“No.” She closed her eyes. “You are not here. You are not real.”
When she opened her eyes again, she found herself looking at her reflection. She splashed more cold water over her face, and then she cupped her hands together to bring the water to her mouth. She took a few sips and turned the water off. Her body hurt, but her back was starting to burn really bad. She took her shirt off, turned around, and glanced over her shoulder to look at her back in the mirror. “Oh, fuck.” A raw, oozing burn had replaced the barcode tattoo and tracking spell Adam had removed.
It appeared to be infected. No doubt it was the cause of her burning up with a fever and hallucinating. She glanced at the bathtub and decided to cool off in it. It wouldn’t solve her problems, but it would give her some relief. Making her way to the tub, she stepped on glass. She sat on the floor next to the tub and lifted her leg to look at the bottom of her foot. Wincing, she pulled a large jagged chunk of glass from it.
She leaned over the edge of the tub to close the drain and turn the cold water on. Waiting for the tub to fill up, she looked around and realized she was surrounded by blood. She lifted her leg to look at her foot again. The arch of her foot had a large gaping hole with blood oozing from it. She didn’t care.
Hopelessness was a terrible, ravenous force. It devoured her will, leaving her empty inside. She was so tired. Physically. Emotionally. She was completely drained. She would never run far enough. She would never escape Evolved. While pushing herself up from the floor, she felt glass slicing into her palms. She was aware of blood dripping from them, but she just wanted to cool her body off. She got into the tub, turned the water off, leaned back, closed her eyes, and let herself drift off.
****
The scent of blood nearly caused Adam’s heart to stop when he lifted his hand to open the door. He burst through it, ripping it from the hinges, and crashed through the bathroom door in the same manner.
For a split second, looking down at her, he froze. “Hanna.” He bent to lift her from the cold, bloody water. “Oh, Hanna, why?”
She opened her eyes and struggled with him. “No.” She lashed out at him, slashing his cheek with the shard of glass clenched in her fist.
“I told you I wouldn’t allow you to take the easy way out.”
“Get away from me.” Flailing her arms, she slashed the side of his neck.
Rather than risk causing her to be further injured he removed the glass from her hand with a thought. “Hanna,” he scooped her up out of the bath, “why, babe?” He’d seen more than his fair share of blood, of violence, of death, and of destruction. Never, since finding his family slaughtered as a child, had the sight and scent of blood devastated him so completely. “Why?”
“Please,” she pled. “I don’t want to kill you.”
“Hold onto me, Hanna. Feel me. Feel what you are to me. Feel what I am to you.” He couldn’t stop shaking as he stared down at her covered in blood in his arms. It had only been a few hours since he’d talked to her. He hadn’t detected any sign of illness in her. “You’re sick. You’re confused. You’re burning up with a fever.”
“Leave me.” She continued to fight him, attempting to force him to drop her. “I need it to end before I kill you or anyone else. He will use me to kill again.”
“He’s not here. He’s not with you right now. You have a fever. You’re confused. I know you’re hurting.” Cradling her against his chest, he carried her to the bed.
“He’ll come back.”
“You’re safe now.”
“You don’t understand. It’s back, but it’s different.”
“What are you talking about?”
“The tattoo. The spell.”
“Let me see it.”
“It’ll never go away. He will always use me. He’s in my head.”
“I know you’re scared, but you’re not alone anymore. I am here for you. Fully. Completely.” He sat on the bed, cradling her. “I am here for you. I will always be here for you. I will protect you for forever.”
“No one can protect me from what’s in my blood. He’s part of me. I’m entirely fucked up. Nothing will ever be all right.”
“Listen to me, Hanna. You’re sick. You have a very high fever.” He dried her off instantly with a wave of his hand. Then, gripping his hands around her wrists to hold her still, he sent healing energy into her body. Healing wasn’t his strongest power. Reaching deep, sharing more of his power than he’d ever shared, he focused on closing her wounds to stop the bleeding. “Stay with me.” He could take on and defeat any threat to her, but he was helpless to save her from the past. She’d suffered far too much violence from his kind to trust him. She would die if he tried to give his eternal breath to her. “Don’t give up, Hanna. Hold onto me.”
She struggled to get away, hitting him in the face when she managed to get one of her hands free. He could’ve easily forced her to remain absolutely still with a command, but he wouldn’t do it. Using his power to control her would only lead to her being further traumatized.
“I can’t let him use me to kill again. I can’t.”
“I know, babe. I won’t let him touch you again.”
“You can’t stop him. He’s in my blood.”
He had never feared an enemy. Never. He knew terror now. He couldn’t fight for her. She had to fight for herself.
“I am not allowing you to kill yourself.”
“You don’t understand.”
“You’re hurting. Share it with me. Tell me everything.”
“I’m just…” her emotional pain was tangible, “I’m so tired.” He felt it. So deeply. Ripping his soul. “I can’t fall asleep without…I can’t sleep. I need to just sleep.”
“Do you want me to help you sleep, babe?”
She looked at him for several seconds. “Yes.”
“I’ll be right here with you, watching over you while you sleep. Close your eyes and go to sleep, Hanna.” He issued the command, refusing to allow any part of her to fight it.
