Eternal Breath of Darkness (20 page)

~
Thirteen ~

STANDING NEXT TO CAYLEE’S car, Paul lifted his head and drew in a
deep breath from his nostrils, allowing the intoxicating scent of her fear to
fill his lungs. He opened the driver side door and climbed inside. Settling
into the seat and gripping the steering wheel, he tilted his head back and
closed his eyes. Her sweet aroma was so concentrated in the confined area that
it wrapped around him and would no doubt cling to him for hours. Groaning
aloud, he savored the lust consuming him.

It went against Paul’s
nature, but Caylee was no longer just a source of entertainment and
nourishment. Fangs lengthening and mouth watering, he imagined what it would be
like to take her hot blood into his body. Oh yes, he would drink her blood, but
not until he was buried deep inside her body. His need for her was driving him
crazy. He knew he was tumbling into a state of madness, but it didn’t matter.
He didn’t care. He couldn’t contemplate a future without her.

He wasn’t sure why he was so
obsessed with her. At first he thought it was caused by her attempt to fight
him in the alley, but it was more than that. She was different. She was
extraordinary. He actually ached to bury his cock deep inside her body. She was
meant to be his. No other woman had ever ignited such a violent fire of raw
lust inside his soul. No other woman could ever quench the flames. She was the
only woman that could ever give him relief. He was so certain of it he planned
to share his blood with her to bind their souls together for eternity.

Unable to resist the need to
touch her mind, Paul reached for Caylee’s mind. The image of her naked body
wrapped in Haden’s embrace filled him with murderous rage. His eyes snapped
open, and he jumped out of the car. There was no way in hell he would allow a
demon to go unpunished for defiling, for stealing what was rightfully his. She
would also pay for betraying him. He wouldn’t allow her to get away from him.
She belonged to him.

***

Wrenching herself out of
Haden’s arms, Caylee screamed.

Heart pounding, Haden’s eyes
flew open. Pulling her close, he instantly, brutally pushed Paul out of
Caylee’s mind. He placed a wall around her mind, but Paul continued to reach
for her, desperately attempting to merge his mind with hers once again.

“He’s here.” Caylee trembled
in his arms. “He’s going to take me from you.”

“No,” Haden whispered. “He
isn’t here, little love. He touched your mind. He can’t take you from me.”
Something was terribly wrong with the vampire; it was entirely unnatural for
one to provoke a demon in such a blatant manner.

“He was in my car. I saw
him. He’s so mad at me. I don’t understand. Why did he say that I belong to
him? He said that I will pay for betraying him.” She whimpered, clutching her
head. “He’s calling me to him.” Eyes wide, she shook his head. “Do you hear
him? He’s still in my mind. I don’t understand. Why does he want to give me his
blood? Why does he want me to be like him?”

Searching her mind for the
vampire’s presence, Haden tilted his head to the side. “You can still hear
him?”

Caylee nodded. “He’s so mad
at me.” She paused. “What did I do to him? Why is he so mad at me?”

“You didn’t do anything wrong,
little love. Don’t blame yourself for his insanity. None of it’s your fault.”
Finally, Haden found the path Paul was using to enter her mind and was able to
block it with minimal effort. Relieved, he took a deep breath and released it
with a heavy sigh. “He’s entirely evil. He’s sadistic. There’s no good in him.”

“How did you do it? He’s
gone.” Smiling, she gripped her head. “I don’t hear him at all.” She frowned.
“He’s gone, right?”

“Yes.” Standing up, easily
lifting her, he carried her over to the bed.

“What if he takes me? What
if he gives me his blood? He said I will be your enemy. He said you, your kind,
will hunt me down to kill me.” Tears welled up in her eyes. “I can’t bear the
thought of being like him.”

If it happened Haden would
save her from the curse. He would kill her. But she would never be his enemy.
He smiled at her to place her at ease, but he couldn’t hide the cold, dark
death in his piercing blue gaze seconds before his eyes turned black. “You will
never be like him, little love. I wouldn’t allow it. And you will never be my
enemy. You are my life. I will always do whatever it takes to protect you.” He
kissed her brow. “There aren’t and never will be any limits to my love and
devotion to you.” He gently lowered her onto the bed.

