Savage Breath of Darkness

by Candice Stauffer

  Mia looked at Joseph. “Can you contact Zack?”

  “I did.” He nodded. “She’s fine. He has her.”

  “Pack your things, Julie,” Mia said.

  “Why?”

  “We have a suite for you at the hotel.”

  “Really?” Julie asked.

  Joseph nodded. “Yes.”

  “Just get what you need for the night,” Mia said.

  “You’re not returning. I’ll come back later and get the rest of your things later,” Joseph explained.

  “I have a lease.”

  “I’ll take care of it,” Joseph said.

  “Don’t worry about anything,” Mia said.

  “What if Emily comes here and I’m gone?”

  “Joseph will let Zack know you’re staying at the hotel. And Emily knows you work at the boutique almost every day.”

  “Why do you think he keeps showing up?” Julie asked.

  “It’s hard to say,” Mia frowned. “But you deserve peace and respect.”

  ****

  In his dragon form, Zack stood on the edge of a cliff with Emily. Are you ready, baby doll?

  “Nope.”

  He waited for a few seconds. What about now?

  “Not yet.”

  Now?

  She glared at him. “Stop trying to rush me.”

  We’ve been sitting here for over an hour.

  “I don’t think I want to do it.”

  You’re not scared, are you?

  “It’s a long way to the bottom.”

  A very long way.

  “Your brain is seriously fucked up, Zack.”

  You said my fucked ups doesn’t bother you.

  “That was before we spent so much time together and you decided to kill me.”

  I didn’t leave you dead. I resurrected you by giving you the most superior form of immortality. And I was just agreeing with you.

  “You’re not a parrot so stop trying to act like one.”

  What are you talking about?

  “You said a very long way.”

  It is a very long way.

  “I said it is a long way to the bottom.”

  A very long way.

  “You’d better knock it off unless you want something very bad to happen to you.”

  Very bad in a very good way?

  “Very bad in a very, very fucking bad way.”

  How bad?

  “Very, very fucking bad.” She glared at him again. “And stop using the word very so much. It’s annoying.”

  You just said it a few times in a row.

  “Because you’re driving me completely fucking crazy.”

  How crazy? Ve…”

  “Don’t say it.”

  Are you ready?

  “Damn it, Zack. I told you to stop rushing me.”

  I will stop rushing you as soon as you stop stalling.

  “I just…to be honest, I don’t know if this is a good idea.”

  Why?

  “It’s yours.”

  You said you trust me.

  “Before you killed me.”

  “I can’t fly.”

  He extended and stretched his wings wide. I can.

  “Can’t we just shift to Maine?”

  Demetri won’t be ready to meet us for a few hours. I’m taking you sightseeing to kill a little time.

  “Kill? Why the fuck did you say kill? Are you planning to do another ritual you can’t warn me about?”

  If so you can’t expect me to tell you about it.

  “What if you get distracted by something pretty and drop me?”

  I would never drop you .

  “Accidents happen.”

  I would catch you.

  “How?”

  What do you mean?

  “You don’t have hands.”

  I don’t need hands to hold you.

  “I want you to understand I will be very mad if you drop me.”

  I wouldn’t blame you.

  “I have a really bad feeling about this.”

  Why?

  “I’ve done some pretty bad things.”

  So?

  “Karma.”

  But you’ve done bad things for good reasons.

  “No.” She shook her head adamantly. “You’re wrong. I’ve done bad things because I like doing bad things.” She took several steps back. “How about a test?”

  What kind of test ?

  Using supernatural speed, she ran and jumped off the cliff. Zack dove after her. Using his power to slow her down to soften the impact when she landed on his back. He shot up above the could as soon as she was settled and secure.

  Do you see the falling stars?

  “No. I don’t see anything. My eyes are closed.”

  Open your eyes and roll over onto your back.”

