been just moments before.
Cynthia walked toward him until she stood barely an inch away. His greater height had her craning her neck to look up at him and it occurred to her then that he seemed even bigger than before. More impressive and charged with a simmering physical energy that radiated from him.
Alive.
Rafe is alive and standing before me.
“We need to talk,” he said.
Ignoring the way that just the sound of his voice had her heartbeat racing with anticipation, she said, “You bet your sweet ass we do.”
Chapter Five
Hernandez glanced from Cynthia to Rafe, obviously sensing the tension between them. “If you two don’t mind, I’m going to radio for the rest of the team to join us.”
At Rafe’s curt nod, Hernandez did just that.
Rafe stood beside her, silent. Immobile.
It was not the reception she had imagined when in the wildest of her dreams she had found him alive.
When the others arrived a few minutes later Rafe advised, “I’ll show you where you can set up camp for the night.”
With one forceful stride he pushed away from Cynthia and it took a few of her hurried and shorter paces to catch up as he moved down one of the side streets and then turned toward the edge of the village. When she did reach him she finally asked the question that had been rattling around in her brain.
“How could you not let us know that you were alive? And where is the rest of your group?”
He stopped short and whirled to face her, hands fisted at his sides. A look of intense grief twisted his features. “Not now, Cyn. I’ll explain once we’re alone.”
Alone .
Alone with him again , she thought, and despite her anger at his chilly reception and the fact that he had been alive for all these months without getting word to her, joy rose up swiftly at the thought of being with him once more.
At her slow nod, Rafe turned and walked down the last leg of the winding side street until they were at the edge of a sizeable open area that the villagers had cleared from the jungle around them. To one side was a corral holding an assortment of livestock. To the left sat a small patch of vegetables containing various plants and the ever-present corn that was such a staple of the Aztec diet.
With a broad sweep of his hand, eerily reminiscent of the calpulli ’s, Rafe motioned to the area of close-cropped grass between the corral and vegetable patch.
“Make camp here. Keep the tents close together and set up a schedule for an armed night watch.”
“Why do we need to be armed?” Rogers immediately challenged, striding up to stand before Rafe. Although Rogers was at least six feet tall and well muscled, he appeared puny compared to her lover.
Ex-lover , she corrected, telling herself that after their fight combined with six months of his absence and failure to contact her that was a more appropriate description.
“She may sense your presence and rise again. She—”
“Enough with the ‘she,’ Santiago. What are we facing here?” Rogers demanded, puffing up his chest and looking back over his shoulder at the rest of the team for support.
“She’s a monster, isn’t she?” Cynthia asked, recalling the entries in Cordero’s journal about the creature that had taken his men and the horrors that had followed until they had decided to leave the area.
“Eztli Etalpalli. Blood Wing. A demon demi-goddess. The natives believe She is descended from Izpapalotl, the Clawed Butterfly.”
“Jaguar claws and wings sharp as knives,” Hernandez recited, recalling the description of the goddess in Aztec mythology, and Rafe nodded.
“Eztli Etalpalli attacked us when we approached the temple. She has my brother David and one team member in her temple.” Rafe turned and pointed to the tallest and broadest of the mounds along the exterior wall.
Dani stepped up next to Booth and shot Cynthia a worried look. “But what about the rest of your team? Are they here with you?”
“Four are dead. She killed two of them
Cynthia walked toward him until she stood barely an inch away. His greater height had her craning her neck to look up at him and it occurred to her then that he seemed even bigger than before. More impressive and charged with a simmering physical energy that radiated from him.
Alive.
Rafe is alive and standing before me.
“We need to talk,” he said.
Ignoring the way that just the sound of his voice had her heartbeat racing with anticipation, she said, “You bet your sweet ass we do.”
Chapter Five
Hernandez glanced from Cynthia to Rafe, obviously sensing the tension between them. “If you two don’t mind, I’m going to radio for the rest of the team to join us.”
At Rafe’s curt nod, Hernandez did just that.
Rafe stood beside her, silent. Immobile.
It was not the reception she had imagined when in the wildest of her dreams she had found him alive.
When the others arrived a few minutes later Rafe advised, “I’ll show you where you can set up camp for the night.”
With one forceful stride he pushed away from Cynthia and it took a few of her hurried and shorter paces to catch up as he moved down one of the side streets and then turned toward the edge of the village. When she did reach him she finally asked the question that had been rattling around in her brain.
“How could you not let us know that you were alive? And where is the rest of your group?”
He stopped short and whirled to face her, hands fisted at his sides. A look of intense grief twisted his features. “Not now, Cyn. I’ll explain once we’re alone.”
Alone .
Alone with him again , she thought, and despite her anger at his chilly reception and the fact that he had been alive for all these months without getting word to her, joy rose up swiftly at the thought of being with him once more.
At her slow nod, Rafe turned and walked down the last leg of the winding side street until they were at the edge of a sizeable open area that the villagers had cleared from the jungle around them. To one side was a corral holding an assortment of livestock. To the left sat a small patch of vegetables containing various plants and the ever-present corn that was such a staple of the Aztec diet.
With a broad sweep of his hand, eerily reminiscent of the calpulli ’s, Rafe motioned to the area of close-cropped grass between the corral and vegetable patch.
“Make camp here. Keep the tents close together and set up a schedule for an armed night watch.”
“Why do we need to be armed?” Rogers immediately challenged, striding up to stand before Rafe. Although Rogers was at least six feet tall and well muscled, he appeared puny compared to her lover.
Ex-lover , she corrected, telling herself that after their fight combined with six months of his absence and failure to contact her that was a more appropriate description.
“She may sense your presence and rise again. She—”
“Enough with the ‘she,’ Santiago. What are we facing here?” Rogers demanded, puffing up his chest and looking back over his shoulder at the rest of the team for support.
“She’s a monster, isn’t she?” Cynthia asked, recalling the entries in Cordero’s journal about the creature that had taken his men and the horrors that had followed until they had decided to leave the area.
“Eztli Etalpalli. Blood Wing. A demon demi-goddess. The natives believe She is descended from Izpapalotl, the Clawed Butterfly.”
“Jaguar claws and wings sharp as knives,” Hernandez recited, recalling the description of the goddess in Aztec mythology, and Rafe nodded.
“Eztli Etalpalli attacked us when we approached the temple. She has my brother David and one team member in her temple.” Rafe turned and pointed to the tallest and broadest of the mounds along the exterior wall.
Dani stepped up next to Booth and shot Cynthia a worried look. “But what about the rest of your team? Are they here with you?”
“Four are dead. She killed two of them
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