Eternal Breath of Darkness (4 page)

The only theory that makes
any sense is that the combination of the magic and poison Mary uses on Demetri
ensures his loyalty to her no matter what.
He glanced at Caylee
and then looked directly into Haden’s eyes.
If his true mate ever appears he
will kill her to please Mary. He will have no other choice. Mary will force him
to do it. She seeks immortality above all else. She knows he won’t ever be able
to give it to her unless he takes the life of his true mate. It seems he will
be lost to us forever. There’s little to no hope for him. Mary’s magic grows
more powerful every day.

There has to be more to it.
Haden
shook his head.
It doesn’t make sense. Demetri is too powerful, too old to
be held captive by a human’s magic or poison. And he’s far too honorable to
side with the vampires. There’s something else motivating him. Something we
can’t see.

Zack shook his head. “Just
get her away from here before more bloodsuckers catch her scent. Paul isn’t far
away. He won’t give up. I will search for him and hunt the others that are
nearby.” He turned to walk away.

“Go after the others. I will
take care of Paul.”

Caylee blinked up at Haden.
“Catch my scent?” Heart pounding, she wrapped her arms tighter around his neck.
“What does he mean?”

“There’s no reason for you
to worry about it.” Haden placed a protective barrier around them an instant
before they were surrounded by a pack of hideous, half-dead-looking pack of
dogs.

She stiffened. “What are
they?” They were so gruesome, snarling and growling, making strange cackling
noises.

Despite Caylee’s best effort
to cling to him, he set her down on her feet. From behind he wrapped his arms
around her waist, encouraging her to lean her back against his body. She didn’t
resist, but her body was as stiff.

“Relax, little love,” he
whispered in her ear. “They’re nothing. They can’t hurt you. They can’t touch
you.” He raised her hands to the heavens and pulled the power of nature to
them.

Exhilarating currents of raw
energy surged through her body. She’d never experienced anything like it.
Tilting her head back, she watched in awe as lightning swirled in a massive
funnel above them. There were so many bright colors clashing together,
exploding. Violent, turbulent power surrounded her, filled her. The power was
too intense. It was too much. It was deadly.

He bent his head to kiss her
cheek. “What you’re feeling, what you’re seeing is a part of me. No part of me
could ever hurt you.” The strange funnel of colorful lightning moved closer,
completely surrounding them. Then, waves of something fiery and wild enveloped
them.

* * *

Zack turned to watch. He was alone, always and forever alone. He
chose to be alone. Having a woman would only bring him frustration and sorrow,
but watching Haden and Caylee at that moment created a memory he wouldn’t soon
forget. Haden was a fool in love. He was a moron. He was way too old to be
showing off like a teenage boy. Shaking his head, Zack cursed aloud. He never
thought Haden would ever fall victim to love. A particularly sharp, painful
stab of envy pierced his heart, but he would rather die than ever admit to
feeling it.

Sighing aloud, he turned to
walk away. Caught off guard by a blinding flash, Zack stumbled. “What the fuck
are you doing, Joseph? Where’s the vampire?”

“He got away. And sorry. I
couldn’t resist.” Saving the picture on his phone, Joseph laughed aloud. “This
sweet, sappy look on your face is priceless.” He sent the picture to Zack’s
profile. “It makes you look all cute and huggable.” He laughed again. “Check it
out.” He tilted the phone to show Zack. “Jacob likes it. Oh wow, take a look,”
he commented. Squinting, Joseph read aloud, “Great profile picture, lover boy!”

“You’re an asshole, Joseph,”
Zack growled between clenched teeth. “Put the fucking phone away.” He turned
and walked away.

“Just a minute. Oh, damn,
Zack, you’re a popular guy. There’re already six … no, eight more likes
and five more comments.”

Zack turned suddenly. “I
told you to put the fucking phone away!” He ripped the phone out of Joseph’s
hand, crushed it in his fist, and threw it. The pieces instantly burst into
flames and turned to ashes.

“You dumb son of a bitch.
Your temper tantrums really suck. And for your information, nobody likes to be
around you. Nobody. I would recommend a good therapist to you, but you’re
seriously, irreversibly screwed up beyond any fucking hope,” Joseph said.

“Agreed,” Zack growled. “Now
shut the hell up. We have vampires to kill. We can’t allow any of them to get
away. I think they have his woman’s scent. What the hell is Haden’s problem? I
can’t believe she’s still mortal.” He started to walk away but stopped and
turned to face Joseph. “And if you know what’s good for you, you’ll stop
changing my fucking status and posting profile pictures.”

