Eternal Breath of Darkness (6 page)

They surrounded Haden.
Hesitating, they circled him, whining and shrieking. Then all at once, they
attacked. Haden could’ve destroyed them without ever touching them, but as if
they were rag dolls, he ripped each of them apart with his bare hands.

Paul knew he would die if he
failed to escape. He watched for a few seconds, and then, using the last bit of
his strength, he dissolved into a putrid mist and disappeared.

~
Five ~

STANDING IN THE middle of the alley, Haden studied Paul’s path.
Even after Zack’s warning, he’d underestimated the vampire. The situation was
so much more dangerous than he thought. He’d never encountered a vampire brazen
enough to challenge a fully matured male demon. Not like this. Not using a
demon’s mate. He should’ve killed the vampire before taking her home. Why
hadn’t he? Normally he would’ve done it. There wouldn’t have been any
hesitation. Why was it so important to make Paul suffer? Now the vampire was
free to strike again. He’d killed numerous vampires, too many to count, but
he’d never fought with anger clouding his judgment.

He heard Caylee stumbling
over bricks, splinters of wood, and shattered glass to get to him. He turned
toward her. “Stay there.”

He made his way to her in an
instant. “He stabbed you.” She tried to unbutton his shirt, but her hands were
trembling too much. “I can’t believe he stabbed you.”

He took a breath and held it.
She was in a state of shock. He needed to comfort her, to say something,
anything, but at that moment he couldn’t speak. He just stared down at her
hands. He didn’t move. He
couldn’t
move. He didn’t want to do anything
that might cause her to stop touching him. Compared to his, her hands were so
tiny and delicate, but they wielded such great power over him. In all honesty,
he was fascinated by her ability to possess absolute control over his body.

Apparently frustrated,
Caylee ripped his shirt open. Haden’s heart skipped a beat, and then it raced.
Her assertiveness was unexpected, but it was pure erotic pleasure. His flesh
burned beneath her fingertips. His fierce need for her detonated. Enormous
waves of lust slammed into him so hard his body shuddered, and every muscle
tensed as he struggled to remain in control as she examined the knife wound on
his chest.

He’d dreamt of her touching
him like this for so long. Her fingers caressed his flesh ever so lightly,
mercilessly teasing him, driving him mad. He knew she meant to soothe his pain,
but her touch was the furthest thing from soothing. It was causing him to
experience a delicious form of agony. His heart was going to burst. Her touch
was pure torture. She’d never once, in all the time they’d known each other,
touched his body so boldly.

She didn’t know she was
enticing him, tormenting him, rewarding him, and punishing him all at the same
time. In fact, at that moment, she would be horrified if she knew how much he
enjoyed her touch. But he did. More than he ever thought possible. He’d lived
alone for hundreds and hundreds of years, surrounded by people but purposely
set apart from everyone, until he met her. He craved her companionship. He
needed it. He’d spent a great deal of time gently seducing her, coaxing her a
little bit at a time, waiting for the moment she would, without fear, embrace
her body’s need for his.

He knew that, to her eyes,
the stab wound would look very bad; his flesh was ripped wide open. Splaying
her hand over it, she looked up at him, and he could tell she wished she could
take the pain from his body. So much anguish flowed from her heart and soul. It
was for him. Every bit of it. It touched him so deeply, so thoroughly. It hurt
like nothing ever had before, but at the same time it filled his heart and soul
with boundless joy.

“It’s okay, little love.” He
placed his hand over hers. “I’m okay.”

He’d endured several wounds
in battles, too many to count. Never once, in all of his existence, had his
health and well-being mattered to anyone. The people he protected had never
shed a tear for his sake. It had never mattered to him. He was a powerful
immortal. A guardian. A protector of the innocent and helpless. And yes, the
ignorant. His supernatural gifts and great strength were blessings and curses.
Mankind, though they were protected by his kind, either feared or hated his
kind.

“It looks bad, but it’s
nothing. It’s already healing.”

Just then, she felt a
burning sensation on her legs. She stepped back and looked down. Even soaked
with rain her clothing was smoldering. Confused, she looked up at him. “What’s
happening?”

