Sadness rolled over Jaden as she moved forward. Time rolled on and was harsh, her deep-reaching claws destroying even the greatest of civilizations. Such was the way of things.
Humanity had always managed to survive, to reinvent, and to adapt. And yet how long would luck be on their side? Jaden had a bad feeling about what was coming and wasn’t sure they’d survive an assault from hell.
She slipped between the shadows and moved silently through the gloom. Security was sparse, and she slid by them with ease. If they only knew what they guarded, what power lay deep within the ruins.
Templo Mayor had been built back in the 1300s. It had gone through several reincarnations, due to both structural issues and war. At the end of the Aztec reign, the Spanish had destroyed it, then built their city over top of it. And here it had lain, silent in its grave, until a city worker had discovered a valuable piece of history.
Her people would have been content to let the temple rest in peace, but excavation had begun in earnest, and a large part of the temple had been unearthed over the past thirty years.
Now, it was a major attraction in the city, drawing thousands of visitors from all over the globe. They came to get a taste of history, to view the grandeur that had been such a part of the Aztec culture.
And yet they hadn’t a clue as to the secrets hidden deep within. Of what they could unleash.
“Hey, lady, it’s dangerous out here. Why you walking the streets alone?”
The voice slid at her from the darkness, and Jaden turned. A tall man leaned against the crumbling walls, his demeanor casual, but there was something about him that immediately set her on edge.
Where the hell had he come from? She should have been able to pick up on his presence before now. Something wasn’t right.
“Don’t worry about me, I’m good,” she replied carefully, trying to read him. But he was blank, like there was nothing there. She rotated her neck slowly, feeling the crack that released a bit of tension and narrowed her eyes, never taking them from him.
She had a bad feeling that the dude was otherworld.
Okay, she thought, let the games begin.
“Sure you don’t want some company?”
She stretched her fingers out, letting them hang loose, and scented the wind as she did so. As far as she could tell, he was alone. There was a guard several hundred feet away, but he was busy chatting up a couple of young women.
It was good that he was distracted.
She smiled and looked at the man. There’d be no witnesses.
“I don’t normally talk to strangers so . . .” She kept her voice light and turned from him though she was very aware when he pushed away from the stone wall and headed in her direction.
“I don’t think you understand,” he began, and the hair on the back of her neck electrified as his voice modulated, thickened, like he was talking in layers of sound.
He was definitely otherworld. And not the good kind. She had a nagging suspicion that the dude was demon and had some sort of cloaking charm that hid his nasty-ass scent.
“I said I’m good, back off.”
She clenched her teeth, her muscles tight, and slid her hand inside the bag. Her charmed dagger was freshly shot up with all sorts of shit, courtesy of Tess, and she smiled viciously.
Kicking some random demon’s ass was a great way to start off the night.
“Good might be overstating,” he whispered, and she felt the air shimmer at her back. “As of now, I think you’re fucked.”
His hand was on her back, but she was ready and dropped to the ground, spinning her leg out as she whirled around.
&n
bsp; She connected with his body and grinned as he went down, his face smashing into the stone beneath them as a string of foulness erupted from his mouth.
She was on him in a flash, her knee digging into his back as she struggled to hold him still. Jaden was strong, but even her enhanced strength barely kept the demon beneath her.
“Watch your mouth, or I might be inclined to wash it out with soap.”
He continued to struggle, and the cloaking charm melted away fast as his demon scent bled through. She could now see the gray mist that clung to him.