His Darkest Embrace (20 page)

“But they’re together. Things worked out.”

Jaden raised an eyebrow. “And you know this because …”

“I saw them together just before I fled Caracol. There’s no mistaking how intense his feelings were.”

“For now,” Jaden said grudgingly. “But at what price? She lost years of her life and nearly that of her child.”

Skye was silent as she studied the shifter. She got the feeling something else was at play but didn’t push as she sighed softly. “It doesn’t matter, anyway, it’s not like I have much …” Her voice trailed off as she thought to herself,
time.

“What are you not telling me, Skye?”

Jaden grabbed her arm and spun her around.

Skye smiled and shook her head sadly. “Nothing. Everything will work out and be fine once I get my hands on the portal.”

Jaden thought the same as everyone else: that she was going to destroy the portal and life would return to the status quo. If only it were that simple.

Her mind turned to Jagger. What was she doing with him? It made no sense. She had nothing to offer him except pain. Skye did not want to be Eden number two.

She kept her face neutral and refused to look away from Jaden’s eyes, asking instead, “So what’s your plan? Can you not come clean with Jagger and Nico?”

“No.” Jaden shook her head violently. “I can’t trust a soul. No one can know I’m the mole in the DaCosta organization.”

Skye made a face. “Okay, I get that. What’s next?”

“I’ll head back and try to buy you as much time as I can, but it won’t be much. There’re just too many mercenaries arriving each hour.” She spat into the ground. “The entire jungle smells like a fucking paranormal melting pot.” She raised her eyebrow. “And that’s a stink I can barely stomach.”

“Okay, let me come up with something. Jagger and Nico aren’t dumb, they’ll be all over your escape and—”

A sharp pain exploded along the side of her temple and Skye tilted forward as the world began to spin.

What the hell?

She tried to articulate her thoughts but her mouth didn’t seem to be working. Her eyes tried to focus on Jaden, but the woman was nothing more than a blur.

“Sorry chica, but really, you had that coming.”

Skye heard the words spoken and then everything went dark.

It was a dark moonless night, one meant for the predatory beasts that roamed the jungle.

Yet Jagger took no pleasure from his nocturnal jaunt. Things had changed. The darkness that was threatening could be felt everywhere. It seeped into the earth at his feet, and poisoned the air that he drew into his lungs.

It made him sick to his stomach to think that certain factions of all the paranormal beings—vamps, shifters, magicks—were actively looking to unleash the demon underworld in the human realm.

Were they fucking clueless? Did Cormac and his cohorts actually think they could control the beasts of the underworld?

Their arrogance and severe lack of regard was astounding.

Nico joined him then, his long, lean body slipping through the dark underbrush. The big cat grunted and turned back toward the cave.

It was time.

There was nothing out here to hunt. The entire area was eerily silent. The animals had all fled, and so far, there was no sign of the enemy. No hint of magick on the air, just the empty silence of the jungle.

Nervous tension sat low in his belly, and the need to get back to Skye rode him hard. Jagger took off running, his powerful frame eating up the distance in no time, and less than twenty minutes later the two males stood near the base of the cave where they’d left Skye.

He called the mist to his body and moved forward, walking through a change that, while painful, was exhilarating as well. The raw power that his body possessed fed something in his soul that he would never be able to explain.

As he climbed the ledge and entered the cave, his exuberance fled.

Skye sat against the cold rock wall, rubbing her head and cursing under her breath. He quickly turned, scented the air, but it was useless.

The female jaguar was gone.

Long gone, by the minute traces of her scent that lingered still.

He growled and crossed to Skye, his hands reaching for her.

“What the hell happened?” he asked, trying not to sound accusatory but it was kinda hard. Hell, she’d been in charge of one prisoner. A
restrained
prisoner, to boot.

“What do you think happened? The bitch clocked me.”

Skye’s eyes were full of indignation and for a brief second his anger slipped.

“Are you all right?” He reached for her head and she tried to move away from his touch. “Be still,” he growled, his tone brooking no argument.

Gently he felt along the base of her skull, fingers slipping through the silken hair. When they slid across the sizable goose egg, she yelped. There were no other injuries that he could see, and Jagger sat back on his haunches.

“You’ll live,” he said gruffly.

Skye looked up at him, her eyes indignant, cheeks pink.

“Thanks for pointing that out.”

