Hot Decadent Rising (Breath of Darkness) (29 page)

“It was heroin, but it has something
added to it. It’s hot. It burns.” 

***

Eli
couldn’t be sure what was mixed with the heroin, but it didn’t matter. Whatever
it was he needed to dilute it. It was killing her. “I know it’s difficult for
you to make sense of what happening right now, but I need you to focus. You’re
being hunted by a vampire.”

“Jeremy. I know.”

“We are surrounded by ghouls. My pack is
a few miles away yet. Until they get closer I need to leave you alone up here,
but first…”

She shook her head. “No. You can’t leave
me here.”

Her eyes widened as he blocked the full
influence of the drug from her mind and reality slammed into it. She shook her
head. “This is not a…this is so not cool, Eli.”

“Agreed.” He was relieved to see clarity
in her eyes. She was at least attempting to comprehend what he was saying. He
placed his palm over her heart. “Your heart is racing. You’re dying from an
overdose. You need to take my blood to survive.”

“I can’t do it. The idea of it is…I’m
sorry, Eli. It’s gross to me.”

“You will die without it. I can help
you, just accept it.”

“How?” she asked. “Never mind. Just do
it.”

“I don’t want to hurt you. You have
strong barriers protecting your mind. Open up to me fully so that I don’t have
to cause you any discomfort to get through them. It will go easier for you.
Trust me.”

Reaching up she placed her hand on the
side of his face as stared into his for a few seconds. “I can do that.” She
hunched over and clutched her chest. “Oh no. I…”

When her knees gave in he slowly lowered
her into a sitting position, and then he positioned her flat onto her back.
“No. Don’t close your eyes.”

She opened her eyes. “That’s it. Keep
looking into my eyes.” He was so afraid it was too late, but he wouldn’t let
her know it. “You’ll be fine. Stay with me. Stay calm. Open up to me.”

The moment he felt her mind’s natural
barriers drop he entered her mind and led her out and then into his mind. The
sense of losing all control caused her to panic. She resisted and tried to draw
away from him. He couldn’t allow it. He held firm. “Give yourself to me.”

“Will I change…will I become like you?”

Keeping his bloodline pure no longer
mattered to him. All that mattered was keeping her with him, keeping her alive.
“It could. Usually it takes more than once.” Fearing she might fight against
him, he didn’t tell her that it was more likely than not
,
for she was his true
mate. As a rule, it was the factor that caused an instant transformation.

“But…”

“We will be together fully forever.”

“I am with you fully.”

“Not yet. Right now we are separated by
mortality. I don’t have the ability to become human, but I have the ability to
turn you into my species…a Lycan.”

“I’ve heard your thoughts concerning it.
I know you feel doing so would be harmful to your pure bloodline.”

“I was wrong.” Keeping his gaze locked
onto hers to make sure she experienced his pleasure rather than her natural
human aversion for the act, he bit down on his wrist. He brought his wrist to
her mouth and using a compulsion, he willed her to take his blood. In a small
corner of her mind he felt her attempt to push away him, but in the end she
completely yielded to him.

Watching her take his blood, knowing
that it was bringing them closer together, he wished he had more time to
cherish the moment. He couldn’t afford to get lost in the moment. Once she’d
taken enough blood he pulled his wrist away from her and released her from the
compulsion. She looked confused. Maybe even a little afraid. He wanted to
gather her up in his arms and hold her, but he couldn’t. “I need to leave you
here, but I won’t be far away. I can’t wait for Jeremy and his ghouls to attack
when I’m with you. There’s a chance they won’t notice you’re up here. Stay
absolutely still and
no matter what happens
, don’t make a sound.”

Completely mesmerized, he watched her
take a breath and hold it as his blood rooted out and destroyed the drugs in
her system. He actually did the same as they stared into each other’s eyes.

“I know it sounds crazy. We hardly know
each other, but I think I’m falling in love with you, Eli.”

