Eternal Breath of Darkness (23 page)

Jaw dropped, he lifted his
eyebrows at her, his black gaze smoldering.
Well, isn’t this a lovely
situation.
Maybe not lovely, but it was certainly a new one. An interesting
one. In all the long years of his existence, he’d never sported a raging
hard-on during a battle.

“Oh come on, admit it.”
Doing her best to look as fierce as a five-foot-three-inch, hundred-pound woman
could possibly look, she glared up at him. “If you know what’s good for you,
you’ll admit it.”

“Woman, you’re pure evil.”
Joy filling him so entirely his heart felt as if it would burst, he smiled at
her. “And I love it. Yes,” he said, nodding, “you seduced the hell out of me
then and now. But, you’re wrong about one thing. You didn’t own me for a
moment.”

Lowering her gaze, she
frowned at her poor choice of words. Of course she didn’t.

He lifted her chin. “You
have always and will forever own my heart and soul.” Just then, the ground
rumbled violently. “It’s happening.”

He took a step back. “You
will be safe. Stay right here.” He walked away from her.

Raising his arms to the
heavens, he altered the atmosphere, commanding a storm to come from out of
nowhere. The wind instantly picked up, slamming into the flying ghouls.
Lightning zigzagged, illuminating the ominous black clouds billowing overhead,
chasing the monstrous birds. Thunder echoed all around. Fascinated, oblivious
to the rain saturating her, Caylee watched Haden. He was so sexy, so perfect in
every possible way. She was ordinary, nothing even close to the woman he
should’ve picked, but he loved her. He was the most remarkable man and lover
she could ever hope to dream up, and he truly loved her. He chose to love her.
He was powerful beyond belief. He could easily possess any woman’s heart, but
he chose hers. She belonged to him in every possible way. She knew that now.
She truly belonged to him. She would never feel the pain of being alone again.

I will never know how I
survived for so long without you, Caylee. You’re my life, my heart, my soul. I
will forever need you more than I need to take my next breath.
She
literally felt the warmth of his breath on her earlobe, and his arms, still
defying the distance between them, held her even closer to his body. Smiling,
she closed her eyes, remembering the passion, the firestorm of desire and
pleasure they shared. Nothing could ever taste better than his kiss, his flesh.
His masculine scent drove her wild. His rough, calloused hands were so
demanding, so powerful, and yet they so gently touched her everywhere, causing
desire to burn in her. His cock was so hot and hard, filling her, stretching
her, thrusting wildly into her again and again, creating the most scintillating
hot friction imaginable.

His laughter filled her
mind.
Serious foul, little love. Now, when I’m unable to do anything about
it, is not the time to torment me with delicious thoughts of being buried deep
inside the tight, silky heat of your body.

The ground burst open in
hundreds of places all at once, but he didn’t seem to notice. He held her gaze
captive, letting her know he wouldn’t do anything to defend himself until she
relinquished her mind to him. She immediately opened her mind to him. Not
because she was afraid of him, but because she knew beyond any doubt he
wouldn’t focus on the battle he was about to face until she did.

She blinked once, and he was
surrounded by grotesque human-like ghouls. “Oh, God, no. What are they?” she
whispered.

Mouths gaped wide, flesh
torn from their bones, and their bodies unbelievably twisted and contorted,
they closed in on him. She tried counting them, but there were too many. There
were hundreds and hundreds of them, and he was their sole focus. How could he
fight off so many? He couldn’t. He would die if he tried.

No. It’s okay. These
creatures cannot harm me.

Once again, she could feel
the warmth of his breath on her ear. She was so grateful he possessed the
ability to make her feel the heat of his large, solid frame against her back
and his powerful arms protectively, lovingly holding her close when he was so
far away.
He might believe he was a demon, but she believed she was in
the arms of an angel.

I am never far away from
you, Caylee. I am always with you. A part of you.

A burst of brilliant colors
and an explosion of light illuminated the woods as Haden took the form of the
dragon. Oblivious of the danger he presented, the ghouls continued to move
closer to him. The dragon’s warrior heart thundered with excitement for the
battle at hand, for the victory it would claim. While Haden had fixated his
attention on Caylee for the past year, the beast had been denied the pleasures
of war. Rising onto his hind legs, the dragon fanned his massive wings,
creating flames that spread out to devour the ghouls and encompass Caylee.

The dragon swung its head
around, capturing her gaze.
Keep your mind open to me. You’re protected.
Nothing will touch you.
He shot straight into the sky, but the instant he
cleared the treetops, he was bombarded by monstrous birds of prey. Caylee
stared in horror. They were all over him screaming, biting, and digging their
talons deep into his flesh. Lightning struck the ground a few feet from her.
Caylee jumped back, her focus now on the ground. She watched ghouls attempting
to walk through the flames surrounding her. Most were burned to a crisp before
making it through. A few managed to make it through, but they were instantly
incinerated by lightning.

