His Darkest Embrace (Jaguar Warriors 2)

He was in some sort of stone hut. Though it was still dark he could feel the shift of the earth’s cycle and he knew that dawn was close at hand. He inhaled the fresh crisp scent of rain and stood up quickly, feeling an urgent need to act, but puzzled as to where the hell he was and what was going on.

He shook his head violently and grimaced, not liking the creepy sensation that was there, like his brain had been fucked with.

He glanced at the ground and spied a bag lying up against what appeared to be an altar of some sort. Quickly he crossed over to it, his fingers clutching the worn leather as he brought it to his nose.

He closed his eyes and breathed in deeply and as the scent that lay there invaded his body and mind he felt the jaguar inside react violently. Images began to waver in front of him, memories bombarding him. He pushed against them, growling softly at the plethora of emotions that washed over him like a tidal wave.

Long blond hair, electric blue eyes, and soft golden skin that belonged to a goddess rose in front of his mind’s eye. Skye!

Jagger dropped the satchel and began to pant as his panic and anger increased tenfold. He dropped to the ground in a crouch, his eyes scouring the earth floor there, trying to make sense of what had happened.

His last memory was of the two of them, together, his body claiming hers as his own. His eyes frantically swept the room and he vaguely remembered an eerie gray mist that had invaded his dreams the night before. It left a bitter taste in his mouth, for it had been a dark, malevolent presence.

Realization dawned then. Fucking Azaiel. What the hell was he? How did he have the power to transcend time and the space between the two realms?

A new thought struck then and it was one that left him cold with fear. What if the portal had been found by Cormac? What if Azaiel and a thousand legions of demons were at this moment spreading their wings here in the human realm?

In one fluid motion Jagger stood, stretched out his long limbs, and squared his shoulders. A deadly calm settled over him as he let his animalistic traits rise to the surface. The hunter and killer that was as much a part of him as his humanity now had free reign. Electricity tingled along his nerves and he felt his jaguar react with vicious glee.

He cleared his mind of everything except Skye and focused.

Skye Knightly was as much a part of him as his right arm; all of her, every last delectable, infuriating, irritating, and wholly pleasurable piece of her. He would fucking rip apart anyone or anything that dared to lay a hand on her.

And he’d start kicking ass with whoever was lurking just outside the shelter.

His body tensed and inside the animal quieted. He slipped along the far wall, his body melting into the shadows, and he waited, ready to pounce.

A stranger slid into view and stopped several feet away. He was tall and of powerful build. Jagger’s teeth flashed through the gloom and he inhaled the intruder’s scent, his eyes widening at what it told him.

In a flash the stranger rushed him, and Jagger barely had time to react before the wall of muscle slammed into him. The force of the hit pushed him back, but Jagger’s arms went around the man’s shoulders and they both flew back into the hard rock wall.

Jagger growled loudly, feeling the burn rip up his skin as the jaguar threatened to erupt. He grunted and head-butted the intruder, his skull connecting hard with the other’s head. He felt instant satisfaction as bone crumbled and the scent of blood filled the air.

The large man yelled and grabbed Jagger’s hand, twisting it, as the stranger’s eyes began to glow. His body, too, began to shimmer and Jagger fought his way through the pain in his forearm as the intruder’s hand morphed into large, sharp claws. Avian claws.

The dude was an eagle. But the question was, whose side was he on?

The sharp talons gripped his arm tightly and as his blood began to flow and coat the air with its coppery scent, Jagger began to burn with the need to act. He needed to get to Skye. With a mighty growl he ripped his arm from the stranger’s and twisted away, using the rock at his back to propel himself through the air until he landed a few feet away, in a crouched position, hands fisted and ready to fight.

“Who the hell are you?” Jagger shouted, rage coloring his words so that his voice fell from him in layers.

The stranger stood slowly, chest heaving, and his eyes flashed through the gloom. He held his arms up, they were still in half shift and the deadly talons stared back at Jagger.

“Where is my sister?” he said, his words laced with emotion. “Christ, if I’m too late …”

Jagger stilled and straightened up from his crouched position. His mind rushed in several different directions, but one thing was clear. He needed to get to Skye, and the man before him could either help or hinder.

“Are you Finn?”

The light cast by the flashlight drew eerie shadows across the man’s features. Jagger studied him closely. He was golden, his coloring similar to Skye’s, and his eyes flashed blue.

The eagle’s features were tense as his eyes quickly scanned the interior of the stone shrine. They whitened even more and he turned to Jagger, a furious snarl coming from between clenched lips.

“What have you done to her?” His question ripped across the air and Jagger growled in reaction.

“If you’re suggesting I’ve somehow harmed Skye, you’re totally off.” Jagger took a step toward the eagle. “She’s mine and I’ll do whatever it takes to get her back.”

“Yours?” he asked, his voice low and deadly. “Care to elaborate, jaguar? How can an eagle knight belong to a jaguar?”