“I’m flattered.”
“Get over yourself, Castille. I chose a password that no one would ever guess. There was no other reason.”
He changed the subject. “Why have you not had sex with Nico? He follows you around like a pathetic pup.”
“We will not discuss Nico again,” she hissed, angry at his baiting. “I care about him, but his feelings are . . . misplaced.”
“So you only screw men that you hate?” Julian was at her side in an instant, savoring the heat of her flesh as it caressed the bare skin of his body. He flashed a wicked smile down at her. “Good to know.”
Her eyes looked like glass, deep reflections of the pain and anger that burned beneath her skin. He heard her heart beating strong inside her body, and though she would deny it, he knew that she was still aroused.
Her animal was ready. He could smell it.
Julian’s smiled widened. He could take her again if he so chose. His eyes fell once more to the vibrant clan tattoos that shimmered along the side of her neck. They pulled at him, deep in his gut, and his hand rose, but her long fingers closed around his wrist and held him in place.
The two of them stared at each other for several long moments. Her chest rose and fell slowly as she stood there, her stance wide as if on the attack. She was strong, a warrior, and her fierce, passionate nature was something to behold.
He could snap her arm in two. She had no idea what he’d become, yet he let her dig her claws into his flesh and push him away.
“Let’s get something straight. I’ll never let you touch me again,” she said hoarsely. “This here was a one-off. Maybe I was too close to death and needed that connection, I don’t know.” She pushed long ropes of hair away from her face, the strands sticking to her moist flesh.
“What I do know,” she continued, “is that time is running out, and I’ve missed something. I can feel it, a piece of the puzzle . . . it’s tied to the eagle knights and Azaiel.” She looked at him, her face earnest. “He created the portal for Toniella, but why? Why did she want it? Why was he cursed into hell, and what happened to her? It’s like all mention of her has been wiped clean.”
Julian shrugged. “The answers you seek will be found once we locate Cormac and Azaiel. There’s nothing down here.”
Jaden raised an eyebrow. “It’s no coincidence that I came across a demon on the way inside. They’re watching the temple, like they’re waiting, and the dude I wasted said something that . . .”
Her voice trailed off, and Julian’s radar began to pulse. He turned to her.
“What did he say?” he asked, trying his best to control the urges that were falling through the cracks with too much ease. There was too much at stake, and if she was going to get in the way, he might have to resort to drastic measures.
Jaden stilled, and she looked away as she bit her lip in concentration. Her brain was working overtime, calculating, wondering. She clenched her hands together, and he got the impression that the woman would love nothing more than to crack his skull open.
She looked at him and spoke softly, a deadly whisper. “He said it was the others they were gunning for.” She paused. “What are you not telling me?”
Julian’s mouth tightened into a thin line, but he remained quiet. It was obvious certain factions knew what he and Declan were up to. They’d stop at nothing to keep the fallen from being returned to the upper realm.
“What do you know? What did you learn down there?” Her anger flushed her face a dark crimson. “Did you make some kind of deal with the devil or something? Are you his bitch now?”
She was hitting a little too close to home.
“I answer to no one.” Liar.
“Yeah”—Jaden eyed the mess beneath his heart—“sure.” She snorted. “You spent six months underground and somehow miraculously escaped. A little dark and twisty, mind you, damaged for sure, but you’re out.”
“Lady, you have no idea,” he spit out; his voice was rough.
“You keep saying that, but I think it’s a little too convenient. Are you going to elaborate?” she asked, and shook her head. “Don’t bother, I’ve a feeling anything you’re willing to give up will be nothing more than a bunch of bull anyway.”
Julian’s gut tightened again, twisting harder. “Our agenda is the same. Find Azaiel and the portal.”
“It better be.” She turned from him and began to feel along the wall once more, her long, elegant fingers caressing every nook and cranny. “But if you and Declan are hiding something,” she continued, her back to him, “you can bet your ass I’ll find out what it is.”
Julian clamped his mouth shut as an image of the woman from below flashed through his mind. She of the ethereal light—giver of unimaginable pain.
“Do you think this is part of The Temple of the Warriors? Because it looks like nothing but a pile of crap to me.”
Deftly she changed the subject, but he knew she wouldn’t give up. He chose to play along and was about to answer when a low-intensity rumbling began to build. Vibrations fingered their way out along the earthen floor, tingling up his legs, and he watched Jaden spring back from the wall in alarm.