Hot Decadent Rising (Breath of Darkness)

by Candice Stauffer

  He didn’t wait for her to respond. She knew he didn’t expect her to say anything and for that, she was truly thankful. She didn’t know what to say. She didn’t really know what she thought of his words. She needed time to process them. “Now let’s go see who’s at the door.” He wrapped his arm around her and held her close to his side as he turned away from the fire and headed out of the room.

  ***

  Eli knew it was Cain at the door with a change of clothes for her and a pizza. It would’ve been simple to use his mind to communicate with him and tell him to get lost, but he didn’t. He didn’t care about the clothes at the moment, but the pizza smelled good. He was hungry and he knew she was just as hungry. Besides, he didn’t want to let any more time go by before he told her about her mother and Max.

  He didn’t waste any time. As soon as they were done eating he took her back into the living room, added some more logs to the fire and sat her down.

  “You’re making me nervous. Why do look so serious?” she asked.

  “I need to tell something very important, but it’s going to be difficult for you to believe.” He sat down next to her and took her hand. “Your mother is alive.”

  “No.” Pulling her hand out of his she shook her head. “I saw her, Eli. My mother is dead.” She stood up and took a few steps away from him. “Max killed her.”

  “Max saved her. He’s taking care of her.”

  “She can’t be alive. She would’ve come back for me. She wouldn’t have left me alone for so long. She would’ve taken me away from my father.”

  He stood up and walked over to her. “She couldn’t come for you.” He turned her around to force her to look at him. “She would’ve come for you if it had been in her power to do so.”

  “It isn’t true. Why are you lying to me? Are you trying to protect Max because he’s like you?”

  “Not at all. I would never lie to you to protect anyone. It’s true. Your mother is extremely ill, but she is alive. I saw her with Max.”

  “Where?”

  “Not far from here.”

  “What’s wrong with her?”

  “The night you saw Max standing over your mother she’d been attacked by Jeremy. I’m not sure how the vampire had taken her or why it had targeted her, but by the time Max found her and took her from the vampire it was too late, he had already forced her to digest his blood. Max took her and hid her. He locked her away to protect her. He has to prevent her from killing anyone for blood or she will become completely evil.”

  Whirling around, she glared at him. “She wouldn’t kill anyone.”

  “She isn’t in her right mind. The blood she consumed was tainted.”

  “If this is all true what hope does she have? Why does he keep her alive?”

  “He’s her mate, Kara. He would never give up on her.”

  “Is there any hope for her?”

  “Yes. If we kill the vampire who poisoned her with his blood Max’s blood will heal her.”

  “Why does Jeremy have to be dead in order for his blood to heal her?”

  “He was very old and equally powerful. He was able to reach her and influence her through his blood that’s flowing through her body.”

  “I want to see her. Can you take me to her?”

  “She might not recognize you. She will likely have a violent reaction toward you.”

  “I don’t care. I need to see her.”

  “The pack is out scouting the area to make sure it’s clear. We aren’t sure what Demetri intends to do. In the morning I’ll take you to see your mother.”

  “I need to see her, but I don’t want to do anything to hurt her or ruin her chance of getting better. Tell me the truth Eli; do you think I should wait because I might lead Demetri to her?”

  “The truth is simple. I need you to trust me. We will go see her in the morning. We won’t go unless it’s safe. We have a large, powerful and capable pack that will have no problem making sure we get to her without leading the wrong person to her.”

  “It will be wonderful to see her again. Maybe she’ll recognize me.”

  “Your mother will be well again.”

  ***

  Leland felt an icy cold presence approach him from behind. With his gun drawn, he turned around in haste. “What do you want?”

  “What do you think you’re going to do with that?” Demetri pointed at the gun. “Shoot me and you’ll only piss me off.”

  “I didn’t know it was you following me.”

  “Are you trying to get away from me?” Demetri took a step forward forcing Leland to back into the wall.

