Eternal Breath of Darkness (2 page)

Fully merging his mind with
hers, Haden was able to see through her eyes. She was scared out of her mind,
but she was safe and would remain safe as long as he reached her before the
vampire breached the hedge of protection surrounding her. He should’ve felt
some relief, but he didn’t. As a demon, he was far more powerful than the
undead, but with her life a stake it didn’t matter.
You’re safe, Caylee.

* * *

Looking down at her foot, Caylee wiggled her toes. “Shit. Shit.
Shit.” She yanked on her foot, but it was too tightly wedged between tree roots
to move it very much at all. “Oh, God.” She had always joked about having the
worst luck, but suddenly, thanks to the fact that Haden’s bossy nature had
finally pushed her too far, her lack of good fortune was no joking matter.

Okay. In all honesty, it
wasn’t Haden’s fault. Not really. Sexual frustration was to blame. He wouldn’t
have the ability to irritate her so easily if she hadn’t allowed her secret
crush on him to spiral out of control. It wasn’t his fault that she’d
entertained countless sexual fantasies about him. During the past year, he’d
never even pretended to be interested in more than a platonic friendship. He’d
always, despite his habit of continually being present and bossing her around,
behaved like a perfect gentleman.

He was a good friend.
Besides Mia, he was her best friend. It wasn’t fair, but his willingness to
share a long-term platonic friendship with her was what irritated her the most.
She craved so much more with him, but it wasn’t an option. She’d suffered a
horrifying, violent attack, and now she hated to be touched, so she hadn’t
exactly tried to seduce him, to act on her fantasies. Besides, she was fairly
certain he was gay. He never dated. In fact, he never so much as even gave any
woman a second glance.

Still, it wasn’t his fault
that she’d been too busy wondering how long he’d taken to realize she’d given
him the slip to watch where she was putting her feet. She’d veered off the edge
of the trail, stumbled, and somehow ended up with her foot wedged in the roots
of a tree.

Caylee turned her head to
look for a stick to use to pry apart the roots. She blinked. “No.” Eyes wide,
she stared in disbelief. “Oh, no.”

She had never, not even in
her worst nightmare, imagined anything so gruesome. There was so much blood. It
was everywhere. The woman’s throat was ripped out, her mouth gaped in a silent
cry for help, and her lifeless eyes, opened wide, mirrored the terrible pain
and suffering of a death that refused to come quickly. Screaming was Caylee’s
first urge, but she knew that making her presence known was the worst thing she
could do.

She desperately wanted to
look away from the carnage, but she couldn’t even blink. She tried to take a
breath, but the stench in the air was so bad her throat was swollen shut. How
hadn’t she noticed it before?

Gasping for air, she
clutched her chest. It felt tight. It was worse than uncomfortable. It was
extremely painful. Her heart raced far too quickly, pushing adrenaline through
her bloodstream, causing her entire body to shake. Feeling the sharp pain of
Haden’s sudden intrusion in her mind, she winced, but she was too freaked out
to recognize his presence or to hear his voice. She needed to get away! She
needed to run! She tried to stand up, but since her foot was stuck she fell
back onto her butt.

She tried to pull her foot
out, but it was no use. If she ran, her foot wasn’t going with her. Of course,
leaving it behind wasn’t feasible. She had to calm down. She needed to think.
It was easier said than done, but it was the only way she would have any hope
of coming up with a plan.

Within seconds, she heard
Haden’s voice. She felt his presence enveloping her, surrounding her with
protection and warmth. But it didn’t really make her feel better. She knew he
wasn’t really there with her. In fact, she sensed he wasn’t close at all. She
knew he was able to use spells to create illusions, but an illusion of safety
wasn’t what she needed.

 Haden planned to use a
spell to hide the dead body from her, but he needed to take her focus off it or
it wouldn’t work.
Listen to me, little love. I want you to close your eyes
and take a breath.

His voice was only a
whisper, but it was a powerful command that forced her eyes to close, allowing
her to escape the grisly sight. But dreading the thought of inhaling the stench
of death, she struggled against the command to breathe and started to choke.