  “You’re out of your fucking mind, Zack. If I roll over onto my back I won’t be able to hold on. And I am not opening my eyes. I don’t want to see anything.”

  You don’t need to hold on. I have you. He made sure she felt his arms holding her and his body sheltering hers.

  “Very funny. I know it’s a trick. You’re not really holding me.”

  You knew I was in two places at once protecting you and your sister from the wolves. You even told your sister I wouldn’t allow them to touch or to hurt you.

  “You’re an ass.”

  I am going to tell everyone you’re a chicken.

  “When I told you that you’re an ass it wasn’t a challenge for you to make yourself a bigger ass.”

  Stop whining and do it.

  She moved slowly, testing his ability to prevent her from falling, until she was flat on her back.

  You still need to open your eyes.

  “They’re open.”

  You’re lying.

  “I’m not”

  I am closing mine until you open yours.

  “You’ll crash into something.”

  It’s possible.

  He knew she opened her eyes when he heard her gasp. “It is absolutely breathtaking.”

  Am I still an ass?

  “Yes. But not as big of an ass as before. This is really amazing, Zack.”

  15

  Caspian Demidov opened his eyes. He had waited for something for such a long time that he couldn’t remember what he was waiting for. The soft glow of the moon illuminated the small circular stained-glass window in his crypt. Attempting to remember, he focused on the window for a few seconds. A sudden and excruciating wave of pain washed over him and restored his memory. Death. He was still alive. He was still waiting to die.

  He had no idea how long he’d been waiting. He’d long ago lost his sense of time and his sense of reality as his heart’s slow, erratic rhythm tortured him. He wanted to move on. He wanted to die, but his damn heart refused to be silenced.

  He closed his eyes and tried to focus on something other than the pain. It was impossible. He’d lived with it for so long that he could no longer block it. It was with him every second of every day and every night. It remained the same. It never decreased. It never increased. He figured it would’ve been impossible for it to increase. He was pretty damn sure it couldn’t.

  A faint scent, a mixture of light lavender and sweet vanilla, filled his lungs. A few seconds later, he heard another heartbeat. A strong and steady heartbeat. Realizing he wasn’t alone, he opened his eyes and sat up. He instantly came to the conclusion that he was dreaming. He hadn’t been able to sit for years. He had been flat on his back, unable to move an inch for such a long time, on top of a cement slab. He had an iron collar of torture with thousands of needle-sharp points buried in his throat and neck. He had iron rods impaled through his shoulders that were bent at the top like hooks to prevent him from moving.

  He got to his feet. He felt a compulsion drawing him. He didn’t have the strength or energy to fight it. He followed it into a small room with mirrors for walls. As he stared at his reflection in the mirror, the image of a woman appeared in it.
He couldn’t see her face because her head was bowed. Hunger clawed at his gut. It beat at his skull. A dark, evil hunger for blood. For her blood.

  Intending to flee from the tiny room before he hurt her, he took a step back. The woman lifted her head. He froze the instant her gaze met his. He felt a terrible pain he’d never known. A pain more profound than the physical torture he’d endured.

  She held her hand out. “It’s yours.”

  He looked down at her hand. In the center of her palm he saw an ancient arrowhead made of solid black obsidian. He placed his hand over his heart. It was the same arrowhead he’d carried with him for thousands of years after he’d cut it from his chest. He’d kept it as a memento because it had pierced his heart and nearly killed him. He’d lost it a thousand years ago. He’d searched for it. He’d used every means available to him to find it. But no power, no magic could conjure it up. “Where did you find it?”

  “On the beach in Maine.”

  That was where he’d lost it and searched for it. His vision blurred. He blinked in an attempt to bring her into focus. To his horror, she stepped out of the mirror. She was close. Too close. He could feel the warmth of her body against his. His incisors lengthened. His heart thundered in his chest. He feared losing control and consuming every ounce of her blood.

  She reached up and placed her hand on his face. “It’s time for you to let the walls down.”

