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She turned back toward the entrance and was about to take a step forward when a whisper caressed her cheek like the faintest touch of a feather. Her flesh erupted in goose bumps, and she stilled as her heart beat once more in earnest.
A touch at her hand made her jump, and the flashlight went flying, sending a distorted array of light to dance across the walls in a macabre display of shadow.
She whirled around, but there was no one there.
Jaden exhaled slowly as she forced her heart rate to steady, and she shifted her energy, welcoming the flood of power from her jaguar as the burn rushed over her skin.
The ghosts hidden in the shadows were powerful indeed, and she felt malice in the air as she stood there, light on her feet and ready to rumble.
“Show yourself,” she whispered hoarsely. “I don’t have a lot of time.” She snorted. “What with the end of the world and all that.”
“What is a jaguar doing in our sacred house?”
The whispered words were stronger now, cracking inside her skull and reverberating around the room. She winced at the sensation, like someone was speaking underwater, and turned in a circle, grabbing the dagger once more as she did so.
“Stupid cat. You think that will stop me?”
A tingling flash of energy hit her on the back, and Jaden stopped. Her breaths fell in pants, the sounds sharp, as her lungs expanded to force them out. Her chest felt tight, but it was all good. Her body was primed for battle.
She rolled her shoulders and turned around.
And that was when everything went dark.
Chapter 14
It was like a sheet of obsidian had been pulled over her eyes. Suddenly, Jaden was off balance, her equilibrium gone. She couldn’t see a thing and bit down hard as a wall of panic threatened.
When the smash to her face came, she had no chance to react or to defend herself because she couldn’t fucking see.
She went flying backward and barely held on to the dagger as she hit one of the stone benches, hard. She was winded for a few seconds and groaned as pain exploded along her frame. The pain vibrated out from her shoulder, and spread along her bones as they absorbed the brunt of the impact.
Her shoulder was still tender from the demon bite only two nights earlier, but she ignored it as she rolled to the side. Another flash of heat blasted the bench where her head had just been, and stone erupted into deadly shards that flew everywhere.
“How dare you darken the door of our sacred temple?” The voice was incredibly angry, and Jaden was beginning to think she’d made one hell of a mistake in coming alone.
She shook her head in an effort to clear the shadows from her eyes as she sharpened her senses, trying to figure out where the invisible man was.
“Technically, I’m not in your sacred temple, though I’ll be honest, I wouldn’t mind a point in the right direction.”
She felt a whisper of energy in the air and jackknifed her body, but wasn’t able to evade the hit entirely. This time the asshole did manage to connect with her face, and pain erupted along her cheekbone as her head snapped back. Blood spurted inside her mouth, the coppery taste spilling over her tongue in a rush that enraged her animal.
She growled loudly, enjoying the fire of power that erupted from deep within her gut as she snarled.
Son of a fucking bitch! The bastard wasn’t playing.
She whirled around and ducked just as a flash of heat came at her. She felt a ripple of energy as it passed by, inches from her limbs, and twisted her body into an arc.
She was successful in avoiding the hit and moved fast, her speed and strength pushing her forward. But she skidded to an abrupt halt, barely able to keep her balance, as she spied the entity that stood several feet away.
Shit! Her bad luck wasn’t improving any as she eyed the tall creature that stood between her and the entrance. His massive frame effectively blocked her only means of escape.
The shadows fell rapidly from his form, and she took a step back as the full range of his power became apparent to her. This was no regular eagle knight.
Her eyes strayed to the large statues that stood tall and silent. He was nothing like them.
His power was palpable.
And at the moment, she happened to be the focus of every scrap of his dark energy.
