She maneuvered ever so slightly, gracefully jumping into the air and landing on his arm. Her long, deadly talons were gentle as she clung to his forearm, and he reached out a tentative hand, feeling deep possession rush through him as she let him stroke her feathers.
Jagger stared deeply into the eyes of his woman and felt such a rush of pride he needed to look away. To collect himself.
After a few seconds he turned and headed carefully back where he’d come from, toward Nico.
He found the warrior by the stream and when Nico turned around, the look on his face was priceless.
Jagger could well imagine the visual he presented. A tall, dark, naked dude, full of jaguar tats, coming out of the jungle with an eagle on his arm wasn’t something you’d see every day.
Nico’s eyes narrowed. “She all right?” he asked gruffly.
“I think so. She hasn’t shifted back, so I can’t be sure.”
Nico grunted. “She sure as hell went in hard. That was fucking kamikaze.” He took a deep swig of water and then laughed. “Something I’d do.” There was a hint of admiration in the warrior’s tone and Jagger looked at Skye with pride.
She sure as hell didn’t listen, but would he change that? Hell, no.
Jagger took in the sight of the dark-haired woman on the ground. He sniffed the air and looked at Nico in surprise. “She dead?”
The warrior shook his head. “Nope.”
“She’s jaguar,” Jagger said, his words ending on a growl.
“Yeah, I noticed.”
“What the fuck is this world coming to? Jaguars working with magicks against jaguars.”
The large eagle began to rustle, the talons digging into his skin. Jagger stroked Skye’s feathers with his fingers, his tone reassuring. “Let’s get you some clothes.”
He nodded to Nico. “What are you going to do with her?”
Nico’s eyes wandered back to the prone woman at his feet. “I haven’t decided yet. She might have information that could prove useful.” He shrugged his shoulders. “I think we’ll let her wake up and see what the bitch has to say.”
“It’s not like we have all day.” Jagger frowned.
“If she’s not awake when we’re ready to leave, I’ll deal with her.” The ugly truth fell from Nico’s mouth and Jagger turned away, suddenly weary of all the violence and turmoil.
Would it ever end?
Jagger followed the stream back past the bodies of the two men who’d accompanied the dark sorcerer until he came upon Skye’s clothes strewn about the jungle floor.
He knelt down and watched in silence as the eagle hopped from his arm. She flapped her wings, the long elegant appendages sweeping a large arc in front of him. Her eyes, blue as ever, regarded him in silence, and when the mist began to crawl along her body he moved back.
It enveloped her whole—long fingers of fog that crept up into the air at least ten feet. He found he was holding his breath and let it out in a rush as Skye emerged from the mist and walked toward him.
His eyes ate her alive and his heart began a slow, sensual beat that hit heavily, deep inside his chest.
He’d never seen anything so sexy, sensual.
Slowly his eyes traveled up her body, the long, toned limbs, past the juncture between her legs, and up along the flat belly until they rested briefly on her full, golden breasts. Her long caramel-colored hair hung in messy waves, blowing softly in the wind as her chest rose and fell.
The dusky nipples, erect and full, begged to be kissed, to be cherished and worshiped. His mouth began to water at the thought and his cock roared to life in answer.
Christ, how he wanted this woman. Any other time he’d have her on her back so fast, she wouldn’t know what the hell had hit her.
A little problem, that. The whole time thing.
Jagger glanced down at the huge erection between his legs and shifted his body in an attempt to alleviate the discomfort. Seemed these days, he was nothing more than a walking hard-on.