It wouldn’t be pretty. Death never was, but it would be an act full of stealth, precision and deadly accuracy, performed by the best that there was.

Jaxon threw his satchel to the ground as his eyes fell to the semi frozen earth at his feet. The coolness of late spring lingered there and his quivering nostrils inhaled a fresh, crisp shot of air, blowing out a fine mist of warmth in return. He was well over six feet in height and moved with a sinuous grace that was at odds with someone of his size. His features were dark, a true reflection of both his Spanish heritage and the emotions at war inside his body.

He was tense, and took a few seconds to calm his spirit, his black eyes quickly scanning the small knoll where he stood. The slope was steady and crested down into the valley, where it rushed up against the outskirts of the small town of Winterhaven.

A muscle worked its way sharply across Jaxon’s cheek and he clenched his teeth in an effort to maintain control. Off into the distance, the last lingering rays of sun painted a vibrant picture of reds, oranges and yellows in the sky. Dusk was rapidly approaching and nervous energy clawed at his insides, as thoughts of his forthcoming mission slammed into him.

It was time to put old ghosts to rest and move on.

The man was tall, muscular with a nasty smile gracing features that were as cold as ice. He also held in his hand a deadly looking weapon and Jagger stalled, noting the barrel of the gun was pointed directly at Skye.

The black magick Jagger had sensed earlier was heavy in the air but it was layered with a subtle hint of something else entirely, and while it tugged at his mind, he couldn’t quite put his finger on what is was exactly.

“Touch her and I’ll rip your head off.” Jagger growled.

The man turned his weird silver/grey eyes back to Jagger. They narrowed and he spit into the ground, before he spoke. “You’re jaguar.” He nodded to Skye and shook his head, ignoring the warrior. “Feeling desperate love? Desperate enough to bed down with the likes of him?”

“Tell me where Cormac is or I’ll—“

“You’ll what, Skye?” The otherworlder snorted. “Time’s almost up and you’re on the losing side of this war. He will find the portal and this,” the man waved his hands as the air around him began to shimmer, “this will no longer exist.”

Jagger fought the urge to attack. He needed to keep his cool. There was no way he could risk the fucker firing a shot at Skye.
“I wouldn’t be so sure about that Kragen.” Skye said, as she stood and faced the man.
Alarm rifled through Jagger and he was primed to react, to do anything he could to protect the woman, but a vortex of wind, mist and rain enveloped all of them. It was gone as fast as it had arrived, and with it the otherworlder.

Jagger’s tense body shifted as he stood, staring into the empty spot where the other man had been. His nostrils wrinkled as the smell of sulfur rent the air. It was putrid, metallic. He was just about to turn toward Skye when instinct had him dropping to the earthen floor, twisting his body as he rolled.

He narrowly avoided the deadly knife that arced through the air. It had been thrown with such force that it became embedded deep within the large trunk of a tree.

He whipped his head around, the snarl that erupted from his mouth matched by the fury that graced the blonds beautiful features.

“You dumb ass fucking idiot! Do you know what you just did?” Skye shouted hoarsely, so full of emotion was she. “Kragen could’ve led me to Cormac.”

He watched in silence as she began to pace, shaking her head in agitation. “With Cormac out of the way things would have been so much easier, but now,” her eyes flashed as she whirled around toward him once more, “You’ve screwed it all up. What the hell was I thinking hooking up with you? You’re a goddamn jaguar.”

Jagger had had enough.

If anyone should be pissed off it was him, not her. Up until the day before his life had been a peaceful, if somewhat lonely, nomadic, existence. She was the one who had blown all of that to hell.

He moved so fast, Skye had no time to react. When he grabbed her arms and pulled her in close, he expected to see at least some fear deep in the depths of her eyes. Instead, the vibrant blue that stared back at him was cloaked in something close to disgust.
Whether she was disgusted at herself or him, he couldn’t say. But the fact that she stood rigid in his embrace, looking at Jagger like he was the biggest piece of crap on the planet, totally enraged him.

