His Darkest Salvation (34 page)

“Ana’s right.” Jaxon rose from the table and nodded toward the foyer. “We’ll meet downstairs in ten minutes.” His dark gaze settled on Julian. “Can I have a word with you two?” He nodded toward the sorcerer.

Julian watched as everyone else cleared out. They were off to their corners to get ready for whatever the hell was coming their way. Finn’s golden complexion was pale, and his eyes looked haunted as he nodded before slipping away. Nico lingered, his eyes claiming Jaden even as he turned to leave.

It bothered Julian to see the want reflected in the warrior’s eyes, but he knew that Nico would give his life to protect Jaden—that he’d claim her if he could. Julian didn’t like it, but he needed to be cool with it. She deserved so much more than he’d ever be able to give.

He watched the jaguar leave and unclenched his jaw.

“Jaden, you remember how to get to the hub? This isn’t official business, more of a family issue,” Jaxon said politely.

“I’m not going anywhere.”

“She stays.” Julian spoke quickly, surprising even himself. He could tell Jaxon wasn’t pleased, and his brother arched an eyebrow as he glared back at him.

“Fine,” Jaxon answered, his tone clipped, though he could tell his brother was perplexed.

Jaden moved closer to him, and just the presence of her body, the feel of her warmth, did wonders for him. He was fast losing control, yet, with her at his side, the slide wasn’t so slippery. He was able to hold his ground.

“What are the two of you not telling me?” Jaxon asked, looking at the both of them, ignoring the chuckle that fell from Declan’s mouth.

The sorcerer snorted and stood with his arms crossed. “This should be good.”

Julian ignored him and faced his brother, not liking his tone or the way he was looking at Jaden.

“She is mine.”

Julian heard the words, and as they echoed inside his skull, he looked down at the woman beside him.
She is mine.
It felt . . . right to vocalize it. He glanced into Jaxon’s shocked face and smiled wickedly, liking the fact that his brother was off center. “We are mated.”

“He is your mate?” Jaxon asked Jaden, his tone incredulous. “And you never thought I might like to know this?”

“It was none of your business, Castille,” she said softly. “Hell, Julian didn’t even find out until a few days ago.”

“When? How?” Jaxon asked, his questions fragmented.

“Well, I’m guessing they did the nasty at some point,” Declan inserted, his face alight with a devilish grin. “It’s usually how it works isn’t it? I mean with you shifters. Christ, is there no other way? Some cultures jump over a rock or sing to the moon. Easy and it’s done, but you guys . . . it’s all about the sex.”

The sorcerer sighed and ran his fingers through his hair. “And while I’ll be the first to admit I’d love to hear all the tasty details, we don’t have time for this shit.” His eyes narrowed, and the energy in the room changed slightly. “What the fuck do you want to know, Jaxon? Just ask the question.”

Silence fell between them for several long seconds. Julian could tell that his brother was struggling with something. Join the fucking club, he thought.

Jaxon glared at the three of them, his dark eyes narrowed, his lips thinned. His broad shoulders were square, and the power that clung to him would scare the shit out of most men.

“You’re hiding something. I can tell. I need to know everything before we head to Vegas.” His brows furled together into a grimace. “There’s no room for mistakes.” Jaxon looked at each of them, and there was no doubt as to the seriousness of the situation. “There’s too much at stake. I won’t jeopardize my son’s future.”

“There’s nothing that you need to know.” The lie slipped easily off Julian’s tongue, and his face remained blank as he faced his brother. They were way too close to his objective to fuck things up now.

Jaxon’s eyes narrowed, and they glittered, a dangerous, dark color. He took a few steps forward but stopped as a growl erupted from Julian.

The two brothers stared at each other, while the energy in the room darkened.

“Where have you been for the last six months?” Jaxon spit out, and it was obvious he was furious. “Why did you not contact us as soon as you could?” His eye turned to Declan, full of accusation. “You were part of my team, Dec. What the hell is going on?”

