Hot Decadent Rising (Breath of Darkness) (28 page)

He knew Haden was deeply merged with
Caylee and watching the situation through her eyes. He could feel the other
demon’s gaze upon him as Caylee stared back at him. “How’s your precious little
princess doing? I’ve been deeply concerned about her health. Has she suffered
any problems due to your indiscretion with that vampire?”

“She isn’t your concern,” Caylee said.
“You should leave.”

She was right. He was about to get his
ass kicked, but he needed to get help to Zack before Mary found him again. Zack
would be outnumbered and he simply couldn’t afford to allow Zack or Emily to
die just yet. He needed them though they didn’t know it. “I like what you’ve
done with this place, Mia. It’s amazing what one can do with unlimited
resources, is it not?”

Joseph entered through the front door.
He looked calm and collected, but Demetri felt the frustration and anger
simmering within him. “People will talk, Joseph. They will believe she’s using
you for your money. A sugar daddy thing.”

Demetri wasn’t surprised when Joseph
walked passed him and took his place at Mia’s side. She was just as much a
warrior as Joseph though she lacked the experience Joseph had gained over
hundreds of years.

Nikolas walked in through the front door
while Haden walked through the back entrance. Haden took his place in front of
Caylee. “I was just asking Caylee how your baby fared considering her encounter
with that vampire. I won’t lie. I’m quite disappointed in you, for allowing it
to get close enough to her, that it was able to force its blood into her
system.”

“I’m sure you aren’t here to talk about
a baby,” Nikolas said.

Demetri had tried to avoid looking at
Brianna, but he couldn’t stop staring at her when she stepped to Nikolas’ side.
She looked so much like her sister, Sara. “You would enjoy your life a hell of
a lot more if Nikolas would just learn to trust himself.” The words slipped out
before he could stop himself.

“I feel her. Sara is with you,” Brianna
said.

Brianna’s declaration shocked Demetri.
Why hadn’t he thought of it before? She had a blood bond with Sara. She could
do it. She could lead him to Sara.

As if sensing Demetri’s sudden interest
in Brianna, Nikolas pulled her behind him. She struggled but Nikolas easily
held her back. “Stay still.”

“Let go. She’s with him. I feel her.”

“She’s not here, little one. It’s a
trick.”

Joseph and Mia moved closer to Nikolas
and Brianna. Haden stayed put to protect Caylee and his baby.

He needed to get away to sort things
out. He would never be able to snatch Brianna away from Nikolas at that moment.
He would have to find a way to get her alone. “It’s impossible. Your sister
isn’t with me. I killed her. You remember the fire, right?”

“If she is dead she haunts you. I know
she’s with you.”

As he allowed his body to dissolve into
a vapor, Brianna’s final words echoed over and over again in his mind. He’d
failed to manipulate them into helping Zack, but it didn’t matter to him
anymore. All that mattered was coming up with a way to get Brianna alone, to
take her from Nikolas and use her to find Sara. Finding her would end his
struggles. It would allow him to live as he was meant to live. Free.

***

The
sensation of being followed stopped Kara in her tracks. She spun around.
Waiting, she studied her surroundings for anything out of the ordinary. Something
was nearby watching her. It was nearly impossible to get her eyes to focus. The
effort seemed to be causing her to feel nauseous. Her head was spinning. She
blinked several times to adjust her vision, but it only made it worse. Her
knees buckled and she stumbled. “Oh, shit.”  Her stomach was rolling, she
hunched over.

She lost her balance. Before she fell
flat onto her face, she plopped down onto her butt. Drawing her knees to her
chest and resting her head on her knees, she waited for the sickness to pass.
It only worsened with each second that went by. She was hot and sweaty. The air
around her felt thick and sticky. It was stifling. She felt as if she was being
suffocated. And her mouth was so dry. She needed water. A nice big glass of ice
water. She fantasized, envisioning herself drinking water. It was so cold. So
wet. Completely satisfying her thirst.

