Libby tensed but shrugged her shoulders. “They’re just storage sheds. I think they use them for extra food and water.”
She held the photos for a few seconds more, then placed them carefully on the nearest table. “All the ammunition is kept in the main building at the very back.” She looked directly into Jaxon’s eyes, and he flinched at the pain that was so clearly present. “Next to Degas’s office.”
Jaxon nodded, and they stood in silence for a few moments before Libby quietly excused herself. Then he paced the small circumference of the tent, on edge and full of restless energy. His heart pounded out a pagan rhythm, and as the familiar burn began to ease its way up his torso and across his chest, he growled low in his throat.
The jungle was calling to him. To his jaguar.
Tossing the black and whites onto the table, he quickly left the tent. All was quiet.
He could feel energy drifting in the air, and attributed it to the protection wards Declan would have placed in and around their base. Evening had fully enveloped the jungle, and he could hear the nocturnal beings that came alive underneath its spell, deep in the distance. A tingle of awareness raced along his spine, and he whirled, the air cracking around him.
Julian stood there, his deep topaz eyes glowing with a feverish glint, and when he grinned, Jaxon nodded, and the two ran like children toward the foliage that beckoned. His jaguar was chomping at the bit, and his pupils dilated in anticipation as he shed his clothes and called the mist to his body.
He felt incredibly alive. As bones popped and elongated, skin shimmered and disappeared underneath a thick black coat, the animals of the forest were silent. Less than a minute later two large jaguars barked to each other and took off, their powerful legs propelling them forward at breakneck speed. The spotted golden cat led his midnight black companion deep into the underbelly of the jungle.
Jaxon reveled in the savage joy his jaguar experienced, and he let all thoughts of Libby and the DaCostas fade from his mind as the animal took over. In this moment he would feed his need to escape. As he ran to catch up to his older brother, he roared his pleasure, ears perked at the answering call that rang out into the night.
Inside her tent, Libby froze at the sound and shuddered as it brought to mind torturous memories that had haunted her for the last two months. Her fingers kneaded her temple and she wished the dull headache that had plagued her the last three hours would just go away. A plate of food had been left on her bedroll along with a bottle of water, and she smiled, knowing it was either Cracker or Jagger who had provided it for her.
She was so very tired, but forced herself to eat something. She knew she’d need every ounce of energy she could muster, for the coming hours. Once she was done, she lowered her aching limbs to the bedroll, but even though she desperately needed sleep, she was afraid to close her eyes.
She began to tremble as a wave of emotion choked her throat and made it hard to breathe. She was so close to learning the truth about her son. It was almost anticlimactic, really, and on a certain level she wished she was worlds away. Because then she could go on believing that he was happy, healthy, and well cared for.
She could believe that he was alive.
She had to believe he was still alive, because if he wasn’t, there wasn’t any reason for her to live.
A thousand thoughts seemed to flutter through her bruised mind, but eventually the pain receded and she relaxed somewhat. She was alone, and while grateful, couldn’t help the small snatch of resentment that flashed through her. She was the outsider here and knew she’d never belong again. Even Cracker and Jagger were keeping their distance. She sighed, not surprised.
Eventually she must have drifted off. She wasn’t sure how much time had passed, but knew exactly the moment her body became aware of another.
Her insides jerked and she felt her belly skip madly. She bit her lip in an effort to contain the squeak that threatened to spill out, and her breasts began to ache with need, the nipples instantly hard. Her body recognized him even before her mind could. His scent drifted over to her. It was full of male desire and heavy with the remnants of his recent shift. His animal was deeply aroused, and even though she hated him for it, her body screamed for his touch.
He was here.
Jaxon had come for her.
Chapter 18
Libby held her breath, knowing that he was inches from her back. She was fully clothed, having tumbled onto the bedroll in the clothes she’d worn from San Ignacio. But she felt extremely exposed, as if every inch of her body was laid bare to him. Heat suffused her flesh and she broke out into a sweat. Desire radiated in a throbbing rhythm that caressed her skin before settling deep between her legs.
It was a tangible feeling, one that roared to life as she felt a whoosh of air caress the back of her
neck. Her eyes were shut tight, and as she fought the exquisite ache that had been sparked deep inside the folds of her sex, she prayed to God that Jaxon would just leave.
Life as she knew it, royally screwed such as it was, would be much better if he’d just turn around and leave her there to suffer. Alone.
But even before a slight groan escaped from his lips, she knew they would be together this night. Her body was turning toward his and she was helpless to stop it. Slowly, she rolled over and felt the heat that burned beneath his skin wash over her cheeks and tingle her nose.
She inhaled raggedly and held his scent deep inside her chest, savoring the richness of it like an illicit aphrodisiac. It made her mouth water, and with a small cry, her eyes flew open, eagerly seeking out the man next to her.
He’d taken something from her, years earlier, and had never returned it.
Jaxon Castille had her heart and her soul. They were lost to her forever, and as her eyes met his, she knew that even though she’d most likely hate herself in the morning, she would give in to him.
He was like a drug habit she would never be able to kick. Even though loving him had brought her nothing but heartache, she could not deny how much she needed his touch. He’d taken her heart and every last scrap of love she was able to scrounge together and pretty much thrown it all away. But in spite of everything they’d been through, or maybe because of it, that invisible bond was once more wrapping itself around the both of them.
It was dim inside the confines of the tent, but as her eyes adjusted she shuddered at the look that lay deep in the recesses of his incredible eyes. It was raw. It was haunted. And as he took that last little step toward her, he growled from deep within his body and the look changed to one of pure hunger.