His Darkest Hunger (19 page)

As she stretched her legs and the sore muscles in her body protested, her blush deepened at the thought that everyone else in the camp must surely have heard just how animalistic she and Jaxon could be.

Her eyes lazily adjusted as she cleared the cobwebs of slumber, and a small ripple of panic began to seep into her brain as she realized a few things.

First, she was alone.

Second, no sound reached her ears. It was as if the camp itself was abandoned.

And third, it was way too bright inside the tent. There was no way in hell it was predawn.

She rolled out of bed and her arms flew up, clutching her head as the dullness that filled her cranium left her feeling severely light-headed, like she was hung over. She knelt on the floor, fighting to gain some sort of equilibrium, and spied her clothes a few inches away, neatly folded.

“Son of a bitch!”

Her voice was hoarse, full of fury, and she ignored the pain that edged through her brain and across her temple. She grabbed the clothes and hurriedly pulled them over her naked form, noticing the plate and water bottle from the night before. Her heart sank to the very bottom of her toes as she began to piece together why she was here, alone.

With a fuzzy head.

She’d either been drugged or charmed. She didn’t know which, but at this point she didn’t give a shit.

There was going to be hell to pay, and she didn’t care whose ass needed kicking, she was going to oblige with gusto. That Jaxon thought he could screw her and then proceed to really fuck her over was unbelievable. Her eyes flashed coldly as she envisioned all the ways she would make him pay.

She whipped the tent flaps back, her mood growing darker as her eyes swept the empty base camp. There was no one in sight, but she knew Ana had to be there somewhere. There was no way the vampire could handle the intense sun that filtered through the canopy above her head.

She glanced upward and bit her lip in an effort to keep her anger from exploding. It was obviously later in the morning then she would have liked. If
she had to guess, she’d say around eight. Shit! That meant that Jaxon and his crew were at least two or three hours ahead of her.

What the hell had he been thinking? Did he really think he could keep her away from the compound?

Libby was so furious she didn’t know who she wanted to kill more, the sadistic bastards who’d imprisoned her for the last three years, or the man who’d pleasured her to unheard of heights and then betrayed her, treating her with no respect and a blatant disregard for the consequences.

He better believe there would be consequences. She was done with being thrown aside.

Had she been drugged?

The more she thought about it, she decided it was more likely she’d been charmed. How the hell had Declan managed that without her knowledge?

Because you’d been too distracted with thoughts of your lover
.

She stood still for all of two seconds, then quickly crossed to the large tent where all the electronic equipment was set up. She whipped open the flaps, feeling a burst of pleasure run through her at the irritated hiss that greeted her.

Black hair floated in the air as Ana jumped away from the beam of light that now lit the interior of the tent.

“Are you
trying
to fry me?”

The shriek that flew from the vampire’s lips would have been comical at any other time, but at that moment, Libby was too angry.

“When the hell did they leave?”

Libby’s chest heaved and her eyes pinned Ana with a stare that could have frozen the Amazon. She
watched the vampire close herself off, the pale face going blank. She’d seen that look before. There’d be no information forthcoming.

Panic began to beat at her and her eyes scanned the room, searching for weapons of any kind. There was a table to the left of where she stood, and she lunged for it, grabbing a large machete and feeling like she’d hit the jackpot when she spied both a semiautomatic and a rather deadly looking Glock.

“You can’t take those! They’re for the techie and me!”

Danger scraped along the back of her neck and she warily looked over her shoulder, feeling a pang of victory as she noted the bright ray of sunshine that pretty much had the vampire cornered. There was no way Ana could touch her.

“What are you gonna do? Come over here and bite me?” For the second time, the sarcastic line brought the vampire to a froth.

Libby tucked the guns into her pants, holding the machete in front of her as she shot a look of triumph toward Ana, who let fly a mess of curses, flushing a deep crimson that left uneven splotches across her high cheekbones.

Then Ana began pacing along the edge of darkness, looking wildly for a way to attack. It deflated Libby’s own anger. She had no quarrel with the vampire. She just didn’t like her very much.

“You should save your energy, Ana. The jungle is a deadly place. There are things that live here that would make your skin crawl. This little corner of the world is haunted by dark magick, and now I have your guns.”

