His Darkest Salvation (8 page)

It felt like she’d slipped inside a black hole, as if everything had been wiped clean. It was unnatural and reeked of otherworld.
Dark arts.
Her eyes scanned the immediate area, but nothing was out of place. She looked at Nico, and he nodded before moving toward the left.

Inside, her jaguar shifted, and she felt the burn ripple across her flesh. She kept the temperature in her suite cool, but that did nothing to alleviate the heat suffusing her skin. The room looked untouched, and though there was no indication that things were amiss, everything inside her screamed danger.

She scented the air, but again nothing, and as she slowly made her way down the hall to her bedroom, she was careful not to make a sound.

She passed the small study where she kept a personal office, yet it was empty, in darkness, and she continued along until she reached her bedroom.

Soft light fell from the windows that ate up the entire left side of the space, the beams cutting through gloom in a flickering array of gold. Outside, azure water beckoned, and farther in the distance, the outlying jungle cradled its beach.

This was her own private view of the land she loved with all her heart, and it pissed her off that someone had dared trespass in her domain.

She kept her heartbeat steady, calm, though every instinct inside her prepared for battle. Her feet were bare of the sandals she’d worn, and they hung from her fingers as she carefully made her way into the room.

Her bed showed not a wrinkle, the maid had obviously been, and she slipped toward the small alcove that housed her large walk-in closets.

The silence hurt her ears; it weighed upon her like a physical blow, and she grimaced at the weird sensation. A slight tremor hung in the air, a foreign vibration that was somehow familiar to her.

She paused at the entrance to her closet, and even though she tried to keep calm, she felt the blood inside her veins thicken and rush through her body. Her skin was itchy, hot, and as the tattoos began to tingle along the side of her neck, she stopped, her focus shifting to the shadows that clung to the corners.

Someone was there.

Adrenaline spiked inside, she felt the power gather and pulse. Jaden pretended to turn and exit, then at the last second whirled around, the stiletto-heeled sandals hurtling through the air like deadly missiles.

She ducked as a curse fell from the darkness, and the sharp heels flew back at her, to land with a thud against the wall where her head had been seconds earlier.

“I would have guessed you too old for hide-and-seek, Castille,” she said as she retrieved her sandals and tossed them aside.

She took a step back and watched as the tall shifter fell from shadow. He looked surprised, his handsome face scowling, the eyes glittering dangerously.

She tapped the side of her neck. “The tattoos will always know you, no matter how strong the cloaking charm.” She hated the fact that her heart pounded crazily inside her and that the flesh of her cheeks darkened in reaction to the sight of him.

“What the hell are you doing here?”
Damn, why do I
sound out of breath?

The gold of his eyes receded into twin black holes of intensity, and the clench of his jaw attested to his inner feelings. He made no attempt to hide his dislike of her.

“How the hell did you breach my security? Tank alone should have given you major problems, but the elevator doors are activated by select signatures only.”

Power clung to the man like the scent of a lover; she felt the thickness of it in the air. But it was tainted.

It should have repulsed her. It didn’t. Instead, it fed something that answered in kind, and she shifted, uncomfortable and angry.

He moved toward her but she refused to budge. When he stood inches from her body, she looked up at him, her actions measured, precise, while inside, her jaguar scratched, wanting out.

“Apparently your security measures are subpar.”

Was that anger in his voice?

“I had no problem at all.” He glared at her. “It was much too easy.”

Angry and accusatory.
Where the hell did he get off?

Jaden swallowed hard, her throat dry. Damn, but she needed a drink.

She regarded the warrior in silence and shook her head. “Why are you here?” she asked again, not interested in the how, only wanting to know his reason.

He smiled, yet his eyes remained cold, flat. His hand swept upward, and though she tried to remain still, she flinched as his fingers fell across her cheek. The spark of energy that sizzled along her flesh awakened a need so intense that, for a second, everything blurred. Her animal was all kinds of agitated, and a hiss escaped from between her lips.

She yanked her head to the side and pushed him away, a low growl vibrating from deep within her chest.

“Stay the fuck away from me, Castille,” she bit out, furious at her reaction, “and answer the question.”

He cocked his head, an arrogant tilt, and said nothing.

Jaden clenched her hands and took a step toward him once more, visualizing her fist connecting with the perfect lines of his nose. It would give her great pleasure to break the fucking thing, and she flexed her fingers at the thought.

“I came for you.”

She blinked in surprise and shook her head. “Excuse me?”

The smile left him, and the way his eyes glittered had her gut twisting hard. There was no more pretending. Julian Castille was seriously damaged, and the predatory gleam that flickered briefly had her hackles up instantly.

The man was freaking insane if he thought she was going anywhere with him. He was on the edge, and she had enough to deal with.

“It’s simple really,” he began, his tone conversational as if they were buddies, friends. “You and I have something in common.”

Her eyes narrowed. What the hell was he getting at? “The only thing we have in common is our mutual dislike for each other and a fondness for whiskey, but we’re not going there . . . again.”

“We both want the portal.”

For a moment, Jaden was speechless. The portal?

“Ah no”—she shook her head—“no, no, no.” Was he on drugs? “I am so not going there with you,” she retorted, as her mind worked furiously, trying to figure out his angle.

“You
will
go there with me”—Julian bared his teeth—“or else.”

“Do not threaten me, Castille.” Jaden was so angry she could barely get the words out.
The fucking nerve.
“I am not someone you want as an enemy.”