He knew she didn’t want to die. She simply didn’t want to continue living with pain, fear, and guilt. He was a wreck. A total wreck. He had to find a way to get through to her, to make her want to embrace life.
As he lowered her onto the bed, Gabe walked through the doorway. “What the hell just happened?” he asked, waving his hand to repair the door.
Adam gently rolled Hanna onto her belly. “What do you know about a demon’s tracking spell in a tattoo that returned as a burn after it was removed?”
“On a human?”
“Yes.” He motioned for Gabe to come over to the bed. “It’s on Hanna.”
Gabe looked down at the infected burn on her back. “They branded her. It’ll take months to remove it from her unless you transfer it.”
“To what?”
Gabe walked over to the bathroom. “Yourself.”
“That sounds too easy.”
“Not at all.” Again, with a wave of his hand, he repaired the bathroom door and removed the blood and broken glass. He returned to the bed. “If she wasn’t your mate, your spirit would normally resist the hell out of it. But since it’s on your mate, you shouldn’t have any problem. And if you hold onto it for a while, you might be able to use it to lead the caster to you.”
“Might?”
“It’s tricky. You need to hide your identity to lead them to you.”
“It’s severely infected. She’s burning up.”
“I see that. Work on transferring the spell, and I’ll work on healing her body. There is a chance you will experience some of the symptoms she’s suffering once you’ve transferred it.”
“Thank you, Gabe.”
It took Adam and Gabe over an hour to remove the spell and heal her. Both were exhausted by the time they were finished.
“Her fever is down. She looks better,” Adam said.
“How are you feeling? Any pain? Any discomfort from the spell?”
“Not at all.”
“Don’t
be surprised if the symptoms hit you suddenly. You know she’s being battered by a compulsion to kill herself, right?”
“Better a compulsion than an actual desire to end her life.”
“It’s strong. I muffled it a bit, but I couldn’t get to the root. It’s in her blood.”
“He’s in her blood. She came too close to killing herself.”
“You’re wrong. The wounds on her hands and foot weren’t self-inflicted.”
“You’re sure?”
“Her fever was very high. She wasn’t thinking clearly. In the bathroom it looked like she broke a vase, stepped on it, and then tried to pick the pieces up.”
“How can I get rid of the compulsion?”
“There is only one thing stronger than a demon’s blood bond. Your eternal bond with her will get rid of it. Once you complete the ritual she will be entirely free from him.”
“She’ll die if I attempt to do it right now.”
“Why?” Gabe asked.
“She doesn’t have any reason to trust me.”
She woke up and started to panic. “Who are you talking to, Adam?” She turned to face him, grabbing the sheet to cover her body.
“No one.” Realizing she was distressed over being naked, he took the sheet and covered her.
Gabe cloaked his image, so she wouldn’t know he was in the room. You need to put her back to sleep.
I was lucky she let me the first time. She doesn’t want me to get in her head.
She let you? You’re obeying a woman?
Evolved has taken too much from her.
I understand. But get over it. You’re her mate. You need to force her to sleep. She won’t know right now. Her mind is as exhausted as her body. It needs to be done. While healing her I saw that she hasn’t slept at all in several days. She never sleeps until total exhaustion catches up to her and forces her to sleep. Humans are not physically able to endure day after day without sleep. Her body can’t take much more. She needs to rest before her mind and body shut down.
I’ll do it.
Let me know if you run into any problems.
“How do you feel, babe?” Adam asked.
“Much better now.”
“You need to sleep.”
“I don’t sleep well. I’m okay.”
“Sit up and take a few sips.”
He held the glass to her mouth. Her gaze never left his as she took a few sips. When she was finished, he set the glass on the nightstand.
“Are you hungry?”
She shook her head. “Not at all.”
He stood up and walked over to the other side of the bed. He removed his shirt and shoes with a thought, and then stretched out on his back next to her.
“What are you doing?”
“Taking a break. And I plan to make sure you sleep well tonight.”
“You aren’t going to force me to sleep.” She rolled onto her side to face him. “You look exhausted, Adam.”
“I might be a little tired.”
“Go to sleep.”
He pulled her to him, encouraging her to rest her head on his chest. “I will if you close your eyes and join me.”
“I really thought he was in the room with me.”
He massaged her head with his fingers. “I don’t doubt it. You had a very high fever. You were confused.”
“It came on so fast.” She yawned.
“You could’ve reached for me before it got so bad. I know you know how to do it.”
“You’re wrong. I couldn’t think straight at all.” She yawned again. “I just…”
“It’s okay. We will work on it later.”
“I can’t believe we ended up in bed together.”
“I’m not shocked. I knew all along you would attempt to seduce me.”
“If that was your idea of seduction you lack imagination.” She took a deep breath and released it with a sigh. “I am really tired.”
“I know, babe. Close your eyes and go to sleep.” He used a gentle push, hoping she wouldn’t detect it. Thankfully, she didn’t notice so she didn’t fight it at all. As soon as he knew she was asleep, he closed his eyes and allowed himself to drift off.
