're going to get that necklace off of her. That probably wasn't the best idea I've ever had."

Most of what I heard after that was just bits and pieces of conversations that didn't make much sense. Then I fell into a deep sleep.

... _I was standing just outside a village high up in the mountains. I could hear people yelling and screaming. Almost instantly, I understood them and realized that they were speaking the Mayan language, Quiché. I was in Guatemala. As I started to walk toward the village, I saw that I was wearing a long, white, flowing gown and my feet were bare. I walked into the village, only to see that I had entered a scene of total chaos. Children were crying, their bellies swollen with malnutrition. The men were yelling at the women to keep bringing more water. The women were hurrying past me, and I could see that their beautiful Mayan skirts and blouses were filthy and torn. No one seemed to see or acknowledge me at all, so I continued to walk closer to where the yelling was coming from. A minute later, I came to the center of the village. Now I could see what was happening. There was a fire. The_ ceiba _tree, the heart of the village, was in flames, and the men were desperately trying to put it out. An old woman, whose face was wrinkled and blackened with soot, suddenly looked right at me "_ K'atik!" _She cried._ _She seemed to think I didn't understand her because then she spoke in Spanish._ "Ayúdenos, Diosa! Por favor, que nos ayude!" _She fell to her knees, grabbing my white gown and smudging it with ashes and dirt. She kept repeating her plea for help over and over, her face contorted with grief_ ....

I woke up. I was covered in sweat. I couldn't get that old woman's voice out of my head. I was in my bed. But when I looked at Matt's side, I saw that it hadn't been slept in. All I had over me was a cotton sheet, but even that didn't seem comfortable. My skin felt hot. It stung and burned like mad. I stood up, wrapped the sheet around me toga style, and walked into the bathroom, where I flipped on the light and looked at myself in the mirror. I gasped. I looked like hell! My whole body was covered with what looked like a horrendous sunburn. Even places where I had been wearing clothing were red and burned.

"Hey, you're up!" Matt came into view behind me.

"Uh, yeah."

"I know it's red," he said. "But you already look so much better."

"Better? Better than what?"

"It was worse when we took you down from El Castillo yesterday."

"I only slept one day? I feel like I've been out for weeks."

"About twenty-four hours," he said, kissing the top of my head.

"Ouch."

"Sorry."

I turned to face him. "Matt, why am I still wearing my necklace?" I asked. I reached up to touch my neckline, but he caught my hand.

"You're...you're not, babe," he said.

"What do you mean I'm not? Of course I am. I can see it."

"I thought I heard voices in here!" It was Adriana. "Maya, you're awake."

"What the hell is this?" I asked, still staring at my reflection.

"I'm so sorry, Maya. The silver became super-heated because you retained all that energy yesterday. The burn from the necklace is imprinted on your skin. I'm afraid it's going to be permanent."

"Wait—what?" I panicked, looking back at my reflection, my eyes tearing over.

"It will improve with time. Selena has been keeping a special salve on it around the clock. But, yes, to some degree, it will always be there."

Matt spoke up. "Why don't I run you a cool bath, My? Adriana, how about if we see you at dinner."

"I don't want a bath," I said, and then I burst into tears. Matt put his arms around me, being as careful of my burns as possible. He held me gently for a long time, and I realized that I could feel him again, his worry and love for me. I sighed in relief.

"I'm sorry," I said, feeling and quite possibly sounding like a two-year-old. But once I was in the tub, the cool water and the herbs from Selena started easing the burns on my skin, and I started to feel better.

Matt poked his head in a few minutes later. "My, I left your shorts and one of my T-shirts on the bed for you. I figure the looser the better for now."

"Thanks," I said, then, "Matt?"

"Yeah?"

"Is my necklace okay?"

"It's fine. Damian said it should have melted, but it's fine."

" _In Lak'ech_ ," I said.

" _Ala K'in_ , babe," he said.

A few minutes later, I got out of the tub. Giving up on toweling off, I decided to air dry as I carefully brushed out my hair. I had a similar issue with the shorts Matt had left for me. I decided that a pair of his boxers would work best with the big and (mercifully) dark-colored T-shirt Matt had put out. I couldn't even imagine trying to deal with a bra. Yikes. I tiptoed out to the kitchen. By the time I got there, only Adriana, Richard, Matt, Selena and the twins were there.

"Here she is!" Richard said, flashing a very un-Richard-like grin. But it sounded hollow somehow. Liam's death was weighing heavily on everyone.

"Where is everybody?" I asked.

"Barbecuing down by the cabins," Selena said. "They need some time to themselves."

