Accidentally...Over?: Accidentally Yours 5 (42 page)

Kinich threw her down, and she landed on her back with a hard thump and the air whooshed from her lungs.

Straddling her, Kinich pinned her wrists to the floor.
His turquoise eyes shifted to hungry black, and fangs protruded from his mouth. “You smell delicious. Like sweet sunshine.”

Such a beautiful face
, she thought, mesmerized by Kinich’s eyes. Once upon a time his skin had glowed golden almost, a vision of elegant masculinity with full lips and sharp cheekbones. But now, now he was refined with an exotic, dangerous male beauty too exquisite for words.

Ex-deity turned mortal, turned vampire.
Hypnotic. He is… hypnotic.

He lowered his head toward her neck, and her will suddenly snapped back into place. “No! Kinich, no!” She squirmed under his grasp. Without her hands free, she couldn’t defend herself. “I’m pregnant.”

He stilled and peered into her eyes.

Pain. So much pain. That was all she saw.

“A baby?” he asked.

She nodded cautiously.

Then something cold and deadly flickered in his eyes. His head plunged for her neck, and she braced for the pain of having her neck ripped out.

“Penelope!” Zac sacked Kinich, knocking him to the floor. “Go!” he commanded.

Penelope rolled onto her hands and knees and crawled from the room as it was overrun with several more of Kinich’s brethren: the perpetually drunk Acan; the Goddess of the Hunt they called Camaxtli; and the Mistress of Bees they called—oh, who the hell could remember her weird Mayan name?

“Penelope! Penelope!” she heard Kinich scream. “I want to drink her! I must drink her!”

Penelope curled into a ball on the floor in the hallway, unable to stop herself from crying.
This isn’t how it’s supposed to be. This isn’t how it’s supposed to be.

Helena appeared at her side. “Oh, Pen. I’m so sorry. I promise he’ll be okay after a few days. He just needs to eat.” She helped Penelope sit up. “Let’s move you somewhere safe.”

Penelope wiped away the streaks of tears from her cheeks and took her friend’s hand to stand.

The grunts and screams continued in the other room.

“I can’t believe he attacked me, even after I told him.” Tears continued to trickle from Penelope’s eyes. Why hadn’t he stopped? Didn’t he love her?

“In his defense, you really do smell yummy. Kind of like Tang.”

“Not funny,” Penelope responded.

“Sorry.” Helena braced Penelope with an arm around her waist and guided her to a bedroom in the other wing of the house.

Helena deposited Penelope on the large bed and turned toward the bathroom. “I’ll get you a warm washcloth.”

Ironically, Penelope’s mind dove straight for a safe haven—that meant away from Kinich and toward her job, which generally provided many meaty distractions, such as impending doom and/or anything having to do with Cimil, the ex–Goddess of the Underworld.

“Wait.” Penelope looked up at Helena, who’d become her steady rock of reason these last few weeks. “What happens next?”

Helena paused for a moment. “Like I told you, Kinich needs time to adjust.”

Penelope shook her head. “No. I mean, you heard
Emma’s grandmother; without Niccolo and Guy, we can’t defeat the Maaskab. We have to free our men.”

“Well—”

“I know what you’re going to say,” Pen interrupted. “We can’t release Chaam, but—”

“Actually,” Helena broke in. “I’ve been meaning to tell you something.”

“What?”

“We’ve been looking for another way to free them, and I think we found it.”

“Found what?” Penelope asked.

“A tablet.”

Glossary

Baktun:
Twenty cycles of the Mayan calendar equal to 144,000 days or approximately 394 years.

Black Jade:
Found only in a particular mine located in southern Mexico, this jade has very special supernatural properties, including the ability to absorb supernatural energy—in particular, god energy. When worn by humans, it is possible for them to have physical contact with a god. If injected, it can make a person addicted to doing bad things. If the jade is fueled with dark energy and then released, it can be used as a weapon. Chaam personally likes using it to polish his teeth.

