His Darkest Embrace (12 page)

No matter. He moved a few feet away, his face dark, brooding.

“This disc that you seek, it’s something the DaCostas want so bad that they’d get into bed with someone as untrustworthy as Cormac?”

Skye turned to Declan. His eyes were clear and shrewd.

She answered him simply. “Yes.”

“It must be valuable,” he continued. “What does it do?”

“It’s a portal,” Julian inserted quietly. Everyone looked at him and Skye’s gasp caught in her throat, nearly choking her. “To the demon underworld.”

Fuck! How the hell did the jaguar know that? The bastard had done his homework.

“What?” Declan looked as surprised as the rest of them, and Skye ignored the glare from four sets of eyes as they all turned their attention to her.

“Is this true?” Jagger asked and for the first time a trace of something more than worry edged his words.

Skye considered lying. Hell, the eagle knights guarded several other ancient relics, but she realized there was no point. Julian had already guessed what they were after and by the way he was looking at her, he knew the truth as well as she did.

She exhaled softly and shook her head. “It’s the portal they’re after, yes.”

“I’ve read stories about it and of your people. Thousands of years ago the jaguar warriors pretty much annihilated your tribe in order to get their hands on the portal. It was thought to be lost, as well as the lineage of the eagle knights.”

Skye’s eyes flashed and she looked at Julian hard. “Well, my people held on,
barely,
and were able to keep the portal hidden. But someone has betrayed us and for the last three years we’ve been on the run. Hunted again.” She felt her eyes mist with the warmth of tears. “My father was our last hope. Only he knew where it had been hidden. But he was murdered before he could recover it.” She paused for a moment, unable to go on as the memory of her father’s death washed over her. “Now with Finn gone, it’s up to me to find it and destroy it once and for all.”

Julian held her gaze for several long, uncomfortable seconds until finally she looked away. He knew too much.

“There is no one else,” she said simply.

Skye ran her fingers through the thick hair at her neck. Things were moving way too fast and in a direction she didn’t much care for.

“Not that I don’t appreciate the history lesson and all, but seriously, what the hell are we gonna do about this portal or whatever the fuck it is?” Declan looked at all of them expectantly. “Damned if I’ll let Cormac get his hands on—”

“This is not your battle to fight,” Skye shouted. She was fed up and pissed off. Who the hell did these men think they were? This was her mission. It always had been.

“This became my business the minute you invaded my territory with two DaCostas hot on your heels.” Jagger was angry. This she could see and a ripple of fear sliced through her at the look that clouded his green eyes many shades darker.

The power that hung on his frame was unmistakable and as he crossed the distance between them, his large body moving with a predatory grace, she shivered.

He stopped when he was just a few inches from her. Skye could see the pulse that beat steadily at the base of his neck. It was mesmerizing, and she found she couldn’t take her eyes off of it.

His scent was intoxicating, and she felt the great raptor inside of her move, wanting out. Wanting to get away from a temptation that not only was a bad idea, it was also forbidden.

Her mouth went dry as her gaze climbed up and met his moss green eyes.

“If you want to survive this and retrieve this disc, I suggest you put aside any notion of a rogue mission, because you’re stuck with me.” He smiled at her harshly. “I will not see you harmed.” His eyes narrowed. “I can’t … I
won’t
let that happen again.”

Jagger’s words puzzled Skye. She got the impression that he was no longer talking about her. She didn’t have time to ponder them.

He opened the satchel and shoved the notes and maps into her hands. “What do these mean?”

Her fingers held the precious papers loosely and her vision blurred as she looked down at them. Her notes and scribbles could be seen clearly in the margins. She didn’t have to read them to know what they said. Just as she didn’t have to read them to know she was still no closer to finding the cave that she sought.

With or without the help of these men, the situation was hopeless. Why the hell hadn’t her father trusted her enough with the location of the cave?

Not for the first time the bitterness of it all stuck in her mouth, and she wished for nothing more than a cool glass of water. Anything, to wash all of it away.

“I need to find a specific cave,” she said haltingly, trying to control her emotions. Now was not the time for her to break down.

