His Darkest Embrace (23 page)

The portal was missing!

How in the hell was that even possible? Where the hell was it?

Cold sharp pains clawed their way through her belly and she doubled over in the corner, her stomach heaving as she retched.

She fell to the floor and passed a trembling hand over her face, feeling the cold fingers sharply against her heated skin.

Dully, her eyes wandered the room, but it was no use. It wasn’t like there were secret compartments with the portal hidden safely inside.

It was well and truly gone.

And Skye had no freaking clue as to its location. A thought struck her then, and she grabbed her satchel, her fingers barely able to get it open because they were trembling so badly.

But as she quickly went over her notes and those of her father’s she felt all hope begin to fade. Every indication led to the belief that the portal was in the Cave of the Sun.

The fact that it was missing meant one of two things. Her father had retrieved it, but since he’d been killed and it was obviously not in the hands of the DaCostas or Cormac, he’d hidden it elsewhere.

Or someone had managed to break the eagle magick that protected the cave and the shrine, and had successfully stolen the portal. If so, their identity was a mystery, as they’d not shown their hand and had not come into play yet.

Either way, she was screwed.

She didn’t have a portal to seal, and while that meant that she was
not
going to hell today, she still had a jungle full of mercenaries gunning for her ass. She swallowed hard, her mind whirling frantically. Her odds of surviving the next few days were less than ten percent.

If she was lucky.

She slumped onto the floor and rested her head against the cool rock wall. It was still dark inside the shrine and, for a few seconds at least, she felt invisible. Safe.

Damn, if only she had Finn to talk to. Or Father.

Restless energy pummeled her and she felt dizzy as her heart continued to beat against her chest. She’d closed her eyes and was trying to plot her next move, when she felt the merest whisper of a cold caress, almost like a snake had just wound its way across her mind and slithered down into her chest.

She jumped to her feet, her eyes circling wildly, but there was nothing there.

“Don’t go all crazy now, Skye. You need a plan.”

She couldn’t think clearly though, and shook her head as she grabbed her papers once more and shoved them back into the bag. Her fingers touched something solid and she fingered the stone eagle, a trinket she’d had forever.

Abruptly, she shoved it back into the bag. She needed to get to Jagger.

With one last look around, Skye exited the small shrine, welcoming the sun as it continued to squeeze out her last rays. She needed to hurry. In less than an hour she’d have no power to shift and she knew there was no way she’d be able to slip through the opening that led back to the great cavern.

She retraced her footsteps rapidly, her body sliding through the magick that protected the opening, and it seemed that in no time she reached the exit to the cavern.

But there was a problem. A huge problem. The opening was no longer.

Something broke inside of Skye then, and she pounded her fists against the solid wall that greeted her, cursing, screaming, and not stopping until the scent of blood filled the air. Dully, she looked down at her bruised and bloody hands and stepped away.

She truly was alone. There was no way of getting to Jagger.

Slowly she turned around and retraced her steps. She had no clue where she was going or what she was going to do. But she had to keep moving, because if not, then surely she would go insane.

She felt her strength fade as the sun began her final descent. The cave itself seemed to lessen, as if its power fled along with the sunlight.

Skye could feel the darkness as it crept along the walls and reached for her, and almost immediately she was swallowed whole.

Chapter 22

W
ithin seconds of Skye’s disappearance through the opening, the ground began to shake and the cavern pulsated as energy sizzled in the air. A snarl ripped from his throat as Jagger turned in a circle, not understanding what was happening.

The air shimmered around him and as he looked up at the ceiling of the great cavern, the etchings and symbols that had been so plain seconds before misted into a golden arc, then fell down in a shower of golden mist.

Fuck, that can’t be good.

They disappeared from sight, leaving him choking on a ball of fear. His only thought was to get to Skye.

The earth continued to grumble beneath his feet, moving and shifting as he ran the entire circumference of the cavern. The sick feeling that ate at him was a constant burn in his gut. Some heavy shit was about to go down. He could feel it.

His eyes scoured every inch of his surroundings and his rage continued to grow. He felt impotent, helpless, and these were emotions a jaguar warrior was ill equipped to handle. He was used to being in charge.

All at once the rock began to liquefy and he jumped back from the wall as panic joined the anger that ate away at him. Not for his own safety, but for Skye. He cursed loudly. Why the hell had he let her go like that? What the fuck had he been thinking?

It was Eden, all over again.
Her
death had broken him. But Skye? If something happened to her, he’d be done. Over. He may as well turn around and hand his ass over to the DaCostas, because his life wouldn’t be worth shit if she wasn’t going to a part of it.

“Skye!” he yelled in anguish.

What the hell was happening?

