His Darkest Salvation (27 page)

Cracker glanced up as she swept inside and nodded, a smile tugging the corners of his mouth. “Hey, Rambo.”

Her feet slid to a halt and the first genuine smile she’d felt in forever touched her lips. He’d been calling her Rambo since they’d first met in the jungle in Belize several months earlier. She’d been tracking a demon, intent on gathering intel, when she’d run headlong into Jaxon’s soldier.

Literally. She knew firsthand that Cracker’s head was hard as rock.

He was ex-military, and they all knew he wasn’t human. His signatures were different than any she’d come across. She’d asked Jaxon once about Cracker’s origins. The jaguar had shrugged his shoulders, said it wasn’t important. The only thing that mattered was the fact that he trusted Cracker with his life.

It had been enough for Jaden, and she’d not dwelled on it again.

“Hey,” she answered, as her gaze swept the room. She stopped as Julian’s dark eyes regarded her from several feet away. Nico stood with Finn and Declan, and suddenly she felt hot, uncomfortable, as all eyes strayed to her.

She turned back to Cracker and shook her head, “Let me guess. You just happened to be in the neighborhood and thought you’d drop in? Are you going to share how it is you managed to get down here?”

Cracker’s silvery eyes crinkled as his grin widened. “I got connections.”

She laughed at that, relaxing a bit as she moved closer to him. “Really,” she murmured. “How’d you slip past the sun god and his band of merry men?”

She arched an eyebrow as he spit to the side.

“Nanauatl owes me a few favors,” he answered simply, his words dead serious as the light moment passed.

“He owes you a favor?” She looked from Cracker to Finn, then back to the soldier. Unbelievable.

“We should probably get out of here before the bastard reconsiders. He’s not the most stable.” His eyes shifted to behind her. “He’s also not terribly fond of jaguars or magicks.”

Jaden stepped back. “No kidding.”

Cracker nodded and turned. “Follow me.”

J
ulian watched as Jaden disappeared down the passage behind Cracker, Finn and Nico following behind. He let out a long, painful breath, unaware he’d been holding it until he did so.

“You all right?” Declan asked quietly.

“Fucking wonderful.” He glanced at the sorcerer. “We’re no closer to finding the portal, my body feels like it’s cracking into a million pieces, my brain won’t stop, and that woman is driving me nuts.” He shook out his limbs loosely. “I’m jonesing something fierce and not liking it one damn bit.”

“You didn’t tell her everything, I hope.”

Julian sighed and shook his head. “No.”

“Good. You need to hold it together, sport.” Declan’s face darkened. “We’ve got a date with my father, and I aim on keeping it.”

He followed Declan and quickly climbed the ancient stairs that were revealed at the end of the passage.

He alighted within the temple chamber and felt a gentle woosh as the stone rippled behind him, and the passage was once more hidden. His eyes immediately sought Jaden. She stood stiffly beside Cracker, her head held proud as she gazed up at the sun god.

Nanauatl’s phantom knights were several feet away, and he saw the soft beam of morning’s kiss drifting into the darkness from outside. The entrance was once more free of debris. He ran his hands along his temples and up through the thick hair atop his head.

He couldn’t remember ever being this weary. Not even after six months in hell had he felt so tired. It wasn’t just his body. His mind and spirit were lagging. Dread sat low in his belly, and the noise that was a constant in his mind spiked as he let the weakness slide over him.

It stilled everything inside, but only for a moment, then he shrugged it off, like he’d crush a bug, and focused on the dark energy that was still heavy in the air. It energized him like a drug.

He felt like a fucking addict.

“The secrets held within these walls must stay,” Nanauatl said harshly, ignoring them all and focusing solely on Cracker.

“I give you my word,” the soldier answered.

“It’s not you I am concerned with.” The sun god nodded toward their group though his eyes remained on Jaden. His lack of respect and the intensity of his gaze rubbed Julian the wrong way.

