Eternal Breath of Darkness (34 page)

“I am.” Haden knelt down
next to Caylee and leaned down near her ear. He lowered his voice to a deep,
hypnotic tone. “There is no pain—I’ll not allow it to touch you. There is no
fear—I forbid it to enter your mind. I’m here with you to protect and to heal
you.”

Nikolas took Brianna’s hand
and brought it to his mouth. “I will miss you.”

“No.” Brianna couldn’t see
him, but she lifted her face as if to look up at him. Deep in her heart she
knew he was saying goodbye. She started to reach up but then folded her hands
behind her back. She wished she could see him. She knew he was facing danger
and that he wasn’t sure he would survive.

Nikolas bent his head to
whisper in her ear. “I love it when you touch me.” He reached behind her and
took her hands, and then he brought them to his face. “I’ve waited to meet you
for a very, very long time. I will always be missing you.” He bent down and
kissed her ear. “Miss me, little one.”

Brianna wrapped her arms
around him. “I already do,” she whispered against his chest.

Demetri, in the form of the
dragon, stepped out of a cloud of smoke. His gaze moved over the crowd and then
settled onto Brianna. Grinning, he walked toward them.

Nikolas led Brianna to
Joseph. “Keep her close to you until my brother is done with Caylee.”

“I will.” Joseph nodded.

Nikolas handed Joseph his
keys. “Take them to my place and keep them there tonight.” He bent down and
gently, softly kissed the top of Brianna’s head. “You will be safe.” It was the
hardest thing he’d ever done, but he walked away from her, blocked her from his
mind, and took the form of his dragon. Using an ancient spell Nikolas instantly
transported himself and Demetri to another time and realm.

***

Haden knelt down and picked
Caylee up in his arms. He cradled her close, and his heart pounded, pumping
adrenaline through his body as his wings briefly shimmered and then solidified.

Caylee opened her eyes and
stared up at Haden. “Help me.”

“No.” Haden knew she was
asking him to kill her. “You’re not leaving me.”

“Don’t make me live like
this.” She was gasping, eternal death taking a hold of her flesh and her soul.

“You will not die.” Dark,
limitless power surged from Haden’s body and filled hers. “Breathe for me,
Caylee.” Staking his claim on her, he violently shoved the spirit of eternal
death out of her body.

Caylee’s throat opened, and
a breath was forced into her lungs. She automatically released it and took
another. Her body was too damaged and weak to survive, but it didn’t have a
choice. It obeyed Haden’s powerful command. Her heart stuttered as she took
another breath. Within seconds she was breathing easier, and her heart began
beating in a strong, steady rhythm. “What are you doing? It’s too late. Haden,
please, let me die.”

“I will never allow you to
leave me.” Haden took to the sky, and they dissolved into a black mist.

In a matter of seconds,
Haden was carrying Caylee through Nikolas’ house. The house was dark and cold,
but he knew her eyes would be super-sensitive to light. He waved a hand,
causing a fire to ignite in the fireplace.

Startled, Caylee shrieked
and buried her face against his chest to shield her eyes. She wept so hard her
body trembled.

“Keep your eyes closed,
little love,” he whispered as he slowly lowered her onto the bed.

“Please, Haden. I can feel
death in my blood. I don’t want to live like this. Please, Haden, I want to
die.” Her voice was hoarse and desperate. “I can’t live like this.” Her hand
trembled as she grabbed at his shirt, but she was too weak to take a hold of
it.

Devastated, he lifted her
hand to his mouth and kissed it. “You’re my life. I need you more than I need
my next breath. I’m not leaving you, little love. You will not die.” He gently
lowered her hand. “I love you.”

His soul filled up with
rage. The transformation was happening so quickly. She looked so very pitiful.
Her flesh was pale. Her face was gaunt, and her body was far too thin. Her
flesh was filled with infection. It was hot to the touch. There wasn’t an inch
of her flesh spared. She had dozens of burn-like wounds. Her body was so
ravaged by the tainted blood that her organs had already started to decay.

