Hot Decadent Rising (Breath of Darkness) (10 page)

She felt it now. Her heart began to slow
down. Each pound seemed painfully exaggerated with every breath she took. She
was dying. Of course her dad would know what drug to give her to do the most
damage.

Eyes growing heavier, she experienced
the sensation of drifting away from her body as if being split in two halves.
That’s when she gained a clear understanding or rather a knowing of life after
death. What was once only a question or myth had become her reality. Fear had
no place in the moment. Eager to keep moving further into her new existence,
she felt revitalized. Her father wouldn’t get the last word. She’d come back,
without the limitations of her flesh, and she would haunt the shit out of him.
Eyes closing, head tipping to the side, she laughed at the thought.

“I’ve always said it, and once again I
find myself stumbling across another woman proving it to be true.” The man’s deep
voice was such a soft whisper she wasn’t sure it was real or her imagination.

“What?”

“Women are curious creatures.”

“What are you talking about?” she asked.

“I fail to understand the humor in your
situation.”

“You heard my thoughts?”

“I guess you caught me so there’s no use
in denying it. I truly hope you will forgive me for invading your private
thoughts,” the man said.

“You’re admitting it?”

“Of course. How else could I find myself
puzzled over the fact you’re actually happy to die because it will give you a
chance to get revenge against your daddy?”

She struggled to lift her head and turn
toward his voice. The man was standing behind the light. It was too dark to see
him and she couldn’t hear any movement, but she sensed his presence draw
nearer. “Who are you?”

“Does it matter?” he asked.

Obviously, he worked for her father. He
fit the profile. He was a depraved jerk happily getting off on taunting her.
Desperation to get away, to survive, slammed into her hard and fast. Her heart
rate accelerated. It hurt like hell. She half expected it to explode right out
of her chest. Her anxiety quickly developing in full blown panic, she began to
gasp for more air. She couldn’t die. Struggling to break free from the rope
securing her arms and legs she nearly tipped the wooden chair over onto its
side. She didn’t want to die. Screw the haunting. She didn’t want to just give
up. Not yet.

“
Shh
.” A large
hand gripped her chin and slowly lifted her face. “Getting worked up won’t help
you. I’m going to remove the drugs from your system so you’re able to help
yourself. The process will go easier for you and less messy for me if you
remain calm. The truth is I’ve a strong dislike of anything messy. Plus, if we
are interrupted I will be forced to cover my tracks. I’m not in the mood to
kill anyone at the moment as it would eventually lead back to me being here. I
would appreciate it if you refrain from doing anything to attract unnecessary
attention.” The man’s voice carried power. She was exhausted. Her eyes were heavy.
Her head fell to the side as she closed her eyes.

“No. Look at me.” It was command she
couldn’t defy, though it was so dark she had no hope of seeing him. “You’re
drowsy because you’ve been drugged.”

“Oh, crap.” The man kneeling before her
on his knees was surrounded by blurry golden flames. She blinked to correct her
vision.  The brightness surrounding him slowly dimmed into an iridescent
golden mist. His eyes were dark brown, perhaps even black, but they glowed.
They were hypnotic. Soothing. Magical. Powerful. He was…oh, cool. He was an
angel. She was already dead.

His lip slowly lifted into a smile that
was way too wicked to belong to an angel, or any other form of a holy being.

“That’s right. You won’t be finding a
halo hovering over my head.” He released her chin. Her head fell to the side,
but her eyes remained locked onto his gaze.

“What are you?”

“I am a demon.” He stood up. She tipped
her head back to look up at him. “You may call me Demetri.”

She had never even considered the
thought of him working for her father. “My father sent you?”

He shook his head. “I’ve never been one
to enjoy being bombarded with questions, but I’m feeling strangely pleasant
today, so I’ll play along. I do as I wish for no other reason that it’s my
desire to do it. No one sends me.”

 “Can you untie me? I need to get
out of here.”

“No. It would make your escape
possible.”

“Huh?” He was kidding. He had to be
joking.

