Eternal Breath of Darkness (29 page)

“Wise decision.” Laughing,
Demetri dissolved into a mist.

Nikolas didn’t rush. He had
no reason to; the woman was perfectly safe. Making his way toward her, he was
racing around in circles in his head. He walked down the burning hall with no regard
for the flames or falling debris. Deep down in his soul, he knew he was about
to meet his mate, the other half of his soul. How had Demetri known about her?
Why would he harm her? Why would Demetri harm any innocent woman? The closer he
got to her, the faster his heart raced.

Face down on the floor,
Brianna felt a cool breeze wrap around her. The smoke that was suffocating her,
burning her nose, throat, and eyes, was replaced by a pleasant, masculine
scent. While pushing herself up onto her knees, she heard the door open and
then close. Slowly, she turned toward the sound.

Nikolas stood in front of
Brianna, towering over her, unable to look away, unable to move, unable to
speak. There was a powerful stirring like no other in his body, his heart. She
was his mate, his life. Dark, murderous rage filled his soul so he couldn’t
prevent a low, animalistic growl from rumbling in his chest and throat. Demetri
had just signed his death certificate.

Eyes suddenly going wide,
Brianna gasped. She was trapped in a room with an animal. Its hatred and hunger
for vengeance struck her to the core. Trembling, she stood up and took a step
back.

“Don’t be afraid, little
one,” he whispered. “I would never hurt you. I’m here to help you.”

“The building is on fire,
isn’t it?” She’d had no doubt it was on fire a few minutes ago, but now she
couldn’t even smell the slightest hint of smoke.

“Yes, but don’t be afraid.
We’re going to make it out of here together.”

“My friend?”

“She’s safe,” he lied. At
the moment he didn’t know, but he didn’t care. She was his only concern. “I
know you can’t see me.” Taking a step closer, he closed the gap between them.
“Don’t be startled—I’m going to take your hand.”

Nodding, she held her hand
out for him. “Are you sure we can make it out?”

“Absolutely.” The instant
his hand closed around hers, he pulled her to his side and wrapped his arm
around her. “Stay close to me.” He expanded his wings and wrapped one around
her to shield her from the heat of the flames—not that keeping her close to him
or using his wing to shield her was necessary. He could’ve been thousands of
miles away from her, and she would’ve been safe. The powerful protective
barrier surrounding her would have prevented even one hair on her head from
being singed even if the building had burned to the ground around her. Keeping
her close, using his wing as an unnecessary precaution, felt so good he
couldn’t resist doing it.

The moment Nikolas opened
the door, Brianna heard the fire crackling and debris falling all around. But
that was it. It was like before when her family’s home burned to the ground.
She was walking side by side with a man through flames, but there was no trace
of smoke in the air and no heat.

Nikolas easily monitored her
thoughts. He knew the only being that would ever be able to take her through a
fire was a demon. Because she was blind, she didn’t have any visual memory, but
Nikolas knew the man who had saved her was Demetri. After meeting with Demetri
today, Nikolas knew better than to believe it had been out of the goodness of
his heart. Demetri planned to kill her, but he wanted to make sure Nikolas knew
her first.

With a thought, he opened
the back door. “We’re out now.”

“I feel bad to ask you to do
anything else for me, but would you please help me find my friend?”

“No. I’m sorry. I would if I
could,” he lied. He wasn’t taking her to anyone. He led her across the parking
lot. He wasn’t letting her out of his sight. “Everyone is gone,” he lied again.

“Are you sure?” She
swallowed the lump in her throat. What was she going to do? How was she going
to get home?

“Yes. Everyone fled to seek
cover from the storm.”

“I heard it, but it’s over
now.” She paused. “I really need to find my friend.”

“Don’t worry. I’ve no
intention of leaving you here.” He stopped next to his motorcycle and placed
her hand on the back of his bike. “I’ll take you home.” It wasn’t a lie. Not
really. His home was her home. And even if it was a lie, so what? He was a
demon. He sent Zack a quick text message to warn him about Demetri, and then he
unzipped his leather jacket and took it off. Zack replied almost instantly,
assuring Nikolas that he could handle Demetri.