There was a keening sound that ripped through the cavern, so loud he fought the urge to cover his ears. All around him the walls of the cave continued to expand and recede as if made of gas.

And then, as if stretched to the limit, they thinned and the hole in the ceiling blurred and folded over, becoming solid once more.

Within seconds it disappeared and the rumbling stopped, leaving Jagger in the center of a cave that was less than ordinary, cold, and gray. The glow faded almost immediately, and the cavern was plunged into a heavy, thick darkness.

His mind worked frantically through several scenarios and his frustration continued to grow at the severity of the situation.

His nocturnal stare swung around, back to the entrance. It stared back at him, taunting him and his inability to protect his mate. Inside his soul the animal cried out in fury and a shot of adrenaline spiked his blood to a boil. He took off at a run.

The passage was as dark as the cavern he’d just left, but his eyes sliced through the gloom. Jagger let his senses fly, looking for anything out of the ordinary. But there was nothing.

He retraced his steps and found himself back in the original chamber beneath the waterfall. It was cold and mist began to rise from his body. The anxious bite in his gut heaved. Nothing had changed here, but then what the hell had he expected?

Cold determination ripped through him and he took off at a dead run, his long legs covering the distance in no time. He burst forth from the cave, his lungs inhaling the early evening air as his eyes scoured the surrounding area.

It was dusk and the fear he felt for Skye tripled. He knew she was without her eagle powers, and even though she was still stronger, faster than most humans, it wouldn’t help her this night.

Because it sure as hell wasn’t humans who hunted her.

He needed to find her, like, yesterday.

Hold on, babe, I’m coming,
he whispered to himself.

Quickly he stripped his clothes and tossed them behind the large boulder that stood at attention near the opening of the cave. Mist clung to his skin. It curled along the ground as it hovered above the waterfall less than five feet away, mixing with the magick that climbed over his limbs.

Within seconds he’d shifted and the large black jaguar that erupted from deep inside the mist took off at a hard run. Jagger ran at a relentless pace, his powerful frame eating up the ground as he slipped over rock and then plunged into the surrounding vegetation thick with the heat of the coming rains.

His “bad mojo” alert was on high and his eyes were forever scanning from left to right. As he crested a small rise he stopped, inhaling the damp air deep into his lungs, but there was nothing.

Disappointment slid through him and he barked softly, the sound muffled by the humidity. His green eyes carefully studied the area around him, running over the summit, which was not far up from where he stood.

Mentally he pictured the inside of the great cave, and after a few moments he began to move again. Truthfully, he knew the chances of finding Skye were slim. He didn’t even know if there was another exit.

He just had to trust that there was. To think of the alternative was not an option at this point. However, if left with no choice, he’d blow the fucking mountain to pieces.

He continued to stalk the night, his nose and ears leading him forward as he picked through many scents, and there were a lot to take in. The stink of otherworld filled his nasal cavity and his eyes turned to the canopy below.

It lay silent, deadly.

Not one sound echoed up to him. The animals had long fled and left nothing behind except the evil that was slowly infiltrating their home. They were down there, the enemy, and Jagger knew he had little time in which to get to his woman and get them both to safety.

He began to pant, his powerful canines flashing white, and without another thought he began the final climb to the summit.

The going was rough, as the entire area was full of dangerous crevices that disappeared into the darkness. Heat and humidity coated the rock face, making it slippery and extremely hard to navigate, but still he moved on. As the minutes ticked by and the urgent need to get to Skye rode him harder, he began to take chances, his great body literally flying over the dangerous terrain.

He narrowly missed falling and only avoided injury because of his razor-sharp claws, which he used to dig into the earth and pull himself up the bank of yet another stream with a waterfall. The entire mountainside was littered with them.

He’d just reached solid ground when he stopped short, his chest heaving and mouth open wide. A grumble rolled deep from within his chest and he swung his head to the right.

Skye’s sweet scent drifted over him, riding the slightest hint of air. His nostrils quivered and with an excited bark he took off. The area was shrouded in a heavy fog that coated the land thickly, making it difficult to see, but he homed in on her scent and that was all he needed.

A few minutes later Jagger burst through the fog and immediately felt the presence of magick. Old magick.

He proceeded cautiously now, noiselessly creeping ahead, and when he felt a gentle barrier in the air, he paused, tail twitching back and forth as he began to pace along the invisible perimeter.

He stilled, feeling helpless and agitated as he continued to study the area. He could see a small structure off to the right, built of stone and quite rough in its design. His eyes began to glow as he noticed the eagle etching above the door.

Without thought he moved forward and was immediately zapped by an energy source that ripped across his black pelt. He hissed and jumped back. There was no way he could cross the protection ward.

It was ancient, powerful magick.