He could feel the blackness that lived inside of him, tickle along the edges of his mind and his skin began to burn. Energy sizzled along nerve endings, trailing a path of fire all over his body.

“Two things.” He said roughly. “I want to know who the hell this Cormac dude is, but more importantly what the hell he is.” His hands gripped her tightly and he took some measure of pleasure as she winced in pain.

“And secondly, someone needs a lesson in manners.”

Jagger’s voice dropped into a deadly whisper and he watched closely, feeling a keen sense of satisfaction as she swallowed heavily. He could hear her heart rate increase and her mouth opened slightly as she tried to control the rapid breaths that cluttered her lungs. She flinched and turned slightly. “Take your hands off me.”

Jagger pushed her back until she was trapped between his body and a large tree. He grabbed her chin and forced her to look up at him once more. “I spent most of last night covering the backs of our asses because I made a decision to protect you.” He had to pause as his anger threatened to get the most of him. “Seems to me a little bit thanks isn’t much too ask for.”

She literally spit at him. “Thanks? Are you for real? Well, thanks for nothing. I had a chance at Cormac and now you’ve totally screwed it.”
Skye began to squirm and her face became flush with anger.

Jagger felt his own rage begin to boil and he thought he should do exactly as she wished and leave her the hell alone. Why was he risking his own neck for a total stranger?

And yet, as he held her body even closer, all he could think about was the intoxicating scent that fell from her body, and the fact that her skin, slick with the humidity of the jungle, kept the tank top she wore molded to her curves.

His eyes dropped to her breasts and a new heat began to pulse through his body. It was hard, unrelenting.
It felt so fucking good it was painful.
His body became rock hard and as his eyes bored into the deep depths of Skye’s, he resented the hell out of what she was doing to him.
He could tell himself he wanted her so badly because he’d been alone in the jungle for months. That would make sense. He had needs that were long neglected.

Except there was more to it and he growled in frustration as the biggest complication he’d encountered in as long as he could remember, continued to struggle against him. What was it about her, this particular woman, that he craved so?

When she arched her back and tried to bite him, he swore and tightened his grip until she yelped in pain.
“You’re no better than the DaCosta’s.” She spit out in between ragged breaths.

“Sticks and stones.” Jagger whispered dangerously.

“Filthy animal.” She replied, and he watched her flinch as the anger he felt toward her words cloaked his face in a cold grimace.
He wanted to hurt her. He wanted her to feel pain.

Jagger flung Skye away from him, suddenly afraid that he would become the very thing she’d just accused him of. The air around him began to shimmer and he could sense the mist beginning to rise against his legs.
He was on the edge.
He closed his eyes, using inhuman strength to still the animal that raged inside of him.

“Get your shit together. We need to leave now if you want half a chance of getting out of this jungle alive.” He managed to get out from between clenched teeth. His eyes flew open and he made no attempt to hide his fury. “Because it’s crawling with an entire clan of filthy animals, and you’ve got a bulls eye pretty much tattooed to that pretty blond head of yours.”

“I’m not going anywhere with you.”
Jagger raised an eyebrow and laughed harshly. “Is that so?”

He moved toward her, enjoying the panic that was beginning to flicker across her face. “If you think I’m going to leave you at the mercy of the DaCosta’s you’re sadly mistaken.” His eyes raked over her form, causing a stain of red to flush her already heated cheeks. “You need my help and fuck if I know why I’m still willing to give it, but you will come with me one way or another. If that means hog tying you and carrying you out of here on my back, then so be it.”

“I will die before I ever let a jaguar pull my strings again.” Skye shook her head and Jagger couldn’t help but notice how the sunshine played upon the long blond hair that fell around her shoulders. It looked like silken honey.

Her hands pushed the hair behind her ears impatiently and then fell to the edges of her top. Jagger stilled as she pierced him with a look that he couldn’t quite read. Her long elegant fingers began to pull the thin white fabric up over toned, tanned skin and the hard bulge between his legs ached with such a force that he nearly went down to his knees.

What the fuck was she doing?

