It suddenly became apparent to her that Jagger was tied to them and what had gone down three months earlier at Caracol. And now, as he held her tightly, painfully, within his grip, she refused to meet his gaze. Afraid of what she’d see.
Skye’s thoughts continued to whirl into a tornado of panic. When had her life taken such a header directly into the shithouse?
She could feel tears once more stinging the corners of her eyes as she thought of her father, dead, and Finn most likely the same. Of the countless others that had given their lives in order to protect the portal.
Fucking magicks and shifters, she thought. None of them could be trusted. Not even the towering jaguar that stood before her.
Skye welcomed the anger that suddenly erupted from within as her eyes slowly met Jagger’s, and she fed on it, closing off her mind and her emotions.
They would not win. She would find a way out of this situation. She would find the portal. Alone.
And she would seal it.
Only then would she be able to rest. And God knows, she was so very tired.
“Is it true?” Jagger asked harshly, his fingernails clawing at her flesh.
Skye ignored the pain, doing her best to keep her face neutral. There was no way she’d let them see how upset and rattled she was.
She remained quiet, her gaze never meeting his, not even when he began to shake her so hard that she began to see stars. What was the point? It’s not like he’d believe her anyway.
“Stop it!” the older gentleman ordered gruffly. “We need her brain in working order, because she sure as hell owes us some answers.”
Jagger let her go and this time she did lose her balance, unable to stop herself from falling to the ground. The tender skin on her knees took the brunt and she bit down on a groan as her aching body protested. Her head was pounding and she began to see white spots floating in the air.
She was so very hungry and thirsty.
A wave of dizziness caught her off guard and she sucked in a deep breath, fighting the nausea that accompanied it. She closed her eyes for a few seconds, aware of the rumble of male voices. They rose and then fell. There were angry words, orders barked, but she paid no mind.
Skye needed to concentrate, to conserve that little spark of energy that was left inside her. It was the only thing that was going to carry her forward. She clung to it and when her arm was yanked nearly out of the socket as she was pulled up to her feet, she uttered not a sound.
She did not bow in defeat or weakness. She was an eagle knight and would hold her head high.
Skye met the eyes of the magick man, Declan, with a defiance that earned a ghost of a smile, one that didn’t go anywhere near his eyes. She’d heard the whispers. He was Cormac’s son.
He grinned down at her. “I wouldn’t be so cocky if I were you. Honestly, I’d love to get a crack at getting inside that head of yours.” Declan leaned closer and his voice dropped to a whisper. Skye had to strain in order to hear his words. “Magick does have a way of pulling thoughts and memories out, but methinks that in this case Jagger here will be much more effective.” He winked at her then. “Or at the very least, he’ll have way more fun.”
Jagger moved into her line of vision. Skye held her ground and even though no outward sign betrayed her innermost feelings, she gulped back the fear that began to spread quickly.
Jagger’s face held no emotion whatsoever, his features as cold as a slab of granite. Unflinching. Unyielding. It was amazing, really, that a face so incredibly arresting could look so aloof and bitter.
She swallowed thickly. It was obvious he’d made up his mind. She was now his enemy.
He’d donned a pair of pants and suddenly she felt exposed, vulnerable, as she stood there, her nakedness barely covered. Quickly her gaze passed over the other three men, but they all stared her down as if she had no right to be breathing the same air as they did. The older one, Cracker, spit into the ground and turned away. The other two followed, until they disappeared into the darkness, swallowed whole by the thick vines.
She was alone. With a jaguar warrior who not long ago would have thrown her to the ground and made love to her if she’d let him.
Yet now looked at her with no emotion at all.
Skye took a second to push back her fear, held her head high, and slowly moved toward him. There was no use trying to escape. She needed to be smart about this. It was the only way.
“This way,” he said flatly.
They trudged through the jungle, swinging by the small pond of water where they’d been together less than an hour earlier. Jagger retrieved his clothes and pointed her in the direction he wanted her to take.
She didn’t rate so much as a word, just the odd grunt and gesture.
The silence was almost unbearable. Truthfully, she’d rather he yell at her, pick a fight or something. Anything was better than the morose quiet that followed as she carefully trekked across the jungle floor, picking a careful path.