His Darkest Salvation (2 page)

“You’re a DaCosta jaguar. You were there in Belize just before . . .” His voice trailed off, and Jaden was surprised at the level of violence she sensed beneath the surface. There was a darkness inside him that was lethal. A shiver rolled over her skin as she gazed at him.

But then his words sank in, and her anger exploded. He honestly had no memory of their past? Of what they’d shared together?

“You’ve got to be joking,” she whispered harshly, more to herself than anything. “You really don’t remember who I am? Was I that forgettable?”

The air around him shimmered, and before she could blink an eye, Julian was at her back, his arm across her chest as he pulled her in tight to his body.

She had no time to react and dazedly wondered what the hell had happened to him.
She
was the warrior, not he. Yet it seemed he’d ingested a bit of superhero dust wherever the hell he’d been.

“I know who you are.” His breath was hot against her neck. “Jaden DaCosta.”

She began to struggle, but even with her superior strength, he was too strong. Several moments later she gave up, her breaths falling in pants as she tried to calm herself.

His heart beat heavy against her ribs, the rhythm steady, and the heat of him scorched her flesh.

“Why are you here?” he whispered, his breath warm against her neck as he nudged the mess of hair that lay there with his nose. Small bursts of electricity fell across her skin, and she shivered, pissed that she had no control over her body.

“Where have you been for the last six months?” she asked in response, barely able to get the words out from between her tight lips.

His hand slid along her jaw, and he gripped her hard, his fingers digging in until he drew a whimper from her.

“Lady, you don’t want to know where I’ve been. Not really. So why don’t we stop playing this game, and you tell me why a DaCosta jaguar is holed up in my place.” She felt his fingers dig in a little more. “And no lies. I’ve not had the pleasure of kicking anyone’s ass in a long time and really don’t give a shit if the ass is”—he ground his groin against her backside—“nicely rounded.”

Jaden’s mind whirled, calculating every angle possible. Could she trust him?

“I’m looking for something,” she muttered, as her mind frantically processed all of her options.

“Yeah, well, aren’t we all.”

Shit.
She had no idea what she should do. Julian Castille had never figured into her plans for the night.

His hand slowly slid down her skin until it rested against the soft flesh that pulsed at the base of her neck. The beat was fast, and Jaden desperately tried to keep her jaguar at bay.

Her skin was on fire, aching. It felt as if she were being ripped in two.

“You’re a DaCosta. Convince me I shouldn’t just snap your neck and be done with it.”

Something in the air changed, darkness slithered around them, and she began to shiver as it clung to him and bled into her. His energy was empowered with strange nuances. It was potent, strong, and rippled along her skin until she felt nauseated.

Could she trust him? Did she have a choice?

“You didn’t seem to care about
that
three years ago.”

Jaden winced as her thoughts slipped from between her lips, a soft whisper, but vocalized nonetheless.

He stilled, and she tried to ignore the hard planes of his body as he gripped her even tighter.

“Three years ago doesn’t count anymore.” His voice was soft at her ear, in total contrast to the tense feel of his body. “If I’d known you were DaCosta then, I’d never have touched you.”

He does remember.

Humiliation scorched her cheeks with heat, and Jaden sought a place of calm. His words ripped into her harder than she’d like to admit. The man had been an invisible part of her life for longer than she cared to admit, and she’d been nothing more than the biggest mistake he’d ever made.

His hand slid from her neck, trailing a line of fire downward until he rested his large palm against her heaving chest. Her nipples were hard, and she flinched as his fingers passed over them.

Julian’s mouth was near her ear, and his breath sent tingles of energy across her skin as he spoke, his voice low and sensual. “But it’s a different world today, and right now you could be the devil’s bitch for all I care.”

Jaden’s pulse quickened even more, and her eyes widened as his left hand traveled down to her hip, where he gripped her hard. The unmistakable feel of his hard cock dug into her back, and the throb between her legs was unbearable.

What the hell is
wrong with me?
She should be kicking his ass but good instead of dancing on the edge. This game would not end well for her.

“It’s been too long, Jaden.”

Her tongue caught between her teeth as her name fell from his lips. The way he said it sent waves of pleasure rolling through her. It wasn’t fair. She wanted to hang her head in shame at the betrayal of her body.

He tipped her head up until it rested against his chest, and their eyes met as he looked down at her. Long moments passed, and the only sound heard was their heavy breathing.

He smiled, but there was a cruelty in the depths of his eyes that gave her pause and put her instantly on edge. “Yeah, way too long,” he said roughly. “You’ll do.”

Then his mouth was upon hers, open, hot, and demanding.

In that moment, nothing existed but the two of them. And even though it was all wrong and dark and humiliating, deep inside, the cat began to purr.

Chapter 2

J
ulian kissed her long and hard, brutally invading the softness beneath him with a ferocity that should have surprised him but didn’t. Not anymore.

His body slid against hers, and he felt an edge of darkness begin to circle his brain. It was a seductive, exhilarating feeling that he welcomed wholly. He knew the woman he held had no warm feelings for him whatsoever. He didn’t care.

He’d felt nothing but pain and torment for so long that the sensations sliding over his skin were exquisite torture.

His body hardened even more as she moaned into his mouth, and he turned her until she was flush against his chest. Jaden DaCosta. Jaguar shifter. She’d been the last face he’d seen in the jungle before the lights went out; it couldn’t be a coincidence that she was here.
Now.

