Hot Decadent Rising (Breath of Darkness)

by Candice Stauffer

  He felt downright torn up inside. He couldn’t go back and change a damn thing. He could kill everyone responsible for her baby’s death, but he couldn’t hand her baby back to her. No apology would ever do. He could never even seriously contemplate begging her for forgiveness. He was just as responsible as the man who shot her in the head.

  He knew the instant she realized he was in the room with her. Her breathing labored as she tried to force her eyes open to identify him. Everything in him stilled as he opened his mind to her. He wanted her to know that he wasn’t a threat. He took her hand in his to make it easier for her to connect with him.

  Nothing could’ve ever prepared Eli for what happened next. The moment she found the path and merged her mind with his, he knew she was…no. He shook his head. It couldn’t have been her. She hadn’t been the one who’d been using a compulsion to lead him to Multnomah Falls.

  Oh, damn. Of course it was true. She was his mate. The compulsion wasn’t intentional. It was natural. It was his responsibility all along to protect her.

  From the moment he’d first encountered her he’d been fighting his wolf. Staring down at her, he was drawn to her, as if she’d put him under the influence of a trance. All he wanted to do was crawl into the bed next to her and pull her into his arms. He needed to get closer to her. He was a bit unnerved, because he’d never encountered anyone other than a demon able to put him in a trance-like state. A low growl vibrated in his chest as he stared at her. He tried, but he couldn’t look away from her. No. It wasn’t a trance. His wolf was drawn to her. Its agitation rising, his wolf demanded to be let loose as it studied her, claimed her.

  Can you hear me, Kara? He felt her panic as she struggled to open her mouth and respond. Her body felt heavy. It was as if she was sinking in thick mud. The more she struggled to get free, the further she sank. No. Not out loud. Use your mind to talk to me.

  What’s happening to me? Why can’t I wake up?

  Keeping her hand in his he reached out and gently pushed her long black hair away from her face. You’re going to be fine. You were shot and thrown from a car. Your body needs time to heal before you can get up. I know it’s frightening. But you’re safe.

  No. I need to get up. You have to help me. Please. I need to…I can’t feel him. He’s gone. He’s dead. I should’ve found a way to get away before they…oh, God. It’s my fault. My baby is dead. I killed him.

  She’d been through so much. How could she ever fully recover? I know you’re hurting, Kara. I’m so sorry. You can’t blame yourself. None of it is your fault. You tried to get away, remember? You tried to protect your baby. He wanted to promise her that he would make everything right for her again, but there was nothing he could ever do to come close to it. But there was something he could do to make sure it never happened to her again. He felt the wolf rise up in him hungry for revenge, thirsting for blood.

  He almost missed it because it was light, but he looked down at her hand squeezing his. Don’t do it. Don’t kill him. It’s my fight. It’s my right to avenge my baby.

  It was true. It was her right. He thought about it for a few minutes. He wouldn’t take it from her. He bent down and brought her hand to his mouth. I agree. It’s your right. But you won’t go up against them alone. I will wait for you.

  No. It’s too dangerous.

  Shh. I happen to be a very stubborn man. You won’t change my mind.

  I know you, don’t I?

  We met once. We will meet again soon. He bent down and kissed her cheek. Now stop fighting it. You need to sleep. If revenge is what you want, you need to rest for a while longer; you need to regain your strength.

  What’s your name?

  Eli.

  Slowly she lifted her lips into a sweet uneven grin. You kissed me.

  He lowered his head and kissed her lips gently. And you liked it.

  I did…not.

  He moved slowly, carefully to not hurt her. He pulled her into his arms. You must rest.

  Several hours went by. For so long he’d been taught that keeping the purity of his bloodline was essential for the survival of his kind. But that didn’t matter to him. He held her until he was certain she’d finally stopped fighting the compulsion. He knew she would stay asleep until she was fully healed. Leaving her was the hardest thing he’d ever done, but he knew he needed to do it. For now, in Nikolas’ care, she was perfectly safe.