“Just by being here I have already saved
you from a certain long and torturous death. I do not wish to further risk
ruining my stellar reputation as being a mysteriously wicked demon.”

“You’re serious?”

“I am.”

“You have to help me. I’m in danger.”

“No.”

“Why are you here?”

“Entertainment. I’m using you to ruffle
some feathers. And there’s no need to be so dramatic. As long I’m here no one
can harm you. Plus, I’m not dragging you out into the middle of the forest
where a big bad wolf could cross your path and gobble you up.”

“Get away from her, Demetri.”

“What took you so long, Mia?” Demetri
turned away from her to face Mia. “I won’t lie. I’m quite disappointed. When
Joseph ordered you to stay put and wait for him, I expected instant rebellion.
I certainly didn’t expect you to so readily obey.”

“I told you to get away from her.”

“For the past three weeks you’ve stood
guard over her while she was in a coma. What happened today? How did they
manage to get past you to drug her and drag her into the basement?”

Though Mia appeared completely confident
when she made the demand, she didn’t look big enough to take a man Demetri’s
size on. Knowing he was far more than a run of the mill man, Kara was terrified
for the woman. 

***

“What
I find absolutely amusing is that I’m almost convinced you expect me to listen
and obey.” Demetri stared at her for what seemed like an eternity.

Standing face to face with Demetri had a
way of making a woman feel inferior, but Mia wouldn’t let the bastard see it.
She wouldn’t back down. She couldn’t. Her Lycan nature compelled her to stand
her ground, to fight when others would flee. She didn’t have a chance of
defeating him in hand to hand combat, but she could slow him down to buy Joseph
some time to reach them. 

That’s a terrible idea, Mia. Get your
pretty little ass out of there. Let me deal with him.

I’m not leaving her alone with him. And
shut up, Joseph. You’re distracting me.

Leave the room. Wait for me.
His tone was
calm and even. It sounded as if he at least half expected her to leave. She
almost laughed when she got the impression of him crossing his fingers.

You know I can’t. He’ll take her.

Just leave. I will find her.
His voice
sounded deeper, lower, more of a guttural growl. She could actually feel the
ache in his jaw from clenching his teeth together too tightly.

Like you and your buddies have found
Zack.
It was a low blow, but she saw no reason to sugarcoat the truth though she felt
a little guilty for saying it.

You don’t want to defy me this time.

 I’m not leaving her alone with
him. So
get over it. Cowering in the shelter of your shadow isn’t the way I intend
to live my life.
And you know better than to expect it.

Joseph’s anger and rage caused the
foundation of the hospital to shake. It was brief but violent. Mia actually
stumbled and had to reach for the wall to regain her balance. He was mad as
hell at her. Let him be mad. She was just as mad at him. He knew her. He should
trust her.

Demetri laughed out loud. “Poor Joseph
is quite upset with you for trying to bite off more than you can chew. I don’t
blame him. Not really. To be entirely forthright, I think he’s stupid for
allowing you to fight alongside him. That being said, I must also admit that I
admire his ability to put up with your reckless disregard for your life while
keeping you alive for so long.”

“Is it as reckless as your disregard for
your life?” she asked.

“Because I’ve challenged your almighty
will by staying here? Do you intend to kill me, Mia?” he asked as he took a step
toward her. “You’re such a funny little girl. Look at you. You’re nothing.
You’re not even half my size. You’re mini. Mini Mia. I like it much better than
the name Joseph gave you. Honestly, you don’t behave like a sweet angel at all.
Not even a little.”

 Though she knew it was a taunt to
get her to attack, she might’ve done just that if Joseph hadn’t burst through
the door. He shoved Demetri back and took his place in front of her and
slightly to the left.

“It’s strange you would just show up.
Your little attack dog and I were just talking about you. All good of course.
Isn’t that right, Mini Mia?”

Obviously having a tough time holding
back a smile, she saw the corner of Joseph’s mouth twitch. He recovered quickly
and nodded at Kara. “What do want with the woman?”

