Eternal Breath of Darkness (5 page)

Squaring her shoulders, she
glared up at Paul. He planned to kill her, but she planned to make it as
difficult as possible. She wasn’t a child this time. She wasn’t weak anymore.
She would fight this time. She wouldn’t allow herself to be victimized. Vampire
or not, he was going to be sorry, extremely sorry.

No! Do not provoke him,
Caylee!
Through her eyes Haden studied her surroundings.
Wait for me!
In a matter of seconds, he recognized the alley. In an instant, he launched
himself into the stormy sky, black wings erupting from his back. He moved
incredibly fast, forcing the wind to shift direction so it added to his speed.

Combined with the sweet taste
of her fear, the spiciness of her courage promised to make her blood more
delectable. Her defiance stirred to life the most primal, deadly urges of
Paul’s predator nature. He craved but seldom enjoyed foreplay with a strong
woman. Most of his victims quickly wilted and died. He wished he could play
with her for a while longer. He would enjoy using her to satisfy his other
physical needs. But he wasn’t stupid. He couldn’t afford to be caught with his
pants down. He needed to feed. Paul knew Haden was close. He needed her blood
to restore his strength before he faced the demon.

Catching Paul off guard,
Caylee kicked him in the groin, hard. Roaring in pain, he went down on all
fours. She ran, but he jumped to his feet and tackled her to the ground. She
fought with every ounce of her strength. She clawed, scratched, hit, and kicked
him. But it was all for nothing. He easily overpowered her, wrapping his hands
around her throat, squeezing until she could no longer breathe.

Her thoughts racing, she
thrashed wildly. She was dying. Seconds before she blacked out, she heard
Haden’s voice.
My strength is yours. My life is yours. You will not die—I
forbid it. I am with you, Caylee. You have my breath. Feel it inside your body,
sustaining your life. My heart beats for yours, steady and strong. Feel it and
know you will not die.

There was no way to hide the
terror in his voice. Haden was so very aware of her frailty at that moment. Why
had he waited? Why was she still mortal?

Black clouds billowed
overhead, and lightning streaked across the sky. Earsplitting thunder rumbled
between the buildings. Rain pelted down on her. She looked up at the stormy sky
and smiled. It was Haden. Each element of the storm was a manifestation of his
power. He was so extremely intense. He was mysterious and powerful beyond
belief. One day she hoped to know each and every one of his secrets.

He was so close to her now,
holding her. She knew in her heart she wouldn’t die. She couldn’t. He would
never allow it. She could feel his arms lovingly, protectively wrapped around
her, cocooning her in the midst of his great power.

Fangs lengthening, Paul
leaned down, whispering, chanting in a strange language. She couldn’t
understand his words, but she felt the great intensity of his hatred and rage.
His teeth, searching for her pulse, scraped her throat.

Lightning tore across the
sky, and deafening thunder rumbled in Haden’s wake. He dropped from the sky and
landed in a crouch. Standing upright, his wings shimmered for a few seconds and
then disappeared.

Paul jumped up and stood
over Caylee. She tried to scoot away, but he was standing on her leg. The
ground heaved and rolled as Haden stepped forward.

Hoping Paul was too
distracted to notice, Caylee attempted to pull her leg out from under him. He
looked down at her and snarled, fully baring his jagged teeth and razor-sharp
fangs.

“You look terrible, Paul.”
Haden’s voice was serene, nothing more than a whisper, but it held unimaginable
power and unparalleled might. His lips parted in a callous smile. Appearing
completely at ease, he shrugged. “You’ve made many mistakes, but I promise this
will prove to be your worst.” He waved his hand.

Chucked by an unseen burst
of power, Paul’s body flew several feet and crashed into a brick wall at the
far end of the alley. He started to get up, but he was struck in the chest by a
bolt of lightning. His body violently convulsed for few seconds and then
stopped. He remained, stretched out on his back, completely still.

Haden was several feet away,
but Caylee felt him take her arm and help her up.

