His Darkest Embrace (14 page)

It was long and he motioned toward the tree where her bag lay. “You bed down there. If you so much as move an inch I’ll be all over you.” His eyes narrowed cruelly. “And trust me, it won’t be fucking I’m after.”

Skye stared down at the intricately knotted rope that was tight and secure and then she looked back at Jagger.

“You’ve got to be kidding. This is not necessary,” she ground out from between clenched teeth as her own anger rose up from deep inside to answer his.

Jagger just shook his head, ignored her, and pulled his T-shirt back down over his body. He wrapped the other end of the rope securely around his hand, crossed to where the two of them had lain together and flopped down.

Skye stared at him for several long moments, trying to control the anger that left her limbs shaking.

Un-fucking-believable!

She began to walk toward her bag, but realized the rope didn’t allow enough distance to do that. For a few seconds, she stood there, uncertain, pissed, tired as all hell.

Skye felt her strength begin to fade, like air leaking from a balloon, and she knew she needed to rest. She glanced over at Jagger and made a face. He looked like he was resting comfortably.

As she slid her body up against what was left of a stone wall, she made a vow to make the bastard pay for his arrogance. Her fingers fell to the rope that was tied a little too tightly around her waist. It was no use. The knot was intricate and much too tight.

Skye rested her head against the hard surface and closed her eyes. She began to shiver once more and wrapped her arms around her body, looking for what little comfort that she could. Her blanket was over by Jagger, but damned if she was going anywhere near him.

It was going to be a long and miserable night. She sighed tiredly and tried to sleep.

She was almost there, too, when the voice that she feared above all others, more than Cormac or any of the DaCosta scum, slid through her mind.

Azaiel’s seductive whisper was like a dark promise. Skye’s eyes flew open, wide with fear. She wanted nothing more than to flee, to run as far and as fast as she could. To reach for the golden sun when it rose and to shift so that she could fly away from all of this madness.

“You are so close, my little bird, I can almost taste you.”

The words spoken in her mind seemed as if underwater. She could understand them but they faded in and out, muffled. Skye swallowed thickly, trying her best to dampen the fear that clogged her throat. “I will never let you touch me,” she whispered hoarsely.

There was no response, and for a brief moment Skye wondered if in fact she was going crazy. If the hallucinations she’d had since a young child were just slivers of a madness that was finally manifesting.

Dully, she once more rested her head and closed her eyes. It didn’t matter. If he was real, she’d meet Azaiel once the portal was sealed.

In hell.

Chapter 13

J
agger was awake well before dawn. He’d managed a few hours of shut-eye, which was a fucking miracle considering he’d had a raging hard-on that wouldn’t go away.

His eyes swept across to the tree where Skye slumbered still. A million curses slid through his brain but he remained silent. There was no use getting all worked up. He needed to conserve his energy. He’d get his hands on the goddamned portal and make her beg for it.

It was time someone taught Skye Knightly a lesson.

A slow smile lifted the corners of his mouth and he relaxed. He was more than up for the job. He shifted his body, hissing softly as the bulge between his legs throbbed with a need long denied.

Christ, was he up for it.

Once he was somewhat comfortable, he opened his mind up and listened. The nocturnal sounds of the jungle comprised a melody he would never tire of. It fed his soul in a way that was indescribable. It calmed him.

Again, his eyes wandered over Skye’s still form. Her chest rose and fell in the rhythm of sleep. The woman was a mystery. One that, he was pissed to admit, intrigued the hell out of him.

He didn’t trust her, didn’t know anything about her other than the fact that, apparently, they were natural-born enemies.

He got to his feet and crossed over to where she lay. Hopefully, when he rendezvoused with Cracker and the boys, they’d have more information on her family, the Knightlys. He knew her father was dead and there was a missing brother, Finn, but other than that he was clueless. The whole eagle knight thing was a mystery to him and he didn’t like any loose ends when running a mission.

In a fluid movement Jagger doffed his clothes and quickly tied the loose end of the rope up to one of the protruding branches of the downed tree to her right. He left it in an intricate knot, knowing it would be a cold day in hell before she was able to undo it.

He cracked the bones in his neck and rolled his shoulders as the mist began to crawl up over his long limbs. Within seconds his bones popped, limbs shortened, torso elongated, and a thick, shiny black pelt was left in place of his flesh. The jaguar barked a soft call, its long tail swishing back and forth slowly as its senses drifted on the languid breeze.

After a few moments the animal jumped over the long, tanned feminine legs at its feet and disappeared into the underbelly of the jungle.

