Eztli parked the Jeep in a deserted parking lot at the edge of Lake Tawakoni State Park, and Maxtla parked behind him. We could have all crowded into a single Jeep for this excursion, but if I was successful, we might have another person in the vehicle with us on the way back to the hotel. I had no idea what a god in the flesh would look like, but I guessed that he’d be at least as big as my alpha. I certainly refused to consider the possibility that I might also lose any of the men with me.

That’s not happening. Please, Great Mother. Help me protect us all.

Night had fallen so quickly. I wasn’t ready. Cold chills raced down my spine, yet my palms were sweaty.

“Tonight’s the winter solstice,” Eztli said. “The longest night of the year. You couldn’t have chosen a more perfect time to call the god of darkness from his eternal sleep.”

That scared me more than anything. All my careful plans and research had done nothing to bring me here. It had been a chance interview on the local news station in a crappy hotel that had brought me to this lake—with no island—in the middle of Texas.

Some unknown force had drawn me here. Coatlicue, or the god himself? Why now, after so long?

Could this truly be the mythical site of Aztlán? I stared down at the wooden case on my lap. There was only one way to know for certain. I had to use the mirror, even though I dreaded it with every fiber of my being.

“Should I start here?” I hated that my voice trembled, but I was so scared. Not for myself, but for him. For all of my Blood. “Or wait until we’re closer to the water?”

Eztli closed his big, warm hand over mine, and I clutched him so hard it hurt my fingers. He didn’t even flinch. As always, he was my rock. “It’s up to you, my queen. If you start here, at least you’re hidden from prying eyes and sheltered in the vehicle. But we may need to move to another location that we can’t navigate to with the Jeep. If we end up on foot, and the mirror incapacitates you in any way, I’ll carry you.”

I took a deep breath and let it out slowly. Grandmama would say that I should trust my instincts. I refused to let fear dictate my decisions.

While I liked being safe and secure inside the Jeep, I would probably need to be near the water. All the accounts I’d read mentioned an island, which didn’t exist anywhere in this lake. Maybe it would magically appear when I used the mirror. I might as well move closer, even though that would leave us exposed. “Let’s move to the water’s edge first.”

Eztli nodded and immediately started giving orders. :Diego, Luis, shift and search the area for any signs of thralls or lingering humans. Maxtla, with us.:

Before I could move, Maxtla opened my door and offered his hand. “My queen. I’ll carry the mirror, if you’d like.”

I handed the case to him as I got out of the vehicle. Flanked by Maxtla and Eztli, I tucked an arm into each of theirs as we walked into the woods.

The evening air was crisp and cool without being too cold. As we walked deeper into the forest, the freeway noises were replaced by the soft murmur of leaves in the breeze. The trees weren’t familiar to me, though I recognized them as a mix of several species of pine and oak. Despite being a park dedicated to nature, something felt off. The land felt… sterile, as if it wasn’t alive at all, despite the trees surrounding me.

When I walked the land at home, even outside of the nest, I felt the plants’ living energy pulsing all around me. Here, the plants might as well have been made out of cardboard. I plucked a small branch off a prickly conifer to be sure it was real. Mexican pines grew in the mountains, but not anywhere near the nest. They smelled nice and spicy. I paused for a moment and pulled a few smaller branches off.

Without my request, Eztli offered a small canvas bag that I often carried out into the fields when I went scavenging for medicinal plants and herbs for Grandmama. I was surprised he’d even thought to bring it with us on the trip.

One corner of his mouth quirked. “You’re a land healer at heart, my queen. You always like to take some samples home.”

True. At home, I would have carried a whole sack of samples back to Grandmama’s hut. I hadn’t expected to have the time to collect any on this trip.

Honestly, I was procrastinating. It was like my brain wanted to focus on anything other than the task at hand. Sighing, I gave the bag back to Eztli and walked with determination along the path. Samples were well and good, but I had too much to do tonight to dawdle.

I didn’t see my other two jaguars, but I could feel them slipping through the trees ahead of us. Diego had used his special ability to leap ahead to the water’s edge and was scouting the shoreline, while Luis searched the woods for anything out of the ordinary. :The woods are empty, alpha,: he said in our bonds. :Not even a bunny so far.:

:Good,: Eztli replied. :Join Diego on the beach and find a good spot for our queen to sit.:

After a few minutes, we broke through the trees. The shoreline was rocky, and I had to pay attention to where I stepped to avoid twisting an ankle. A gleam of light startled me for a moment, until I realized my Blood had started a small fire. Previous campers had pulled up some large logs and rocks to form a makeshift sitting area.