Her fear pierced his heart
so deeply that it was making him insane. He was moving faster than ever before,
faster than he ever thought possible, but it wasn’t fast enough.

The air surrounding you is
pure. Just breathe. I’m so very close to you now.
But
not nearly close enough. Driven by ancient, savage instincts to protect her at
any cost, he wouldn’t be close enough until he destroyed the vampire and she
was safe in his arms.

Believing Haden didn’t
understand, Caylee continued to panic. The air wasn’t pure. The stench of
decayed flesh was so strong she could taste it. Stomach rolling, mouthwatering,
she struggled to hold her breath.

Breathe.

His voice was a whisper, but
it was so powerful there was no fighting his command this time. She took a deep
breath, filling her lungs with his familiar scent. And just like that, defying
the physical distance between them, she felt his strong arms holding her,
protecting her.

That’s it, little love—just
keep breathing.

Knowing he was so close was
comforting until she realized his voice was way too calm considering the
situation. He couldn’t fool her. She wasn’t stupid. She knew he was mad. She’d
ditched him to teach him a lesson in manners. Sneaking out the backdoor, she’d
left him sitting in his car in front of her best friend’s clothing boutique. It
seemed like such a great idea at the time. Frowning, she bit her lower lip. It
didn’t seem like such a great idea now. She didn’t want him to find her.
Putting him in his place, challenging his self-proclaimed dictatorship over her
every move was a great stress reliever and a distraction from what she really
wanted to do to him. But she’d never pushed him this far before.

She considered trying to
hide from him. She was a strong woman. She didn’t need him. She could pull
herself together and get out of the mess on her own.
If it makes you feel
better, feel free to try to hide, but it isn’t happening.
She heard his
temper hidden just beneath the amusement in his voice. She looked down at her
foot and rolled her eyes. He was right. She wasn’t going anywhere. She looked
over at the woman’s remains, but there was a barrier hiding it. Still, she knew
what was behind the wall of strange black and silver flames. She wouldn’t even
try to hide. Regardless of his mood, she didn’t want to be alone any longer.

* * *

Lured by Caylee’s mouth-watering scent, Paul was backtracking,
returning to where he’d left the body of his last female victim. Cursed for all
of eternity, he would never experience the peace of true contentment. His body
would always crave more, need more, demand more. He was a vampire, a monstrous
creature, a loveless, soulless, living corpse suffering the agony of a
perpetual thirst for human blood.

Recalling his previous
killing, knowing he would soon kill again, gave Paul the most perverse joy any
being would ever experience. Groaning aloud, he clutched his chest, taking
great pleasure in the fact that the blood of his last victim sustained his
corrupt heart. Oh yes, nothing was more magnificent than the ecstasy of ripping
a screaming woman’s flesh to shreds and consuming every last savory drop of her
blood. Lifting his head, he breathed deeply through his nostrils, inhaling the
scent of his new quarry. It wouldn’t be long. She was less than a mile away.
Soon, he would taste the sweet, exhilarating fear in her blood.

Hearing Haden and feeling a
surge of power, Paul stopped. There was no missing the fact that a demon was on
the move. Closing his eyes, he inhaled deeply through his nostrils. Immediately
recognizing Haden’s scent, Paul opened his eyes. He’d gone to great lengths to
avoid the demon for days. Paul smiled. It didn’t matter. Thanks to his supply
of ancient demonic powers and abilities, Paul was confident he was considerably
stronger than most vampires and able to hold his own in any fight against any
demon. Besides, Haden was moving away from the area, and he was nowhere near
the woman. There would likely be no need to fight. He would have more than
enough time to drain her blood and leave the area long before the demon was
able to interfere.

Paul was about to attack
Caylee, but he hesitated. Lifting his face, he studied the stormy sky.
Something was off-kilter. Haden seemed to be moving away quickly. Too quickly.
It was as if the demon didn’t know a vampire was in the area. It was a trick.
Perhaps it was a trap. Haden was an ancient. There was no way he’d overlooked
the fact that a vampire was in the area hunting. Demons never allowed vampires
to hunt in peace. Cloaking his presence from Haden, a feat very few of his kind
could perform, Paul waited to see what his enemy was really doing.

