“You look surprised. Who did you think was responsible for your lover’s death?” The vampire hissed and growled. “I didn’t drain her, didn’t even go for a nibble. Your scent was all over her and ruined my appetite. But it was my hands that choked the last bit of air from her lungs.”
She began to laugh once more, the sound maniacal. It was harsh and echoed into the darkness. A mess of howler monkeys began to make noise, their excited cries echoing up from the canopy below, adding to the illusion of chaos.
The air changed; electricity crackled along invisible conduits, charging the atmosphere with an eerie glow.
Skye could feel Jagger’s rage. It clung to him like a dark cloud. It was in the way his heart slowed to an ominous beat, the way he shook out his limbs in slow, exaggerated movements.
In that moment she could feel how lethal an animal he was, and she looked up at Dani in time to see something other then hate flicker across her face. Was it fear? Probably not, but the vampire sure as hell knew Jagger was primed and ready for battle.
A million questions shot through her mind but the loudest had nothing whatsoever to do with the impending fight.
It made her angry, the direction of her thoughts, and she shook her head in an effort to purge them from her mind, but it was no use.
Here she was, atop a freaking mountain for God’s sake, with a vampire and demon standing only a few feet away, both of them gunning for her … and the only thing she could think about was the mysterious Eden.
Who the hell was she? And what had she meant to Jagger? The vampire had said they were lovers, but had it been more than that?
Skye tore her eyes away from the vampire as the demon began to make a series of grunting noises, not words exactly, but definitely some kind of chanting. She moved back a few paces, her eyes riveted to the beast as his form began to change. His body began to inch upward, the already tall form adding several inches in height and bulk.
Skye was transfixed. She’d never seen anything like it. Not even in her nightmares.
A hand gripped her forearm hard and she was pulled to Jagger’s side. His face was deathly cold, his rage turning the green of his eyes into crimson red.
“Get to Monkey River and find Nico. If he’s not there someone should be able to locate him in the reserve.”
Jagger’s voice sounded as if there were several layers to it. Skye could tell he was fighting to keep his human form for as long as he needed to.
He began to make a keening noise and mist encircled the whole of his body as he pushed her away from him violently. “Now,” was all he said before the change fell upon him.
Everything happened quickly. Bodies became blurs. Growls and screams ripped through the night air.
Skye stumbled back several paces, regaining her balance quickly. She watched as a large black cat erupted from the mist in front of her. Its body aimed straight and true for the vampire.
Dani’s fangs had elongated even more and the lethal weapons glistened in what little light there was. The vampire rushed at the jaguar and their bodies met in midair, the thud that reverberated in the night a testament to how hard they hit.
Skye started to run toward them, intent on helping Jagger any way that she could, but at the last minute sidestepped to the right, barely avoiding an assault from what was now a demon that was well over ten feet in height.
He whipped around, growling in anger and laughed down at her.
Skye held herself loose on the balls of her feet, hands fisted at her side. Desperately, she searched the immediate area for any type of weapon. When the demon began to laugh, he fed the anger inside of her until the flush of it crawled across her skin.
“Glad to see I’m so fucking amusing, dickhead,” she shouted, trying to tame the fear that was banging at her. The beast was massive and unless a miracle occurred, she didn’t see a way out for either her or Jagger.
Crap, the only demon fighting she’d ever seen had been old episodes of Buffy.
Skye gritted her teeth, her gaze alighting on a small pile of rocks that fell away from a massive boulder to her left. She could hear the battle raging behind her but dared not turn from the demon.
His long, forked tongue slid from his mouth, as if testing the wind. Words slithered from between the jagged teeth and the stench made her nose wrinkle in protest.
“I can smell your fear, little bird.” He laughed harshly as he moved toward her. “It only makes the game that much more pleasurable.”
“Well, hell, glad to see I’ve managed to brighten your day, because so far, mine has been fucking peachy.”
Skye edged over toward the rocks, her mind circling for a way out. When she was only a few feet away, the demon lunged at her, his long arms grabbing for her. She jumped, trying to clear the boulder, and felt a hot sting of pain slice across her calf as the demon’s claws dug in deeply.
The cry that ripped from her lungs was harsh, but the pain was excruciating.
Skye’s hands landed on the top of the boulder and she tried to pull herself up, but the demon grabbed her and threw her back as if she were nothing more than a rag doll.
She landed on her back. Hard. And she began to sputter as the wind was knocked from her.
There was no time to react. He was upon her.
The heat of his breath against her face was bad enough, but the stench had her belly turning over in protest.
“Damn, no one ever introduce you to a nifty little thing called mouthwash?”
“Dumb bitch. You think to bait me? I care not for what you think.” He began to laugh once more, from deep in his chest. The vibrations shook her body and it felt like his words were not only outside of her, but in her head as well.
Skye shook herself, trying to clear her mind. If she could somehow distract the fucker long enough, maybe she’d find a way out of this mess.
“Cormac said he wanted you alive, but he didn’t say we couldn’t have a little fun with you.”