“A specific cave?” Declan laughed. “Would this particular cave come with a, I dunno, a flashing neon sign saying,
I’m here?”
He looked at all of them incredulously. “This is fucked.”

“The Cave of the Sun? Is that it?”

Skye looked at Jagger, clearly surprised. “Yes,” she answered him. “How did you know?”

“I saw it in your notes.” Jagger’s intense eyes bored into hers and she felt everything fade away, as if it were the only two of them there. “I might know of someone who can help us.”

There it was. Crunch time. She either accepted his help and went with it, or tried to escape at the earliest convenience.

Her focus fell on the muscular arms held loosely at his sides, trailed along the intricate tattoo that peeked from beneath the T-shirt that he wore. He was so tall, strong, and incredibly male.

He was jaguar. He was her enemy.

Yet the overwhelming urge to slide up against his chest and let him wrap his arms around her was so intense she took a step forward. Their eyes connected and the energy in the air seemed to crackle.

Or was that her imagination?

“Yeah, I’m not into this whole flirting-in-danger thing, so why don’t you two chill.” Declan’s sarcastic tone was more effective than a bucket of water and Skye shook her head as she took a step back.

Cracker spit into the ground, his mouth chewing hard on a dark clump of tobacco. “So,” he said roughly, “we got a plan?”

Chapter 11

J
agger watched the conflicting emotions that ran across Skye’s expressive eyes. He knew what she was feeling. The same ones were hammering away at the inside of him and he didn’t understand them any better than she did.

He looked at the other men, decision made. “Skye and I will find this cave and retrieve the portal.” He rolled his shoulders and kinked his neck. The corded bands of flesh that ran along the base of his skull were tight as hell. “I need the three of you to do what you can to neutralize the jaguars that are gunning for us.”

His eyes flicked over his older brother and a fierce wall of pride threatened to come crashing down over him. The change in Julian was nearly indescribable. He looked about as far away from the boardroom as you could get.

It was all good. At least Jagger hoped that it was. He sensed a wildness that had never been there before. An untamed edge that the jaguar thrived on. He knew it would explode eventually. Jagger just hoped that when it happened, any casualties would be limited.

“Don’t take any foolish chances. See if you can dig up anything on Cormac. His location, his contacts, plans. Whatever. I want that bastard.” His gaze passed over Declan. “No offense.”

Declan laughed softly, his tone deadly. “None taken, but you’ll have to get in line. The only one who’s gonna touch that slimeball is me.”

The two men nodded at each other.

“Anyone able to contact Jaxon? Maybe utilize some of the PATU information network? There’s no way in hell all of this activity is going unnoticed.” Jagger looked at them all expectantly.

“We’re still hanging below the radar. Colonel Taggert is in, but for now we’re working with little to no backup.” Declan sighed heavily. “Ana, Jaxon, and Libby are holed up somewhere in Canada. They’ve been busy setting up new PATU headquarters, working with Taggert and a select few.”

Jagger frowned at the news. He didn’t like the situation at all. “Do you have a secure channel? Can I get a message to him?”

“We have a satellite phone, yes, but aren’t due to check in for another twenty-four hours.” Cracker made a face. “A precaution. We could try to get hold of him but Jaxon won’t answer unless it’s at the agreed-upon time.”

“Understood,” Jagger answered, clearly disappointed. “When you make contact tomorrow, tell him he can kick my ass in person soon enough.” He smiled wryly. “And ask him to find out anything he can on some dude named Azaiel.”

“Azaiel? What the hell kind of name is that?” Declan asked.

“Dunno,” Jagger replied, his eyes darting back to his brother. “You have anything to offer?”

Julian shook his head and shrugged his shoulders. “I haven’t a clue.”

“Okay,” Jagger said. “You got an extra sat radio?”

Cracker dug around in his bag and handed one over to Jagger.

“I’ll contact you once I have a location for this cave. We can rendezvous there.” He looked at all the men. “We good?”

“Jagger, can I have a word?”

Skye watched as Jagger moved toward Cracker and Declan. The three men huddled together and she tried to ignore the occasional glance her way. She had no clue what the hell they were discussing, but it obviously involved her.