While the realization of
what he was saying was sinking in, she stared up at him. He wouldn’t allow her
to suffer the endless demise of the undead. It would destroy Haden, but he
would kill her. He would always place her welfare above his own. She should’ve
been terrified. He had just told her he could and would take her life. She knew
there was no one powerful enough to stop him if he decided to do it. But she
wasn’t afraid of him. How could she fear the man that loved her enough to take
her life to save her?

“I have hunted and killed
his kind for centuries.” He brought her hand to the warmth of his mouth. “I’m
going to destroy him. He will never touch you again.”

“You plan to go after him
tonight.” She grabbed his hand. “Please, don’t do it. He wants to kill you.
Stay here with me, Haden.”

She was worried about him.
He smiled. “There’s no reason for you to worry about me.” He took a deep breath
and released it with a sigh. “I’m not easily killed, little love.” Gently
wiping the tears from her cheeks, he tilted his head to the side and smiled at
her. “Trust me to protect you.” Leaning down, he kissed her brow as he pulled a
thick blanket over her body. “I need you to have faith in my ability to take
care of you.”

“I do.” She frowned. “But I
have a bad feeling. I don’t think you should go after him tonight. He’s waiting
for you. He has a plan. A trap. He wants you to rush out after him tonight. He
has set a trap for you. I don’t know how I know it, but I do.”

Haden smiled at her. “A
vampire could never construct a trap able to hold me. I am a demon. I need to
end the threat he presents to you.” He gazed into her eyes for a moment.
“Everything will be okay.” Standing upright, he started to turn away from her.

“Wait.” Sitting up, she
reached for his arm. “Please, don’t leave me here.”

“You will be safe here.” He
hesitated and then sat down next to her. The last thing he wanted to do was
leave her. He studied her face; her every feature was so beautifully
illuminated by the moonlight seeping through the window. Her eyes were very
heavy with fatigue as she gazed up at him. “I won’t be gone long.” Leaning
down, he kissed her. It was a quick peck, nothing more. “You will stay here and
wait for me.”

Sitting up, she shook her
head. “Oh no, you don’t. You aren’t going out there without me. You can’t go
alone, Haden. It’s too dangerous. I’m going with you.”

“No.” Framing her face in
his hands, he slowly leaned down and deeply, passionately kissed her. “You will
stay right here and wait for me.”

“Why won’t you listen to me?
I know you’re making a mistake. He plans to kill you tonight.”

“He can’t,” Haden said.
Revealing his growing irritation, he narrowed his gaze on her. “I have
destroyed his kind for hundreds of years. Why do you always think the worst of
me? It’s way past time for you to have an ounce of faith in me.”

“I do have faith in you. I
just don’t want you to go alone. Take me with you.”

“Absolutely not. It’s too
dangerous.” He kissed her lips gently.

Too gently. Coldly. She
sensed he was struggling to contain his frustration with her, with the
situation. She knew he was getting angry, but she couldn’t let him face the
vampire alone. She needed to stop him. “If it’s too dangerous, why are you
going?” She chewed on her bottom lip. “What if he kills you?”

“There’s no way I would
allow him to kill me.” He laughed aloud, attempting to make a joke of it.
“Especially with you in our bed waiting for me to return.”

Her mouth twitched as she
smiled, but then she forced herself to frown.

Kissing her, he leaned
against her, pushing her down onto the bed. “You will stay right here.” He
pulled the blankets over her, tucking her in. “Now get some rest.” He turned
and away from her.

“I’m not staying here.”
Tossing the blankets off of the bed, she started to get up.

He turned and locked his cold,
black gaze onto hers. “What?” A demon could only take so much. She wouldn’t
defy him. Not now. He wouldn’t allow it.

“I’m not staying here.” She
felt an icy breeze sweep by her, and fear enveloping her, she shivered. “I will
follow you.” She swallowed hard. “You can’t stop me.” The moment she said the
words, she knew she’d made a mistake. Heart racing, she held her breath.

A muscle twitched in his
jaw. He smiled at her, but there was no warmth, no love in it. She quickly
realized it wasn’t a smile at all. His lips were curved upright and parted in a
silent, threatening snarl.

