Accidentally in Love With a God (2012) (33 page)

“
She was chasing one of the priests through the jungle and thought she had him cornered. He was standing at the edge of the cenote and right as she was about to grab him, he disappeared. She fell in.”

“Too bad she didn’t land on your head,” I mumbled.

He sighed.
“Emma, I’m—”

“Shut it. I’m not interested,” I snapped then turned to Gabrán. “Let’s get this over with already. I’m ready to kick some ass.”

“Oh!” Gabrán chuckled loudly and turned to his men who were gearing up. “Look at our mighty little demigoddess here, boys. Ready to go toe-to-toe with the witchdoctors.”

The men laughed.

Well, I meant “kick Guy’s ass,” but what the hey.

“Not to worry, lass. Just a few minutes more. Get those vicious little hands of yours ready to go.”

***

Okay. Parachuting on its own? Maybe not so terrifying. Parachuting into a Mexican jungle at night while strapped to an angry Uchben man named Brutus? An unimaginable nightmare that would haunt my every waking moment for the rest of my life.

In midair, between Brutus’ menacing grunts of disapproval at my squealing, I found myself feeling relieved that my parents believed I was already dead because there was no possible way I was surviving this jump.

The sky was overcast, without so much as a speckle of moonlight filtering through. I felt like I was falling down a deep, dark well as the air whistled past my ears and my brain kept telling me that any moment, my body would slam into the earth. So when we landed with a muted
thump
in a small clearing, it was Brutus’ lethal sounding, “Hush!” that kept me from doing a victory disco right then and there. He was also strapped to my back.

“Not a sound,” he warned as he unhooked the harnesses and slipped back on his night-vision goggles.

We silently wove our way through the trees, and I wondered how the hell we’d find the others. There were no radios, and Brutus didn’t make any covert bird squawks like I’d seen in those spy movies. Then I remembered how the men had loaded the plane before the flight. They could read each other’s minds. Of course. That’s why Guy would want Gabrán to help. Their communication method was difficult to infiltrate. These Uchben really
were
amazing.

After thirty minutes of tiptoeing in the darkness over the leaf covered path, we’d found the other men and began walking in a quiet formation, me sandwiched somewhere in the middle of the Conan conga-line.

I brushed my hand over the handgun holstered to my waist and clicked off the safety as Brutus’ “brother” had shown me. Then, I began focusing on the little fireball in the pit of my stomach, trying to pull it up, readying to draw from it.

“
Emma? Are you near? I hear something.”

I didn’t know what to do. Gabrán had told me to be silent unless it was urgent, so not to give away our position.

We suddenly stopped and the men began splintering off into various directions. Brutus gave me the signal to hold still—I couldn’t see anything so that meant he poked me in the back of the head.

Then the buzzing sound began growing, I could barely think. Something was riling the other gods. In fact, the last time they’d been that loud was right before…“Maaskab—they're here!” I screamed and felt my body go flat under Brutus.

“Stay!” Brutus commanded, then got up and ran off into the jungle. I rolled over and found myself lying—gulp—all alone?
Holy Virgin of Guadalupe, kill me now.
I gritted my teeth, reaching for the gun at my side. But what if I shot an Uchben? I put it back in its holster, realizing that something was tickling my neck. I leaped up gasping and swatting the fury creepy-crawly thing. My backside bumped into something hard, and I turned right into a tall dark shadow that smelled like rotting meat. “Scaaab!” I screamed.

His eyes glowed with swirls of red as he glared down at me in the darkness. I think I startled him, too, because he froze for a fraction of a second, just long enough for me to reach out and touch his arm. A shockwave of energy surged though my hands and the Scab flew back.

“Yes! Take that!”

“
What’s going on? Where the hell are you?”
screamed Guy.

“I just zapped a Scab with my hand.”

“
Is he dead?”

“I don’t know. I can’t see anything, and I’m not about to go and check his pulse,” I said.

“
Emma, I can hear you outside. You’re close.”

Suddenly, there was a small break in the clouds, allowing a sliver of moonlight to catch the surface of the water. I was only four feet away from the edge of a cenote. It was huge. Twice the size of the first cenote where I’d found Guy. “Guy, are you in there?” I whispered down at the water.

“
Yes, hurry up and let me out before the priest wakes or his friends show,”
he commanded.

“For my family, for my family, for my family, and for one last opportunity to kick Guy in his man-gear for being such a repugnant, coldhearted, a-hole,” I repeated aloud as I gathered the courage to jump.

“
I heard that!”

“Emma?” I heard a voice call from the shadows of the tree line.

“
Who’s there?”
said Guy.

“Oh my gods, Tommaso? Is that you?” I moved away from the edge of the cenote, watching the outline of his familiar shape step from the shadows.

“Yes.”

I ran and threw my arms around him, never happier to see another soul in my entire life. “I thought you were dead,” I whispered.

He held me tight for several moments. I could feel his breath on my neck, his heart was racing. He released me, and I could see the faint trace of his reassuring dimple-framed smile. “What are you doing here?” he asked quietly.

“I was bored,” I said. “Decided to try this Uchben thing out for a fun.”

“Still the funniest girl I know.”

“Can’t help myself.” I shrugged. “It’s part of my charm. So are you here to get them out?”

“Who?” he asked.

“Guy and Cimil.” I pointed down to black hole.

“Not exactly.”

“Why not?” I asked.

“
Jump into the water. Do it now!”

“Emma, there’s so much I need to tell you—so much you don’t know about those…demons.”

I took a step back. “What’s going on, Tommaso?”