  “No.” His hand was shaking as he tucked the gun in his waistband. “I’m just headed out for a meeting. I’ll be back in a few hours.”

  “You need to come with me.”

  “I can’t. It’s a very important meeting,” Leland explained.

  “You don’t have a choice if you plan to stay out of prison.”

  “What are you talking about?”

  “Kara survived,” Mary said as she walked up behind Demetri.

  Mary had been a real pain in his ass. She stuck to him like glue. He couldn’t even take a shit in peace. He wanted her gone. And that’s why he’d been trying to arrange a secret meeting with his body guards. He planned to offer a million dollars to the man willing to rise to the challenge and kill her. He was shocked to hear Kara had survived. “I drugged her. I know it was a lethal mixture and dose. How do you know she’s alive?” The moment he asked, he remembered Demetri’s abilities to hear a person’s thoughts. He risked a quick glance at Demetri. Did he know about his plan to kill Mary?

  “It was much more than your daughter having a sexual encounter with Eli Thomas at the hotel. He gave her his blood. And now, he’s marking his territory, protecting her, spreading word that she’s his mate,” Mary explained.

  “I don’t give a fuck what he's claiming or marking. I’ll have both of them killed if he gets in the way. How do I kill him?”

  “You and your men don’t have any chance of killing him.” Demetri said.

  “How do I kill Eli?”

  “You can’t.” Demetri lifted his lip in a smile that appeared to be more of a snarl. “You will never even see Eli until he wants you to see him. Most likely that’ll be about two maybe three seconds before he rips your throat out. Unless he’s the type of wolf that takes pleasure in playing with his kill for a while longer. If that’s the case you might have the tragic luck of seeing him for a few minutes before he puts you out of your misery.”

  Leland stared at Demetri. “I suppose you can kill him.”

  Demetri shrugged. “Of course.”

  “Name your price.”

  “I want the bar on the waterfront Tom bought before you killed him,” Mary said.

  “I can’t give what I don’t own.”

  “I know better. You didn’t give him the cash to buy it unless your interests in it were secured.”

  “You already have a club.”

  “I want another.”

  “Fine. If Demetri kills Kara and Eli… it’s yours. Now get out of here.”

  “You’re coming with me,” Demetri said.

  “No,” Leland said. “You take care of it on your own.”

  “Why?” Demetri laughed out loud. “Are you afraid the big bad wolf will get you?”

  “Not at all. I’ve a business to run.”

  “You won’t be running a damn thing if Kara gets away. Demetri will have his hands full with Eli and the pack. You’re going to get another chance to kill Kara yourself,” Mary said.

  “Actually, I like that idea.” Leland grabbed his jacket from his chair. “Where are we going?”

  “They’re near his father’s old territory in the Columbia River Gorge area. He must be attempting to hide. His family abandoned the area a long time ago.”

  ~Twenty~

  BY THE TIME Eli had taken Kara up to his bedroom it was well into the middle of the night and heavy rain and wind were bea
ting against the house. The approaching storm didn’t bother her. Not really. Not this time. What bothered her was the reality that this particular storm might cause a power outage. The lights had already flickered off and on a few times. Being surrounded by darkness is what bothered her at that moment. It frightened the hell out of her.

  Hoping to avoid having a total meltdown in front of Eli, she tried to pretend nothing was wrong as her enormous fear of the dark continued to escalate.

  “Your heart is pounding. Panic isn’t something easily hidden when in the presence of someone who was able to hear the beat of your heart.”

  She frowned. “It also isn’t easily hidden when someone raids your mind and snoops around for personal information. I’m not panicking. I’m just a bit on edge.” Of course it was a lie. She was a nervous wreck. She’d just learned that her mother was still alive. Her thoughts should’ve been positive, but they weren’t. They should’ve been centered on being reunited with her mother. All she could think about was whether or not the lights would go off and stay off.

