Jagger’s anger exploded. “Know what? I don’t have time for these games. Can you help me get to her or not?” His breathing was rough and the animal stirred beneath his skin causing a burn to ripple along his flesh.

The eagle clenched his hands and Jagger could see he was struggling with something. “It should have been me, but the DaCosta’s…” His mouth thinned, the edges white, as he turned eyes that blazed with anger toward him. “I’d kill every last one of them if I could.”

“Yeah, get in line.” Jagger snarled. “You were saying?”

“To seal the portal requires a sacrifice.” He pinned Jagger with a black look. “Skye can only do that by giving up her soul.”

“Well what the hell does that mean?” Jagger asked the question even as the dread that had been kicking him in the gut went into overdrive.

“It means that if Skye succeeds in sealing the portal she will never return.” Finn’s voice was dead. “She’ll be trapped forever in the demon realm.” He paused and his face went white.

In hell.

The eagle knight’s words exploded inside Jagger’s brain and for several long minutes he couldn’t breathe. It felt like his world had suspended. The pain was incredible and he felt the anguish gathering inside his heart as his soul cried out in denial.
He now knew what she’d been keeping from him. She’d never planned on having a life with him, because she wasn’t coming back.

The fury he felt in that moment was unprecedented. If Skye was here, in front of him right now he wasn’t sure if he’d kiss every inch of her in relief or fucking kill her.

He couldn’t accept that she’d open his heart and then slam the door shut. He snarled loudly and turned away. It was simple really.
He wouldn’t.

It was in the air she dragged deep into her lungs and the electricity that ran along with it, pulsing, burning, as it slid down.
She whipped her head around, eyes scanning with quick, cool precision and dove behind the sofa just as a click echoed into the darkened penthouse.

Her heart slowed automatically and she relaxed her limbs, calling the shadows to her as she slid forward on her belly. Fingers felt along her waist to cradle the edge of the charmed dagger that was there, and her senses sharpened as the animal inside awakened.

The door swung open slowly, sweeping across cool tiles and allowing a thin beam of light to fall into the dim interior. She could see a shadow reflected along the floor as long moments passed. It was impressive and she gritted her teeth in anticipation.
And then he was there, striding into the room as if he owned the place.

Jaden gripped the dagger tightly. She inhaled the stench of otherworld, yet it was somehow different, already fading fast.
The intruder paused, his tall frame humming with an energy that while dark, was unlike any she’d ever come across. There was a familiarity to it and it tugged at something deep inside of her.

She watched in silence as he kicked the door shut, winced at the harsh echo of it as it slammed back against the frame.
The man held still for a few moments and then his head swivelled around slowly. He scented the air and her breath caught at the back of her throat. Would he be able to smell through the charm that coated her body and masked her scent?

Who the hell was he? What the hell was he?

The stranger seemed to relax a bit and he rotated his neck, running his hands through the thick hair that hung in waves to his neck. Power clung to him, gripping his tall form hungrily, electrifying the air.

But it was tinged with a darkness that was hard to read.

He headed toward the kitchen area and the fridge door swung open at his command. Jaden could have saved him the bother. She’d already checked it out and no one had been inside the penthouse since Julian Castille had pulled a Copperfield and disappeared into thin air. All of the food was either mouldy, dated or dried up.

The shrill echo of a cell phone pierced the silence and she bit her tongue as her body jerked. The coppery taste of blood flooded her mouth and her eyes narrowed as the stranger answered its call.

“Yeah.” His voice was low, husky, with a rasp that sounded rough. He straightened and ran a hand along the back of his neck as he rolled his shoulders and listened. Jaden strained to hear, but even with her enhanced senses she couldn’t pick up anything.

“I just got in.” He sounded weary and she inched forward slowly trying to get a better look but paused as he turned once more and headed toward her, stopping a few feet away.

There was something about the man that called to her and Jaden was finding it harder to remain calm, undetected.
She could just make out his profile and her eyes ran over the aristocratic nose, high cheekbones and a mouth that even from this angle was to die for.

Inside the cat erupted and she broke out in a sweat as her skin began to burn and itch. The tattoos along the side of her neck became inflamed, the nerves pinched and sensitive.

Son of a bitch! It couldn’t be….

“It’s bearable.” He said and she watched as he ran his hand over his chest. He nodded his head in answer to whatever was being said on the other end before whispering harshly. “Don’t worry, I’m ready. Tomorrow we hunt.”