He continued to watch her in silence as the material was pulled up over perfect, luscious breasts, the nipples puckered, begging for his mouth. When she flung the top away and began to slip the loose shorts down over her hips, he hissed from between clenched teeth, not liking the smile that played around her lips.
It was calculating.
Seconds later she stood, basking in the sunlight, naked, wild and incredibly seductive. Jagger’s belly tightened into a nauseating ball as he pulled air deep into his lungs. His skin burned still and he had to force himself to remain calm. It was one of the hardest things he’d ever had to do.

Considering the only thing on his mind was the need to grab the seductress before him, throw her to the ground and sink his aching cock deep inside of her.
“You will never have me.” Skye yelled and he stepped back, astonished as mist began to curl over her body, twisting around her frame, and swirling into a storm that wrapped her entire body in magick.

Seconds later, Jagger stood stunned as a large golden eagle flew from the mist, long deadly claws aimed straight for his head. He had to drop and roll in order to avoid a hit and when he finally righted himself he looked up into the sky in wonder.

His breath caught in his throat as gentle words began to roll from her tongue. Ancient, powerful words laced with a magick he could feel. They were not anything he’d heard before, and as her voice rose softly to crest the wind the powerful emotions that rocked him were hard to contain.

She was his warrior woman and she tapped into a savage need inside of him that he was barely able to contain.

Her hands began to make intricate movements, precise and detailed as they wove some foreign charm into the air. When Skye’s body began to waver he stepped in, close to her back but she raised her right hand and halted him when he would have touched her.

The air was thick and it was hard to breathe. His heart began to accelerate as the fog swirled ever closer, slick with a mist that drenched their clothes and cooled their heated flesh.

And just when Skye’s voice faded, her last words echoing softly into the wind he saw it. The waterfall itself began to shimmer, to pulsate and move. His eyes narrowed, and slowly, like a film had been pulled back, he was able to see the opening.

It was slim, the merest whisper of a passageway along the rock wall beside the waterfall.

“We need to hurry. I can’t hold it much longer. I’m not powerful enough.”
He looked at Skye, saw the exhaustion in her face and scooped her into his arms, grabbing her bag from the ground and ignoring the protest that fell from her lips. Quickly his long legs ate up the last few yards to the opening and as he slid through, a subtle pressure was felt. Almost like a pop, but then he was inside and the sensation fled.

It was dark, silent. Cold and damp.

For several long seconds the only sounds heard were the breaths falling from each of them.
Skye clung to his body, her arms tight around his neck and as his eyes adjusted to the gloom, he nuzzled the top of her head, inhaling her scent deep into his body. It felt so right, having her in his arms and the immediate ache that accompanied the thought hit him hard and fast.
His breathing increased tenfold and just as his body began to hum with a hot flush of desire, she pushed away, wriggling her limbs until reluctantly he let her slide from his arms.

“This is it!” She said, her voice full of wonder.

Skye grabbed her bag from him, her hands rummaging inside and a few seconds later artificial light flooded the cave.
He looked around and felt a keen sense of disappointment. This was it? There was nothing special that he could see. No markings, no artifacts. Just the cold grey walls staring back at him.

“Oh my god, they’re beautiful!”

Jagger turned, perplexed at the look of wonder on Skye’s face. He could see nothing and he remained silent as she slowly made her way over to the farthest wall. Her fingers gently caressed the rock and as they passed over the hard surface he saw sparks fly and symbols appear beneath her touch, only to sink from sight as her hand moved further along.
She turned then, her face alight with strong emotion.

“Aren’t they amazing?” She laughed and he found himself smiling in return.
In two steps his long legs carried him to her side and he shrugged his shoulder
s. “I don’t see what you see.” His eyes looked down at her intently. “I see flashes of symbols, but it’s only when your hand is near the stone.”

Skye shook her head. “Gawd, I’m an idiot. Of course.” She looked up at him, the blue of her eyes flashing, glowing eerily into the dark. “You’re jaguar. You wouldn’t be able to see.”

She paused then, her tongue licking her bottom lip before she swept it along the top one. Inside his stomach clenched and he stifled the groan that lay at the back of his throat.