Demetri shrugged. “Nothing.”

“Why are you here?” Joseph asked.

“I was performing a test. You failed. If
you’re unable to convince your mate to obey and stay home like a good girl, you
shouldn’t allow her to wander out of your sight during a battle.”

“I can take care of myself.” Mia
blurted. She immediately regretted even opening her mouth. It sounded as stupid
as it was. If push came to shove, she wouldn’t have a chance against a demon as
old and as powerful as Demetri.

“And yet you’ve foolishly behaved like a
child and forced him to blindly rush into what could’ve been a deadly trap.
What if I’d set this meeting up to kill him? Perhaps you should consider using
your brain before you act in the future. Don’t shortchange Joseph. If it
weren’t for him, you would have been dead a long while ago.”

Joseph placed his hand on Mia’s shoulder
to prevent her from responding.
Don’t let him get to you. Arguing with him
is a waste of time we don’t have. Take Kara to Nikolas’ property. He’s waiting
for you. 

Dread clenching her heart, she looked up
at him
.
He planned to detain Demetri, to fight him. It was her fault.
She’d forced him into the situation because he loved her.
You come with me.

“She has no common sense and an
appalling lack of respect. Both could get her killed. Yet you do nothing to
correct her. If your little mini pup belonged to me, I would have put her over
my knee a long time ago.”

It isn’t your fault. Take her.

Mia didn’t expect Joseph to respond to
Demetri’s criticism. Joseph wasn’t easily provoked into showing his true
emotion. His strength of mind and total control made him more powerful and
dangerous than most of his kind understood. Most believed he was indifferent or
clueless. The truth was the calmer and more inwardly centered he appeared to
be, the more violent the storm of his emotions.  
  

But…

I’ll be fine.

I’m afraid.
Making the
statement made her feel silly, but she knew if he believed it he would go with
her.

Looking frustrated, he frowned as he
stared into her eyes. Once he found the truth, his lips parted into a broad
smile that melted her heart.
I thought we agreed to keep manipulation
tactics in bedroom activities.

When is the last time we made it to the…

Cutting her off,
Joseph shoved
her to the side as Demetri hurled a fiery ball of energy at them. It slammed
into Joseph’s chest and hurled him into wall across the room. The impact made a
horrible crushing sound. Mia’s first instinct was to defend Joseph and attack
Demetri. Before she could move, Joseph had recovered and lunged for Demetri.

Joseph and Demetri were surrounded by a
sudden burst of swirling black smoke. There were flames that slowly sucked in
on themselves, and then taking the demons along with them they disappeared. She
knew it was Joseph’s doing. He was taking the fight away from the hospital to
give her a chance to safely get away with Kara.

~Five~

AFTER
LEAVING THE tunnels Eli was distracted by an abnormally strong desire to return
to his birthplace near Multnomah Falls in Oregon’s Columbia River Gorge. He
knew it was a compulsion. He could’ve simply pushed it out of his mind, but he
needed a small diversion to occupy his time while waiting for Samuel to get
brave enough to make his move. Besides, he had a gut feeling Kara was behind
it. He tried to avoid thinking about her, but she was always on his mind. She
haunted his dreams during the night.

A younger wolf, Cain, had been closely following
him. It wasn’t until Eli had made his way to the top of the falls that Cain
finally approached him. He hoped the younger wolf wasn’t looking for a fight.
He didn’t want to kill Cain but, regardless of how young and foolish he was, he
would kill him if he refused to submit to him. “What do you want?” Rather than
show respect by turning to face him, Eli kept his back to
him.   

“I came to warn you.” The low tone of
Cain’s voice revealed apprehension. Apprehension was good.

“About?” Eli studied the colorful
foliage before him and the leaves in the trees above him. It was beautiful.
Nature was truly, magnificently stunning.

Normally, he might’ve failed to notice
the vibrant fall scenery surrounding him. For some reason learning that Mia
didn’t belong to him, had changed him in a way he hadn’t expected. Rather than
dealing with any form of depression, the loss had been a weight lifted off of
his shoulders.