~ Two ~

THE WIND PICKED up, pushing through the treetops, causing the
branches to sway and a flurry of pine needles to fall down all around. The air
electrified, causing her skin to tingle. Rolling her eyes, she wasn’t surprised
at the loud
swoosh
behind her and didn’t turn to look. She knew it was
him.

“Damn it, Caylee, what the
hell are you doing out here?” Pulling her upright, his strong arms locked her
body against his. With a gesture, he freed her foot from the tangle of roots.

Lifting her head, she looked
up into his black, unblinking gaze. Even the whites of his normally dark blue
eyes were black with flecks of silver. It was a startling sight. She would
never get used to it. She tried to pull away from him, but he didn’t allow it;
in fact, he wrapped his arms around her, hugging her so close she could feel
this heart thumping.

“What do you think you’re
doing, Haden?” He was an enormous man, and she could feel his frustration and
his anger. She didn’t like feeling so small and defenseless in his arms,
feeling crushed.
Though I shouldn’t have provoked him
, she admitted to
herself. Any fool could see he was a dangerous man to cross. She struggled to
pull away from him, but he didn’t budge an inch. “Let go of me!” She squirmed
in vain, using her palms to push at his heavily muscled chest.

She knew he was attempting
to soothe her fear as he gently caressed the nape of her neck. “Why are you
afraid of me? What have I done to make you believe the worst of me?”

“Please, Haden, just let go
of me,” she pleaded. “I can’t breathe.”

“You’re breathing just
fine.” There was a long moment of silence. “I told you to stay out of the
forest unless I was with you,” he whispered between clenched teeth. “You
agreed.”

“I never agreed to anything,
Haden.” She lifted her chin and defiantly met his gaze. “I didn’t argue with
you because I chose to ignore the fact that you were giving me another order.
To be completely honest, your attempts to order me around are annoying. And I’m
not in the area you warned me about. I’m miles from the trails where women have
been attacked.”

That brought his eyebrow up.
Claiming he wasn’t mad wasn’t a lie. He was quite furious. She definitely
possessed a talent for provoking the hell out of him. “Really?” Obviously,
she’d forgotten about stumbling across a murder scene because she hadn’t
listened to him.

“Yes, it is aggravating. No
one likes to hang out with an arrogant jerk, Haden. Besides, I was careful. I
didn’t go anywhere near…”

“Stop.” He clenched his jaw,
and a low growl of frustration rumbled in his throat.

“No. I won’t. And, did you
just growl at me?” She rolled her eyes. “Stop acting like an animal. I mean,
get over it. So what if I dared to defy you? Big deal. Who really cares? You
might think you’re superior to everyone else, but you’re not God.” Biting her
lower lip, she paused. “I have every right to make my own decision. I’m a grown
woman. I have every right to take any risk I want to take.”

For a moment, he stood there
in silence, staring down at her. Convinced the vampire wasn’t nearby, believing
it had retreated, he released her—not because he wanted to, but because she
wanted him to. “I will never be strong enough to stand back and allow you to
put yourself in danger. You’re more than just important to me, Caylee. You are
all that matters to me.” He was a wreck. He needed to hold her more than he
needed to breathe, but he would always put her needs and wants above his. “Time
will heal your heart and soul. Eventually, the pain of the past won’t be so
great.”

 “I honestly thought
this area was far enough away. I thought it was safe.” She didn’t want to talk
about the past. She didn’t want to even think about it. Not with him. Not with
anyone. “I don’t want to argue with you. I won’t. If you want to argue, go and
stand in front of a mirror and do it.”

She remembered where they
were, and what she’d seen. “We need to do something for her. Can you help her?”

“I’m sorry. There’s nothing
I can do for her. She’s dead.”