“Why do you care?” Julian asked. “Isn’t it enough that we’re here and willing to do whatever it takes to defeat Cormac? Why the interrogation?”

“I care because someone let you out from wherever the hell it is you were.” Jaxon’s face was fierce. “Nothing is coincidence. I’m assuming that
someone
wants
something
from you in exchange for your freedom.”

Julian’s gut clenched. His brother was a smart son of a bitch. He narrowed his eyes and the anger inside of him burned hard.

“And you!” Jaxon’s furious eyes leveled a dark look onto Jaden. “You are part of PATU. We’ve worked together. What’s your role in all of this? Can we really trust you? Or does the DaCosta blood that I can smell from here taint you the same way it’s painted your family in darkness.”

The animal inside Julian bellowed in rage, and he snarled, his body a blur, as he reached for his brother. His vision narrowed until he saw red, so great was the anger inside of him.

She was there, her body slipping into the space between them, preventing him from getting to Jaxon. His canines erupted painfully, and the darkness that always circled the edges of his mind expanded until he began to pant loudly. He was riding the edge, and, for the moment, it looked inviting as all hell.

His eyes looked deep into his brother’s, and he knew that in that moment, if not for Jaden, he would have done everything in his power to rip Jaxon’s throat out. He envisioned it, clear as day, and smiled wickedly at the thought.

He felt the animal beneath his skin shift, felt the claws that had erupted. A growl rumbled, low, from his belly, and he heard Declan swearing, inventing new words as he tried to calm the animal.

His energy changed and he turned his head, pinning the sorcerer with a furious look. “Stand back and don’t try your fucking mojo on me.”

Declan’s face was tight, but he nodded and fell back.

It was then that he smelled the blood, and, instantly, the madness faded as he looked down at Jaden. In his rush to get to Jaxon, she’d stepped in the way of his claws. Even though he’d not shifted, the tips of his fingers had become razor-sharp, and he’d pierced the flesh of her shoulder.

“I’m fine,” she whispered. “It’s nothing Julian, really.”

He felt like the worst kind of bastard ever and snarled at his brother once more though he knew there was no one to blame but himself. His control was leaving fast, and if he didn’t get it together . . .

She grabbed his chin and forced him to look into her eyes. They were huge, intense. He noticed for the first time small golden flecks that surrounded the irises. Funny he’d not noticed before, but then again, it’s not like they’d had a normal relationship.

There’d been no romance. No courting. Declan was right—it had all been about the sex. For a second, he thought it would be nice to romance the woman in front of him.

“Are you okay?” The words fell from her lips like soft whispers, and the concern in her eyes couldn’t be hidden. “I need for you to be okay. I need to know that you’re not gonna go all ape-shit on me before we get this done.” She moistened her lips and tried to smile. “We can do this, Julian, but not by fighting amongst ourselves.”

She gently pushed him away, and he let her, watched as she turned to his brother and flicked a long piece of hair behind her shoulder. He focused on the silky strand, feeling the wash of madness leave him as he did so, and his heart slowed, beating in a more normal manner.

Jaden squared her shoulders and faced his brother like the fierce warrior she was. Something melted inside of him, a piece of ice that broke from the darkness.

“I will not have you question my loyalty, Jaxon.” She paused, and Julian’s gaze settled onto Jaxon’s intense features. He knew what his brother had lost. What the DaCostas had done to Libby.

When had the world become so twisted and dark?

“I’ll forgive your harsh words. I know that my family has done much to deserve your hatred and disgust. So you can imagine how I feel.” He heard her blow out a long breath. “Because you’re right.” She shook her head, and her hands waved wildly in the air. “We do share the same blood. I am a DaCosta. Jakobi is my father, I can’t change that.” Her voice dropped to just above a whisper. “But I’m also DeCruz, and my mother’s blood is pure and strong, and I’m filled with the power of her people.”

Julian stepped forward until he was beside Jaden. He was calm, the beast had been beaten back, his resolve was firm.

