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  “Because it really is necessary.” Now there was a hint of regret in Sol’s voice, even though his expression didn’t change. “There are some things time can’t alter, Xbal, no matter how we wish them to be different. It’s codified into my existence. I need a sacrifice of flame to keep everything in its true order. Without it I die and, with me, so goes the rest of our galaxy.”

  “Bullshit!” He shouted it, heard the word echo through the barren temple. “I don’t believe you.”

  “Doesn’t matter if you do or not.” Sol looked past him to Cassandra and Xbal heard her sharp intake of breath. “Cassandra’s free to refuse, if she’s willing to take the chance that you’re right and I’m just bullshitting for my own enjoyment.”

  “I can’t take that chance.” Xbal turned then, hearing the pain and sadness in her voice, and the sight of her tearstained face almost undid him. “Don’t ask me to do that, Xbal. Please.”

  “Cassandra…” Words stuck in his throat, held there by the immensity of his love and anguish.

  She touched his cheek and shook her head. “I don’t want to leave you, but I’m the appointed one, born on the solstice of the rising year, at the very moment winter gave way to spring. It’s been my fate from the minute I was conceived.” She tried to smile but her lips quivered, making it an expression of such sadness his already lacerated heart was flayed anew. “I’m just sorry I waited so long to be with you. I would have liked more than just this one day.”

  He reached for her, pulled her close, held her as tightly as he could, wishing there was some way to stop her, knowing there wasn’t. Sol was right. Not even a love this strong was important enough to gamble with the lives of the billions of beings on either side of the Veil.

  “It’s okay, Xbal.” Strange to have her comforting him, instead of it being the other way around. She drew back, and her amethyst eyes held all the love he could have ever wanted to see. All the love he’d ever craved. “I love you so much. All I could think about was having one chance to be with you. Even if you said no I couldn’t not try. I think deep inside I’ve always loved you, but I knew what my future held and I didn’t want anyone else to suffer because of my fate.” She shook her head. “Guess I fucked that up royally, huh?”

  “No.” He couldn’t let her leave thinking that. “Our time together was too short, but I’m so grateful to have had it.” He cupped her cheeks, used his thumbs to rub at her tears. “I’ll always love you. Always long for you, hold you as the center of my heart. If there’s some kind of life beyond this one, look for me, for I’ll join you there one day.”

  She smiled then, just slightly, and it was redolent with sadness and determination. “And if there’s any way to come back to you, to rise from my ashes, I will.”

  Xbal bent and took her lips, savoring their softness once more, losing himself in her for the last time.

  “What did you say?” Sol’s voice, sharp and vibrating with suppressed excitement, jolted them apart and they turned to stare at him. “Holy crap, why didn’t I think of that before?” The sun god strode away for a few paces, then came back toward them, snapping his fingers in a weird, off-kilter beat. “It could work… It might just fucking work.” His gaze whipped to Cassandra, and the gleam in his eyes made them almost blinding. “Come. Walk with me for a minute. I want to run something past you.”

  Chapter Nine

  The adult members of the Children of Sol gathered at the temple, carefully warding the doors against intruders, knowing every one of them risked their lives by taking part in the coming ceremony.

  It was written in the annals that when the first combined council of all the clans came together and it was suggested blood sacrifice should be outlawed, only the Children of Sol voted against it. It had been a difficult time and difficult situation, as only those with intimate knowledge of the mysteries knew the true significance of their sacrifices, and all of them were sworn to secrecy. The members at that first council had signed the resultant laws into being, knowing there was one they wouldn’t be able to follow.

  The sacrifices had to continue.

  At the time they had already extended the sacrificial time to every hundred years, but they made appeals to Sol and, when all the proper calculations had been made, they determined it would be appropriate to extend the time further. When they had lived on the human side of the Veil, it had been imperative it take place often. On this side they found time worked differently and they rejoiced in it. No one liked having to give up one of their own to the flames, no matter how necessary it was. Even every five hundred years was too soon for them.

  All this Cassandra knew, having read the annals for herself. Now she stood before the assembled clan, the pyre laid behind her waiting to be set alight. There was sadness in many of the eyes looking up at her, and she appreciated that more than she ever thought she would. She’d accepted her role but distanced herself from the clan, first out of anger for having been born the chosen and then from a wish not to be pitied, or to form bonds with people she’d only have to leave behind. Of course life wasn’t lived in a vacuum, and there had been others she’d grown close to. She’d worried about how her friends at the café would feel when they heard she’d died, was sorry she couldn’t prepare them for it, but she’d taken a vow of silence and she’d had to stick with it, no matter what.

  The sand trickling through the hourglass in the corner of the temple, which was turned each year on the autumnal equinox, was almost gone and the priests stepped forward to light the pyre.