He took a step closer to her, not realizing he’d done so until Nico shot him a dark look and stepped between Julian and Jaden. His anger was instant, harsh, and cutting, and his chest rumbled as he bared his teeth.

His control was eroding, faster than he’d like, and it pissed him off to no end that his instability was out there for everyone to see.

Nanauatl turned his attention toward Julian, and he clutched his hands at his sides tightly, holding himself rigid when all he wanted to do was hurt. Someone. Or something. It was irrational, this need to inflict pain. But then, how could someone who wasn’t whole be rational?

“You will leave here, Jaguar, and never return. Find the portal, destroy it, and you might find peace. But before you go . . . a word.”

“Ah, no. Whatever you want to say to him must be shared. The secrets have to stop,” Jaden inserted, her chest heaving as she turned her stormy eyes his way.

“Do not defy me, Jaguar,” the sun god thundered, his voice echoing crazily inside the confines of the temple. The energy darkened, and Julian took a step forward, ready to defend the woman who stared up at Nanauatl with so much defiance.

“My courtesy does not extend to you.” The air shimmered around him as his phantom knights inched closer. Their eyes were lit from behind, small spools of gold, and they began to make low, keening noises, their excitement palpable as the violent energy in the room spiked.

Cracker rolled his shoulders and turned toward the entrance. “It’s best we get going, Rambo. As much as I’d like to see you kick his royal ass, there’s no time.”

Jaden’s dark eyes turned to the sun god, and her lips pinched together tightly.

“Screw you, asshole,” she muttered under her breath as she turned to follow Cracker from the temple. Nico fell in behind her, and Finn left with them.

Declan arched an eyebrow. “Am I invited to this party?” he sneered, his hands held loosely at his sides. Julian saw the sparks that lit up the air around them; he felt the energy shifting in the room and knew that Declan was itching to fight.

It was seductive, the need to instigate chaos and cause pain, but Cracker was right. There was no time.

The sun god moved forward, his feet gliding across the earthen floor in a rush until he stood before them. The energy that sizzled along Nanauatl’s body was intoxicating, powerful, and Julian felt the pull of it as he gazed into the eyes of a god.

The emotion held deep within them surprised the hell out of him. Nanauatl was struggling with something.

“Did you see her?” the sun god asked quickly, his voice low, his words rushed as if he were scared anyone should hear.

“Her?” Julian repeated, not really understanding.

The sun god’s face darkened, and the earth began to tremble beneath them. “Toniella.”

An ethereal face flashed before him, one with long, elegant lines, classic features, strong hands that gripped the special dagger. The dagger of pain.

Julian glanced at Declan. The sorcerer was studying the sun god, his cold eyes intense. Declan grinned wickedly as he spoke. “I heard she was hanging down in District three, which is about one step away from where the real nasty shit happens.”

Nanauatl turned his attention from Julian and focused fiery eyes on Declan. “Do not toy with me. I will crush you.”

Declan shrugged his shoulders. “You could try”—he winked—“but I was being serious. She’s down there. Most popular whore there is, last I heard. Demons favorite tramp I think—Gang Bang Toni they call her.”

Nanauatl bellowed his rage, and Julian readied himself for battle as the phantom knights roared along with their god. Time slowed as Nanauatl rushed toward Declan. The noise inside Julian’s head deepened, and his animal shifted, eager to join in the fight.

A wall of energy flew up, a barrier of magick that was incredibly powerful. Julian looked at Declan in surprise, then back to the sun god, who stood inches from them, his visage comical as he tried to break through.

“You’ve been feeding on some heavy shit, O’Hara,” Julian said quietly. He was barely able to contain the animal inside him. The darkness that he was inhaling agitated his animal something fierce, and he was trembling with excitement.

It was intoxicating, every last wretched shot of it.

He watched and relaxed as the sun god struggled with his inability to get to them. His rage and anger penetrated the barrier, but he wasn’t able to break through.

“I will kill you, Sorcerer. Rip your entrails from your body and feed them to my knights.”

