“Well, holy Christ, what about me? My ass was burned just as bad if not worse down there, ya know. A little tender lovin’ would be much appreciated.” Declan’s sarcastic comment followed him inside.
Julian cracked a genuine smile and shook his head.
“And we should care about your ass because?” Ana interrupted.
“Baby, you know you care. I mean, it’s one hell of a fine specimen, don’t you think?”
Their words faded away and so did his smile, as little Logan tugged at him and squealed in delight. The clatter of nails across tiles echoed into the room and he glanced toward a bundle of golden fur that ran at him crazily.
The dog skidded to a halt, its feet sliding across the floor until it nearly crashed into them. Logan let go of Julian’s finger and wrapped his small arms around the young dog’s neck, giggling the way small children do. The sound was musical, notes of glee that fell from his lips.
The child looked up at him, his smile wide. “This is my Shelby girlie; do you wants to pet her?”
Julian cleared his throat and shook his head.
Logan frowned. “She won’t hurt you. I promise. She bit Skye once, but that was an accident.”
Awkward didn’t begin to describe the energy in the room as he stared down at the boy helplessly. His feet felt like they were entrenched deep in cement. He wanted to act but was frozen in place. It was frustrating, and he felt the hole inside him widen.
“I don’t like dogs.” The words slipped from him, and the boy’s frown deepened.
“What’s wrong with you?” he asked before his gaze settled on someone behind him. “Mama, why is the dark mist around Uncle Julian? I thought that was only for bad men.”
He heard Jaden inhale sharply, then heard her whisper, “This child is how old?”
He turned away, scowling as he caught sight of his brother. “I didn’t come here for a family reunion. I heard you had intel, so either we get to it, or I leave.”
Jaxon’s eyes narrowed. He nodded to Libby. “Have Mr. M get Logan for dinner.”
Libby walked toward them, and though she smiled up at him, he sensed her wariness, a slight hesitation. The last time he’d seen her she’d been very thin, beaten down, having just been rescued from the clutches of the DaCosta jaguars. She was a different person today—happy, healthy.
Wearily, he ran his fingers through his hair. It seemed so long ago.
A lifetime, yet it had only been months.
Her hand strayed to the top of Logan’s head. A healthy glow kissed her cheeks, and the love she felt for her men, the child and Jaxon, was easy to see.
“Julian,” she said simply, and she rose onto her tiptoes as she slid her arms across his shoulders. She hugged him fiercely, and though he held himself stiff and kept his hands at his sides, a part of him welcomed the warmth, the touch. He closed his eyes as she whispered into his ear.
“The ghosts will go away. This I promise.”
She let go and stood back. “Logan, why don’t you take Shelby to the kitchen and feed her? Mr. M is in there waiting for you; we’ll be along in a bit, okay?”
The small boy ran to his father and gave Jaxon a high five before calling the dog after him.
Julian felt detached from the domestic joy his brothers had found. Jaxon and Libby were screwed if they thought they could raise a child in this world and have a happy-ever-after. The security they enjoyed was false. He knew what was coming.
He paused as his eyes fell upon Jaden. She stood a few inches away, and, as her eyes caught his, a calm blank facade slid into place, masking her feelings once more. But not before he saw the yearning and want she held inside her. For a child.
The two of them stared at each other in silence. He was aware of movement, of Cracker and his brothers having a muted conversation. Of Finn and the woman Skye, his sister, talking excitedly to each other. Of Declan and Ana standing stiff as boards, each trying like hell to ignore the other.
Of the child Logan and his mother Libby.
None of them touched anything inside him except the woman who stood directly before him. She held her head high, and though her lips trembled slightly, and her eyes reflected back at him like liquid glass, she was in control. He could feel it, her strength.
She deserved the life his brothers had managed to eke out of the chaos that had rained down upon them. She wanted it though she denied it.
Suddenly, Julian was filled with a need to make sure she got it, or at the very least had a chance at something half-normal. How fucking crazy is that? In the midst off the mess he’d found himself in, he, a Castille shifter, cared about a DaCosta.