Sensing his rage, she tried
to open her eyes, but the light from the fire hurt them. No matter how hard she
tried, she couldn’t get her vision to focus. She just wanted to die. She needed
to convince him to save her, to kill her. Breathing heavily, she tried to
speak, but she had no voice.

Listening to the steady
rhythm of Haden’s pulse, Caylee’s heart raced. Her stomach clenched as fangs exploded
in her mouth and pierced the inside of her cheek. She wanted his blood. She
needed his blood. She would do anything to taste his blood. “No!” She leapt
from the bed and backed up against the dresser. Eyes wild and glassy, her gaze
darted around. “Haden, you need to leave me.” She felt intense fear, hunger,
and lust for his blood.

He advanced slowly,
cautiously. “You need to be calm.” She was in a dangerous state; he wasn’t
worried about his safety, but if she attacked him she could easily harm herself
and their daughter. “Don’t be afraid.”

She turned away from him and
looked at her reflection in a mirror. She looked wild and downright hideous.
She looked like death. “You said you would do it.” Her vision grew darker, and
a terrible buzzing filled her head. She was felt so weak and faint. “Why won’t
you help me die?”

Standing behind her, he
wrapped his arms around her and held her upright. Meeting her gaze in the
mirror, he slowly leaned near her ear to breathe in the scent of her body. It
was a mistake. She reeked of vampire. “How could you ask such a ridiculous
question?” His voice was low, angry growl.

She turned around to argue
with him, but instead she nestled her face against his chest. His heartbeat was
strong against her cheek. Instinctively, she knew his blood offered her nearly
limitless power and immortality. His blood promised to satisfy the hunger that
burned in her.

Leading her by the hand to
the bed, he sat and pulled her down on her lap, and then he cradled her in his
arms as if she were an infant. He opened his shirt. “Take my blood.” He held
her face against his chest. “Trust me—it will destroy the vampire’s blood.
You’ll never hunger for blood again. You and our daughter need my blood to
survive the night.”

Gently caressing her back, he
whispered soothing words, his hands and words working magic, calming her. She
tilted her head to look up at him. She knew in her heart he would never allow
her to die. His resolve, as usual, was unshakable. He would force her to take
his blood if it proved necessary. When he leaned down to take possession of her
lips, her sharp, elongated fangs pierced his lip.

Some small part of her brain
was telling her that she should be repulsed by it, but moaning, she savored a
drop of his blood on the tip of her tongue for an instant, and then she was
attacked by a violent lust for blood. Her body trembled as she greedily sucked
on his lip.

“Do it now.” He tilted his
head back to expose his neck and chest. “Take my blood,” he whispered between
clenched teeth. He made sure it was a command she wouldn’t have the strength to
defy. Her fangs punctured deep into his flesh. A low, menacing growl of warning
escaped his throat as he wrapped his fingers around her neck. A swift and
violent force of rage raced through his veins.

The walls and floors
trembled. His body shook as he struggled to subdue the urge to snap her neck.
He felt power leaving his body. He felt it strengthening her. He snarled,
baring his teeth. His blood was sustaining her life, the life of a vampire. The
thought of it was entirely unacceptable. He needed to stop her. She was his
enemy. Her life meant nothing compared to his. His fingers tightened around her
neck.

An instant before he took
her life, he was reminded of his love for her. His grip loosened a bit. She had
freed him from his dark nature long ago. He was a demon, a dragon. A feared
warrior with no one willing to love him. Now, he was the man she loved. He
smiled as she continued to feed. He was the man who loved her. He wasn’t a
slave to his dark nature. He was a willing servant of his love for her. He
would do anything for her. He would give her anything.

