Without warning she kneed him sharply in the balls. Hard.
He roared in anger as his grip loosened and she rolled away from him, her legs churning as she wildly looked for escape. She was in a cave of some sort. Frantically she sought an exit, and she bolted toward long beams of light that beckoned from down the narrow tunnel.
Skye didn’t bother looking back. She was down the passage in an instant and as the light became brighter, she tapped into her eagle, and felt the large raptor explode as she leapt out into the sun.
She made the shift seamlessly. As her large wings unfurled and her body rose high into the warm sky, she headed toward camp.
She heard a shout of rage follow her, but ignored it.
She had more pressing matters to attend to. The
DaCosta jaguars were on the hunt, and she needed to warn Finn and Sam.
Sam was human and dear to her heart. He’d been working with her for the past two years as she’d tried to locate the portal.
But Finn … he was of her blood, and if he was lost to her, then she’d truly be on her own. She’d be the last Knightly to walk the earth and soar free in the skies.
As her great wings carried her higher into the welcoming sunlight, she felt the elation of the shift leave her as a great sadness crept into her soul.
She would be the only eagle knight left to carry out her father’s mission, one that would only succeed with the ultimate sacrifice.
She just prayed she’d be strong enough to carry it through to the bitter end.
Chapter 3
Jagger Castille staggered to his feet, trying to control his fast-rising temper. He inhaled sharply, his eyes darkening yet again, and this time desire had nothing to do with it.
Christ, his nuts were fucking killing him. He bent over, his breath ragged, and he couldn’t decide what hurt more, his aching jewels or his pride.
He’d not had sex in a seriously long time, and the scent of the woman he’d held so close was still in his nostrils, taunting him. He felt his cock react, hardening even more at the thought of her perfect breasts in his hands. He stood straight and shook his tense muscles, cursing loudly as the pain between his legs refused to lessen.
What the hell had happened?
He growled his displeasure as his long legs carried him to the entrance of the cave. She was nowhere in sight. His head swiveled around but there was no trace of her.
What the fuck?
Jagger wasn’t sure how long he stood there, cock jutting straight out like a bull about to charge. He knew he should let it go. But how could he?
Groaning, he let out a long breath and glanced down at his aching appendage. There was no way that was going away anytime soon.
He could take care of those needs the old-fashioned way if he had to. As his eyes quickly scanned the entire perimeter, her elusive scent caught at him, enthralled him with its sweetness. It was riding the wind and he found himself facing north, his eyes scouring the distance, searching for some kind of sign.
What the hell was he thinking?
The detached part of his human nature warned him to just leave it alone. But the cat hungered inside, wanting to taste her.
Savagely, Jagger snarled and plunged his overheated flesh into the cool water that fell from his cave. The refreshing wetness abated the fever he was feeling briefly, but he knew he would be walking around with a hard-on for days.
And so he stood, six feet, six inches of rock-solid muscle, pissed off that some random female had infiltrated his space and reduced him to a quivering mass of need.
Her scent still floated in the air and he inhaled the richness of it, feeling it burn through his veins as her unique odor caught at the very heart of him.
The satchel that he’d taken from around her shoulders lay against the pallet on the floor and quickly he opened it, hoping to find information about this mystery woman who’d been attacked by two jaguar warriors so close to his territory.
The small satchel was full of maps, notes, and intricately drawn recordings of caves. Detailed and precise, they aroused his curiosity.
He sat back on his haunches and quickly skimmed the renderings. Several small notes had been scribbled into one margin, and he felt the sting of anger hit him once more as one word stood out in stark relief.