She heard the sound of a gentle wind
rustling the leaves in the trees overhead. She was tired and so sleepy. Unable
to keep them open any longer, she closed her eyes. She began to experience the
strangest feeling of floating as if she were drifting in the breeze. She was as
aware of the fact that she was falling asleep as she was that it was a bad
idea. She needed to get up. She needed to keep moving. 

The sound of bellowing or howling
brought her head up from her knees. She forced her eyes to open and slowly,
stumbling all the way, got to her feet. The howling was similar to what she’d
heard at the hotel.

“Eli.” It had to be him and his pack.
He’d found her. Or at least he was close to finding her. By the sound of it,
there were several wolves with him.

She started to walk. She couldn’t see
much of anything in great detail. Her surroundings were mostly a blur of green and
brown from the forest’s earth and foliage. It wasn’t long before she started to
hear water moving, lots of it, crashing into something. It sounded like a
waterfall. Eli had told her that he was on top of the falls. Since no better
idea came to her she headed toward the sound of the water just in case she was
close to the falls. She knew that area very well. If the heroin her dad had
drugged her with wore off she would have a better chance of surviving.

“Where do you think you’re going?”

Recognizing Jeremy’s voice, fear slammed
into her with enough force to cause her heart to skip a beat and her mind to be
momentarily freed from the heroin concoction she’d been drugged with. Slowly,
she turned to face him. She took a few steps back. Looking at him now she
couldn’t believe she’d kissed him to manipulate him. He was nasty. She didn’t
remember him looking so ill earlier. And he stunk. His odor was so foul she
gagged. The vibes he gave off were similar to what she would expect a vicious,
rabid animal to give off. She had to get away from him. She decided as futile
as it was, she would run.

Mocking her, he laughed out loud. “You
can’t outrun me.”

It was true, but she was definitely
going to try. She turned around to run, but froze rather than take a single
step. A huge blurry black mass of fur headed straight for her. At first she
thought it was a large bear, but quickly realized it wasn’t. It was a wolf, an
enormous black wolf, and when it passed by her it was so close she actually
felt its fur brush against her. It was Eli. She was sure of it. She would never
forget what he looked like in his wolf form. After he’d jumped through the
window at the abandoned building she’d watched him turn from wolf to man.

She spun around and watched as Eli took
his human form. He glanced over his shoulder at her. All fear and anxiety
vanished the moment his golden brown eyes met hers. She felt his strength. His
confidence. His devotion to her. Everything was going to be okay. She just knew
it. When he returned his focus on Jeremy, she started to feel the dizzying
effects of the drug again. It hit her hard and fast. As her vision blurred, she
dropped to her knees and then teetered back onto her butt.

Jeremy made a freakish growling and snarling
noise and then launched himself at Eli. They fought. She could clearly hear the
sounds of a violent struggle, but her vision was too distorted to keep up with
their movements.  Still, she wasn’t afraid. Eli wouldn’t lose. He wouldn’t
let her down. A few seconds later all was silent. She started to get
up.  

“I cannot tell you how relieved I am to
see you, Kara.” He took her arms and pulled her to her feet, and then wrapped
his arms around her and just held her close. Keeping hold of her arms he pushed
her away and looked down at her. “Where are you injured?”

“I’m not.”

“I can smell your blood.” She thought he
was going to kiss her, but he knelt down and began to examine her legs.

“Ouch.” She looked down at her thigh and
saw a jagged tear in her pants. And blood. Lots of it.

“How did it happen?” he asked.

“I don’t know. I didn’t even feel it
until now.”

“It’s not bleeding anymore, but it’s
deep. You might need stitches to close it up.” He stood up. “We have company.
We need to get out of here.” He gestured for her to step off the path. When she
didn’t move he pushed her into the brush. He continued to push her along for
several feet, and the pulled her down in a crouching position next to him.

“Who is it?”

Shaking his head he and put his finger to
his mouth to motion for her to be quiet. She nodded.