She looked up, her gaze
searching the sky for Haden. At first, she couldn’t find him; then, to her
horror, she realized why: he was completely covered with the winged ghouls and
was falling out of the sky. Flames surrounded them, burning the creatures from
his body. He was falling way too fast. She held her breath. Her heart actually
stopped. He landed hard, flat on his back, his body creating a hole in the
ground. Roaring, he jumped to his feet, destroying the remaining birds with
flames, and then, without showing any signs of pain or weakness due to the
fall, he shot straight into the sky to fight once more. Finally breathing, her
heart beating, her gaze followed him.

Another dragon appeared in
the sky. She watched it closely, fearing it would join the birds and attack
Haden. Within seconds, she realized a third dragon was approaching. Her heart
beat so quickly she feared it was going to burst.

They’re friends, little
love, Zack and Joseph. You remember Zack, right? He helped us before. They’ve
come to help us now.

Chanting, Paul approached
Caylee.

She stared at him. He was so
very close—only a few feet away. She looked up. She could still feel Haden’s
arms holding her, but she doubted he was really with her. It was an illusion to
make her feel safe.

Engaged in battle, the
dragons fought so fiercely the monstrous birds were falling like stones from
the sky.

She wanted call out to Haden
but feared distracting him. She didn’t know what to do.

Haden froze, his fierce gaze
locked onto hers. Tucking his wings close to his body, he dived toward her, the
other dragons following his lead. She looked for Paul, but he was gone. The
human like ghouls were also gone. The dragons landed hard, the ground shook,
and she fell to her knees.

~
Sixteen ~

RETURNING TO HUMAN form, Haden turned to face her. “Damn it,
Caylee, you always call out to me when you think you are in danger! That is
what you do! You do not hesitate! You call out to me!” Breathing heavily,
walking toward her, he looked as ferocious as he was.

She didn’t stand up, knowing
her legs were too weak to support her weight.

“You arrogant son of bitch!”
Zack slammed into Haden. In disbelief, Caylee watched as they fought.

Chuckling, Joseph walked
over to Caylee. “Don’t worry. They’re both a little hotheaded. They’ll work it
out. They always do.” He nodded. “Caylee, right?” He leaned down, offering his
hand to her. “Joseph Payne.”

Staring up at him, she took
his hand and stood up. Wonderful. Absolutely, magnificently, wonderful. She
pointed toward Haden and Zack, still pummeling the hell out of each other.
“This is normal behavior for them?”

He shrugged. “It’s a cousin
thing.”

“They’re related?”

“I know they don’t look
alike, but I assure you it’s true.”

“I don’t doubt it. They both
seem prone to throwing extreme tantrums.” Zack hit Haden’s face with a closed
fist, knocking Haden off his feet. Caylee winced. “Ouch.” That was going to
leave a mark. “I can’t believe after all that has happened he could forget I’m
here watching him behave like a toddler.”

“Trust me, regardless of his
immature behavior he knows you’re here. He knows every breath you take. What I
find amusing is that as far as our people are concerned they’re two of the most
feared, legendary warriors of all times.”

“Well, legend or not, one
thing is certain, Haden’s behavior is about to get him into serious trouble
with me.” She paused. “What happened? I mean, where did all of those creatures
go?”

“The vampire left,” Joseph
said. “He was the fuel that enabled them to attack. Without him, the human army
he raised had no power to remain above ground.”

Caylee pointed at Haden and
Zack. “How long does it usually take for them to work out their squabbles?”

“It depends. It could be
minutes, or we could be here for quite some time. Some say they’ve fought too
many battles to ever be anything other than warring brutes.”

“What do you say?” Caylee
asked.

“They have unresolved
childhood issues.”

She looked at him. “Joseph,
are there many battles like the one today?”

Frowning, he looked worried.
“To be honest, the magnitude of what happened today hasn’t happened for
centuries. The vampire hunting you is powerful, but even so, it’s odd for one
such as him to provoke a matured male demon. Something is off kilter.” He
paused for a moment. “Demetri, one of our own, joined the opposition today.
None us know why Demetri is siding with our enemy, but it’s a serious threat to
mankind and our kind. Demetri is extremely powerful. He has been around for thousands
and thousands of years. No one really knows his age. It’s rumored he has no
equal.”