He was free for first time in a long
time. It felt strange, yet pleasant. He was more at peace than ever before.
He’d been liberated from the constant driving need to hunt down a destiny that
always seemed to be just right out of his reach. 

“The pack is following close behind.” He
heard Cain take a few steps toward him. “They’re hunting you. Samuel plans to
kill you.”

Once he was within reach, Eli turned
around to face him. “Why would you come to warn me? You’ve made your loyalty to
Samuel clear. Do you expect me to believe you have my back now?” He smiled.
They didn’t know it, but thanks to Samuel’s obsession with killing him and
proving his ability to be their leader, the pack was still following his lead.

“I was wrong. The pack was wrong. So
were you. But the pack hasn’t turned on you. Not really. You abandoned us.”

Eli understood why Cain thought he was
wrong. He didn’t have a problem with any of his pack members questioning him so
long as they remained completely faithful to him. The problem he had was that
his pack betrayed him, because they believed he made a mistake. For the good of
the pack’s future, he had to teach them a lesson. He had to make sure it never
happened again. 

“She was pure blooded. You know how rare
it is. We need her.”

“Bad enough to take her against her
will?” The truth was that Eli had been wrong, but not for the reason Cain
believed. He’d been wrong by allowing Samuel to remain in the pack. Eli knew he
was trouble. He should’ve driven Samuel off long before he’d had the
opportunity to turn the pack against him. Now, it was too late to simply drive
the rival wolf off.

The only way to properly resolve his
mistake was to make an example out of Samuel. He needed to show his pack what
would happen to them if they ever tried to take over. He had to kill Samuel.
Eli hoped it would end there. He didn’t want to kill any of the other pack
members, especially the younger less knowledgeable males like Cain, but that
was exactly what he would do if push came to shove.

“She would have come to her senses in
time.”

“She is with her true mate.”

“I refuse to believe she belongs to a
demon, but I’m willing to agree to disagree. At the moment we have a bigger
problem. Samuel is destroying the pack.”

Eli shrugged. “It’s not my problem.”

“You are our true leader.”

“I would rather not lead a pack with so
little loyalty.”

“You’re planning to go it alone?” Cain
asked.

 “The thought has crossed my mind,”
Eli lied. Normally, a Lycan leader would never have tolerated such brazen acts
of betrayal, but he felt a degree of responsibility for his pack turning on
him. He’d created confusion. He’d taken Mia back to Joseph after he’d ordered
them to take possession of her against her will. They didn’t understand why
he’d given up. They viewed it as weakness. They couldn’t except that it was for
any other reason. A strong pack would never follow a weak leader.

“You can’t just quit and turn your back
on us.”

“Why not? You turned your back on me.”
Catching Eli’s attention, a dark shadow moved over them. He looked up and saw a
dragon soaring, circling above the treetops. It obviously wanted to be seen or
else it he wouldn’t have seen it.

“It wouldn’t have happened if you’d kept
the woman.” the younger wolf clenched his jaw and growled. “You snuck off with
her in the middle of the night. You didn’t have any right to hand her over to
the demon.  She belonged to us.”

“She never belonged to us. She made her
choice and that will forever be her right.”

 “It was never her choice. Females
make decisions based on emotions. We have to take charge and lead them. She
would’ve learned to be content with you.”

“Like or not she was always Joseph’s
true mate. Not mine, not yours and not any other member of the pack.” Eli
watched the dragon descend. He didn’t want Cain getting himself killed to prove
his loyalty. He believed the younger wolf was remorseful, but being regretful
wasn’t enough. He wasn’t about to let him off easy. He was still questioning
his leadership. He would have to put Cain’s loyalty to the test. He wasn’t sure
how he would know when it was time to end the test, but he believed he would
know when the moment arrived.  “Leave.”

Cain looked up at the dragon. “What does
he want?”

“It doesn’t matter to you. You’re
leaving.”