Shortly after her mother had been killed
she told a friend at school that a werewolf had killed her mother. The friend
told the teacher. One thing led to another and eventually her father had
admitted her into a psychiatric hospital. Though she was young, she knew that
by having her declared insane, her father had thrown her under the bus to save
himself from being charged with having her mother murdered.

How many times had she tried to convince
her psychiatrist that werewolves were real? About a million. And what did it
get it her? A cocktail of anti-psychotic drugs, and later on an alcohol
addiction that nearly destroyed her life. It was a miracle she’d conquered the
addiction. It was a miracle she’d gotten pregnant. Nothing else would’ve given
her the strength to defeat the withdrawal symptoms.

She stared at Eli. She would love to
take a video of Eli going from his wolf to human form and shove it in her
former psychiatrist's face. “Or shoving it somewhere else.” Picturing the
creepy old bastard who’d tortured her with brutal psychiatric treatments bent
over his desk, she laughed out loud.

Practically glaring at her, Eli lowered
his brow. “Quiet.”

Why was he mad? She wondered if it was
possible to capture a video or picture of him. She’d heard somewhere that
vampires didn’t have a reflection. Did werewolves? “Probably not.” If they did
they wouldn’t have remained hidden so well from society.

 Eli grabbed her shoulders and
stared down at her. “What’s wrong with you? Are you trying to get yourself…?”
His face suddenly became two faces. She blinked to bring him into focus, but
the action added a third face. “Damn it. You’ve been drugged.”

“That’s right.” She patted her arm. “Dad
got me when I wasn’t looking.” Eli was hot as hell. He was incredibly,
deliciously sexy. “You have a hot body. Real hot.” He was a looker that was for
sure. “And you use it real well. I wouldn’t mind ripping your clothes off right
now.” 

He opened his mouth as if to respond but
then, shaking his head, he just smiled at her. His smile was sexy. She
remembered the taste and feel of his lips. “Oh, Eli. Just looking at you makes
me feel warm all over. I want to do it again. Right now. Right here. I want
you.” Images of their bodies entwined together in sexual positions played in
her mind.

 “I would too, but now is not a
good time for us to get distracted. You know that. You know that we’re in
trouble here. You don’t really want me right now. You’re just confused. It’s
the drugs.”

“I don’t think so. I’m not confused. I’m
frustrated. Very frustrated. And I’m hot. Hot all over.” Shaking her head, she
looked away from him. Though he was hot it seemed wrong to think of him in a
sexual way. He wasn’t human. He was a fury wolf. She remembered when he tossed
her over onto her hands and knees and slammed his big hard cock into her. She’d
bet anything he liked it doggy style the best. She laughed again. She sure
liked it a lot. Human or not, she wanted him again and again.

He made a strange sound like an
agonizing groan. “You need an ‘enter at your own demise’ warning label on your
thoughts. What the hell did he give you?” he asked.

“Huh?” She just realized her hand was in
his and they were walking. She stopped and glanced around. Nothing looked familiar.
Where was he taking her?

“What were you drugged with?” His voice
was low and angry. Forcing her to follow, he jerked her arm as he started to
walk.

“Honestly?” She should know, but she had
no idea what it was.

“Preferably.” Again, he sounded angry.

What the hell was he mad about? She was
the one who had a needle jabbed in her arm. “I don’t know. He mixed heroin with
something. It burns.”

Without giving her any warning at all,
he tossed her up onto his shoulder and started to climb a steep rocky incline.
“Close your eyes.”

Watching the ground get further and
further away she started to feel dizzy and nauseous. “Put me down. I’m going to
puke.” He was taking them way too far off the ground. And he was moving too
fast.

When he lowered her onto her feet she
leaned forward to look over the edge of the ledge. She felt the sensation of
falling. “No.” He pulled her away from the side. “Don’t look down.” He took her
face and forced her to look into his eyes. “I need you to focus. You’re in
serious danger right now. I need you to stay here and be quiet.”