Chapter 8

Chapter 8


The flight to Mexico City only took about five hours which meant they had plenty of daylight left to burn. Once they landed, Jake picked up a rental and they headed for their hotel. Getting the key from the desk clerk had been easy, almost too easy if Jake trusted his instincts and he did.
“Stay away from the balcony. There could be vamps or slugs out there waiting for us.” Jake told Serena as he set down their bags on the bed.
“How would they even know we were here?” Serena asked being on guard.
“Just a hunch. The guy at the front desk was just a little too eager for us to come up here.” he told her as he peaked out the side of the curtain.
“He probably thought we were in a hurry to get up here. After all, you did only get one room with one bed.” she reminded him, although she too stood to the other side of the balcony doors and looked out.
Jake gave her an annoyed look.
“Seems all clear, but we best be on guard. There’s no telling who is out there looking for you.”
“So where do we go from here?” she asked walking back over to the bed and rummaging through her bag.
“I think we should rest for awhile then go eat and pick up what we will need for our journey through the jungle.” Jake told her as he sat down on the bed and commenced to taking off his boots.
“And where am I going to rest?”
“The bed is large enough for the two of us and don’t get your whiskers in a bind. You’re not my type.”
“Yeah, well, as if I would jump your bones.” she said incredulously. “I’m going to take a shower. You can read up on what my brother was doing before they killed him.” she said throwing a ton of paper work on the bed between them.
Jake gave her a dubious look but said nothing as he grabbed some paperwork and tried to ignore the fact that she was definitely his type and that she would soon be totally naked! Once the bathroom door was closed he groaned and fell back on the bed, his arm over his eyes in disgust with himself. Somehow she had gotten under his skin and he was having a hard time keeping her out of his thoughts.
Looking down at the papers she had thrown on the bed and the ones in his hand, he started rummaging through them and tried to put them into some kind of order. Soon Serena was forgotten as he started reading the notes that Nicholas had put together:
May 14th, the fifth day of excavation found a hidden chamber deep within the bowels of the Moon Temple. When I had first found reference to the Moon Temple I thought it was the one of Mayan decent that had been excavated down in Mexico, but no, this was a different Moon Temple. This one was also in Mexico, but further inland near the ruins at Cancun.
Vegetation had been thick, the heat deadly, but we had cut a path through the rain forest to find this magnificent hidden treasure.
I am glad that my colleagues and I decided to split up into three groups to explore the site. When I found reference to Tin-nak-qua and the Shan-da artifact, I knew I was on the right track. When we opened the chamber door and the first stirrings of dust that had been hidden for thousands of years came whipping out of the doorway, it was like I had been transported back in time.
The lineage of my people stirred in my blood as I gazed upon the hidden walls of the temple. In that precious moment time seemed to stand still and the pictures painted on the walls danced to a rhythm all their own. To know that there had been more of us than originally we had thought, brought a bright light to the surface of a more dismal future for our race.
And then I saw it. Saw him. Tin-nak-qua. He was holding the Shan-da artifact within the palm of his hand and it was radiating life from the spheres that surrounded it. By the gods it was the most beautiful thing I had ever laid my weary eyes upon.
As I read the writing there upon the withered walls my eyes stung from the moisture that pooled within their midst. The Shan-da artifact was real and only the High Priestess of the Shan-da faith could behold its brilliance and direct its fate toward her people along with the Alusian God of War, Tin-nak-qua. Between the two of them, a new life for their people could begin.
Farther down the wall I read and a lump formed within my chest at the sacrifice we would have to make in order to save our people. Though I hated it, I knew it was Serena’s time to shine. She had been born and bred for this coming. May she stay strong through the passing and her spirit soar to the heavens where she was created.
“What is he talking about?” Jake pondered out loud, scanning a few more pages.
“What is who talking about?” Serena asked as she walked back into the bedroom. She was wearing snug fitting jeans, a crop top that showed that gorgeous sapphire stud and a pair of hiking boots. She was towel drying her hair and Jake had to make sure there was no drool dripping from his chin.
Damn, if she wasn’t the prettiest thing that ever walked through his front door.
“I was just reading some of your brothers notes.”
“Great, did you find anything worthwhile?” she asked, sitting on the opposite edge of the bed and rummaging through some files herself.
“There was a mention of the High Preistess, Tin-nak-qua and you. Would you care to enlighten me?”
“Perhaps later, right now, I am starving! It’s already late afternoon and we’ve much to do. Can’t we go over everything when we get back?” she asked as she sifted through some more of the files.
“Sure. I could eat something myself.”
“Great! The sooner we get going the sooner we get back and can start putting some of these pieces together.”
He nodded and rose from the bed and opened the door for her. As he followed her out the door, he wondered briefly where she had hidden her knifves. There was definitely no room in those jeans and that skimpy top did little to cover her body, let alone the hardware she was packing. Shaking his head, he closed and locked the door behind them.