  When she woke up she would set out on a dangerous mission of revenge. A small part of Eli wanted to go after the men responsible for killing her baby. He wanted to kill them before she ever woke up, but he wouldn’t take away her right to avenge her baby. He’d already taken enough from her. The baby didn’t have to die. Fate had tried to step in when they’d crossed paths at the gas station, but he allowed her to be taken and her unborn child to be killed.

  He couldn’t change what had happened, but he could make sure she got her revenge and didn’t get herself killed in the process. To properly protect her, he needed to be at his strongest. To be at his strongest, he needed to take his pack back. And that’s what he intended to do.

  ~Seven~

  “EITHER YOU’RE FUCKING around with me or you’ve lost your mind.” Cain shook his head. “After all you went through with Joseph Payne, you didn’t leave the female you believe to be your mate in the care of a demon. Why? Why the hell would you do something so stupid?”

  “I know,” Eli said. “It’s a little much to take in all at once. And there’s more.”

  “What?”

  “She’s human.”

  “A little? Let’s just forget about the human mate you left with a demon and talk about this crazy plan of yours to get back the pack.” Frustrated, Cain pushed a hand through his hair as he paced back and forth. Eli claiming a human mate was unthinkable. He figured it wasn’t true. Eli had to be testing him. He was willing to go along with just about anything to prove his loyalty, but Eli was asking him to cross a line he wasn’t sure he could cross, for any reason. In truth, he couldn’t believe what Eli was asking him to do. On second thought, it wasn’t a test. He had to be screwing around with him. “You want me to bite you hard enough to cause a severe enough injury to leave a blood trail for miles, and then you want me to go to Samuel and tell him that I kicked your ass and left you in the woods.” Waiting for a response, he stopped and stared at him.

  Crossing his arms over his chest, Eli nodded. “That’s right. That’s exactly what I want you to do.”

  “Then you want me to lead him to you?”

  He lifted his brow. “You really are a quick learner, aren’t you?”

  “I don’t like it.” Cain started to pace again. “Why do I need to injure you?” Not that it actually mattered. He wasn’t going to do it. “The plan is too messy. It’s too spur-of-the-moment to be successful. And the idea of you with a human as a mate… is just too insane to process right now.”

  “He knows I’m stronger and faster. He knows I’m better than him. He’ll never get close enough for me to kill him, unless he thinks I’m unable to fight. And you’d better get used to the idea of my mate being human.”

  Cain knew Eli wasn’t bragging. He was simply stating facts. “Why do I actually need to bite you? It seems a little over dramatic. Can’t I just tell him I bit you?”

  “No. He knows you’ve rejected him as your leader. He knows you’ve come to me. I won’t risk him turning on you and killing you. The only way you can prove your loyalty to him, is to prove your unfaithfulness to me. He won’t believe you’ve injured me unless you have my blood on you. He would never think that I allowed you to bite me.”

  Cain shook his head. “It’s a bad idea. You know that, right?”

  “What are you worried about? I’m the one getting gnawed on.”

  “Stop making light of the situation. You’re rushing into this. You aren’t thinking the entire situation through. The locals won’t stand down. They will attempt to interfere. You don’t have any reason to act in haste.”

&nb
sp; “I’m aware of what the locals will try to do.”

  “You’re stronger and faster than Samuel. That’s a fact. But you can’t defeat him and the locals on your own. They will gang up on you. They’ll kill you.”

  Eli narrowed his eyes. “I’ve no intention of being killed. And I won’t be alone. Not with you there watching my back.”

  “You trust me?” It was either that or Eli was suicidal. He couldn’t blame him for wanting to die, if he truly had a human mate.

  “Yes. I do. You’ve never failed me. The pack has never failed me. I’ve failed you and the pack. I thought I needed to teach you all a lesson. I couldn’t have been more wrong. I was the one who needed to learn a lesson in loyalty. The pack has been doing as they should have done all along. They’ve been following the lead of the male who seemed to be the strongest.”

  Cain knew it couldn’t be easy for Eli to admit he’d been wrong. “We all make mistakes.”

  “The pack will follow your lead. They will join you to keep the locals from interfering.”