What the hell was wrong with him? The world was in crisis, demons from the hell realm were looking for a way to party here on earth, and all he could think about was seducing the beauty before him.

“I wonder…” Skye’s voice trailed off and when he felt the warmth of her hand on his own, everything inside of him liquefied. Seriously, he felt like he could melt into a puddle of need and want. The craving he felt for her was so intense it took his breath away.
He hissed softly as she cradled his hand and followed as she tugged him forward, not paying attention to her actions. Not caring really. The fact that he was with her, that her warmth and touch was on his skin, was enough for him. For now.

“Look.” She said softly and his eyes lifted away from her face to follow the direction of her gaze.
He felt the energy tingle along his forearm but he wasn’t prepared for the magnificent vision that fell beneath his hand. The hand guided by Skye.
“What the…” His eyes widened at the intricate display before him and he shook his head, smiling down at Skye in wonder.
“You see it? Now?” Her words were breathless and they trembled from her soft lips.

“It’s amazing.” He answered, and in truth it was one of the coolest things he’s ever laid eyes on.
Ancient markings in a dazzling display of color were displayed across the entire rock wall of the cave. Many he recognized from books and drawings he’d seen in his youth, yet a lot were strange.
There were various pictures of eagles in flight, some in half-shift, showing both their human and animal side. The jaguars that could be seen were depicted as dark, evil but it only added to the drama of the markings and he grinned at them.
Jaguars were dark, powerful creatures.

The markings and symbols shimmered against the hard surface as if they were holograms and the light that filtered between them was incredible.
“What do they mean?” Jagger was curious.
Skye moved closer and kept her hand over his. He looked down, loving the look of concentration and wonder that fell over her features.
She bit her lip, cocked her head, and truthfully, it was nearly his undoing. The need that raged through him was unprecedented. It was raw. Real.
Yet Skye was totally unaware. With her free hand she pointed to the various symbols that swept across the wall.
“They’re not words or sentences so much as meanings, warnings.”

Jagger’s eyes followed the arc of her hand as she continued to trace the strange and exotic drawings. She pointed to an exquisite rendering of the sun set in the mouth of a large eagle. It was encircled with symbols that shimmered and glowed beneath her caress.
“This?” Skye turned to him, her face flush with excitement. “Is the symbol of my people.”

She turned back once more, her eyes full of concentration as she murmured. “I wish Finn were here. He was always so much better at this kinda stuff.” Her words ended on a soft note and Jagger felt her pain as if it were his own. There’d been no word about her brother and as far as they both knew, he’d perished in the jungle when the jaguars had first attacked.

She inhaled a shaky breath and whispered. “These symbols are my history,” she looked up at him. “And yours. Our people were once united, but now…”
She knelt down and her hand slipped from his. Immediately, the shimmer and translucent images fled from his eyes leaving only bare, cold, grey walls.
Silence fell between the two of them and a sense of foreboding washed over Jagger. He shivered slightly and squared his shoulders.
“We need to go there.” Skye stood and he followed her along a narrow passage that ran underneath the waterfall. It was icy cold and the artificial light illuminated the air that fell from their lungs and lay in the air like small puffs of smoke.

The roar from the water could be heard as it slipped over the rock face on the outside and Jagger had a hard time shaking the feeling of dread that was fast rushing through his bloodstream.
He didn’t like it here. He sensed some bad mojo.

As they trekked further along, light could be seen filtering through the gloom a hundred yards ahead. Skye turned off her flashlight and the natural light was a much softer illumination, blanketing the cold grey in some bit of warmth.

She began to hurry and Jagger had to jog in order to keep up. When they entered a large chamber he stopped, surprised and amazed at the scene before him.

The entire cavern was alight with a radiant glow and as far as he could tell there was no source for it. It was warm, comforting and he looked at Skye, his heart stopping at the shadows that fell across her face.
“It’s up there.” She said softly.

He followed her gaze and could only shake his head in wonder at the artwork adorning the ceiling. This he could see, without any trouble. It wasn’t concealed by magick.