~
“I’m glad we decided to shop before we ate. It made the meal that much nicer. That‘s the first time in a very long time that I actually relaxed enough to enjoy the meal.” Serena was saying as they walked down the darkened street toward their hotel. Their packages full of the supplies they had decided on for their journey into the rainforest.
Jake nodded in agreement but never took his eyes from their path. Something was not right. He could feel the hackles at the base of his neck beginning to rise. A sure sign they were not alone.
He caught a glimpse of shadow to the left and grabbed Serena’s arm as he picked up his step. She sensed his urgency and now she too scanned the area around them. She also caught a glimpse of a shadow to the right.
“Who do you think they are?” she whispered low, bending her head toward him as tho she were a lover bent on intimacy.
“I don’t know, but there is one thing for sure, I will bet they’ve come calling for you.” he answered as their heads touched in an intimate posture.
“Demons then?”
“No. Smells more like Slags?” he sniffed.
Before he could say another word they were shoved into a dark alley from behind. Serena didn’t have time to react as she felt the needle connect with her neck and everything faded around her.
“Serena!” Jake yelled but he had his hands full with four Slags boring down on top of him. He had left his guns in the hotel room and cursed himself for being such a fool. He knew better but that realization didn’t help him now. He pulled out his knives and lunged toward the bigger slag. Slicing his way through them but that didn’t seem to do any good. He suddenly felt a jab to his neck and a numbing sensation ran quickly through his body. He fell to the ground helplessly immobilized.
“Finally! You two know what to do with him. We’ll take the girl with us.” one of the slags said from behind Jake. He tried to fight the sensation but the paralyzing liquid that had been injected into him was too powerful.
“If you slags know what’s good for you, you will leave her be.” Jake growled from deep within his chest. They only laughed at him, then two of the slags started kicking him and hitting him with their fists and anything else they could find and pick up to use as a weapon.
He watched them pick up Serena and leave the alley behind.
“You are dead.” he growled, his mouth swollen, his teeth rattling. He could feel the blood running down his face as they beat him.
“Save it for your maker, Night Stalker!”
That was the last thing Jake heard as blessed darkness engulfed him.

~

Jake felt something wet brush across his face bringing him out of the darkness that had drawn him down. He could barely open his eyes they were so swollen, but he managed and then felt the wetness once again. Moving his eyes toward his head he saw his ally. A stray dog had brought him back from the brink of darkness.
Jake moved slowly and moaned. Every part of him was in pain and on fire. His head ached massively and dried blood still covered his face. He reached up to feel his head and felt the needle still stuck in his neck where they had stabbed him. Angrily he grabbed it and pulled it out throwing it as far as he could, scaring his rescuer away.
He moaned as he forced himself to a sitting position. By the gods, when he found those slags he was going to rip them to pieces! He thought angrily as he tried to catch his breath. Looking around he could find no trace of Serena nor their supplies. The bastards took everything.
He took a deep breath then gained his footing. He had been laying next to a dumpster and grabbed it for support. His legs felt weak and wobbly. He would have to change in order to fully regenerate, but he needed to get to the room first. Leaning heavily on the dumpster and then the wall of the alley, he managed to walk back to the street. He was glad there wasn’t anyone on the road this time of night. He would be hard pressed to explain his condition although in this neck of the woods, he was sure a mugging wasn’t all that uncommon.
He made it past the night clerk and into the elevator before anyone saw him then headed straight for their room. He didn’t want to loose too much time before going after Serena, but he needed to take a shower and get his guns. He’d make damn sure those slags died.
The hot shower seeped into his bones and massaged his aching muscles. He wanted to stay there longer but time was of the essence. Getting out he dried off, got dressed and tucked his guns right where he could get to them. In less than fifteen minutes he was back in the alley. He roared with frustration as he picked up Serena’s sent, a puddle of her blood still lay on the ground where she had fallen. His anger was a foul taste in his mouth as first his eyes changed and glowed, his nose elongated, his body following in a disrupted dance between skin and fur.
The wolf emmerged from the alley, running along the darkened street hunting for its prey.