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.