The crackle and gleam of the fire made me feel warm and safe. Fire would help repel thralls and other creatures. My Blood would usually see to any such threats, but if we were all involved in trying to subdue the jaguar god…

The last thing we needed was a pack of thralls to fall upon us, too.

Besides, fire was meditative and relaxing. If I needed help clearing my mind or focusing on the mirror, staring into the flames might help.

I sat on one of the logs closest to the fire, and Maxtla held out the case for me. My fingers trembled as I flipped open the latch and lifted the lid. The white cloth gleamed in the darkness. A trick of flickering firelight made it seem as if the embroidered god danced in place. Steeling myself, I pushed the cloth aside and lifted out the obsidian mirror.

I’d forgotten how heavy it was. It was an inch thick and wide enough that with my thumbs touching and fingers spread, I could barely touch the edges. Gingerly, I laid the mirror on my lap. Even though I hadn’t activated it yet, I still didn’t want to look directly into it. Instead, I stared out over the water, listening to the night sounds. No boats, no people, just the quiet lap of water against the rocks. An owl hooted further down the shoreline, echoing across the water.

Eztli crouched down in front of me, but to my left so I could still see the fire. Maxtla took up position behind me, so I could feel his heat against my back. Luis and Diego joined us, still in their jaguar forms. Luis stretched out on the log beside me, and Diego hopped up on a large boulder that overlooked the little makeshift camp.

They were prepared for any threat, but I wasn’t ready. I didn’t feel centered. This place was beautiful, but it wasn’t mine. The land and plants didn’t respond to me. “Can you take off my shoes and socks? If I can touch the ground with my bare feet, I think I’ll feel more centered.”

“Of course.” Eztli immediately slipped off my shoes and socks.

I wriggled my toes into the sandy pebbles, soaking in the cool textures against my skin. Something deep within the earth stirred, like a monstrous dinosaur slowly lifting its head or twitching its tail. Slumberous energy pulsed beneath my feet as the land began to respond to me.

Yes. I pulled out a piece of the tree I’d picked earlier and crushed the needles in my hand, breathing in their spicy scent. I even touched one of the green needles to my tongue, tasting the sharp bite of pine.

Closing my eyes, I allowed my magic to bubble up from within me like a crystal-clear spring. This land was sick and weak, but it was starting to respond to me. No one had cared for it in centuries. It’d been paved in concrete and trod upon by millions of human feet, without a single gift of energy back into the land that made their lives possible. This wasn’t my land to nurture, but it made me mourn for what we had lost. So few queens remained, and even fewer had the kind of land connection that I carried. If we lost House Zaniyah, would any other healer be able to step into my shoes and nurture our lands? Or would the forests and fields wither with disease and die?

I knew the answer. Earth would lose this magic and the land itself would die along with it. Forests would become barren wastelands, fields blasted into deserts, and even parks like this would be useless.

The only reason I was here now was a severe drought that was slowly drying up even the largest lakes across the state.

My magic would help, at least somewhat, but if I died… If I never had a child to continue our line, I feared for what our world would become.

I opened my eyes and stared into the shining black circle on my lap. Firelight glinted on the surface, but there wasn’t any moonlight to brighten the it.

“It’s time,” I whispered softly, looking at each of my Blood. “I don’t know what will happen when I activate the mirror. I don’t know how Aztlán will be revealed, let alone Tezcatlipoca. But I do know one thing. I love you all.”

Each of them said, “I love you, my queen.”

Eztli touched my knee lightly as he shifted to his mighty jaguar. :I love you more than life itself. You will take your jaguar god tonight.:

I lifted my trembling left hand to his mouth, and he carefully punctured my index finger with one of his canines. Not too much blood, at least not yet. I had no idea how much I’d have to bleed before this was over.

The first drop of my blood splattered on the glossy black surface of the mirror.

I held my breath, waiting for something to happen. Maybe the earth would crack open. Trees would sway in a sudden hurricane. Rushing waters would reveal a magical island. Something. Surely.

