His Lost Mate (A Steamy Paranormal Romance Novel) (3 page)

“Are you hurt?” Dr. Chandler asked, gripping her arm a bit too tightly.

Lauren shook her head and tried to stop her body from shaking. A scowl rolled across his face. He grabbed his flashlight and ran into the tunnel with Justin and Kyle following behind him.

Lauren sat on the grass outside the chamber and squeezed her arms around her legs, but couldn’t stop shaking.

Dr. Margaret Hughes, another professor, descended from the upper terraces of the North Acropolis, jogged toward Lauren and dropped down onto the grass. “Are you all right, dear?”

“Someone touched me. And I heard a man’s voice.”

Margaret studied her for a moment with a deep frown. The wind blew the older woman’s gray-white hair wildly around her face. “Someone followed you in there? But I saw Deven standing outside the whole time.”

A few feet away, Sylvia folded her arms across her chest. “Not possible. I’ve been outside the tomb for two hours sketching the stela and haven’t seen anyone, but you go in. You probably imagined it.”

“No, I felt something and I heard a voice,” Lauren snapped.

Sylvia rolled her eyes and walked away toward the crumbling ruins on the north side of the plaza, sat on the grass covered terraces and began jotting notes on her iPad.

Lauren turned to Margaret. “Do you think Dr. Chandler and the guys are okay in there? Maybe they shouldn’t have gone.”

“I’m sure they’re fine. What did you see?”

“Nothing, it was dark. Maybe there’s a space behind the wall and the man reached his hand through an opening—”

“I’ve been in that chamber several times. It’s solid, no openings or secret passageways.”

“Secret passages?”

“It’s not unusual for pyramids and chambers to have secret passageways, but this one does not. I’m sure of it.”

Lauren glanced at the chamber’s opening. “Then the man’s still in there.”

“What did he say?”

“It sounded like ‘Cimi’. Do you know what that means?”

“No, dear, I don’t.” Margaret studied her for a long time. “Has anything like this ever happened to you before?”

“No. I didn’t imagine it. Someone was there. I clearly heard a man’s voice. He sounded sorrowful or desperate—very creepy.” She didn’t need Margaret thinking she was losing her mind.

After several minutes, shouts and laughter emerged from the chamber. Lauren and Margaret jumped to their feet. Dr. Chandler, Justin and Kyle strolled out of the tunnel, trying to suppress smiles.

“We searched and didn’t find anything,” Dr. Chandler said.

“Just a giant spider,” Justin grinned and spread his arms. “It was this big.”

Kyle elbowed Justin and they burst out laughing. Dr. Chandler gave them a warning look and they quieted.

“I did hear someone…and something touched me.” Now Lauren wondered if maybe she had imagined it.

“What did he say?” Justin made a poor attempt to hold back a snicker.

Sylvia walked up to Dr. Chandler with an impatient huff. “I need to check in at the museum. I’ll meet you back at the van at closing.”

He checked his watch. “Fine, Sylvia.”

Then he turned to Lauren. “Found your flashlight. The bulb’s broken.” He handed her the flashlight and spoke softly so only she could hear, “The tunnel is a dead end. Maybe you heard our voices echoing from outside. A draft could’ve blown a piece of moss or tree root against you.”

Lauren nodded and forced a smile. “I feel pretty foolish.” Great first impression.

Chandler watched her, resting a hand on her shoulder. “Are you okay now?”

“Yes, I’m fine. Sorry to be such a bother.” She moved away and his hand dropped from her shoulder.

“No bother, Lauren.” His eyes expressed a playful glimmer that tugged at her insides. “We’ve all had an exhausting day.”

“I’d like to take a look at the Temple of the Masks if there’s time.” Lauren pointed to the pyramid also known as Temple II at one end of the Great Plaza, attempting to change the subject. She wanted to forget the incident and hoped he would too.

“We have time,” Dr. Chandler said. “There’s a great view from the top.” His eyes lit up like a child at an amusement park.

“Justin and I are going to check out the other pyramid,” Kyle said as he plopped a Red Sox baseball cap over his shaggy blond hair.

“Okay, but stick around,” Dr. Chandler said. “We’ll be heading back to the van soon.”

“We’ll see you in a few,” Justin added. The two young men jogged toward Temple I.

