His Darkest Salvation (Jaguar Warriors 3)

“They’re as committed as we are, if not more so,” she answered roughly, though the doubt weasels were burrowing in fast and hard.

“What the hell does that mean?” Ethan asked shrewdly. His face was tight, his eyes cold. She saw the controlled anger that burned beneath the surface, and an answering flush built inside of her. Who the hell was he to question Julian’s integrity?

She looked at him boldly. “It means we don’t have time to debate their whereabouts. They’re good, so let’s move on.”

“I don’t trust either one of them,” Nico said harshly.

Crane’s grimace spoke volumes. “And you’re telling me this now?”

The warrior remained silent, obviously tense.

“What the hell kind of outfit you running?” Crane said, his dark gaze trained on Jaden. “I have no idea how your unit’s success rate is so high. You’ve got too many people involved with each other, and when that happens, mistakes occur,” he snarled. “Lives are lost.”

“Get over it, Crane.” Jaden’s eyes flashed. “When you care about people, really care about them, you’re willing to do whatever it takes to get the job done. Julian would never do anything to jeopardize the recovery of the portal.” She tried to control her emotions but was finding it increasingly hard. “So I suggest we move on and find the damned thing.”

Crane was silent, his mouth pursed into a tight line. “We split up,” he said abruptly. “The space down here is massive, and I’m sure you’ve all noticed that O’Hara has some serious sh

it going on. The wards are like none I’ve ever seen.” He looked at all of them. “Mind-warping shit, so be on guard. Not everything will be as it seems. Jaxon and the others are coming down from the west end. We need to do a grid search and cover every inch of this place.”

“Our com units have been activated. I don’t know how well they’ll work down here, but let’s stay in touch.” Finn nodded to them, his voice quiet, controlled as always. “Understood?”

Jaden felt the small device nestled in her ear and shook her head. A shadow passed behind Crane, a deviation in the light, and she was instantly on guard. This place gave her the creeps. She just wanted out. She slid the charmed dagger from its sheath against her thigh and squared her shoulders.

Time to dance with the devil.

“Let’s do this.”

“You, Ana, and Nico take the left side and we’ll”—Crane nodded to Finn—“cover the right. Our objective is Azaiel, there is nothing else. Once we have him, we can worry about Cormac.” His face was shrouded in shadow, casting a macabre expression over his features. Ethan Crane was one hell of a dangerous man, and she knew he’d stop at nothing to reach their objective.

At the moment, it was the only thing she liked about him.

“Stay safe,” he said harshly, then indicated Finn follow him.

Jaden watched as the inky black swallowed them whole and a shudder passed over her as the shadows started to move, like they were pulsating from within.

“I don’t like this.” Ana’s words were hard to understand. Her fangs were fully distended, and her eyes glowed fiery red. She turned to Jaden and for a second Jaden caught a glimpse of such torment, such pain, that she was stunned. “Where are they?” Ana whispered, as her cool facade slowly slid back into place.

Jaden knew they really meant Declan. “They’re here somewhere, Ana, and the sooner we get to Azaiel, the sooner we’ll find them.” She nodded to Nico. “Let’s go.”

She cleared her mind of all thoughts save, one—Azaiel—and they moved toward the far left. Within moments, Jaden cursed silently and tossed her heels, though the cold, wet concrete at her feet was uncomfortable. Ana did the same, and, for a second, she felt laughter bubble up inside her.

She looked like a damn cocktail waitress, nothing like a trained operative and certainly not like a jaguar warrior. No matter, it could only work to their advantage.

Nico tossed her a modified Glock, and she looked at him in surprise. “How the hell did you manage to sneak this in past security?”

“Declan.” His one-word answer was terse as he tossed one to Ana. “They’re charmed, though since we don’t know how well they’ll work against demons, best to use your dagger and cut them down.” He gave what passed as a smile. “Shifters and magicks, however, are gonna feel the burn.”

“Where are they?” Ana asked, clearly puzzled. “O’Hara’s security? I thought for sure we’d be in the middle of a bloodbath as soon as we gained entrance.”

Jaden peered into the darkness and shivered as her body reacted to the cold. A dark and malevolent presence was felt, and her jaguar shifted beneath her skin as unease slid over her.

“I think he’s got it covered. We just can’t see it yet,” Jaden whispered. She turned to Nico. “Check out those storage rooms over there; Ana and I will do a sweep of the immediate perimeter.” There were rows of shelving units holding large containers.

Nico nodded, opened his mouth as if to say something, then melted into the dark.

“This way.” She nodded to Ana.

The two of them slowly made their way toward the rows of shelving. They were made of steel, looked sturdy, and rose into the air nearly ten feet. They were jam-packed with containers and, if toppled, would surely kill.