  “I’m still not feeling good about biting you. What if we fail?”

  “We live in a kill or be killed world. It’s the only way. I realize it’s not the best plan, but it’s the only one we have at the moment. I cannot wait any longer. I need the pack.”

  Cain had waited for this day for months. It seemed it would never come. Now that it was here it was hard to believe. “You’re truly planning to take the pack back tonight?”

  “Yes.”

  “Then I will do my part.” He shifted into his wolf form.

  Eli took his jacket off and held out his arm. “No little flesh wound. He needs to believe I’m too weak to defend myself. For that, I need to leave a convincing trail of blood.”

  Taking a step back, Cain hesitated. Biting one’s leader was just so wrong. As a general rule, it ended in one hell of an ass kicking.

  “Damn it, Cain. I don’t want to fucking bite myself. Just do it.”

  He tore through flesh and muscles to bury his teeth all the way to the bone. He knew it had to hurt like hell, but Eli didn’t even flinch.

  A few minutes later, with the taste of Eli’s blood still in his mouth and scent on his fur, Cain headed toward Samuel. Hopefully, the plan was crazy enough to work.

  ***

  At first Samuel was suspicious of Cain’s motives. Out of all the other pack members, Cain was the most loyal to Eli. “Why would you go after Eli alone?”

  “Why not? Should I be afraid of him? Do you fear him?”

  The entire pack was gathered around, watching and waiting to see what Samuel would do. He couldn’t afford to allow them to think he had any fear of Eli. “Of course not. I find your willingness to go after him alone suspicious because you’ve always shared a special connection with him.”

  “I owed him respect. He was our leader until he proved his inability to be in charge of us. He betrayed us all, just because he was too afraid to claim his mate. He handed her, a pure blood, to a demon. He was weak. Weakness cannot be tolerated by the pack. It could destroy us. You proved yourself to be our rightful leader. I now owe you my respect. We all do, unless you prove you’re unable to be our commander.”

  As Samuel took a step toward Cain the rest of the pack moved closer as if to protect the younger wolf. The locals stood still. They wouldn’t openly get involved in the dispute, but they would kill Cain for openly challenging him. “You doubt I’m able to kill him?”

  “He’s weak. I’ve wounded him. If you’re convinced you can kill him, why are you still here arguing with me? We can’t properly proceed until he’s dead. Perhaps you would rather I finish him off.”

  Samuel merged his mind with Wes. He was a local who’d been handpicked by Jeremy Lang to deal with uncooperative pack members of the original pack. Once we’ve found Eli I want you kill Cain. He’s going to be a problem in the future.

  Wes nodded. It’ll be my pleasure.

  “Well?” Cain asked.

  Rather than show respect by speaking solely to Cain, Samuel looked away from him to address the entire pack. “Today, I will prove to be the only one capable of being your leader.”

  The locals cheered, but the members from the original pack just stared at him. It irritated him, but he didn’t expect more from them. Their beliefs were old school. Survival of the fittest. It was what had made them one of the strongest packs still around, when so many had dwindled away to nothing. They didn’t truly respect him, and they wouldn’t until he killed Eli.

  ***

  It was the moment of truth. By the end of the hour Eli would know which members of his pack were loyal and which were not. Most had been with him for over a hundred years. He didn’t want to lose any of them, but he believed it was more than a possibility that he would. It was an inevitable result of all that had happened, of his failure to accept truth about the woman he’d believed was his mate, before it was too late.

  He’d spent thirty years leading his pack, traveling from one state to the next, searching for her. Looking back at the first moment he’d seen her with the male demon that turned out to be her true mate, he laughed at his ignorance. They were so deeply connected, so entirely in love with each other. He should’ve turned around and walked away. He should’ve known she was right where she belonged, but his pride wouldn’t allow it.

  All things considered, it was a good experience for his personal growth and development. He was different now. Better than he was. He was smarter. Stronger. More willing to see and admit his faults. Tragically, the cost of it outweighed the good. If he’d seen the truth earlier, his true mate wouldn’t have lost her child.