  He placed his hand over hers and shook his head. The supernatural walls he’d constructed to prevent anyone from stumbling upon him could never come down. His blood was poisoned with tainted vampire blood. He would kill anyone unlucky enough to enter his crypt. “No.”

  “It’s time for you to come to me.”

  “No.” He shook his head again. “I can’t come to you.”

  She traced his jaw with the tips of her fingers. “You must.”

  “I will never be free to leave this place.” He took her hand and brought it to his mouth and brushed his lips over it. “Feel me. Feel what I am.”

  “I do.” She parted her lips in a beautiful smile that took his breath away. “You are not too far gone. You are not a monster. You belong to me. I belong to you.”

  In a desperate attempt to keep her from leaving, he reached out to her as her image started to fade.

  ****

  Demetri stood up and watched Zack and Emily walk toward him. She released Zack’s hand and ran to him. She wrapped her arms around him and hugged him tight. “We were so worried about you.”

  “I wasn’t worried,” Zack said.

  “Knock it off, Zack.” She glared at him and then looked at Demetri. “He was just as worried as I was.”

  Zack shrugged. “Maybe a little.”

  Demetri extended his hand to Zack. “Seeing you two together is wonderful.”

  “We came to help you find Sara,” Emily said.

  “No.” Demetri looked at Zack. “It’s too dangerous.”

  “We are here to help you,” Zack said.

  “You’ve taken such good care of all of us,” Emily stated. “Even while pretending to be against some of us, you’ve helped us time and time again. It’s our turn to take care of you.”

  “We won’t be detoured,” Zack said.

  Demetri laughed. “It’s scary to see you so entirely united.”

  “In a good way,” Emily said,

  “Yes.”

  “What’s the plan?” Zack asked.

  “At the moment, Nikolas and I are preparing to set Caspian free from a crypt he has been held prisoner for many years.”

  “It’s true? Your brother is alive?”

  “Erebus has had him for nearly a thousand years,” Demetri explained.

  “Do you know what condition he’s in?” Zack asked.

  Demetri rubbed the bridge of his nose. “I know he’s determined to stay in the crypt until he dies. He’ll be mad as hell when we release him.”

  “Why does he want to die in the crypt?” Emily asked.

  “He has been poisoned with tainted blood and believes he’s too far gone to ever leave the crypt.”

  “He wouldn’t care if he was too far gone,” Emily said.

  Demetri nodded. “That’s right. We just need to prove it to him.”

  Nikolas and Brianna took their physical forms a few yards away. “We’re set,” Nikolas said.

  “Set?” Zack asked.

  “I am going to release him now,” Demetri said. “Nikolas will pull him here.”

  “I’ll go with you,” Zack offered.

  “No. Wait here with Nikolas.”

  Zack frowned. “You said he’ll be mad if you set him free. If he hasn’t had blood in a long time, he’ll be extremely dangerous.”

  Demetri smiled. “I plan to give him blood. He won’t hurt me. Not really. I need to do it alone.”

  ****

  Once again, waking him, the scent of light lavender and sweet vanilla filled Caspian’s lungs. He didn’t dare open his eyes. He didn’t want to see the woman again. “Leave me.”

  “I can’t.”

  At the sound of her voice, he couldn’t resist opening his eyes to see her. He saw movement to his right, but he couldn’t turn his head to see her. He closed his eyes again. “You need to go.”

  She placed her hand on his face. “Why are you so afraid to come to me?”

  He opened his eyes. Suddenly, sensing Demetri’s presence nearby, he realized she wasn’t real. His brother had fashioned her to manipulate him into removing the spells that protected the crypt from intruders. He lifted his lip in a menacing snarl. “You are not real,” he growled.

  “Feel me.” She bent her head and brushed her lips over his. “Feel what I am.”

  “I will destroy you.” Realizing that he was arguing with a figment of his brother’s imagination, rage built in him. “When I come to you, I will kill you.”

