Hot Decadent Rising (Breath of Darkness) (14 page)

Mary took a deep breath and released it
with an exaggerated sigh. “Shall I ask Demetri to join us again?”

“No,” he answered quickly. “I’m sure
having Jeremy around will be great.” Compared to Demetri, a vampire would be
great company. He handed the folder to her.

Mary shook her head. “Keep it. It’s
yours.”

***

Rather
than risk the pain of attempting to pass through the safeguards without
consent, Eli waited and watched Nikolas walk down a two track road leading to
the demon’s property. Kara had gotten under his skin. He had to see her. He was
desperate. He had to know she was okay.

“I wonder what reason a wolf and his
badly behaved pack of mutts would have to come sniffing around my place.”

“They’re hunting me.”

“I thought you were going take care of
it. I can’t believe you’re still allowing Samuel to run around masquerading as
their leader.”

“I’m working on it.”

Nikolas smiled. “What brings you to
Astoria?”

“Demetri.”

“He’s one of the reasons, but there’s
another.”

“You brought a woman here to recover.”
Regardless of what Nikolas was willing to share he planned to tell him
everything he learned about Demetri, but he hoped to use it to get some
information about Kara before going out to deal with his pack. 

“Kara Terrick. And rest assured that as
you deal with your pack she will be under my protection.”

“Do you know why she was targeted?”

“I will show you what I know as of this
moment.” He motioned for Eli to follow him. “She’d been shot in the head. When
they tried to dump her body she managed to jump from the car. Mia discovered
her. While attempting to help Kara, Mia saw you in her memory. She was nearly
full term.”

“Why didn’t you tell me? Did the baby
survive?”

“I knew you would show up. Before Mia
had found her the baby had passed. He was too far gone for any of us to reach.”
He pointed at a tiny grave. “I’ve taken enough information from Kara’s mind to
know that she has had a rough past. Her father put the hit out on her. The
father of her child, Thomas Borden, is the one who shot her.”

“Demetri knows that you saved her. He
told me that her father is Leland Terrick. He is somehow connected to Mary. He
said that Mary will set out to kill her.”

“Demetri showed up at the hospital. What
else did he tell you about Kara?” Nikolas asked.

As tempting as it was, Eli knew better
than to lie. “That she is my mate.”

“What do you say, Eli?”

Eli shrugged. “I don’t know her.”

“That’s funny. She has quite the memory
of kissing you. She will sleep for several weeks. She was shot in the back of
her head. Her brain was severely damaged. If Demetri is right, if she is your
mate, know that she is in serious trouble. Even now, unconscious, under the
influence of a compulsion, she burns for revenge. A mother’s love never ends.
She won’t run from her father, Mary, or anyone else she has reason to believe
had any part in her little one’s death. She will run
to
them. You won’t
be able to stop her.”

“I told you that I don’t know her, but
when I leave here I will go and find her father and the father of her baby. I
will kill them. Once they’re dead Kara won’t have any reason to go after them.”

Lifting his brow, Nikolas gave him
knowing smile. He held out his right hand and conjured up an article from a
newspaper.  “This will help you recognize the men under her father’s
employment.”

As he looked down at the pictures in the
article, he felt as if he’d been punched in the gut. “A lot of her energy is
connected to this.”

“I didn’t notice. Perhaps you have a
deeper connection with her.” Nikolas gestured toward the house.  “Would
you like to take a peek at her before you leave?”

“No.” It was big deal for a demon to
allow a Lycan to enter his home. “Thanks. But it’s not a good…yeah, I would.
But first, I’ve more to tell you. Zack was right. Demetri didn’t kill his mate.
And he wanted me to know. I assume to tell you. He told me that Mary is
attempting to achieve immortality. He said that in order to fund her endeavor to
achieve it, she has formed a connection with Leland. I thought it was odd. From
what I understand, a demon can give his immortality to another female if he
kills his true mate.”

“It is odd. Can I ask you to keep it to
yourself?”

Eli laughed. “What’s odd is that you
would ask and not demand. But yes, I will keep it to myself.”

“That’s good. It’s been a long night.
I’m not sure I’m up to the task of killing you.”

They laughed together as they walked
toward the house.

“Oh, damn. I almost forgot. The local pack
is being led by Jeremy Lang,” Eli said.

“A vampire leading wolves?”

“I know. It’s seriously screwed up,
right? And Mary is the old leader’s mate.”

“The one they killed?” Nikolas asked.

“Yep.” The closer they got to the house,
Eli began to experience a strong urge to turn around and run. He figured it had
to do with safeguards designed to keep people out.

“So, she’s a Lycan?” Nikolas waved his
hand and the front door opened. “And it has nothing to do with safeguards. You
wouldn’t have stepped foot on the property had I not invited you. Maybe you’re
nervous.”

“Maybe.” Eli nodded. He wasn’t surprised
that Nikolas was able to pick up on his thoughts. The demon had always had an
extraordinary ability to do so with just about anyone. Maybe nothing. He was nervous
as hell. “Demetri claimed she’s a Lycan, but it’s possible the leader never
turned her. There’s a good chance she wasn’t his true mate.”

“I’ve noticed your kind tends to
struggle when it comes to identifying true mates. Perhaps you should start a support
group.”

“That’s funny.”

“Though we’ve had our differences we’ve
fought side by side in the same battles for many years. You have your reasons.
I have mine. I don’t blame you for challenging Joseph, or for taking Mia. If I’d
thought another male was attempting to claim the woman I believed was my mate,
I would’ve killed him. The days go on and on without end, but until we find our
mates, we never know life. They are to be treasured and protected. I admire the
fact that when you realized you were wrong you tried to make amends for it.”
Nikolas offered his hand. “Kara is in the room at the end of the hallway. She’s
putting up one hell of a fight to resist the compulsion. She might hear you if
you connect with her. She’s a strong physic. Conceivably, if you are her mate,
your presence will calm her a bit. Her recovery will take less time if she
relaxes.”