“How the hell did she escape?” Nico’s voice echoed into the cave and they both turned as he entered.

Skye looked at the ground and muttered, “I don’t know. She was eating. I thought we’d established some kind of rapport and then …” She shook her head. “She just attacked me and I had no time to defend myself.”

Skye blushed and kept her eyes on the ground.

Jagger stared down at her. “It doesn’t matter. She’d never have told you a thing.”

“That’s not acceptable.” Nico said softly, his tone dangerous, his dark eyes focused solely on Skye.

Jagger glanced back at the warrior, not liking the insinuation in his words. “Back off,” he growled. The need to defend Skye was overwhelming, and even though his gut was telling him all was not what it seemed, there was no time to dwell on it. “Let’s bed down for a few hours and then head out. We need to get to that cave ASAP.”

Nico shrugged his shoulders, his body language nonchalant, but the energy that fell from his powerful frame was dark. “I’ll get you there by tomorrow afternoon and then, like I said before, I’m gone.”

Jagger didn’t bother to answer. He grabbed a blanket and tossed it to Skye and as she wrapped the softness around her body, he tried to ignore the ache that had settled deep inside of him.

He wanted nothing more than to take her in his arms and rest against her warmth, if only for a few hours. But something had changed. A new aloofness had taken hold of the blonde. He didn’t understand it.

He sat down a few feet away from her, his body tight with want and need, the cold rock a hard pillow at his back.

His eyes closed almost immediately.

Nico paced along the perimeter of the cave for several minutes. His insides were all tangled up, and the need to move was a constant pain that would not go away. He glanced back at the two people who shared the cave.

They were both doomed. Love was an emotion that belonged on the pages of fairy tales. Out here in the real world, it complicated things. It ripped you apart and left you less than what you were.

Its betrayal ran deep.

He should know. It was the reason he rarely slept.

Nico continued to pace and his gaze came to rest on something that lay along the floor of the cave. His curiosity piqued, he quickly crossed over to within a few yards of Skye for a closer look. They were the bindings he’d put on the female jaguar’s hands himself.

He reached down and gathered the remnants, fingering the edges carefully. They were clean and had been cut.

The obvious question was, who the hell had cut them? The female warrior or Skye?

He shook his head as his attention drifted to Skye once more before landing on Jagger.

Poor dumb fuck,
he thought.

Nico turned away and tossed the bindings over the edge. He watched as they fell into the black nothingness that surrounded the cave, and inhaled deeply. The fresh, moist air tugged at the small part of his soul that was still alive.

He quickly pushed it away.

He didn’t care. He
couldn’t
care. He would lead them to the cave, like he’d promised. His debt to Jaxon Castille would be paid.

And he’d disappear forever.

Chapter 19

J
agger was awake well before dawn.

The air was heavy with the promise of rain and the jaguar reveled in the feel of the mist as it clung to his heated flesh. He felt a keen sense of melancholy as the familiar scents wove their way deep into his lungs.

So much had already changed out here and it pained him to know that so much was lost.

He clenched his teeth together tightly, letting the muscles work sharply along his jaw. He’d be damned if the otherworld forces at work were going to leave their putrid mark here in the jungle. It would be over his dead body. He jumped to his feet in silence, nodding to the warrior who stood a few paces away. Nico never seemed to sleep. Jagger wasn’t even sure how he functioned.

“I’m going to contact Cracker and the boys,” he said quietly.

Nico looked at him, his eyes glistening eerily in the dark, and nodded back. “I’ll have a look around while you’re at it.”

Jagger’s eyes strayed to the still form wrapped in a blanket. Skye had fallen asleep almost immediately. He knew she was exhausted. The pace they’d set the day before had been relentless, and on top of the demon attack, he knew she wasn’t at full strength.

She’d not complained once. Jagger had to admire the tenacity and perseverance the eagle possessed.

He stretched his long limbs out, but his eyes never left the blonde. The breaths she took were even, her sleep undisturbed.

No more Azaiel, at least for now.

He felt a slow burn tear at his gut as he thought of the faceless demon, or whatever the hell he was. He’d be damned if the fucker would have another shot at her.

Not on his watch.

Once the kinks had been worked out of his stiff legs, Jagger crossed to his bag and retrieved the satellite phone. He slipped outside and began to climb higher, until he was perched atop a large granite slab that jutted out from the earth into a natural ledge. He opened up the phone and quickly punched in the number.