She looked at him. Actually,
she gawked at him. It was impossible not to stare at him. He was a captivating
sight, surrounded in a black, glittery mist. A godlike warrior. He looked
different than usual. She would’ve never thought it was possible, but he looked
more merciless and dangerous than ever before. His eyes were unreadable,
bottomless pools of something very dark and passionate.

Her thoughts wandered as
flames raced through her body. He was a sinful specimen of masculine
sensuality. He was a wonderful, delicious fantasy, the most scintillating of
all. She could and would secretly dream of spending hot, steamy nights in his
arms, touching him, feeling his touch. But that was it. She wasn’t the kind of
woman to have a man like him.

Haden held her gaze. She was
everything wonderful. Beautiful. Sensual. Innocent. Strong. And so much more.
She was everything. He allowed his gaze to wander over her picture-perfect
body. The right side of his mouth curved upward in a grin. “We’ve spent many
hours together, little love, but I’ve never see so much of you. Your choice of
clothing is causing my mind to conjure up a few naughty thoughts. I do believe
I’ve gained a new appreciation for the rain. When it’s wet, your shirt leaves
very little to be imagined.”

She felt his sinful gaze
touching her, slowly spreading over her flesh like a smoldering fire. Before
she could blush or scold him, Paul roared. It was a terrible, inhuman sound. He
jumped up. Eyes filled with deadly, venomous rage, he rushed toward her. Haden
moved so quickly she couldn’t possibly see it, but when he gently kissed her
brow and wrapped his coat around her shoulders, time seemed to stand completely
still. Though his kiss was only a brush of his lips, it sent electrical currents
zipping through her veins and over her flesh.

In an instant, Haden turned
and slammed into Paul. The impact of their bodies made a terrible,
bone-breaking thud. They tumbled back and forth, hurling each other to the
ground and against the buildings. Caylee watched in awe. Common sense told her
to run and hide, but she couldn’t budge an inch. All she could think about was
the hot sensation of Haden’s lips on her flesh. She wanted to kiss him. Taste
him. She needed to feel his mouth on hers. Her stomach was fluttering, and her
head was spinning. What was wrong with her? Danger surrounded her, and she was
standing there fantasizing. She had been attacked by a … by a …
oh,
my God! He truly was a vampire!

Haden fought fiercely, his
strength far greater than any man. Each move he made was perfect. He was
elegance and power perfectly combined. Wings? Did she see wings on his back?
She shook her head. It didn’t matter whether she saw wings or not. Biting her
lower lip, she looked up. He’d dropped from the sky. Sure, she had witnessed
him do many impossible things. But fly? That was just insane. She shook her
head again. Why did she doubt his ability to fly when she’d seen him turn into
a dragon?

Pinning Paul against the
wall, Haden held him a foot off the ground. He squeezed his throat, his fingers
digging deep gouges. He could’ve ended it right then and there. He could’ve
easily ripped Paul’s head right off of his shoulders, but he didn’t. A quick
death wasn’t good enough. Haden threw Paul across the alley. Twisting and
turning in mid-air, Paul landed in a crouch and launched himself at Haden. In a
wild frenzy, Paul attacked. Haden met the attack with greater force. Bricks and
mortar crumbled and rained down on them, but they continued to fight.

Caylee realized car alarms
were going off. And in the distance she heard police sirens. She heard people
shouting and screaming. Blood was everywhere. What would happen when the police
arrived? Or what if, God forbid, an innocent bystander walked into the alley?
Her heart raced quickly. Too quickly. Painfully. She couldn’t quite catch her
breath.

Caylee’s distress made it
impossible for Haden to focus. He turned to her and forced her to meet his
gaze.
I’ve placed a hedge over the alley. No one will be able to enter it. No
one will be able to see what is happening. I need you to be calm.

From out of nowhere, a knife
appeared in Paul’s hand. He thrust it forward, burying it deep into Haden’s
chest, a fraction of an inch above his heart. Caught off guard, Haden stumbled
backward.

Caylee’s heart stopped.
“Haden!” She ran toward him as he yanked the knife out of his chest. His blood
spurted everywhere. She was distraught, nearly out of her mind with fear,
pressing her hands to the wound, trying to stop it from bleeding.