"Oh, of course," I said.

"We'll hold the funeral pyre tomorrow night," Adriana said.

"His body will be burned?" Matt asked.

"Yes," Adriana said. "It's become a shifter tradition through the years. A dead shifter's body is too sought-after by scientists and others that want to study us."

"Listen, we have a lot to figure out," Richard said.

"What do you mean?" I asked. Alma handed me a sandwich.

"Well, for starters, Victrixa and her minions were definitely up to more than just fighting with us at the museum," Adriana answered.

"Hey, yeah, I noticed that," I said, before taking a gulp of diet Coke. "How come those demon things never went after them?"

"What do you mean?" Richard asked.

"Well, from where I was, it didn't look like they went after anyone from Toltec at all." I took another sip of Coke and suddenly realized that Selena, Richard, and Adriana were all staring at me.

"Uh...did I say something?"

"You're sure, not at all?" Selena asked.

"I'm sure. Why?"

"Demons are pure evil. They wouldn't discriminate. So if Toltec wasn't being attacked by them," Damian said, "then they had to be controlling them or using them somehow."

"How could they do that?" Matt asked.

"Very powerful dark magic," Adriana said.

"Holy shit, you mean they knew that those demons were going to be there?" Lyssa asked.

"I'd be surprised if they didn't," Richard said.

"Man, that's just a whole new kind of messed up," Lyssa said, shaking her head.

"You two were sure doing a number on those demons," Matt said. "What were you doing?"

"Lots of pushing hallucinations with a little mind control thrown in." Damian grinned.

"It was the shiznit," Lyssa added, nodding.

"Hey, wait a minute, I remember now—I saw them! I saw Victrixa, Avery, and that other guy along the edge of the pit. They were looking down, like they were searching for something."

"Or someone," Damian said.

"What?" Matt asked.

"He's right," Richard said.

"What do you mean?" Adriana asked.

"There was a god," Richard said. His voice cracked a little.

I wasn't used to him sounding like that. He seemed uncertain, maybe even slightly fearful. It made the little hairs on my arms stand up.

He swallowed. "I can't believe I never made the connection before now! His name was Toltex."

Adriana gasped. "I just assumed they had taken the name Toltec after the Toltec people."

Richard nodded. "Actually, I think that was probably the original idea, like we've known right along. They named themselves Toltec and made it their mission to kill all of the reincarnations of the goddess Maya. That way, the 21st would come and go, and the world would never transition."

"And this god, Toltex—where does he come in?" Matt asked.

"Toltex was the god of chaos. He was the son of Gukumatz, a major god of the Mesoamerican people. The story goes something like this. For unknown reasons, Toltex tried to bring the whole world into chaos. In order to stop him, all of the gods, including his own father, banished him to Xibalba. There he became the dark lord of the Underworld."

"So...," I said, very slowly, "that wasn't an _earthquake_ at the museum?"

"Not a true one. Somehow, Toltec must have figured out how to open a way to Xibalba. That's where the demons came from."

"But why?" Lyssa said. "Why would anyone want to do that?"

"My guess is that if they failed to kill Maya, and she started the transformation, he would be some kind of backup plan," Adriana said.

Richard nodded again. "Exactly. At some point in their history, Toltec went from doing what they could to encourage chaos to actually worshipping it."

"So it's possible that they made actual contact with Toltex," Adriana added.

Damian looked at all of us. "So that was who they were searching for in the pit."

"I hope we're wrong, but it looks like it," Adriana said.

"Did anyone see him?" I had to ask. "I mean, I was really high up and I could barely see into the abyss. It was way dark down there. All I saw were the demons. And Victrixa." I looked from face to face, but it was clear that no one had seen anyone else either.

"You know," Adriana said, standing up and walk-ing around behind me, "Richard and I were talking about your mark, Maya."

"When?"

"Just after we got to Mexico. At the time, it was just hypothetical. We wondered if maybe it would change after the solstice."

"You mean, like change into just a shifter's mark or something?"

"Well, yes, or maybe that you'd lose it completely. To be honest, we really had no idea."

_Huh?_ "I hadn't really thought about it," I said.

"But it hasn't changed," Lyssa said, "and our marks are still there, too."

"That's the thing," Richard said. "It could mean nothing. You may just have them for the rest of your lives."

"Or maybe Maya hasn't done everything she was meant to do," Damian said. It was a strange comment for him.

A chill ran down my spine. "What...what do you mean?" I asked. "That couldn't have been all for nothing." I mean, seriously, I was toasted like a freakin' lobster. "And Liam—he couldn't have just died for nothing. What else could there be?"