The hissed words slipped through her mind and Skye recoiled in horror as the demon lowered his head until there were mere inches between them.
“A demon’s kiss is something everyone should experience at least once in a lifetime.” His wide mouth opened and the serrated teeth hung heavily in menacingly dangerous rows. They dripped with something akin to saliva, but the liquid was brownish in color.
Skye’s eyes singled out a drop that clung to the teeth precariously, and when it fell toward her, she closed her eyes in revulsion, only to cry out in pain as the liquid slid across her cheek.
The burn was intense, the pain sharp, searing.
Skye began to buck wildly, her arms flailing out, and when her hand clamped down upon a rock she picked it up and threw it with all her might at the demon’s head.
He roared in anger and swung his fist at her, striking her with an equally vicious blow.
Skye screamed in fury, frustration, and plain old fear. Her cheek was on fire and her calf felt like there were a thousand shards of glass ripping through it.
The demon began to lower his head and for that one brief second, Skye could honestly say she’d never been more terrified in her entire life. It was all encompassing. Immobilizing.
Frantically, she clawed at the demon, trying to arch away, but it was no use. Even with her enhanced strength the demon was much too strong.
When his mouth closed over hers, Skye nearly lost her mind. The terror that ripped through her was unlike anything she’d ever experienced.
The demon moaned into her and went still, but the pull that Skye felt deep inside of her intensified. Her skull was on fire and her head pounded. It felt like her very soul was being ripped from her body and the cold that seeped into her veins was sharp, as if she’d been dipped into the deepest, most frigid part of the Atlantic Ocean.
It was liquid ice.
She struggled still, but Skye’s vision began to blur and even though she fought like hell, she began to lose hope.
A god-awful cry ripped across th
e darkness that had entombed her and Skye’s eyes flew open. The cry had come from inside her mind and she knew without a doubt who it belonged to.
Azaiel.
The demon, Tag, broke away and looked down at her. The fear that hung on his distorted features caught at her.
“I knew not …” the demon mumbled, confused and deathly afraid. He then made a series of choking noises, as if he were being strangled from the inside out. His body began to shake violently and then he collapsed on top of her.
The weight very nearly crushed her and it was all Skye could do to push the body off of her. She rolled to the side, coughing, shivering, and feeling like she’d just died. Dully, her gaze landed on Jagger, still in animal form, his jaguar panting from exertion.
At his feet lay the limp body of the female vampire. From what she could see through the thick haze of fog that was slowly descending upon her, the vampire’s head had been nearly torn from her body.
Skye was afraid of losing consciousness. Afraid that the demon’s kiss would claim her, destroy her. Funny, considering where she was going to end up when she finally sealed the portal.
If she sealed the portal.
The feeling of sadness that washed over her brought tears to her eyes and she struggled to see through them, to focus on Jagger.
The cat jumped over Dani’s body as the mist claimed it and it was Jagger himself who knelt over her. His hands touched her face, fell to her chest and then to the rest of her body.
“Why the fuck didn’t you leave?” His words were laden with a pain she’d never felt before.
His whispered words tore through her and if she could, Skye would have done anything to ease his burden.
She stared up into eyes full of pain. They shimmered as the last of his jaguar left his body, the bright green orbs now solemn and dark.
“I can’t …” The words came haltingly. “ … shift after dusk.”
Jagger cradled her closer, shaking his head. “Why didn’t you tell me?” he asked.
Skye closed her eyes and whispered simply, “I didn’t trust you.”
“Of course you didn’t. Why the hell would you?” Jagger’s voice rose and she flinched, though it went unnoticed as his anger kept pace. “Jaguars have been killing your kind for eons.”
He paused then. “How did you …?” He glanced at the demon at her side. His innards were exposed as sulfuric smoke escaped from every orifice. She could tell he was as confused as she was, but when Skye opened her mouth to answer, no words came out.
Her body was cold and she began to shiver uncontrollably, her teeth chattering against each other in a relentless rhythm. Her stomach was roiling, her head light.
When the seizure hit it was all she could do to keep her sanity.
Jagger shoved his finger down her mouth in an attempt to clear her airway and turned her onto her side. She struggled to breathe through the attack and the panic that punched her hard in the gut.
Was this the end? Is this what it felt like to die by a demon’s hand?
The cold whisper that wove its way through her body left every cell aching and on fire with pain.
Her eyes rolled upward and then she saw nothing.
The only witness to the large man cradling the shaking woman was a lone wailer monkey that had made its way up from the canopy below. It had been attracted to the violence and dark energy in the air.
It paused, raised itself up on its back legs and then slowly slipped into the night, leaving Skye halfway between the dark and the light.
And a jaguar warrior, a man with no religious conviction at all, left holding her tightly, a prayer falling from his lips, the only sound to greet the now silent jungle.
Chapter 15
The first light of dawn was just breaking across the jungle when an exhausted Jagger finally stopped his treacherous descent. He’d pretty much used up all of his energy getting Skye down from the summit of Victoria Peak. It had been a long, arduous night but he couldn’t afford to linger.
He needed to get Skye to Monkey River. Surely there would be someone who could help her.