He threw the cell phone onto the sofa where it landed with a thud not more than two inches from her head. Jaden’s heart took off like a rocket and was pounding so hard it was a miracle he couldn’t hear it.

Julian Castille back from the twilight zone? Was it possible? Had the bastard managed to survive wherever the hell he’d been sent six months ago?

Her body tightened at the rush of emotion that ran over her and Jaden had to use ever single bit of power she possessed to keep it together. The man who’d haunted her dreams for years, three to be exact, stood not more than a few feet away, very much alive.

As much as Jaden loathed him, deep inside her soul the jaguar was singing, wanting nothing more than to mate. To claim once more the man who’d awakened her spirit and bonded with her jaguar. The man who’d given her one amazing night of pleasure and then had rejected her.

How pathetic.

Jaden felt her cheeks sting with the heat of humiliation as she recalled the look of disgust that had crossed his face when he’d realized what she was.

No one had ever made her feel like that before. Like dirt. Like less than dirt.

So many questions crowded her head but she pushed them away so she could concentrate. Something was off. This wasn’t the Julian Castille she remembered. Nope. Back in the day he’d been total GQ, hot for sure, but polished and boardroom ready. This man? He was edgy, dark, and the word sinister came to mind.

She watched as he crossed to his bedroom and paused in the entrance, his head cocked to the side for a moment. He then padded over to the large bed just beyond and stripped the shirt from his body before slipping the jeans from his hips.

Jaden’s mouth went dry. She couldn’t take her eyes from him as he stood there, tall, fierce, buck naked with nothing but moonbeams from the window caressing his taught, powerful frame. The dude had packed on some serious muscle since she last saw him.
She bit her lips once more to stifle the groan that now sat inside her mouth. Her jaguar was chomping at the bit, wanting out and a wave of dizziness rippled along her skull.

Heat erupted between her legs, which only infuriated her more. How the hell could he do that to her? After all this time?
She closed her eyes, wanting nothing more than for him to disappear.
“If you want I can bend over and give you a real treat.”
The words slid out into the space between them and Jaden’s eyes flew open, her hand going for the knife as adrenaline pushed through her veins.
But it was too late. A flash of white teeth and a shimmering blur of air rushed at her. Jaden barely had time to roll to the side and she jackknifed her body, landing in a crouch with the dagger held in front of her.
Only to feel the heat of him at her back.

Fuck!
She reacted instinctively and swung her hips to the side, hiking her right leg out, intending to drop him hard. But it was she that went flying as large hands gripped her shoulders and spun her around like a top until she ended up on her back splayed out like a total loser.

The knife clattered across the tiles and Jaden clenched her teeth and fought the urge to curse a torrent of foulness. She’d just pulled a total newbie boner and had no one but herself to blame.

Slowly her eyes moved up his long frame, skipping over the impressive display of manhood, up his taut belly, rock hard abs until she saw a sight that was sobering to say the least.

Jaden swallowed heavily and couldn’t rip her eyes away from the macabre display of scars that crisscrossed in perfect precision, just under his left pectoral, above his heart. It looked both raw and painful.
“Didn’t anyone teach you it’s impolite to stare?”

Jaden’s eyes jerked up to rest upon a face that was every bit as devastating as she remembered, if not more so.
Even in the dim light she could see the flair that lit up his golden eyes, eerily so, yet the smile that fell over his mouth didn’t reach them. A shiver ran over her body.

Up ahead a shadow passed before him and with a mighty run and leap his great paws knocked his prey to the ground, landing on top in a rush muscle and bone.

“For Christ sakes Jaxon, get the hell off of me.”

She looked at him, her expression incredulous, “Not like us? We’re nothing alike, you and I.” He was a monster, as close to evil as you could get.

Soft laughter fell from Cormac’s lips, but his eyes narrowed as he studied her. His voice slithered across her skin as he whispered, “We’re more alike then you know.”

Abruptly he turned from her and Libby suddenly felt like crying, so great was the deluge of emotion that filled her body. She began to pant, in short staccato breaths, and they hung loudly in the air between them. She closed her eyes and concentrated, and a few moments later, was able to force out a sentence.

“I just want my son back. I’ll do anything…anything that you want.” She knew she sounded desperate, but she didn’t care. She was desperate.

The tall sorcerer paused, but didn’t turn around. His movements were slow, precise and controlled. Everything about the man was cold and calculated and the hatred that Libby felt as she gazed down upon him nearly choked her.
“Know this Libby. Your son is alive, because I wish it. As are you.”

