Exquisite Breath of Darkness

by Candice Stauffer

  “Your laws, Nikolas. Not mine. And you only care about the laws you choose to care about. We both know you have never truly adhered to all the laws of our people.”

  “Most of our kind would applaud me for killing you for what you’ve done.”

  Joseph rolled his shoulders in a laid-back shrug. “You have every right try.”

  “Bring him back.”

  “It isn’t happening.”

  “Why would you risk it all for a creature born of death and corruption?” Nikolas asked.

  “Don’t you think you’re being a tad bit over dramatic?” Joseph laughed out loud. “You forget your own sins.”

  “You’re hiding him and a woman.”

  “Have I denied it? What’s your point?” Joseph wouldn’t be intimidated. Normally, a demon as old and as powerful as Nikolas would never be blatantly challenged by a younger demon, but Joseph was far from normal. He had respect for Nikolas as he would with any elder, but he didn’t fear him at all.

  “Demetri followed you.”

  “Your concern for Jake and his mate warms my heart, but there’s no reason for you to worry about their safety.” Joseph had known Demetri was following him, and he’d made sure Demetri couldn’t find Jake and Lee Anne. He shrugged his shoulders again. “I would love to sit here and play dumb with you all night, but I’ve other plans. So, let’s just cut to the chase. Tell me what has really ruffled your feathers.”

  Nikolas nodded. “Eli Thomas came to me the other night. He claimed that you have wrongfully taken Mia. His pack plans to make a stand against you and anyone else that supports you unless you immediately hand her over to him.”

  Joseph laughed. He wasn’t even slightly intimidated by Eli and his pack. “Well then, thanks for the warning. I guess I’d better keep the number of city pound handy.”

  “Eli’s pack is strong. They will not hand Mia over to you easily.”

  “She’s already in my hands. And no one is taking her out of them.” It was a fact that wouldn’t be challenged by anyone.

  “Is she his mate?”

  “You’re picking a fight you do not want.”

  “Answer the question.”

  Joseph took a deep breath, savoring the raw, violent power growing in him. “No one, including you, will ever take Mia away from me.”

  “Does she know that she is his mate?”

  “One last time—you’re picking a fight you do not want.”

  “If you seriously plan to keep her, your only option will be to kill Eli and his pack. It won’t be tolerated by our people.”

  “You can’t possibly believe I will ever waste any time worrying about what you or anyone else tolerates.”

  “With all that’s happening with Demetri and Mary, we can’t afford to start a war with Eli’s pack over a woman that belongs to them. Many of our kind will come against you if you attempt to keep her.”

  “Let them come. I do not attempt to do anything. I have her, and I will never give her up.”

  “You are not being rational. She’s dying. You can’t cure her, and you can’t give her immortality. The only future you have with her is to bury her in a few months.”

  Rage rose up in Joseph. It was quite clear Nikolas wanted to fight—there was no other reason for him to be saying the things he was saying. “If you want to fight that’s fine. But not here. Not now.”

  “You did the same thing with Teresa. Look at how that ended. You must hand her over to Eli. You still have a mate out there. One day you’ll find her. Would you do as Demetri has done and kill your mate to give Mia the gift that belongs only to your true mate?”

  A low, threatening growl rumbled in Joseph’s chest. “I told you if you want to fight that is fine, but it won’t be here and now.”

  “You’re only pissed because you know I am right.”

  “You’re acting like a nagging bitch because of what you’re doing to your own mate.”

  “Mia belongs with her kind.”

  “Stay out it.” Joseph’s phone vibrated. He took it out. It was Mia. He sent the call to voice mail. She was using the phone because he’d cut their deep mental link to prevent her from overhearing Nikolas.

  “You know I’m right. You’re being selfish. She’s dying. You can’t help her. Perhaps Eli can do more to sustain her life.”

  Joseph glared at Nikolas. “I’m not doing this right now.” His phone vibrated again. He ignored it.

  “Mia is unpredictable. She’s close to turning into a murderer. She must be destroyed.”

  “It’s not your concern.” Mia would be mad as hell. It was only a matter of seconds before she left the restroom. He needed to end the argument with Nikolas now. “I have it under control.”

  “You’re seriously fucked up. Do you think I can’t feel the poison in you, attempting to destroy the essence of what you are? Open your eyes. Mia will destroy you just as Teresa did.”

  Joseph knew Mia was coming to him. “Enough.”

  “How am I destroying you?” Mia walked up from behind Joseph and somehow managed to put herself between him and Nikolas.

  Joseph moved quickly; grabbing Mia’s wrist, he pulled her behind him and positioned his body between Nikolas and Mia. “He’s wrong.”

  Mia narrowed her gaze on his. “I want to know why.”

  “It’s not important.”

  She glanced over at Nikolas. “Tell me why you think I’m destroying him.”

  Glaring at her, Nikolas opened his mouth to respond, but Joseph cut him off. “He’s going to keep his fucked up opinions to himself.” Mia was so close that Joseph could feel the heat of her body against his. Normally, he would take a moment to savor the feeling of it, but he decided it would be best to keep a level head. “He’s wrong. And he’s leaving.”

