Jaguar Sun (Jaguar Sun Series Book 1)

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  When I woke up, I was tied to a chair in the study that I had seen in my vision. There was no one in the room with me. My T-shirt was torn and my right shoulder was still sore from whatever had hit me. I could only hope that it hadn’t been a fang. I turned my head to look out a window and saw that the sun was low on the horizon. God, what day was it?

  I heard a man’s voice. “I see you’re awake. Good. Don’t worry. You were not bitten. You were put out with a small tranquilizer dart. You and I have some things to discuss.” I turned my head so I could see him. “My name is Avery Wells. I am a member of Toltec. I’m sure that needs no explanation.”

  I tried to shake my head, even though it hurt. “Victrixa and I have already talked about that,” I said, “and the answer is still no.”

  “Oh, is that what you two were doing in my basement? Talking?” He had some kind of accent, but I couldn’t place it.

  “Yeah,” I said. “And maybe you should rein in your snake, and I do mean snake.”

  He took a step closer to me. “Well, we’re going to discuss it again. And this time, you’ll listen. I have plenty more tranquilizer darts where that one came from. It would be a very easy matter to simply put you out until after tomorrow.”

  Crap, crap, crap. How long had I been out? Panic seized my insides as I tried to appear calm on the outside. I had to get out of there. Now.

  “Look, Maya,” he was saying, “it’s all very simple. If you agree to join us, then you live. If you insist on playing the hero, then you’ll die like one. It doesn’t seem like a difficult decision to me.”

  “No, you asshole, it wouldn’t,” I practically spat. I made a kicking motion with my right foot, even though I could only move it about an inch.

  “There’s no need for language,” he said, squatting in front of me. “You have such power, Maya. We can show you how to use it…”

  As he went on, I went into my mind, trying to connect with the earth below my feet as much as possible. As soon as I connected, I began drawing energy from the earth. This time I had no intention of grounding myself. I would never join Toltec, so if they were going to kill me, I figured I had nothing to lose. I felt the power moving up through my legs and into my torso. It was so strong I wondered for a moment if I could contain it. But it just continued to move on throughout my body.

  I continued to stare at Avery, trying to look like I was listening and blink at the right times. He was pacing know, enjoying the sound of his own voice as he talked about how great I could be. I focused on the k’ul inside me until its power permeated every part of my being. I looked down at my body, which was outlined in a faint light. But Avery didn’t seem to notice the glow. He had walked toward the window, as light from the setting sun now filled the room. I watched him as he turned his back to me. I focused hard on the compound and let go.

  In the blink of an eye, I was gone.