Libby turned, her groaning belly attesting to the
fact that it had been far too long since she’d eaten. She decided to raid the other tent quickly to find a few pickings, and after she did, headed into the jungle.

She glanced up one more time and looked to the right, knowing that a few hours earlier Jaxon and the rest had tracked through the jungle on the beaten path that would eventually bring them high up the mountain and close to the DaCosta compound. She looked to her left and felt a spark ignite as she set off. A half mile away was a river that originated near the compound. The going would be tough, but it was more direct and would save her some time.

Hopefully, she’d make it there before the fireworks started. Before someone else got to Fat Frank. Her hand went to the guns tucked safely in the waistband of her pants. She knew that Frank was her last hope of finding out where her child had been taken. She had her own plans for him, and no one, not even Jaxon Castille, was going to stand in her way.

J
axon’s unit moved deeper into the Maya Mountains, forging their way through the lush underbelly of the jungle until it opened onto a ridge that quickly became permeated with pine, mahogany, and cedar. The trees were taller here, but the vegetation at their feet was healthy, vibrant and deep green.

Heavy moist air filled his lungs and melancholy filled his soul as an array of emotions wove their way into his brain. The cat began to move, burning his skin with a heated shimmer, excited at the hunt and thirsty for revenge. Every cell in his body was wired, crackling with electricity, humming along his limbs like an invisible force field.

He ignored the excitement that hung low in his gut. He needed to be in control. He had to focus and banish thoughts of the previous evening far from his mind.

It was hard…
incredibly hard
. Guilt hung heavily around his neck. He couldn’t shake the feeling, and felt like a first-class asshole. He hadn’t planned on seducing Libby; in fact, he’d hoped a run in the forest would quiet the animal that raged inside him.

Instead it had done the exact opposite, and when he returned to camp after a strenuous hour or so with his brother, her scent lingered in the air, leaving a trail of sweetness that called to him on such a primal level, he’d not been able to resist. He’d made love to Libby. And then left her.

Again.

On top of that, he had gone along with Declan’s idea to charm her into a deep sleep.

There would be hell to pay when he next saw her, and not just for him. He looked to the left at Dec and sighed. Libby would kick both of their asses. But he had to admit, he’d rather have her pissed off back at base with Ana to protect her than out here on the hunt facing possible death.

He couldn’t lose her. Not ever again.

Jaxon shook himself mentally, calling upon the steel resolve that lay deep at the heart of the jaguar. He took a long swig of water, his hand fisting upward, motioning everyone to stop. They’d been hiking through the mountain range for almost eight hours, and the sun was low in the sky. Soon nightfall would cover the landscape.

The forest was alive with sounds, smells, and activity. Declan had used an invisibility charm to cloak their presence from the animals that lived out here. They didn’t want the DaCostas to sense any change in behavior from the creatures that called their territory home. Howler monkeys and a whole host of
screeching birds would have been sure to trumpet their presence, but for now the charm was working wonderfully in aiding their silent approach.

And so, their quiet, deadly foray up the mountain had moved quickly, hidden from prying eyes.

Jaxon turned his head to the right, nostrils quivering as he scented the air. They were close.

He motioned to his brothers. “It’s time.” His dark eyes went from the emerald green of Jagger’s to the deep topaz eyes of his older brother, Julian. A flood of emotion cracked through his thick outer shell, and he took a moment to compose his thoughts.

He’d worked with Jagger on several occasions and knew his younger brother was both a skilled warrior and a deadly soldier. But to have Julian there, on the front lines, putting his life at risk, was something he’d not anticipated. It meant a lot.

“Julian, you sure you want to go through with this? I understand if you want to hang back, and—”

His brother hissed at him, “I might not have the warrior tattoos, but I am by no means any less of a threat than either of you. I will do this. No one makes a move against a Castille without facing the consequences.”

His eyes had morphed to a deeper amber color, and his mouth slashed into a harsh grin as he began to strip the clothes from his back. “Truthfully, I’ve not felt so alive in a long while. I’ve been spending so much time in the boardroom, I neglected the very nature that makes me what I am.”

“Yeah, Jaxon, don’t worry about us,” Jagger growled deep from his gut. “I need to hunt me some DaCosta meat.”

“Nice.”
Declan chuckled. “You boys know the plan?”