“You will show her the respect she deserves.” He spoke sharply and arched an eyebrow as he stared into his brother’s eyes.

Jaxon frowned and opened his mouth to speak, but Declan cut him off.

“Christ, we all agree Jaden’s one of the good guys. We trust her. Now can we get the hell out of here? Are we not wheels up in less than an hour?”

Jaxon nodded and turned to the sorcerer. “If anything happens that jeopardizes my team,
my family
, I will hold you personally responsible, O’Hara. Understood?”

Declan flashed a smile and turned away. “Yeah, no worries, my friend.”

Jaxon’s gaze fell to Jaden. “I meant no disrespect. I know you’ve sacrificed a lot, I just . . .” He paused for several seconds. “I have a son now, and I can’t risk his future or the future of every single human on this planet. What we do will affect all of them. I need to know we’re on the same page.”

Jaden nodded. “We are.”

His eyes narrowed, and he looked to his brother. “Okay.” Jaxon held out his hand, and Julian slowly grasped it tightly. His brother’s grip was strong. “Don’t make me regret trusting you,” Jaxon said.

Jaxon released his hand and turned to follow in Declan’s footsteps. The thrum of energy that surrounded him was powerful. “We leave for the airstrip in twenty minutes.”

Jaden’s hand crept to Julian’s arm. He ignored it as he felt his emotions tighten. He sensed the quiet strength that she possessed, and nearly turned into her embrace, but something stopped him. A need to separate, to acknowledge a future that could never be.

Yet through the confusion, something shone through, gripped him hard.
Love. I love this woman.

He opened his mouth, but the words died before he could speak them. What was the point? In the end, it would only hurt her more.

They stood there, each listening to the other’s breaths, then she tugged on him, and whispered, “I know things are complicated, but I won’t play this game, Julian. After this is all over, we’ll figure things out. But in the meantime”—her eyes flashed—“let’s go kick Cormac’s ass.”

Chapter 25

T
hey boarded the jet an hour later. It was a large crew, consisting of his brothers, Cracker, Libby, and Skye, as well as Ana, Declan, Finn, and Nico. An eclectic but deadly bunch.

Jaxon had just boarded when the pilot messaged that Drake was on the line and needed to speak to him urgently. Julian watched a muscle ripple across Jaxon’s jaw sharply as he went to answer the summons.

Drake was Jaxon’s direct commander and technically the person in charge of PATU.
Technically
because Jaxon had always run his unit without outside interference. His success rate was high, and, from what Julian understood, Drake usually gave him free rein.

Things had changed over the last few months, and Jaxon had kept Drake in the loop on a need-to-know basis only. The stakes were too high, and at this point there was no way to know who could be trusted. Anyone could be compromised.

As of now, Jaxon and his branch of PATU were basically working dark. No contact with anyone outside the people in the jet.

Julian kept to himself, sitting near the back and avoiding eye contact. It was the only way to keep conversation to a minimum. He had nothing to say really. The end of his journey was near, and he’d either fail or succeed. It was that simple.

Jaden sat across from him, her face tense as she stared out the window. Her long, elegant fingers kneaded her thigh, and she kept biting her bottom lip. It was a nervous gesture, and the weight of the coming hours was something she’d have to work through on her own.

And she would, of that he had no doubt. She was a warrior, after all, tough as nails.

He watched Nico from beneath hooded eyes. The shifter was quiet, his features blank. He couldn’t hide the hunger and need that reflected in his eyes each time he glanced toward Jaden.

Julian sighed and settled back into the soft leather. What a sorry-ass fucking bunch they were. Each of them had scars. Some were visible, all were deep, the kind that cut into hearts and souls.

The kind not easily fixed.

He had a chance to do just that, to put back together the part of himself that was broken. Though it meant leaving everything behind to serve the mysterious
Bill
. And now he was left with regret for what could have been. Jaden represented a life that he hadn’t even known he wanted.