In a tender display of
affection, he started to caress the nape of her neck with his fingertips.
Despite learning the truth of his identity, she loved him deeply and
completely. Loving her was always against his nature, but since the day they
met he’d loved her far more than his own life. Her love was the most amazing
treasure he could’ve ever been given. He would forever cherish and protect it. He
was a fortunate man. Too few would ever experience such a powerful connection
with another.

When Caylee stopped feeding,
Haden cradled her as he stood up, and then he slowly lowered her onto the bed.
She looked so much better. He was incredibly relieved that his powerful blood
had instantly, completely healed her. “You’ve no reason to be afraid.” He
feathered kisses along her chin and then kissed her lips. “There is one more
thing we must do.”

She didn’t know what he was
talking about. She was fairly certain by the serious look in his eyes that she
wasn’t going to like it, but it didn’t matter. How could she not trust him with
her life? Before she could even think to question him about it, he was kissing
her into a mind-blowing state of ignorant bliss.

Terror rose swiftly when she
realized he was suffocating her. She opened her eyes and met his black, icy
gaze. Frantically writhing, she tried fight him, kicking her legs and swinging
her arms wildly. But it was no use. He was too strong. He held her firmly, his
grip like steel. Her heart slammed against her chest, struggling to beat. He
was killing her. Suddenly, peace washed over her. No matter the situation, she
trusted him to do what was best for her. He was setting her spirit free. Why
would she fight him now? Her body went limp and completely still. Her mind was
numb, a strange fog shrouding it, as she accepted his gift of mercy and closed
her eyes.

When he was certain her
heart was no longer beating, he was incredibly relieved. Taking a life had
never been more difficult. He knew it needed to be done, but he’d almost failed
to complete the act.
I give you my immortal breath.
He breathed into
her, filling her lungs, her body.
You belong to me, as I belong to you.
Her
heart stuttered irregularly for a few seconds and then started to beat
regularly
. You are my heart and my soul.
Startled, she opened eyes and
looked up at him.
I will never leave you or betray you, Caylee. I will
protect you with my last breath. I vow to love and cherish you with every fiber
of my being for eternity.

Rendered speechless, she
stared up at him for several moments. Never had she hoped to find a love like
his. As a young child she craved love but was surround by hatred. She always
hid in the darkest corner of her father’s home, alone and shivering from fear,
hoping to escape his cruelty. Reaching up, she touched the tears streaming down
Haden’s face. She would never be alone again. She would never live in fear
again. She would very likely be forced to face the cruelty of hatred in future,
but she would always be embraced and protected by Haden’s undying love for her.

* * *

“Where did he take her?” Mia asked

Joseph glanced at Mia.
“We’re going to meet up with them right now.”

Mia grabbed his arm. “I’m
not going to ask how the hell you guys have wings or how the other guy turned
into a dragon, but is she okay?”

“Yes.” Joseph led Mia and
Brianna across the parking lot toward Nikolas’ car.

Just before they reached the
car Joseph stopped. He felt the unmistakable presence of a strong male predator.
A lycan. He reached out with his mind and discovered that there was more than
one. It was pack of more than thirty. He looked at Mia. The pack was there to
take her. Her mate, the alpha male, was there to claim her.

Surrounded by his pack, Eli
crouched low to ground as he watched from the shadows. Mia belonged to him. The
union had been arranged long before her birth, and he’d been searching for her
ever since the night her parents were murdered by vampires. He would’ve never
found her if the vampire hadn’t tried to take Haden’s mate. Lycans and demons
generally tolerated each other, but they never formed friendship though they
fought side-by-side in many battles against vampires and other dark creatures
that murdered mankind.

Eli knew very little about
Joseph, but he knew the demon wielded great power and strength. Getting Mia
away from Joseph wouldn’t be easy. There would be many casualties, but Eli was
willing to pay any price to take possession of his mate.

Want a peek at what happens next?

Here’s a preview of
Exquisite Breath of Darkness

~ One ~

“C’MON, MIA. YOU pinky promised. How can
I take you at your word if you go back on it? Do it for me. Do it for us.”

