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She would succeed or die trying.
She grimaced at that thought. How ironic, really, considering she would have to die in order to succeed. To seal the portal and keep the demon underworld from invading the human realm, she would have to give the ultimate sacrifice.
Her very life.
She turned away from the warrior, not wanting him to see any form of weakness, but when his warm hands grazed her back she froze.
“I won’t let them hurt you.”
For just one moment, Skye wanted nothing more than to fall back into his chest and wrap herself around his strong, warm body. Just for one moment.
But then she shook such feelings aside and pulled away from his touch. There was much to do. “We’ll need some food … and I need a name too.”
The smile that was still lingering around his handsome face was starting to irritate her, but when he spoke, there was no denying the animal magnetism the warrior possessed.
“The name’s Castille, Jagger Castille.”
Skye stilled and her eyes widened. The dude was a joker. Not what she would expect of a jaguar.
“I know what you’re thinking, but what would you say if I told you my favorite drink was a martini, shaken and not stirred?”
She smiled in spite of herself. A Bond joke, no less. His electric green eyes seemed to glisten and sparkle as he raised his eyebrows questioningly.
“I suppose you drive an Aston Martin as well?” Crap. Was that her voice? What the hell was wrong with her? The grin that lit his face was devastating and Skye felt her mouth go dry. She gave herself a mental shake, and cleared her throat. “I’d say you were full of shit.”
His laughter echoed into the quiet jungle. It was hearty, intoxicating in its freedom. “Actually, I prefer whiskey and I drive a battered pickup truck.” He winked at her, and just like that, Skye admitted to herself that she, an elite eagle knight, would accept help from her natural born enemy.
She turned from him abruptly and ran to the tattered remains of one of the tents, reemerging a few minutes later loaded down with two large bags of supplies. She threw one at Jagger and hiked her satchel securely around her shoulder, grasping the remaining bag of supplies in her other hand.
“So, do you have a hideout or something? They already know of your cave.”
She watched Jagger as he paused before answering, and tried to ignore the sexy ghost of a smile that touched his incredible lips.
“Yeah, or something.”
Something caught his attention then and he whipped his head around, his entire demeanor suddenly changing. Power and danger clung to his hard frame like a second skin. He reeked with the potency of it. She could see a muscle working along his jaw and the air between them exploded with energy. It rippled through the air in waves. His nostrils quivered as an eerie howl rent the air, echoing down into the valley from the large mountain that loomed in the distance.
Skye swallowed thickly and tried to ignore the slash of terror that shot through her body. The jaguars were on the hunt and she had, maybe, an hour or so head start.
“We head east.” Jagger spoke softly, but the steely resolve that laced his words lent credence to the severity of the situation. For the first time, she realized just how much shit this man was getting himself into.
“You don’t need to come with me.” She shook her head, trying to get him to understand. “In fact it might be better if we just parted ways—”
“You’re going to have to try a lot harder than that to get rid of me.”
Her eyes followed him as he turned to the east, his handsome face lit with a harsh smile that was anything but subtle. The man was certifiably crazy. He looked like he was actually enjoying the whole experience of being on the run with a total stranger, just one step ahead of a pack of rabid jaguar shifters. When he paused and raised his eyebrows at her, indicating that she should follow, Skye knew she was in trouble.
Christ, was she in trouble.
It had nothing whatsoever to do with that fact that her life was in danger, or that if she didn’t complete her father’s mission, well, mankind would suffer the consequences. Yeah, that was deep shit.
But this—this was something else entirely, and it had everything to do with the fluttery butterflies that were winging their way through her already unsettled stomach. Those pesky little butterflies were there because of the tall, dark man who was still staring at her in a way that made her insides tremble.
She exhaled softly and without another word followed him, praying to every god imaginable that she wasn’t making the biggest mistake of her life.
He was fast and she was happy to see that she had no trouble whatsoever keeping up with him. They literally flew through the dense underbrush and more than once she silently wished she could call to her eagle and take flight, but the sun had already begun to fade and evening was fast approaching.
Besides, she believed that Jagger truly had no clue what she was. Oh, he was curious and he obviously knew that she was not human, but so far, he’d not pressed her further.