Stepping toward her, he
glared down at her. “You will do what I tell you to do.” His voice was a deep,
menacing whisper.

Her breath caught in her
throat. He was threatening her. But with what? Did he plan to beat her into
submission? Teary eyed, she stared up at him for a moment but then looked away
from his terrifying gaze.

Framing her face between his
hands, he forced her to meet his gaze. “You will stay right here in this bed,” he
commanded between clenched teeth.

Too afraid to respond, she
remained silent. Too afraid to follow the instinct of flight, she remained
absolutely still. No. Wait. It wasn’t fear. Her body felt incredibly heavy. She
tried to move her legs. Nothing. She tried again. Nothing. He’d done something
to her. She tried to lift her arm. Nothing. She couldn’t move. She was
paralyzed.

He smiled at her. “I won’t
allow you to place your life in danger.” He saw her fear, he felt it, but it
didn’t matter. “I won’t allow you to defy me.” He turned away from her.

“Please.” Her heart was
pounding. “I won’t leave. You’re right. Please, don’t do this to me.” She was
only a little relieved when he turned to look at her. He appeared to be
deciding whether or not he should release her. “I promise to stay here.” She
paused, tears streaming down her face. “Allow me to move.”

Suspicious, he narrowed his
gaze on her. She was giving in to him far too easily.

“You’re right. I won’t
follow you. I promise. Don’t leave me like this, Haden. It’s too much. I can’t
stand it.”

Releasing her, he walked
over to her. “I won’t be gone long.” He leaned down and kissed her. “I love
you,” he whispered.

“I love you too.” Stretching
her arms, she yawned, purposely exaggerating the sound of it.

Pulling the blankets over
her, he smiled down at her. “Get some sleep. I will be back soon.” He turned
and walked out of the room.

Enraged, Caylee lifted the
blanket to her mouth and vigorously wiped his kiss right off her lips. She
couldn’t believe he’d taken control of her body. He’d actually paralyzed her.
How had he done it? She shook head. It didn’t matter. He would never make her a
prisoner in her own body again.

Stepping outside, Haden
hesitated to leave for a few seconds. She’d given into his demands too easily.
He almost went back to apologize to her, but he didn’t. He wouldn’t. He hadn’t
done anything wrong. There was no doubt in his mind that she’d finally realized
he was right. Well, maybe there was a little doubt. But even if she hadn’t
realized he was right, it didn’t matter. He refused to feel guilty. Let her be
mad at him. Let her think the worst of him. It didn’t matter as long as she was
safe.

Taking the form of the
dragon, Haden took to the sky. His heart was heavy. He knew he’d hurt Caylee’s
feelings. He’d seen it in her eyes. Worse, he’d scared her by taking away her
ability to move. For that he would apologize. Once the vampire was out of the
way he would have plenty of time to smooth things over with her. Eventually she
would come to terms with the fact that he knew what was best for her.

It wouldn’t take long to
track Paul down. Haden headed toward Caylee’s car. From there he would be able
to easily track the vampire.

* * *

Knowing she didn’t have much time, Caylee got dressed quickly.
Carefully guarding her thoughts, she made her way through the house. When she
reached the front, she hesitated for a few seconds. She wanted to make sure
Haden was gone. She didn’t want him to stop her. She planned to run as far and
as fast from him as possible. She opened the door and stepped outside. Standing
on the front porch, she waited for her eyes to grow accustomed to the
moonlight. She could hear the terrible howling and shrieking sounds of ghouls
in the distance. She didn’t care. She wasn’t staying there. She didn’t
understand how Haden could treat her so badly. She would never be bound to
another man that thought frightening her and forcing her into submission was
acceptable.

He’d hurt her more than
anyone else could’ve hurt her, but she wasn’t going to sit and cry over it. She
wasn’t a baby. It was her own fault. He was only able to hurt her so deeply
because she was an idiot. She knew better than to allow him to convince her he
cared about her. She couldn’t believe that, after all she’d been through, after
all she’d learned, she’d actually allowed him to convince her he truly loved
her. Taking a deep breath, she stepped off the porch. Prepared to face whatever
gruesome fate was awaiting her in the ever-darkening forest, she started to
run.