A part of him feared he was making a
mistake by being there. He’d been wholly wrong about Mia. How could he be sure
Kara was his mate?

Time slowed as he hesitated by her door.
He took a deep breath and released it with a groan. He’d spent a long time
working on a plan to get on with his life. If Kara was his mate it would change
everything. He didn’t have time for a mate. He definitely didn’t have time to
take on a mate with so many problems. He had problems of his own. He needed to
focus on killing Samuel and reestablishing his reign over his pack.

What's more, she was human. Not every
human was bad in his opinion, but he didn’t want to be tied to one. Not as a
mate. He’d learned the hard way that many were too full of hatred and greed to
be trusted. Some of his kind, mostly the younger, viewed his opinion as harsh,
but he didn’t. The younger generations hadn’t been around when humans hunted
down and attempted to destroy his kind hundreds of years ago. Males and
females, including children, had been tortured and slaughtered because some
humans believed his kind were possessed by evil for no other reason than their
DNA.

 His mother had died a very long
time ago, but he felt her hand smack the back of his head, hard. She’d raised
him to be an honorable man. She’d taught him to respect women, and to defend
women and children if they needed to be defended. No matter who or what they
were.      

 He opened the door and walked
inside. Shutting the door behind his back, he paused for a moment. It wasn’t a
shock to see the black incandescent flames surrounding her. They were
beautiful. Enchanting. Mesmerizing. But they were a deadly hedge of protection.
Nothing could breach it to harm her.

Touching just the edge of her thoughts
he stared at her for a long time. She was absolutely still, but he felt the
weight of her agony and her frantic fight to wake up, to get revenge. She was
as formidable as she was determined. He didn’t remember moving, but he was
standing at her side.

While looking down at her and studying
her every feature, sadness and shame filled him. His heart stuttered as if it
might stop. It hurt. It ached. It was like a knife had pierced it. This was his
fault. She looked so small and so pale, lying in the center of the oversized
bed. He should’ve saved her the day he’d met her at the gas station. He
could’ve prevented her baby’s death if he’d been more aware. He could’ve
prevented the grief that was swallowing her up and devouring her soul.

He felt downright torn up inside. He
couldn’t go back and change a damn thing. He could kill everyone responsible
for her baby’s death, but he couldn’t hand her baby back to her. No apology
would ever do. He could never even seriously contemplate begging her for
forgiveness. He was just as responsible as the man who shot her in the head.

He knew the instant she realized he was
in the room with her. Her breathing labored as she tried to force her eyes open
to identify him. Everything in him stilled as he opened his mind to her. He
wanted her to know that he wasn’t a threat. He took her hand in his to make it
easier for her to connect with him.

Nothing could’ve ever prepared Eli for
what happened next. The moment she found the path and merged her mind with his,
he knew she was…no. He shook his head. It couldn’t have been her. She hadn’t
been the one who’d been using a compulsion to lead him to Multnomah Falls.

Oh, damn. Of course it was true. She was
his mate. The compulsion wasn’t intentional. It was natural. It was his
responsibility all along to protect her.

From the moment he’d first encountered
her he’d been fighting his wolf. Staring down at her, he was drawn to her, as
if she’d put him under the influence of a trance. All he wanted to do was crawl
into the bed next to her and pull her into his arms. He needed to get closer to
her. He was a bit unnerved, because he’d never encountered anyone other than a
demon able to put him in a trance-like state. A low growl vibrated in his chest
as he stared at her. He tried, but he couldn’t look away from her. No. It
wasn’t a trance. His wolf was drawn to her. Its agitation rising, his wolf
demanded to be let loose as it studied her, claimed her.

Can you hear me, Kara?
He felt her
panic as she struggled to open her mouth and respond. Her body felt heavy. It
was as if she was sinking in thick mud. The more she struggled to get free, the
further she sank.
No. Not out loud. Use your mind to talk to me.

What’s happening to me? Why can’t I wake
up?

Keeping her hand in his he reached out
and gently pushed her long black hair away from her face.
You’re going to be
fine. You were shot and thrown from a car. Your body needs time to heal before
you can get up. I know it’s frightening. But you’re safe.

No. I need to get up. You have to help
me. Please. I need to…I can’t feel him. He’s gone. He’s dead. I should’ve found
a way to get away before
they…
oh, God. It’s my fault.
My baby is dead. I killed him.

She’d been through so much. How could
she ever fully recover?
I know you’re hurting, Kara. I’m so sorry. You can’t
blame yourself. None of it is your fault. You tried to get away, remember? You
tried to protect your baby. 
He wanted to promise her that he would
make everything right for her again, but there was nothing he could ever do to
come close to it. But there was something he could do to make sure it never
happened to her again. He felt the wolf rise up in him hungry for revenge,
thirsting for blood.

He almost missed it because it was
light, but he looked down at her hand squeezing his.
Don’t do it. Don’t kill
him. It’s my fight. It’s my right to avenge my baby. 

It was true. It was her right. He
thought about it for a few minutes. He wouldn’t take it from her. He bent down
and brought her hand to his mouth.
I agree. It’s your right. But you won’t
go up against them alone. I will wait for you.

No. It’s too dangerous.

Shh
. I happen to be
a very stubborn man. You won’t change my mind.

I know you, don’t I?

We met once. We will meet again soon.
He bent down and
kissed her cheek.
Now stop fighting it. You need to sleep. If revenge is
what you want, you need to rest for a while longer; you need to regain your
strength.