“No.”

“What future
will we have if I can’t trust you? Just take one itsy bitsy taste.”

“Never.”

Reaching out as
if to grab her, Joseph took a step closer. Mia swore under her breath and took
two steps back.

“Stay away from
me with that slimy thing.” She had to find a way to make him forget it, because
there was no way she could overpower or outrun him. “It’s not happening.”

“I’ll make it
super-easy for you. Just put the tip of it in your mouth.”

“Forget it! If
you want to torture someone, find someone else to suck on it.” Frowning, she
stared down at the abominable weapon clutched in his fist, and then she looked
up to meet his gaze. “I’m serious, Joseph. Put the damn thing away. I can’t
believe you’re even touching it. I sure as hell don’t want the nasty thing in
my mouth.”

“There’s nothing
nasty about it,” he said. “It’s a magnificent, delicious gift from Mother
Nature. And I’ve even heard it’s good for your immune system.”

“That …
that thing is not a gift.” Her entire body shuddering in disgust, she pointed
at it. “That is a grotesque example of Mother Nature’s sick, twisted sense of
humor.” Pleased with her definition of it, she smiled. “And Mother Nature can
kiss my ass. I don’t want it.”

He stared at her
as if he were considering her words. Behind her back, she crossed her fingers.
Then he smiled that sexy, naughty smile of his and opened his big, fat mouth to
crush all hope of him being anything other than the wicked demon he was. “Do I
get to watch?”

“I don’t get it.
I’m actually shocked. I shouldn’t be shocked. But I am.” She took a step toward
him because she needed to get closer to rip him apart. Realizing too late she
was doing exactly what he wanted her to do, she pounced on him, but he had her
on her back, his muscular thighs straddling her belly, before she had any
chance of inflicting a single wound on him.

“Be a big girl and
open your mouth wide, Mia.”

“Get it out of
my face!” She tried to smack it away but he moved it out of her reach.
“It’s … ugh. Gross. It’s wet. Damn it, Joseph. Stop laughing at me. This
is not funny.” Gagging and spitting, she wiped her tongue with the back of her
hand. “It dripped in my mouth.” Stomach churning, bile rising in her throat,
she continued to gag and spit.

“Then you know
how yummy it is.”

“It’s gross. I’m
going to puke.” Closing her eyes and shaking her head back and forth, she dug
her fingernails into his thighs.

“A promise is a
promise. I ate yours, and now you’re going to eat mine. Open wide.” She
couldn’t believe he had the nerve to rub the nasty, stinky thing across her
lips. “Just put the tip of it in your mouth.”

Covering her
mouth, she turned her head to the side. “Get it the hell away from me, Joseph!
I’m going to puke all over you! I’m serious! It smells like rotten ass!”

“I’m tempted to
ask, but I am not sure I want to know where you’ve been sniffing around,” he
teased. “I just might get jealous.”

“Touch me with
that thing once more, and I’m going to bite you.” Baring her teeth to reveal
her determination, she glared up at him. “Hard. Real hard. And it’s going to
hurt like hell.”

“I hope you do,
and I hope it does.” He laughed out loud. “Say it again. I love it when you
talk dirty to me.”

Infuriated by
his taunting, she started bucking and thrashing around, wilding flailing her
arms and legs. Eventually she managed to get out from between his thighs, but
it wasn’t much of a victory at all because he managed to out-maneuver her and
get his body between her thighs. “Calm down, Mia. You’re going to get another
rug burn if you don’t stop throwing a temper tantrum,” he warned. “And then I’m
going to feel guilty. And a guilty conscience can be damaging to man’s soul.
Don’t you care about the well-being of my self-esteem?”

“Nope. Not even
a little bit.” She knew only one thing had any real hope of stopping him, but
it was the one thing she couldn’t force herself to do. How did women force themselves
to cry? If only she knew how. “Why should I give a damn about your feelings?
You don’t care about mine.” Changing tactics, she pulled her legs up and
pressed her six-inch stiletto heels against his chest to push him back as she
struggled to wiggle out from beneath him. “Get off!”

