Eternal Breath of Darkness (10 page)

He shook his head slowly,
strange silver flames flickering in his black eyes. “You can’t escape a demon,
little love—you would have better luck charming him.”

Infuriated, she looked up at
him and shook her head. Wings or not, she wasn’t going to let him frighten her.
“Fine—do your worst to me! I’ve no intention of wasting my time attempting to
charm an ass!”

She stepped closer to him,
lifting her chin, looking as fierce as possible. “Even if the ass is a demon or
a dragon.” She paused. “I won’t run from you. I won’t give you the
satisfaction.”

Placing her hands on her
hips, she shook her head. “You’re not a demon.” Tilting her head to the side,
she chewed on her bottom lip. “I don’t know what you are, but I don’t believe
you’re a demon.”

Amused by her tantrum, he
chuckled. With a thought, his wings shimmered and quickly disappeared. He
immediately relaxed, allowing his anger slip away. The atmosphere stilled. She
was afraid, but not of him. Even when he tried to frighten her with the truth
of what he was, she refused to believe the worst of him. She was lashing out at
him because she was safe with him. He was so entirely overcome with joy all he
could do was smile at her. He was so very much closer to gaining her trust than
he ever truly thought possible.

“I refuse to believe it.”
Exasperated, she cursed beneath her breath. “And stop smiling at me.”

He shrugged, purposely
appearing emotionless. “Why do you believe I will not harm you?”

Hesitating for several
breathless seconds, she looked to the side to avoid his gaze. “You just
wouldn’t.”

He gently swept his hand
over her shoulders, walking in a tight circle around her. “There are many
things I would enjoy doing to you.”

Grinning, he paused. “With
you.”

He stopped directly in front
of her, firmly grabbed her shoulders, and then slowly leaned down until his
lips made the slightest contact with her earlobe.

“Are you absolutely positive
I wouldn’t enjoy hurting you?” Softly, he kissed her earlobe. “Are you willing
to bet your life on it?”

Closing her eyes, she
whimpered. “Yes.” She was absolutely certain of it. His deep, raspy voice
combined with the hot, seductive sensation of his lips caused her body to
shudder. A sensational fire burned deep in the core of her being. Breathing
heavily, she saw images of their naked bodies tangled together, moving
together.

Startled, her eyes flashed
open. She needed to get away from him. “Let go!” She struggled to pull away
from him, but it was no use; his grip was unbreakable.

Despite her resistance, he
pulled her nearer with very little effort. “Not yet.” He bent his head to
feather kisses along her jaw. “First,” he murmured, gently nipping the tender
flesh of her neck, “tell me what happened the night I found you here.”

He was trying to force her
to accept the fact that he’d always known she’d been raped. She needed to admit
it aloud to herself. She needed to know he didn’t blame her. She needed to know
that it didn’t make him want her less. She needed to know it wasn’t her fault.
She needed to believe she was everything to him. She was his life. Nothing
could ever stop him from loving her. Nothing was more important than her. He
loved her so much that he would gladly give anything, including his life, to
protect her,

He was making her crazy. She
couldn’t possibly take anymore. She needed to get as far away from him as
possible. “Let go of me!” She jerked her right arm free and slapped him across
the face. Rather than take evasive measures, he absorbed the blow and kept a
firm hold of her. “Let go!” Frantic, she struggled to get away.

He lessened his grip but
held her firmly. “Answer me.” His voice was calm but demanding.

No longer fighting, she took
a deep breath and held it, meeting his gaze the entire time. She released her
breath and then took slow and steady breaths in an attempt to regain her
composure. The only danger she was in at that precise moment was being seduced
by him. She needed to get away from him. She needed to end their friendship.
She would never be physically strong enough to force him to let her go. She
needed to find a different tactic. But what?

“You’re making me crazy. I
can’t think straight. What do you plan to do next?” She glanced from side to
side at his hands on her shoulders. “Do you intend to force yourself on me?”

