His Darkest Hunger (26 page)

A thick ball of dread punched at his gut as a wave of intense fear rolled over him in waves. Libby was in trouble and he knew he didn’t have much time. There was a crude opening, and he headed for it, his senses soaring out, trying to locate her exact location.

What he found stopped him cold, and the pain in his gut threatened to bring him to his knees.

Declan nearly crashed into him, and Julian narrowly avoided a collision as well.

“What the fuck?” Declan’s eyes were almost feverish as power swelled from deep within his body. “Jax, what’s wrong?”

Jaxon couldn’t speak at first, and he struggled to clamp down at the beast that was suddenly howling in anguish. “She was right.” He shook his head, turning pained eyes to the three men, who stood beside him, their chests heaving from exertion. “Cormac has my son.”

Deep inside the belly of the temple, Libby faced her enemy, trying to put on a brave face, but fearing her weakness was pinned to her chest like a large neon button.

About an hour earlier, she and Skye had finally found the temple. Libby had led the way, feeling like a puppet pulled by invisible strings. That weird and creepy sensation had been her constant companion all morning, but though she knew she wasn’t in control, she hadn’t cared. She knew it was Cormac reeling her in, but that also meant she was on the right path. And that was all that mattered. It was the path to her son, and now as she stood here, facing this demon from her past, she knew it was worth it. All of it.

Because she could feel him.
Logan
. He was here, of that she was sure. She could feel his emotions battering at her brain with a feverish force.

She had no clue whatsoever how she could feel the things that she was feeling. She just did. She knew
that her son was scared and hungry. She ached at the very thought, but had to trust that Skye had her back and they would get Logan to safety.

“Libby, how nice to see you again, and just in time for a family reunion.”

The tall man smiled down at her from twenty feet above, his voice echoing eerily against the stone walls. She stood still, not saying a word, biding her time. Her violet eyes had darkened and now seemed to shimmer with a fire of vengeance that fueled her body with a flood of strength.

Cormac’s lips curled into a cruel smile. “What? Nothing to say? Don’t you miss me?”

“Where is my son?” Her voice was low, controlled.

He burst into laughter at her words, but his eyes burned maniacally as he directed the power of his gaze on her. “Don’t be rude, Libby. Were you not taught any manners in that pitiful excuse of a house you grew up in?”

“I won’t play your game, Cormac.”

Cormac jumped down in one fluid movement, and Libby flinched as the weight of his power washed over her. “You’ll do whatever I want you to do.” His expression changed then as his fingers reached out to touch a stray curl that had fallen loose from her ponytail. She cringed but stood her ground.

“You look so much like her.”

“Like who?” A sick feeling began to wind its way through her belly, and sweat broke out on her forehead as dread swirled alongside her already jumbled emotions. She just prayed that Skye was using her time wisely and had found little Logan.

“Your mother, Aislyn.”

“My mother’s name is Patti. I have—” Under
standing dawned then, and Libby took a step back, nearly tripping as she lost her balance.

Cormac’s deep laughter reverberated around the chamber, and she clamped her hands over her ears as images came and went, crashing through her brain in a chaotic mess that left her feeling weak.

One constant was threaded throughout every emotion and memory she was feeling. And it was the face of the man standing directly in front of her. Her eyes looked up at him, not wanting to ask, but she opened her mouth nonetheless.

“Who the hell are you?”

“You haven’t figured it out yet?” She watched warily as Cormac cocked his head to the side, disappointment clouding his cold features. “Libby, try a little harder. It will come to you.”

She shook her head, not wanting to believe what the bastard was insinuating. She just couldn’t go there. Not now. She pushed his words to the back of her mind, feeding her anger as she focused on the reason she had come. She shook her head angrily and shouted, “Just give me my son and I’ll lead you to the woman.”

Cold rage passed over Cormac’s features, and she felt his power billow out as he snarled down at her. “You really are no different than your mother. It was her biting tongue and temper that finally got the best of her, and I had to put a stop to it.”

“What the hell are you talking about?”

“Remember what I told you yesterday, Libby? That it was only because
I
allowed you to live that you were breathing air?” He laughed harshly. “Your mother didn’t understand the power I wield, and she pushed me one time too many.”