  “Tell me why Nikolas thinks I’m destroying you.”

  “It’s not important. Drop it.” A deep, animalistic growl rumbled in Joseph’s chest.

  She shook her head. “And if I don’t.”

  She closed her fist, digging her nails into her flesh. Her eyes, filled with fury, burned. He glanced down at her hands. Stop. You’re hurting yourself. He’s wrong, but I will explain it to you later.

  “What was wrong with Brianna?” Joseph hoped to turn Nikolas’ focus onto Brianna by mentioning her name. And it seemed to work. Nikolas turned his head and stared in the direction of the restrooms.

  “Brianna is upset. It’s seems she’s not allowed to dance with any men.”

  Joseph asked. “What do you mean?”

  “She was trying to dance with a man, and he stepped in and ruined everything. And she wants to get rid of that damn necklace he forced her to take. He cursed it. She can’t take it off.” She opened her hand and showed Joseph a burn. “I tried to help her take the damn thing off, and it burned me.”

  “What the fuck is wrong with you, Nikolas?” Joseph took Mia’s hand and sent healing energy into it. Knowing it was Nikolas rather than the necklace that had burned her really pissed Joseph off. “You can’t force Brianna to be alone because you’ve decided you can’t be with her.”

  “I didn’t have a choice. And it’s none of your business,” Nikolas replied.

  Joseph lifted Mia’s hand. “You just made it my business.” It was no idle threat. He would retaliate when there was no danger of Mia being caught up in the fight. He knew it. And he knew Nikolas knew it, too.

  Mia snorted. “You had a choice. You made it, and she’s the one suffering for it.”

  “I’m doing it to keep her safe.”

  “You’re doing it because you don’t want anyone else to touch what you have decided belongs to you. You’re probably used to getting your way, but it’s not going to happen this time. I’m going to make damn sure you don’t ruin her life. I’ll find a way to help her get the fucking necklace off.”

  Nikolas’s smile came slowly. It was cold, dark, and callous. “What is mine is mine. Your hand was a gentle warning. You can try again, but you won’t be able to tak
e it off her. And you just might not survive it.”

  Mia snapped. She slapped Nikolas across the face. “You bastard!”

  Joseph yanked Mia behind him before Nikolas could retaliate. He took at step toward Nikolas, and Nikolas, not one to back down, took a step toward Joseph.

  It was a dangerous situation, so much more dangerous than any human could truly comprehend. Once engaged in a battle, demons didn’t stop. And they certainly didn’t care who was in the path of their fury.

  “Not here,” Joseph said as curious bystander began to move closer. Hopefully none would be stupid enough to interfere, but his first and only concern was Mia’s safety. He knew she would attempt to stand by his side. “Not now. We will settle this later.”

  “Mia does not belong to you,” Nikolas said. “This will not be settled until you hand her over to her rightful mate, Eli.” He turned around.

  * * *

  “I can’t believe I ever thought I liked him,” Mia said.

  Joseph turned to Mia. He stood there, staring down at her for a few seconds. She turned to walk away. How had he screwed up so badly? He shouldn’t have allowed her to get within reaching distance of Nikolas. He couldn’t allow her to walk away from him when she was upset. He didn’t know how he was going to fix the problem, but he had to try. “Mia, please wait.”

  “What?” She stopped and turned abruptly.

  He saw a storm of emotions in her eyes. He reached for her, but she shrugged him off, saying, “What’s wrong with me? Am I truly destroying you? If you two would’ve fought in here with so many people … Joseph, tell me the truth. Why did he say that I belong to Eli? I don’t. I know you are the only man I will ever love.”

  “He was just venting. He’s mad and frustrated.”

  “He’s right, isn’t he? You shouldn’t be with me. I am destroying you.”

  “He’s wrong.” He took her hand just to feel the warmth of her skin and to impart healing energy into her. Realizing they were still surrounded by nosy bystanders, Joseph started to lead he outside. He understood that Nikolas was picking a fight because he was mad at himself, but he had crossed a line. “I don’t care what he thinks. Why would you care?”

  She stopped moving, forcing him to stop and looked up at him. “I want to belong to you.”

  He reached up and brushed a few strands of hair behind her ear. “You do, Mia. And I belong to you.”

  She wrapped her arms around his waist and hugged him. “I love you, Joseph.”

  “And I love you, Mia.” Wrapping his arms a little tighter around her, he bent down to tuck her head beneath his chin. She was his world. She owned his heart and soul. She was everything to him.

  Mia tilted her head back to look up at him. She stood on the top of her toes and wrapped her arms around his shoulders. He didn’t hesitate. He claimed her mouth with his, kissing her deeply, savoring the taste of her kiss, the feel of her lips moving over his.