“No.” Realizing that she was
touching the back of a motorcycle, she shook her head. “This is a bad idea.”

He wasn’t taking no for an
answer. “It’s a bit chilly.” He put his phone back into the inner pocket of his
jacket and then put the jacket on her. Before she could argue, he zipped it up.
Taking a moment to admire the sight of her, he smiled down at her. She was such
a sweet, lovely sight. She looked so tiny and delicate in his jacket. Once he
was able to rip his gaze off of her, not an easy feat, he got onto the
motorcycle and then turned to take her hand.

“You don’t understand,” she
said, her eyes wide, pleading with him to come to his senses and realize it was
a bad idea. “I’ve never been on a motorcycle.”

“Well then, it will be a
memorable adventure.”

Grinning shyly, she lifted
her chin as if to meet his gaze. She opened her mouth to argue with him, but he
was right. And deep down, she yearned for adventure.

He felt her hunger for
adventure and excitement. “You know you want to give it a try.” He knew that,
besides dealing with its natural limitations, her blindness had forced her to
be overly cautious in just about every situation. “Get on up.” Good thing for
her inner wild child, he wouldn’t know how to be cautious if his life depended
on it.

She frowned. Was he
guessing, or was it that obvious? Suddenly remembering that she was wearing a
rather short dress and nearly nonexistent panties, she shook her head. There
was no way she was going to lift her leg up and climb up behind a man she
didn’t know when she was so under-dressed. “I don’t even know you.”

A shudder running through
his body, he closed his eyes. Thinking about her panties was a bad idea, but he
couldn’t help it. Hot, wild desire shooting through his body, he opened his
eyes, quickly realizing that envisioning them was a worse idea. Turning his
head, narrowing his gaze, Nikolas stared toward the front of the building. He
knew Julie was looking for Brianna and was about to walk around to the back of
the building. He wasn’t about to allow her to interfere. “You have nothing to
fear.” He took her hand and placed it onto his shoulder. “Get on.” It was a
powerful command, utterly impossible to ignore.

Nodding, she got up behind
him and attempted to pull the dress down. It wasn’t working out so well since
his jacket was several inches longer than her dress. Normally, she would never
even consider wearing such a revealing dress, but Mia had insisted on making
her the dress for the party tonight. For the past few weeks Julie had vowed
that she would get Brianna to dance, but Brianna had no intention of doing it.
Dancing in public was not the best activity for a blind woman to attempt. Secretly,
she really wished she could dance, but it just wasn’t going to happen. Wait!
What was she doing? Why did she get onto the motorcycle with him? He’d lied to
her. Julie would never leave her. She was crazy, completely insane.

He smiled. It just so happened
that demons were very good at dancing. So, he quickly decided that he was
taking her dancing. First, he needed to make stop at his home to see what he
could find online concerning the fire that burned down her family’s home. He
was hoping to figure out how Demetri was linked to it. He reached behind him,
took her hands, and wrapped her arms around his waist. “Scoot closer.” When she
didn’t move closer, he said, “Lean on me, little one.”

“No.” Panicking, she
struggled to get off of the bike. “I want to get off now.” She couldn’t take
off with a stranger. “Let me get off.” He was probably a disgusting, nasty
pervert or rapist. There was no telling what he was doing at the strip club.
Everyone knew it doubled as a brothel. There was no telling what he was capable
of doing to her.

“It’s okay. Normally, I
would never suggest you jump onto the back of a bike with a complete stranger,
but I happen to know that you’re safe with me.” He internally laughed at his
need to explain, to make her believe he wasn’t a nasty pervert or rapist. He
wanted to tell her he hadn’t been with a woman in over six thousand years, but
he knew that was a confession she’d never be able to comprehend. He wanted to
make her believe she was the only woman he ever wanted. She was his heart, his
soul, his life. Luckily, being ten thousand years old gave him the wisdom to
know that professing his undying love for her so soon after meeting would most
likely make her think he was a deranged stalker or serial killer. “You need to
scoot closer and hold on tight.” He certainly needed her to hold on tight and
never let go.