Libby tried to swallow the fear that was rising and spreading like wildfire through her veins, but it was impossible. She watched Cormac’s pupils dilate and the whites recede, enveloped by a deep blackness that crept over them. His voice lowered to a strange harmonic timbre that was almost hypnotizing. She resisted the pull, but barely.

“I destroyed her, Libby, and I will not hesitate to destroy you or your child. Tell that eagle bitch to make herself known, or I will blast every trace of you from this earth, and you can join your mother in hell.”

“Christ, Cormac! Did no one teach you any manners? Or was that something they didn’t bother with at warlock academy?”

Libby’s eyes whipped upward and she sucked in air so quickly that she felt faint. Skye was standing about a hundred feet away from them, and cradled in her arms was a small child. Pain lanced across Libby’s heart as her eyes feverishly latched onto the small form. But his little head was buried deep within Skye’s arms, and the only thing visible was creamy flesh and dark curls.

Cormac turned from her, focusing all of his attention on Skye and the child. Silently, Libby began to back away, her fingers reaching for gun she’d concealed in her pants. She had given the knife to Skye, but now, as she gazed up at the woman who held her son, she wondered if she’d made a terrible mistake.

What the hell was Skye up to? She’d been told to take Logan and run. To make sure that the little boy was returned to Jaxon in case she herself didn’t make it out of the temple.

Cormac’s laughter sliced through the air, and
it had the same effect as long fingernails running over a chalkboard. Libby’s skin broke out in a rash of goose bumps and every hair on her body stood on end.

Cormac’s laughter abruptly stopped as he moved closer to where Skye held her child. “I’m impressed,” he said to her, his words enunciated carefully. The temperature inside the chamber had dropped considerably, so much that a fine mist shot from his mouth as he continued. “The little bird has grown up. Your father must be so proud. But wait.” He paused, and Libby felt him gather more power to himself. “He’s not around to witness this, is he? It would be next to impossible, considering I ate his life force and he’s nothing but a lost soul.”

“You fucking bastard! I will see you dead, Cormac, if it’s the last thing that I do.”

“Careful for what you wish for, Skye—”

“Cut the crap, Cormac! You will not kill me, the same as you won’t harm a hair on the head of this little boy. You need both of us.”

Libby caught Skye’s eyes for a brief moment as she continued to back away, and her heart constricted painfully as the child in her arms moved slightly, and a pair of eyes as dark as midnight gazed across the room at her. She couldn’t help the sob that escaped her lips, and she froze, suddenly unsure of what to do.

“Come with me and the child and his mother can leave unharmed,” Cormac said to Skye as his voice dropped even lower. There was no emotion in it, just a coldness that matched the now freezing temperature.

“You are so fucking arrogant. Do you think I would believe anything that leaves your lips? The only expendable person in this room is Libby. You need her son as a sacrifice to open the portal, and you need me to find it for you. I’m an eagle knight, you asshole, and I won’t allow you to kill an innocent.”

“Enough!”

The room began to tremble as sparks flew from Cormac’s hands. “You will come with me or—”

With speed that was preternatural, Skye whisked out the charmed dagger and whipped it at Cormac, shouting to Libby as she did. “Run!”

Libby reacted on pure instinct and began to shoot at Cormac as she ran toward her son. The warlock roared in anger, and the air trembled, seeming to shimmer and darken. A terrific shot of energy consumed the entire area, reverberating around the chamber, and two large boulders came crashing down from the ceiling, landing right where Skye had been standing, holding her son.

Tears poured down Libby’s face and everything faded away except the rubble and smoke that covered the area where Skye had been standing only seconds before. Dimly, she heard shouts behind her. On some level she was aware that Jaxon had arrived on the scene, but as chaos erupted and curses were heard, she continued to scramble toward the downed boulders.

She used every last bit of strength she possessed to get her body to the top of the pile, and when she spied Skye, holding her son, she fell to her knees as the enormity of the moment washed over her.

She could do no more than watch in silence as
Skye coughed up smoke and debris from her lungs, a small head barely visible above the safe haven of her arms.

