His Darkest Salvation (Jaguar Warriors 3)

It soon passed, and he rolled his shoulders in an effort to alleviate the tension he felt.

“The answer is no, by the way.”

Her voice was muted, no animation or emotion.

He remained silent, an eyebrow raised in question. What the hell was she talking about? She pulled the T-shirt over her head and shook out her hair.

She smiled though her eyes remained cold. “Nico.”

She began to walk slowly, her head turned from him as she studied the chamber they were in. “I haven’t had sex with him, so, no, he’s never fucked my animal into submission.”

A hint of bitterness entered her voice. “You win that award. Hands down.”

Julian was surprised by her admission, and if he was truthful, there was a part of him that was pleased by her words.

“So now that you’ve satisfied my itch, we can put this behind us and forget it ever happened.” She cocked her head and turned to him, cool as a cucumber. “Are we clear?” she asked softly, an edge to her voice.

Julian nodded, feeling the dead space inside him expand and pulsate. “I have no problem with that.”

Liar.

“Good,” she retorted sharply.

Something flashed across her face, a fleeting wrinkle of pain, but it was gone just as fast. The intimacy of the moment, if it had every truly existed, had all but disappeared.

“We need to get out of here,” she said, her voice neutral, devoid of emotion, “and you need to get some clothes.”

Julian glanced down at his nakedness. “Sorry if it offends, but there’s nothing I can do about it at the moment.”

“Whatever,” she muttered. “Glad it’s not my bits hanging out.”

She turned once more and ran her hands along the stone wall. The damp chill of the earth at his feet slowly crept along his flesh, and he shivered slightly as it clung to him.

The smell down here was brutal, old and stale. He inhaled sharply, his nostrils flaring slightly as the lingering scents of their sexual encounter teased him.

He shook his head, cleared all thoughts from his mind except one, and that was getting the hell out from beneath the temple. Time was fleeting. If the portal wasn’t retrieved, if Azaiel wasn’t dealt with and Cormac destroyed, the consequences would be unimaginable.

“Why did you come here?” he asked abruptly as he walked toward the wall, his eyes traveling along the gray stone as he studied it closely. “What did you think you’d find?”

“Answers.” Her tone was matter-of-fact. “Kragen said something to me that got me thinking about the whole situation, about Azaiel and the portal. I realized I don’t know shit about the fallen, about his connection to us, and I need to know everything because when I find him, this ends.”

Julian ran his fingers along the stone, and his hand caressed the rough surface. It pulled at something deep inside him, and, for a second, he felt humbled by the history it represented.

Hundreds of years before, someone had carved this from the earth. Some Aztec man who’d wanted a temple for his god. He shook his head. It still stood, had somehow survived the test of time. Amazing.

“Only he who created the portal can destroy it,” Julian murmured, more to himself than anything.

“Or an eagle knight can seal it, I get that.”

“Then what the hell are we doing here?” He felt anger tickle inside his mind. “We should be searching for Cormac and Azaiel, not fucking trapped beneath a temple.” He snorted. “Hell, the sex was good, but we could have done that anywhere.”

Jaden’s mouth tightened, and the color of her cheeks darkened noticeably.

“I didn’t ask you to follow me, so quit your bitching.” Her eyes narrowed. “How did you know where I was anyway?”

“I figured out your password and hacked into your computer.”

“My password?” Her cheeks flushed red, and he smiled.