She cursed beneath her breath. “I can’t believe you were doing it again. And you didn’t even have the decency to warn me.” Looking quite fierce, she took a step toward him. “Stay out of my head!” Clenching her fists, she glared up at him. “And stop grinning at me like that!” A noise, a rustle in a nearby bush, startled her. Moving closer to him, she grabbed his shirtsleeve.
“It was only a bird.” He looked down at her hand clenching the fabric of his shirt. It was so much more than her touching him. “You’re safe with me.” It was her trusting him to protect her.
It was an extremely delicate situation, and he was the furthest thing from delicate. Every single cell in his body yearned to react to her touch, to dominate and to possess her body and soul, but he couldn’t. It would cause her to withdraw. She was touching him, she was in control, and that was the way she needed it to remain. Reining in his body’s fierce need for her, not an easy feat by any means at all, he gathered enough strength to defeat his overwhelming need to stake his claim on her.
He looked down at the woman’s corpse. If he hadn’t realized in time that Caylee had deceived him, she too would’ve suffered a horrific death. Keeping her mortal was frightening as hell. Caylee was just as fragile as the dead woman. She was just as vulnerable to death. He couldn’t take her last mortal breath and give her the breath of immortality unless she believed in his love for her. She needed to have complete faith, blind faith in his love. He couldn’t warn her. He couldn’t prepare her for it. He could only do it and hope for the best.
Many of his kind, if they knew anything concerning her violent past, would instruct him to walk away from her. They would argue her heart and soul could never be strong enough to believe in the unconditional love that would enable her to receive immortality from him. The immortality of his kind was only bestowed upon the strongest of the strong. To receive it she needed to endure a brutal and frightening ritual, but when he performed it she would die if she feared him too much to return to her body and receive his breath. He wouldn’t do it until he was certain she knew what she meant to him. Proving his love and gaining her trust was the only way he could ensure that they would be free to be together for eternity.
For as long as she was still mortal, he simply needed to keep her alive. It should’ve been an easy task for a demon able to control the most violent forces of nature with a thought, but it wasn’t. He could command the heavens and the earth to do his will, but he couldn’t command her to believe in him. While he was fully aware of the fact that he would be in serious trouble when she realized how deeply he loved her, more than anything, he longed for the day to come.
Caylee stared up at him. “Haden.” He turned his head, meeting her gaze, his attention focused solely on her. “I’m sorry.”
“No.” He frowned. “Don’t be sorry. None of this is your fault.”
“When you told me it was too dangerous to go jogging without you, I overreacted. I was being stupid. You were only looking out for me. You’ve been such a good friend to me. I should’ve listened to you.” She wrapped her arms around his waist and rested her forehead on his chest. “I should’ve trusted you.”
He was so afraid he would do something to frighten her. “It’s okay.” Taking a breath, he held it, standing perfectly still. It was the first time she’d ever held him. He didn’t want the moment to end.
She hugged him tighter. “Sometimes I act so stupid. One of these days you’re going to get sick of dealing with my temper.”
Wrapping his arms around her slender body, he slowly pulled her closer, so grateful she didn’t resist. Releasing his breath in a long sigh, he leaned down to tuck her head beneath his chin. “It’ll never happen.” Savoring the heat, the nearness of her body, he closed his eyes and breathed in her sweet scent, allowing it to fill his lungs. “And you’re not stupid.” His body was raging. “But I will say that you’re stubborn as hell.”
With each passing second he was more aroused by the sensation of her soft, feminine curves pressed so snugly against his hard, muscular frame. He needed to move away from her, but he couldn’t. He remained silent, rocking her gently, knowing one moment of weakness would cause her to find fear instead of refuge in his arms.
Lightning whipped through him, heating his blood, sizzling over his flesh. Every muscle tightly bunching, he fought to keep his traitorous flesh from responding to the feeling of her breasts pressed so snugly against his body, but he lost the battle in a matter of seconds. There was absolutely no hiding the hot rush of desire that shot straight to his groin. Muttering undecipherable curses, he pushed her away and took a step back, wanting to spare her, knowing the evidence of his body’s need for hers would scare the hell out of her.