~ EIGHT ~
Demetri watched Jax and Rowdy closely. They were actually pretty damn good at fitting in with a group of local rogue wolves. The tainted vampires kept their distance. Mary didn’t even seem to notice them.
When Zack Savage entered the club, Demetri knew Emily was in trouble. She was the only reason he would show up.
What’s going on, Zack?
I tracked Emily to the backdoor. Is she in here?
No. I haven’t seen her for a few days. Demetri tried to reach for her, merge with her, but something powerful was preventing him from connecting with her.
While Rowdy observed from a distance, Jax moved closer to Demetri as if letting him know he had his back. Realizing Zack was also aware of Jax’s intention, Demetri motioned for the wolf to stand down. Zack could easily, quickly kill a wolf.
Zack walked toward Demetri. “Where is Emily?”
Demetri looked at the tainted vampires surrounding Zack. “You’re all idiots. You know damn well you’re picking a fight you cannot win.”
One extremely ignorant vampire named Al, stood in front of Zack and laughed. “It’s about time the backstabbing whore gets what’s coming to her.”
Since the little puke wasn’t even close to a worthy opponent, Zack didn’t take his gaze from Demetri as he snapped the creatures neck and incinerated its remains with a wave of his hand. The rest of the vampires backed away, snarling and hissing, but none dared to make any attempt to attack Zack.
“You know it’s not unusual for her to go off on her own for short periods.” Demetri took a few steps toward him.
“She’s in trouble, and I can’t figure out where the hell she is.”
Another vampire turned to Demetri. “Mary will be mad as hell of you allow him to come in here and cause trouble.”
“Well then,” Demetri replied, “throw him out on his ass.”
“But…”
“Do it, now,” Demetri commanded, using a powerful compulsion to force his obedience.
The vampire burst into flames when it lunged for Zack. “Damn it, Demetri. No games. Not now.”
Maintaining a non-threatening stance, Demetri shook his head and frowned. “I don’t blame you for dispatching either of the maggots, but they might’ve known something. Let me handle them.”
When Demetri looked away from him to focus on the vampires, Zack charged him, knocking him off his feet, the impact of their bodies colliding together was powerful enough to break their bones and send them tumbling in opposite directions.
Zack got to his feet. “One last time, Demetri, where the fuck is she?”
“Do you want to waste time fighting or do you want to find her?” Demetri lifted his lip, baring his teeth. “I would love to hand your ass to you right now, but I can’t do that and figure out what the fuck is going on. You decide, Zack. But I warn you, with her life in jeopardy, I will end it quickly.”
Zack nodded, agreeing to a truce, but Demetri knew it wouldn’t last. For the moment, he was Zack’s best chance of finding her. He also knew her unwillingness to rely on him had been pure torture for Zack. Her willingness to turn to him rather than him enraged Zack.
Demetri started to walk around and study the vampires. He went from one area to the next, searching for a clue as to which one knew something. “Where is Emily?” Every single vampire stared at him, but none answered. “Damnit, you all know that I really hate having to touch you.” Reaching out with blurring speed, he grabbed one by the throat and lifted it a few feet. “What do you know?”
“I…I…” Thrashing wildly, the vampire tried to pry Demetri’s hand from his throat.
He dropped him. “Where?”
“I don’t know.” He tried to scoot away.
Demetri knelt and gripped the vampire’s head between his palms. “Is that your fin
al answer?”
“I don’t know anything.”
“That’s too bad for you.” He squeezed the vampire’s head until he crushed its skull. Standing upright, he lifted and looked at his hands, covered in blood and brain matter. “Damn this shit stinks.”
He turned his attention to his next victim, pinning the vampire with nothing more than his stare. “What about you? Do you have any meaningful information to share with me?”
“No.”
“Are you sure?”
Trembling in fear, the vampire dropped to his knees and nodded.
Looking down at him, Demetri shrugged. “You know I’m going to have to end your miserable existence now, right?”
“I don’t know anything?”
“Yes,” Demetri nodded. “I know. We’ve established that already.” He tossed a table over and broke a leg off it and shoved it through the top of the vampire’s head all the way through his body.
“Stop it!” Mary entered the club.
“They’re going to take turns dying until one decides to speak up.” Demetri took hold of another vampire and slammed his head against the floor. “Talk.”
“Screw you,” the vampire hissed.
He punched his fist through the vampire’s chest, grabbed his heart, ripped the tainted organ out and shoved it down his throat.
“We’re not going through this again. I’m tired of you tearing up my club, Demetri. If your precious little girl is hurt, it’s because you failed to keep track of her.” Mary walked up from behind to stand at Demetri’s side.
Demetri ripped the head from another vampire. “What did you do?” he growled, turning to face her.
“Me? I didn’t do a damn thing.”
“She’s off limits.”
“You know better than anyone that nothing, no one is off limits to me.”
Demetri felt Emily reach out to him, but the connection was faint. I have her. We need to go now. He shared the image of a field near an abandoned factory with Zack.
****
Once they were outside the club, Demetri grabbed Zack’s arm. “No matter what happens don’t try to shift to her. You won’t make it. She is surrounded by a web of spells designed to hide her.”
INSATIABLE BREATH OF DARKNESS Page 10
