It was Eden, all over again. Her death had broken him. But Skye? If something happened to her, he’d be done. Over. He may as well turn around and hand his ass over to the DaCostas, because his life wouldn’t be worth shit if she wasn’t going to a part of it.
“Skye!” he yelled in anguish.
What the hell was happening?
There was a keening sound that ripped through the cavern, so loud he fought the urge to cover his ears. All around him the walls of the cave continued to expand and recede as if made of gas.
And then, as if stretched to the limit, they thinned and the hole in the ceiling blurred and folded over, becoming solid once more.
Within seconds it disappeared and the rumbling stopped, leaving Jagger in the center of a cave that was less than ordinary, cold, and gray. The glow faded almost immediately, and the cavern was plunged into a heavy, thick darkness.
His mind worked frantically through several scenarios and his frustration continued to grow at the severity of the situation.
His nocturnal stare swung around, back to the entrance. It stared back at him, taunting him and his inability to protect his mate. Inside his soul the animal cried out in fury and a shot of adrenaline spiked his blood to a boil. He took off at a run.
The passage was as dark as the cavern he’d just left, but his eyes sliced through the gloom. Jagger let his senses fly, looking for anything out of the ordinary. But there was nothing.
He retraced his steps and found himself back in the original chamber beneath the waterfall. It was cold and mist began to rise from his body. The anxious bite in his gut heaved. Nothing had changed here, but then what the hell had he expected?
Cold determination ripped through him and he took off at a dead run, his long legs covering the distance in no time. He burst forth from the cave, his lungs inhaling the early evening air as his eyes scoured the surrounding area.
It was dusk and the fear he felt for Skye tripled. He knew she was without her eagle powers, and even though she was still stronger, faster than most humans, it wouldn’t help her this night.
Because it sure as hell wasn’t humans who hunted her.
He needed to find her, like, yesterday.
Hold on, babe, I’m coming, he whispered to himself.
Quickly he stripped his clothes and tossed them behind the large boulder that stood at attention near the opening of the cave. Mist clung to his skin. It curled along the ground as it hovered above the waterfall less than five feet away, mixing with the magick that climbed over his limbs.
Within seconds he’d shifted and the large black jaguar that erupted from deep inside the mist took off at a hard run. Jagger ran at a relentless pace, his powerful frame eating up the ground as he slipped over rock and then plunged into the surrounding vegetation thick with the heat of the coming rains.
His “bad mojo” alert was on high and his eyes were forever scanning from left to right. As he crested a small rise he stopped, inhaling the damp air deep into his lungs, but there was nothing.
Disappointment slid through him and he barked softly, the sound muffled by the humidity. His green eyes carefully studied the area around him, running over the summit, which was not far up from where he stood.
Mentally he pictured the inside of the great cave, and after a few moments he began to move again. Truthfully, he knew the chances of finding Skye were slim. He didn’t even know if there was another exit.
He just had to trust that there was. To think of the alternative was not an option at this point. However, if left with no choice, he’d blow the fucking mountain to pieces.
He continued to stalk the night, his nose and ears leading him forward as he picked through many scents, and there were a lot to take in. The stink of otherworld filled his nasal cavity and his eyes turned to the canopy below.
It lay silent, deadly.
Not one sound echoed up to him. The animals had long fled and left nothing behind except the evil that was slowly infiltrating their home. They were down there, the enemy, and Jagger knew he had little time in which to get to his woman and get them both to safety.
He began to pant, his powerful canines flashing white, and without another thought he began the final climb to the summit.
The going was rough, as the entire area was full of dangerous crevices that disappeared into the darkness. Heat and humidity coated the rock face, making it slippery and extremely hard to navigate, but still he moved on. As the minutes ticked by and the urgent need to get to Skye rode him harder, he began to take chances, his great body literally flying over the dangerous terrain.
He narrowly missed falling and only avoided injury because of his razor-sharp claws, which he used to dig into the earth and pull himself up the bank of yet another stream with a waterfall. The entire mountainside was littered with them.
He’d just reached solid ground when he stopped short, his chest heaving and mouth open wide. A grumble rolled deep from within his chest and he swung his head to the right.
Skye’s sweet scent drifted over him, riding the slightest hint of air. His nostrils quivered and with an excited bark he took off. The area was shrouded in a heavy fog that coated the land thickly, making it difficult to see, but he homed in on her scent and that was all he needed.
A few minutes later Jagger burst through the fog and immediately felt the presence of magick. Old magick.