Free Jaguar Sun by Martha Bourke Page A

smiled.
    “I know. I’m sorry. It’s just....”
    “I know. I feel it, too. It’s not like a normal, human thing. I’ve always wanted it with you, My, believe me, but this is...I dunno….”
    “It’s primal,” I said, finally realizing what was happening. Sure, we were mates in the sense that we were meant to be together for life. Like all shifters. But there was more to it than that. There was a sexual part that seemed so overpowering. It seemed like since we both had phased, I could hardly get near him without needing to touch him. And the pull was getting stronger, I was sure of it. I had no idea how to deal with it. I mean, animals don’t have to hold back. What the hell was I supposed to do, though? Ask Victrixa about it? Hey, Victrixa, why am I, like, beyond horny? Yeah, right. Talk about your embarrassing conversations.
    “Well,” I said after a minute, “we’re definitely going to have to do something about this.”
    “I second the hell outta that!” He laughed and got into his car.
    ~ ~ ~
    Next morning before school, I met the twins in the parking lot. I knew I had to tell them about the vision I’d had, but, honestly, I wasn’t looking forward to it. The more I talked about it, the more it seemed real. But I didn’t want it to be real. I swallowed hard (not that I had any spit to swallow).
    “Hey, guys,” I said, “thanks for meeting me early.”
    “No problem.” Lyssa smiled as Matt walked up.
    “What’s up?” Damian asked.
    “Well, I needed to talk to you about a couple things and I didn’t want to be overheard. Remember how weird it got at lunch when I thought something was wrong with Matt? Well, I haven’t said anything to you because I wanted to talk to my grandma first. Anyway, the reason I knew that Matt was in trouble is because I had a premonition.”
    “What did your grandma say?” Lyssa asked.
    Damian answered for me. “She had a vision.”
    “Does that happen a lot with shifters or with Tribal Elders?” Matt asked.
    “How’s that?” Lyssa asked. “You’re a freakin’ Elder?”
    “Yep. My grandma told me last night that she thinks I might be a Tribal Elder.”
    “No shit! Maya, that is so cool!”
    “Anyway,” Damian said, looking directly at his twin, “I was wondering about the vision myself, so I did a little research.”
    “There’s a surprise,” Lyssa smirked.
    “What’d you find out?” Matt asked.
    “There is no known record of any shifter having visions unless they were also a Native American using ritual. And, actually, your vision was neither premonition nor precognition because those are always of the future. But that doesn’t mean it wasn’t a vision.”
    Sunday could not come fast enough. I was beginning to feel kind of desperate. What if Victrixa couldn’t help me figure out what was going on? Or worse, what if she thought I was some kind of freak?
    ~ ~ ~
    “ In Lak’ ech , Maya,” Victrixa said, greeting me on the porch.
    “ Ala K’in , Victrixa.”
    “So how is everything going? Tell me about this mate of yours,” she said with a mischievous smile. We sat down on the leather sofa in the “artifacts” room.
    “You’ve been talking to Grandma.”
    She laughed. “Of course.”
    “Well,” I said, “his name is Matt. He’s a senior at my school.”
    She smiled again. “Well, that’s handy. Do you have any questions for me? Feel free to ask me anything, Maya. I’m here to help with all of the strange and wonderful things that come with being a shifter.”
    “Well, I was wondering about something,” I began nervously, “I feel like there’s this pull between us. We hate to be apart physically and...uh....”
    “Sexually?”
    I nodded, feeling my face flush. God, this was embarrassing. It felt like we were having “the talk,” except I was sixteen and she was definitely not my loser-mom.
    “That’s perfectly normal. Shifters have a bond with their mate that is different than a human bond. Your bond with your mate