Even though the call was being routed via a secure satellite, Jagger was still nervous about the possibility that it would be intercepted. However, there was no other way.

It was answered after the first ring.

“Yeah, Cracker here.”

“Christ, you’re sounding chipper this morning.” Jagger smiled widely at the sound of Cracker’s rough vocals.

“Must have something to do with the fact I’ve had my ass shot at several times over the last twelve hours, with all sorts of nasty things.”

Jagger’s smile slowly faded away. “Julian all right?” he asked quickly.

“Julian’s fine, no thanks to the DaCosta bastards who’ve been dogging us for the last twelve hours, but I think we’ve pretty much neutralized ‘em.”

“Good to hear.” Jagger paused. “Nico’s led us to within a day’s hike of the cave. We’ll be there sometime this afternoon. You able to rendezvous?”

“We’re not far behind you, cowboy, so that’s a ten-four.”

Cracker’s answer surprised him. “How the hell do you know where I am, exactly?”

“We managed to snag us a wereshifter.”

“And?”

“A mercenary from Africa. Seems there’s some kind of bounty on the eagle shifter and the entire area is crawling with slimeballs, all gunning for her.” Cracker laughed harshly into the phone. “He thought he’d buy his freedom by passing on a little intel. We took the intel but the poor bastard is rotting at the bottom of the river.”

Silence greeted Cracker’s words as Jagger took a few seconds to process this new information.

“He told us the eagle had been spotted near Placencia. We started heading your way immediately. Figured you could use the help.”

Jagger sighed deeply. Things had just escalated.

He paused, his thoughts running in all directions. “You make contact with Jaxon?”

“Checked in yesterday, and I don’t mind telling you, he’s gonna kick your ass but good.”

“Good to know.” Jagger laughed softly at his friend’s words. “He have any intel on Skye’s family? On her brother Finn?”

“Said he’d do some digging, but he could only confirm his knowledge of their existence.”

“What about the portal?”

“Again, he knows it exists, but even Jaxon’s surprised Cormac and the DaCostas are after it. He and Ana are dealing with something at their end, and they’ll join up as soon as they can.”

Jagger’s mouth slashed into a wide grin as he thought about his older brother, Jaxon. It would be good to see him. Regardless of the fact he’d have to cover his ass. Literally.

“We could use their help. Nico is bailing after we reach this cave.”

Cracker grunted, but said nothing.

Jagger proceeded to give Cracker the proper coordinates of their destination and then quickly returned to the cave.

It was still dark. The moon was dead in the sky and offered no illumination at all. His eyes quickly swept the interior and he felt his heart jolt a little when they landed on Skye.

She was awake, and staring at him in silence. Even through the gloom his nocturnal eyes could see the need that lay there. It was primal, harsh.

It cut him, slicing a pain across his chest that only confirmed what he already knew. The woman had grabbed him whole. Lock, stock, and barrel.

Nico was still gone.

He growled softly and stepped toward her.

Skye’s breath caught in her throat.

The predatory gleam that shone from deep in Jagger’s eyes tilted her insides and left her feeling weak and breathless.

Crap! She needed to get hold of herself. There was no time for what his eyes were wanting.
There was no time for what she was feeling.

“Don’t come near me.”

Her words were spoken fast and even she winced at the harsh tone that laced them.

Jagger’s eyes narrowed but he didn’t stop until he was standing less than a few inches from her feet.

His scent washed over her, pulling at something within her body that answered in kind. It was painful, slicing hard through her chest and it brought with it a hint of tears.

Angrily, she pushed all those thoughts aside, the ones that centered on the longing and aching she felt for this man before her.

“What?” she said, knowing she sounded like an insolent bitch, but helpless to stop herself. What was it about the man that brought out her worst behavior?

He continued to stare at her, the dark green depths of his eyes reflecting like mirrored glass, even through the darkness that fell between them.

“You lie.”

Skye’s heartbeat hit at the inside of her chest in a steady rhythm that she was sure he could hear. The man confused the crap out of her and she wished he would just go away.

“About what?”

He smiled then, the white of his teeth slashing through the blackness.

“Everything.” His voice sounded dangerous. Low. Skye felt faint. He knew? Her secret?

“I don’t—”

He moved so quickly then, the blur registered
after
he was on top of her body.

“You want me as much as I want you. Why do you insist on denying your need?”

