Nightkeepers

was naked by the time she turned and hiked herself up on the chac-mool, put one foot up onto the poor guy’s head, and crooked a finger at Strike. ‘‘I like your thinking.’’

He went to her, putting his feet in the red outlines on the ceremonial mat, and fitting the rest of his body exactly where it was meant to be—up against his woman. His queen. And when they kissed and the torches dimmed, and he glanced into the obsidian mirror behind the altar, he saw only the strong, delicate curve of Leah’s spine, and her face in half profile as she turned it into his neck and breathed him in.

The ghosts, and the past, were gone, leaving them to live the future yet unwritten.

Together.

The End

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First published by Signet Eclipse, an imprint of New American Library,

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First Printing, June 2008

Copyright © Jessica Andersen, 2008

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To the other Jess, my road trip partner on the writing highway—speed bumps, roadkill, and all. Thanks for bringing me along, and yes, you’ll probably always have the cooler car.

AUTHOR’S NOTE

The Nightkeepers’ world is well hidden within our own; bringing it to light wasn’t always an easy process. My heartfelt thanks go to Deidre Knight, Kara Cesare, Claire Zion, Kara Welsh, and Kerry Donovan for taking this book from a dream to a reality; to J. R. Ward for critiques and help each step of the way; to Suz Brockmann for being a mentor and an inspiration; to Angela Knight for early reads and encouragement; to Marley Gibson and Charlene Glatkowski for being there for me every day without fail; to Sally Hinkle Russell for keeping me sane; and to Brian Hogan for too many things to name in this small space.

Just as the few surviving Nightkeepers live among us today, their ancestors lived with the ancient Egyptians, Olmec, Maya, and Hopi; they left their imprint on each of these civilizations, and were influenced in turn. Thus, while their culture is best reflected in the myths and beliefs of the Maya, the parallel is not absolute.

That being said, I drew upon a number of sources to understand the Nightkeepers’ world. These include the excellent hieroglyphic dictionaries of John Montgomery, Allen J. Christenson’s translation and annotation of the Popol Vuh, Miller and Taube’s illustrated dictionary of Mayan gods and symbols, and the vast online resources of the Foundation for the Advancement of Mesoamerican Studies, Inc. In addition, I used various resources to understand the cataclysm predicted for 12/21/2012; these included works by Patrick Geryl and John Major Jenkins. Finally, works of Erich von Daniken, Kenneth L. Feder, Stephen Williams, and Charles Pellegrino were used for their discussions of Atlantis, alien influences on prehistoric cultures, and other so-called pseudoscientific theories. For a full list of references and recommended reading on the ancient Maya and the 2012 doomsday prophecy, please visit www.JessicaAndersen.com.

Table of Contents

CHAPTER ONE

CHAPTER TWO

CHAPTER THREE

CHAPTER FOUR