“What are you doing? Stay
back.” Pushing her behind the protection of his body, Haden threw the knife at
Paul, aiming for his thigh, still wanting to prolong Paul’s suffering.

Paul fell to his knees, his
eyes red and glowing. His hunger for blood burned. The agony was intolerable.
It was a terrible, fiery pain deep in his gut. “You failed to protect your
woman. You used her. You led me to her. It’s my right to take her blood.” He
ripped the knife free, lifted to his mouth, and licked the blood from the cold
metal blade. While black, greasy blood seeped from the wound on his leg, he
thought of Caylee’s hot, sweet blood flowing into his mouth and down his
throat, filling him, restoring his strength. He licked his lips. “Her blood is
mine!” He threw the knife at Caylee.

Lightning streaks raced from
the north, south, east, and west. At the same moment, each bolt struck the
knife. The thunder was instant and earsplitting. The knife burst into flames,
its ashes falling at Caylee’s feet.

Haden wasn’t human. She’d
known it for some time now. He couldn’t be. But what was he? A dragon? Or was
he some other mysterious being from a different universe or time? Eyes wide,
she stumbled backward, staring at Haden. It was frightening to think about how
easily he controlled the most powerful, destructive forces of nature.

Wind blasted through the
alley. Caylee felt something terrible and uncontrollable well up in Haden, a
horrifying beast, a living creature of rage. His image flashed from man to
dragon and then to man again. He growled. It was a deep, animalistic sound.

He’d hunted and destroyed
many creatures of darkness to protect humans from distinction. Never once had
it been personal. He’d never protected someone he loved. And he loved Caylee;
with every ounce of his heart and soul, he loved and cherished her.

Trembling, Caylee slowly
backed away. Haden knew she felt the shift in him. He knew she saw the truth.
She saw the dragon. The demon. A killer with no equal. Ruthless. Merciless.
Black flames radiated and leapt out from his body and swirled around him. He
was far more than intimidating. He was powerful beyond any human understanding.
He was more deadly and cunning than any predator that ever walked the earth.

The ground was shaking
violently, heaving and rolling deep below the surface of the earth, so the
buildings swayed back and forth. Huge hailstones fell from the sky, shattering
windows all around. Several building alarms joined the car alarms. Lightning
was striking the ground in several places all at once. Caylee covered her ears
to muffle the sounds, but it didn’t help.

Haden glanced at her. His
eyes glowed but were as black as the darkest night. She met his gaze for a
moment and then closed her eyes and prayed it was all a terrible dream.

Part of him wanted to wrap her
in his arms and take her away. He could easily do it. There was no reason to
force her to witness Paul’s destruction, but he was too enraged, too frustrated
to stop. He fully embraced the cunning, ferocious nature of his kind, allowing
the dragon to totally consume all thought. In an instant, he was on Paul,
mercilessly attacking.

The sound of flesh being
ripped, muscles torn, and bones breaking was so very shocking. Caylee opened
her eyes and stared in absolute horror. Breaking apart bricks and mortar, Haden
brutally smashed Paul against the building over and over again. It was a
terrible sight. Frightening. Heart stopping. It couldn’t be real. It had to be
a bad dream. A nightmare. She couldn’t possibly be witnessing such horrendous
brutality.

Suddenly, Caylee was
surrounded by ghouls. She opened her mouth to scream but only managed to
release a muffled whimper. Her throat closed so she couldn’t take a breath.
Snapping their jaws, they snarled, baring their teeth. They were the most
hideous dog-like creatures with patches of fur and flesh torn from their
bodies. Infection oozed from their flesh. In some places the wounds were so
deep bare bones showed.

Haden had placed an
impenetrable hedge of protection around her, so he didn’t worry about the
ghouls. With a closed fist, he hit Paul hard. The impact created a terrible
boom and hurled Paul several feet away, his body slamming against a dumpster.
At once, Haden was in front of Caylee.

Whining and whimpering, the
creatures turned to face Paul, seeking permission to flee. They would be
destroyed if they attempted to attack Haden, but Paul commanded them to do it;
they couldn’t disobey.