  Sweat broke out beneath her long white robe. Something was wrong. Sol had promised he’d intervene, explain to the clan what was going to happen, but there was no sign of him. That probably meant he’d realized it wouldn’t work, and she was going up in flames after all. The kernel of hope that had begun to grow in her heart earlier withered, but she kept all signs of pain off her face. Displaying her terror would only make it worse for everyone else.

  I love you, Xbal.

  The connection between them was so strong she thought she felt him, his love flowing into her frigid limbs, warming her.

  “It’s time, Cassandra.”

  The priests came to flank her, two on either side, and she nodded, looked one more time at her parents before turning to face the pyre. Taking a deep breath, she stepped forward and then almost leapt back as the fire unexpectedly flared white-hot. She blinked to clear her vision and it was only then she saw the figure in the midst of the flames.

  Clearly Sol was something of a showman.

  A collective gasp rose from the crowd, and there was the sound of everyone going down on one knee. Cassie followed suit, but not before getting a wink from the irrepressible god.

  “Children of Sol, your service finds favor in my eyes.” The god’s voice boomed and echoed through the temple, and Cassie heard someone begin to sob. She couldn’t blame the person. It was pretty freaky even for her, who had met Sol in person before. “Because of your faithful commitment and the sacrifices of my sons and daughters the world still exists. But this continued loss of life causes me great pain, no matter how far apart the sacrifices come.”

  He fell silent for a moment, and Cassie heard a low murmur from the crowd behind her. Glancing up, she saw Sol looking back at her, his face solemn and stern, and his expression made a shiver trickle down her spine.

  “So now I ask this chosen one to make the ultimate sacrifice, so no one else has to walk the path she has. If Cassandra Solinar agrees she will take the burden of sacrifice on herself for all time.”

  There was a collective gasp, questioning and shocked, and Sol spoke over the rising murmur. “I will make of her a phoenix, able to burn in the sacred fire and, after one cycle of Sister Moon, rise again from a jeweled egg, reborn. On her shoulders will rest this charge, eternally, and because she will not truly die the Children of Sol can step out of the shadows, unafraid that others will discover their secret and condemn them before the law.”

  Now the murmurs turned to rapid-fir
e talk, excitement and fear seeming to permeate the room until the air was thick and soupy. Now that the choice was laid before her, Cassie wondered if she were crazy to consider it. Life eternal, watching all she knew and loved wither away, punctuated by periodic trips into the flames to burn?

  Not all I love.

  The thought came to her, steadying the nerves sparking beneath her trembling skin. She would have Xbal, and the knowledge that no other of her clan would ever awaken to the knowledge his or her existence would be foreshortened. That shadow had followed her all through life, slowly killing something fundamental in her soul, leaving her unable to give of herself freely. Making her unable to fully love. It was a fate she wouldn’t wish on anyone else.

  No matter what was to come, her sacrifice would be worth it.

  “Cassandra Solinar.” Sol’s voice cut through the noise, and the temple immediately fell silent again. “Will you take this burden on yourself? Accept the pain that inevitably will come, the losses and hurts this path will bring?”

  “Yes.” She didn’t hesitate, knowing it was the right thing to do, the only thing.

  “Then come to me, my daughter. Come into the fire and let me transform you into a gift for your clan, and for the world.”

  Rising, ignoring how her legs shook and her belly rolled, she walked toward the god, keeping her gaze on his, seeing the fire part to let her in. Not flinching even when the heat and flames licked at her robe and then began to scorch her skin.

  “Good girl,” Sol murmured, taking her hand, obviously seeing how she clenched her teeth to hold back the agonized scream building in her chest. “Just a moment more…”

  And then everything went blessedly black.

  * * * * *

  “Wow. Couldn’t you have just let me rise immediately, instead of going through all this rigmarole?” Cassie stretched, trying to forget the sensation of being burned alive, and looked around the large, high-ceilinged room. Sol apparently liked plants. The entire place was filled with them, and beyond the huge windows was a garden, bright with flowers of every hue. “I do have a life to go back to.”

  Sol chuckled. “There’ll be plenty of time to do whatever it is you have planned. Believe me. Besides, you know how the clan likes ritual and ceremony. Just having you burn and then reappear would be anticlimactic. They need to feel they’re an integral part of the process, so guarding the jeweled egg will give them that.”

  Cassie wandered over to the window and looked out. Just beyond the garden she could see the sea and the sight made her smile.

  “Well, I guess I’m due a little vacation anyway. Here is as good a place as any.”

  She just wished she could see Xbal, reassure him all was well. There had been scant time to explain what Sol suggested and none to go into the detail he wanted. There had even been some threats thrown Sol’s way, which the sun god had ignored after one long glare at Xbal.

  “Make yourself at home. I’m rarely here, so you’ll pretty much have the place to yourself.”