  “I haven’t been raiding or snooping. As mates we naturally share a solid mental link. You’re worked up so your thoughts are very strong. You’re not shielding them from me at all. As a matter of fact you’re tossing them out at me.”

  She could feel him pushing at her mind, attempting to gain access to her deeper thoughts. She pushed back, refusing to allow him to press any deeper. “I don’t like it, Eli. I can’t stand the thought of you being in my head when I’m unaware of it. I’m a private person. I like solitude. I shouldn’t have to shield my thoughts from you. When you know I haven’t intentionally shared them, you should respect my privacy enough to back off.” He blinked. Her statement had hurt his feelings. She refused to feel bad for telling him the truth.

  “It’s natural for me. I didn’t mean to offend you.” His complete withdrawal from her mind was sudden. “It that better?”

  No. She didn’t like the empty feeling of his absence. “Yes. Thank you.” She waved him off. “I thought you were going downstairs to get the matches.”

  The lights flickered off and then back on. “That’s right. I was. I’ll be back in a minute.”

  “What?” One look at his slightly upturned lip told her that he’d been bluffing and she’d fallen for it. Why was it so important to him for her to go into detail concerning her fear of the dark? Obviously he was in her head. He knew she didn’t want to revisit it. Back peddling, she lowered her gaze to avoid his and nodded. “Okay.”

  He lifted her chin so that she had no other choice other than to look into his eyes unless she closed hers. “Tell me why you’re afraid of dark.” He looked uncertain. Oh, crap. Not uncertain. He was worried. “Fine. Don’t tell me. Come with me. We’ll get the matches together.”

  “No. Don’t be silly. Go and get them. Stop looking at me as if you’re waiting for me to have a complete mental breakdown. I’ll wait here.”

  “I hadn’t even considered the notion that you might have a partial mental breakdown. I know you’re afraid. I care about you. That’s all. I care.”

  “Go and get the matches. I’m fine.”

  “I’ll only be a minute,” he explained, but she could tell by the look in his eyes that he was hesitant to leave her alone in the room.

  She shrugged her shoulders in an attempt to appear as calm and laid-back as possible. “So go and get them.”

  She watched him walk out of sight after he took one more backward glance at her. It was good for him to leave. She needed a minute to regain her composure. He’d already had the misfortune of seeing her go nuts over a spider at the hotel. She didn’t want him to see her lose it again. She’d come very close to grabbing onto him and begging him to stay with her or take her with him.

  Her mind was a churning pot of memories from every time her father had locked her in the dark, unfurnished and soundproof room in his home. Why couldn’t she let it go? Why couldn’t she forget? Willing the storm to turn away she stared out the window as bolt after bolt of lightning slashed across the distant sky. The volume of the low rumble of the thunder increased with each flash of lightning as the storm made its way upon them.

  “I’m back.”

  She turned away from the window to watch Eli as he lit candles all around the room just in case the power went out and stayed out. And it did, just as he lit the last candle and turned to face her. Her gasp of alarm was lost to a crack of thunder. He was all the way across the room when it happened but, though she didn’t see him move, he was instantly standing in front of her. In an attempt to keep from losing it she reminded herself that the memory had no power over her. It was all in her head. She took a deep and calming breath as his woodsy, spicy, masculine scent filled her lungs. “Do you like it?”

  “What?”

  “The candle light.”

  “Yes,” she answered while shaking her head. “I like it. Thank you.” She reached deep within herself for the strength to keep her mouth from trembling as she smiled at him. She didn’t like the damn candles at all. It was better than no light, but it wasn’t enough. Not even close. The flickering candle flames, similar to the flashes of lightning, cast frightening shadows in every corner of the room as the wind and rain battered the walls and windows.

  Laughing softly, he reached out and framed her face between his palms. “You’re lying. You don’t like it at all.” He bent down and kissed the corner of her mouth and then nibbled his way to her chin.

  “No. It’s great. Really. It’s wonderful.” She pulled her hand out of his, but before she could turn away from him he took her other hand.