The powerful cat roamed a great distance, hunting, tracking, but there was no enemy to be found. Neither animal nor human nor otherworld. And while this was a good thing, Jagger was on edge. He sensed something off, a slight kink in the ebb and flow of the vibrations that ran along Mother Earth.

Was it otherworld? He was frustrated because, truthfully, he had no clue, and other than a vague feeling, there was no evidence to be found.

His thoughts turned to Skye and her weird behavior the night before. Was there some merit to her actions? Had she sensed something he’d not been able to? Or was she just one hell of an actress?

The large cat scoured as much area as he could, seeking out any enemy that he might have missed. When the first fingers of sunlight began to tint the sky, jagged shards of gold bleeding through the early gloom, he turned and made his way back to where he’d left Skye.

Jagger knew they still had a good day’s hike before they would get anywhere near the jaguar reserve. And that was at the relentless pace only someone with the strength of the jaguar or eagle could attain.

He shook off the eerie quiet of the jungle and took off running. There was no time to waste.

He approached the ruins where they’d taken shelter the night before and slowed as he came abreast of them. Skye’s subtle, fragrant scent hung in the air like a seductive invitation. He began to pant, his nostrils quivering, and his tail twitched aggressively, snaking back and forth.

Jagger growled from deep in his chest as he glided over the soft earth. He rounded the edge of the broken-down stone wall, its sad gray countenance mostly covered by the myriad of greenery that made up the jungle floor.

He immediately caught wind of the scent of blood and swung his great head back and forth, panic nipping at him when he saw that Skye was not where he’d left her. The rope lay in tatters, covered in the unmistakable scent of her blood.

Jagger’s vision narrowed as the panic he felt intensified to an overwhelming sense of fear. He had left her there, tied up and defenseless. What the hell had he been thinking?

The mist immediately crawled over the powerful body of the cat and seconds later a tall human form emerged and ran toward the edge of the ruins.

Jagger knelt down, his fingers touching the earth at his feet.

The ground was messed up, but as far as he could see there was only one set of footprints. He scented the air, but other than Skye’s fragrance there was nothing to be found. He quickly donned his clothes, pulled on his boots, and followed the trail back into the jungle. It led in the opposite direction from where he’d been.

He raced through the thick underbrush, his mind and body focused on Skye. It wasn’t hard: she’d made no effort to cover her tracks and the scent of blood and fear lay heavy in the air. He found her less than a quarter of a mile away, at the edge of a small waterfall that fell from a sheer rock face.

She turned to him and that was all it took. He was at her side in seconds, a deep scorching shame hitting him hard as he looked down at her.

Her long hair lay in a wild mess, the thick waves untamed in the humid, wet air. Her tank top, drenched from the mist that hung in the air, was shredded violently and barely covered her breasts. The ragged edges were ugly, like gaping wounds. Large dark stains marred the white cotton and he could see that it was blood.

His gaze dropped to the chafed and torn flesh at her waist, and the shame he felt intensified.

What had he done to her?

“I thought you’d left me,” she said softly, her voice trembling. “Like everyone else.”

Skye raised her eyes and met his, and the pain and misery that was reflected in their depths touched something inside of him. He reached for her, ignoring the flinch as she looked away.

“He came back and you were gone.” She shook her head agitatedly. “I panicked.”

“Who came back?” he asked, his voice rough and urgent as his eyes skimmed the area around them. His adrenaline spiked and he hissed loudly as he turned back to her.

“Azaiel.”

Her voice trembled and something inside his chest constricted as he followed the progress of a single solitary tear. It wove its way down her cheek and fell to the ground. One perfect drop of sorrow that nearly killed him.

“I didn’t expect it. Not so soon. I thought he’d gone away.” She held out her hands. “It was different. He was there, outside of my head. I could
feel
him like before, only stronger, and I panicked.”

Jagger saw that her fingers were still rigid with the long, deadly talons of an eagle.

“It was daybreak and I could feel my strength returning. My only thought was to get away, so I clawed at the rope, but it was so tight.” She began to cry and Jagger truly felt like the biggest loser on planet Earth and beyond. “I could feel his hands on me and I …”

An ache clutched at him hard and he dropped to his knees, drawing her into the warmth of his embrace.

“There’s no one here now, Skye. You’re safe,” he murmured against the softness of her hair.

None of this made sense. A fucking dream demon manifesting itself? Jagger shook his head.

