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Authors: Candice Stauffer

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BOOK: Eternal Breath of Darkness
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* * *

Zack’s eyes flashed open. He listened to the muffled cries of a
young woman in his mind. He felt fear. No. He wasn’t simply feeling it—he was
experiencing it as if it were his own. He’d never experienced fear. It had to
be a trick. It wasn’t possible for him to feel fear of any kind. What would he,
a powerful demon, ever fear? Closing his eyes, he attempted to purge the
whimpering from his mind and to uncover its creator.

The vision lasted for a
second, but he clearly saw a teenager behind Joseph’s hotel, cowering in the
mud at a vampire’s feet. The vision actually caused his entire body to shudder.
He didn’t take the time to consider that it was very odd for a vampire to kill
so close to a demon’s property. He was out of his bed and behind the building,
fighting the vampire before he actually had a chance to examine the situation.
It was a brief but particularly brutal battle. The vampire was surprisingly
strong enough to deliver a few substantial blows before Zack killed him.

When it was over, Zack
turned and stared at the girl for a moment. He estimated her age to be
somewhere around sixteen. She was far too thin and dressed in filthy rags. He
figured she was a runaway. He didn’t look into her mind. He didn’t want to know
any more. She was too young to be on the street alone. He decided to take her
to the police station. They would help her get into a shelter or return her to
her family.

She was already so very
afraid, and he knew, by the injuries he’d sustained, that he looked as
frightening as hell. Plus, she’d just witnessed the killer in him unleashed. He
slowly walked over to her, using his mind to hide his wounds to the best of his
ability. Kneeling down, hoping to appear less threatening, he held out his
hand. “Will you allow me to help you?”

Eyes wide, heart racing, she
stared up at him. He remained silent and still, barely even breathing, waiting
for her to decide whether or not to trust him. It seemed like an eternity, but
within a few seconds he heard her heart slow to a normal, steady rhythm. Then
nodding, her thick golden curls bobbing, she placed her tiny hand in his.

He helped her stand up, but
her legs gave out. He easily picked her up in his strong arms and cradled her.
Wrapping her thin arms around his neck, she hugged him tightly, resting her
head on his shoulder, whispering her gratitude in his ear. He couldn’t remember
a time that a human had actually thanked him for anything. Joy filled his heart
in a way he’d never experienced it before. Her genuine gratitude and absolute
trust melted his cold, dark heart. It was a powerful moment. A precious moment.
A frightening moment. But it was definitely a precious moment.

No! He stopped walking. What
the fuck was he thinking? Anger filled him. Hatred and resentment pierced his
heart. He wouldn’t be duped into caring about any human. Not even the tiny girl
in his arms. She meant nothing to him. He almost set her down, but he didn’t.
He ached to get as far away from her as possible, but he couldn’t force himself
to abandon her. No matter how much he wanted to do it, he couldn’t leave her to
fend for herself in the streets. He healed her physical wounds and imparted her
with his power. Then, determined to never think about her again, he dropped her
off at the police station.

 

 

 

~ Six ~

 

“WHY?” CAYLEE WAVED a twenty-dollar bill in front of Mia’s face.
“Have you completely lost your mind? I can’t believe you told Haden about our
bet.”

Mia laughed. “You should’ve seen
the look on his face.”

“Oh my God, Mia, why?”
Caylee shook her head. “Why did you do it?” She plopped down on the sofa facing
the dressing rooms and buried her face in her hands. “I’ve never been so
embarrassed in my life.”

“Why?”

“Mia, he thinks I believe
he’s gay. And worse, he thinks I bet on it.”

“You do, and you did.” She
shrugged. “But don’t worry, I told him I was the one who thought he was gay.”
Plucking the cash out of Caylee’s hand, Mia laughed.

“It’s not funny, Mia.” She
was far from relieved. She knew Haden could’ve easily learned the truth by
mucking around in Mia’s head. Imagining the look on his face, Caylee giggled.
“Well, maybe it’s a little funny.”

“Way more than a little,
honey. I have it all captured on the store surveillance camera if you want to
see it. I watched it a few times this morning. It’s hilarious. Okay. I lied. I
watched it several times. It’s so funny. It’s a miracle he managed to lift his
chin up off the floor before he tucked his tail between his legs and ran out of
here.”

Chewing on her bottom lip,
Caylee frowned. “You actually have it on video?”

“I sure do.” Mia nodded
eagerly. “Do want to see it?”

Grinning, she nodded once.
Of course she wanted to see it. Then, she shook her head. “No.”

Mia shrugged. “Why not?”

Caylee frowned. “How mad was
he?”

“Why?” If he took it out on
Caylee, he was going to be sorry. “Of course he was mad, but don’t worry about
it. It needed to be done. It’s his own fault. He’s been sending you mixed
messages for a year now.” Mia sat down next to Caylee. “Don’t be upset. How
else were we going to find out?”

Caylee took a deep breath
and sighed. “I suppose it was his own fault.”

“When did he catch up to
you?”

“Five thirty.”

“Wow. It certainly didn’t
take him long at all. He rushed out of here at a quarter after.”

