His Darkest Embrace (29 page)

Acknowledgments

Since I was lame and didn’t get this into the first book, I will try my best to get it right!

First off, I know I wouldn’t be here without the support of these women: Lauren Hawkeye, who told me once that rules are meant to be broken; Nini, who was brave enough to be the first person to ever read my work; Amanda Vyne, who has a sharp eye, biting wit, and is a great roommate to boot; Sue, whose love of spreadsheets is legendary; the other Sirens: Barbara C., Barbara H., Linda (Star Girl); and the newest, Dara Snow. You guys are all so generous and amazing, I am lucky to have such a great group of writing friends.

I need to say that I am thankful to have such an amazing agent, Laura Bradford, and an editor, Esi Sogah, who not only has legs to die for, but is beautiful, funny, and great to work with. You ladies have helped me achieve my dream and for that I am grateful.

Thomas Egner, you so rock the cover world. Wendy Ho and Pam Jaffee, you guys are not only pros at your job, you’re also very talented, bright women. Tessa Woodward and all the many people I’m not even aware of who have worked on these books, I totally love you all! For reals!

I need to mention the Bradford Bunch ladies, who have always, always, been there with their knowledge and support. You guys so rock and I truthfully think I hit the jackpot the day I signed with Laura.

I want to thank Christine Feehan for writing her amazing books. My world changed the day I picked up
Dark Prince.

Finally, to all my friends and family, the Mudslides in particular, I truly am blessed.

By Juliana Stone

H
IS
D
ARKEST
E
MBRACE

H
IS
D
ARKEST
H
UNGER

Six months earlier

T
he light had led to a darkness that was unprecedented—a flash of heat, a taste of sulphur, and then nothing but fire.

The pain was constant. It drifted over his skin like black mist, sliding across flesh and caressing every inch. It was full of an evil that both fed upon and nourished him.

It sustained a need that grew stronger every day he was in this hellhole.

And it
was
hell, of that there was no question.

At the edge of Julian Castille’s vision a shape lingered, drifting, out of focus, ethereal. Watching … waiting, until it was time. Then she would carefully slice into his chest, peel back a piece of skin and resume her position.

To wait once more.

For the day he’d finally break.

Jaden DaCosta knew she was in trouble about ten seconds before the door opened.

It was in the air she dragged deep into her lungs and the electricity that ran along with it, pulsing, burning, as it slid down.

She whipped her head around, eyes scanning with quick, cool precision, and dove behind the sofa just as a click echoed in the darkened penthouse.

Her heart slowed automatically and she relaxed her limbs, calling the shadows to her as she slid forward on her belly. With her fingers she felt along her waist to cradle the edge of the charmed dagger that was there, and her senses sharpened as the animal inside awakened.

The door swung open slowly, sweeping across cool tiles and allowing a thin beam of light to fall into the dim interior. She could see a shadow reflected along the floor as long moments passed. It was impressive and she gritted her teeth in anticipation.

And then he was there, striding into the room as if he owned the place.

Jaden gripped the dagger tightly. She inhaled the stench of otherworld, yet it was somehow different, already fading fast.

The intruder paused, his tall frame humming with an energy that, while dark, was unlike any she’d ever come across. There was a familiarity to it and it tugged at something deep inside of her.

She watched in silence as he kicked the door shut, winced at the harsh echo of it as it slammed against the frame.

The man held still for a few moments and then his head swiveled around slowly. He scented the air and her breath caught at the back of her throat. Would he be able to smell through the charm that coated her body and masked her scent?

Who the hell was he?
What
the hell was he?

The stranger seemed to relax a bit and he rotated his neck, running his hands through the thick hair that hung in waves to his neck. Power clung to him, gripping his tall form hungrily, electrifying the air.

But it was tinged with a darkness that was hard to read.

He headed toward the kitchen area and the fridge door swung open at his command. Jaden could have saved him the bother. She’d already checked it out and no one had been inside the penthouse since Julian Castille had pulled a “Copperfield” and disappeared into thin air. All of the food was either moldy or dried up.

The shrill echo of a cell phone pierced the silence and she bit her tongue as her body jerked. The coppery taste of blood flooded her mouth and she narrowed her eyes as the stranger answered the call.