Lauren stood at the bottom of the pyramid and gaped at the long stairway leading to the top. At one hundred and twenty-five feet, it was taller than many of the trees in the rainforest. She tooted a long whistle. Dr. Chandler grinned, clearly amused by her response.

“I’ve traveled to several archaeological sites around the world, but none can compare with Tikal,” he said.

Surrounded by the lush trees and leafy vegetation of the rainforest, the two pyramids loomed on opposite sides of the plaza like silent sentinels guarding the jungle. More than a thousand years old, the towering pyramids were constructed of huge blocks of stone stained with black mossy growth. Around the Great Plaza were several stelae, altars and various ceremonial and residential buildings.

“Look at the work on these.” Lauren examined the decorative carvings on one stela.

“The carvings on the stelae depict ancient rulers and deities,” he said. “Most are deteriorated from the elements and are difficult to decipher.”

At the top of the Temple of the Masks, beneath the wedge-shaped roof comb, she noticed an opening or doorway. What was beyond the dark recesses of that edifice? The thought made her heart beat faster. “Can we climb up?”

“We have time, if you’re up to it,” he said.

“Of course I’m up to it, Dr. Chandler.”

“Call me Deven, Lauren. We’re not in the classroom. We all dig side by side and get equally dirty here at the ruins.”

Lauren nodded, then called to Margaret who was studying an altar’s inscriptions. “Margaret, are you climbing to the top with us?”

Margaret glanced at Deven and then at Lauren. “I’ll pass this time.” She had a mischievous grin and a twinkle in her eyes. “You two go ahead.”

Deven nodded. “Careful, the steps are narrow. Walk on a diagonal.”

Lauren followed him as he zigzagged up Temple II. The steps were tricky to climb. Each step rose as high as her knee and the landings narrow, built to accommodate small feet. At the top, she walked into the doorway, but the opening ended after a few steps, blocked by a bricked-up wall. “It’s sealed up. Can’t we go inside?”

“I’m afraid that’s as far as the public can go.” He leaned against the wall, rested one foot up behind him and crossed his arms over his chest.

Lauren admired his tanned physique and muscular build. She could imagine him rock climbing, skiing or pedaling cross-country on a bike. He had to do something to stay in such great shape.

“Once the excavation was completed and the artifacts were retrieved, the pyramid was sealed up again,” he added.

“That’s too bad.” She was relieved. She’d had her fill of exploring dark places for one day. Opening her guide map, Lauren looked out across the plaza and pointed to another pyramid facing them. “That must be Temple I, the Temple of the Great Jaguar. The map says it was built around 700 AD and a replica of the ruler Ah Cacao’s tomb is in the Sylvanus Morley Museum. I must see that.”

“You’ll be working at the museum for part of the semester,” he said. “That’s where we catalogue and package the artifacts for shipping to Boston.”

Resting her hands on her hips, Lauren peered across the horizon. The canopy of dense trees created a sea of green vegetation, alive with the sounds of monkeys, parrots and insects. “Wow. What a view. Now I see why Margaret calls Tikal a magical place. How far is El Zotz from here?”

“Several miles in that direction.” Deven shaded his eyes against the mid-afternoon sun and pointed to an area of jungle with no signs of civilization. “About an hour’s drive. The road is pretty bad.”

Lauren checked the map again. “Let’s see, El Zotz should be northwest from Tikal?”

“That’s right. You are good with directions. Just remember, you can easily get lost here.”

She took out her digital camera from her backpack and snapped a few pictures and then aimed her camera at the Temple of the Great Jaguar. At the top of the structure, Justin and Kyle waved and jumped up and down with their arms flailing above their heads.

“What clowns,” Deven laughed. “They’re good students, but sometimes they act like high school kids. Ready for the climb down? We should head back to the van. I want to get to the field camp before dark. We’ll visit Tikal again during the semester.”

“I’m anxious to see El Zotz,” she said. Trying to guess his nationality had been nagging her all day. “Deven, your accent is obviously not from Boston. Where are you from?”

“I grew up in the Netherlands.”

She liked how he pronounced it Nederlands. “The Netherlands. What brought you to Boston?”

“Long story.” He smiled.

Lauren had a mental picture of a little Dutch boy with straight blond hair, blue eyes and fair skin. Deven was quite a contrast to that image with his dark hair, bronze complexion and sultry gray eyes.

When she reached for her backpack, Deven had picked it up and held the straps open so she could slide into it. His hands brushed her shoulders and a warm shiver twirled inside her stomach.