The warmth of his breath caressed her cheek and Skye could not look away from the intensity of his gaze.

“I do … want you,” she whispered, “very much so. I just don’t know if we should …” Her voice trailed off as a wave of heat ran across her skin.

She couldn’t finish her sentence and forced herself to look away, closing her eyes when she felt his fingers encircle her head, plunging deep into the thick hair at her nape.

Her insides liquefied into a molten fire as he slowly turned her toward him, and when his lips stopped, a whisper away from hers, she felt the ache deep within her break, its painful longing fingering out in a well of need that was nearly overwhelming. She wanted nothing more than to wrap her arms around him, and lose herself forever.

“We can, little bird,” he whispered, “and we will.”

Skye stilled at the raw power in his voice. She was aware of the breaths being pulled from her body, the sound painfully weak as it echoed into the dark and silent cave.

When his lips swept across hers the moan that lay at the back of her throat escaped and with it a sob. Everything that she’d ever wanted was in front of her.

Jagger Castille was a man worthy of not only her respect, her allegiance, but of
her heart.

How incredibly unfair to find him, the man who could complete her, at a time when the only way she could save him and the rest of the world was by giving up her own life.

She felt the tears as they slowly seeped from the corners of her eyes and when she would have looked aside, he held her still, his mouth slowly kissing them away.

And when Jagger claimed her mouth finally, she was done. There was no way she could fight him any longer.

She opened herself fully to him, her mouth relaxing as she welcomed him into her soft warmth.

He tasted incredibly rich and her lips quivered beneath his as a plethora of sensations rushed along her nerve endings. His tongue invaded her body, each pass along the inside of her mouth pulling heat from deep within.

She was flush with the intensity of it. Dizzy and weightless.

Her hands slowly crept up his shoulders, her fingers trailing a line across the powerful muscles that bunched there. The sensations were incredible and Skye would have loved nothing more than to drown in them, to forget everything except the touch, and taste.

When he pulled away and the heat was replaced with a rush of cool air, she looked up at him, her mouth opened slightly as she panted her disapproval.

Jagger looked down at her for several long seconds and she slowly calmed her body as the remnants of his kiss wove their way throughout her system.

His mouth was no longer tender, but tense, and his eyes narrowed.

“I won’t have you"—he gestured with his hands—"here on the floor of some fucking cave out in the middle of the jungle.”

He was angry. It was in his tone and the way that the green of his eyes seemed to glow with a reddish light.

He bared his teeth and the animal that lay beneath his skin shifted, and for a second, Skye felt as if she were staring straight into the heart of the jaguar. It was both magnificent and terrifying.

“We’ll do this right. When all this madness is done.”

Skye swallowed thickly and began to speak, but the growl that escaped his lips effectively quieted her retort.

He bent over her. “And once I claim you as mine, Skye Knightly, I will never let you go.”

His words shocked her and Skye could do nothing but stare stupidly at his back as he turned from her and disappeared out of the mouth of the cave.

Even though the air was hot and heavy with humidity a feeling of cold washed over her. Skye wrapped her arms around her body in an effort to give herself what comfort she could, pulling the wool blanket up around her limbs. Her teeth chattered and her body shook, all of it accompanied by such a heavy weight of sadness that she felt as if she were drowning.

All sorts of memories washed over her then. Images of her father and mother, Finn and herself, played like silent movies behind her eyelids. Happy times that would be no more.

She began to cry softly, her heart breaking at the future lost to her. At the memories she would never have a chance to make.

With Jagger.

Long moments passed. The only sounds that could be heard in the cave were her gentle sobs. As her sadness seeped into the very air that she breathed, Skye felt the strength that lay at the heart of who and what she was begin to take its place.

The eagles were a noble and proud group of knights who lived to protect the very things that would destroy humanity. They were selfless. Solitary. It was dangerous.

It was a legacy, one to be proud of and it was time for her to
own it.
Not just in theory, but in actions.

She threw the blanket from her still shivering form and jumped to her feet. There was no time for weakness. Not now. Not with the end in sight.

“Good, you’re awake.” The low, harsh words grabbed her and she turned in surprise. She’d not heard Nico slip into the cave.

His eyes were fierce. Something had changed and unease slid through her body.

“Where’s Jagger? Is he all right?”

Nico stared at her in silence. When he began to move toward her, his long legs full of predatory grace, she stepped back but felt the cool wall of the cave at her back.