“It doesn’t sound crazy at all.” He
pressed his forehead against hers. “It makes perfect sense to me. I’ve been
falling in love with you from the first moment we met at the gas station.”

“But we don’t really know each other.”

Rather than immediately respond, he took
a few seconds to search for the right words. They were from completely
different worlds. She was human. She would naturally struggle with what being a
mate meant. She wouldn’t be able to comprehend the depths of his feelings for
her. If she knew that he would do anything, including die, to make her feel his
love she would likely come to the conclusion that he was a nutty obsessed
stalker. “I’ll agree that we have a lot of getting to know each other left to
do, but I also know we are a perfect match. There’s absolutely no doubt in my
mind that we belong together. I was made for you. You were made for me.”

“You’re wrong.” Frowning, she bit down
on her lower lip. “It’s too late for me to begin again, Eli. I messed up. I
lost too much. ”

“A terrible storm is raging deep inside
you. You’re grieving the loss of your child at the hand of his father. Your own
father ordered it. You’re planning to avenge your little one’s death. In doing
so you’ve decided you will be killed because you had no hope of surviving an
encounter with your father or his men alone. But you will survive, Kara. I
won’t allow you to die. It’s as simple as that. I will do whatever it takes to
help ease the pain of your grief and help you get the revenge you want and
need. And it’s never too late for a new beginning.” He took her face in his
hands. “You have me by your side from now until the end of time. You aren’t
alone anymore. You will never be alone again.”

“Shouldn’t you be lecturing me?
Shouldn’t you telling me that seeking revenge is wrong?”

Seeing it as a good sign that she didn’t
argue with him about being his mate, he smiled. “No. I am a predator. Survival
of fittest is my reality. I take what I want and need by force if it’s
necessary. You want it. You need it. I will place it into your hands. It
doesn’t matter to me if it’s right or wrong. From this moment on whatever you
want or need I will make sure you get it.”

She laughed softly. “I almost believe
you are serious.”

“You’ve been betrayed in the worst way
imaginable. Eventually, you will know that I will never turn my back on you or
betray you.”

  For a moment all was quite except
for the gentle breeze pushing through the tops of the tree as he felt her
spirit reached out to connect with his. Even the birds in the trees and the
animals on the forest floor were absolutely silent. He’d never felt such a
powerful connection with anyone. Wait. It was too quiet.

 Lifting his head, he breathed
deep, scenting the air, muscles bunched and ready to attack. He recognized the
vampire’s scent from at the abandoned building. “We need to move.”

“What is it?” He heard her but he didn’t
answer. He pulled her down to her knees. “What’s wrong?”

“Shh.” He crouched down next to her, his
eyes scanning his surroundings as he collected information. He was out of time.
He needed to get down from the ledge before the vampire realized they were
together. “Keep your mind open to me. I want to know if you’re in trouble. A
friend, Cain, will be here in a few minutes. He will take you through the cave.
It opens up again on the other side of the ridge. I will meet you there.”

Apparently noticing the cave for the
first time her jaw dropped as she stared at it. “No.” The color draining from
her face, she shook her head. “It’s too dark. I’m not going in there.” She met
his gaze. “I won’t do it. I can’t.”

“You’re afraid of the dark?” It was a
dumb question. Of course she was afraid of it. But she had to go into the cave.
It was the only way to get her to safety.

“More than a little.”

She was going to have to get over the
fear or deal with it. He knew Cain would have no problem forcing her to go
through the cave. He hated that it would have to be done by force, but it had
to be done. “You won’t be alone. You have to do it. It’s the only way.”

“You don’t understand. I can’t do it.
I…”

“Wait for Cain. Keep your back against
the cliff so they don’t see you and stay absolutely silent. Their hearing is
far more advanced than you can conceive. No matter what happens don’t make a
sound.” She wanted to explain. He wanted to allow it. But he was out of time.