“I will get my hands on the portal, Jaden.” He dismissed her as if she were nothing more than a nuisance and moved away from her. “I’d prefer it sooner rather than later.”

Fury rushed through her, hot and sharp. She pushed it back, knowing she could not let him get to her. She needed a cool head.

She watched as his hand crept up to his chest, and an image of his scarred, damaged skin flashed in her mind. What the hell had happened to him?

“So,” she began carefully as she put more distance between them; her mouth seemed to work better the farther away she was. “You want to work together to retrieve the portal?” It was hard to keep the sarcasm from her voice, and she watched as he arched a perfect eyebrow and cocked his head.

“You will help me.”

Unbelievable.

His arrogance left her mouth agape, but he was already walking away from her before she could answer.

“You’re one hell of a prick,” she yelled at him, willing him to stop, and she swore loudly as he kept walking. Her face tightened, and her eyes narrowed into dark slits of anger. “Hey dickhead, I’m talking to you! Give me one good reason why I should help you?”

He stopped abruptly, and she nearly ran into his back. His body was hot. She felt the heat scorch the air.

He turned around, and she retreated a step, her chest heaving as she struggled to calm herself. His muscled frame was draped in casual cotton, the light-colored fabric a foil against his tanned skin. The open collar drew her gaze to the pulse that beat strong and steady at his throat, and she swallowed thickly, her mouth suddenly dry.

His long legs were encased in faded jeans, the kind that hung low; so low, in fact, that she could see the taut skin of his belly as he lifted his arm and ruffled the hair at his neck. Even though Mexico was hot as sin, his feet were encased in the same pair of boots he’d worn the night before. The man was seriously hot. Too bad he was such an asshole.

“You done?”

Her eyes jerked back up to his. “Done?”

“Checking me out. I thought you saw enough last night, but hell, if we have time—”

“Fuck you, Castille.”

“Seems to me you already did,” he whispered softly, the tone of his voice dangerous like dark chocolate.

Her arm flew out as the anger inside her erupted. She felt the power of her jaguar gather and aimed her fist for his nose. But he grabbed her just above the wrist before she made contact and twisted until a whimper eventually fell from her lips.

Small spurts of air escaped from between her lips as her chest heaved. She tried to pull away, but he refused to let her go.

“I don’t have time for games. If the portal is not found . . . if Cormac is not stopped, all hell will break loose in the human realm, and, trust me, if that happens, I will be the least of your worries. There will be such madness, chaos, and pain . . .” His voice trailed off, and Jaden’s gut twisted as fear began to grow.

Deep within the recesses of his eyes, something flickered, something haunted. She swallowed heavily, and whispered, “Let me go.”

He held her for several long moments, his eyes never leaving hers, then gently withdrew his hand.

She stood there, rubbing her throbbing wrist as her mind whirled into a thousand directions. Julian Castille had not been vacationing in Club Med for the last six months. He’d been someplace dark, twisted. He knew what was coming.

But could she work with him?

A loud crash echoed into the silence, and she jumped.

“What the—?” Jaden pushed past Julian and was down the hall in seconds, her mind and body on red alert.

She reached the main room and froze, her eyes staring at the scene in disbelief. Anger, hot and instant, burned her, and she shook her head as her jaguar protested loudly.

“Motherfu—”

“Shit, that’s not very ladylike.”

Her words were cut off, and she glared at Declan O’Hara as he stood surrounded by the smashed remnants of a large piece of pottery. The air shimmered around him, a barrier of magick, and Nico circled him warily, growls and hisses falling from him.

The warrior had shed his human skin and flicked his long tail in agitation as he continued to circle the sorcerer.

“You wanna call off your kitty?” Declan flashed a smile, yet his eyes, too, were as hard as Julian’s, full of darkness and secrets. “I’d hate to have to singe his fur, but if need be, I’ll fry his ass.”

Jaden ignored the sorcerer and walked toward them, her hand reaching for the large jaguar. “Nico, be still.”

The cat barked twice and hissed, but moved between her and Declan as she knelt amongst the mess. She stared down at the ruined pottery for several long seconds. Her breath fell in ragged swells as she fought to control her emotion. The ceremonial jug had been a gift from her mother, Sophia, an ancient treasure from a long ago time, and the only link she had to her mother’s family.

It was worth a small fortune, but to Jaden, that paled in comparison to what it had meant to her mother. What it meant to
her.

She shook her head, vaguely heard Nico hiss as she carefully picked up a large piece and turned it over in her hands, her long fingers caressing it lovingly. Her heart contracted, and her chest tightened, full of sorrow as she eyed the shards.

The energy in the room shifted, and she looked up at Declan as he let the barrier fall. She tried to cloak her true feelings but wasn’t successful.

“I’m sorry,” he said simply. There, deep within the recesses of his eyes, she saw a spark of compassion. It lightened his features briefly, then disappeared.

Weariness, bone-chilling and dense, swept over her, and she sighed softly as she began to gather the pieces together. She sensed Julian at her side the same time Nico’s growl warned her.

“You will not touch these,” she whispered roughly, hating the thought of anyone other than herself holding the pieces that meant so much.

He stood back, and she went about her task with careful precision. Long moments of silence accompanied her, and when she was done, she stared down at the pile. Her heart broke. She knew it was beyond fixable.

Just as her world would be if Cormac was successful. They needed to find the portal and destroy it immediately, or every loss she’d suffered would be for nothing. Every sacrifice she’d made would have been in vain.

She stood quickly and shook the sadness from her mind. There was no time for pity. She could deal with that later, when she was alone.