“You didn’t even look at
her. You don’t know she’s dead,” she whispered, despite knowing he was right.
Her head was a big, jumbled-up mess. She should’ve felt better when he let go
of her, but she didn’t. She wanted him to let go of her, right? If so, why did
she feel so miserable and so cold? “How could anyone be so cruel?” She stared
up at him. “She’s so young.”

He felt Caylee’s agony
churning in the pit of his stomach. A small part of him wanted to comprehend
her empathy, but compassion for a stranger was foreign to his nature. He
quickly shrugged it off. The woman didn’t matter. Caylee was all that mattered
to him. Needing the physical contact with her, he lightly placed his hand on
the center of her back, but as expected, she flinched and moved away.

Feeling foolish, she held
her breath, a blush rising from her neck to her cheeks. He was only trying to
comfort her. He was her friend. He wasn’t her lover. He wasn’t asking her to
get naked and have hot, passionate sex with him. She was the one with sex on
the brain. And she didn’t just think about having sex with him. Lately, her
body ached for it, demanded it. Her hormones were spiraling out of control.

It might help if she could
convince her eyes to ignore him. She glared at him. It was his fault. It was a
sin to walk around looking like him.  How many hours did he spend at the
gym sculpting his body? Way too many. Smiling, she nodded. Yep. Her naughty sex
thoughts were entirely his fault. She was an innocent victim. More often than
not, when her eyes wandered over him, she forgot the size and contours of his
huge, muscular frame terrified the hell out of her. What woman wouldn’t want to
experience wild, hot sex with man like him? But it wasn’t possible for her. She
hated to be touched by anyone. A simple handshake was enough to send her into a
full-blown panic attack. He was merely a dark fantasy. A sinful temptation. Mysterious.
Powerful. Strange. He was the hottest, sexiest man she’d ever seen. But he was
definitely strange. Besides, he was gay.

He shook his head. He
refused to acknowledge the fact that she thought he was gay. Soon, very soon,
he planned to prove to her he wasn’t. But he wasn’t all that strange, was he?
Tilting his head to the side, he smiled, his gaze locked onto hers. It didn’t
matter if she believed he was strange. “You think I’m the hottest, sexiest man
you’ve ever seen.” It was great to know. It totally outweighed the fact that
she might view some of his behavior as strange. Clearly, she was wrong—he
wasn’t strange at all.

She cursed beneath her
breath. “I can’t believe you were doing it again. And you didn’t even have the
decency to warn me.” Looking quite fierce, she took a step toward him. “Stay
out of my head!” Clenching her fists, she glared up at him. “And stop grinning
at me like that!” A noise, a rustle in a nearby bush, startled her. Moving
closer to him, she grabbed his shirtsleeve.

“It was only a bird.” He
looked down at her hand clenching the fabric of his shirt. It was so much more
than her touching him. “You’re safe with me.” It was her trusting him to
protect her.

It was an extremely delicate
situation, and he was the furthest thing from delicate. Every single cell in
his body yearned to react to her touch, to dominate and to possess her body and
soul, but he couldn’t. It would cause her to withdraw. She was touching him,
she was in control, and that was the way she needed it to remain. Reining in
his body’s fierce need for her, not an easy feat by any means at all, he
gathered enough strength to defeat his overwhelming need to stake his claim on
her.

He looked down at the
woman’s corpse. If he hadn’t realized in time that Caylee had deceived him, she
too would’ve suffered a horrific death. Keeping her mortal was frightening as
hell. Caylee was just as fragile as the dead woman. She was just as vulnerable
to death. He couldn’t take her last mortal breath and give her the breath of
immortality unless she believed in his love for her. She needed to have
complete faith, blind faith in his love. He couldn’t warn her. He couldn’t
prepare her for it. He could only do it and hope for the best.

Many of his kind, if they
knew anything concerning her violent past, would instruct him to walk away from
her. They would argue her heart and soul could never be strong enough to
believe in the unconditional love that would enable her to receive immortality
from him. The immortality of his kind was only bestowed upon the strongest of
the strong. To receive it she needed to endure a brutal and frightening ritual,
but when he performed it she would die if she feared him too much to return to
her body and receive his breath. He wouldn’t do it until he was certain she
knew what she meant to him. Proving his love and gaining her trust was the only
way he could ensure that they would be free to be together for eternity.

