Read Online His Darkest Salvation by Juliana Stone - Free Book Online Page B

froze, her eyes staring at the scene in disbelief. Anger, hot and instant, burned her, and she shook her head as her jaguar protested loudly.
    “Motherfu—”
    “Shit, that’s not very ladylike.”
    Her words were cut off, and she glared at Declan O’Hara as he stood surrounded by the smashed remnants of a large piece of pottery. The air shimmered around him, a barrier of magick, and Nico circled him warily, growls and hisses falling from him.
    The warrior had shed his human skin and flicked his long tail in agitation as he continued to circle the sorcerer.
    “You wanna call off your kitty?” Declan flashed a smile, yet his eyes, too, were as hard as Julian’s, full of darkness and secrets. “I’d hate to have to singe his fur, but if need be, I’ll fry his ass.”
    Jaden ignored the sorcerer and walked toward them, her hand reaching for the large jaguar. “Nico, be still.”
    The cat barked twice and hissed, but moved between her and Declan as she knelt amongst the mess. She stared down at the ruined pottery for several long seconds. Her breath fell in ragged swells as she fought to control her emotion. The ceremonial jug had been a gift from her mother, Sophia, an ancient treasure from a long ago time, and the only link she had to her mother’s family.
    It was worth a small fortune, but to Jaden, that paled in comparison to what it had meant to her mother. What it meant to her.
    She shook her head, vaguely heard Nico hiss as she carefully picked up a large piece and turned it over in her hands, her long fingers caressing it lovingly. Her heart contracted, and her chest tightened, full of sorrow as she eyed the shards.
    The energy in the room shifted, and she looked up at Declan as he let the barrier fall. She tried to cloak her true feelings but wasn’t successful.
    “I’m sorry,” he said simply. There, deep within the recesses of his eyes, she saw a spark of compassion. It lightened his features briefly, then disappeared.
    Weariness, bone-chilling and dense, swept over her, and she sighed softly as she began to gather the pieces together. She sensed Julian at her side the same time Nico’s growl warned her.
    “You will not touch these,” she whispered roughly, hating the thought of anyone other than herself holding the pieces that meant so much.
    He stood back, and she went about her task with careful precision. Long moments of silence accompanied her, and when she was done, she stared down at the pile. Her heart broke. She knew it was beyond fixable.
    Just as her world would be if Cormac was successful. They needed to find the portal and destroy it immediately, or every loss she’d suffered would be for nothing. Every sacrifice she’d made would have been in vain.
    She stood quickly and shook the sadness from her mind. There was no time for pity. She could deal with that later, when she was alone.
    She looked up at Julian. “I agree that we can accomplish the task much more efficiently working together than apart, but I’ll only do it on one condition.”
    Nico growled loudly, and she glanced at the animal in warning as mist crawled along his limbs.
    Julian nodded slowly. “And what would that be?”
    “You need to share everything. For us to work together, some kind of trust needs to be established. I need to know where you’ve been, what you went through.” She paused and glared at Declan. “What your endgame is because I sure as hell don’t believe it’s all about puppies and rainbows. You have an ulterior motive, and I want to know what it is.”
    The dark energy that slid along Julian’s skin vibrated, and her breath caught as she felt the caress of his power.
    Julian glanced at Declan and nodded. “I’ll tell you what you need to know when . . .” His voice drifted off and he arched an eyebrow.
    “When what?” she mimicked, irritated at his superior attitude. She was going to have to break that real quick.
    Julian nodded toward Nico, who now stood in his human form a few feet