His Darkest Embrace (Jaguar Warriors 2)

“I was there last night for your family reunion, remember?”

Jagger moved so fast she had no time to react and his fingers dug into her arms cruelly. “We are not talking about me,” he hissed. “Understand? My situation or anything about me is no concern of yours.”

The small whimper that fell from her lips alerted him to the fact that he was on the verge of crushing her bones beneath his iron-clad grip.

“Take your hands off me,” she said, her voice low and controlled. Her hand started to shift, and he looked down at the deadly talons that were quickly replacing her fingers. Jagger threw her from him, disgusted in both himself and the anger that she provoked. Mostly because, deep down, he knew she was right.

He took a second, calmed himself and turned back to Skye. Her hand was back to its human form. “What exactly is this Aztec artifact?”

Jagger watched her closely, noticed the stain that crept up over her cheeks. Saw the way her eyes shifted away and then back to his.

“It’s a small round disc,” she said softly before looking away again.

“A small round disc? That’s it? What the hell is so important that both the DaCostas want it, and a scumbag like Cormac?”

“I’m not sure exactly.”

Liar, Jagger thought. He continued to watch her in silence. He’d bet his last bottle of Canadian whiskey that she knew exactly why they wanted the disc.

“My father hid it here in the jungle,” she continued haltingly. “It was ours to protect. Cormac murdered him because he wanted to get his filthy hands on it.”

Skye looked at him square in the face, her body trembling, but her voice was strong. “I will not let it fall into their hands. I need to find it before they do. Before anyone does.”

Jagger took a few minutes, his mind shrewdly going over what she’d just revealed. The pain on her face was unmistakable, and God help him, he believed her when she said she wasn’t working with Cormac or the DaCostas. But there were still a hell of a lot of loose ends that needed tying.

“Why did the DaCostas have Libby?” he shot at her.

She shook her head. “I don’t know. They had some kind of grudge against your brother, I think.” She shrugged her shoulders. “I wasn’t there nearly as long as Libby, and truthfully, it’s not like bonding was on our minds. We were focused on surviving.”

“Who’s Azaeil?” His eyes narrowed as her face whitened. Skye looked away.

“Where did you hear that name?” she asked finally. The fear in her eyes made Jagger’s stomach muscles clench.

“From your lips. This morning.” He moved closer to her, noting how she was trembling. Her hand rose shakily to push the thick rope of hair behind her ears.

“I … I don’t—”

Jagger exploded, cutting her off. “You’re treading on soft ground here. Don’t play me. I will accept some of your half truths, for now.” He glared at her, totally pissed. “But I want to know who the hell this fucker is. Because he was here, this morning, and if I’m going to have a hope in hell of protecting you from whatever shit you’ve gotten yourself into, I need to know everything.”

Skye swallowed thickly and drew in a shaky breath. “He was here?” She blanched at his curt nod. “Did you see him?”

“There wasn’t much to see, actually, but yeah, there was something here and I’m assuming it’s Azaiel, since you mumbled something about him coming.”

She closed her eyes and shuddered. “He’s real,” she said incredulously, shaking her head.

“What the hell is he?”

Skye opened her eyes and he felt a wave of trepidation run through him. She looked scared shitless. She looked resigned. But to what fate?

“He’s visited me on and off since I was a child. I always thought he was a figment of my imagination. A bad dream that never went away.” Her eyes were luminous, huge in her face as she turned to him. “But things have changed and I can’t be sure, but I think he’s a … demon,” she said softly and then looked away before muttering something under her breath.

Only the keen sense of hearing Jagger possessed enabled him to hear. A few words spoken and the ominous ring to them left a hollow feeling deep in his gut.

“And he’s coming for me.”

Chapter 10