Time slowed as his words penetrated her brain and their meaning became clear. He had the power. He had her son. A sob escaped her throat, thick with grief and her eyes were full of tears as she looked at the calm man in front of her.

“What do you want?”

He spoke clearly, his voice low, “I want Skye Knightly.”

Confusion rippled over her in waves. Libby shook her head, not understanding his meaning.
“I don’t know…who is she?”

“Don’t play games with me, Libby. I won’t hesitate to kill your child, the same way I wouldn’t hesitate to crush an annoying little bug.”

Her eyes were huge but the grief was so great, Libby couldn’t answer. All she could do was stare in terror at the man who regarded her with no emotion at all.

“Skye was your roommate at the DaCosta compound.” His eyes bored into hers, and as realization began to dawn, his cruel mouth broke into a sinister grin. “You find a way to get her to me, and I will return your son.”

“Why should I believe anything that you say?” Libby’s words fell from her lips in a hoarse whisper.

Cormac laughed softly and looked directly into her eyes. Libby saw the truth there even as he spoke. “I have no need to lie.”
The sounds of battle ceased and Cormac moved away from her, edging towards escape. His voice was dispassionate and it was raspy, like sandpaper, “Remember what I said Libby, the woman for your son.”

“But how will I…How the fuck will I find you?” Her terror and anger burst from her chest as she shouted down to him.
He paused and though he didn’t speak, she heard his words clear as day, echoing deep inside her skull. They whispered through her mind and she shuddered at the creepy sensation. “I’m not going far so don’t fail me now. I already told you…we are not so different. Pay attention: you will find me, or you will never see your son alive.”

He disappeared and Libby screamed in frustration. She began to struggle wildly, her body breaking out into a heated wash of sweat. There was no way to break through the charm Cormac had used, but still her body railed against the invisible chains.
How long she struggled she couldn’t know. Her fury was like a black haze that hung in front of her face, and the taste of her salt tears fed the hunger even more. That such evil had a hold on her child made her sick. Most of his words made no sense to her. She’d been adopted as a six year old and had no memory of her younger years. Cormac had insinuated he’d known her as a small child.

What the hell did all of it mean? How did it all fit together?

Furiously her brain tried to decipher it all, but Cormac’s innuendos and statements just coagulated into a large blob of nothing. None of it made any sense.

Her head lolled back and Libby felt the fight leave as her body began to physically shut down. She tried to wipe all of it from her mind. Everything faded away, and the sound of her own breathing echoed loudly in her ears. She closed her eyes and rested, trying to conserve her strength.

Skye was transfixed. She’d never seen anything like it. Not even in her nightmares.

A hand gripped her forearm hard and she was pulled into Jagger’s side. His face was deathly cold, his rage turning the green of his eyes into crimson red flames.

“Get to Monkey River and find Nico. If he’s not there someone should be able to locate him in the reserve.”

Jagger’s voice sounded as if there were several layers to it. Skye could tell he was fighting to keep his human form for as long as he needed to.

He began to make a keening noise and mist encircled the whole of his body as he pushed her away from him violently. “Now,” was all he said before the change fell upon him.
Everything happened quickly. Bodies became blurs. Growls and screams ripped through the night air.

Skye stumbled back several paces, gaining her balance quickly. She watched as a large black cat erupted from the mist in front of her. Its body aimed straight and true toward the vampire.

Dani’s fangs had elongated even more and the deadly weapons glistened in what little light there was. The vampire rushed at the jaguar and their bodies met mid air, the thud that reverberated into the night a testament to how hard they’d hit.

Skye started to run toward them, intent on helping Jagger any way that she could, but at the last minute sidestepped to the right, barely avoiding an assault from what was now, a demon that was well over ten feet in height.

It whipped around, growling in anger and laughed down at her.

Skye held herself loose on the balls of her feet, hands fisted at her side. Desperately she searched the immediate area for any type of weapon. When the demon began to laugh, it fed the anger inside of her until the flush of it crawled across her skin.

“Glad to see I’m so fucking amusing, dick head.” She shouted, trying to tame the fear that was banging at her hard. The beast was massive and unless a miracle occurred she didn’t see a way out for either her or Jagger.

Crap, the only demon fighting she’d ever seen had been old episodes of Buffy.

Skye grit her teeth, her eyes alighting on a small pile of rocks that fell away from a massive boulder to her left. She could hear the battle raging behind her but dared not turn from the demon.