She inhaled a deep, cleansing breath, carefully folded her notes Jagger had given to her and put them into the bag. She grabbed another granola bar and turned away. Skye needed to wrap her brain around the entire mess and make sure she knew what the hell she was doing.

She’d only had a few moments of solace before she became aware of Julian, standing a few feet away. Skye turned and studied the man closely. He was handsome, dark and dangerous like his brother, but there was something about him that was more aloof. Like he was holding back.

Jagger was no such animal. He was full frontal all the way.

Skye also realized with a start, that Julian had no warrior tattoos on his arms. She searched closer, blushing when he cleared his throat.

“I’m not like my brothers.”

“Oh, sorry, I didn’t mean to …” Skye’s voice trailed off because, truthfully, she didn’t know what the hell she meant.

Silence fell between the two of them, interrupted by the occasional call of a bird or the shriek of a howler monkey. She could still hear the low voices of Jagger and the other two men, but they were too far away for her to make out their words clearly.

“Does he know?” Julian asked, his brow furrowed, his stare intense.

Skye stared up at Jagger’s brother, her eyes large and questioning. “Does he know what?”

“That the only one who can destroy the portal is that which created it.”

She arched an eyebrow. “What were you, the dorky kid who read history books for kicks? You really did your homework didn’t you?”

Her tone was light but the shadows that darkened her eyes with unshed tears was anything but.

Julian ignored her comment and nodded his head toward the group of men conversing several feet away. “Does he know what you’re planning?”

“Why would he?” she retorted, exasperated. “Aside from the fact that all of you seem to think I have this damsel-in-distress thing going on, I don’t need your help to do what it is that I have to do. This is my fight, whether you want to believe it or not, and how I’m going to accomplish my goal is no one’s business but my own.”

“I see the way he looks at you. He won’t like it.”

Skye looked up at Julian, surprised. “I’m not sure what you mean.”

Julian shrugged, but both his face and his tone were dead serious. “He wants you.”

She laughed curtly. “Really … well, a quick fuck is about all Jagger’s interested in, believe me.”

She looked away as pain sliced across her chest, drawing in a quick breath. “I might even take him up on that.” She laughed bitterly. “I mean, my days are numbered, right? Why shouldn’t I be allowed to have a little comfort before …” Her voice drifted off into silence. She couldn’t continue.

“I think you’re very brave.”

Skye made a face and shook her head. Her heart was bittersweet, her mind made up. “I’m not brave,” she whispered.

I’m scared shitless,
she thought.

Her cheeks puffed out as she exhaled hard. Angrily she wiped away the moisture from the corners of her eyes.

She turned from Julian. He unnerved her.

Seconds ticked by, and when she raised her head, Skye’s eyes were like glass. She looked over to Jagger.

He glanced up and their eyes connected. It was like a physical blow to her gut and it took everything inside of her to remain calm, focused. Jagger’s face was unreadable. His body language was tense, the energy in the air palpable. Thick.

It fed the hungry raptor deep inside of her soul, and Skye shook out her arms, smiling at the jaguar. Doing something was way better than sitting on your ass doing nothing at all. Even if the end was near.

It was time.

“Are you ready?” she asked, a challenge ringing in her voice.

Jagger nodded to the men and then looked back at Skye. Long wisps of caramel-colored hair clung in tendrils to her neck. The tank top that she wore did pretty much the same, the thin cotton melded to her lush curves.

If he closed his eyes he’d have no problem whatsoever picturing her naked, wet, her eyes full of desire and her mouth swollen from his own.

But there was no time. He needed to focus and find the portal. Only then would he have the answers that he sought, because he sure as hell didn’t believe half the crap she’d told him. Something else was at play here, he could feel it.

And the woman in front of him held all the answers.

“Okay, let’s do this.” He closed the distance between them and indicated the direction he wished to go.

He grabbed the supply bag and the leather satchel that Skye was holding. He felt her watching him closely as he slung the two bags over his shoulders. She glanced at his brother Julian, and for a second the cat clawed just beneath his skin. Jagger had to fight the urge to growl, to warn away the other man from the blonde.

