His Darkest Hunger (Jaguar Warriors 1)

“You are so fucking arrogant. Do you think I would believe anything that leaves your lips? The only expendable person in this room is Libby. You need her son as a sacrifice to open the portal, and you need me to find it for you. I’m an eagle knight, you asshole, and I won’t allow you to kill an innocent.”

“Enough!”

The room began to tremble as sparks flew from Cormac’s hands. “You will come with me or—”

With speed that was preternatural, Skye whisked out the charmed dagger and whipped it at Cormac, shouting to Libby as she did. “Run!”

Libby reacted on pure instinct and began to shoot at Cormac as she ran toward her son. The warlock roared in anger, and the air trembled, seeming to shimmer and darken. A terrific shot of energy consumed the entire area, reverberating around the chamber, and two large boulders came crashing down from the ceiling, landing right where Skye had been standing, holding her son.

Tears poured down Libby’s face and everything faded away except the rubble and smoke that covered the area where Skye had been standing only seconds before. Dimly, she heard shouts behind her. On some level she was aware that Jaxon had arrived on the scene, but as chaos erupted and curses were heard, she continued to scramble toward the downed boulders.

She used every last bit of strength she possessed to get her body to the top of the pile, and when she spied Skye, holding her son, she fell to her knees as the enormity of the moment washed over her.

She could do no more than watch in silence as Skye coughed up smoke and debris from her lungs, a small head barely visible above the safe haven of her arms.

Libby wanted to move, but her body felt glued to the rock that she had collapsed upon, and she could only stare helplessly at the woman who held her son. She moved her lips slowly. No sound came out, yet she knew Skye heard what was in her heart. Thank you.

Carefully, Skye disengaged her limbs from the rubble that surrounded her. She murmured softly, and the little boy in her arms relaxed as Skye climbed up toward his mother. And of that, there was no doubt. The child carried the scent of a jaguar, but the magick in him was overwhelming. He would be a force to be reckoned with when he matured into a man.

Skye’s eyes narrowed as they settled onto Libby, and she wondered if Libby had realized what Cormac insinuated. That he was her blood f

ather. Obviously, she’d not been born with the strength and scope of his power, but Skye could sense small traces of it present in Libby’s aura. The little boy, however, was another story. His blood literally sang with power.

A shout from across the chamber shook Skye out of her thoughts, and she quickly handed the child over to his mother.

Libby felt as if her heart had burst from her chest, and as her arms closed around Logan, she began to weep softly. He was warm, soft, and smelled of the forest. She nuzzled her face against his soft curls and rocked him gently, her eyes shining as she looked up at Skye.

“I don’t know what to say…how will I ever be able to thank you?”

Skye winked, but when she spoke, her voice was dead serious. “No one can know that I survived this attack.”

Libby looked at her, confused. “I don’t understand.”

“I know that you love your jaguar, but I don’t trust them. They’ve been enemy to the eagle for eons. The eagle knights were created to protect the portal. And because of that my people have been hunted to near extinction.” Skye couldn’t keep the bitterness and pain from her voice. “Jaguars, magicks…all of them played a part, and I will never trust a warrior.” She looked away, her voice soft. “I just can’t.”

“But Jaxon would never—”

“I need to find this portal and seal it before Cormac—or anyone else, for that matter—gets their hands on it. If that happens, my father’s death would have been for nothing.”

“Skye, we can help you.”

“Libby, no one can know about the portal. You have to promise me that you won’t tell a soul about it, or that I survived this attack. You owe me.”

Libby was about to answer when a shout only a few feet away distracted her. She shook her head and twisted her body around. Jaxon was there, just beyond the large boulders. A feeling of peace flooded her veins, and her only thought was to get to him. She cradled her precious cargo close to her breast and scrambled to her feet, carefully making her way up to the top. At the sight of Jaxon’s handsome face, she felt the world slip away until there was only the three of them.

He was speaking to her, but she couldn’t understand a thing he was saying. She could barely see him though the haze of tears, the roaring in her ears almost painful. When his mouth claimed hers, the noise stopped.

Everything faded from existence except the three heartbeats that pounded out a rhythm in tandem, together, finally.

She didn’t want the kiss to ever end. It was raw and full of need. His hands cupped her face roughly, but then he gently disengaged himself and stared with wonder at the young boy, with eyes that mirrored his own.

“He’s…beautiful.” Jaxon could barely manage to get the words out. He couldn’t begin to name the emotions he was feeling.

His long arms wrapped the both of them deep in his protective embrace and he trembled as the jaguar screamed inside, flush from victory. He felt the child still, and when his pudgy hand reached out, to touch his chest, the peace that filled him was indescribable.

The small face looked up to him and smiled, impishly. He spoke one word, but it was clear and strong: “Cat.”

“Hey, where’d the girl go?” Declan was breathing hard by the time he reached them, and his eyes glowed with an eerie fire as he looked around the chamber.