Its long, forked tongue slid from its mouth, as if testing the wind. Words slithered from between the jagged teeth and the stench made her nose wrinkle in protest.

“I can smell your fear little bird.” It laughed harshly as it began to move toward her. “It only makes the game that much more pleasurable.”

“Well, hell, glad to see I’ve managed to brighten your day because so far mine has been fucking peachy.”

Skye began to edge over toward the rocks, her mind circling for a way out. When she was only a few feet away the demon lunged at her, his long arms grabbing for her. She jumped, trying to clear the boulder and felt the hot sting of pain slice across her calf as the demons claws dug in deep.

The cry that ripped from her lungs was harsh, but the pain was incredible.

Skye’s hands landed on the top of the boulder and she tried to pull herself up but the demon grabbed her and threw her back as if she were nothing more than a rag doll.

She landed on her back. Hard. And she began to sputter as the wind was knocked from her.

There was no time to react. He was upon her.

The heat of its breath against her face was bad enough, but the stench had her belly turning over in protest.

“Damn, no one ever introduce you to a nifty little thing called mouthwash?”

“Dumb bitch. You think to bait me? I care not for what you think.” It began to laugh once more, from deep in its chest. The vibrations shook her body and it felt like his words were not only outside of her, but in her head as well.

Skye shook herself, trying to clear her mind. If she could somehow distract the fucker long enough, maybe she’d find a way out of this mess.

“Cormac said he wanted you alive, but he didn’t say we couldn’t have a little fun with you.”

The hissed words slipped through her mind and Skye recoiled in horror as the demon lowered its head until there were mere inches between them.

“A demon’s kiss is something everyone should experience at least once in a lifetime.” Its wide mouth opened and the serrated teeth hung heavy in menacingly dangerous rows. They dripped with something akin to saliva, but the liquid was brownish in color.
Skye’s eyes singled in on a drop that clung to the teeth precariously and when it fell away, toward her, she closed her eyes in revulsion, only to cry out in pain as the liquid slid across her cheek.

The burn was intense, the pain sharp, searing.

Skye began to buck wildly, her arms flailing out and when her hand clamped down upon a rock she picked it up, and threw it with all her might at the demon’s head.

It roared in anger and swung its fist toward her, striking her back with an equally vicious blow.

Skye screamed in fury, frustration and plain old fear. Her cheek was on fire and her calf felt like there were a thousand shards of glass ripping through it.

The demon began to lower its head and for that one brief second, Skye could honestly say, she’d never been more terrified in her entire life. It was all encompassing. Immobilizing.

Frantically she clawed at it, trying to arch away but it was no use. Even with her enhanced strength the demon was much too strong.

When its mouth closed over hers, Skye nearly lost her mind. The terror that ripped through her was unlike anything she’d ever experienced.

The demon moaned into her and went still, but the pull that Skye felt deep inside of her intensified. Her skull was on fire and her head pounded. It felt like her very soul was being ripped from her body and the cold that seeped into her veins was sharp, as if she’d been dipped into to the deepest, most frigid part of the Atlantic ocean.

It was liquid ice.

She struggled still, but Skye’s vision began to blur and even though she fought like hell, she began to lose hope.
A god awful cry ripped across the darkness that had entombed her and Skye’s eyes flew open. The cry had come from inside her mind and she knew without a doubt, who it belonged to.

Azaiel.

The demon, Tag, broke away and looked down at her. The fear that hung on its distorted features caught at her.

“I always liked your spunk Libby. Even when you were nothing more then a whiny toddler, you still had that spark, that will to win. I knew even then that you were special.”

Libby froze at his words. Her eyes were wild, the dark violet centers huge in her pale face.

He laughed, deep from his chest and she wanted nothing more then to put her hands over her ears to drown out the maniacal sound.

“Oh yes, Libby I’ve known you since before you could walk.”

He began to slither towards her, his long legs gliding across the rocks. “We have a history you and I… long ago. So imagine my surprise when I was asked by the DaCostas to place a mind block on a… Castille whore, I think they called you.”

He grinned up at her, and Libby realized she was slowly rising through the air.

An image of Frank once more slashed through her brain and she began to struggle again, not understanding his words, but as the need to survive rose to the fore, not caring in the least.

