His Darkest Salvation (24 page)

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.

“I’m flattered.”

“Get over yourself, Castille. I chose a password that no one would ever guess. There was no other reason.”

He changed the subject. “Why have you not had sex with Nico? He follows you around like a pathetic pup.”

“We will not discuss Nico again,” she hissed, angry at his baiting. “I care about him, but his feelings are . . . misplaced.”

“So you only screw men that you hate?” Julian was at her side in an instant, savoring the heat of her flesh as it caressed the bare skin of his body. He flashed a wicked smile down at her. “Good to know.”

Her eyes looked like glass, deep reflections of the pain and anger that burned beneath her skin. He heard her heart beating strong inside her body, and though she would deny it, he knew that she was still aroused.

Her animal was ready. He could smell it.

Julian’s smiled widened. He could take her again if he so chose. His eyes fell once more to the vibrant clan tattoos that shimmered along the side of her neck. They pulled at him, deep in his gut, and his hand rose, but her long fingers closed around his wrist and held him in place.

The two of them stared at each other for several long moments. Her chest rose and fell slowly as she stood there, her stance wide as if on the attack. She was strong, a warrior, and her fierce, passionate nature was something to behold.

He could snap her arm in two. She had no idea what he’d become, yet he let her dig her claws into his flesh and push him away.

“Let’s get something straight. I’ll never let you touch me again,” she said hoarsely. “This here was a one-off. Maybe I was too close to death and needed that connection, I don’t know.” She pushed long ropes of hair away from her face, the strands sticking to her moist flesh.

“What I do know,” she continued, “is that time is running out, and I’ve missed something. I can feel it, a piece of the puzzle . . . it’s tied to the eagle knights and Azaiel.” She looked at him, her face earnest. “He created the portal for Toniella, but why? Why did she want it? Why was he cursed into hell, and what happened to her? It’s like all mention of her has been wiped clean.”

Julian shrugged. “The answers you seek will be found once we locate Cormac and Azaiel. There’s nothing down here.”

Jaden raised an eyebrow. “It’s no coincidence that I came across a demon on the way inside. They’re watching the temple, like they’re waiting, and the dude I wasted said something that . . .”

Her voice trailed off, and Julian’s radar began to pulse. He turned to her.

“What did he say?” he asked, trying his best to control the urges that were falling through the cracks with too much ease. There was too much at stake, and if she was going to get in the way, he might have to resort to drastic measures.

Jaden stilled, and she looked away as she bit her lip in concentration. Her brain was working overtime, calculating, wondering. She clenched her hands together, and he got the impression that the woman would love nothing more than to crack his skull open.

She looked at him and spoke softly, a deadly whisper. “He said it was
the others
they were gunning for.” She paused. “What are you not telling me?”

Julian’s mouth tightened into a thin line, but he remained quiet. It was obvious certain factions knew what he and Declan were up to. They’d stop at nothing to keep the fallen from being returned to the upper realm.

“What do you know? What did you learn down there?” Her anger flushed her face a dark crimson. “Did you make some kind of deal with the devil or something? Are you his bitch now?”

She was hitting a little too close to home.

“I answer to no one.”
Liar.

“Yeah”—Jaden eyed the mess beneath his heart—“sure.” She snorted. “You spent six months underground and somehow miraculously escaped. A little dark and twisty, mind you, damaged for sure, but you’re out.”

“Lady, you have no idea,” he spit out; his voice was rough.

“You keep saying that, but I think it’s a little too convenient. Are you going to elaborate?” she asked, and shook her head. “Don’t bother, I’ve a feeling anything you’re willing to give up will be nothing more than a bunch of bull anyway.”

Julian’s gut tightened again, twisting harder. “Our agenda is the same. Find Azaiel and the portal.”

“It better be.” She turned from him and began to feel along the wall once more, her long, elegant fingers caressing every nook and cranny. “But if you and Declan are hiding something,” she continued, her back to him, “you can bet your ass I’ll find out what it is.”

Julian clamped his mouth shut as an image of the woman from below flashed through his mind. She of the ethereal light—giver of unimaginable pain.

“Do you think this is part of The Temple of the Warriors? Because it looks like nothing but a pile of crap to me.”

Deftly she changed the subject, but he knew she wouldn’t give up. He chose to play along and was about to answer when a low-intensity rumbling began to build. Vibrations fingered their way out along the earthen floor, tingling up his legs, and he watched Jaden spring back from the wall in alarm.

“What the . . . ?” she said, glancing back to him quickly.

The entire section in front of her had caved in, most likely when they’d been sucked beneath the temple floor.

The limestone began to glow an eerie shade of green, and the entire pile pulsated as if it was being squeezed from the inside out.

The wall began to moan, and as the air shimmered around it, symbols appeared, then disappeared. Weird illuminations that were snatched from the air.

Julian grabbed her arm, and they both ducked as the wall exploded, and the entire chamber was filled with dust and debris.

He pushed her behind him, coughing, as his lungs filled with the ancient crap that floated in the air, and he gritted his teeth as a voice floated toward him.

“Jesus Christ, Castille, this ain’t no nudist resort.”

Declan stepped through an opening the size of a fridge and grinned at the two of them. “For God sakes man, I’d cover up if I were you.” He cleared his throat and nodded. “It’s a little cold in here, no?”

Julian glared at the sorcerer, ignoring the obvious taunt.