Blinking up at him, she nervously bit down on her lower lip. How could she be so stupid? “I’m so sorry.” And she most certainly was. What was she thinking? Feeling like an absolute idiot, she lowered her head. Why had she expected him to want to hold her as a lover?
He reached out to gently lift her chin, forcing her to meet his gaze. “It’s not what you think, Caylee.” He bent down so his mouth was so very close to hers.
His mouth was way too close to hers. “I’m sorry,” she whispered. She felt the heat of his breath on her lips. Her heart raced wildly. She knew she should back away from him, but she unintentionally moved a little closer, her body seeking the warmth of his.
“There’s no reason for you to be sorry.” They stood brow-to-brow, his fierce gaze locked onto hers. Something wickedly exquisite, like tiny flames, danced over her flesh and heightened her body’s sexual awareness of his when his lips brushed across hers.
“We need to do something. We can’t leave her here, Haden.” Her voice was a breathless, husky whisper. “What should we do?” Why did her voice sound so funny?
A shiver ran from her toes, up her spine, and to the top of her head. Her flesh tingled. What was wrong with her? That was a silly question. She knew it was her body coming to life with desire. She tried, but it was impossible to ignore the way her most intimate places were aching, throbbing, crying out with the most agonizing need for him. She had serious issues. How could she be thinking about sex when he looked so mad?
“This is not me looking mad, little love.” His voice was deeper, raspier than usual. “This is me looking frustrated.” It was a soft growl, laced with lust, vibrating over every inch of her flesh. “Extremely frustrated.”
Having his mind so deeply merged with hers, feeling her desire, certainly wasn’t making it easy to keep from ripping her skimpy jogging outfit off her body and showing her what he thought they should do. It was such a simple act, but it was so erotic. Oh damn, how he ached to feel her tiny white teeth nibbling his flesh. Hell, he wouldn’t mind if she bit him hard. As he focused on her mouth, his heart stuttered as if to stop; then its pace quickened. Reaching around her waist, dragging her to him, and pressing her body against his, he bent his head to hers.
“You’re starting to freak me out.” Taking a breath and holding it, she blinked up at him.
“Good.” He moved slowly, so very, very slowly, his gaze locked onto hers.
“Haden?” He knew she was excited and scared all at the same time, but he also knew she was most certainly, unquestionably more excited than scared. A sudden and drastic change in the atmosphere captured his attention. Taking her with him, Haden spun around and went completely still, protectively holding her at his side. Expanding his mind, he studied the area. At least three vampires and a number of ghouls surrounded them. Paul, the vampire responsible for most of the recent killings in the area, was considerably closer than the other two. Haden also felt the energy of his cousin, Zack Savage, moving quickly in their direction. Zack was a rogue of sorts, hotheaded and rebellious, but he was a capable and trusted warrior when push came to shove.
Under the shelter of his arm, lifting her face, Caylee quietly studied Haden. She didn’t know what was wrong, but she knew he perceived a threat. He didn’t need to explain
it. She trusted his judgment. For now, she didn’t dare distract him by pulling away. Under the shelter of his arm was right where she wanted to be. And while he was distracted, she could stop freaking out over the thought of him kissing her.
Haden took her hand and placed the twenty-dollar bill in it. “I’m not gay. And I don’t really think it’s a reason for you to freak out, but if being kissed by me is going to freak you out, I wouldn’t stop freaking out just yet. The night is far from over, little love, and I intend to kiss you before it is.”
Caylee opened her mouth to respond, but she settled for yanking her hand out of his and glaring up at him. For the time being she wouldn’t scold him for invading her privacy or deny making the bet with Mia.
Lifting his head, Haden took a deep breath through his nostrils. The vampire’s rancid odor, far worse than the corpse at his feet, filled his lungs. He, one of the most powerful demons in existence, had nearly missed the fact that the creature was hunting him. Haden was hiding the fact that he was a demon, pretending to be human, in hopes of luring the undead close enough to destroy it, but it never should’ve been able to sneak up on him. “We need to hurry.” He caught her hand. “I’ll take you home.”