Libby wanted to move, but her body felt glued to the rock that she had collapsed upon, and she could only stare helplessly at the woman who held her son. She moved her lips slowly. No sound came out, yet she knew Skye heard what was in her heart.
Thank you
.

Carefully, Skye disengaged her limbs from the rubble that surrounded her. She murmured softly, and the little boy in her arms relaxed as Skye climbed up toward his mother. And of that, there was no doubt. The child carried the scent of a jaguar, but the magick in him was overwhelming. He would be a force to be reckoned with when he matured into a man.

Skye’s eyes narrowed as they settled onto Libby, and she wondered if Libby had realized what Cormac insinuated. That he was her blood father. Obviously, she’d not been born with the strength and scope of his power, but Skye could sense small traces of it present in Libby’s aura. The little boy, however, was another story. His blood literally sang with power.

A shout from across the chamber shook Skye out of her thoughts, and she quickly handed the child over to his mother.

Libby felt as if her heart had burst from her chest, and as her arms closed around Logan, she began to weep softly. He was warm, soft, and smelled of the forest. She nuzzled her face against his soft curls and rocked him gently, her eyes shining as she looked up at Skye.

“I don’t know what to say…how will I ever be able to thank you?”

Skye winked, but when she spoke, her voice was dead serious. “No one can know that I survived this attack.”

Libby looked at her, confused. “I don’t understand.”

“I know that you love your jaguar, but I don’t trust them. They’ve been enemy to the eagle for eons. The eagle knights were created to protect the portal. And because of that my people have been hunted to near extinction.” Skye couldn’t keep the bitterness and pain from her voice. “Jaguars, magicks…all of them played a part, and I will never trust a warrior.” She looked away, her voice soft. “I just can’t.”

“But Jaxon would never—”

“I need to find this portal and seal it before Cormac—or anyone else, for that matter—gets their hands on it. If that happens, my father’s death would have been for nothing.”

“Skye, we can help you.”

“Libby, no one can know about the portal. You have to promise me that you won’t tell a soul about it, or that I survived this attack. You owe me.”

Libby was about to answer when a shout only a few feet away distracted her. She shook her head and twisted her body around. Jaxon was there, just beyond the large boulders. A feeling of peace flooded her veins, and her only thought was to get to him. She cradled her precious cargo close to her breast and scrambled to her feet, carefully making her way up to the top. At the sight of Jaxon’s handsome face, she felt the world slip away until there was only the three of them.

He was speaking to her, but she couldn’t understand a thing he was saying. She could barely see him though the haze of tears, the roaring in her ears almost painful. When his mouth claimed hers, the noise stopped.

Everything faded from existence except the three heartbeats that pounded out a rhythm in tandem, together, finally.

She didn’t want the kiss to ever end. It was raw and full of need. His hands cupped her face roughly, but then he gently disengaged himself and stared with wonder at the young boy, with eyes that mirrored his own.

“He’s…beautiful.” Jaxon could barely manage to get the words out. He couldn’t begin to name the emotions he was feeling.

His long arms wrapped the both of them deep in his protective embrace and he trembled as the jaguar screamed inside, flush from victory. He felt the child still, and when his pudgy hand reached out, to touch his chest, the peace that filled him was indescribable.

The small face looked up to him and smiled, impishly. He spoke one word, but it was clear and strong: “Cat.”

“Hey, where’d the girl go?” Declan was breathing hard by the time he reached them, and his eyes glowed with an eerie fire as he looked around the chamber.

Libby looked up, and hoped like hell she was doing the right thing. She spoke softly, and kept her promise to Skye. “She saved Logan, but your father…” Her voice trailed off, and Declan swore as her meaning became clear.

“Did you, is he…” Libby was afraid to ask, and as Declan’s dark gaze swept over her, she knew the answer before he spoke.

“Kill him? That slippery son of a bitch?” Declan took a few steps back, shaking his head as his rage began to boil. “No. But he’s given me a reason to look forward to our next meeting.” He clenched his hands and muttered under his breath, “Because only one of us will leave it alive.”