  “You aren’t going anywhere.”

  “I don’t want to talk about the past.” She didn’t want him to question her. She didn’t want to tell him why she was afraid of the dark. It was pathetic and humiliating. She was an adult after all. She didn’t need him to tell her that her fear was caused by nothing more than a bad childhood memory and that everything was going to be alright.

  Holding her gaze hostage, he brought her knuckles to his mouth and nibbled on them. “Talking isn’t what I had in mind.” The erotic sensation of his teeth moving on her skin and the way he looked at her caused her feminine core to ache. She was under a spell of physical and emotional sensations that exceeded anything she’d ever hoped to feel. He made her feel sensual, beautiful and loved.

  A storm raged all around them, but her concentration was on the more ferocious storm raging through her body. He kissed his way from her chin and then along her jaw line to her ear His hands moved over her, touching her everywhere.

  He pulled his shirt over his head and tossed it to the floor. She stared at him. He looked so good. His body was her super sexy playground. A hot temptation she didn’t even want to find the strength to resist. And he belonged to her. Only her.

  The candle light shimmered over his tanned skin. It touched and flickered over all of the muscular contours of his arms, shoulders, chest and belly. She’d never needed or wanted anything more than him. He caught the nape of her neck and hauled her into his arms. “Kiss me.” His words came out sounding like a command, but she knew it was a plea. He bent his head, his lips finding hers with sensual hunger. His tongue moved over her lips gently and then, more aggressively demanding entrance, as it forced her lips to part.

  She surrendered to his intoxicating kiss. Fully. Completely. She lost herself in his taste and passion, moving her body provocatively against his hard swollen erection that was straining his jeans. She craved the heat of his lips on hers and the feel of his tongue delving deep into her mouth tangling with hers. He was drawing her away from her fear of darkness. He forced her focus to shift until it narrowed in on her heightened desire and the deliciously intensifying ache between her legs.

  His wickedly hot mouth moved down her neck to her shoulder as his fingers gripped her hips and held her firm against his body. Teased by the hard throbbing heat of his cock pressed against her belly, his teeth scrapped her flesh as if he might
bite down on her shoulder. She could hear herself moaning, low and soft. He buried his face between her neck and shoulder. Besides breathing, he went completely still as she reached up and ran her fingers through his thick, shoulder length hair.

  “Are you having second thoughts about us?”

  “Hell no,” he growled, and then he gently bit down her collarbone. His teeth were driving her mad, grazing her skin while his mouth moved over his shoulder and to her neck. “Are you?”

  She was obsessed by his teeth. From the moment he started kissing her every one of her thoughts wandered back to his teeth. She was taken aback but not put off by the realization that she was waiting, wanting to feel his teeth sink into her flesh. “Not at all.”

  Moving back just enough to stare into her eyes he reached up and gently, affectionately placed his hands on her cheeks. “That’s good.” His thumbs lightly caressed her lips before he bent his head to kiss her. “Really good,” he whispered against her lips.

  ***

  Eli had felt her lengthened, sharpened canines on his tongue while kissing her. He wasn’t expecting the change in her to begin so soon, but when he stopped kissing her and looked into her eyes he saw it. Nearly fully converted she stared back at him wanting him, needing him to claim and possess her body and soul again and again. She’d made the decision to give herself to him. He wanted her to see in his eyes what he saw in hers. Love that would stand the test of time. Love that would grow and endure for forever.

  He took her hand in his. “I will protect the bond between us above all else.”

  “How do you intend to protect our bond?” she asked.

  He brought her hand to his mouth and kissed it. “I will cherish and respect it.”

  “I used to think love between a man and woman wasn’t real.”

  “What do you think about it now?” he asked.

  “I don’t think anything. The past is the past. It was dark and lonely. I never want to go back there. Having your love makes it too bright to dwell on the past. I truly thought the love we have didn’t exist. I’m not too proud to admit I was wrong to form such a strong opinion of something I knew nothing about.”