"I wish I knew," Richard said. "All we can do now is watch and wait for signs of the transition."

Selena stood up. "Well," she said, "I better get back to the cabins and check on the shifters."

"How are they?" I asked.

"They're mostly just beaten up, cuts and bruises, that sort of thing." She started out the door, then looked back. "Don't forget to put more of the ointment on before you go to bed."

I promised Selena that I would, then Matt and I headed back to our room. In spite of having slept so long, I was starting to feel tired again. I did have one more thing I wanted to do before we crashed.

"I'm just gonna give Grandma a quick call," I said.

"That's a good idea. I'm going to take a quick shower. Then I'll help you with the ointment," Matt said, wiggling his brows at me.

"Yeah," I said, "We'd probably get stuck together for, like, years."

"Works for me!" he said on his way into the bathroom.

"Dork," I mumbled, smiling to myself as I dialed all the calling codes and then Grandma's number.

"Grandma, it's me."

"Oh, Maya," she said, her voice suddenly filled with sobs.

"It's okay, I'm okay," I said, "I'm so sorry I worried you. I knew you'd be waiting to hear, but I guess I slept a lot afterwards."

"I'm okay, _ts'unu'un_. You needed to rest. How are you now?"

"Well, I'm a little sunburned from the _k'ul_ , but that's already starting to go away."

"And Matt and the twins?"

"Everyone's okay. The twins got marked!"

"Did they?"

"Yeah, you know, like the Hero Twins. Damian has a sun on his neck and Lyssa has a moon."

"The Hero Twins? From the _Popol_ _Vuh_? That's truly amazing. Please tell them I'm proud of them. And Maya, I'm so very proud of you."

"Thanks, Grandma," I said, my eyes tearing up. "Grandma, there's something I need to tell you, but...maybe I should wait till I get home."

"You know you can tell me anything, _ts'unu'un_."

"I know, but...well, this can wait."

"Okay, baby, if you're sure. And don't worry about your father. I'll give him a call right now with the flight schedule like we planned. You go and get some rest. I love you, _ts'unu'un_."

"I love you too, Grandma."

When Matt came out of the bathroom wearing just his boxers, I sucked in my breath and slapped my hand to my mouth (man, did that hurt)!

"It's no big deal, babe," he said, sitting down on the bed next to me.

"Are you kidding me? You've got cuts and ginormous welts everywhere!"

He smiled his bravest smile. "Sorry, My, but I think you win most injured." He touched a welt on his upper arm. "It looks a lot worse than it is. See? Doesn't even hurt."

I ran my hand gently along his arm and down his back. I could feel him quivering at my touch.

"I'm just so glad you're okay," I said.

"You're incredible, you know that?"

"Why?"

"If you could have seen how you looked on top of that pyramid. It was like you were on fire. And when Richard and I got up there..." He tried to look down at the bed, but I stopped him, catching his face in my hand. As I kissed him gently, I could feel his spirit release its sorrow like a wounded bird.

"I'm okay now," I said.

"I know," he said, "and you'll be even more okay after I put your ointment on."

"Gross," I said, taking off his big T-shirt and lifting my hair so that he could spread Serena's salve on my neck and chest. Suddenly I was feeling self-conscious. "Does it look really bad?" I asked.

"No. It just needs time to heal. We all do."

"I know." I sighed.

He reached over and turned off the light. "Come on," he said, "you're exhausted." He pulled the bed sheet lightly over us and snuggled me gently.

"Matt?"

"Yeah?"

"What if I really am a goddess, like Toltec thinks?" I asked, cradling my head on his chest and thinking about the dream I'd had.

"We'll figure it out, babe. We always do."

" _In Lak'ech_ ," I said, putting my hand on his heart.

" _Ala K'in_ ," he said, covering my hand with his.

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

First, I would like to thank my two fabulous Barbaras. A big THANK YOU to my editor, Barbara Ardinger, Ph.D., who helped bring reason to my madness. And Barbara Rainess from Pedernales Publishing for all her guidance, and for a little sprinkle of copal! I would also like to thank Jose Ramirez, the other half of Pedernales, for making my book into what I envisioned. Gracias!

I would also like to thank Dr. Mark Van Stone at Southwestern College for pointing my research in the right direction.

Many thanks to my critique circle, Maureen Chiacchieri, Ann McGrath, Faith Dion, and Tracy Winslow.

Finally, I want to thank my family for their unconditional love and for always believing that I would be a writer. I love you more than anything.