No matter that she was his mate. He wouldn’t be around to claim that legacy. Had no interest in it, but damn if he wouldn’t try to make sure she started a new one. Was it possible for her to claim another?
The constant burn that fed upon his skin quickened, but he ignored it and felt the white noise recede as he clenched his teeth together.
He turned from Jaden. Nico waited in the wings.
He’d find the fallen and return him to his maker. As much as he’d like nothing more than to kill the fucker himself, that was the deal.
No one but he and Declan knew the truth: Azaiel was the portal. They were to recover the fallen and return him to Bill. In return, they’d get back the shredded pieces of their souls—and the pleasure of serving Bill for the next thousand years.
Or fail and fall into darkness.
Yeah, he knew his future was pretty much fucked, but he would do whatever it took to make sure Jaden had a shot at hers.
Chapter 21
“Follow me.”
Jaxon Castille’s crisp voice cut through her thoughts, and Jaden jumped, her eyes falling from Julian as she glanced toward the other Castille brothers.
Jaxon nodded to the right, toward an imposing set of double doors, a polite smile gracing his features though the look in his eyes was frosty. It irritated her. She’d not expected open arms or anything, but hell, they’d been working on the same side for years.
Jaxon had never been comfortable working with a DaCosta. Had in fact protested when she’d been given her own unit though he’d relented somewhat when he’d become aware of her undercover activities. He knew she was on the right side and had thought they’d put his distrust behind them.
Apparently not.
Skye walked toward her, and Jaden felt a stab of jealousy hit her hard. She watched Jagger, who was a few feet away. He couldn’t take his eyes off her. They stalked the woman as she moved through the room. In spite of everything—she being an eagle knight and he being a jaguar—the two of them had found something special, something worth fighting for.
She was happy for Skye, really, yet it was bittersweet. She couldn’t lie to herself. The woman had found something she’d never be able to claim—true love and everything that went with it. To have a man look at you with such raw need was something she could only imagine.
The problem with imagining such things was that it led to hope. Her gaze strayed to Julian once more. They belonged to each other, yet it was a divide that could never be crossed. Hope and Julian Castille shouldn’t be in the same sentence.
“Damn, Jaden, you’ve got quite the entourage.”
“Yeah,” she answered, “not what you expected I suppose.”
Skye’s eyes regarded her closely, and Jaden shifted beneath the intensity of her gaze. “Julian Castille, back from the dead. Who would have thought?” The eagle shifter frowned and lowered her voice. “What’s wrong with him? He seems . . . strange.”
Jaden’s heart constricted painfully as she studied him. He stood to the side, his back to everyone. Cold. Aloof . . . and so very alone.
“Can he be trusted?”
Skye frowned, and though Jaden sensed concern, the question did nothing but raise her hackles.
Can he be trusted? How could she ask such a thing? What gave Skye the right to question his integrity, his honor. It burned her ass big time
to hear it.
None of them knew what he’d been through; hell, she could only guess.
“What kind of question is that?” Jaden’s voice was sharp, and she bared her teeth as she turned on the eagle shifter. “Of course he can be trusted.”
“He’s not the same. His energy is dark, and it’s strong.”
Jaden’s temper flared, and she clenched her hands so tightly she felt her nails rip through skin. “Of course he’s not the same. How can he be? He just spent the last six months being tortured. In hell. You try a vacation like that and see if you come home with an attitude that’s all sunshine and full of happy.”
Skye took a step back. “Hey, I don’t mean any disrespect. Trust me, I know a little about what went on down there. When I first woke up after the explosion, I had images in my mind that even now creep me out.” Skye’s eyes were wide, and Jaden knew she was speaking from the heart. “Of Julian and Declan and where they were. I get that he went through hell, but something is definitely wrong with him. Even little Logan can see that.”
Jaden remained silent, aware that they were attracting attention.