“I’m sorry. It’s his blood.
I should’ve known it was on you. It burns like acid.” Black flames surrounded
her and swirled over her, caressing her flesh, touching her everywhere at once.
Within seconds the strange flames removed the vampire’s blood from her body.
“It’s gone now. All of it. You’ll be fine.”

“He’s a v-vampire.”

“I know.” He cradled her
against his chest, near his heart where she belonged, safe and protected, shielded
from the horrors of the dark world she lived in. He filled her with his healing
energy, his strength, and his love.

“How can it be real?” She
shook her head in denial. “I don’t understand any of it. How can anything that
happened tonight be real?”

 “Why didn’t you reach
for me?” He wanted to comfort her. He was shocked when his voice sounded
harsher than he intended, but he was frustrated and a little bit angry. She
should’ve believed in him. She should’ve immediately rejected the thought of him
raping a woman. She could’ve been killed. The vampire should’ve never been able
to deceive her and draw her out into the night.

“I did, but I … oh,
God.” How could she believe he was raping a woman? “He was in my mind … my
body.”

He pushed his frustration and
anger aside, making sure she would only hear compassion and understanding in
his voice. “It’s not your fault, little love—it’s mine. I underestimated him.
He’s a very strong telepath and an expert hunter. He confused and deceived you,
wanting you to believe you were alone and helpless. But you can always reach
me, Caylee.” He set her down on her feet, and then, forcing her to make eye
contact with him, he held her face between his hands. “Always.” Embedding the
information in her mind, he added, “Be persistent. No matter what is happening,
don’t give up. Nothing can ever stop you from reaching me at any time.”

Massaging her throat, she
stared up at him.

“You’re my life.” Suddenly,
as he watched her massage her throat, he feared he was too late. His heart
actually stopped.

He growled. It was a deep,
menacing sound. He didn’t try to hide the dark, deadly power radiating from his
eyes as he reached up to move her hand from her throat. He examined her throat
and neck.

Haden felt her fear, but he
ignored it. He wouldn’t allow it to stop him. She had every right to fear
him—he would kill her if Paul had turned her. He would have no other choice. He
would never allow her to suffer the existence of the undead. He couldn’t. He
loved her too much. He would find a way to do the impossible: he would end his
existence to be with her, but he would most certainly kill her. “Did he give
you his blood?”

“Huh? What do you mean?”
Eyes wide, she stared up at him.

“Did he force you to take
his blood into your body?”

“No.” Her entire body was
trembling so fiercely he suspected she couldn’t even see straight.

Relief washed over him,
through him. Closing his eyes, he took a deep and calming breath. He opened his
eyes and held her gaze captive, forcing her to witness the color of his eyes
changing to blue. It was important for her to learn to accept and not fear the
things in him that were strange to her.

He moved closer to her,
crowding her, caging her between the building and his body. He wasn’t trying to
intimidate her. He only wanted to comfort her, comfort himself. He wanted to
shelter her in his arms forever. He was desperate to make her understand she
was safe with him. He would never betray her. He would gladly give his immortal
soul to protect her. And yes, he would kill her to protect her. But thankfully,
she wouldn’t be forced to learn that.

She was a tiny woman. He
knew she felt dwarfed by his massive size. Defenseless. Powerless. But he was
done pretending. She tried to shove him, but he refused to budge. “What do you
think you’re doing?” She pushed at him again. “You’re such a jerk. Get away
from me.”

“The skin is broken, and
your throat is badly bruised.” He wanted her. He needed her, desperately,
madly. He gently wrapped his hand around her slender throat. “Why didn’t you
tell me it hurts to breathe?”

He listened to her heart
beat wildly. He knew the heat radiating from his hand was soothing the pain,
healing her bruised flesh. But he also knew it was doing so much more. It was
heating her blood, sending electrical currents zipping through her body and
over her flesh.

Haden was so much more than
simply powerful. He was power. He commanded the wind, rain, lightning, and
thunder. He made the earth move. He was so much more than intimidating. He was
deadly. Mystifying. Sinister. Godlike. Beautiful. Strange.