“I’d like to see you try,” Declan rasped as he turned. His dark eyes were empty, and the smile that graced his face was cold. “Let’s go; I’ve spent far too much time in this pile of crap.”

Julian started to follow Declan when Nanauatl spoke once more. The sun god’s voice was rough and filled with emotion.

“Jaguar, stop.”

Julian paused. He shrugged, his white teeth a slash through the gray. “It’s not Club Med down here.”

Julian quickly followed Declan from the temple and welcomed the rush of fresh air once they cleared the tunnel. The early-morning quiet was heavy on his ears, yet it did nothing to soothe his soul. Warmth could already be felt creeping over the horizon. He cracked his neck and looked up to the sky. It was going to be a bitch of a day.

He thought of the human populace, asleep and unaware of the evil that was fast approaching. Humanity was so fragile and at the mercy of an entire realm of existence most of them had no knowledge of.

Cracker nodded to him. He looked past the soldier, his gaze resting on Jaden as she stood silent, her eyes hidden by the sweep of her lashes, her thoughts concealed.

He sniffed the air and felt his animal rouse as the unpleasant stench of demon lay on the breeze in subtle doses.

“They’re still around,” Cracker said. “I wasted a few on my way in, so watch where you step.”

Julian glanced down to his feet and moved to the right, avoiding the patches of demon leftovers scattered about.

“Why are they here? What do they want? How did they know we’d be here?” Jaden asked, and she studied Cracker closely as the soldier spit into the dirt.

“The entire underworld is in chaos. They’re gravitating toward anyplace where they think there might be clues that will help them find Cormac and the portal . . . or anyone else on their hit list.”

Julian’s eyes narrowed. What did the soldier know?

Cracker glanced at him, his tone matter-of-fact. “There are hot spots the world over right now. We’ve got teams dispatched everywhere.”

“That’s just great.” Jaden shook her head. “The shit is about to hit the fan in a major way, and we’ve got our forces spread so thin, we’ll be lucky if we can find our own asses.” She glanced at Julian, and he felt his stomach muscles clench together tightly. “There’s not a lot of time to get this done.”

“No,” Cracker agreed, “there’s not, but there’s no reason to give up hope.” His eyes flashed, a weird silver-gray shining eerily in the early-morning light. “Jaxon wants us to rendezvous at PATU in Canada. He’s got intel but wouldn’t share, even over a secure channel.”

“What kind of intel?” Julian asked as he glanced toward Declan.

Cracker shrugged. “Dunno, but it’s got to be important if he wants us all there.” The soldier’s eyes narrowed as they bored into Julian’s. “And that includes the two of you by the way.”

The thought of seeing his brothers again should have filled him with joy. Yet he was ambivalent, detached.

Julian looked away. There was nothing inside him except the constant raw pain that gnawed at his guts and the white noise that lingered in the background.

“The jet is waiting outside of town on a private airstrip. We need to leave asap.”

Half an hour later, Julian found his large frame tucked into a soft leather seat as the plane thundered down the runway. As they lifted off and ascended into the sky, his eyes found the dark head he’d been trying to avoid.

Jaden was seated next to Nico, and he hated that the shifter was so close to her.

“Like I said before, you need to tap that.” Declan’s soft voice cut through the fog that had settled around his brain. The sorcerer was seated across from him, and Julian didn’t much care for the sloppy grin that fell across his face. “Oh, sorry, guess you already did.”

Julian snarled and lunged forward, his hand going for Declan’s throat, his long fingers sliding across his neck with ease. Declan did nothing. The pounding in Julian’s ears receded as he slowly let go.

He was aware that all eyes were focused on him and ignored them as he leaned back in his seat and stared out the window. His heart was still beating madly, and it took every ounce of control he had to calm himself.

Below him, the earth lay, dazzling in the face of a strong sun, but all he could think about was the impending doom. His gut was tight, heavy with the knowledge that they’d most likely be too late. It was a crapshoot, really, and one that would either win him his life or leave him to wallow in the depths of hell for eternity.