Book of the Oracle of Delphi:
This mystical text from 1400 BC is said to have been created by one of the great oracles at Delphi and can tell the future. As the events in present time change the future, the book’s pages magically rewrite themselves. The demigods use this book in Book #2 to figure out when and how to kill the vampire queen. Helena also reads it while they’re held captive and learns she must sacrifice her mortality to save Niccolo.

Cenote:
Limestone sinkholes connected to a subterranean water system. They are found in Central America and southern Mexico and were once believed by the Mayans to be sacred portals to the afterlife. Such smart humans! They were right. Except cenotes are actually portals to the realm of the gods.

(If you have never seen a cenote, do a quick search on the Internet for “cenote photos,” and you’ll see how freaking cool they are!)

Demilords:
(Spoiler alert for Book #2!) This is a group of immortal badass vampires who’ve been infused with the light of the gods. They are extremely difficult to kill and hate their jobs (killing Obscuros) almost as much as they hate the gods who control them.

Maaskab:
Originally a cult of bloodthirsty Mayan priests who believed in the dark arts. It is rumored they are responsible for bringing down their entire civilization with their obsession for human sacrifices (mainly young female virgins). Once Chaam started making half-human children, he decided all firstborn males would make excellent Maaskab due to their proclivity for evil.

Mocos, Mobscuros, O’Scabbies:
Nicknames for when you join Maaskab with Obscuros to create a brand-new malevolent treat.

Obscuros:
Evil vampires who do not live by the Pact and who like to dine on innocent humans since they really do taste the best.

The Pact:
An agreement between the gods and good vampires that dictates the dos and don’ts. There are many parts to it, but the most important rules are vampires are not allowed to snack on good people (called Forbiddens), they must keep their existence a secret, and they are responsible for keeping any rogue vampires in check.

Payal:
Although the gods can take humans to their realm and make them immortal, Payals are the true genetic offspring of the gods but are born mortal, just like their human mothers. Only firstborn children inherit the gods’ genes and manifest their traits. If the firstborn happens to be female, she is a Payal. If male, well… then you get something kind of yucky (see definition of Maaskab)!

The Tablet:
A Mayan relic made of black jade. It has the power to create portals to other dimensions and to another moment in time.

Uchben:
An ancient society of scholars and warriors who serve as the gods’ eyes and ears in the human world. They also do the books and manage the gods’ earthly assets.

Vamp-ubus, Incu-pire:
The saucy combination of an incubus and a vampire.

Character Definitions

The Gods

Although every culture around the world has their own names and beliefs related to beings of worship, there are actually only fourteen gods. And since the gods are able to access the human world only through the portals called cenotes, located in the Yucatán, the Mayans were big fans.

Another fun fact: The gods often refer to each other as brother and sister, but the truth is they are just another species of the Creator and completely unrelated.

Acan—God of Intoxication and Wine:
Also known as Belch, Acan has been drunk for a few thousand years. He hopes to someday trade places with Votan because he’s tired of his flabby muscles and beer belly.

Ah-Ciliz—God of Solar Eclipses:
Called A.C. by his brethren, Ah-Ciliz is generally thought of as the party pooper because of his dark attitude.

Akna—Goddess of Fertility:
You either love her or you hate her.

Backlum Chaam—God of Male Virility:
He’s responsible for discovering black jade, figuring out how to procreate with humans, and kicking off the chain of events that will eventually lead to the Great War.

Camaxtli—Goddess of the Hunt:
Also known as Fate (until the end of this novel), Camaxtli holds a special position among the gods, since no one dares challenge her. When Fate has spoken, that’s the end of the conversation.

Colel Cab—Mistress of Bees:
Because really, where would we all be without the bees?

Goddess of Forgetfulness:
Um… Sorry. Still no official name for this infamous deity who spends her evenings DJing and is often referred to as “what’s-her-face.”

Ixtab—Goddess of Happiness (ex–Goddess of Suicide):
Ixtab’s once morbid frock used to make children scream. But since finding her soul mate, Antonio Acero, she’s now the epitome of all things happy.