Moving too fast, he startled her. “What do you think you’re doing?” She yanked her hand out of his. Feeling like an idiot for her off the cuff irrational reaction to him taking her hand, she stared up at him for a few seconds. “We can’t leave her here,” she blurted to cover up the true reason she’d reacted adversely to him taking her hand in his.
Struggling to maintain some semblance of control, he lowered his brow, his muscles tensing to the point of pain. Miraculously, he resisted the urge to grab her and shake her. With a thought, he removed the veil separating her from the woman’s remains. “Look at her, Caylee. Take a good, long look at her. She is dead. It could’ve been you.” The instant he said the words and exposed her to the woman’s gruesome remains a tiny, weak part of him wanted to take them back, but he wouldn’t. And damn her for making him feel so weak.
Taking a step back, she jammed her fist against her mouth, but she didn’t come close to muffling her gut-wrenching sob. “That was an incredibly terrible thing to say to me, Haden. I apologized. I told you I was wrong.” Trembling, she stared up at him, tears streaming down her face. “You’re a … you’re just so …” She stared up at him, her eyes mirroring the pain he placed in her heart.
“You need to understand the danger you placed yourself in today,” he whispered, drastically gentling his expression and voice, secretly hoping it would be enough to stop her tears. He wouldn’t apologize for being right. It could’ve been her. Damn it, why the hell was she still crying?
“Please, don’t cry.” Slowly, he reached out to wipe away the tears that were so thoroughly kicking his ass. “I’m sorry.” Damn her. Damn him. What the hell was he doing? Why was he apologizing when he was right? No. He wasn’t right. He’d startled her by moving too fast and taking her hand. It was a trigger. He was fully aware of the flashbacks she suffered from the violent attack that nearly killed her. He knew better. “I’m sorry.” He slowly extended his hand for her. “I’ll make sure the authorities know where to find her.”
At that precise moment, she heard howls and strange, inhuman screams in the distance. She sensed something different in the air. It was something evil. Bloodthirsty. Sadistic. And it was close. Her blood pressure skyrocketed; her mouth went dry. It was very close. They were being hunted. She didn’t know how she knew it, but it didn’t matter—she knew it. Whatever had killed the woman was coming for them.
“We need to go now.” Refusing to give her a chance to argue, he took her hand and walked, pulling her along. He walked too quickly, causing her to trip over her own feet. In an instant, without missing a step, his powerful arms swept around her and scooped her up. Cradling her against his chest, he continued to walk.
Rather than startle her it irritated her. She muttered a few shocking curses and particularly brutal threats beneath her breath. She could walk. Being bigger and stronger didn’t give him the right to manhandle her. “What are you doing?” She wiggled, attempting to force him to put her down, but he didn’t even seem to notice. He just kept walking, and she just kept getting madder. “Put me down, Haden. I can walk on my own.”
“Yes,” he said, looking down at her, “but not fast enough for my liking.” His eyes gave no hint of humor, but there was no hiding it in his voice. She was mad as hell.
“Come on, Haden. I’m too heavy. Put me down.” She wiggled. Of course she knew how ridiculous she sounded. He didn’t have any problem carrying her. He was a good foot taller than her, and he was built like a … well, he was a very solid, well built man. And she wasn’t going to elaborate on any other thought concerning his body. He was probably mucking around in her head, and his ego was already way too overly inflated. “You’ll hurt your back.” She couldn’t resist saying it. Why? She wasn’t sure. But she also couldn’t resist giggling over it. But then, remembering she was mad because he was manhandling her, she doubled her fist and punched his shoulder. “Put me down!”
Amused, he stopped and stared down at her, laughter welling up, but he managed to hold it back. Lips curved down, her frown was so comically, obviously exaggerated as she met his gaze. “I’m starting to get the idea you’re angry, little love.”
