His Darkest Embrace (Jaguar Warriors 2)

He saw nothing and was beginning to lose his patience when Skye stopped abruptly. He very nearly slammed into the back of her.

“It’s there,” she whispered.

Jagger followed her gaze and felt impatience rush through him. He couldn’t see shit.

Skye moved past the large boulder that stood like a soldier and he quickly followed suit. She carefully set her bag down, the fog swirling hard and fast around them.

Jagger inhaled deeply, all senses on full alert. The magick that coated the surrounding hillside was ancient, and though it didn’t set off alarm bells, he couldn’t help but pause at the power it wielded.

Skye closed her eyes and he stood back. He could feel little pulses of energy in the air, almost like a force field was in effect. Which in fact was what the magick was for. It would be enough to repel wild animals or humans with no knowledge.

The wind picked up, tossing the long strands of caramel into the air so that Skye?

??s hair surrounded her head like Medusa’s snakes. She looked wild, untamed. Fucking magnificent.

Slowly her hands drifted out on either side of her body, and he was mesmerized by the elegant fingers. She looked so fragile then, with the wind whipping around her.

His breath caught in his throat as gentle words began to roll from her tongue. Ancient, powerful words laced with a magick he could feel. They were not anything he’d heard before, and as her voice rose to crest the wind, the powerful emotions that rocked him were hard to contain.

She was his warrior woman and she tapped into a savage need inside of him. He’d never seen anything like it and felt pride for this woman who was before him.

Her hands began to make intricate movements, precise and detailed as they wove some foreign charm into the air. When Skye’s body began to waver he stepped in close to her back, but she raised her right hand and halted him when he would have touched her.

The air was thick and it was hard to breathe. His heart began to accelerate as the fog swirled ever closer, slick with a mist that drenched their clothes and cooled their flesh.

And just when Skye’s voice faded, her last words echoing softly into the wind, he saw it. The waterfall itself began to shimmer, to pulsate and move. He narrowed his eyes, and slowly, like a film had been pulled back, he was able to see the opening.

It was slim, the merest whisper of a passageway in the rock wall beside the waterfall.

“We need to hurry. I can’t hold it much longer. I’m not powerful enough.”

He looked at Skye, saw the exhaustion in her face, and scooped her into his arms, grabbing her bag from the ground and ignoring the protest from her lips. Quickly his long legs ate up the last few yards to the opening, and as he slid through, he felt a subtle pressure. Almost like a pop, but then he was inside and the sensation fled.

It was dark, silent. Cold and damp.

For several long seconds the only sounds heard were the breaths from each of them.

Skye clung to his body, her arms tight around his neck, and as his eyes adjusted to the gloom, he nuzzled the top of her head, inhaling her scent deep into his body. It felt so right, having her in his arms, and the immediate ache that accompanied the thought hit him hard and fast.

His breathing increased tenfold and just as his body began to hum with a hot flush of desire, she pushed away, wriggling her limbs until reluctantly he let her slide from his arms.

“This is it!” she said, her voice full of wonder.

Skye grabbed her bag from him, rummaging inside, and a few seconds later artificial light flooded the cave.

He looked around and felt a keen sense of disappointment. This was it? There was nothing special that he could see. No markings, no artifacts. Just the cold gray walls staring back at him.

“Oh my God, they’re beautiful!”

Jagger turned, perplexed at the look of wonder on Skye’s face. He could see nothing and he remained silent as she slowly walked over to the farthest wall. Her fingers gently caressed the rock and as they passed over the hard surface he saw sparks fly and symbols appear beneath her touch, only to sink from sight as her hand moved farther along.

She turned then, her face alight with strong emotion.

“Aren’t they amazing?” She laughed and he found himself smiling in return.

In two steps his long legs carried him to her side and he shrugged his shoulders. “I don’t see what you see.” His eyes looked down at her intently. “I see flashes of symbols, but it’s only when your hand is near the stone.”

Skye shook her head. “Gawd, I’m an idiot. Of course.” She looked up at him, the blue of her eyes flashing, glowing eerily in the dark. “You’re jaguar. You wouldn’t be able to see.”