  She was full of rage. The need for revenge was threatening to consume her. He would protect her. He would help her avenge her son, but when all was said and done he couldn’t be sure she would ever recover from the experience. She would emerge stronger, or it would destroy her. Her grief was crushing and her sense of guilt was more intense than any he’d ever known.

  One day he would have to tell her the truth. She would know he’d walked away from her at the gas station where they’d first met knowing she was in danger, knowing that he could’ve protected her and her baby. How would she take it? Would she reject him? Would she hate him? She couldn’t possibly ever forgive him. How could she? Her child had died because he failed to accept she was his mate. Even though his soul recognized her he refused to acknowledge it. Worse than that, he’d abandoned her to chase after a woman who didn’t belong to him.

  Killing Samuel wasn’t personal. For the most part, Eli was disconnected from any real emotions over it. He was hardwired dominate and defeat, to be an unyielding, hard-hitting alpha male. He wouldn’t take any pleasure in killing Samuel or any other member of the pack. This was a matter of survival of the fittest. Nothing more. Nothing less.

  Remaining in his human form, Eli kept his back to Samuel as if oblivious to his approach. He couldn’t see them, but he knew where each member of the pack was positioned. He could feel their anticipation as they waited. When he felt his challenger hesitate to attack, he hunched over and swaggered a bit as if his body was threatening to give out and topple over.

  At that moment, he felt a strong sense of disappointment all round him. He realized the entire pack was for him. Wanting to intervene, wanting to protect him, they were anxious for they couldn’t do anything to help him, other than prevent the locals from ganging up on him. They had to allow the fight to go on, without any intervention. Regardless of whether or not they liked the victor, he would become their leader. They wanted him to conquer Samuel, but they feared he was too weak.

  He smiled. He didn’t even try to hold it back. His pack had been waiting for him to return to them all along. Proving their strength, they’d made it through the ordeal undivided. Though he’d always known they were strong it amazed him. It humbled him. Everything inside him wanted to rush to take Samuel down, but he waited him out to allow his challengers rage to grow, knowing it would cause him to mak
e mistakes. It made him look like the fool he was.

  Eli was ready for it when it came, but when Samuel slammed him from behind the impact was like being hit by a semi-truck. It threw him forward several feet. Moving slowly, he stood up and hunched over as he clutched his ribs to feign injury. Again, moving slowly to appear weak and using his mind to project weakness, he turned to face Samuel.

  With his head down and ears pressed back, Samuel growled from a safe distance away. Eli knew he was waiting for him to take his wolf form before killing him, but he had no intention of shifting into his wolf form. It would truly piss Samuel off, and that’s why he wouldn’t do it. The pack was watching. They both knew that if while in his wolf form he killed Eli while in his human form the pack would have little to no respect for him. Their human sides were naturally weaker than their wolf sides.

  The six locals present, wanting to kill Eli, were getting restless but his pack outnumbered them and easily held them back. For the most part the locals didn’t cause him any reason to worry, but Cain was faced off with an older, larger and more experienced male determined to join Samuel and gang up on Eli. Cain would fight to the death to prevent it. With the younger wolf in danger, he decided it was time to end the standoff.

  Samuel charged and slammed into him again. It was a decent hit. He actually knocked him flat on his ass. Standing straight and removing the illusion of being weak and wounded, Eli frowned. “This is getting old.”

  Samuel was shocked and stood frozen. It didn’t take long for him to recover. The fur on his neck and his back raised, he began snapping his jaws and snarling as he circled Eli from a secure distance and then he lunged forward to bite him.

  Eli caught him in the snout with a closed fist. “Just so you know, you’re really starting to piss me off.”

  The tension was building in the atmosphere. Samuel was getting angrier by the moment. The locals were getting rowdy as they fought to push past the barrier his pack had established. It didn’t worry him at all. They didn’t have a chance in hell, but he was concerned when he noticed Samuel glance at Cain. He knew he wanted revenge against the younger wolf for deceiving him. Eli was ready to move at the first sign of Samuel making a move to kill Cain.