For as long as she was still
mortal, he simply needed to keep her alive. It should’ve been an easy task for
a demon able to control the most violent forces of nature with a thought, but
it wasn’t. He could command the heavens and the earth to do his will, but he
couldn’t command her to believe in him. While he was fully aware of the fact
that he would be in serious trouble when she realized how deeply he loved her,
more than anything, he longed for the day to come.

Caylee stared up at him.
“Haden.” He turned his head, meeting her gaze, his attention focused solely on
her. “I’m sorry.”

“No.” He frowned. “Don’t be
sorry. None of this is your fault.”

“When you told me it was too
dangerous to go jogging without you, I overreacted. I was being stupid. You
were only looking out for me. You’ve been such a good friend to me. I should’ve
listened to you.” She wrapped her arms around his waist and rested her forehead
on his chest. “I should’ve trusted you.”

He was so afraid he would do
something to frighten her. “It’s okay.” Taking a breath, he held it, standing
perfectly still. It was the first time she’d ever held him. He didn’t want the
moment to end.

She hugged him tighter.
“Sometimes I act so stupid. One of these days you’re going to get sick of
dealing with my temper.”

Wrapping his arms around her
slender body, he slowly pulled her closer, so grateful she didn’t resist.
Releasing his breath in a long sigh, he leaned down to tuck her head beneath
his chin. “It’ll never happen.” Savoring the heat, the nearness of her body, he
closed his eyes and breathed in her sweet scent, allowing it to fill his lungs.
“And you’re not stupid.” His body was raging. “But I will say that you’re
stubborn as hell.”

With each passing second he
was more aroused by the sensation of her soft, feminine curves pressed so
snugly against his hard, muscular frame. He needed to move away from her, but
he couldn’t. He remained silent, rocking her gently, knowing one moment of
weakness would cause her to find fear instead of refuge in his arms.

Lightning whipped through
him, heating his blood, sizzling over his flesh. Every muscle tightly bunching,
he fought to keep his traitorous flesh from responding to the feeling of her
breasts pressed so snugly against his body, but he lost the battle in a matter
of seconds. There was absolutely no hiding the hot rush of desire that shot
straight to his groin. Muttering undecipherable curses, he pushed her away and
took a step back, wanting to spare her, knowing the evidence of his body’s need
for hers would scare the hell out of her.

Blinking up at him, she
nervously bit down on her lower lip. How could she be so stupid? “I’m so
sorry.” And she most certainly was. What was she thinking? Feeling like an
absolute idiot, she lowered her head. Why had she expected him to want to hold
her as a lover?

He reached out to gently
lift her chin, forcing her to meet his gaze. “It’s not what you think, Caylee.”
He bent down so his mouth was so very close to hers.

His mouth was way too close
to hers. “I’m sorry,” she whispered. She felt the heat of his breath on her
lips. Her heart raced wildly. She knew she should back away from him, but she
unintentionally moved a little closer, her body seeking the warmth of his.

“There’s no reason for you
to be sorry.” They stood brow-to-brow, his fierce gaze locked onto hers.
Something wickedly exquisite, like tiny flames, danced over her flesh and
heightened her body’s sexual awareness of his when his lips brushed across
hers.

“We need to do something. We
can’t leave her here, Haden.” Her voice was a breathless, husky whisper. “What
should we do?” Why did her voice sound so funny?

A shiver ran from her toes,
up her spine, and to the top of her head. Her flesh tingled. What was wrong
with her? That was a silly question. She knew it was her body coming to life
with desire. She tried, but it was impossible to ignore the way her most intimate
places were aching, throbbing, crying out with the most agonizing need for him.
She had serious issues. How could she be thinking about sex when he looked so
mad?

“This is not me looking mad,
little love.” His voice was deeper, raspier than usual. “This is me looking
frustrated.” It was a soft growl, laced with lust, vibrating over every inch of
her flesh. “Extremely frustrated.”