“Thank you.” Lauren felt her pulse race from his penetrating gaze. Pull yourself together. You’re twenty-nine not fifteen.

They slowly zigzagged back down the pyramid, which was trickier than the climb up. Lauren was careful to place her feet squarely on each of the narrow steps.

Deven grabbed her arm to support her.

She pulled her arm away then regretted her reflex. “Thanks, I’ve got it. Boy, climbing like this is great for my legs.” She noticed how the rolled-up sleeves of his shirt showed off his muscular arms. The top couple of buttons were open and showed the dark curly hair on his chest.

“What’s so funny?” he asked.

“What?”

“You were smiling.”

“Oh, I was wondering…Um, I’m just happy to be here. The ruins are magnificent.” Actually, she’d been thinking what he would look like without his shirt. She pressed her lips together to suppress her smile.

They reached the bottom of the temple and walked across the Great Plaza toward Temple I where Justin and Kyle slowly descended.

“Come on, gentlemen, we need to get to El Zotz before dark,” Deven said.

“I have the map, so I’ll lead the way,” Lauren said. “This trail is about ten minutes shorter than the first one we took.” She pointed straight ahead.

“Don’t get us lost, Lauren,” Kyle teased.

When they reached the parking area, Sylvia was leaning against the van, arms crossed. “What took you? I’ve been standing here in the rain for a half hour.”

“Rain?” He held up his hand. “It’s just a little mist.”

“What do you expect? This is the rainforest.” Lauren hadn’t meant to insult her, but Sylvia took it that way. Her reproving look should have turned Lauren to stone.

Kyle rapped Justin in the arm with the back of his hand and they both chuckled. Sylvia rolled her eyes.

Sylvia moved aside as Deven opened the rear door to the van. She pushed past Lauren and jumped into the front seat.

* * *

The road to El Zotz was overgrown with mammoth ferns and arched tree branches creating a lush green tunnel. Lauren tried to peer into the jungle, but couldn’t see beyond a few feet. Although the jungle looked ominous, the thought of exploring the rainforest and uncovering thousand-year-old Mayan ruins made her stomach somersault.

After several miles, the dense growth of trees thinned out into green fields packed with cornstalks and golden-brown pastures of dried hay. Plumes of smoke coiled up from the thatched roofs of small huts. Horses, chickens and goats roamed the fields and the street because there were no fences or pens. The air smelled like smoked meat, wet grass and farm animals.

“A breeze could blow those houses down,” Lauren said to Margaret sitting next to her.

“The people here live a simple and self-sufficient life,” Margaret said. “They are a very proud and friendly folk.”

Margaret appeared to be in her fifties and in excellent physical shape. She had a warm smile with fine lines around her eyes and mouth. Her long, gray-white hair was twisted in unruly kinks. Margaret’s necklace glinted in the sunlight. At the end of a long silver chain hung a silver five-pointed star pendant with a crescent moon on one side and a woman figurine lounging on the moon with a milky white moonstone cabochon in the center.

“That’s a beautiful pentacle. Are you Wiccan?” Lauren asked.

Margaret smiled and touched the pendant resting on her chest. “Oh, my moon goddess. Yes, I practice Wicca. I especially hold in high regard the Wiccan reverence and attunement with nature and spirit.”

“Margaret wears two hats—one for a scientist and one for a witch,” Sylvia said reproachfully.

Lauren ignored Sylvia. “This is certainly the place to get in touch with nature.”

Margaret nodded.

Although the rain had stopped, the road was still wet. Lauren squinted and leaned forward in her seat, trying to identify several large black spots that stained the surface of the road, but the van was moving too fast for her to make out the details. The black splotches were about the size of dinner plates and scattered all over the road and she noticed that some of those blobs were moving.

“What are those black spots on the road?”

Deven glanced up in the rearview mirror. “Tarantulas,” he said matter-of-factly.

“Tarantulas!” Lauren exclaimed in horror. “They’re huge. Why are they all over the road?”

“What do you expect? This is the rainforest,” Sylvia said.

“Boy, you must have had a tough flight, Sylvia,” Lauren snapped. What was it with her? She’d been barking at her since she got there.

Deven stifled a laugh, obviously amused, then said, “Tarantulas live underground and when it rains their burrows flood, so they head for higher ground, which happens to be the road.”