His Darkest Salvation (Jaguar Warriors 3)

There was a cruel lift to his mouth, but she let him move closer, let his hand slide along her jaw until he cupped her head.

“Tell me more of Toniella. Who was she? What happened to her after Azaiel was banished to hell?”

Kragen laughed and shook his head. “I’m not a history teacher. If you want to better understand the dynamics of what is going on, you should look to the past. You’d be surprised at the answers you can find.”

His eyes were half-closed, and though Jaden let him believe he was in control, she was already growing weary of the game.

“Why did you want this meeting?” she asked.

Truthfully, she was more than a little puzzled. With Cormac off the grid, and the portal seeming to have disappeared, all bets were off. New alliances were being drawn up every day. Drawn, then broken. Such was the way of it with the otherworld. Loyalty was a bitch that no one believed in.

“I’m into self-preservation and just testing the waters. Curious as to where the DaCosta jaguars stand in this whole mess.”

“We want the portal.” I want the portal, she thought.

“Don’t we all?” he answered though his focus was on her lips.

He tried to pull her closer, but she resisted. “Cormac has gone rogue; he can’t be trusted. Once the portal is opened, he’ll be after all our asses. He’s not exactly the sharing type.”

She let a smile fall across her tight lips. “We need to work together, so when the tide turns, we come out on top, no?”

Kragen studied her closely but didn’t answer.

She rubbed against him, her voice husky. “So why don’t you tell me where he is, and we can get on with it.”

“That’s a secret I’m not sure I’m ready to share yet,” he whispered softly.

Jaden pushed away, feeling little bolts of energy ride over her flesh as she did so. She was pissed but needed to keep a cool head.

“You indicated that you had information. We all want to get our hands on the portal, and I can help you.” She blew a strand of hair from her face as she faced him.

She was going to have to get physical. She could feel it.

“Lady, there’s only one way you can help me right now, and it has nothing to do with Cormac.”

Jaden ran her tongue along her teeth, ignoring the hum of energy that slithered over her hot skin. Her hair was damp and clung to her shoulders, and the tattoos along her neck were irritated. They burned like hell.

“Really?” she purred softly, welcoming the dance that was about to begin. She had way too much pent-up energy, and a good asskicking was the perfect way to expend it.

He grabbed her shoulders, and his eyes glittered dangerously as

he spoke. His energy was black, thick, and repugnant. “You’ve been nothing but a cock-tease the entire evening, and now it’s time to collect.”

She let him pull his body along hers, gritted her teeth as he lowered his head, and when he would have claimed her mouth, she head butted him.

Hard.

He cursed loudly, but his arms kept her pinned as a grimace crept across his features. “Like to play rough?”

She smiled up at him. “I told you earlier not to forget who and what I am.” She dug her nails in deep. They were razor-sharp and cut him quickly.

“I am going to enjoy breaking you,” he whispered hoarsely, and the air shimmered around him as the heat was sucked away and replaced with a blast of cold.

Jaden’s power erupted from deep in her gut, and she hissed loudly as she stomped a six-inch heel into the top of his foot. She laughed as she felt it break through leather, and when he drew his arm back and swung it forward, she grabbed it, held it in place, and grinned at the surprise that rolled over his features.

She jabbed him hard in the gut, her long nails piercing skin, then she spun around, putting several feet between them in an instant. She’d moved fast, her body a blur of dark hair and long limbs.

“Let’s try this again,” she spit. “Where the hell is Cormac?” She held her hands loose and ready, her legs wide, pushing the boundaries of the silky material as it strained against her flesh.