The going was rough.
Libby and Skye had been trudging through the jungle for what seemed hours. The sun was up, but the rays were hampered not only by the thickness of the jungle canopy, but the dark clouds that blanketed the area as well. The occasional rumble of thunder could still be heard in the distance, and as Libby paused for a moment, wiping sweat from her brow, she doubted the darkness that was following her had anything to do with the weather.
Cormac’s black magick could be felt in every breath she drew deep into her lungs. It was pungent, thick with the taint of his evil. She tried not to think about the fact that she found the sensation almost familiar. In fact, it seemed as if her legs had a mind of their own and she was just along for the ride.
The two women had spoken barely a word to each other the entire morning, but the silence that lay between the two of them was not so much one of dislike; rather, it was something akin to slowly gained respect. It had grown as their legs ate up miles of jungle underbelly, and about an hour earlier Libby had finally relented and untied Skye’s hands from behind her back.
She was impressed that Skye had no problems keeping up with the relentless pace she set. She was more impressed that the woman hadn’t tried to escape. Of course, the gun and knife that she brandished might have had something to do with that, but it also appeared that Skye wanted to destroy Cormac almost as much as she did.
Maybe even more so.
She grabbed some water and took a long draw, letting the liquid slide down her throat as she caught her breath. The stitch in her side had returned, but she’d become so used to ignoring pain that it was no more annoying than a mosquito bite. She rubbed her ribs gently and passed the water to Skye.
The other woman grabbed the bottle and took a long swig. She wiped her hands across her mouth and looked directly into Libby’s eyes. “Sorry for that.”
Libby looked at her, confused by the comment, but when the woman nodded toward her ribs, she understood. The only reason she’d received the injury was because Skye had initiated a rebellion against Fat Frank.
Libby shrugged and looked away. She was trying to banish the horrific memories that she’d only managed to regain a few days ago.
“You were there when they brought me in.” Skye’s words were spoken quietly.
Again Libby remained silent, but now Skye had her full attention.
“How long did the DaCostas have you?” the other woman asked.
Libby considered ignoring the question, but for whatever reason, she found an answer slipping from her mouth before she could stop herself. “Three years.”
She could tell that Skye was surprised by her answer, and for a moment there was just the familiar silence from before.
“Why did they take you?”
“Why did they take you?” Libby shot back.
Skye remained quiet, her deep blue eyes shadowed and pained. Libby exhaled deeply and looked away into the distance. The sadness that encircled her heart was making it difficult to breathe. A plethora of emotions wracked her psyche, but she didn’t give into them. She needed to be strong.
For Logan.
“I worked for the government, in an antiterrorist unit. I met Jaxon,” her eyes bored into Skye’s, “my jaguar, at PATU. He was in charge of our unit.” A small smile lit the corners of her mouth as she continued. “We became involved, and we’ve both paid the price for that.” She grimaced and glanced at Skye, who was listening quietly. “We are the poster couple for the million reasons not to get involved with someone you work with. It will come back to bite you in the ass.”
Libby sighed harshly, her voice bitter, “The DaCostas took me, and tortured me to get information on a mission that Jaxon was involved in. They wanted to eliminate him. There was no way in hell I was gonna give up the man that I loved. But then…” Her voice trailed off softly.
“Then what?”
“They found out I was pregnant.” Libby shook her head as her eyes filled with tears. “Suddenly I had to choose between the man I loved and the child I carried.” She shrugged her shoulders. “I chose my child, but at what price? Logan was ripped from my womb two years ago. I didn’t even get a chance to hold him.”
“I’m so sorry, Libby. I had no idea.”
Libby was silent for a moment, as a new thought struck her. “Do you know why Cormac has my child? And what your role in all this madness is?”
She watched as the other woman struggled with something internal. As if she were weighing all of her options.
“I don’t know why Cormac has your child, Libby, but nothing he does is random. There’s an ulterior motive there, and it’s something above and beyond using your son to get to me. He will not hand the boy over.”
“And he wants you because…?”
Again Skye hesitated, but then shook her head and answered. “I’m guessing he thinks I’ll lead him to an ancient portal that’s a direct conduit to the demon underworld.”
Libby was stunned at her answer. She opened her mouth to speak but then closed it. She was speechless. All sorts of thoughts ran through her mind. Demons? She’d never dealt with anything like that in PATU, but she’d read reports that had made her skin crawl. If Cormac somehow managed to open his very own portal to the underworld, all hell would literally break loose.