K’ak:
The history books remember him as K’ak Tiliw Chan Yopaat, ruler of Copán in the 700s AD. King K’ak (pronounced as “cock.” Don’t you just love that name? Tee-hee-hee…) is one of Cimil’s favorite brothers. We’re not really sure what he does, but he can throw bolts of lightning.

Kinich Ahau—ex–God of the Sun:
Known by many other names, depending on the culture, Kinich likes to go by Nick these days. He’s also now a vampire—something he’s actually not so bummed about. He is mated to the love of his life, Penelope, the Ruler of the House of Gods.

Máax—the One No One Speaks Of:
His name literally means “Who?” Once known as the God of Truth, Máax was banished for repeatedly violating the ban on time travel. The gods stripped his powers, including the ability to take physical form, and banished him to the human realm. Turns out that he will play the role that decides the fate of humanity.

Votan—God of Death and War:
Also known as Odin, Wotan, Wodan, God of Drums (he has no idea how the hell he got that title; he hates the drums), and Lord of Multiplication (okay, he is pretty darn good at math so that one makes sense). These days, Votan goes by Guy Santiago (it’s a long story—read Book #1), but despite his deadly tendencies, he’s all heart. He’s now engaged to Emma Keane.

Yum Cimil—Goddess of the Underworld:
Also known as Ah-Puch by the Mayans, Mictlantecuhtli (try saying that one ten times) by the Aztec, Grim Reaper by the Europeans, Hades by the Greeks… you get the picture! Despite what people say, Cimil is actually a female, and adores a good bargain (especially garage sales) and the color pink. She’s also batshit crazy.

Zac Cimi—Bacab of the North:
What the heck is a Bacab? According to the gods’ folklore, the Bacabs are
the four eldest and most powerful of the gods. Once thought to be the God of Love, we now know differently. Zac is the God of Temptation, and his tempting ways have landed him in very hot water. Because no matter how tempting your brother’s mate might be, trying to steal her is wrong.

Not the Gods

Andrus:
Ex-Demilord (vampire who’s been given the gods’ light), now just a demigod after his maker, the vampire queen, died. According to Cimil, his son, who hasn’t been born yet, is destined to marry Helena and Niccolo’s daughter.

Anne:
Don’t want to spoil the surprise, but some of you on Facebook definitely guessed right!

Antonio Acero:
Our hunky playboy Spaniard who discovers his father was the last surviving incubus. Now a vampire, too, Antonio spends his day spreading happiness around the world with his mate, Ixtab. Oh, Antonio also eats dark energy for lunch. Yum!

Ashli Rosewood:
No spoilers here. So I’ll just say that she’s the final linchpin in our Accidental safari. Watch out, Máax, ’cause here she comes!

Brutus:
One of Gabrán’s elite Uchben warriors. He doesn’t speak much, but that’s because he and his team are telepathic. They are also immortal (a gift from the gods) and next in line to be Uchben chiefs.

Emma Keane:
A reluctant Payal (a descendant of a deity) who can split a man right down the middle with her bare hands. She is engaged to Votan (aka Guy Santiago) and her grandmother was once the ruler of the Maaskab. What a fun family!

Father Xavier:
Once a priest at the Vatican, Xavier is now the Uchben’s top scholar and historian. He has a thing for jogging suits, Tyra Banks, and Cimil.

Gabrán:
One of the Uchben chiefs and a very close friend of the gods. The chiefs have been given the gods’ light and are immortal—a perk of the job.

Gabriela:
Emma Keane’s grandmother and one of the original Payals. She was brought over to the dark side but cured by Ixtab and no longer leads the Maaskab. Her fate will be determined by the gods at the end of
Accidentally… Over?

Helena Strauss:
Once human, Helena is now a vampire and married to Niccolo DiConti. She has a half-vampire daughter, Matty, who is destined to marry Andrus’s son, according to Cimil.

Jess:
Just like Anne, I don’t want to spoil the surprise, but some of you on Facebook definitely guessed right!

Julie Trudeau:
Penelope’s mother. Julie is also an ex-angel turned vampire and mated to Viktor.

Mitner:
The very first Maaskab and the true creator of the vampire race.