“Damn, Mia.”
Grinning, he bent his head to look down heels digging into his chest. “You’re
one flexible woman. I like it. Flexible is good. Real good.”

“I’m going to
kill you, Joseph. I’m not kidding. If you don’t get off me right now I’m going
to kill you.”

“Stop acting
like an overly dramatic, hormonal female. There’s no reason for you to get all
worked up.” He pulled her legs down and straddled her belly again. “I’m doing
this for your own good. You’re going to fall in love with it. Just one more
teeny tiny taste, and you’ll be addicted forever. Now stop clenching your jaw
and open your mouth.”

When he put it
too close to her mouth she covered her mouth with her left hand. “You’re too
heavy. I can’t breathe. Get off.”

“Not until you
wrap your lips around it.” He pulled her hand away from her mouth, so she
covered it with her other hand.

“Knock it off,
Joseph.” She smacked his hand when he reached for her hand again. “It isn’t
happening.” Somehow he’d managed to get both of her hands in one of his and
held them above her head. “It’s too … oh, damn it. Why can’t you just
understand that it’s too much? I can’t do it. Please, just get it away from me.
”

“You’ll feel
much better once it’s over.”

“But it’s huge.”

“It isn’t all that
big. I’ve had bigger.” He winked. “Much bigger. Stop being such a baby.” He
rested it on top of her chin. “Just lick it once. You promised you’d give it a
try.”

“I lied.”

“Lying is a
sin.”

“So what? You’re
a demon. That has to be worse than committing a li’l sin.”

“Mia?” Julie
knocked on the office door and then, rather than wait for a response, opened it
and walked inside. “Are you … oh. Oh, my goodness. I’m sorry, Mia. I heard
you yelling, and I heard a man’s voice. I didn’t know it was Joseph. It sounded
like you were being … Mia, it didn’t sound good at all. A few customers
came in, and I think they heard you because they ran out so fast. I wouldn’t
have come in if … I mean, I didn’t know you and Joseph were … um.”
Julie shook her head. “Wow. This is quite possibly the most awkward moment
ever.” Cheeks flushed, she covered her mouth with her hand to suppress her
laughter. “Is that a pickle?”

Joseph looked up
at Julie and grinned. “Yes. And Mia is going to—”

“Get off!” The
instant he’d focused his attention on Julie, Mia slapped the abomination out of
Joseph’s hand and sent it sailing across the office to land at Julie’s feet.
Then she shoved Joseph as hard as she could, but he didn’t budge one damn inch.
“Now!”

Joseph didn’t
even pretend to hide his amusement as he looked down at Mia. “That wasn’t very
nice, angel,” he teased. “You just threw a pickle at your friend.”

Mia knew he was
purposely attempting to piss her off by using his pet name for her in front of
Julie. And it worked, though she kept proof of it from her expression. She
wasn’t about to give him the satisfaction of knowing he’d managed to humiliate
her.

He continued, “I
didn’t act all bitchy when you made me eat that icky frozen cardboard pizza.”

Julie’s startled
gasp was quite audible. Mia turned her head to Julie. “It’s okay, honey. Go on
out and keep an eye on things. I’ll be out in a minute.” Once Julie shut the
door, Mia glared up at Joseph. “Did you just call me a bitch?”

Joseph stood and
brought her up with him. He pulled her into his arms and tried to kiss her, but
she shoved at his chest. “Did you?”

“Not at all.” He
pulled her close and touched his lips to her ear. “Well, not really. I said you
were acting bitchy. You know, moody. Hormonal.”

“No, I wasn’t.
You were trying to shove a pickle down my throat.”

“Kiss me.”

“No way.” But
she lifted her head to kiss him because she couldn’t resist him.