Declan reached around and pulled something from the satchel that hung across his shoulder. “Lucky for you I’m always prepared.”

He threw a pair of jeans at him and winked at Jaden. “Damn shifters always losing their clothes.”

Julian pulled the soft denim up over his legs and had just snapped the jeans closed when Nico and Finn slid through the opening.

“What the hell happened?”

Nico’s nostrils flared, and Julian felt a keen sense of pleasure as the jaguar inhaled the remnants of his sexual encounter with Jaden. He watched as the shifter’s gaze moved over Jaden, and a ghost of a smile slid across Julian’s face as Nico turned to him.

“What the hell did you do to her?” he snarled. The jaguar was at Jaden’s side in an instant, and when his hands fell to the bruising along her cheek, Julian’s pleasure melted and disappeared into a black hole of anger.

Jaden’s hand fell to Nico’s, and Julian clenched his teeth together so tightly, his jaw throbbed.

Nico’s massive chest expanded and fell in rapid succession, and his anger was such that his voice shook when he spoke. “I will kill him.”

“It’s all right, Nico. It wasn’t Julian, it was . . .”

An understanding passed between the two of them, one that spoke of a closeness, an intimacy Julian didn’t much care for. It left a knot in his gut, but he backed away. He wanted no claim on the woman, and she could take what comfort she wanted from whomever.

“Your father,” Nico finished.

Jaden nodded tightly and moved away from the shifter. “You know how he likes to play rough.”

An uncomfortable silence fell between them all.

Julian rolled his head, trying unsuccessfully to alleviate the tension that hung on his shoulders.

“Where’d you get those?”

He glanced at Finn. The eagle knight was staring at the artwork etched into the flesh beneath his heart.

His teeth flashed white though the smile never reached his eyes. “You think this is interesting, you should see O’Hara’s.”

Declan made a face. “Unfortunately, the bitch was honing her skills on me. She perfected them by the time she got to you.”

Julian remained silent and watched as the eagle knight ignored them both and moved to kneel in front of the far wall.

Jaden walked toward Finn. “What do you see? What is this place?”

Finn moved his hands over the stone, and Julian heard the eagle knight hiss softly. He followed Jaden to Finn’s side, and, in seconds, they were all gathered around, but as far as he could see there was nothing but dull, gray wall.

Finn continued to run his hands over the wall. “This is amazing,” he whispered. “This is one of the original chambers, a place of ceremony and great magick.”

“And you can tell this how?” Declan asked casually, though he glanced at Julian, his eyes flat, his mouth thinned into a tight line.

“Symbols and etchings tell me everything.” Finn’s hands grazed over the stone in a slow, methodical gesture.

“I can’t see shit,” Declan said.

Jaden pushed Declan out of the way and knelt beside Finn. “Does it tell us anything about the portal? What do you see?”

Julian held his breath, and as Finn shook his head, he let it out slowly.

“These are more like ceremonial prayers.” He looked up at them. “It was a chamber used to prepare and orientate the original eagle knights.”

“And they did this, how?” Declan asked.

“By sacrifice,” Finn answered quietly. “Human sacrifice.”

“Nice ancestors you got there,” the sorcerer said as he turned away. “Though I suppose we’ve all got skeletons.”

“There has to be more,” Jaden exploded. “What about Toniella? What happened to her? Who cursed Azaiel into hell? Was it Nanauatl? Or someone else?” Her chest heaved, and Julian could tell she was barely holding on. “Who or what the hell do I need to track down in order to find that son of a bitch?”

Jaden twirled around, her hair flying everywhere, and Julian found himself mesmerized by the sight. “We need to seal the portal, Finn.” She shook her head, and whispered, “You know this . . . or we’re totally screwed.”

Finn sighed. “Sorry, Jaden, a lot of what happened is cloaked in mystery. What we do know is pretty bare-bones. The original eagle knights and jaguar warriors were created to protect the portal, among other things.”

“Until several of the jaguar clans went rogue and wanted the portal for themselves,” Julian inserted.

Finn stood, stretching out his long limbs. His features remained neutral, but Julian sensed the darkness that slid beneath his skin. “Until your people all but obliterated the eagle knights from the earth. It’s a goddamn miracle we managed to keep the portal hidden for so long.”

“Well thanks for the history lesson and all, but are we in agreement this has been a wild-goose chase?” Declan looked at them all. “Seriously, it’s been fun watching you guys get your asses kicked, but it doesn’t change the fact that we’re stuck down here, and we need to be”—he pointed upward—“topside.”

Julian glanced around. Declan was right. Cormac was out there with Azaiel and the portal.

“You got any suggestions?” he asked the sorcerer. “You brought us here. Can you open it up and get us out?”

“Sure, let’s go party with the sun god and his band of seriously fucked-up phantom knights. They’ll be happy for another chance at your ass.”

Julian clenched his teeth together. He felt a myriad of strange sensations. They had him on edge and slid over him as he began to pace. “We need another way out.”

“No shit,” the sorcerer answered.

Nico had moved toward Jaden, and the sight of her surrounded by the jaguar and Finn totally screwed him the wrong way.

“She’s something else,” Declan said softly as he stood beside Julian.

Jaden turned toward him, and as their eyes connected, the anxiety and anger inside him vanished completely. It startled him, that moment of clarity. She looked away, put her hand on Finn’s shoulder as the eagle spoke to her quietly, and the moment was gone.