Page 55 of Hunter

“I discovered this place about ten years ago. For the longest time, I used it as a sanctuary of sorts. Archeologists discovered the city this century, but it’s far too vast of an area for them to excavate all at once. There’s actually only a few digs in the entire area.”

As they emerged from the passageway and entered the main area, Willa smiled. Hundreds of needled sunlight beams pricked light onto the floor. Vines climbed the walls, colorful flowers blooming along the edges of the room’s perimeter. To the far-right corner, a spring percolated from the mouth of a triangular symbol that had been carved into the wall.

“What is this?” Julian asked in wonderment, scanning the interior.

“It’s a Pibna. A sweat lodge. It’s about healing. This building though. It’s unusual. The pibna does not sit alone. It sits within this magical structure.” She gestured to the spring water. “It’s good. I’ve drank from it. It must filter through from a local cenote. There’s one a few miles from here.” Willa stepped toward the ivied wall and slid her finger over a leaf. “I suspect most of these plants grew organically, perhaps a seed flying through the wind, or birds. But these ones here.” She bent to sniff a bright fuchsia-colored flower. The size of a dime, its delightful fragrance filled her senses and she smiled. “I believe they knew of its healing power. Not only that, I believe they cultivated fungus.” She pointed to mushrooms sprouting across one of the walls. “Psilocybin.”

“Well, hello there.” Julian gave a broad smile. “Magic mushrooms.”

“Peyote. Other hallucinogens were probably used during rituals.”

“I can feel a buzz all right. But it’s more of the woo woo kind,” Julian commented.

“I feel it too. Because that’s what’s in this place. All around us. Infused in every molecule of those plants. There’s a small bush outside the building. It’s how I discovered it. Nature or magick both have a way of spreading.” Willa sighed and put her hands on her hips. “The villagers understand that I often use natural ingredients as well as western medicine. The day the child was injured, I had to do something. She would have bled to death.”

“You’ve always had a big heart, minha irmã.”

“Doesn’t matter at this point, because I’m destroying the formula.”

“Maybe you should destroy all these plants too? I know you don’t want to, but you could torch this whole place, and no one will know.”

“Are you crazy? I’m not doing that. This entire site is a historical treasure. It’s a wealth of information about an important ancient society.”

“You know all this magick here, whatever spurred these plants, it could be from Hell.”

“I suppose that’s a valid theory. They did engage in human sacrifices. The bones of the victims are sometimes found in the cenotes.”

“And you drank the water?”

“Stop it already. None of that is important. What’s important is that I destroy the formula, so no one will know how I did what I did.”

“Okay, on with it.”

“Over here.” Willa made her way to a stone hearth. A structure within a structure, the bricked area stood off to the side. “They used to make fire in this pit. This Zumpul-ché. A Temescal. Inside there are rocks that would have been heated. It’s like a sauna. They still have them today.”

“Right on. Sweat it out.”

“All kinds of people used them. The sick. Athletes. Mothers who’d given birth.”

“I do love a good steam bath.”

“Jules. Focus. Don’t you see? This structure. It may have been used to heal. The plants. The steam bath.”

“All very interesting, but time is of the essence. Perhaps you don’t realize the implications of leaving the ranch,” he said in his best southern accent. “Your boyfriend is going to lose his shit when he finds out you’re missing. I don’t mean to point out the obvious, but he’s an Alpha. And I know you don’t want to hear the m word but it’s on the tip of my tongue.”

Willa whipped around wagging her finger at him. “Don’t you say it.”

“Mmmm….” He laughed.

“Stop. He doesn’t even know where we went.” She quickly withdrew her hand, with a shudder, suspecting her brother was right.

“Let’s just put it this way. If he marked you while you were doing the dirty deed then….”

“I don’t bear his mark because we aren’t…” Willa couldn’t bring herself to say the dreaded word.

“Just because you can’t admit what’s happening doesn’t mean it’s not true. It may have been a long while since I’ve been pack but I’m sure as hell that Hunter’s coming after you. He’ll make it his business to find you and it won’t be hard to get here because he’s got Viktor the super vamp at his beck and call.”

“Even if he gets here, I’d dare him to find me. We don’t even know he’s my…why are we even talking about this? I need to do what I came here to do. Just hold on a minute while I get the formula.”