He brushed his
lips against hers and whispered, “I love you, Mia.” And that was it. She wanted
more, but he didn’t give it. Releasing her, he took a step back. “I’m running
late for an appointment. I’ll see you later.” A coppery-colored mist formed
around him and seemed to swallow him up as he vanished.

She stood
staring for several moments at the spot where he’d disappeared. She was
actually mad. Very mad. Why was he in such a rush? He was acting strange. The
kiss was all wrong; it was cold. And then for him to just leave as he did was
very unlike him. Wait. Why was she mad? That too was odd.

Not wanting him
to know how easily he’d upset her, she purposely blocked her mind, her
thoughts, from him. She tried to go about her day and forget it, but with each
passing minute her anger and frustration grew. Eventually she felt obsessed
with negative thoughts of him. What was so important that he’d left without
giving her a proper kiss? Did he have another woman? Was it Teresa?

~ Two ~

IT CAME FROM out of nowhere. One second
Joseph was listening to Larissa, his VP, explain why the hotel needed to
immediately hire more housekeeping staff, and the next he was experiencing a
sudden premonition of danger, danger involving Mia. He couldn’t see her, but he
could feel her. She had entered the building, and she was ticked off.

Mia being upset
with him wasn’t shocking. He enjoyed riling her now and then. And he was pretty
damn good at finding just the right buttons to push to get a rise out of her.
This time, however, it was no game. She was beyond furious. Caught up and being
battered in a brutal storm of dark, tumultuous emotions, she was determined to hunt
him down and, if he was reading her right, tear him to shreds. Obviously,
whatever he’d done, it was far worse than a poke or a status change.

“Did you hear
me, Joseph?” Larissa asked in an impatient tone as she leaned across his desk
and waved her hand in front of his face. “Joseph?”

Paying no
attention to Larissa, he expanded his mind and reached for Mia to examine her
thoughts a little closer. “Damn it.” He couldn’t find anything but extreme
rage, and there was no discernible reason for it.

“Excuse me.”
Larissa scooted back in her seat.

The rage had to
be caused by the morphine. Although Mia had been attempting to wean herself off
it, at times she simply didn’t have a choice but to take it. Without it, the
pain she suffered because of an aggressive form of bone cancer was too
excruciating. Mia understood that the morphine caused her to be engulfed in
bouts of uncontrollable rage, but she didn’t fully understand why. She believed
it was some type of allergic reaction. Her lack of knowledge of the truth was
partially his fault.

When they’d
first met, she hadn’t seemed to know she was lycan. She had been orphaned at a
young age and raised by humans in various foster homes and group homes, and
she’d never taken the form of her wolf. At first Joseph had believed her wolf
was too weak to fully manifest because of the cancer, and he’d considered
bringing it up on several occasions. However, after learning of her hatred for
certain immortal beings, mostly vampires, he thought perhaps it wasn’t a matter
of her not knowing, but rather of her being in denial.

The denial might
be helping her cope emotionally, but physically it was putting her in danger.
Morphine and other narcotics were poisonous to those of lycan blood. It
drastically altered their brain activity, and over time morphine would cause a
lycan to go insane with murderous rage. They would kill again and again just
for the pleasure of doing it.

If he was
correct, right now her lycan side was incensed and completely in charge. She
was a powerful, deadly predator on the hunt and a serious threat to anyone
unfortunate enough to stumble between her and her prey—which just happened to
be him.

“You need to
leave, Larissa.”

“What?”

“You need to
leave.” He needed to get her out of his office for her own protection. Handing
her the staff schedules they’d been going over, he stood up. “We’re done.”

“No.” Irritation
flashed in her eyes. “I’m sick and tired of trying to track you down to take
care of business. I never had to chase Teresa down. Ever since you’ve been back
this place is being run straight into the ground. I’m not letting you off the
hook. We aren’t even close to being finished.” She waved a stack of invoices in
his face. “We haven’t even started going through these yet.”