Where the hell was Cracker when he needed him? Jagger gritted his teeth, paused to take a long swig of water before forcing some of the precious liquid between Skye’s cold lips.
Fucking demon! How the hell had he not known what Tag was, back in Iraq? The man’s scent had always been off, but he’d just assumed the bastard was Dani’s lackey. Her bitch-slap boy.
He should have taken them all out when he’d had the chance. Would have, too, if Eden hadn’t been …
Jagger couldn’t finish the thought. He couldn’t go there. Not ever again.
Skye began to twitch violently and he held her tight, knowing the spell would pass. It seemed to be the way of it.
He was frustrated at the lack of knowledge he had in regard to demons.
He knew they existed. In fact several had been purported to be the targets in operations he’d quarterbacked. But the intel that had been gathered was sketchy at best. He’d personally never laid eyes on one before this night.
Jagger sighed tiredly. He had no time to dwell. He needed to get his ass in gear.
His gaze fell on the face cradled so close to his chest.
Skye had been in and out of consciousness for most of the night; her hoarse whispers were in an ancient tongue. She spouted things he couldn’t make sense of and he couldn’t help but wonder at the many layers that lay beneath Skye’s facade.
He closed his eyes, but only for a moment. The face that had haunted him for months was always lurking about. Eden.
Her death was on him. Savagely, he drew air deep into his lungs. Dani had paid for her part. He’d long thought that if he could avenge Eden’s death it would assuage the emptiness that ate at him every day.
But it did no such thing. It was still there, carving more and more trails deep into his soul.
Jagger was cursed and he knew it.
His tired arms pulled Skye in close to him as he secured the heavy satchels that hung from one shoulder. He would get her out of this mess, with the portal intact. He would protect her and keep her safe. She would not become another Eden.
And then he’d disappear.
He continued to move through the greenery on his long legs. He still had a hell of a lot of ground to cover and most likely wouldn’t make it to Monkey River before nightfall.
Added to that was the fact he had a large contingent of DaCosta warriors on his ass, coming at him from the north with God knows how many more soldiers for hire, all of them gunning for Skye.
Jagger hiked for hours, crossing many small rivers that ran from the top of the mountain, cutting a path through the jungle and into the basin, where they dumped into some of the great rivers of Belize, the Swasey and South Stann Creek.
He was in the heart of the jaguar reserve before he realized things were not as they should be.
Jagger should have noticed sooner, but truthfully, he was incredibly fatigued. He’d been carrying Skye for nearly twenty hours and had had virtually no food or rest in days. He stopped abruptly, his senses fingering their way out as he sought to find the barest hint of an enemy.
But there was nothing, and an eerie cold began to settle alongside him. Jagger began to suspect that dark arts were at play. The rhythms of the jungle were out of whack. It felt like all life had been sucked from the very heart of it, leaving nothing but the breeze, the greenery. The enemy.
He’d not seen or sensed a single jaguar, ocelot, or puma. The amazing myriad of birds that normally filled the canopy high above him with their endless shrieks and squawks was missing.
They’d all fled.
He paused. Not even the local black howler monkeys trumpeted his presence.
The feeling of unease that settled inside him only confirmed that danger lurked about, hidden within the shadows between the trees. Carefully he scoured the entire area as he lowered Skye to the ground. She was still feverish and his fear that she would succumb to wha
tever the hell the demon had done to her was nearly paralyzing.
He needed to get to Placencia and get a boat to Monkey River. Nico had mentioned a local Mayan healer once who had made her home there. That had been several years ago, but at the moment it was his only hope.
He forced some more liquid down Skye’s throat, cradling her head as she thrashed. He pulled her to rest against a downed tree trunk. They were along the banks of yet another small creek and he left her, sliding into the wet coolness in order to fill their bottles.
It was then that he became aware of another presence.
Jagger froze, his body tense, ready to fight. Slowly his eyes swept the immediate area, and without making a noise he leapt back up the bank, carefully placing the bottles near Skye. Reaching into the deep pockets of his cargos, his fingers encircled the deadly knife that lay there.
It had been charmed, a gift from Declan.
When he stood, all the fatigue and pain had fled, leaving behind only the anger and madness that fueled his jaguar in battle. The taut muscles of his arms and abdomen gleamed under a soft sheen of sweat. His tattoos stood out in stark relief against the dark skin, their intricate markings seeming to shimmer and move as he flexed his arms and rotated his neck.
Jagger crouched low, scenting the air, and as he did so the hair at the back of his head stood on end.
Something was there, just beyond the creek.
Silently he kept to the shadows that lined the bank, his body moving with stealth and determination. His mind went quiet, all of his senses focused on tracking the presence that he felt.
He slipped into the mess of vinery that caressed the edge of the creek and disappeared from view.
Jagger kept his body low to the ground and for a brief second debated calling his jaguar to him, but a noise ahead gave him pause. There was no time.
He held the knife loosely in his fingers and his eyes flattened to a dead, dull green as he inched forward. For once he was grateful there were no creatures around to trumpet his presence.
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