His Darkest Hunger (Jaguar Warriors 1)

He whirled back around, puzzled and not liking it. “I don’t understand.”

“Well, join the club. Something big is going down. I don’t know what it is. The DaCostas are into some heavy shit, and for whatever reason, they felt the need to even the playing field and get rid of your unit at PATU.”

He watched as Libby began to pace back and forth, and he tried to shake off the sick feeling of dread forming in the pit of his gut.

“They took me three years ago because they wanted to wipe out the entire unit. They fucked up and it didn’t happen. So they kept me. At the time I wasn’t sure why, but now I’m thinking they’re closer to whatever it is they’re looking for. They needed me to flush you out, to blindside you.”

She crossed the room until she was only a few inches away. Her eyes were heavy with emotion, and his heart ached at the thought of how much she had lost because of him.

“I didn’t escape. There was this man, his face is fuzzy but I’m sure he’s the one who wiped my memory. He’s working with them and he left me in Michigan.”

She shook her head. “We’re just a bunch of puppets, and they’re pulling our strings.”

She turned from him then, her posture tense but her voice determined. “Personally, I don’t give a rat’s ass what they’re up to. I just want them to pay for what they did to me.”

Jaxon’s brain went into overdrive. Suddenly everything seemed so much more complicated. What the fuck were the DaCostas up to?

His desire to wrap his arms around Libby was so strong it almost hurt. But she’d closed herself off to him, and after a few more moments he quietly left the room. He was filled to the brim with pent-up energy, and it pulsed through him with every heavy beat of his heart.

He needed to clear his mind. He needed to focus.

He snarled bitterly as he felt everything fade away, leaving him quiet, almost serene—yet incredibly deadly.

He had DaCostas to hunt. The cat roared inside at the coming task, and Jaxon welcomed the aggressive nature that lived in him.

Saliva pooled in his mouth, and ignoring the excited tremble that shimmered over his taut skin, he went in search of the rest of his team.

They met the small chartered plane at a local air field close to the Canadian border. It was a somber bunch. Ana was pissed that Libby had been allowed to tag along, but Jaxon ignored her surly attitude. In fact he had briefly considered leaving Ana behind. Being a vampire, the heat, humidity, and sunlight were more then she could take. But she was a fierce fighter, and once their base was set up in Belize, she could man it while the rest of them hunted the enemy.

A little over three hours later they landed on a private airstrip just east of Houston. It was owned by a group associated with his family’s holdings, and Jaxon felt a tug of emotion run through him at the familiar face of his oldest brother, who was there to greet him.

Julian was three years older, and though all three Castille boys were similar in both coloring and physique, he was truly worlds apart from his siblings, just a different animal altogether. He was a jaguar; that was something he couldn’t change even if he wanted to. But when Julian’s body shifted, he became the spotted creature most associated with the great predators, his rosettes golden. Black cats were rare indeed, and in his race only those bearing the warrior tattoo were covered in a thick black pelt when they

shifted into their animal form.

Jaxon and Julian had been very close when they were younger, but when Jaxon matured and warrior tattoos began forming on his body, a distance had crept between them, one that only widened with time. Jaxon had gone the way of the warrior, forging a career for himself in the military, and Jagger had followed in his footsteps.

Julian, however, had followed the path laid out by their father, and as of now was basically running Blue Heaven Industries. The entire operation was an ode to the temple where the ancient jaguar warriors worshiped, one that belonged to their god of war, Huitzilopochtli. Jaxon snorted at that thought. It was ironic, considering how antiwarrior both his father and brother were. It was a bone of contention that the warrior gene was prevalent in his mother’s family, something the elder Castille had thought he was avoiding with their union. His father had built the company up from meager beginnings and made it successful, but with Julian at the helm, it had diversified and quadrupled in both size and worth.

But, blood was blood, and he was grateful that his brother had not hesitated when he’d called and asked for the family jet. They needed to fly into Belize under the radar. No government agencies on either side could know their intent. Jaxon needed to attack quickly and with deadly force.

He still had no clue who had broken through their sophisticated defenses in Washington, and that concerned him. No one, not even Commander Drake, could know what he was up to.

Jaxon exited the plane and found himself staring deep into the topaz-colored eyes of his older brother. They were warm with affection, and he bypassed the outstretched hand and enveloped Julian in a hard embrace.

A greeting from behind broke the men apart, and Julian smiled broadly as Jagger, the youngest of his brothers, jumped down.

One after the other his whole team gathered around, Ana swathed from head to toe in protective gear; Libby, quiet, reserved, as she observed everything. Julian tossed him a bag, and he in turn handed it to Libby. She was still avoiding his eyes, but took the bag, clutching it to her midsection protectively.

“Some clean clothes,” he murmured, wincing as she jumped at the sound of his voice. Julian elbowed his way into their inner circle, and Jaxon had to urge the beast inside to quiet. He watched as his older brother held out his hand, the long, elegant fingers palm up, a submissive greeting, and one that did not go unnoticed. He was doing his best to alleviate any fear that Libby had, and to let Jaxon know he had no interest whatsoever in the thin blonde who stood so unsure before them all.

“I’m very sorry to hear what you’ve been through, Libby,” he told her. “But rest assured, the DaCostas will pay for their sins, I will personally see to it.” Julian’s voice was soft, but the underlying steel that clung to his words reassured Jaxon that even though his brother might look the corporate magnate, he was still a jaguar at heart.

And apparently he was going to join in the hunt.

She took his hand, and the two of them led the way toward the Castille corporate jet. Jaxon took a seat in the very back, his eyes never leaving the blonde, who, to him, still appeared too vulnerable for the type of mission that lay in store.

Once they were up to a cruising altitude, he unfastened his seat belt and made his way toward Libby. He felt her stiffen as he sat beside her, his body so very aware of the heat from her skin.