“Azaiel is tied to the jaguars and eagles, you should know this stuff. It’s not my fault you’ve lost touch with yo
ur history, your culture.”
The sorcerer’s words echoed inside her head, circling around and around as she flirted with the excitement they brought.
The bastard was right.
In order to hunt Azaiel and Cormac, she needed to understand every little detail about the portal and its connection to the fallen. She needed to go back to where it all began.
She left the garden and kept to the shadows, intent on grabbing a towel from the pool area before heading up to her suite.
There was only one place that she could find the answers she needed—The Temple of the Warriors.
Only problem was, it was buried under the ruins of Templo Mayor, guarded by ancient magick. Dark, powerful shit. The kind that wouldn’t take lightly to her poking around and disturbing history.
A thrill shot through her at the thought, and she smiled to herself. She felt like she had purpose again, like she wasn’t spinning her wheels.
Jaden slipped through the back entrance to her building. Tank didn’t flinch at her state of undress. Being a shifter, he understood. He moved aside and cleared his throat.
“Miss DaCosta,” he began, but Jaden shook her head and disappeared inside her private lift.
“Castille is a bastard. Just don’t let it happen again.” The door slid shut before the jaguar warrior could respond, but her mind was already moving forward toward a plan of action.
Tomorrow, she would head out and find The Temple of the Warriors, located deep within the ruins of Templo Mayor. She’d go alone. If this was a wild-goose chase, she didn’t want to waste her team’s time. There were a million and one things they needed to focus on.
More importantly, there was no way in hell she wanted Julian Castille along for the ride.
Chapter 12
Hours later, as dawn’s welcoming rays split the darkened sky into fragments of light, a large jaguar emerged from the jungle. The rhythms of the earth had changed subtly, and the huge animal paused, its powerful body still as it scented the air. The cat barked once, its dark rosettes glistening against the golden coat as mist swept along the ground toward it.
The jaguar moved once more, its steps slow and precise as it disappeared into the fog, only to reappear several seconds later in human form.
Julian Castille was fatigued. He’d been running for what seemed like hours, and as he turned his face to the warmth of the sun’s first caress, he closed his eyes and exhaled slowly.
His thoughts, as always, turned to the one person who somehow managed to get under his skin in such a way that it drove him crazy.
Jaden made him lose focus. She resurrected feelings and emotions deep within that he hadn’t the strength or tools to deal with. Mass confusion rained down upon him when she was in the picture, tugging at the small thread of humanity that still existed within.
It was painful, and he didn’t like it one bit; nor did he have time for it.
His eyes flew open, and he moved toward the resort. He was done. He’d find Declan, and they’d cut and run. He didn’t need her to find the portal. What the hell had he been thinking?
He slid through the silent resort unnoticed, avoiding the odd tourist up in time to welcome the morning properly. He circled around back of the main building, growling softly as he passed the secret garden.
Minutes later, he took a run at the wall beside Jaden’s balcony and quickly leapt upward, his hands and feet gripping the side of the building as he began to climb. He made quick work of it, a soft sheen of sweat covering his frame as he swung over the railing and dropped into a crouch.
His muscles bunched tightly, but he held his hands loose, his stance rock solid and ready to take a hit.
But there was nothing. Only silence.
He exhaled, the breath whistling between his lips, surprised she’d not taken the opportunity to pounce, inflict some sort of damage.
He would have.
But, then, maybe he didn’t haunt her mind the way she did his. Maybe she didn’t give a rat’s ass whether he returned or not. Which was fine. After all, he was leaving.
His clothes were strewn where he’d left them, and he dressed quickly, the soft denim and cotton T-shirt damp from the early-morning dew. His shoes went on last, and he slipped into her suite, careful not to make a sound.