Dark Truth

Ana was spawned by the Dark Lord himself, but every instinct she possesses screams that she isn't evil. She is goodjust as her mother was. But Ana has to know the truth about her shape-shifting abilities and mystical origins. Her jaguar senses and dreams lead her to the jungles of Peruand to a kind stranger with haunting green eyes. Mace Ridfort is no ordinary man. He is a trained assassin and Warrior for the Light. Though Mace is duty bound to destroy the dark forces, Ana senses he is also her salvation from a centuries-old destiny. And with Mace by her side, Ana must now withstand the most difficult battle of allto save the world from a thousand-year darkness.

"Get outta my way! Move! Move!" a young Peruvian boy barked, pushing aggressively against her. Ana Elena Rafael gave a small cry of surprise as she fought the grogginess of her dream and tried to disembark from the airliner. The aisle was jammed with a crush of restless passengers. The child shoved against her hip and then wriggled past. Ana had been patiently waiting to deplane at the Cuzco airport, when the abrupt attack occurred. Stunned, she didn't have time to think or move. She'd been standing in the aisle of the first-class section when the pushy child launched himself into her. The boy and his father had sat right behind her during the Lima to Cuzco flight, the child shrieking and pummeling her chair. Nerves raw, she threw out her hands now, completely off balance. To her dismay, she realized she was going to fall right into the arms of a passenger sitting on the opposite side of the aisle. Ana saw the man turn and look up as she cried out, a surprised expression in his alert blue eyes. Everything seemed to move in slow motion as she awkwardly pitched forward and he caught her. She had been vaguely aware of the thirtysomething man when he'd boarded the plane in Lima. It was a one-hour flight up and over the mighty Andes to Cuzco, nearly thirteen thousand feet above sea level. He'd gotten up once to go to the restroom, which was located near the cockpit door. Bothered by the constant hammering on the back of her seat, Ana hadn't take much notice of any other passengers. She recalled that when the man had come out of the restroom, his blue eyes had focused on her like a laser. Or maybe more aptly, because she was a wildlife biologist who studied jaguars, he reminded her of a big cat focused on its prey. A frisson of warning, of danger, snaked through Ana. It was as if death were stalking her. She tried to shake off the premonition. She had enough to think about, especially the dream she'd had during the previous flight. The calmness and peace of the Village of the Clouds had been abruptly shattered by the real world, plus her irritation toward the overly permissive father of the rude child. As the blue-eyed man helped her regain her balance, Ana studied him more closely. He was darkly tanned and ruggedly handsome, with black hair trimmed in a short military style. And those eyes... Mesmerizing. Like the eyes of the beautiful jaguars she cared for back in Arizona at the Wildlife Institute near Camp Verde. All of those impressions shimmered through her in the brief moments he held her. In his casual jeans and white shirt, he seemed like an everyday workman. So how could such an ordinary man seem so extraordinary? Something told Ana that he had a lot of power beneath his simple facade.He hides it,her intuition whispered. He wanted to blend in and vanish. Much like the jaguar, Ana thought. The cat's gold coat was spotted with black crescents, perfect camouflage in the dim, dappled light of the jungle. A jaguar could literally disappear among the shadows cast by trees and sun. This man was like that. She knew it. And now she was in his arms. The look in his wide eyes was one of worry, shock and concern. Ana's intuitionwhich her adoptive mother, Mary Rafael, had often told her resembled that of her beloved jaguarsabsorbed all his feelings like a sponge. That was how Ana read people. How she knew what they were feeling, instead of what they projected. Ana could feel his hands. With thick calluses across his palms, long, strong fingers and short nails, they were a worker's hands. This was a man who labored outdoors, no doubt. And now those hands were wrapped around her shoulders. Cushioning her. Saving her. The stranger had stopped her from striking her head on the seat in front of them, or possibly worse. As Ana steadied her breathing, she managed to grip one of his arms. The man was like a rock. His shoulders were broad b