  She smiled down at him. “You will not hurt me.”

  “You don’t exist.” He closed his eyes and focused on the walls to keep Demetri out.

  “Damn it, Caspian.” Demetri said. “What the hell did they do to you?”

  He opened his eyes and stared up at his twin brother for the first time in a thousand years. “Leave me. You cannot help me. I am too far gone.”

  “You cannot be too far gone and care. You saved Sara and Hanna. How many others have you saved?” Demetri studied the iron collar of torture around Caspian’s neck.

  “I killed Sara,” Caspian growled.

  “I know better.” With a wave of his hand, Demetri used a spell to unlatch the collar and remove it. “You want me to kill you.”

  “It isn’t a matter of wanting you to kill me. I need you to do it. I cannot.”

  Demetri turned his focus on removing the iron rods in Caspian’s shoulders. “Why didn’t you reach out to me? I would’ve come for you.”

  “I tried when I was redeemable. I couldn’t reach you.” All of a sudden, the scent of light lavender and vanilla filled his lungs again. It was stronger than before. “You can stop with the tricks. I know you created her to manipulate me.”

  “What are you talking about?” Demetri gripped the rods and began to focus on using a spell to disintegrate them. “I haven’t created anything to trick you.”

  He closed his eyes and tried to focus on his hatred for his twin brother in an attempt to rid his lungs of the woman’s addictive scent. “You never looked for me.” It was no use. Every breath he took filled his lungs with her scent.

  “Nikolas has come to help set you free. He has his mate with him.”

  “Drake?”

  “Yes.”

  Caspian breathed a sigh of relief. He knew he could easily get Nikolas to kill him if he threatened his mate. “It’s good he has found his mate.”

  “How long have you been in this crypt?”

  “I cannot be certain. A few years. Maybe more.”

  “The spell used to keep you here wasn’t Erebus’ magic.”

  “It was mine.”
r />   “You trapped yourself?”

  “I am not as I once was. You will see that as soon as you remove the rods.”

  “You plan to kill me?”

  He felt heat moving through the rods and through his entire body. “I do.”

  “Do you not have any desire to survive and destroy Erebus?”

  “I do not.”

  “We have discovered that he has had at least two of our mates. He has set out on a mission to get revenge against us all. He likely has more of our mates. Have you ever considered the possibility he has your mate?”

  The image of the woman in the mirror invaded his thoughts. “I do not have a mate.” He felt the rods begin to dissolve. “If you don’t stop, I will kill you.”

  “You are in no condition to threaten me, brother.”

  “Stop,” he growled. “You cannot set me free, Demetri.”

  The iron rods vanished. Infuriated, Caspian tried to get up to attack Demetri, but he couldn’t move at all. He was too weak. Demetri sliced his wrist open and forced it over his mouth. After Caspian had consumed a few ounces of Demetri’s powerful ancient blood, he exploded into a violent rage. He jumped up from the cement slab and attacked. Demetri didn’t do a damn thing to protect himself. Within seconds, Caspian had consumed nearly every drop of his brother’s blood. He stood up and looked down at him slumped against the wall. “You should’ve left me.”

  After a few minutes, Caspian lifted Demetri and tossed him over his shoulder and then shifted to where he felt Nikolas drawing him with a compulsion.

  16

  With Demetri draped over his shoulder, Caspian’s image took form on the beach. He tossed Demetri onto the ground. Staring at Demetri, Emily panicked. He wasn’t moving at all. His skin looked extremely pale. She couldn’t tell if he was alive. She started to take a step away from Zack to help Demetri.

  Zack caught her arm and pulled her behind him. “I need you to stay behind me.”

  Emily placed her hand on his back. I can’t tell if Demetri is breathing.

  He reached behind him and took her hand in his. He’s alive.

  What did Caspian do to him?

  He took too much blood from him.

  From his brother? His twin? Maybe he is too far gone.