His Darkest Salvation (Jaguar Warriors 3)

Jaden cocked her head to the side, feeling the moment leave in a rush. “And that is?” she asked quietly.

“You should put some ice on that.”

Chapter 9

Julian watched as Jaden’s shoulders slumped, and he winced at the harshness of his words, but really, what else could she expect from him?

And yet there was something sad about a woman of such strength and determination cut to the bone by the asshole who was her father.

Something flared inside him, a small sliver of emotion, and he clenched his hands tightly at his sides, fighting the urge to reach for her.

That was a line he wouldn’t be crossing.

The silence in the room was sharp, it pulled at his ears. Inside his mind, the beast continued to howl in frustration, burning him with anxiety. His jaguar scratched beneath the surface, enraged. It had taken every ounce of control he possessed to remain on the balcony when Jakobi had attacked Jaden.

He shouldn’t care. So she had family issues, so what? It wasn’t like his own upbringing had been a bed of fucking roses.

You were never beaten.

He shook his head in an effort to banish the voice that was trying to break through. The other half of his soul perhaps?

He grimaced and took a step back, squashing the warm fuzzies before they had a chance to sprout.

He had no time for it.

He watched as she gathered herself together and walked toward the kitchen. She retrieved some ice from the fridge and threw it in a plastic baggie. Her skin was flushed with heat and emotion, even as her teeth still chattered.

She took a few moments, then headed to the com unit, leaning against the wall as she pressed the button.

“Finn, you there?”

“Yeah, just watching your dear old dad exit the resort. I’m guessing you made it through without getting your head ripped off?”

Her chin trembled slightly, and Julian felt uncomfortable watching, glad when a curtain of hair fell against her cheek and hid her face from his view.

“What’s a few bruises amongst family?” she retorted.

Silence greeted her words.

“Hell, Jaden I’m sorry—”

She cut him off before he could continue. “No worries, where’s Nico?”

“What about Castille?” Nico’s voice drifted from the com unit, his voice gruff and forced.

Jaden turned slightly, her eyes meeting Julian’s dispassionately. “He’s still alive if that’s what you’re asking.”

A grunt sounded loudly, Nico’s answer, and Julian’s eyes narrowed as Jaden straightened and pushed away from the wall.

“I’ll send him down, but I have a change of plans. Kragen Black is here, I’m meeting him for dinner. Apparently he wants to talk.”

“Jaden, I don’t want you anywhere near him,” Nico warned, but she cut him off before Julian could hear any more.

Who was Kragen, and why did the name sound so familiar? And why the hell did it burn his ass that Nico cared so much?

“I’ll be fine. Jakobi thinks he wants to align himself with the DaCostas. Maybe he does, but I’ll do my best to see if he knows anything about Cormac’s whereabouts and intentions.”

“Jaden—”