Nodding, she reluctantly
moved closer to him. When the engine roared to life, her heart jumped. Yep. She
was in serious trouble. She was truly headed off on the back of a motorcycle
with a complete stranger. She considered jumping off, but even after they were
moving he kept one hand was over hers to ensure she stayed close and held on.

The air was crisp and cool,
but his body was so warm, and the jacket he’d put on her seemed to be holding
heat, generating it. It didn’t take long for her to relax enough to enjoy the
experience. She breathed deeply. He smelled so good, so addictive. His body was
so strong and solid. One thing was certain: the man worked out. There was no
missing his roped abdominal muscles against her palms. She had no idea how fast
they were traveling, but she knew they were passing cars and swerving in and
out of traffic. She had enough sense to know she should be scared to death—she
wasn’t even wearing a helmet, and she knew he was leaving the city—but she’d
never felt safer. In fact, as crazy as it was, she really wanted him to go
faster.

In seconds, they were
traveling down the highway at an insane speed. If she wanted faster, she was
getting faster. He would do anything to please her. When he heard her squeal of
excitement and felt her arms squeeze his waist tighter, he went even faster,
using his powers to push the bike far beyond its natural limits.

Pressing her face against
his back, struggling to catch her breath, she laughed so hard tears welled up
and her sides ached. Something powerful shifted deep inside her soul, flooding
her body with the most invigorating, delicious sensations. Her hormones were
spiraling out of control because he wasn’t simply holding her hand, he was
caressing her hand with his thumb. How could such a simple touch wreak such
havoc in her body? She didn’t even know him. It was frightening and
exhilarating all at the same time.

Feeling her arms around him,
feeling her body pressed so snugly against his, and hearing her laughter made
him feel so alive. Even after seeing Haden with Caylee, the thought of one day
finding his mate had never entered his mind. He’d given up all hope so very
long ago. If fact, he’d actually accepted the fact he’d failed to find his mate
during her lifetime. He’d never seen this moment coming.

Ten thousand years was a
hell of a long time to wait to experience the peace, joy, and excitement that
were now thrumming through his soul. It was too long. More than enough time for
him to lose his appetite for sex. And now, his body was on fire, burning up
with lust. He was so full of need. For the first time in … damn. He
couldn’t remember his last hard-on. How long had he existed without living? It
didn’t matter. His cock was as hard as rock. The brutal agony of needing to
bury himself deep inside her body and knowing he needed to court her for a
little while before taking possession of her body was the sweetest pain. Oh
yeah, it hurt so damn good. He was alive again, truly alive. Grinning like
fool, he glanced down at his cock. And better yet, he was quite incapable of
controlling his body’s reaction to a woman, his woman.

She felt a strange sense of
weightlessness when he created a thick fog to take them through time and space.
One second they speeding down the highway, and the next they were traveling
slowly down an uneven gravel road. She lifted her face off his back and took a
deep breath, filling her lungs with the unmistakable scent of ocean air. There
was no way they could be by the ocean. There was no way they’d been traveling
for over an hour. Maybe she was wrong about the distance. What she really
needed to worry about was the fact that she was alone with a stranger on a
secluded road and they’d just stopped.

Without saying a word he
turned and, shocking her, lifted her off the bike and gently set her down on
her feet. She stood there for no more than a second before he took her hand and
started to walk. “Where are we?”

He stopped at the front
porch. “It’s fifteen steps up.”

She yanked her hand out of
his. She wasn’t going anywhere else with him. “Where are we?” All of the color
drained out of her face.

Fuck. He knew a panic attack
when he saw it. “My house.”