Jaxon paused. “See if you can find her scent out in the jungle, and if so, where it leads. For all I know, she’s nowhere near here yet.”
His brother immediately turned and headed for the jungle, while Jaxon took off toward the burning compound again. His belly was full of knots as his fear for Libby intensified.
The main building was totally engulfed in flames, and he circled it as closely as he could, hoping to catch Libby’s scent if she were anywhere nearby. He sensed no trace of her, but bleakly knew that meant nothing.
He began to scan the perimeter, and he jumped over blasted bits of what was left of the main building, as well as remnants of the smaller bungalows that had lined the far side of the compound.
He’d begun to make his way in that direction when a familiar sliver of emotion shivered through his mind. It was incoherent and faint, but it definitely was there. It stopped him cold. It was Libby! He had felt it earlier when he was in the main building, but had been too distracted and bent on revenge to pay attention to it.
Fear began to gnaw at him. She was here! And she was alive.
At least for now.
He needed to find her. The soldier that lived deep inside him quickly took over, and his thoughts turned logical as fear, panic, and the ferocity of the jaguar receded. He could deal with the emotions later. Right now he needed to focus.
He stilled and concentrated, closing his eyes and seeking the energy that lingered along the edge of his mind, elusive but so real to him he wanted to physically wrap his hands around it. The smallest trace of her essence drifted through his nasal passage, and his head turned to the left, where he spied two large buildings, one of which was completely destroyed, the other half standing.
Libby had told him they were used for storage, but now, as his mind wandered back, he realized her nonchalant answer to his questions about the buildings were a little too cut and dried. It was obvious she had not wanted him anywhere near them.
Because she wanted them all to herself!
He flew down the length of the compound, Declan joining him in his mad dash. They reached the two buildings, and the smoke was thick indeed.
“Libby?” Declan’s one word question pained the both of them, and Jaxon nodded grimly as her sweetness drifted up at him. She was here, amidst this mess and destruction.
The front of the building had been destroyed and the roof had caved in, pulling the front of the facade and the left side down along with it. The back was still intact, and he savagely began to pull at the smoldering pieces of wood that kept him from ducking inside, frantic to reach the only area that would have provided some shelter from the attack.
He didn’t feel the heat of the fire or the toxic smoke he was breathing deep into his lungs. He was numb to everything except his need to find Libby. Inside, the cat howled, wanting its mate, needing to see the face of its woman.
Declan was chanting softly now, his eyes blackening as his hands furiously drew a spell into the air. The wind howled and picked up, bringing with it heavy moisture that lashed at the flames that had kept them at bay. Within minutes the heat began to subside and pull away as the water drenched the dry wood.
Jaxon made quick work of the debris, and a few moments later they were able to open up a large enough hole to allow the two men access.
Libby’s scent was so strong it was almost overwhelming, and a new fear began to ride him. He didn’t know if it was because she was indeed there or because this was where she’d been kept for the last three years.
She was everywhere and nowhere. Wildly, his eyes crept over every surface. A bed had been placed against a wall, with two long chains that were attached to shackles. From the ceiling hung several more long chains, whose ends held heavy manacles that swung lazily back and forth. Grimly, his eyes skimmed over the entire area and he felt a wave of blackness threaten him; he had to inhale sharply and steady his mind.
But it did no good. His body began to tremble violently.
This was a torture chamber. Evidently the one used to maim and hurt Libby.
Jaxon crossed to the bed, grabbed the chains and yanked them out of the wall with a huge roar. It did nothing to abate his fury, but the sadness that now threatened to overwhelm him was much worse. How had she survived all of this?
Because of the child…their child.
“Jaxon! I think I’ve found her.”
He raced to where Declan was pulling back a huge chunk of debris, and felt his heart literally stop at the sight of a mess of blond hair, intermingled with the unmistakable reddish stain of blood. He fell to his knees, using the strength that only a warrior possessed, and lifted up the remaining slab, his tortured eyes urging Declan to hurry and pull her from the wreckage.
Everything faded to black then. Chaos could be heard from outside, cries lit the night as the wounded huddled out in the jungle, but here, in this tiny enclosed space, all he could see was the matted tangle of blond hair.
He needed her to be alive. He needed her to know he’d never leave her side again.
He grunted with the effort it took to keep the debris from falling back, and watched as Declan gently dislodged Libby from underneath.
There was so much blood. She was covered in it. Thick bile crowded his
throat and he felt ill, but still his eyes did not leave her form.