“I just need to know if we can trust him. There are a lot of lives at stake, and I will do whatever it takes to make sure what’s mine is protected.”
The subtle challenge was thrown down, and Jaden’s back bristled at her tone.
“You mean Jagger.” She could barely get the words out as her jaw was clenched so tightly together.
“Yes, among other things.” Skye arched an eyebrow and cocked her head. “It’s interesting to me, the change in your attitude. I thought you hated Julian. If I recall correctly, you told me he was an asshole.”
“He is,” she retorted quickly.
He’s my asshole. The thought whispered through her mind, and she stilled, her body and mind freezing as a realization hit her like a Mack truck going one hundred miles an hour.
Her eyes found him once more, and she drank in his profile, the stubborn bent to his chin and the lips that had haunted her for years.
Her world was a chaotic mess, with nothing to look forward to other than a looming battle of epic proportions that might save humanity . . . or might not. And yet she felt a glimmer of hope nestled in there somewhere. A small ray of light. She thought that maybe there could be redemption, that Julian might somehow find his salvation.
She licked her dry lips and looked away from him. The man had caused her all kinds of pain and given her untold pleasure. Their families hated each other. But he was her mate, and with that came a bond that was not so easily cast aside. She wanted him to have a future even if she was not in it.
“You coming?” Jagger held the door open.
Both women turned toward the shifter. The others had already disappeared, and she followed Skye, noticing the way the eagle shifter’s hands caressed the tall jaguar as she walked by. She nodded to Jagger and disappeared through the doors.
She found herself in a smallish foyer with two large guards standing by what she assumed were elevator doors. Both were otherworld and looked mean as hell. The doors slid open, and she slipped in behind Skye, with Jagger not far on her heels.
He moved around her, and the low, muted tones of the other two grated on her nerves as the lift descended rapidly. Their intimacy and obvious love for each other was sweet, but she was not in the mood to be around it. Too much sugar made her ill.
As soon as the lift doors opened, she bolted and stepped into a shiny, modern world that would make the geekiest techno wizard take notice. The main hub for intel was staffed by seven operatives, all of them busy tapping away on their computers while overhead flatscreens kept them abreast of the latest developments.
It was similar to her setup, and as she studied the huge monitors, it saddened her to see the red zones spreading to nearly every country and region on the planet.
Things were about as bad as they could get.
“It makes you wonder.”
She didn’t need to turn her head to know that Julian stood at her side. Her nostrils flared, and his subtle scents tingled along her nerves as she took him into her lungs.
She couldn’t fight it anymore.
The man was her mate whether she wanted him or not. It didn’t mean she had to like it, but it did mean she had a choice. She could give in to the crazy notions banging around inside her head, the ones that told her to take him once more, to claim him and use him for pleasure. Or she could deny the need and live in misery.
He didn’t want her. Not for life. She knew that, but still . . .
Jaden gave herself a mental shake. She knew it was her animal making noise. She was on the edge and riding the cusp of heat. It would pass. She gritted her teeth. She’d just have to deal.
Christ, it would help if he didn’t smell so damn good.
“Sorry?” she asked, glad that she sounded in control even if the butterflies were having a field day in her stomach.
Julian nodded toward the monitors. “It makes you wonder how long it will take for the entire world to become one hot red zone.”
A chill swept across her skin, and Jaden shivered. “It won’t take long.” She shook her head and looked up at him. “So we better get this right and get it done.” Her gaze swung back to the monitors. “Or this will be nothing but a solid mass of crimson.”
A few moments of silence passed. She cleared her throat. “Where are the others?”
Julian shrugged his shoulders. “I was waiting for you.”
She tried not to show how surprised she was at his words but seriously doubted she’d been successful. Why would he wait for her? She felt a jolt of pleasure, which was silly, considering that it was, in reality, a small gesture.
But to Jaden it was huge.