“Damn it, Caylee, you know
better.” Narrowing his eyes, he clenched his jaw. “I’ve been your friend,
patiently pretending to be some sort of pathetic saint, never expecting too
much, always waiting for you to be ready.”

Staring up at him, she shook
her head. “You’ve been deceiving me all along?” And for what, sex? How could
every minute of their friendship be a lie? Choking on the lump in her throat,
she placed her hand over her it.

“Yes, I have. But you’re
wrong—I would never take advantage of you. It’s not a matter of sex. Well, not
entirely.” He released her shoulders. At the same time, she forcefully pulled
away. She started to fall backward, but he moved forward with blurring speed
and held her steady.

Pushing him away, she glared
up at him, her arms crossed in front of her chest. “Why would you waste your
time pretending to be my friend?”

“It wasn’t a waste of time.”
He studied the confusion and rage in her eyes. “You needed time.” He couldn’t
tell her he intended to take her last mortal breath and replace it with the
breath of immortality. “You can’t fear me. You must have complete faith in my
love for you.”

She stumbled backward a bit
but quickly steadied herself. None of what he was saying made any sense at all.
Why had he brought her to this place? If he knew what had happened, he couldn’t
possibly want her as a lover. And for so long. No. He was lying. He had to be.
But why? What was he gaining?

She smiled. He was angry. He
was striking back at her for denying him. That was it. He was being cruel. And
she deserved it. She’d led him on and then turned him down. He had to know she
wouldn’t be so gullible. “I just want to go back to Mia’s shop. You mean
absolutely nothing to me.”

“You’re lying.” Grinning, he
looked down at her. “You love me as deeply as I love you.”

She turned and walked away
from him. “Why are you ruining everything, Haden?” She stopped and looked down
at her feet. He took a few strides and stopped directly behind her. She turned
and looked up at him with so much pain in her eyes that he struggled against
the urge to scoop her up in his arms.

“I hate you.” She was
trembling so fiercely her voice was nearly inaudible. “I can’t be here.” Biting
her lower lip, she looked up at him. “I never want to see you again.”

Lowering her head, she
stepped nearer, until their bodies were only a mere centimeter apart. For a
moment, she stared at his chest, watching it rise and fall with each breath he
took and released. Why would he choose to bring her to where he’d found her?
“Haden,” she said, teary-eyed as she looked up at him, “why are you doing
this?”

He wrapped his arms around
her. God help her, it felt so good, so right to be in his arms. She felt so
safe, so thoroughly loved and needed. He bent his head and kissed her softly.
“You know in your heart we are so much more than friends. You know our souls
are bound together for all of eternity. We’ve both known we belong to each
other ever since I found you lying here, so close to death.”

She wiggled out of his arms
and stepped back. “Don’t say anymore.” Why was he bringing up the past again?
How could he be so cruel? “We can’t be together like that.” She frowned, her
lips quivering. “And you know it.”

Everything was ruined; they
could never be friends again. “Why, Haden, why are you doing this?” Her voice
was a sad, barely audible whimper.

“I love you, Caylee.”
Closing the gap between them, he took a step forward, wrapped his arms around
her, and pulled her deep into his embrace. “It’s that simple. I love you. I
happily lived alone for a very long time. I never thought I would want to share
my life with anyone, but I need to share it with you. You’re everything to me.
You’re the most wonderful treasure I could’ve ever hoped to find. There’s
nothing I value more than you.”

He bent his head to give her
a slow, sensual kiss, and then, brow-to-brow, he held her gaze captive. “You
can’t image how desperately I need you.” He took a deep breath, kissed her
lips, and then leaned down near her ear. “I love you,” he said as he kissed her
earlobe, “so much.”

Kissing her lips, he slowly
leaned against her until her back was pressed against the trunk of a tree. For
a moment, he hesitated, carefully studying every feature of her face,
monitoring her thoughts. “We belong together. You’re my heart and soul. I’ll
never let you go.”

