AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Is this true?” Jagger asked and for the first time a trace of something more than worry edged his words.
Skye considered lying. Hell, the eagle knights guarded several other ancient relics, but she realized there was no point. Julian had already guessed what they were after and by the way he was looking at her, he knew the truth as well as she did.
She exhaled softly and shook her head. “It’s the portal they’re after, yes.”
“I’ve read stories about it and of your people. Thousands of years ago the jaguar warriors pretty much annihilated your tribe in order to get their hands on the portal. It was thought to be lost, as well as the lineage of the eagle knights.”
Skye’s eyes flashed and she looked at Julian hard. “Well, my people held on, barely, and were able to keep the portal hidden. But someone has betrayed us and for the last three years we’ve been on the run. Hunted again.” She felt her eyes mist with the warmth of tears. “My father was our last hope. Only he knew where it had been hidden. But he was murdered before he could recover it.” She paused for a moment, unable to go on as the memory of her father’s death washed over her. “Now with Finn gone, it’s up to me to find it and destroy it once and for all.”
Julian held her gaze for several long, uncomfortable seconds until finally she looked away. He knew too much.
“There is no one else,” sh
e said simply.
Skye ran her fingers through the thick hair at her neck. Things were moving way too fast and in a direction she didn’t much care for.
“Not that I don’t appreciate the history lesson and all, but seriously, what the hell are we gonna do about this portal or whatever the fuck it is?” Declan looked at all of them expectantly. “Damned if I’ll let Cormac get his hands on—”
“This is not your battle to fight,” Skye shouted. She was fed up and pissed off. Who the hell did these men think they were? This was her mission. It always had been.
“This became my business the minute you invaded my territory with two DaCostas hot on your heels.” Jagger was angry. This she could see and a ripple of fear sliced through her at the look that clouded his green eyes many shades darker.
The power that hung on his frame was unmistakable and as he crossed the distance between them, his large body moving with a predatory grace, she shivered.
He stopped when he was just a few inches from her. Skye could see the pulse that beat steadily at the base of his neck. It was mesmerizing, and she found she couldn’t take her eyes off of it.
His scent was intoxicating, and she felt the great raptor inside of her move, wanting out. Wanting to get away from a temptation that not only was a bad idea, it was also forbidden.
Her mouth went dry as her gaze climbed up and met his moss green eyes.
“If you want to survive this and retrieve this disc, I suggest you put aside any notion of a rogue mission, because you’re stuck with me.” He smiled at her harshly. “I will not see you harmed.” His eyes narrowed. “I can’t … I won’t let that happen again.”
Jagger’s words puzzled Skye. She got the impression that he was no longer talking about her. She didn’t have time to ponder them.
He opened the satchel and shoved the notes and maps into her hands. “What do these mean?”
Her fingers held the precious papers loosely and her vision blurred as she looked down at them. Her notes and scribbles could be seen clearly in the margins. She didn’t have to read them to know what they said. Just as she didn’t have to read them to know she was still no closer to finding the cave that she sought.
With or without the help of these men, the situation was hopeless. Why the hell hadn’t her father trusted her enough with the location of the cave?
Not for the first time the bitterness of it all stuck in her mouth, and she wished for nothing more than a cool glass of water. Anything, to wash all of it away.
“I need to find a specific cave,” she said haltingly, trying to control her emotions. Now was not the time for her to break down.
“A specific cave?” Declan laughed. “Would this particular cave come with a, I dunno, a flashing neon sign saying, I’m here?” He looked at all of them incredulously. “This is fucked.”
“The Cave of the Sun? Is that it?”
Skye looked at Jagger, clearly surprised. “Yes,” she answered him. “How did you know?”
“I saw it in your notes.” Jagger’s intense eyes bored into hers and she felt everything fade away, as if it were the only two of them there. “I might know of someone who can help us.”
There it was. Crunch time. She either accepted his help and went with it, or tried to escape at the earliest convenience.
Her focus fell on the muscular arms held loosely at his sides, trailed along the intricate tattoo that peeked from beneath the T-shirt that he wore. He was so tall, strong, and incredibly male.
He was jaguar. He was her enemy.