“This way.” Jagger nodded toward a corridor to their right. She and Julian followed, and they trekked down the hall until they came to a door that required extra security measures. She waited patiently as Jagger activated the mechanism, and once the door slid open, they all stepped through into yet another world entirely.
Jaden wrinkled her nose as the subtle stench of magick greeted her. It was tinged with a hint of darkness, and she was puzzled by the signature as she continued to follow Jagger through a series of checkpoints.
She wasn’t familiar with it but recognized the potency of the energy in the air. Someone down here was practicing powerful magick, and it wasn’t all good.
They stopped in front of a door, and it was opened almost immediately. Jagger and Skye entered, then Jaden followed suit, with Julian close behind.
Her eyes were immediately drawn to the far end of the large room. Inside a glass-encased prison a man stood. His arms and feet were bound to the post in the center, and his face grinned wickedly as he stared out at them all.
There was blood on the floor, and she could tell he’d been tortured, his body showed obvious signs.
“Who the hell is that?” she asked, striding forward.
“His name is Tom,” Jaxon said.
“Tom?” she asked, her tone biting. “Who the hell is Tom?”
Julian was at Jaden’s side, and they both walked the last few steps until they stood near the secured room.
The man on the inside continued to stare at them with a crazed expression gripping his features. His eyes seemed unfocused, and Jaden whispered, “Can he see us?”
“No.” Jagger angled up alongside her. “He knows we’re here, but he can’t see anything other than his own stinking reflection.”
“Who is he?” Julian asked.
“He’s one of Cormac O’Hara’s soldiers, otherworld and definitely demon influenced.”
“He’s one of O’Hara’s inner circle,” Jaxon interjected.
“And you know this because?” Jaden asked, curious.
“He carries the mark,” Declan murmured.
Jaxon nodded. “Everyone in his inner circle does.”
“So what’s this intel?” Julian asked. His tone was clipped, and Jaden knew he w
as fast losing patience. They both were.
“I know you’re out there.”
Jaden glanced toward the prisoner. His eyes looked glassy, as if he were high. The man began to shudder, his chest heaving with the effort it took as he pulled air into his lungs. After a few seconds, he turned to them once more, his body bathed in sweat, and spit at them, as if he could see them, shouting furiously. “When the legions of darkness invade this realm, you will all be damned.”
Declan waved his hand. “Blah, blah, blah.” And the man was silenced once more.
“Not that I don’t appreciate the show and all, but do you know where my fucking father is or not? I’m assuming that’s why you hauled our asses clear across two countries.” Declan looked to the Castille brothers.
Jaden stepped closer to Julian, not even realizing she’d done so until her foot nudged the hardness of his boots.
Julian paid her no mind, his focus entirely on his brothers. “Where is he?” His words were controlled, precise, yet Jaden felt the tremors that ran underneath his skin. They were reflected in the energy that shimmered in the air around them.
“Well, I hope you’re all feelin’ lucky, boys, because as soon as Jaxon gives the go-ahead, we leave for Vegas.” Absolute silence greeted Jagger’s words.
“Las Vegas?” Declan asked incredulously. After a few moments, a wide smile cracked the tense set of his face, and he turned to Julian. “Un-fucking-believable, yet so perfect.” His dark eyes glittered though his voice was devoid of emotion.
The two men looked at each other, and Jaden saw their torment clear as day.
Declan nodded and looked past them to the prisoner inside. “Well, hello, Sin City,” he said softly, and, with one twist of Declan’s wrist, the prisoner stopped moving.
Permanently.
Deep in the bowels of Black Magick, Las Vegas’s newest casino, the air was bitter cold. It was a massive space befitting the large casino overhead, and was used for two things—storage and torture.
At the very back, tucked away and camouflaged behind a shield of magick, was a room. Inside, a lone male exhaled a mist of air that lingered for several seconds before evaporating into nothing. He was bare of clothing save for a tattered pair of jeans that hung low on his lean hips, and he shivered constantly. His feet were wet, and the harsh light that shone down on him was relentless.
His Darkest Salvation Page 21