“Oh, Mia, you wouldn’t
believe what happened. It was one of the most horrible, terrifying nights of my
life.”

Instantly, anger flashed in
Mia’s eyes. “What did the bastard do to you?” She was going to kick Haden’s
ass.

Caylee shook her head. “It
wasn’t him. There was a woman in the forest.” She paused. “She was dead, Mia.
There was so much blood. I couldn’t move. I couldn’t look away from her. The
stench in the air was just awful. It was so foul I couldn’t even breathe. I’ve
never seen anything so sickening in my life. I’m so lucky Haden found me. The
killer actually returned while we were there.”

“Hold on.” Mia held up her
hand. “I can’t believe you actually went out there. I thought you were just
trying to teach him a lesson. I wouldn’t have let you go if I knew you were
going out there.” She frowned. “You’ve seen the news, Caylee. We’ve all seen
it. Four women, now five, have been killed out there. What were you thinking?”

“I was miles for the area
any of the women were attacked. I thought it was safe.  Still, I now know
it was stupid. I don’t know why I did it. Haden just makes me so mad. He’s
always bossing me around. He acts like such a jerk. It drives me insane. He
makes my skin itch. Sometimes I can’t even stand to be near him. I’m serious,
Mia—he drives me absolutely insane.”

Mia laughed. “It’s called
sexual frustration, honey. You need to do him and get it over with.”

“You know I can’t.”

“Have you told him about
Phillip yet?”

“No.” Caylee shook her head.
“And you won’t say a word to him about it.”

“You need to tell him. He’s
going to find out. It’s only a matter of time.”

“You’re wrong. He won’t.”

“Eventually the announcement
will be in the newspaper,” Mia pointed out. “He’s a lawyer, so I’m fairly
certain he can read. How are you going to keep it from him?”

“Well, maybe he will find
out, but it doesn’t matter.” Tears welled up. “I’m never seeing Haden again.”
There was a catch in her voice. “I just can’t bear to see him again.”

“Why?” Mia asked.

A long silence followed. “He
kissed me last night.”

Mia wasn’t a fool. Haden
Drake was a chest-beating, annoying as hell, manly man. There was no way he’d
just kissed Caylee and walked away. “Just a kiss?”

A blush rose from Caylee’s
neck to her cheeks. “It was more.”

That brought Mia’s eyebrow
up. “More?”

Nodding, Caylee smiled. “Way
more.” She paused. “Oh Mia, it was wonderful.”

“So you did him?”

“No.” Shaking her head,
Caylee frowned. “Of course not.”

“Of course not?” Shaking her
head, Mia smiled. “You can’t fool me. I know you want him bad. To tell you the
truth, I’m not all that thrilled about this thing you have for him, but it
ought to be a fun adventure for you. I mean, I bet he’s pretty good at rocking
a woman’s world in the sack. He obviously takes care of himself. He’s in great
shape. Some people, mostly men, would lie and say size and stamina don’t
matter, but trust me, honey, they matter a whole hell of a lot.”

“I can’t believe you just
said that to me.” Caylee laughed. “It doesn’t matter what I want. What woman
wouldn’t want him?” Drawing her bottom lip into her mouth, she chewed on it. “I
can’t have him. Not in this lifetime anyways.”

“Why?”

“He’s just so amazing.
You’ve seen him, haven’t you? He’s perfect. He’s everything I’m not.”

“Stop.” Frowning, Mia took
Caylee’s hand. “I’m not going to listen to you belittle yourself. You’re an
amazing woman. You’re gorgeous. I mean it—you’re an absolutely beautiful
woman.”

“You have to say that.”

“Why?”

“You’re my best friend.”

“Trust me, if you were ugly,
I would tell you to date a plastic surgeon.” Mia took Caylee’s hand. “Are you
afraid of being intimate with him because you were raped?”

Caylee shook her head. “No.
He would never hurt me like that. But sometimes when he touches me I…oh it’s
terrible. I panic. I just lose it. It’s like I go back in time and relive the
fear and the pain I felt during the rape. I don’t want to talk about it.”

“It isn’t your fault. It
happens to many women that have been raped. I think you should tell him about
it. I’m not Haden’s biggest fan, but I know he would do anything to help you
through it.”

“Mia, please stop. I’m never
telling him. I don’t want to talk about it right now.”

“Okay. We will talk later,
but I need to take care of a mess at the bank before it closes for the weekend.
You need to try on the dress I made for you.” Smiling, Mia held up a slinky
black dress.

“Oh, no way. Come on, Mia,
there’s no way I’m ever going to wear this dress.” Standing up, Caylee covered
her mouth and laughed. “Oh my God, there’s hardly any fabric to it. I feel
naughty just thinking about wearing it.” She reached out to touch the dress.
“I’m not wearing it. I’m serious. A bikini would cover up more of my body than
this.”

“You have no choice. You
promised. You’re not backing out on me this time. You’re going to the Fourth of
July party with me this year.” Mia grabbed her arm, led her to the dressing
room, and shoved her inside. “The heels, jewelry, and thigh-highs are yours,
too. Don’t leave. I’ll be back in an hour or so. I want to see it on you. All
of it. If you need any help, Julie and Brianna are here.” Smiling, she shut the
door.