  The thought was a little scary—being stuck in a strange place with no one else around—and Cassie turned, saying, “Oh, but…”

  Her voice faded, as she saw Sol was already gone and in his place stood Xbal. For the course of three or four long beats neither of them moved and Cassie’s heart stumbled at the light in the jaguar god’s eyes.

  “Now,” he said, in that low growling tone that immediately made her weak with desire. “Where were we before we were so rudely interrupted by that damn sun god?”

  Reaching for the fastenings of her robe, she started to undo it. “Don’t forget the ceremony of fire. That was a bit of an interruption too.”

  His nostrils flared. “How could I?” With a few long, silent strides he was in front of her, dragging her into his arms. “Dammit, Cassandra. I never want to go through that again, wondering if it would work the way Sol said it would, crazy with terror that I might never see you again.” Tangling his fingers into her hair, he tugged her head back and kissed her, hard. When their lips parted they were both panting and there was no mistaking the roughness of his voice as he demanded, “Tell me you meant what you said before you left. Say you still love me—that nothing has changed except now we can be together forever.”

  With his words a weight she hadn’t known she was carrying fell away, and Cassie pulled his mouth back to hers for a long, love-filled kiss. Deep inside she’d been worried he wouldn’t still want her, that the promises he’d made in the heat of passion wouldn’t stand up to the reality of this new life she’d been given. Knowing his feelings hadn’t changed freed her, causing the last bonds holding her emotions in check to fall away. When she drew back far enough to see his eyes, she knew he already had his answer, but told him anyway, wanting to say the words.

  “I wanted to do this for the other Children of Sol, for those not yet born on those solstice nights to come, to free the clan from the continual fear and burden. But the only thing that made the thought of living forever bearable was knowing you would be with me, loving me as much as I love you.”

  The expression on his face almost undid her, for it was one of love so full and true and strong she knew she’d never have reason to doubt ever again, no matter how long eternity turned out to be.

  “You’re mine, Cassandra.” The words were a pledge and demand all in one, and her body and heart thrilled to hear them. “As long as I exist I’ll love you, want you, need you.”

  Then he gave her no chance to reply, for he was kissing her again, his hands freeing her from her clothes even as she fumbled to get his off too. And they made love, reveling in the magic they created between them, coming together with an explosion of erotic pleasure so intense Cassie was left thinking if she weren’t immortal, it just might have killed her.

  Lying spent and sated in his arms, listening to his heartbeat slowing, enjoying the rise and fall of his chest beneath her cheek, she smiled, even knowing he couldn’t see it. Pressing a kiss to one handily close nipple, she said, “Hey, you know what?”

  “What?”

  The thread of amusement in his voice made her smile widen to a grin. She loved how easily he read her moods and responded in kind. “I was just thinking… I have the time to master it now, so how about teaching me atraspa?”

  “Shit.” He half-groaned, half-growled. “I may be a god, but if you started practicing sex magic on me it might just spell the end of me.”

  Rolling onto one elbow, Cassie grinned down at him, knowing he’d do it and enjoy every damn minute of the tutoring. “Yeah, but what a way to go.”

  He laughed with her, already letting the magic loose to caress and stroke and tickle over her skin, sensitizing it, getting her ready for another round of loving. Then he dragged her across his chest to kiss her, and murmur against her lips, “The only way to go, querida. The only way to go.”

  About Anya Richards

  After living a checkered past, and despite an avowed disinterest in domesticity, multi-published author Anya Richards settled in Ontario, Canada, with husband, kids and two cats who plot world domination, one food bowl at a time. Having trained the humans around her to recognize the Do Not Disturb vibes she gives off when writing, she’s still trying to get the cats to honor her need for space. The suspicion is that they perfectly understand, but choose those moments when she’s most engrossed to once more prove who wears the pants in the house.

  Anya welcomes comments from readers. You can find her website and email addresses on her author bio page at www.ellorascave.com.

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  Also by Anya Richards

  Arctic Destiny

  Beyond Prudence

  Fondled and Gobbled: Someone Had To Do It anthology

  Fondled and Gobbled: One More Slurp anthology


  Shaken Up

  Unveiled Seductions 1: Fleeing Fate

  Unveiled Seductions 2: Stone-Hard Passion

  Unveiled Seductions 3: Dragon’s Claim

  Print books by Anya Richards

  A Man’s Fantasies anthology

  Beyond Prudence

  Fondled and Gobbled! anthology

  Unveiled Seductions 1 & 2: Passion Unveiled

  Ellora’s Cave Publishing

  www.ellorascave.com

  Jaguar in the Sun

  ISBN 9781419947193

  ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

  Jaguar in the Sun Copyright © 2013 Anya Richards

  Edited by Grace Bradley

  Cover design by Fiona Jayde

  Cover photography by thereedfiles.com, iconizer, HunterXt,Janelle Lugge/shutterstock.com

  Electronic book publication December 2013

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