“I just wanted to get away,” she whispered, as if she’d not heard a word he’d said. “He kept laughing in my head and …”

She inhaled raggedly and he felt her body shudder violently. “I just wanted to make him go away but he wouldn’t stop. The things he said to me, I don’t—”

Skye stopped abruptly and was silent.

“Don’t what? It’s all right, he’s long gone.” Jagger’s senses had picked up nothing and he was dead certain they were alone.

His gaze took in her long elegant talons once more, as they shimmered and shifted, returning to their human form.

“He’ll never stop,” she said softly, almost in a daze. “He’s coming. We need to go. There isn’t much time.”

“Here, let me help you get cleaned up.”

Skye ignored him and wriggled out of his grasp. He let her go without a struggle, afraid that he would hurt her again. The raw skin at her waist made him cringe.

She grabbed a remnant of material at her feet and plunged it into the water that swept by.

Jagger turned to give her some privacy as she finished cleaning her wounds. The occasional sniffle echoed into the silence, and when she was done, his jaw ached from tension and self-loathing.

They made their way back to their supplies in silence. Skye had no more clothes and he found an extra T-shirt in one of the bags. It was large, obviously her brother’s, and she tied it at her hips, effectively hiding the chafed skin.

They ate quickly, filled up their water bottles back at the stream and began the long, arduous hike over Victoria Peak. With luck they’d reach the summit by nightfall, then head to the jaguar reserve, in the Cockscomb Basin, by morning.

If there was a god, Nico would be easy to find and hopefully direct them to the Cave of the sun.

Yeah, and I’m blowing lucky charms out my ass.

Jagger grimaced at the thought, but he had to prepare himself. There had to be hundreds of hidden caves and grottoes just in and around Victoria Mountain alone. The Maya mountain range, where they’d just come from was a whole other story.

He chanced a quick glance down at the woman, who was having no problems whatsoever keeping up with him. Her golden skin was covered in a fine sheen of moisture, her hair curled in long caramel-colored ringlets, and her clothes clung to her frame.

The air was incredibly humid and Jagger could feel rain. He’d been in the wild for at least three months. If his calculations were correct, it was mid- to late May, and the rainy season would be upon the region in the next little while.

Making their mission much more difficult.

Jagger pushed those thoughts to the back of his mind. He’d deal with it, if and when the situation presented itself. Right now, he needed to concentrate on getting them safely over Victoria Peak.

They continued to climb higher, pushing through the thick stands of mahogany and cedar that were abundant in this part of Belize. The pace set was relentless, and by early evening they achieved their goal: they reached the summit. The last bit of sun lay bright across the darkening sky, the view unfettered by the tall canopy below.

Jagger turned to Skye. She stood a few feet away, panting slightly from the exertion of the climb. Her face was raised, eyes closed, and the soft curve of her cheek was illuminated by the last dying beams of sunlight. All around her a fine mist from the clouds created an otherworld effect.

She looked ethereal. As if she weren’t real.

The sight held him still.

His gut tightened and a knot formed at the back of his throat. Jagger gave himself a mental shake. What the hell was wrong with him? So the lady enjoyed a bit of sunlight.

A loud call echoed down at them and they both turned to the right. A large bird drifted lazily on the wind, its wings spread languidly.

His eyes immediately fell to Skye but she was focused on the raptor. As it swooped lower, he was able to ascertain that it was indeed an eagle. The wind was blowing in the opposite direction. He couldn’t catch its scent. He didn’t know if it was otherworld.

“Is that one of yours?”

She just shook her head and answered softly, “No. That one is free.”

Skye turned toward him abruptly. “Can I have my satchel?”

They’d barely spoken all day and while his first instinct was to keep the bag, he found himself handing it over. He still felt like an utter ass for what had happened the night before.

He turned from her and looked out at the Maya Mountains. They ran along the western side of the Victoria, and even cloaked in the dull gray of early dusk, they were magnificent.

“We’ll camp here for the night. Make our way down into the basin by midmorning.”

Skye ignored him and grabbed a bunch of papers along with a tin of beans before she settled herself into a small crevice carved into the ground. Atop the exposed summit, there wasn’t much shelter, so they took what they could find.

They ate in silence, and as the long moments ticked by Jagger found himself growing more and more annoyed. He couldn’t take the silent treatment any longer.

“Look, I’m sorry I left you the way I did this morning, but I couldn’t take the chance you’d fly away.”

Silence still.

“For Christ sakes, Skye, give me a break. You would have done the same thing if the positions were reversed.”