“Yeah.” His voice was low, husky, with a rasp that sounded rough. He straightened and ran a hand along the back of his neck as he rolled his shoulders and listened. Jaden strained to hear, but even with her enhanced senses she couldn’t pick up anything.

“I just got in.” He sounded weary and she inched forward, trying to get a better look, but paused as he turned once more and headed toward her, stopping a few feet away.

There was something about the man that called to her and Jaden was finding it harder to remain calm and undetected.

She could just make out his profile, and her eyes took in the aristocratic nose, high cheekbones, and a mouth that even from this angle was to die for.

Inside, the cat erupted and she broke out in a sweat as her skin began to burn and itch.

Son-of-a-bitch!
It couldn’t be …

“It’s bearable,” he said, and she watched as he ran his hand over his chest. He nodded his head in answer to whatever was being said on the other end before whispering harshly, “Don’t worry, I’m ready. Tomorrow we hunt.”

He threw the cell phone onto the sofa, where it landed with a thud not more than two inches from her head. Jaden’s heart took off like a rocket and was pounding so hard it was a miracle he couldn’t hear it.

Julian Castille back from the twilight zone? Was it possible? Had the bastard managed to survive wherever the hell he’d been sent six months ago?

A fire of emotion erupted inside of her and Jaden had to use every single bit of power she possessed to keep it together. The man who’d haunted her dreams for years—three to be exact—stood not more than a few feet away, very much alive.

As much as Jaden loathed him, deep inside her soul the jaguar was singing, wanting nothing more than to mate. To claim once more the man who’d awakened her spirit and bonded with her jaguar. The man who’d given her one amazing night of pleasure and then had rejected her.

How pathetic.

Jaden felt her cheeks sting with the heat of humiliation as she recalled the look of disgust that had crossed his face when he’d realized what she was.

No one had ever made her feel like that before. Like dirt. Like less than dirt.

So many questions crowded her head, but she pushed them away so she could concentrate. Something was off. This wasn’t the Julian Castille she remembered. Nope. Back in the day he’d been total GQ, hot for sure, but polished and boardroom-ready. This man? He was edgy, dark, and the word
sinister
came to mind.

She watched as he crossed to his bedroom and paused in the entrance, his head cocked to the side for a moment. He then padded over to the large bed just beyond and stripped the shirt from his body before slipping the jeans from his hips.

Jaden’s mouth went dry. She couldn’t take her eyes from him as he stood there, tall, fierce, buck naked, with nothing but moonbeams from the window caressing his taut, powerful frame. The dude had packed on some serious muscle since she last saw him.

She bit her lips to stifle the groan that now sat inside her mouth. Her jaguar was chomping at the bit, wanting out, and a wave of dizziness rippled through her brain.

Heat erupted between her legs, which only infuriated her more. How the hell could he do that to her? After all this time?

She closed her eyes, wanting nothing more than for him to disappear.

“If you want I can bend over and give you a real treat.”

The words slid out into the space between them and Jaden’s eyes flew open, her hand going for the knife as adrenaline flowed through her veins.

But it was too late. A flash of white teeth and a shimmering blur of air rushed at her. Jaden barely had time to roll to the side, and she jackknifed her body, landing in a crouch with the dagger held in front of her.

Only to feel the heat of him at her back.

Fuck!

She reacted instinctively and swung her hips to the side, hiking her right leg out, intending to drop him hard. But it was she who went flying, as large hands gripped her shoulders and spun her around like a top until she ended up on her back, splayed out like a total loser.

The knife clattered across the tiles and Jaden clenched her teeth and fought the urge to curse a torrent of foulness. She’d just pulled a total newbie boner and had no one but herself to blame.

Slowly her gaze moved up his long frame, skipping over the impressive display of manhood, up his taut belly, rock-hard abs, until she came upon a sight that was sobering, to say the least.

Jaden swallowed heavily and couldn’t rip her eyes away from the macabre display of scars that crisscrossed, in perfect precision, just under his left pectoral, above his heart. It looked both raw and painful.

