Her mind turned to Jagger. What was she doing with him? It made no sense. She had nothing to offer him except pain. Skye did not want to be Eden number two.
She kept her face neutral and refused to look away from Jaden’s eyes, asking instead, “So what’s your plan? Can you not come clean with Jagger and Nico?”
“No.” Jaden shook her head violently. “I can’t trust a soul. No one can know I’m the mole in the DaCosta organization.”
Skye made a face. “Okay, I get that. What’s next?”
“I’ll head back and try to buy you as much time as I can, but it won’t be much. There’re just too many mercenaries arriving each hour.” She spat into the ground. “The entire jungle smells like a fucking paranormal melting pot.” She raised her eyebrow. “And that’s a stink I can barely stomach.”
“Okay, let me come up with something. Jagger and Nico aren’t dumb, they’ll be all over your escape and—”
A sharp pain exploded along the side of her temple and Skye tilted forward as the world began to spin.
What the hell?
She tried to articulate her thoughts but her mouth didn’t seem to be working. Her eyes tried to focus on Jaden, but the woman was nothing more than a blur.
“Sorry chica, but really, you had that coming.”
Skye heard the words spoken and then everything went dark.
It was a dark moonless night, one meant for the predatory beasts that roamed the jungle.
Yet Jagger took no pleasure from his nocturnal jaunt. Things had changed. The darkness that was threatening could be felt everywhere. It seeped into the earth at his feet, and poisoned the air that he drew into his lungs.
It made him sick to his stomach to think that certain factions of all the paranormal beings—vamps, shifters, magicks—were actively looking to unleash the demon underworld in the human realm.
Were they fucking clueless? Did Cormac and his cohorts actually think they could control the beasts of the underworld?
Their arrogance and severe lack of regard was astounding.
Nico joined him then, his long, lean body slipping through the dark underbrush. The big cat grunted and turned back toward the cave.
It was time.
There was nothing out here to hunt. The entire area was eerily silent. The animals had all fled, and so far, there was no sign of the enemy. No hint of magick on the air, just the empty silence of the jungle.
Nervous tension sat low in his belly, and the need to get back to Skye rode him hard. Jagger took off running, his powerful frame eating up the distance in no time, and less than twenty minutes later the two males stood near the base of the cave where they’d left Skye.
He called the mist to his body and moved forward, walking through a change that, while painful, was exhilarating as well. The raw power that his body possessed fed something in his soul that he would never be able to explain.
As he climbed the ledge and entered the cave, his exuberance fled.
Skye sat against the cold rock wall, rubbing her head and cursing under her breath. He quickly turned, scented the air, but it was useless.
The female jaguar was gone.
Long gone, by the minute traces of her scent that lingered still.
He growled and crossed to Skye, his hands reaching for her.
“What the hell happened?” he asked, trying not to sound accusatory but it was kinda hard. Hell, she’d been in charge of one prisoner. A restrained prisoner, to boot.
“What do you think happened? The bitch clocked me.”
Skye’s eyes were full of indignation and for a brief second his anger slipped.
“Are you all right?” He reached for her head and she tried to move away from his touch. “Be still,” he growled, his tone brooking no argument.