Sun Kissed

DELETED CHAPTER: Jaguars

Jaguars

When Amancio felt the tension leave Sofi's body, he stopped pounding her head into the earth and roughly flipped her over on her back. He glared down at her and cursed under his breath. She was unconscious but still alive.

That's when he noticed Sofi's dagger lying only a few feet away. The desperate Encantado seized the weapon and held it above Sofi's figure, ready to plunge it into her heart just as she had done to Julio. Before he could finish her off, he became distracted when a sudden, vivid picture flashed through his mind.

An angelic woman with red hair and orange eyes waited at the lip of the river.

Amancio flinched. He tried to shake the feeling off and focus on killing Sofia.

Water. He was underwater with her. He couldn't swim. The woman grabbed his wrists, pulled him up. She held him at the surface. It felt like being held by heaven. He could smell tart citrus all around him. And her eyes . . . they were so orange.

The same thing happened again, and again. The visions were so clear that Amancio couldn't concentrate. He staggered away from Sofi and dropped the weapon. He tried to pull himself together in a corner of the clearing, but he knew what was happening. His memories were returning.

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Hours later, Amancio set Sofi's body gently on the grassy overhang. He then faced the edge of the cliff and prepared to dive. In his dolphin form, the Encantado swam to the island where the entrance to Encante was hidden. He traveled to the interior of the island and entered the cave. Without hesitation, he swam down into the deep trench that led to the coral band of light. He did not stop until he reached the huge glowing E.

In Portuguese, he commanded the gates to open. After a loud unlocking clank, the giant E revolved in its place and stopped in a horizontal position. Amancio reached out his human hands and grabbed the letter's handles. He pulled back, and the door opened to reveal a path to a shining ring of light. Amancio pulled himself through the hole, closed the gold door behind him and swam gracefully towards the gleaming circle.

Like he had expected, Amancio found himself in a miniature pool inside an underground cavern. He grabbed hold of the dry edge of the cave and lifted himself up onto the stone floor.

When he stood up, he looked around at his surroundings. He realized that he was in Julio's castle, also known as the Jade Palace – the very place from which he had left for the human world twenty years ago.

Miles above Amancio was fortress of limestone. Beyond that was a downpour of water into an immense basin. The water fed into the vast chain of islands that belonged to the Jade Clan. Beyond that were more islands inhabited by other species of Encantado. All together it was the world of Encante, a paradise created centuries ago.

On either side of where Amancio stood coral stairwells that led to the many levels of Julio's manor. Amancio decided to take the flight of stairs on his right, remembering that Julio's bedroom chamber was in that direction.

The Encantado finally reached the massive circular bedroom. The walls were made of craggy limestone. A glittery conch chandelier hung elegantly from the round ceiling. The pastel walls were decorated in authentic Aztec weapons. Amancio noticed a bed carved into the shape of a conch stood firmly in the center of the room. Lying in the bed, wrapped snug in seaweed blankets was a young girl. It was Paola, and she was unconscious.

Resting on the floor, curled up and snoring gently was a rather large jaguar. There was a gold clamp looped into one of its spotted ears.

At first the animal didn't notice Amancio enter the room. When Amancio started to approach the bed, the Encantado on guard sat upright in surprise and immediately transformed before Amancio's eyes. He assumed a low fighting stance in defense.