“Didn’t anyone teach you it’s impolite to stare?”

Jaden’s eyes jerked up, to rest upon a face that was every bit as devastating as she remembered, if not more so.

Even in the dim light she could see the flair that lit up his golden eyes, eerily so, yet the smile that fell over his mouth didn’t reach them. A shiver ran over her body.

Julian Castille was not the person she remembered. At all.

“I’m sorry … I …” she began, and actually blushed as she stammered like an idiot in front of him. “I didn’t expect …”

“To find me in my own home?” Julian took a step back and Jaden carefully got to her feet. She eyed him warily.

“Where have you been?” she asked as she tried to move closer to where the dagger had fallen.

Julian’s eyes narrowed. “I know you,” he said softly.

Jaden’s eyebrows arched and harsh laughter fell from her lips as she snorted. “Ya think?” she said sarcastically. Christ, was he brain damaged?

He regarded her in silence and a sliver of
something
flickered in the depths of his eyes, but quickly disappeared as his lips thinned.

“You’re a DaCosta jaguar. You were there in Belize, just before …” His voice trailed off and Jaden was surprised at the layers of violence she could sense beneath the surface.

But then his words really sank in and the anger inside of her erupted. He honestly had no clue of their past? Of what they’d shared together?

“You’ve got to be joking,” she whispered harshly, more to herself than anything. “You really don’t remember who I am? Was I that forgettable?”

The air around him shimmered and before she could even blink an eye, Julian was there, at her back, his arm across her chest as he pulled her in tight to his body.

She had no time to react and dazedly wondered what the hell had happened to him. She was the warrior, not him. Yet it seemed he’d ingested a bit of superhero dust, wherever the hell he’d been.

“I know who you are.” His breath was hot against her neck. “Jaden DaCosta.”

She began to struggle, but even with her superior strength, he was just too strong, and several moments later she gave up, panting as she tried to calm herself.

His heartbeat was heavy against her ribs, the rhythm steady and strong, and the heat of him radiated throughout her flesh.

“Why are you here?” he whispered harshly, his breath warm against her neck as he nudged the hair that lay there with his nose. Small bursts of electricity fell across her skin and she shivered, pissed that she had no control over her body.

“Where have you been for the last six months?” she asked instead, spitting the words out from between tight lips.

His hand slid along her jaw and he gripped her, hard, his fingers digging in until he drew a whimper from her.

“Lady, you don’t want to know where I’ve been. Not really. So why don’t we stop playing this game and you tell me why a DaCosta jaguar is holed up in my place.”

She felt his fingers dig in a little more.

“And no lies. I’ve not had the pleasure of kicking anyone’s ass in a long time and really don’t give a shit whether the ass is male or"—he ground his groin against her backside—"nicely rounded.”

Jaden’s mind whirled into a chaotic mess of thoughts. Could she trust him?

“I’m looking for something,” she muttered, as her mind continued to process all of her options.

“Yeah, well aren’t we all.”

Confusion rolled over her. She had no clue where to go from here.

His hand slowly slid down her skin until it rested against the soft flesh that pulsed at the base. The beat was fast, hard, and Jaden was desperately trying to keep the jaguar at bay.

Her skin was on fire, aching, and it felt as if she was being ripped in two.

“You’re a DaCosta. Convince me why I shouldn’t just snap your neck and be done with it.”

Something in the air changed, darkness slithered around them and she began to shiver as it clung to him and bled into her. It rippled along her skin until she felt nauseated.

Could she trust him? Did she have a choice?

“You didn’t seem to care about
that
three years ago.” Jaden winced as her thoughts slipped from between her lips, a whisper, yes, but vocalized nonetheless.

He stilled and she tried to ignore the hard planes of his body as he gripped her even tighter.

“Three years ago doesn’t count anymore.” His voice was soft at her ear, in total contrast to the tense feel of his body. “If I’d known then you were DaCosta I’d never have touched you.”

Small ripples of pain and humiliation scorched her cheeks with heat and Jaden sought a place of calm. His words ripped into her harder than she’d liked. The man had been an invisible part of her life for longer than she cared to admit, and she’d been nothing more than the biggest mistake he’d ever made.