  It didn’t matter that they were surrounded by so many people. It didn’t matter that he could sense people staring at them. All that mattered was feeling of her kiss, the taste of it. He forgot about the people. He was swamped with lust. Raw, violent lust. His body was burning up for her. Kissing her was like making love. Every part of his body and soul was invested into the kiss.

  Then she broke off the kiss and gazed up into his eyes.

  He saw her love for him in her eyes. Her heart. Her soul. Her mind. Everything inside her loved him, ached for him. And he knew that no other could love her as he loved her.

  “Joseph.” His name came out sounding like a desperate plea. “Get me the hell out of here. I can’t wait another minute. I need you now.”

  ~ Twelve ~

  JOSEPH STOOD ABSOLUTELY still, his heart thundering in his chest. Staring at her, he opened his mouth to respond, but he couldn’t find his voice. It was hard enough just to breathe.

  “Joseph, what’s wrong? You aren’t looking very good.”

  In that moment, he didn’t trust himself. His hunger, his need for her was suddenly too fierce, too powerful to control.

  “Did you hear me?” She moved closer, her body touching his. “Joseph.” She stood on the very tips over her toes and kissed his throat, beneath his chin. “I want to leave now.”

  He grabbed her shoulders and held her back at arm’s length. Staring down at her, he trembled with the effort it took to restrain his need as he framed her face between his hands to force her to meet his gaze. He had to be certain she wasn’t teasing him. If she was playing around with him he needed to stop it before it was too late. “You were worried about Brianna and Julie being here without you here to watch over them. Why now?”

  “Thanks to Nikolas and his stupid necklace, the girls just left. I took them out the back way because Brianna didn’t want Nikolas to stop her. With all that’s going on, you know I only wanted to be here to make sure they didn’t get into any trouble.” She wrapped her arms around his neck. “Oh, damn it, Joseph, just get me the hell out of here. I’ve never wanted anything more than I want you.”

  A persistent roaring echoed in his ears. The anticipation was almost more than he could take. He didn’t know what to do next. Breathe. He definitely needed to breathe.

  A blush rose from her neck to her cheeks. “I know what you’re thinking. I’m being stupid. You don’t want to leave. You’re worried about Haden being alone here with Nikolas and Demetri, aren’t you? We should stay here.” Once again she moved closer to him, her body seeking the heat of his.

  “No. We shouldn’t. I’m not thinking about Haden or Demetri at the moment. And I’m not even a little worried about Nikolas. He hurt you.” It was the single most wickedly delicious, intoxicating moment he’d ever known, and he wasn’t going to waste any of it on Nikolas. “We should leave now. Right now. That’s what I’m thinking.” It was nearly impossible to think and talk with her lips trailing hot kisses up the column of his throat to the underside of his chin.

  “What are you waiting for? Get us out of here, Joseph.”

  He wanted to spend the rest of eternity with her, but it wasn’t possible. She wasn’t his. A low, lustful growl rumbled in his chest. It didn’t matter. He wasn’t handing her over to another male. They wanted each other, they needed each other, and that was enough.

  His entire body shuddering with the most exquisite delight, he leaned down to whisper in her ear, “You’re killing me.” He pulled her outside and used a spell to prevent anyone from seeing them.

  “That’s not the response I was anticipating, Joseph,” she whispered, her voice sounding a little breathless. “I want you.” Her wicked little hand gripped his cock from outside his pants. “All of you.”

  “Mia.” Her name came out sounding like a growl and groan combined into one. He pinned her against the outer wall of the building and kissed her deeply, passionately. He was on fire. Burning up. He needed to get her the hell out of there. He wrapped his arms around her and pulled her into a dark corner. “Close your eyes.”

  “You’re going to do the vanishing thing, aren’t you?”

  “I already did.”

  She glanced around at the familiar furnishings of her bedroom. “You’re getting faster.”

  “No. More desperate.” He looked down at her. “Are you sure this is what you want?” He didn’t trust himself. He couldn’t allow the situation to get out of hand.

  “Stop worrying about losing control and just let go of it. God help me, Joseph, I want all of you. I need you.” She reached up and pulled his suit jacket off his shoulders. “I want you to stay with me tonight.”

  For a few seconds he couldn’t think clearly, couldn’t comprehend that what was happening was real. “Are you sure?”

  “What’s wrong with you? Stop questioning me. How many times have I ever done or said what I didn’t want?” She loosened his tie. “I want to make love with you all night.”

  “Mia.”

  She pulled his shirt out of his pants and started to unbutton it. Befo
re it hit the floor, her hands were on his flesh, exploring his chest. “Tell me what you want, Joseph.” Then, needing to taste him, her mouth moved across his chest.

  Lust was a living, breathing entity in him. “It’s not what I want. It’s what I demand. Tonight is not enough.” Savage excitement surged into him with the force of a raging river. It filled him thoroughly, causing his blood pressure to skyrocket. “I will have you for forever.”

  Her body ached for his touch. She burned to feel his strong, powerful hands moving over her skin. Her body had never responded to a man in such a desperate way. She’d never even considered deliberately enticing a man. “It’s up to you, Joseph.”