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Such sadness grabbed at her soul. It puzzled her that he could pull such intense emotions from her.
Angrily, she pushed them away and moved toward the passage. There was no time to linger; they had no such luxury.
Cracker glanced up as she swept inside and nodded, a smile tugging the corners of his mouth. “Hey, Rambo.”
Her feet slid to a halt and the first genuine smile she’d felt in forever touched her lips. He’d been calling her Rambo since they’d first met in the jungle in Belize several months earlier. She’d been tracking a demon, intent on gathering intel, when she’d run headlong into Jaxon’s soldier.
Literally. She knew firsthand that Cracker’s head was hard as rock.
He was ex-military, and they all knew he wasn’t human. His signatures were different than any she’d come across. She’d asked Jaxon once about Cracker’s origins. The jaguar had shrugged his shoulders, said it wasn’t important. The only thing that mattered was the fact that he trusted Cracker with his life.
It had been enough for Jaden, and she’d not dwelled on it again.
“Hey,” she answered, as her gaze swept the room. She stopped as Julian’s dark eyes regarded her from several feet away. Nico stood with Finn and Declan, and suddenly she felt hot, uncomfortable, as all eyes strayed to her.
She turned back to Cracker and shook her head, “Let me guess. You just happened to be in the neighborhood and thought you’d drop in? Are you going to share how it is you managed to get down here?”
Cracker’s silvery eyes crinkled as his grin widened. “I got connections.”
She laughed at that, relaxing a bit as she moved closer to him. “Really,” she murmured. “How’d you slip past the sun god and his band of merry men?”
She arched an eyebrow as he spit to the side.
“Nanauatl owes me a few favors,” he answered simply, his words dead serious as the light moment passed.
“He owes you a favor?” She looked from Cracker to Finn, then back to the soldier. Unbelievable.
“We should probably get out of here before the bastard reconsiders. He’s not the most stable.” His eyes shifted to behind her. “He’s also not terribly fond of jaguars or magicks.”
Jaden stepped back. “No kidding.”
Cracker nodded and turned. “Follow me.”
Julian watched as Jaden disappeared down the passage behind Cracker, Finn and Nico following behind. He let out a long, painful breath, unaware he’d been holding it until he did so.
“You all right?” Declan asked quietly.
“Fucking wonderful.” He glanced at the sorcerer. “We’re no closer to finding the portal, my body feels like it’s cracking into a million pieces, my brain won’t stop, and that woman is driving me nuts.” He shook out his limbs loosely. “I’m jonesing something fierce and not liking it one damn bit.”
“You didn’t tell her everything, I hope.”
Julian sighed and shook his head. “No.”
“Good. You need to hold it together, sport.” Declan’s face darkened. “We’ve got a date with my father, and I aim on keeping it.”
He followed Declan and quickly climbed the ancient stairs that were revealed at the end of the passage.
He alighted within the temple chamber and felt a gentle woosh as the stone rippled behind him, and the passage was once more hidden. His eyes immediately sought Jaden. She stood stiffly beside Cracker, her head held proud as she gazed up at the sun god.
Nanauatl’s phantom knights were several feet away, and he saw the soft beam of morning’s kiss drifting into the darkness from outside. The entrance was once more free of debris. He ran his hands along his temples and up through the thick hair atop his head.
He couldn’t remember ever being this weary. Not even after six months in hell had he felt so tired. It wasn’t just his body. His mind and spirit were lagging. Dread sat low in his belly, and the noise that was a constant in his mind spiked as he let the weakness slide over him.
It stilled everything inside, but only for a moment, then he shrugged it off, like he’d crush a bug, and focused on the dark energy that was still heavy in the air. It energized him like a drug.
He felt like a fucking addict.
“The secrets held within these walls must stay,” Nanauatl said harshly, ignoring them all and focusing solely on Cracker.