What the hell was up with that?

Julian shot him a quick look as if he could sense the turmoil that slithered just beneath the surface.

“So, where we headed, anyway?” Skye’s husky tone effectively broke the awkward moment and Jagger answered her quickly, pointing toward the northeast.

“We need to head back toward the Cockscomb Basin. That’s where the jaguar reserve is located. If we can’t find Nico there, then we’ll try Monkey River.”

“You’re taking Skye to see Nico?”

Jagger turned to his brother, not liking the tone or the implication. He would protect Skye.

“Nico knows every square mile of this entire area, from the Carribean Sea to the base of the Victoria. If he doesn’t know where this cave is located, then no one does.”

“But he’s … the last time I saw him, he was unstable.” Julian’s frown hardened even more. “You would trust him?”

Jagger did growl, low, rough, and the meaning was clear.
Back off.
“Nico will not harm a hair on her head. He may be crazy but he’d never attack someone.” His gaze touched on the blue of Skye’s. “Unless he was provoked.”

“Nice,” Skye muttered, stowing the other supply bag tight across her shoulders.

Jagger held his brother’s attention for several more seconds. A myriad of emotions flew through him.

They’d never been super close, the two of them. As the oldest, Julian had been groomed from a young age to take over the helm of Blue Heaven Industries from their father. It had pretty much been a done deal when adolescence had come and gone, revealing no warrior tattoos.

Jagger and Jaxon, however, had both developed the warrior tats when they were on the cusp of change, and the subtle dislike his father had for that part of their heritage was not easily hidden. Jagger had fled the homestead as soon as he’d been able. Enlisted, trained for special ops, and had never looked back.

It was ironic to see how the call of the wild had affected Julian. Right now, in this moment, with the heat of the jungle damp on their skin, the threat of battle imminent, his brother was just as much a warrior as if he’d been born with the very tattoos his father abhorred.

Still, brother or not, he didn’t like anyone questioning his authority and decisions.

“Be careful,” Jagger said gruffly, and then he turned away. He indicated that Skye follow; without a backward glance he led the way and the two of them disappeared into the jungle.

The going was rough, the air heavy with the threat of a storm. Jagger kept up a relentless pace, stopping only briefly for a rest, and if fresh water was nearby, they’d fill their bottles and then move on.

There was a sense of urgency he couldn’t shake, and he was sure that Skye felt the same. She kept up, didn’t complain, not even when he knew she was close to being dead on her feet.

Dusk was rapidly approaching. They still had a full day’s hike to get to the Cockscomb Basin. It was between the Maya Mountains and the Caribbean Sea.

Jagger had been vigilant and knew they were safe for the moment. He sensed no other warriors or any traces of magick on the wind.

He began to scout for shelter, but it was Skye who pointed out what appeared to be ruins of some kind. They were obviously Mayan and as they approached in silence, he felt a sense of wonder. It never ceased to amaze him how time marched on, her trials and tribulations scarring the landscape, but something always survived.

They approached with caution and again his senses picked up nothing out of the ordinary. The birds, insects, and all the other noises that filled the jungle like a chaotic symphony signaled nothing out of order.

It looked to be some sort of ceremonial area, much of it reclaimed by the rain forest, but it would provide shelter for the night.

Skye stumbled as she walked beside him and his arm snaked out, catching her around the waist. She stilled, catching her breath, yet didn’t pull away.

She’d long given up trying to tame the wild mane of hair that streaked past her shoulders in long wisps of golden smoke. The tendrils curled seductively, caressing the bare skin of her arms and neck.

Jagger had the insane urge to push the heavy mane away to cool the hot skin beneath it.

“We rest here,” he said gruffly, not liking the softness that had unfurled inside of him. Things were about as bad as they could get. Christ, they were hunting down an ancient Aztec portal that was a fucking conduit to the demon realm.

There was no room for rainbows and puppy dogs.

Skye remained quiet, although she pulled away and walked over to a downed tree. He watched from the corners of his eyes as she sat down, grabbed a tin of food from her pack and opened it.