He stood there, uncertain, his rage building steadily as his eyes flew back and forth, looking for a way in. He turned in a circle, scented the wind once more, anxious, confused. He continued to pace along the perimeter and when he saw her he stopped, transfixed by the ethereal beauty and fragile sadness that clung to her.

Long strands of her hair snaked out into the air as the breeze lifted them into a halo that surrounded her head like a twisted crown. His heart ached and he growled loudly, again and again until she turned to him.

The look on her face tore into his heart and he rushed forward, crying out as once more the energy that held him out sizzled against his flesh. When he heard her voice, he sent a keening cry erupting from deep within, and his tail flicked back and forth in agitation.

“Jagger.”

Her soft voice was hoarse and Jagger could do nothing but stare at her, his body and mind in agony over his inability to get to her. He cried out again, the bark rough, and he began to pace along the edge of the protection ward once more, his eyes never leaving Skye’s.

He reached out with a paw and took the hit of energy that cut across him sharply, hissing again. It was no use. She would have to come to him, but Jagger could see that something was wrong.

Something terrible.

Slowly, she began to walk toward him. He could see she’d been crying and his heart ached with the need to comfort her. She paused just on the other side of the barrier, and as their eyes connected something broke inside of him. His body began to tremble with the ferocity of it all as a great well of emotion threatened to consume him.

“I hoped you’d come for me,” she said haltingly. “It’s gone.” She inhaled shakily and could barely get her words out. “The portal is missing and I don’t know what to do.”

Jagger growled and dug his great paws into the soft earth, wishing he could force his way through, but the magick was strong. It was nothing he was familiar with.

Skye shook her head and he hated the sad shadows that clung to her eyes. She looked so beaten. Defeated.

“There’s nothing left for me but you.” She paused and he knew she was trying desperately to gain hold of her emotions.

Jagger continued to pace behind the barrier and when she held her hand against it the entire wall of air pulsated into a solid form that slipped away into a shower of sparks. Energy shot out in every direction and then she was there in front of him, great sobs wracking her frame.

She knelt down and wrapped her arms around him, burying her head in the thick fur at his neck. He hated the sounds of her tears, hated the fact that she was so riddled with pain. He wanted nothing more than to make it all go away.

Silently the mist began to crawl along the earth until it wrapped around his body and he felt her arms loosen as his body began to change and shift. The fur rippled away from his body, leaving the hard flesh of his human self in its place.

And then she was there, all around him, her scent and her touch coating his body in its unique aura. Her arms wrapped around his midsection and she held onto him as if the hounds of hell themselves were after her.

The need to make her his cracked a hole inside of him that he knew no one else could ever fill.

“Jagger, I’ve failed my father.” Her voice was nothing more than a touch of whisper, and she trembled in his arms, struggling to articulate what she was feeling. Deep, heavy shudders wracked her frame. “I’ve failed him and my people. If only I’d gotten here sooner.” She looked up at him and his heart constricted as he slowly took in her pinched features, her gray complexion, and quivering mouth.

“If only I’d escaped the DaCostas sooner, or gotten to Finn before …”

Her eyes were wide, their blue roundness nearly overwhelming as they shimmered beneath his gaze, filled with the pain of tears.

“Shhhhh, it’s okay, we’ll figure something out.” Jagger rubbed his hands along her back and crushed her as close as he could.

“Jagger, you don’t understand—”

He interrupted, his voice firm, wanting only to calm her frantic, pained state. “I understand the plan needs to be altered, but chica, there is always another way.”

Skye shook her head, her eyes swinging away from his. “If only it were that simple.”

She began to shiver violently and her fingers found their way to his chest, her sharp nails digging into his skin. “I don’t know if the portal was moved or taken.” Her eyes again met Jagger’s and he gently wiped the large tears that fell from them. “As long as it’s missing, my life is stuck in limbo, like fucking Groundhog Day.”

Her teeth were clenched and she was barely able to get the words out. “There’s no one else. They’re all gone. Dead. I just wanted it to be over. Finally.” Her soft sniff tugged at the last thread of his heart. “I’m so tired of all this life and death, I wish …”

Her voice trailed into silence and Jagger’s hands slowly made their way up to her shoulders, where he caressed and massaged her. He bent low and whispered along her skin near her ear. “What do you wish, Skye? Tell me, and if I can make it come true, I will.”

Jagger felt her shudder violently as he spoke, and her energy faded as she collapsed against his body.

“I wish I was normal. I wish that I was anywhere other than in the jungle. I wish I’d never heard of the fucking portal or the eagle legacy.” She pushed against him and he looked down into eyes that had darkened several shades. Jagger’s heart began a slow, heavy rhythm, one that danced the beat of seduction.