The same night he blasted back into the human realm.

Pain ripped along his damaged, torn skin, and he hissed as fire lashed across his flesh. It was all good, though. It meant that he was alive.

The cloaking charm melted as her passion rose to the fore, allowing her natural scent to color the air. He took it deep into his lungs, savoring the unique scent.

She ripped her lips from his and gazed up into his eyes. He’d forgotten how velvety hers were, like soft black liquid in huge round pools of glass.

“I hate you,” she whispered hoarsely, her mouth open slightly as her tongue played along the edges of her teeth.

“Yeah,” Julian said softly. “I can see that.” He held her gaze, enjoying the confusion, passion, and yes, anger that lit the dark depths.

Her cheeks flushed a deep color, and she began to struggle in his embrace. She was strong, which wasn’t surprising, and though he could have easily kept her pinned to his body, he let her go.

Maybe a quick fuck wasn’t such a good thing. It wasn’t like he had time for complications. And she’d be a major one. There were other ways to relieve the pressure he felt down below.

He watched her closely, his gaze running along the beautiful lines of her face, the soft golden skin, dark eyes and brows, and the long, thick hair that, when loose, hung to just above her ass. It was a detail he remembered with clarity.

She was magnificent.

But she was a DaCosta nonetheless and not to be trusted, especially now, when the stakes were so freaking high.

His hand went to the damaged skin on his chest, as memories rushed through him in hard flashes, but it was the dark ones he focused on. The black holes full of emptiness and pain. They fed him in a way nothing else could.

Cormac and Azaiel.

They were at the heart of the poison that was slowly seeping into the human realm. They were the enemy. They were also his road to salvation.

If I don’t
find them
. . . Julian looked away and banished those thoughts.

“What the hell happened to you?” she asked carefully, haltingly, as if she were having trouble forming her words.

He let Jaden back away. It was the smart thing to do. He needed to focus on the task at hand. Sex was something that wasn’t part of the equation.

The air around her shimmered, and small tufts of mist hung lazily in the air. She was close to the change, her jaguar was excited.

It fed the animal inside him, and he clenched his teeth as he considered his options.

He could take her down in less than a second, snap her neck, and toss her body out the window. Call it a night. No one would know.

Or he could play things out. Was she working with her family? Was she rogue?

He sensed no immediate danger. Maybe it was sheer arrogance on his part, but Julian truly felt she meant him no harm.
Even though she hates me.
He snorted at the thought
.

“I’m gonna take a shower.” He turned from her and walked toward his room. “Then we’ll talk.”

Julian felt the weight of her stare at his back, and a ghost of a smile flickered across his face as he stepped into the bathroom. Seconds later, it was filled with steaming-hot water, and he stepped under the spray, letting the heavenly wetness slide across his skin.

It was the simplest of pleasures and one he’d not enjoyed for a very long time. As the warmth spread along his tall frame, caressing the hardness between his legs, he rested his head against the tiles and willed his body to relax.

He couldn’t believe he was out, that he’d been pulled from the bowels of hell.

All thoughts of pleasure fled, and a muscle worked its way across his jaw as he clenched his teeth tightly. He thought once more of the shadowy figure who’d held the instrument of pain in her hands. Of how she’d sliced and diced until she’d reached the part of him that was sacred.

And then had methodically ripped half of his soul out of his body.

Even now, the pain pounded away inside him, the half-empty hole ragged and raw. It agitated the jaguar, filling his mind with all kinds of madness. He’d lived with it for six months and would continue to deal. He had no choice.

Julian let the spray wash over him for a good long time, his thoughts centered on the woman he’d found in his home. Three years ago, he’d seduced her,
screwed her,
then left like a coward. At the time he’d had no idea who she was, but the fact that she’d been a shifter had been enough to make him run.

Julian shook his head. Yeah, nothing was the same. There was a time when he’d hated anything to do with his shifter heritage, and now he embraced it with a savage need.

His world had indeed come full circle.

Five minutes later, he left the bedroom, dressed in jeans, T-shirt, and the heavy boots he’d arrived in.

The shower had invigorated him, and his head was clear. He ran his hands through the damp thick waves, pushing his hair back as his golden eyes swept the room.

She was where he’d left her. Arms crossed over her chest, legs spread as she looked out the window over the darkened city below. The dagger lay at her feet.

He crossed the floor silently until he was inches from her body and studied her closely as she turned her head to the side.

“Long shower,” she said, and looked away.

He saw her face reflected in the glass. She’d lost a bit of weight since he’d last seen her. The blush of youth had given way to adulthood. It showed in her cheeks, but the end result was toned and lean. She wore formfitting black clothes and kick-ass boots.

She’d let her hair out from the band that had confined it earlier and it flowed, just as he remembered, down to the soft swell of her butt.

She really was a beautiful woman.

“If you want, I can bend over and give you a real treat.” The sarcasm that laced her words was thick, and Julian smiled as their eyes met in the window.

“If you bent over right now you’d be giving me more than a treat,” he said, “and I’d have to do something about it.”

He watched as her eyes fell to his crotch, and his teeth flashed white at the look of disgust that passed over her features.

“Can we skip this?” She whirled around. “The whole banter thing? ’Cause we’re not buddies, and I’m not in the mood for games. I need to be somewhere.”

“Be somewhere?” Julian’s eyes narrowed. “You got some other penthouse to break into?”

“No, asshole, I was only hitting you tonight.”