“Guy’s talking to you right now. Isn’t he?” He stepped in and painfully gripped me by the shoulders.

I nodded. Fear and confusion came crashing down while Guy continued bellowing in the background of my head, telling me to jump in the water and free him.

“Don’t listen to him, Emma. He’s not what you think,” Tommaso commanded.

“Tell me something I don’t already know,” I said.

“He’s the enemy, Emma. The Uchben are the enemy. They’re killers.”

This situation didn’t feel right. Not one little bit. “Tommaso, let me go!” I pushed away from him, placing my hands flat against his chest. I felt something odd, like cords stretched across his skin underneath his shirt. “Something’s wrong with you,” I said. “Did the Maaskab hurt you?”

“No. They’ve set me free.” Tommaso tore open his shirt, forcing my hand to run down his chest. There were four raised scars running from side to side.

“What are those? What did they do to you?” I pulled away and backed up to the edge of the pool, holding my hands out defensibly. If he rushed me, I’d be over the edge in half a heartbeat.

“They showed me the truth, Emma. The Uchben and gods are pretending to protect the world. But it’s a hoax. The Uchben only care about keeping their power, their wealth. Guy only cares about controlling humans, manipulating them, and keeping them weak. He doesn’t care about any of us. He never has.”

“
Emma, he’s lying. He’s one of the traitors. Don’t listen!”
Guy screamed.

“You’ve lost it, Tommaso. I’ve seen the Maaskab and they’re monsters,” I said.

“Yes. They are. But they’re loyal soldiers. Ruthless. And that’s how wars are won.”

“
Emma,”
Guy’s voice plowed through the noise.
“Do you remember when you asked me why I changed my name? It was because I wanted the one you gave me;
you
changed me.”
His words were fast and desperate. “
Or why I gave your grandmother my oath? I did it because I’d never seen a child with our blood. She was so beautiful, special. Just seeing Gabriela filled me with hope. To know that, perhaps, I might someday be able to create life instead of taking it.”

“Oh. I get it. Now you want me to believe you have a heart, that you care about anyone other than your high and mighty self?”

“
Yes, that’s what I’m asking.”

“On the way here, you said your purpose is herding the sheep—that you use your pheromones to do it! You used them on me! And don’t forget, you told me it was only the bond that made you protect me and feel jealous.” The tears began streaming down my face.

“
I felt jealous because there is nothing more important to me than you, and I didn’t want to share you. That’s why I tried to keep other men away. I wanted you for myself.”

I wrapped my arms around my waist and squeezed back the angry tears. “More of your lies, Guy.”

“
I admit, I’ve lied to you. But that doesn’t mean I’m not saying the truth now. Please, believe what I’m saying, and if you can’t, at least believe that Tommaso is dangerous, and he’s going to kill you.”

What was with this man? He’d just raked my heart over the coals, but now that he’d discovered his competition—Tommaso—wasn’t dead, I guessed the bond was kicking in again. Making him feel jealous. It wasn’t real. He’d told me so.

I looked up at Tommaso who seemed to be patiently waiting for something. Perhaps for me to come to the same conclusion he already had? “Tommaso, if I leave with you now, what happens next?”

“First, I’ll get you the hell away from here. It’s not safe. The Maaskab and the Uchben will fight. And when we win, you’ll be able to go home to your family.”

“But don’t the Maaskab want to kill me?” I questioned, whisking away the tears.

“Emma, they want to rid the world from these dictators. If you come with me, they’ll leave you alone; they won’t see you as the enemy. You’ll be able to go home, back to your life. Please, Emma, step away from the edge and come with me. I promise to keep you safe. Always.” His voice was deep and sincere. He’d never betrayed me, and I had no reason to distrust him.

“
Please, my sweet,”
Guy said in that lulling voice, sending shivers down my core.
“I know I’ve hurt you, but I’ll spend eternity making it up. I can fix this. I can fix this hole I’ve created between us, the damage I’ve caused your life. I can fix anything, but I can’t fix dead! Do you understand? He’ll kill you, Emma. You’ll end up just like your grandmother, and I can’t bring you back!”

“Don’t you dare bring her into this!”

“
Everything I’ve said is the truth. I know you can feel it. I have bonds with others, Emma, like Gabrán. But why can’t they hear me when you can? Think about it! The bond didn’t create our connection or my love for you. Or my jealously. You and I, we are meant to be together. I know you feel the pull, too.”

“Pheromones.”

“
That only works when we’re in the same room. Haven’t you felt something even when I’m away? It’s because I love you.”

“How dare you! You expect me to believe that? After what you said on the plane?”

“
I said those things because I realized how dangerous my world is for you. If it weren’t for me, you’d be somewhere safe right now. And this situation will only repeat itself. You will never be safe with me. I will always be the God of Death and War. But I don’t want you to leave me, Em. I don’t want you to die.”

I wanted to believe him. Gods, I did. But actions always speak louder than words. His actions told me he couldn’t be trusted. And his words were too perfect to accept as the truth; they were exactly what I wanted to hear.

“Break the bond, Emma. Say the words, and end it right now. Free yourself,” Tommaso pushed.

“I don’t know what to do. I can’t think.” I grabbed the sides of my head; the voices vibrated painfully inside my skull.

“Did he tell you how he killed Rosa and Arturo? Did he?”

“Guy, what’s he talking about?”

Tommaso and Guy started screaming at the same time, and with the voices, I could only catch every other word, but it was enough for me to hear that Guy had savagely executed them.

“Guy? Is it true? You killed that sweet old couple? My grandmother’s sister and her husband?”