His Darkest Salvation (29 page)

“And we should care about your ass because?” Ana interrupted.

“Baby, you know you care. I mean, it’s one hell of a fine specimen, don’t you think?”

Their words faded away and so did his smile, as little Logan tugged at him and squealed in delight. The clatter of nails across tiles echoed into the room and he glanced toward a bundle of golden fur that ran at him crazily.

The dog skidded to a halt, its feet sliding across the floor until it nearly crashed into them. Logan let go of Julian’s finger and wrapped his small arms around the young dog’s neck, giggling the way small children do. The sound was musical, notes of glee that fell from his lips.

The child looked up at him, his smile wide. “This is my Shelby girlie; do you wants to pet her?”

Julian cleared his throat and shook his head.

Logan frowned. “She won’t hurt you. I promise. She bit Skye once, but that was an accident.”

Awkward didn’t begin to describe the energy in the room as he stared down at the boy helplessly. His feet felt like they were entrenched deep in cement. He wanted to act but was frozen in place. It was frustrating, and he felt the hole inside him widen.

“I don’t like dogs.” The words slipped from him, and the boy’s frown deepened.

“What’s wrong with you?” he asked before his gaze settled on someone behind him. “Mama, why is the dark mist around Uncle Julian? I thought that was only for bad men.”

He heard Jaden inhale sharply, then heard her whisper, “This child is how old?”

He turned away, scowling as he caught sight of his brother. “I didn’t come here for a family reunion. I heard you had intel, so either we get to it, or I leave.”

Jaxon’s eyes narrowed. He nodded to Libby. “Have Mr. M get Logan for dinner.”

Libby walked toward them, and though she smiled up at him, he sensed her wariness, a slight hesitation. The last time he’d seen her she’d been very thin, beaten down, having just been rescued from the clutches of the DaCosta jaguars. She was a different person today—happy, healthy.

Wearily, he ran his fingers through his hair. It seemed so long ago.

A lifetime, yet it had only been months.

Her hand strayed to the top of Logan’s head. A healthy glow kissed her cheeks, and the love she felt for her men, the child and Jaxon, was easy to see.

“Julian,” she said simply, and she rose onto her tiptoes as she slid her arms across his shoulders. She hugged him fiercely, and though he held himself stiff and kept his hands at his sides, a part of him welcomed the warmth, the touch. He closed his eyes as she whispered into his ear.

“The ghosts will go away. This I promise.”

She let go and stood back. “Logan, why don’t you take Shelby to the kitchen and feed her? Mr. M is in there waiting for you; we’ll be along in a bit, okay?”

The small boy ran to his father and gave Jaxon a high five before calling the dog after him.

Julian felt detached from the domestic joy his brothers had found. Jaxon and Libby were screwed if they thought they could raise a child in this world and have a happy-ever-after. The security they enjoyed was false. He knew what was coming.

He paused as his eyes fell upon Jaden. She stood a few inches away, and, as her eyes caught his, a calm blank facade slid into place, masking her feelings once more. But not before he saw the yearning and want she held inside her.
For a child.

The two of them stared at each other in silence. He was aware of movement, of Cracker and his brothers having a muted conversation. Of Finn and the woman Skye, his sister, talking excitedly to each other. Of Declan and Ana standing stiff as boards, each trying like hell to ignore the other.

Of the child Logan and his mother Libby.

None of them touched anything inside him except the woman who stood directly before him. She held her head high, and though her lips trembled slightly, and her eyes reflected back at him like liquid glass, she was in control. He could feel it, her strength.

She deserved the life his brothers had managed to eke out of the chaos that had rained down upon them. She wanted it though she denied it.

Suddenly, Julian was filled with a need to make sure she got it, or at the very least had a chance at something half-normal.
How fucking crazy
is
that?
In the midst off the mess he’d found himself in, he, a Castille shifter, cared about a DaCosta.

No matter that she was his mate. He wouldn’t be around to claim that legacy. Had no interest in it, but damn if he wouldn’t try to make sure she started a new one. Was it possible for her to claim another?

The constant burn that fed upon his skin quickened, but he ignored it and felt the white noise recede as he clenched his teeth together.

He turned from Jaden. Nico waited in the wings.

He’d find the fallen and return him to his maker. As much as he’d like nothing more than to kill the fucker himself, that was the deal.

No one but he and Declan knew the truth: Azaiel
was
the portal. They were to recover the fallen and return him to Bill. In return, they’d get back the shredded pieces of their souls—and the pleasure of serving Bill for the next thousand years.

Or fail and fall into darkness.

Yeah, he knew his future was pretty much fucked, but he would do whatever it took to make sure Jaden had a shot at hers.

Chapter 21

“F
ollow me.”

Jaxon Castille’s crisp voice cut through her thoughts, and Jaden jumped, her eyes falling from Julian as she glanced toward the other Castille brothers.

Jaxon nodded to the right, toward an imposing set of double doors, a polite smile gracing his features though the look in his eyes was frosty. It irritated her. She’d not expected open arms or anything, but hell, they’d been working on the same side for years.

Jaxon had never been comfortable working with a DaCosta. Had in fact protested when she’d been given her own unit though he’d relented somewhat when he’d become aware of her undercover activities. He knew she was on the right side and had thought they’d put his distrust behind them.

Apparently not.

Skye walked toward her, and Jaden felt a stab of jealousy hit her hard. She watched Jagger, who was a few feet away. He couldn’t take his eyes off her. They stalked the woman as she moved through the room. In spite of everything—she being an eagle knight and he being a jaguar—the two of them had found something special, something worth fighting for.