“When I learned you’d born a child, and one made with a jaguar warrior, I knew,”

Libby shuddered as his smile became even more pronounced and his features seemed to distort slightly, as if there were another person, or thing inhabiting his body. His voice was barely above a whisper and he smiled up at her as if they were old friends.

“I had to have him.”

“Where is he?” Her words were ripped from her throat, her muscles left raw and aching as she listened to her voice echo in the still cavern.

Cormac continued to lazily walk around her suspended body. “Oh Libby, he’s not here. Silly of you to think that he was. Nope, actually he’s far away from here.”

His voice changed then, anger coursing through his words and Libby flinched at the intensity of his anger as he continued, “As should you be.” He spit then, “Frank DaCosta brought me the wrong girl and for that he paid with his life.”

A sound began to build from deep in the belly of the cavern, slicing its way along each and every passageway until it burst through to where Cormac stood in front of her. Libby’s ears perked and her attention was momentarily taken from the tall man in front of her, to the narrow crevice that led from where they were.

Jaxon!

The roar of a jaguar was tempered by gun shots and she began to panic. Once more she began to struggle and curses flew from her mouth as the invisible bindings kept her securely suspended twenty feet from the ground.

Cormac began to slowly move away from her, his eyes black with amusement.

“Seems as if your jaguar has come to call,” He shook his head slowly, “Foolish animals they are.” His voice was almost a whisper, “They are not like us, Libby.”

She looked at him, her expression incredulous, “Not like us? We’re nothing alike, you and I.” He was a monster, as close to evil as you could get.

Soft laughter fell from Cormac’s lips, but his eyes narrowed as he studied her. His voice slithered across her skin as he whispered, “We’re more alike then you know.”

Abruptly he turned from her and Libby suddenly felt like crying, so great was the deluge of emotion that filled her body. She began to pant, in short staccato breaths, and they hung loudly in the air between them. She closed her eyes and concentrated, and a few moments later, was able to force out a sentence.

“I just want my son back. I’ll do anything…anything that you want.” She knew she sounded desperate, but she didn’t care. She was desperate.

The tall sorcerer paused, but didn’t turn around. His movements were slow, precise and controlled. Everything about the man was cold and calculated and the hatred that Libby felt as she gazed down upon him nearly choked her.

“Know this Libby. Your son is alive, because I wish it. As are you.”

Time slowed as his words penetrated her brain and their meaning became clear. He had the power. He had her son. A sob escaped her throat, thick with grief and her eyes were full of tears as she looked at the calm man in front of her.

“What do you want?”

The child had been swept into the small town of Kings Crossing on the heels of a fantastic thunderstorm; one that had drenched the entire area in torrents of rain, hail and lightening. Days later it was referred to as a “hundred year rain”, meaning the swollen storm drains, sewers and rivers were unprecedented.

The residents were grateful no one had been killed. They claimed it was a miracle.

But Hank Creed knew better.

He held the miracle in his arms.

“Keep her safe until I come for her on the night of her birth, seventeen years hence.”

He’d been charged with the newborn’s protection, and as the other, the one who stood in the shadows, swept up and was away into the angry night sky, Hank made a vow that he would give his very life to do just that.

Sadly, he had no way of knowing his future. No way to know that his fate was shadowed in darkness, one that would touch the angel child he held so tenderly.

The pressure intensified to the point that it brought her to her knees, and Libby was truly afraid her head would burst, so raw and intense were the feelings.

Anguish lit her chest on fire and her hands cupped her cranium. She tried to get up but it was no use.

Everything else dulled and the ache between her ears was constant. She squeezed her eyes shut and tried to count, and as panic began to nip at her heels, she struggled to breathe. It was then that she became aware of him. She could see two feet planted in front of her, and they belonged to a large man judging by the size of his boots. Expensive, leather boots from what she could see.

He crouched down in front of her and she flinched as a large, warm hand extended down and cupped her chin, forcing her eyes upwards.

He was handsome, of that there was no doubt. Devastatingly so. Dark hair shot through with silver, crowned his head. But his eyes were dead, completely devoid of any emotion. She blinked slowly, feeling her brain liquefy as a thousand memories rushed through her. They left her breathless and her chest constricted in an effort to draw air into her lungs. The world shrank away into the rock face at her back, until there was nothing in existence except the man who held her so gently.

A man whose long, well manicured fingers were strangely familiar. She focused on them, and felt the last part of her shattered memory shift into place. Like the final piece of a puzzle.

He continued to regard her in silence for what seemed like ages and when he spoke, his voice washed over her like broken glass.