Julian and Jagger nodded, and after stripping completely, ran toward the forest as mist formed long tentacles around their bodies, obscuring the change that was taking place. Within a few seconds two distinctly different jaguars glanced back at them, and Jaxon was overcome with pride and love for his brothers. He nodded at them and watched both cats, one golden and one black, disappear into the thick blanket of foliage that laced the forest floor.

Cracker spat from the side of his mouth, coming to a halt beside the others. He opened up a handheld unit and after a few seconds flipped it shut.

“The compound is about two miles dead ahead. Satellite images Ana sent show limited activity.” His face darkened as he turned to Declan. “You sense any magick here about? Seems to me they’d have all sorts of wards in place, or whatever the hell it is you people do.”

Declan frowned but shook his head, “No, there’s nothing out here that I can find. Surprising, actually. I was expecting to at least come across traces of the dark arts used back in Manhattan.” He looked around and shrugged his shoulders. “There’s nothing.”

“I don’t like it. Something don’t feel right to me.” Cracker looked at Jaxon, and made no effort to hide the worry that lined his face.

“This whole situation is fucked, but right now I don’t see any other alternative.” Jaxon’s face was fierce and his voice rough. “This is ground zero. It’s the only logical place to start looking for those bastards.”

“Yeah, the problem is, they’re smart-ass sons of bitches,” Cracker said. “They should know we’d be gunning for them after they attacked Jagger’s cabin.” He shook his head and added, “We gotta play it safe and be alert.”

Jaxon nodded. “Agreed. The chances are high that we’re walking into a trap.” He looked to Declan and Cracker, glad to see the deadly resolve in both of their eyes. “Let’s do this.”

He started toward the compound, and the two men followed a few steps behind. The three assassins moved quickly, the excitement of the hunt spurring them forward as a deadly calm settled over their bodies.

Ahead, their scouts moved with sinuous grace through the thick underbrush, the animals quivering with the need to hunt as they edged closer to their target.

The great cats’ agile bodies and powerful frames allowed them to creep close to the compound well ahead of their team members. The black jaguar veered off to the right, sending a soft bark to his partner as the golden cat went to the left. Their nostrils quivered in excitement as they slowly encircled the encampment, seeking out any of their enemy that might be on point duty.

Julian’s heart was near bursting, so intense were his feelings. His spirit was screaming in joy as the animal inside him howled at the thought of the coming hunt. He’d not exaggerated earlier. It
had
been way too long since he gave in to the wild animal that was so much a part of him.

He’d spent too much time ignoring its pleas for
release. He’d actually grown afraid at the thought of letting his jaguar out. But now…now his senses were burning with a fire that propelled him forward with a vengeance. He could no longer deny what he was. Nor what he was capable of doing.

The encampment was surrounded by a crude attempt at a fence. Julian rounded the far end of the compound and stopped as a foreign scent made his nostrils quiver in anticipation. The great cat licked his lips slowly, his head bobbing back and forth as he tried to find the source of the smell.

He crouched low on his belly, noticing movement up ahead. Slowly, he made his way forward. When he spied a guard leaning against a tree a few paces to his right, he froze. He began to salivate and his heart trembled. He felt his humanity slipping from him, but didn’t care. Savagely, he welcomed the power that surged through his body.

His prey was drawing hard from a cigar, the smoke plumes no more than tiny slivers of white ribbons. They danced just above his head, and if the idiot had been paying attention, he would have realized that the forest had become silent.

Guess there were limits to Declan’s charms after all, he thought.

Inside, deep in the hidden recesses of his soul, the cat quieted. He slowly crept closer to the guard, who was unaware of the threat to his life. The man was human. There was no scent of shifter about him as Julian crouched a foot away, ready to pounce. Then, as planned, a large explosion ripped through the early evening.

Startled, the guard dropped his cigar and swore
as he tried to retrieve the little bit of Cuban tobacco hidden amongst the underbrush at his feet.

A second explosion led the guard to straighten and stand upright, but it was too late. With lightning speed and incredible strength, the jaguar leapt up and pounced hard, his paws digging in deep as the man screamed in pain.

His eyes widened and filled with terror at Julian’s roar. He tried frantically to move, but the heavy beast had him pinned, and then he was frantically begging for his life.