* * *

A burst of energy rushed past Caylee. Then, bolt after bolt of
bluish white lightning arced across the sky, lighting the meadow and casting
shadows in the trees surrounding it. The sound of thunder was so loud it caused
the ground to shake. She covered her ears. She would’ve fallen to her knees if
Haden hadn’t been standing behind her, holding her in his strong arms and
anchoring her against his solid body. She blinked to focus on a pitch-black
cloud of smoke forming several feet in front of her. She wanted to run, but
sensing she was about to see something spectacular, she remained still, waiting
to see what would happen next.

Holding her breath, she
watched as the smoke dissipated and a huge, shadowy image appeared. Squinting,
she struggled to make sense of what she was seeing. It was an animal. A very
large animal.

A colorful series of
explosions, similar to fireworks, started at the top of the animal’s head and
continued all the way to the tip of its tail until brilliant shades of red,
gold, silver, and purple shimmering streaks illuminated what appeared to be a
black dragon.

Doing the rational thing,
she shook her head, rejecting the idea that dragons existed. It was so
beautiful. She wanted to move closer. She wanted to touch it. She shook her
head. What was she thinking? Yes, it was beautiful, but there was no way she
would ever dare get close enough to touch it.

The dragon lifted its head
high and roared. It was unlike anything Caylee had ever heard before. It was so
deep and loud she actually felt the sound in her belly. It echoed all around,
causing the ground to shake violently.

It was shocking, but nothing
could have prepared her for what happened next. Her breath caught in her throat
as she watched the hideous doglike creatures turn on each other. It was such a
terrifying, gruesome sight. Jaws snapping and claws slicing, they attacked each
other in a rabid frenzy. It didn’t make sense. Why would they attack each
other?
I commanded them to destroy each other.
Haden whispered in her
mind. And he sounded amused. Rolling her eyes, she frowned. Of course it was
his doing. Her gaze shifted to the dragon. She wondered what Haden was planning
to do with it.

She wanted to go back to
believing there were no such things as dragons, but she couldn’t deny what was
right in front of her face. She would give anything to hit rewind and start the
day over. Appearing almost disinterested, the dragon watched the brutal chaos
for a few more minutes, and then, lifting its head high, it roared once more.
The creatures, suddenly silent, turned to face the dragon and froze. Eyes wide,
Caylee held her breath as flames shot out of the dragon’s mouth and reduced the
creatures to an unrecognizable pile of smoldering ashes at the dragon’s feet.
Shaking her head, she took a breath. She now knew the rumors of fire-breathing
dragons were not rumors at all.

To Caylee’s horror, the
dragon turned and fixed its gaze onto hers. It slowly moved toward her. With
each step it took the ground rumbled beneath its weight. Stopping directly in
front of her, it bowed its massive head reverently at her feet.

Seeking Haden’s protection,
Caylee took a step back, only to realize he was no longer behind her. He’d left
her? Her mouth went completely dry. How could he just abandon her? She would’ve
screamed, but she couldn’t even breathe.

“Breathe, little love. I
would never abandon you.”

“Huh?” She blinked. Did the
dragon just smile at her? She shook her head. Did it just talk to her? She
tilted her head to the side, studying its eyes. It didn’t make sense. Its eyes
were so familiar, so comforting. After a breathless moment of silence, she made
the connection.

“Oh, oh my God.” She
swallowed hard. “Haden?” It had to be an illusion. “No.” It was a magic trick
of some sort. She’d seen him do many strange, impossible things. She’d seen him
appear from out of nowhere and disappear several times. The dragon wasn’t real.
Hoping to prove it, she reached out to touch it. Her fingers felt warm, hard
scales. “It is really you.”

“Yes.” Obviously proud of
the havoc it was wreaking in her mind, the dragon grinned at her.

“No.” Her head was spinning
out of control. “It’s not possible.” Making a small, whimper-like sound, she
bit back a scream. “You’re not a dragon.” Swaying from side to side, she took a
clumsy step back. “How?”

Before she could blink,
Haden returned to human form. “It’s a secret,” he teased, wrapping his arm
around her shoulders to hold her steady.

“That’s it? I can’t take it
anymore! Get away from me, Haden!” Hoping to do some real damage, she jabbed
her elbow against his ribs as hard as she could.

“Ouch.” Hunching over, he
grabbed his side, laughing aloud. “You have such nasty temper.”

“You’re making me crazy.”
Closing her eyes tightly, she shook her head. “This isn’t real. None of this is
real. You’re not real.”

He reached out to her. “Come
here.”

“No!” Crossing her arms over
her chest, she glared at him. “Don’t you dare ever touch me again!”

He wrapped his arm around
her shoulders. “There’s no reason for all the hostility.”