Such a terrible blast of
fear slammed into her that it caused her heart to skip a beat. Haden stopped
fighting with Zack. Staring at Joseph, he walked toward them.

Grinning, Joseph pointed. “I
guess they’ve sorted things out.”

Caylee took a step back.
“Haden looks mad.”

“Not at you.”

“Huh?”

“He plans to kick my—sorry,”
Joseph said. “He’s mad because I told you about Demetri and it frightened you.”

“Are you serious?”

Joseph nodded.
“Unfortunately.”

“Unbelievable. He should’ve
told me.” Stepping past Joseph, she marched right up to Haden and shoved him.
“What are you doing?”

Zack walked up from behind
and smacked the back of Haden’s shoulder. “One word—neutered.”

Seething with rage, she
turned her gaze toward Zack. “Just … oh, damn it … shut the hell up!”

“Be careful, woman,” Zack
whispered between clenched teeth, giving her a look of disgust.

That was all it took. Haden
turned on Zack, and they were fighting again, rolling around on the ground,
punching each other.

“Fine. Just … oh, God,
whatever.” Caylee looked up at Joseph. “Let the kooks beat each other up. I’m
done.” Exasperated, she turned and stormed off, muttering explicit curses
beneath her breath.

“Where do think you’re
going?” Haden pushed Zack away and stared at Caylee.

Stopping, she tried to count
to ten to gain her composure, but only managed to get to three before she
turned to face Haden.

“Oh, how sweet.” Looking way
too innocent to ever be considered anything other than guilty as hell, Haden
and Zack were standing side by side as if they couldn’t possibly be guilty of
any wrongdoing. They, well over six feet tall and built like warriors, had the
nerve to attempt to look sheepish. Fuming, she rolled her eyes. Clearly,
attempting to manipulate a situation by faking innocence was a family thing.
Fire burning in her belly, he slowly walked toward them.

“Damn, Haden, I think you
really pissed her off.” Joseph chuckled. “This is going to be great. I wouldn’t
miss what’s about to happen for the world. I hope when she’s done with you she
kicks Zack’s ass too.” He fumbled inside his pockets. “Oh shit, I forgot my
phone. This would’ve made a damn great status update for both of you.”

Zack’s eyebrows shot up.
“She wouldn’t.” He swallowed hard.

Watching Caylee walk toward
them, Haden grinned. “She would.”

Joseph nodded. “Zack, I
don’t think she likes you at all. After she’s done with Haden, I’ve a hundred
bucks that says she’ll take you down in five seconds.”

Zack shook his head. He
wasn’t going to stick around to get his ass kicked by a woman. “How the hell do
you keep figuring out our passwords, Joseph?”

“You’re predictable, and
Haden never changes his.”

Zack looked a Haden.
“Never?” Looking worried, he took a few steps back. “Well, good luck, Haden. If
there’s anything left to you after she gets done with you, I’ll see you later.”
He turned with blurring speed, wings forming on his back, and leapt into sky.

“Don’t keep her out here.
Bring her to your penthouse. We will be able to aid you, should you need us.
And after witnessing the strength of your opposition today, I have no doubt you
will.” When Caylee reached them, Joseph bowed at the waist. “It was nice to
finally meet you, Caylee. I hope to see you soon.”

“It was quite refreshing to
meet a civilized gentleman.” Smiling at Joseph, she nodded once. “Thank you.”
Then, she turned to glare up at Haden, fury burning in her green eyes.

Thinking she looked way too
damn sexy when she was mad, Haden grinned, his gaze feasting on her. “You look
angry, little love.” And it was driving him insane, filling him with lust,
heating his blood, making him yearn to immerse himself in the solace and
pleasure of her body again and again.

Clearly able to hear his
thoughts now, she smirked. Who did he think he was? He demanded she keep her
mind open to him at all times, but he felt he was justified in closing his mind
to her at will. Tilting her head to the side, she glared at him, biting back a
few choice words and fighting the urge to kick him. “You think I look mad?”

Looking as naughty as he
was, and way too sexy, he held out his hand for her. “We should get going,
little love.”

“Little love?” Shaking her
head, she forced herself to frown. “Tell me, Haden, is that endearment designed
to get you out of trouble?”

He arched his brow. “Is it
working?”

His voice was a deep,
flawless purr, a weapon of seduction. Yep, she was definitely getting her hands
on a bottle of holy water.

“I won’t stop you, but I
don’t believe spraying me will make you feel any better. You’re not mad at me.
I know what’s troubling you. It’s troubling me too.”

Gee. Should she or should
she not? She shrugged. Why not open his stinky can of worms? “Really, what’s
troubling me?”

“Sexual frustration.”