I continued staring into the mirror. Waiting. My heartbeat thundered in my ears.

From a distance, I heard a jaguar roar. It sounded like Eztli, but it was so far away. Disoriented, I looked up, but he wasn’t there. Everything was gone. An enormous fog bank had rolled in, wiping away the world.

My stomach quivered uneasily, but I made myself look back into the mirror. I stared back at my reflection, suddenly painfully clear despite the murky fog.

My eyes were huge, wide with fear and glistening with tears. My lips trembled. Blood dribbled from my bottom lip. I swiped at my lip and chin, afraid too much blood would drop onto the mirror, but the blood didn’t smear at all in the reflection.

I looked at my fingers, and there wasn’t any blood on them. I ran my tongue over my teeth, and my fangs hadn’t descended.

My stomach churned harder, my breathing a short, quick pant.

I couldn’t hear anything, not even the gentle lapping of the water. I inhaled deeply, but I couldn’t smell my jaguars, either.

Had I already been sucked into the mirror? Was I lost to my Blood and my family?

I searched my reflection, trying to see anything on the other side that might be a clue. Firelight flickered around my image in the mirror.

It was too late. I was already doomed to Tezcatlipoca’s domain, and I hadn’t even seen him yet.

I looked back into my own eyes in the mirror. My mouth moved on the other side, and though I couldn’t hear the words, I knew what I said, because the words echoed in my head.

It’s too late. It’s over.

A surge of anger made me narrow my eyes, though my reflection didn’t change. The fuck it was too late. I wasn’t giving up yet. Not by a long shot.

I looked around me, trying to see through the murk. Fog swirled and flowed around me, almost like I was in an airplane flying through a cloud bank. “Help!”

At least I could hear my own voice. That was something, wasn’t it?

“Tezcatlipoca, Smoking Mirror, Lord of Darkness and Sorcery, I come to you in search of your jaguar aspect, Tepeyollotl.”

I turned, slowly, straining to see anything through the clouds.

“I call jaguars.”

Nothing but my own words echoed back at me.

What had Grandmama said about the mirror? I tried to remember her words exactly.

It would show me truths about myself, and I might not like them. People had gone mad rather than face the truths they saw staring back at them.

I looked back at myself, and yeah, the pitiful, terrified look on my face infuriated me. I knew I was stronger than that. I had searched the world for twenty years to find the mythical Aztlán. I had called four jaguar Blood. I had carefully honed my power, year after year. I’d built my nest’s defenses to better protect my child, if only I could have her. Not even the queen of New York City had been able to break through yet, and she was the most powerful queen in the Americas.

I had the nerve to search out one of the most feared and respected Aztec gods, with the presumptuous hope that he’d be willing to sire my child. That he’d be willing to fuck an Aima queen, when he had likely spent an eternity working his way through the Aztec goddesses of Aztlán.

What hope did I have of calling him to my side? Let alone convincing him to sire my child?

Confusion flickered through me. Was I weak and scared? Or was I arrogant beyond belief?

Staring at myself in the mirror, I had to admit that I was both. I was terrified. I wasn’t a strong queen by any stretch, and though I was stronger now than when Grandmama had first passed the Zaniyah queendom to me, I was still only a minor queen. I always would be, even if I managed to have a daughter.

Even so, I was determined to do everything in my power, even attempt to bend a god to my will, in order to have her.

My power wasn’t earthshattering, but I’d always felt fulfilled and grateful for the blessings Coatlicue had granted me. I loved being able to heal people. I enjoyed caring for my lands. I loved touching a seed and giving it an extra little push with my power, willing it to grow strong, and then watching it do exactly that.

As I willed.

I focused on my image again, determined to drive the fear out of my eyes. You are stronger than this. You are strong enough. For anything.

The Mayte on the other side lifted her chin slightly. Her eyes narrowed. She licked the blood from her lip.

Yes. It’s working.

I tipped my face up to the swirling sky and shouted, “Tezcatlipoca! I need your help, Great Lord of Darkness. Lord of the Night, please come to my aid!”

I checked the reflection to see if anything had changed.

The other Mayte smiled at me and her mouth moved again. Thank you.

Then she turned away, and all I saw where my reflection had been was a black, empty hole.