you I saw my grandmother’s face, as she held out the Artifact to me?”
He nodded, waiting.
She bit down on her bottom lip to stem another rush of tears and said, “It wasn’t my abuela I was seeing. I realize that now. It was her sister, Tía Carmen. They look so much alike, it’s no wonder I thought it was my grandmother. Tía Carmen lives outside Barcelona, Rune. The Artifact has to be there.”
He gave her a slow smile, leaned in and kissed her hard and fast. “Well done.”
“Yeah. Now all we have to do is get away from these guys long enough to get to Spain and find the damn thing before time runs out on us.”
“We will,” he said, cupping her face in his palm. He wiped away a stray tear with his thumb, then lifted that tiny bead of moisture to his lips. He drank her tears, swallowed her sorrow and told her softly, “They won’t be able to stop us, Teresa. We will complete this task.”
Heart in her eyes, she met his gaze and solemnly nodded.
Chapter 54
The damp heat slapped at her as Teresa stepped out of the van. It felt as though she was wrapped in a wet electric blanket. Smothering. Stifling. Chico took wing the moment they were free and she heard his vibrant whistle over the wind that sighed through the dense grove of trees. She hoped he kept going. Hoped he remained free rather than coming back to her.
Teresa took a breath and filled her lungs with the mingled scents of plant and animal life. Just beneath it all, there was a thick undercoating of decay. She had never liked the rain forest, preferring instead the clean sweep of the desert, with its wide-open vistas and sharp, dusty air. The jungle made her feel claustrophobic. Everything was too close. Every tree and bush seemed to be leaning over toward her, cutting off her view of the sky.
She threw a look at Miguel and his men as Rune, held at gunpoint, climbed out of the van to join her.
Miguel’s henchmen didn’t look too happy about being there. And she knew why.
Even this far from the Palenque site, she felt the threads of magic spilling through the air. This place was sacred. The ground hummed with ancient power and the jungle itself was its living guardian.
“Come on!” Miguel waved his gun to get them moving. “I don’t have all day to stand around in this disgusting heat. Move it.”
She threw a look at Rune and read the rage burning in his eyes. Teresa understood what it was costing this fierce warrior to be a prisoner to a man so completely beneath him. Her own temper was boiling, demanding to be released, so she could only imagine the depths of her Eternal’s wrath. She reached for his hand and with their fingers entwined, they set off down a narrow path, overgrown with so much plant life it was nearly invisible to the eye. One of Miguel’s men walked ahead of them with a machete and the constant slap of the blade against the growth became a steady accompaniment to their footsteps.
The jungle closed in around her, making it hard to breathe. Sweat dripped along her spine. The dark mutterings of the men were hardly more than a buzzing distraction.
It rained, a misty soak that drenched their clothes and left them steaming as the sun came out from behind the clouds again. Water dripped from the canopy of trees that stretched high overhead. It was a miserable trek, but through it all, her fury spurred Teresa forward. She would never forget what her beloved abuela had sacrificed to give them this chance.
The path led to a clearing and when they stepped into the vast space, Teresa let out a sigh of wonder.
Palenque.
Normally, there was a crowd of tourists wandering the area. How Miguel had managed to keep them all out was a mystery, but one she didn’t need to unravel.
“I don’t like this,” one of the men complained in an undertone.
“Me neither. Place gives me the creeps.”
“Shut up,” Miguel told them.
Teresa wasn’t listening to any of them. Instead, she concentrated on the huge structure in front of her. Her gaze moved over the massive stone palace, covered in dark-green snaking vines and grass crawling up from the well-tended grounds. Smaller structures were staggered around the clearing, with stone steps set into their facades. Everywhere, the jungle pushed forward.
But no matter how hard nature tried to reclaim it,