She was happy for Skye,
really,
yet it was bittersweet. She couldn’t lie to herself. The woman had found something she’d never be able to claim—true love and everything that went with it. To have a man look at you with such raw need was something she could only imagine.

The problem with imagining such things was that it led to hope. Her gaze strayed to Julian once more. They belonged to each other, yet it was a divide that could never be crossed.
Hope
and
Julian Castille
shouldn’t be in the same sentence.

“Damn, Jaden, you’ve got quite the entourage.”

“Yeah,” she answered, “not what you expected I suppose.”

Skye’s eyes regarded her closely, and Jaden shifted beneath the intensity of her gaze. “Julian Castille, back from the dead. Who would have thought?” The eagle shifter frowned and lowered her voice. “What’s wrong with him? He seems . . . strange.”

Jaden’s heart constricted painfully as she studied him. He stood to the side, his back to everyone. Cold. Aloof . . . and so very alone.

“Can he be trusted?”

Skye frowned, and though Jaden sensed concern, the question did nothing but raise her hackles.

Can he be trusted?
How could she ask such a thing? What gave Skye the right to question his integrity, his honor. It burned her ass big time to hear it.

None of them knew what he’d been through; hell,
she
could only guess.

“What kind of question is that?” Jaden’s voice was sharp, and she bared her teeth as she turned on the eagle shifter. “Of course he can be trusted.”

“He’s not the same. His energy is dark, and it’s strong.”

Jaden’s temper flared, and she clenched her hands so tightly she felt her nails rip through skin. “Of course he’s not the same. How can he be? He just spent the last six months being tortured.
In hell.
You try a vacation like that and see if you come home with an attitude that’s all sunshine and full of happy.”

Skye took a step back. “Hey, I don’t mean any disrespect. Trust me, I know a little about what went on down there. When I first woke up after the explosion, I had images in my mind that even now creep me out.” Skye’s eyes were wide, and Jaden knew she was speaking from the heart. “Of Julian and Declan and where they were. I get that he went through hell, but something is definitely wrong with him. Even little Logan can see that.”

Jaden remained silent, aware that they were attracting attention.

“I just need to know if we can trust him. There are a lot of lives at stake, and I will do whatever it takes to make sure what’s mine is protected.”

The subtle challenge was thrown down, and Jaden’s back bristled at her tone.

“You mean Jagger.” She could barely get the words out as her jaw was clenched so tightly together.

“Yes, among other things.” Skye arched an eyebrow and cocked her head. “It’s interesting to me, the change in your attitude. I thought you hated Julian. If I recall correctly, you told me he was an asshole.”

“He is,” she retorted quickly.

He’s my asshole.
The thought whispered through her mind, and she stilled, her body and mind freezing as a realization hit her like a Mack truck going one hundred miles an hour.

Her eyes found him once more, and she drank in his profile, the stubborn bent to his chin and the lips that had haunted her for years.

Her world was a chaotic mess, with nothing to look forward to other than a looming battle of epic proportions that might save humanity . . . or might not. And yet she felt a glimmer of hope nestled in there somewhere. A small ray of light. She thought that maybe there could be redemption, that Julian might somehow find his salvation.

She licked her dry lips and looked away from him. The man had caused her all kinds of pain and given her untold pleasure. Their families hated each other. But he was her mate, and with that came a bond that was not so easily cast aside. She wanted him to have a future even if she was not in it.

“You coming?” Jagger held the door open.

Both women turned toward the shifter. The others had already disappeared, and she followed Skye, noticing the way the eagle shifter’s hands caressed the tall jaguar as she walked by. She nodded to Jagger and disappeared through the doors.

She found herself in a smallish foyer with two large guards standing by what she assumed were elevator doors. Both were otherworld and looked mean as hell. The doors slid open, and she slipped in behind Skye, with Jagger not far on her heels.

He moved around her, and the low, muted tones of the other two grated on her nerves as the lift descended rapidly. Their intimacy and obvious love for each other was sweet, but she was not in the mood to be around it. Too much sugar made her ill.

As soon as the lift doors opened, she bolted and stepped into a shiny, modern world that would make the geekiest techno wizard take notice. The main hub for intel was staffed by seven operatives, all of them busy tapping away on their computers while overhead flatscreens kept them abreast of the latest developments.

It was similar to her setup, and as she studied the huge monitors, it saddened her to see the red zones spreading to nearly every country and region on the planet.

Things were about as bad as they could get.

“It makes you wonder.”

She didn’t need to turn her head to know that Julian stood at her side. Her nostrils flared, and his subtle scents tingled along her nerves as she took him into her lungs.

She couldn’t fight it anymore.

The man was her mate whether she wanted him or not. It didn’t mean she had to like it, but it did mean she had a choice. She could give in to the crazy notions banging around inside her head, the ones that told her to take him once more, to claim him and use him for pleasure. Or she could deny the need and live in misery.

He didn’t want her. Not for life. She knew that, but still . . .

Jaden gave herself a mental shake. She knew it was her animal making noise. She was on the edge and riding the cusp of heat. It would pass. She gritted her teeth. She’d just have to deal.

Christ, it would help if he didn’t smell so damn good.

“Sorry?” she asked, glad that she sounded in control even if the butterflies were having a field day in her stomach.

Julian nodded toward the monitors. “It makes you wonder how long it will take for the entire world to become one hot red zone.”