His heart was so full of joy he was certain it would burst. “I can’t believe you hit me.” Somewhere along the line she’d missed the fact that his powerful presence demanded absolute respect. “I’m assuming it was supposed to hurt.” He’d never known love. He’d never wanted to fall in love. Love was a funny thing, a wonderful thing, but a funny thing nonetheless. “If I tell you it hurt like hell, will you smile for me?”
“Nope. No way. But I will hit you again, and I will make sure it hurts if you don’t put me down,” she vowed, finding it very difficult to keep a frown on her face.
“Well then,” he said as he started walking, “I’m most definitely not putting you down any time soon.”
A shiver raced through her body. Her head was spinning. He wasn’t gay. His voice was pure, dark seduction. A sensuous, erotic growl. Lust made it aggressive, but love made it gentle. It vibrated over her flesh like a hot, sinful caress, touching her, heating her everywhere at once. He wasn’t gay. Before she could respond, Haden stopped.
“Don’t be afraid,” he whispered. “I need you to stay very still. The creature responsible for killing the woman is returning. No matter what happens, no arguments, you must do whatever I tell you to do.”
Staring up at Haden, she opened her mouth, but nothing came out. He wasn’t looking at her. His gaze was searching for something. She felt a rumble deep beneath the ground, but somehow it didn’t bother her. Why would it? The ground moved when he was around. Why did he use the word creature? That’s what bothered her. Was it a bear? A mountain lion? A wolf? Maybe she should jump out of his arms and climb a tree. Nah. She wasn’t a very talented tree climber. Besides, she was definitely better off staying as close to him as possible.
~ Three ~
PAUL WAS A bit confused. Where was the demon? He was an expert hunter. His predator instincts were very well developed. Something was telling him to back off, but his thirst for human blood was too great to yield to the voice of caution. Believing Haden was human, Paul approached with the intent to kill him and then find the woman he’d been tracking. “Come closer to me.” Moving forward slowly, arms outstretched, he attempted to use his mind to control Haden. “Where’s the woman?”
“There is no woman here,” Haden replied.
Paul knew something was off. The man standing before him appeared to be an average human, but he didn’t react like one. Paul was attempting to fill the man’s head with fear, but he was showing no sign of distress. There was no fear in the man. Absolutely none. Attempting to figure out what was going on, Paul took a step closer. “You can’t hide her from me.”
Wondering how Haden was
hiding her, Caylee turned her head to get a look at the other man. He had long black hair and glowing yellow eyes. He was downright creepy looking. He was too slender for his height, and his flesh was eerily pale.
She could easily see him. He was standing no more than twenty feet away. Why couldn’t he see her? Not that she was complaining. The man was dangerous; hatred and violence flowed from him in dark waves.
Caylee suddenly realized her gaze was locked onto the other man’s eyes. She tried to close her eyes, but she couldn’t even blink. A strange, faint buzzing sound echoed in her head. She felt dizzy and nauseous. Her head was in a thick, murky fog. She felt drawn to the stranger, wanting to get close to him, needing to touch him.
There’s no reason to worry. You’re safe with me. I’m hiding your presence, but he knows you’re nearby. He was tracking you before I got to you. He’s confused because he can’t figure out what I am or where you are. He’s using a compulsion to draw you to him. I will not allow him to succeed.
Haden had hoped to avoid using his power until Zack arrived, wanting to allow the other vampires to get close enough so he could destroy them too. However, it appeared the vampire was quite powerful, so he decided to make what he was clear. With any luck, it would flee rather than die. Then, after Haden took Caylee to safety, he would pursue and destroy the vampire.
Black flames swirling around him, Haden exposed his true identity and created the image with which he took an aggressive step forward. “What do you want with me, foul one?” A strong wind rose from out of nowhere. Stirred by Haden’s rage, dark clouds streaked with lightning and billowed in the sky, accompanied by a constant roar of thunder.
Zack connected with Haden. You’re getting better at camouflaging your energy. I thought you were human. I didn’t know you were out here at all. I’m close. Joseph is also headed your way. Your woman won’t be forced to witness the vampire’s destruction as long as you are able hold him back until we get there.
Eternal Breath of Darkness Page 3