He brought her hand to the
warmth of his mouth.

She tried to pull her hand
out of his. “What’s wrong with you? Did your head get hit too hard?” Until this
night, he’d seldom touched her. He was her friend. Nothing more. He’d never
acted so bold, so pushy. She was always safe with him. She knew better now: he
wanted her body, her soul, her total surrender. Too much was happening too
quickly. “Stop looking at me like that.”

“Like what?”

What man looked like him? It
was so unfair. So wrong. He made her way too aware of being a woman. Her
stomach was flipping, and her head was spinning. Every secret part of her body
tingled. He looked so wickedly sexy. She blushed, realizing her panties were
damp. He was all man, but he possessed naughty, boyish qualities. He was so
very hot. Far too hot in all the right, invigorating, stimulating ways. The
heat radiating from his muscular body sizzled over her flesh, caressing her
everywhere. His voice was as smooth as the finest velvet. As always, it was
flawless. Deep. Seductive. Intoxicating. It wrapped around her like a silk
ribbon, tying her to him for all of eternity.

His powerful arms swept
around her, dragging her so close her body melted into his heavily muscled
frame. She held her breath. Her heart momentarily stopped. He was so powerful.
A part of her feared if she needed to, she wouldn’t have any chance to escape
him. But then, another part of her, a wild, uninhibited part, never wanted to
escape. His body was so hot, so wonderfully rock-hard solid against her soft,
feminine curves.

“This has been the longest
night of my existence.” She was shocked when he pressed the swollen, hard
length of his cock against her flat belly. “I need you, Caylee. Need me the way
I need you. Need me to be inside your body, little love, deep inside your
body.”

“What is your problem?” She
shoved him, harder this time, putting all of her weight into it. “Stop touching
me!”

A deep, animalistic growl
rumbled in his chest and throat. “Stay still,” he whispered between clenched
teeth. Her head snapped up so that she met his gaze. Fear pierced her heart
deeply. Something dark, aggressive, and threatening burned in his eyes. More
terrified of his strength and power than ever before, she stopped fighting him,
knowing it was instigating something fierce, knowing he was fighting to harness
it.

“Relax,” he whispered. She
sensed he was struggling to remain in control of something very dangerous.
“Just relax. I do want to make love to you, but I’m not going to do anything to
you that you do not want me to do.”

 He was crushing her,
holding too tightly. “I can’t, Haden. I can’t be with you like that.” His arms
were like steel bindings; his body was as solid as a boulder pushing her
against the building behind her.

“I love you, Caylee.”

“If love is your excuse for
acting like an idiot and freaking me out, you suck.” She considered lifting her
knee, hoping that if she did it, he would drop as quickly as the vampire. “Get
away from me!”

Chuckling softly, he
loosened his arms a bit and shifted his body, giving her a tiny bit of space.
“You don’t really want to hurt me, do you?”

 “Yes, I do.” she
replied. Her body burned against his solid frame. She was terrified. Angry.
Aroused. Extremely aroused. His body was remarkable. His strength was amazing.
His mysterious abilities were unbelievable. He so easily overpowered her that
she felt utterly defenseless in his arms.

“Why do you entertain such
thoughts?” His voice was a deep, husky rasp. It thoroughly revealed his lust.
It exposed his desire, his need for her, his undying love and his devotion.
“Please, don’t think the worst of me.” He leaned down and tilted his head to
the side, as if preparing to kiss her. “With all of my heart and my soul, I
love you.”

Framing her face with his
hands, he gently caressed her lips with the callused pad of his thumb. He
wanted to kiss her. He needed to taste her. Once. Maybe twice. “I would never
hurt you,” he whispered. He wanted to worship her body with his. He needed to
give her pleasure she would never forget. She would never be tempted to stray
from him. She would always crave him, only him.

His mouth was too close to
hers. She couldn’t catch her breath. She needed to get away from him. All at
once, she wished he would kiss her and feared he would do it. A delicious
shiver raced through her body. Her heart beat frantically. “Please.” Her voice
was a husky, breathless whisper. “Stop.”