His Darkest Salvation (Jaguar Warriors 3)

“We came from there.” Finn pointed to a passage to the left of her. “It wraps around to just behind the chamber you and Julian were in.”

Now that she took the time, she could see there were several offshoots from the chamber she was currently in.

“Oh.” She was curious. “How did you know we were just beyond this wall?”

Finn cleared his throat and bent down to study the wall in front of him.

“Finn?”

“Uh, Nico knew you were . . . uh, in there with the Castille shifter.”

“But how did he—”

“He could hear you.”

She blushed. Heartily. Something she’d not done in years.

Just fucking wonderful, she thought.

Finn stopped several feet from her, his arms outstretched, palms facing the wall and energy flying from them in small sparks. Several seconds later, he fell to his knees, and whispered, “I found something.”

She was at his side in a second, watching again as his hands passed over the stone.

“What is it? What do you see?” she asked roughly. The etchings and symbols embedded in the rock were only visible to an eagle knight.

Finn grinned up at her. “There is a small room.” He turned and pointed to the far corner. A narrow opening could barely be discerned against the rough wall. It was nothing more than a shadow. “It should be through there. It was Toniella’s.”

“Toniella’s? She lived here at the temple?”

Finn stood up, and she followed him to the opening. “Apparently so. If I’m reading these symbols correctly, she spent her entire life in the temple.”

Jaden digested that bit of information and followed Finn as he slipped through the narrow passage. It was dark, claustrophobic, and Jaden was happy her nocturnal vision allowed her to see clearly. The wa

lls were damp, and she thought she heard running water. The sound was dead and the oxygen thin.

The passage widened and eventually they found themselves in a small but impressive room. It was lit, eerily so, and the source seemed to be coming from within the huge pillars that fortified the four corners.

She stopped and stared in wonder at the ancient art on the walls. Here in this chamber they were abundant, beautiful, and vibrant. She had no problem whatsoever seeing them.

There were many drawings of eagles in flight, basking in the sun, of nature and the beauty of the Aztec culture. The sun figured prominently, and in the center of the far wall, a rendering of the sun god himself stared down at her.

It was an incredibly accurate drawing. Her hand rose to the tender flesh of her neck as she looked away. Nanauatl’s hands had nearly done her in. Too bad the bastard wasn’t trapped in the stone.

She crossed over to a low-lying bench and picked up a small object. It was an eagle, painstakingly crafted from clay. Again, it was intricately done, and she marveled at the talent it would have taken to reproduce such a gifted piece.

“Skye would love this,” Finn murmured, and she crossed over to where he stood. He held up an impressive headdress made entirely of feathers.

“How has it survived all this time?” Jaden asked, her fingers reaching out to stroke the soft beauty of it.

“This is not a normal dwelling. There is heavy magick at play, strong wards. I can feel them, their subtle signatures.”

Jaden exhaled and nodded. She felt it, too, the weight of history. “The only reason we broke though is because of Declan.”

Finn shook his head in agreement. “Yeah, makes you wonder at the impressive nature of his magick.” The eagle knight raised an eyebrow. “He’s got some seriously jacked-up mojo going on.”

Finn crossed over to a dais located beneath the huge drawing of Nanauatl. He bent over it, and she watched as he ran his hands over the top, inches from the limestone. He studied it, hands out. Jaden followed him and grabbed hold of his hands.

Finn paused and looked at her in surprise.