“No reason? Are you serious?
You should’ve warned me before you turned into a dragon.” She jabbed him again,
harder than before. “And for your information, I hate secrets.”

“I considered warning you,
but then I thought it was one those things you wouldn’t believe without
seeing.” Nuzzling her ear, he whispered, “And I never said I wouldn’t share the
secret with you.” He scooped her up in his arms and started walking. “In fact,
there are many things I plan to share with you in the near future.”

“I don’t want to hear about
any of them right now. Go ahead, do what you’re most talented at doing. Muck
around in my head, and you’ll discover why I don’t want to hear about them.”

“I would never want to
trespass,” he teased.

Her eyes narrowed on him.
“Whatever. It doesn’t matter anyways. I hate you, Haden.” Tilting her head
back, she looked up at him. “I don’t really hate you. I don’t like you very
much right now, but I don’t hate you. It’s been a long day.”

“I wasn’t worried about it.”
Looking way too pleased, he smiled down at her. “As long as you think I’m sexy,
I’m happy. Sexy is good. It’s wonderful. As far as I’m concerned it’s a
fabulous foundation for you to build your love for me on.”

Groaning, she rolled her
eyes. “Thank you for booting the stupid out of my head.” Closing her eyes, she
rested her face on his chest, soothed by the steady, strong rhythm of his
heart. “I’m now one hundred percent positive I hate you.” She yawned. “I’m
tired. I want to go home.”

* * *

Haden took Caylee to her uncle’s home. He wasn’t sure why Emmett
bothered him, but he didn’t like the man. He figured his bad feelings toward
Emmett were related to not liking Caylee’s living arrangement. Naturally, Haden
wanted her under his roof, in his bed every night, but she wasn’t even ready to
admit they belonged together. Before leaving her to go hunt for Paul, Haden
gave Caylee strict orders to stay out of the forest. Then, doing what any
all-powerful demon would do in the same situation, he begged her to obey.
Thankfully, with all that had happened, she agreed. And this time, he knew she
meant it.

Within an hour, Haden had
returned to the crime scene and was following Paul’s scent. The vampire was
making many mistakes. Haden discovered his trail too quickly, too easily. He
was obviously being led into a trap, but it didn’t bother him. It certainly
didn’t intimidate him. A trap was a good thing. It meant he wouldn’t be forced
to waste any time or energy chasing after the creature to destroy it.

~
Four ~

CAYLEE WOKE UP suddenly, struggling to catch her breath as blasts
of intense pain beat at her temples. A foul, misty fog hovered over her bed and
filled her lungs. Violent, overwhelming fear slammed into her heart, and it
raced frantically, pounding in her ears. It was too dark to see anything, but
she sensed the presence of something wicked drawing closer, preparing to
strike. Thunderous shrieking and howling erupted. She covered her ears to
muffle it, but the volume increased. The air rushed in and out of her lungs in
horrified gasps.

She gripped her head hard as
a dark figure, cruel and wholly evil, moved in her mind. A bone-chilling breeze
drifted into the room and swirled all around. For a moment everything was
silent. Relief washed over her. It was a bad dream.

Rise and come to me.
Paul’s
voice, resembling a hiss, seemed to come from every direction, but she knew it
was coming from inside her mind.
Come to me.

Increasingly severe bursts
of pain jabbed at her skull. The pain was so intense she feared her head was
going to explode. She gripped it harder, tangling her fingers in her hair.

Several invisible arms,
similar to tentacles, slowly but surely wrapped around and squeezed her body.
She struggled to get free, but it was useless. Yanked out of her bed, she was
forced out of her room and down the hall. The front door burst open, and she
was shoved outside. She tried to stop moving, but her attempt only caused her
to stumble. She rubbed her throbbing temples, struggling to rationalize the
situation. The volume of the whispering increased, becoming a steady roar,
repeating her name over and over again as she continued to walk.

Her heart beat wildly,
painfully. She needed to calm down. She needed to focus. If she was going to
survive, she needed to figure out what was happening. Taking a deep breath, she
held it for a few seconds, focusing on her legs, trying to stop them, but it
was no use; her legs continued to move.

The hot, humid air caused
her T-shirt to cling to her body, but she shivered uncontrollably. She knew
beyond any doubt she was going to die. Heat lightning silently crisscrossed the
sky, casting eerie shadows all around. She was unhappy with her life, but she
didn’t want to die. She feared the unknown waiting for her beyond the grave.
Teeth chattering, she continued to walk, struggling to breathe as the stench of
death filled her lungs.