He wasn’t actually touching
her, but she felt hands wandering, exploring her body. His mouth and tongue
teasing, tormenting her.

“What you really need is to
get naked and wrap your sexy legs around my body.”

He looked way too proud of
himself for her liking. Two could play this game. “Serious sexual frustration,”
she whispered, her voice purposely breathless, husky. Parting her lips in a
mysterious, sexy smile, she closed the gap between them. Standing on the tips
of her toes, she wrapped her arms around his neck and her leg around his thigh.
“Silly me.” Pressing closer, intimately rubbing her body against his, she
tilted her head back and kissed his chest and the base of his throat. “Why
didn’t I think of it?” she whispered against his flesh.

He knew she was using her
body as a weapon of revenge, but it didn’t matter. He couldn’t resist her. He
bent his head to take possession of her mouth. She bit his lip, a teasing,
erotic nibble that drove him insane. Then, when she was certain he’d forgot
about the revenge she was seeking, she bit him hard and shoved him.

Caught off guard, he fell
flat on his ass.

“I can’t believe you
actually thought you could use sex to turn me into a mindless twit when I’m so
mad at you.” Hands on her hips, she stuck her tongue out at him. “Who’s the
mindless twit now, Haden?” Smiling, savoring the victory, she turned at walk
away from him.

Roaring with laughter, he
jumped to his feet and followed her. “Where are you going?” He was still
laughing.

“Stop laughing,” she warned
as she turned to face him, “or I will kick you.” She turned away from him and
started to walk. “I’m going to the city.”

At her side, still laughing
but attempting to control it, he matched her pace. “You’re going the wrong way,
little love.”

Mumbling obscenities,
sounding quite fierce, she spun around and stared up at him. “Which way is it?”

“Kiss me.”

“Hell no!” she shouted.

He pointed. “It’s a day’s
walk.” Moving closer, forcing her to press her back against a tree to avoid
touching him, he grinned at her. “But I could get us there in a few seconds.”
He moved closer, his body crowding hers, touching hers, heating hers. “Kiss
me.”

Palms pressed against his
chest, savoring the yummy masculine contours of his hard, heavily muscled body
a little too much, she tried to shove him, but he didn’t move at all. He was as
solid as the tree behind her. She lifted her chin, smirking up at him
defiantly. “I’m never flying with you again, Haden Drake,” she promised, saying
his last name to prove a point. Although, after saying it aloud and hearing the
longing in her voice, she wasn’t entirely sure what point it proved. Well, that
was a lie. It clearly proved she wanted to rip his clothes off of his body
and … no! She shook her head. She wouldn’t think it. His ego didn’t need
to get any bigger. If it did she would be forced to toss him into a pool of
holy water.

“Flying would take too
long.” Capturing her waist, he easily picked her up and held her against his
body. “I wasn’t planning to fly tonight.” His black, hungry gaze held hers
captive. “I need you now.” He smiled at her. “And you will fly with me many
more times.” Before she could argue, he whispered, “Wrap your legs around me.”

Needing him, wanting him as
desperately as he needed and wanted her, she did it instantly, without thought.

“Now, please, kiss me.”

Completely swept away by her
desire for him, unaware he was taking her through time and space, she kissed
him.

When he lifted his head, she
realized they were no longer in the woods. He was walking, carrying her across
a room. She looked around, but it was too dark to see much of anything. “Where
are we?” She gasped. “Where are my clothes?” Then, she realized they were flesh
to flesh. “Where are yours?” The air was moist, warm and sweet smelling.

“Gone.” He took three
downward steps.

She heard the sound of water
swishing. “Why?” Hot steam enveloped them.

He took another downward
step, and hot water lapped at her backside and legs. “They were in the way.”
Waist deep in the water, he lowered her onto her feet and pulled her close. “I
need to feel every inch of your flesh against mine.” He waved his hand,
lighting several candles.

Turning, she moved away from
him, taking in the beauty surrounding her. They were in a huge, oversized hot
tub. No. It was more like a pool. In the far corner was a waterfall, and the
walls and ceiling were made of granite and decorated with ancient carvings.
Several mirrors on the walls reflected candlelight. “It’s so beautiful, Haden.”

He picked up a bottle of oil
and slowly made his way to her. Never in his life had he seen anything as
beautiful, as perfect as her tiny, slender body. It amazed him that she didn’t
know. That she didn’t have a clue about how incredibly gorgeous, how sexy she
was. She closed her eyes. His mind was open to her, sharing his desire, his
need to worship her body with his, to convince her of her beauty, of her value
to him. There was and never could be another woman for him. She alone could
make him drop to his knees and beg for one more taste.