After leaving instructions
with Brianna and Julie, Mia opened the door to leave just as Haden was reaching
for the door to go inside. “What, now that you’re not gay, you’re stalking
her?”

Nodding, he grinned.
“Absolutely.”

Her expression softened.
“Listen, Haden, I didn’t think she would go out there. I wouldn’t have let her
go. Thank you for finding her.”

Frowning, Haden took a step
back. The fact that she was being nice was quite scary. Making him feel a
little safer, her smile turned into a scowl.

“If you’re not serious, if
you hurt her in any way, I will hunt you down and I will make you regret the
day you were born.”

“I would hope so.”

“Whatever.” Rolling her
eyes, she snorted. “I suppose you can go inside and wait for her, but don’t
bother her. She’s trying on a dress.” Without saying another word, Mia walked
away.

***

Julie grabbed Brianna’s arm.
“Oh … oh … my … God, he’s back.”

“Who?”

“Just stay here.” Julie
rushed over to Haden. “Can I help you find something?”

“No.” He looked down at her,
his ruthless, ice-blue gaze causing her to gasp. “I’m waiting for Caylee.” When
he said her name, his voice deepened, his blue eyes darkened, and lips parted
in a sensuous smile.

Toes curling, Julie
whimpered. “Oh, okay.” He was so damn good-looking. So hot. She was going to
pass out; she needed air. “You can sit over there.” Turning to rush back to
Brianna, Julie tripped. Haden grabbed her arm to prevent her from falling flat
on her face, but he released her the instant she regained her balance.
Blushing, her entire body trembling, she thanked him profusely and then rushed
over to Brianna. “I can die happy now.”

Brianna shook her head.
“Huh?”

“He touched me.” She sighed.
“It was more than that. He saved me.” Julie placed her hand over her heart. “My
God, I’ve never seen a man look so hot in a suit.”

“Who? You know I can’t see a
thing.”

“It’s Haden Drake. Oh, oh my
God.” She turned her head to sniff her arm where he’d grabbed her. “He smells
so yummy. I could just lick him all over. And it’s not just any suit he’s
wearing. It’s Armani. I bet it’s custom tailored. I know it is. It’s worth a
few thousand at least. He’s so tall. Way over six foot.” She paused. “He’s as
buff as they come, Julie. His shoulders and chest are just huge. I would give
anything to take a ride on that stud.” She took a deep breath and released it
with a sigh. “I would give anything to take a ride on any part of that man’s
body.”

“You’re so incredibly
vulgar.” Brianna sighed. “But I almost wish I could see him.”

“Want to go over and have a
feel?”

“Are you crazy?” Brianna’s
voice cracked.

“Well, you’re blind. It’s
how you see the world. And I can tell you he’s some fine scenery you don’t want
to miss out on. I don’t know how he could object.”

“I do.” Brianna paused.
“Why’s he here? We don’t have any clothing for men, do we?”

“No. He’s here because Mia’s
friend, Caylee, is here. It’s not official, but she acts like they’re a
couple.”

Brianna detected dark note
of bitterness in Julie’s voice.

Haden took off his coat.
Julie squealed. “Oh, oh my God. Now that’s a terrific ass. I wish you could see
this. I wish he would take a little more off. The man is the most scintillating
piece of erotic artwork I’ve ever seen.” She laughed. “Are you sure you don’t
want to go over and have a feel?”

* * *

Pleased with what she was seeing, Caylee examined her body in the
black lacy bra, panties, and thigh-highs for a moment. She felt a little
ridiculous staring at her reflection in the mirror, but she was happy to see
that most of her scars were so faded they were hardly noticeable. She put the
dress on and sighed. Haden was such a handsome man. He had such a very solid,
muscular build. His strong arms and broad chest were intimidating, but she
savored the sensation of his powerful muscles bunching and tensing against her
body as he held her.

Realizing she was
daydreaming, she opened her eyes. It was morally wrong to look like him, but
perhaps not as wrong as standing there drooling over the thought of him. She
shrugged. It wasn’t her fault. He could drive any woman insane. Grinning, she
remembered his hands cradling her hips as she kissed him and rubbed her body
against his. Before she could stop herself, she started to imagine her hands,
wandering, touching every inch of his body.

Haden started to hear her
thoughts. As if hearing wasn’t torture enough, her thoughts were so strong he
felt her hands exploring his body. He was instantly, violently aroused.
You’re
killing me, little love!
His heart rate sped up, and his stomach fluttered.
Joy, overwhelming joy filled him. He easily entered and held her mind captive.
He sent the sensation of a cold breeze sweeping over her naked body as the
warmth of his hands and mouth caressed every lush curve of it. He imagined
cupping her breasts in his hands, swirling his tongue over her nipples, taking
them between his teeth and nipping and sucking, teasing them.

Caylee’s heart rate
elevated. The air left her lungs in a startled gasp. She could barely breathe.
All at once her body burned and ached for release as moist heat pooled between
her legs. She gasped again.
Stop it, Haden!
Biting her lower lip, she
blushed.

BOOK: Eternal Breath of Darkness
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