Wait. Why hadn’t she thought
of Haden? Closing her eyes, she reached for him. Merging her mind with his, she
instantly, to her horror, saw Haden attacking, raping a woman. She was
confused. Their mental link had never been visual. It had always been verbal.
Caylee withdrew from him, grief and disgust welling up to the extent she
couldn’t stop the cry that escaped her throat. She shook her head, attempting
to erase the vile image, but it remained so very vivid in her mind.

* * *

While tracking Paul, Haden came across Caylee’s scent, immediately
detecting the scent of her blood combined with it. A terrible explosion of rage
ripped through his body, causing the ground to shift as the deepest, darkest
portion of his essence emerged. Black flames swirled around him. From deep
within his soul his other half, the dragon, roared.

Merging with her, Haden
immediately discovered the images of him raping a woman. He took a deep breath,
filling his lungs with the remnants of her lingering scent. For a moment, his
dark, icy gaze melted away, replaced by strange, black, iridescent flames as he
fully merged with her.

He tried to place a hedge of
protection around her, but he failed. The vampire had full control over her.
Her mind was severely fragmented, but he quickly, as a silent shadow in her
mind, sorted through her thoughts and retrieved bits and pieces of information.
She was barefoot. The scent of her blood was from scratches on the bottom of
her feet. Paul was hiding her location in a maze of confusion in her mind. It
would take time for Haden to work his way through it—time, he feared, he didn’t
have.

* * *

An icy gust of wind blasted Caylee.
Caylee, stop and turn
around.
Dark clouds, streaked with blinding flashes of lightning, billowed
in the sky. The ground heaved and rumbled. Haden’s voice was a whisper, but it
held enormous power.
Haden?
She stopped walking; images of him raping
the woman replayed in her mind, causing her to go completely still. A wall of
black flames formed directly in front of her, and then a thunderous boom echoed
all around and the flames disappeared. She knew it was Haden, searching for
her, reaching out to her. Part of her wanted to go to him, but when she thought
about him raping the woman, every muscle in her body cramped in protest.

You’re nothing to him. Come
to me now!

A sharp pain pierced
Caylee’s skull directly between her eyes. Defying Paul’s command was
impossible. Once more, she continued to walk toward him. The reality she was
facing death grew in her. There was no one to help her. The streets were
abandoned. She was alone, completely and utterly alone. Haden, her only hope,
was with another woman, doing terrible things, brutally raping her.

* * *

Haden’s heart was breaking. What was the point? Would she always
believe the worst of him? If so, what future would she have if he continued to
pursue a life with her?

Listen to me, Caylee—what
you saw wasn’t real.
He’s using a mental compulsion to confuse you and make it
harder for you to reject the words and the images he has placed in your mind.
You have to fight it. You have to fight him.

She should know the truth.
There shouldn’t be any doubt in her mind. How deep was her fear? How far would
she go to hide from him? Would she actually allow herself to be killed by a
vampire because of her fear of the man who loved her more than anything?

Don’t allow him to deceive
you, Caylee.

Haden wouldn’t allow her to
die. He would save her. He would kill the vampire. But then, perhaps it was
time to face the fact that letting her go was the most merciful thing he could
do for her. He could secretly watch over her and protect her for the rest of
her human life. She didn’t even need to know he was with her. At that moment
reality struck him hard. Those weren’t his thoughts. He would never even
consider giving up on her. How the hell was the vampire using a compulsion on
him, a demon? It was unthinkable. He realized that if the vampire had the power
to get into his mind that Caylee wouldn’t stand a chance of pushing him out of
her mind.

Your mind is confused, but
your heart knows the truth. Let you thoughts melt away. Let your heart lead
you. You’re not alone. Merge with me. Help me find you. I won’t allow him to
harm you.

* * *

Haden’s voice was so calm. It was a comforting embrace. She wanted
to believe him, but doubt crept into her mind. She’d seen him attacking a
woman, hadn’t she? She gripped her head hard, her knuckles turning white. Her
temples ached so severely her vision was blurred, and her stomach was rolling.
Waves of hopelessness washed over her. She was going to die. She entered a dark
alley and stood completely still. She didn’t want to die. Not yet. Not like
this. She needed to turn around and run away, but her legs wouldn’t move.

You don’t need to move. You
don’t need to run. You simply need to trust me to protect you. I won’t allow
you to die. The pain gets worse when you attempt to resist his compulsion. Stop
pulling away from me. You’re not strong enough to fight him, but I am. Merge
with me. Allow me to protect you.

Trust him?
Paul’s mocking laughter filled her mind.
He left you alone, knowing I would
come for you, knowing you would be helpless, and knowing you would die. And
why? He abandoned you so he could be with a more desirable woman.