“Please, I no bad person. I only work for money.” Clearly the guard knew that this was no regular animal atop of him. He cringed as the jaguar snarled again, unaffected by the human’s attempt to sway him.

The man worked for his enemy. The math was simple—only one of them would leave this patch of paradise alive. With a powerful lunge, his canines pierced the man’s skull, and less than a minute later the guard lay dead at his feet.

Smoke from the explosion drifted toward him, and Julian took off like a shot, the euphoric rush of the kill giving him more power, as a black energy inched its way into his essence.

Julian Castille was not a killer. In fact this was his first coup. The scary thing was not only had it come incredibly easy to him, but that he’d enjoyed it.

The jaguar soon lost his human train of thought as more animalistic urges rose to the surface. He quickly faded into the forest, leaving the body there to rot.

After the first charge went off, Jaxon slipped through the poor excuse for a fence and made his way toward the large building at the far left of the compound. Cracker had gone to the opposite side, and at any minute the second charge would explode.

Several men stumbled out of the small bungalows that lined the main area of the compound, half hidden by a thick overhand of trees. They seemed intoxicated, and Jaxon felt a sliver of unease. Something felt off here, and he signaled silently to Declan to proceed with caution. They each drew their weapons, and as the second explosion rocked the air, quickly made their way to the large outbuilding.

A screech rent the night, and Jaxon glanced back as angry snarls accompanied the shrieks. Jagger and Julian had arrived, and he pushed aside his pride at the ferocity and strength his brothers shared. He needed to focus.

And bag a DaCosta.

He and Declan could hear excited voices coming from inside the building, where it seemed that people had barricaded themselves from attack. The unease he’d felt earlier spiked. These were not seasoned soldiers.

Jaxon snarled savagely. They were fools.

Declan silently crept up the steps that led to a large door. His hand snuck out and he tried to open it, but it wouldn’t budge. He signaled to Jaxon, who stood on point while Declan went to work setting a charge at both the top and bottom of the door.

He jumped off the landing and both he and Jaxon had moved when the charges split the door in two, leaving a billowing cloud of smoke and a gaping
hole in front of the building. They were joined by Cracker, and all three charged forward, guns raised and adrenaline pumping furiously.

Jaxon was the first inside, and he scanned the dimly lit interior. There was a group of women cowering in the corner, and he swore, but ignored them to continue toward the area where he expected to find the DaCostas.

But there weren’t any men to be found there, and he took a second to scent the air, his nostrils telling what his mind already knew. The only people there were the women in the common room. He’d get Declan to find out what they knew.

Something caught his attention then, as a wisp of energy cut the air. He signaled to Declan and quietly made his way past the kitchen area and down toward a narrow hall.

If Libby’s details were correct, this was where the offices were located, as well as the weapons room.

There were four doors to choose from, and Jaxon began to check them all. The first two were crudely built storage closets, the second of which had obviously been used as a weapons room at one point. As of now, it was empty of any sort of weaponry other than a few shell casings scattered haphazardly across the floor. The door was open, as if the room had been emptied in a hurry.

He swore under his breath, his feeling of unease now a deafening cascade of warning bells that clamored for his attention.

Something stank, and frustration built in his gut at the thought of being denied the chance to face his enemy. The jaguar wanted to kill.
He
wanted to kill.

He was met at the door by Cracker, who raised his eyebrows, shaking his head in confusion. He signaled that he was going back outside and left as silently as he’d come.

Jaxon paused in front of the last door, which was closed. His senses reached out, searching for that elusive whisper of
something
he’d sensed earlier.

It was gone, and his anger boiled over as his foot made quick work of the door, reducing it into a wreck of splinters, leaving only one large piece hanging by the hinge.

The room was like the others. Empty. Heat burned its way up his forearms as he crossed to an old metal desk and searched through a mess of papers left scattered on top.

Something caught his eyes, and his blood turned to ice as he turned his attention to the wastebasket at his feet. He scooped out several photos and documents that had been thrown into the trash in an attempt to burn them. They were surveillance shots…of his brothers, as well as Libby, Declan, Cracker, and Ana.

His fear became more palpable as he pieced together what the photographs meant. All of the photos were recent. Some were from the airport in Texas the day before, and a few others had been taken in San Ignacio.