Eternal Breath of Darkness Read online

  There were miles of trails in every direction, and he needed to find her now. He never should’ve let her out of his sight. Slamming the car door, he moved quickly, allowing his finely honed tracking skills to lead him. The warm, muggy air reeked of old blood and decayed flesh. A vampire was nearby. Surely, despite being human, she could smell it, couldn’t she? He grumbled unintelligibly; questioning her ability to detect the presence of danger was senseless. It was his responsibility to guide and protect her. What pissed him off was that he’d told her to stay out of the forest and now, deliberately defying him, she was jogging directly into the path of a vicious predator.

  Haden stopped. The vampire wasn’t just close. It was hunting. Swinging his head to the left, he clenched his jaw, drawing his lips back in a soundless snarl. All senses on alert, he scanned the ever-darkening interior of the forest. Standing completely still, he was silent, barely even breathing, focusing on the vampire, studying the creature’s venomous thoughts. He felt the ferocious, relentless thirst for blood driving it far beyond a state of madness. He felt its depraved anticipation for the kill.

  Then, Haden saw the vampire’s intended prey.

  “Caylee.”

  Absolute fury welled up, stirring the deepest, darkest portion of his essence, the dragon, the living force of destruction feared by even the most powerful, deadly immortals. A deep, ominous growl, a promise of swift, violent retribution to the undead pursuing her, rumbled in his throat as he expanded his mind to pinpoint her exact location. But he felt nothing. No hint of her location.

  Terror instantly replaced fury. It slammed into him so hard and so quickly that he did what a fearless, unfaltering immortal never resorted to doing: he panicked. Heart pounding, he took to the sky, ripping the atmosphere apart, creating a thunderous boom while an enormous mass of black, swirling clouds that completely covered the sun and hid his ascent. As he traveled with supernatural speed, he covered her with a hedge of protection, but he quickly realized that he still didn’t know where she was. With his enormous power and strength, he’d never experienced fear or doubt in his ability to defeat adversity of any kind. But now with her life in jeopardy, fearing he wouldn’t reach her in time, he froze.

  While he plummeted toward the ground, lightning exploded all around, violently crisscrossing the sky. He landed hard, jarring his bones, but ignoring the pain he remained on his feet. Lifting his face to the heavens, he closed his eyes and expanded his mind to search for her. Caylee, where are you? Normally, nothing ever rattled him to the core. He was utterly unshakable, but not now. Show me! He didn’t have the strength to wait for her to answer or to willingly open her mind to him. Sending forth a brutal current of power, he forced his way into her mind.

  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. T
he 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.