Caylee tried but she
couldn’t force the horrible images from her mind. . Lifting her face to the
heavens, she took a deep breath. She was so very confused, so very afraid.

Since Paul had total control
of Caylee’s mind, Haden had no other choice but to use an open mental path to
communicate with her. It allowed the vampire to hear everything he said, but it
also allowed Haden to hear every lie the vampire uttered.

Do not believe his lies,
little love. You know me. You know I would never abandon you. I will always
protect you. You are my life. There could never be another woman for me.

The ground split open, and a
dark, shadowy image of a man burst out of it. The air rushed in and out of
Caylee’s lungs in short, violent gasps. Dirt and stones rained down several
feet in every direction. Every muscle in her body tensed. Hoping the man was a
figment of her imagination, she blinked. In an instant, he was directly in
front of her. His black hair fell over his shoulders. It was stringy, tangled,
and matted with dirt and other debris. His flesh was a sickly, bluish gray. He
was very thin, his eyes sunken deep into his skull, and he stank of decayed
flesh. He appeared to be the corpse of an old, malnourished man.

Caylee tried to back away,
but she couldn’t budge an inch. She knew he was the same man from earlier, but
he looked different. More frightening. And so very repulsive. She opened her
mouth to scream, but she didn’t have the ability to make a sound. Just the
sight of him sickened her, causing her mouth to water and stomach to cramp and
twist. Gagging, she tried to look away, but his gaze held hers captive.

Caylee, I need you to merge
with me. Do it now. Please, if only this one last time, trust me to protect
you.
Haden fought to keep his voice calm. He couldn’t risk her
misinterpreting his fear and frustration for anger. Tracking her as a man was
taking far too much time.
Reach for me so I can find you.
Despite her
attempts to hide, he continued to work through and unravel the maze of
confusion in her mind.

“He is lying to you. He
won’t leave his woman to protect you.” Paul thrust the image of Haden raping
the woman into her mind. “You’re nothing to him. If you mattered to him at all,
he wouldn’t have allowed you to remain a helpless mortal.”

He plunged deeper into her
mind, savoring her fear, hammering her with his violent lust for her blood.
“You’re nothing to him.”

He listened to the frantic,
seductive rhythm of her pulse. He took a deep breath and released it slowly
with a hiss. Fear made blood hotter. Sweeter. And so entirely satisfying. His
mouth watered. His stomached clenched.

“No!” She shook her head.
“You’re lying!” She knew Haden better. She might not be Haden’s lover, but she
was his friend. He would never rape a woman, and he would never abandon her.

Finally, through the power
of sheer desperation, she broke eye contact with Paul. She immediately wished
she hadn’t. She stared at his mouth. He smiled wide, revealing his serrated
teeth and razor-sharp fangs. She had to be trapped in a nightmare. None of it
could be real. She wanted to wake up, she wanted to run, but she couldn’t do
anything. She fought to regain control over her mind and body, but it was
useless. Paul was too powerful to fight.

I need your help, Caylee.
I’ve tried to find you through your thoughts, but he has distorted your memory.
You need to trust me. You need to stop trying to fight him and reach for me.
Look around and show me everything you see.

Paul reached out and lifted
a section of her hair to his face. He breathed deeply, inhaling her sweet
scent. “Go ahead. Lead him to us. I will enjoy killing him right along with
you.”

She was so afraid, but she
couldn’t allow Haden to die for her.
If you find me, he will kill you too. I
know it wasn’t real, Haden. I know you would never hurt a woman. I know you
would never abandon me. Please forgive me—I’m so very sorry. I never should’ve
believed any of it.

Paul rubbed her silky hair
against his face, twirling and tangling it around his fingers. Very slowly, he
leaned toward her to nuzzle her neck. Groaning aloud, he inhaled deeply,
savoring her scent.

Damn it, Caylee, he can’t
fucking kill me! He’s lying to you! Open your eyes!
Haden was so beyond furious.
Do it now, Caylee!
He didn’t care that he
was causing her pain.

His booming voice hurt her
ears. Echoing in her mind, his voice sounded like the rushing water of a mighty
river. Like an avalanche racing down the side of a mountain. Her head hurt so
badly she knew it was going explode.

Open your eyes!
It
was a powerful command, utterly impossible for any being mortal or immortal to
defy.

She opened her eyes and
scanned her surroundings. The fear of being cornered was terrible, but the icy
chill of Paul’s rancid breath on her flesh caused her stomach to twist. She
felt weak, lightheaded, and nauseous. A split-second before she collapsed, she
felt an unmistakable shift in her body and mind. Haden was closer to her than
ever before. He was part of her. Their souls were united as one. She felt his
enormous, dark power gathering in her, strengthening her.