“This is it?”
The words slipped from her mouth before she had a chance to censor herself, and she winced at the childish tone that accompanied them.
A deep chuckle broke from the warrior and she felt his laughter fall over her like warm chocolate.
“No, Skye, this isn’t it.”
The sound of her name coming from his lips flushed every inch of her body in a wave of heat. He moved toward her, but she refused to back away, and clenched her hands together as his head lowered toward hers. She inhaled sharply as his mouth rested against her cheek, and his breath against her skin sent tiny shivers of electricity burning down her neck.
“A little patience.”
He pulled her after him once more, and just like that, his warmth and the tingles that had spread in little shock waves over her limbs receded. They began to navigate around a large piece of stone that was circular, which suggested the influence of man, and it was also smooth on top. It looked somewhat like a ceremonial altar, and she paused, running her fingers over the cold stone, wondering what it had been used for, so many years in the past.
Reluctantly she let go and they continued down another passageway that opened up into a much larger chamber, several hundred feet farther into the mountain.
It was magnificent and Skye clutched her satchel close to her body as she simply stood back and stared up into the enormous cavern. The air was cool, damp, and she shivered slightly at the shadows that played against the walls.
She could hear Jagger rustling about a few feet away, and when he lit a large torch, the natural beauty of the cave took her breath away. The firelight did so much more for the space than the artificial beam from the flashlight.
Skye had been searching through so many incredible caves in the last few months, and the sheer beauty and unique structure of each one she’d recorded never failed to impress her. Nature was an amazing thing.
There were remnants of pottery strewn about, but there was nothing to indicate that this was anything other than a cave used by ancient Mayans thousands of years earlier. Impressive from an archeological standpoint, yes, and at one time Skye would have been all over the importance of that, but her mission was simple. She needed to find one specific cave only.
Her gaze rested once more on the jaguar warrior as he set about building a small fire in the ancient pit that was dead center in the cave. He had obviously spent a great amount of time out here in the jungle, exploring. Would he know of the cave she sought?
Excitement sizzled through her as she thought of the possibility that he might have knowledge of the Cave of the Sun. Could it be as simple as that?
The more important question, however, was, could she trust him?
He straightened suddenly, and his stare pierced hers with a directness that shot like a spike of adrenaline straight to her heart. It took off like a rocket, the muscle working hard and fast in reaction to the heated look that burned so deeply in his eyes.
Jagger Castille looked like a predator as he stood silent, watching her closely.
Something deep inside of her body was screaming to answer in kind, but Skye turned away abruptly and walked over to a long, low stone bench. She sat down and looked at her feet.
Who the hell was she kidding? Could she trust him. Please! The real question was, could she trust herself?
They shared a sparse meal in quiet, without further conversation, and after several long minutes Skye grabbed a blanket from her bag and laid it upon the hard stone surface. She frowned in dismay, but beggars couldn’t be choosers, and quickly stretched out her tired body.
“So, you gonna tell me what this is all about?” he asked suddenly.
Skye bit her lip. There was so much to tell, but she couldn’t share it. “It’s complicated.”
“Yeah, I got that.”
Silence fell between them once more but Skye found her mind wandering and she surprised herself when she spoke aloud. “Why are you out here? I mean, in the jungle living in that cave.”
“It’s complicated,” he answered, and she smiled to herself. Touché.
“Things had become too … hard and I just found it easier to chill in the jungle and try and forget.” She heard him move restlessly before continuing. “It’s been almost a year since I came back. I don’t think I’ll ever be able to forget.”
“Came back?”
The warrior paused and his voice was rough as he continued. “Iraq. Afghanistan.”
Skye turned her head and met his gaze, swallowing a lump at the pain she could see in his eyes. It was there and gone just as fast. Seemed her jaguar had his own demons to wrestle.
He turned from her and she settled back down, drawing the blanket up for warmth. She was tired, cold, and shaking. Her mind turned in circles, her thoughts a mad collage of her mission, the portal, Finn, and not surprisingly, the jaguar.