~Eighteen~

KARA’S
FIRST IMPULSE was to follow him. She knew it was illogical to do the opposite
of what he was telling her to do. She’d never been chased in the forest by
vampires. He obviously knew what to do from experience. But she wasn’t going
into the cave. She couldn’t cope with total darkness. Not again. Never again.
She wouldn’t force herself to try.

On her hands and knees she leaned over
the
edge
and watched as he jumped. It was impossible. She hadn’t realized how high up
the side of the cliff he’d taken her until that moment. There was no way in
hell she would be able to go after him. If she tried she would end up with
broken bones. Several broken bones.

A split second before he hit the ground
he turned into a huge black wolf. She was amazed by the speed and apparent ease
at which he shifted from one form to the other. Most of the knowledge she’d
ever acquired was based on movies and literature, but she’d always thought of
the process as being something more brutal or violent. Snapping bones. Tearing
muscles. Stretching skin and such. He just seemed to poof into either form at
will.

When he lifted his head and howled, her
pulse quickened with a surge of adrenaline. The sound was so loud that she felt
vibrations deep inside her gut and it left her ears ringing. She got the
impression that it was as much of a challenge to any nearby aggressors as it
was a summons to draw his pack together. The confirmation came within seconds.
She heard several more howls from all around. At least one was closer than the
rest. It came from directly above her.

She looked up and saw a dark grey wolf
about twenty feet or so above her. She hoped like hell it wasn’t a threat. It
was huge. It didn’t appear to be as large as Eli, but it was definitely much
larger than an average wolf. It was staring down at her as if stalking her.

It’s okay. It’s Cain. He’s coming down
to you.
Eli's
voice deep inside her mind was nothing more than a whisper, but his words were
clear. She looked down at him. He wasn’t looking at her. Ears pressed back and
head lowered, he was growling at something she couldn’t see.

Tiny pebbles rained down on her. As she
lifted her gaze the wolf above her stepped back out of sight. She looked back
down at Eli. She’d only looked away for a second. She couldn’t believe her
eyes. He was surrounded by the most frightening looking creatures.

She couldn’t identify any of the other
men until she spotted Tom.
How was still alive?
Her blood pressure
skyrocketed. Not from fear. From hatred. Flames of rage ignited in her. She had
to get to him. She had to kill him.
I saw Tom die. My father shot him in the
head.

Stay put. You can’t kill him. He isn’t
human anymore. He’s been…he’s a ghoul
.

Eli didn’t understand. He didn’t feel
the fire burning her up.
You’re wrong.

Tom was several feet behind the other
men. All that mattered was getting to him, killing him. She stood up and
searched for a way to get down when a man landed in a crouching position next
to her. It was so unexpected that she took a step back. The ground crumbled out
from beneath her foot.

He caught her arms before she fell and
pulled her further back onto the ledge. “Sorry. I thought you knew I was coming
down to you. My name is Cain. I’m Eli’s friend.” he whispered as he tried to
push her back against the wall.

“I did. I wasn’t expecting you to…never
mind.” After seeing the way Eli had jumped down the cliff why wouldn’t she
expect another man do the same? “It doesn’t matter right now.” The only thing
of any importance was getting to Tom. “Can you get us down there?”

“I could, but I’m not,” he whispered.
“We’re going through the cave.”

“I’m not going in there.” She stood her
ground. “Take me down there.”

“It’s okay. He’ll meet us on the other
side.”

More men who were definitely not human
were growling, snarling, and baring their teeth as they closed the circle around
Eli. “What are they?”

“A few vampires. I only see one human,
but he isn’t human anymore. He’s a ghoul.” Seeing Eli surrounded by monsters
scared the hell out of her, but it wasn’t her biggest concern. She knew Eli
could take care of himself. The death of her baby was her first thought. Never
knowing her child. A life taken too soon. Viciously. “Don’t worry, I know it
looks bad, but Eli is fine. We need to get you closer to the pack before the
vampires catch up.”