She started to argue, but he
silenced her with a kiss that went on and on. The wind picked up as they fueled
the flames of their desire, but he ignored it until he heard the sound of
thunder in the distance. Normally he could command nature at will, but his
emotions, if strong, had a tendency to create unpredictable, uncontrollable
storms. He reluctantly broke off the kiss. “I will take you back.”

“No.” Blinking rapidly, she
stared up at him. What was she doing? Had she completely lost her mind? “You’re
right. I’m sorry. We need to go.”

He shrugged casually, but
there was nothing causal in his eyes. “You’re not returning to your uncle’s house.”
It was a fact. He refused to argue over it.

“You have no right to stop
me.” She glared at him, daring him to try. “You don’t own me.”

“Damn it, Caylee.” His arms
enveloped her, holding her tight. “I don’t want to own you. I want your love
and companionship.”

“Make love with me before we
say goodbye.” The words came out unexpectedly, but she didn’t regret them.

Leaning back, he held her at
arm’s length. “Goodbye?”

Ignoring him, she started to
unbutton his shirt. At first he kept his arms locked, forcing her to remain a
distance away. Opening his shirt, she leaned forward to kiss the base of his
throat, tracing his well-defined muscles with the tips of her finger. The woman
was killing him. His arms buckled, allowing her to press nearer.

“Make love with me this one
time,” she whispered the words against his chest.

The words,
this one time
,
tormented him, replaying in his mind over and over again as her soft, satiny
lips brushed across his chest. He knew she believed in her heart there would
never be another time for them to be together. He didn’t want to stop her, but
he held her back at arm’s length again.

“One time?” Drawn to her,
needing to taste her kiss and feel the warmth of her breath, he bent his head
to get closer. “One time would never be enough.”

Standing on the tips of her
toes, pressing her body against the length of his hard cock, she trailed kisses
from his neck to jaw. She was shattering his control. More than anything he
wanted to take possession her of body, but he knew better. He wished he didn’t,
but he did.

“Wait.” He stepped back.
“Stay right there.”

“Haden.” She took a step
closer. “What’s wrong with you? Don’t you want to make love to me?”

He held out his hands to
stop her, a little alarmed by the way they were trembling. “I can’t believe I’m
about to ask you to keep your distance, but you’ve given me no choice.”

“Honestly, Haden.” She
stepped toward him.

“I’m losing control. I could
use a little help. I know you’re not ready.”

She moved even closer.

He stepped back. “I’m
serious, I need your help. Stay right there.”

“Well, I will admit you have
serious issues and for that reason you might need my help. I can’t think of a
more terrible time for you to be so stubborn.”

Lifting her chin, she smiled
up at him, arching her brow. “Has it occurred to you I want you to lose
control?” Grinning mischievously, she shrugged. “I’m ready, but perhaps you’re
not ready.”

A faint odor wafted past
them. He moved closer to her. Crowding her. His body went perfectly still,
shielding hers, as he carefully scanned the area and constructed a powerful,
magical barrier to prevent the ghouls from getting any closer. What was
happening to him? He should’ve noticed they weren’t alone. After all, it was
ghouls that were out and about. They were extremely ignorant, literally
brainless corpses, completely incapable of doing anything covertly.

A gust of wind came from
behind, causing her hair to cover her face. Pulling it behind her back, she
look up at him as he looked past her. Lightning raced across the sky, followed
by the sound of thunder. Carried by the wind, a terrible, musty stench filled
her lungs. Death and decayed flesh. Terror brutally crashed into her heart so
it skipped a beat. Her mouth watering and stomach twisting into painful knots,
the memory of Paul’s insane hatred filled her soul with dread.

“It’s the vampire.” She
moved closer to Haden, seeking his protection, so very thankful that his arms
instantly pulled her deep into the shelter of his embrace.