Hot Decadent Rising (Breath of Darkness) (7 page)

She opened her eyes and met his gaze in
the rearview mirror. “
Nothing
will stop me from coming after you.”

Laughing at her, he stopped the car. She
recognized the alley right away. Tom had been in negotiations to buy the bar
across the street. Without saying a word he got out and slammed the door. He
walked a few feet away and pulled his cell phone out of his jacket and made a
call. She couldn’t hear the conversation, but she knew he was informing her
father that he had her. After a few seconds, he put the phone away and walked
back over to the car, followed by three other men who seemed to
just step out of the
shadows.

Tom opened her car door. “There’s been a
change of plans. You won’t be able to enjoy the ride. You’ll already be dead
when we head up toward the falls.”

Obviously not moving fast enough for
their liking, two of the three men who’d showed up grabbed her arms and yanked
her out of the car. She was going to die. Worse yet, her baby was going die.
She fought to get away, but she was out numbered. Though her hands were cuffed
behind her back and her pregnant belly made getting around in the best of
situations difficult, she didn’t give up. She continued to struggle to get
away.

Tom slapped her across the face. She
tried to stand up, but he threw her down onto her belly and kicked her ribs
several times. It happen so fast she didn’t have time to get off her belly. She
heard a loud explosion and felt the sharp pain of a bullet ripping through her
skull. She rolled over onto her side and, closing her eyes, she waited for
death to take her.

She’d expected it to come within
seconds. It didn’t. She felt hands gripping her. She knew she was being lifted
though she could open her eyes. Tossed onto the back seat of a car she remained
absolutely still as the handcuffs were being removed. Several minutes went by
before she heard the front door open and then close. After forcing her eyes to
open, she struggled to lift her head but everything started to spin. She felt
the car moving. Her only thought was that she had to get out of the car to get
help for her baby. She opened the door and threw herself out. She hit the
pavement hard. Tires squealed. She heard a woman scream for help.

Trying to push aside the agonizing
throbbing in her head, but it was no use. She’d been shot in the head. That
meant sudden death, right? How was she still alive? She had to die. Praying it
would come quickly rather than drag out, she closed her eyes. Believing her
prayer had been answered, she started to drift off to sleep. 

***

Mia
saw a woman tumbling out of the back of a moving car headed toward her. She
instantly merged her mind with Joseph to allow him to see what was happening.
As expected his full attention turned to her. He didn’t say anything. He didn’t
have to. She felt him. Forced to stop suddenly to avoid running the woman over,
Mia’s Ducati slipped out from beneath her. She rolled on pavement a few times.
He was miles away but his arms, his body sheltered her from any injury. She was
on her feet fast enough to see her ride smashed beneath a semi-truck. The truck
was stopping, but not fast enough. Before the woman could be the truck’s next
victim, Mia took her helmet off and, using supernatural speed, sprinted towards
her.

As she knelt to pick the woman up she
heard the most horrible screeching sound of tires locking up. She didn’t have
time look. She lifted the woman and carried her to the side of the road.
Lowering her onto the grass, she noticed a terrible wound to her head. She’d
been shot. 

The woman grabbed her belly. “It’s too
soon.” Pushing Mia away from her she got up on her knees and tried to stand up,
but was obviously too weak to remain on her feet.

“Don’t try to get up. Stay still. You’re
injured.” Taking her arms Mia knelt down beside her and slowing eased her onto
her back. Placing her hand on her head, she reached deep within herself to pour
healing power into her body. It wasn’t enough. She needed Joseph’s help.

I am with you always. It’s enough.

“My baby. Please, help my baby.” She
looked up at Mia, her eyes opened wide with fear and desperation, pleading with
her to do something to save her baby. “No!” Clutching her belly, she continued to
stare up at Mia. “Oh no! Oh God! Not now!”

“Is she alright?” A man asked.

She looked up at him. “Who are you?”

“I was driving the semi. I tried to
radio for help but something is wrong with the
mic
on
the damn thing. It hasn’t worked for the past few days.”   

Get rid of him. A vampire is near.

Getting into his mind and taking control
of it, Mia said. “All is fine here. I have her. I will take care of her. Get in
your truck and drive away.”

Taking his ball cap off the man
scratched his head. “You’ve got this. I’ve a deadline.” He turned and walked
away.

Mia saw absolute terror in her eyes as
she realized she was losing her baby.

“It’s too early!” Mia felt the pain of
her world being ripped away from her. She felt it in her own heart. She
shouldn’t have felt her own heart breaking over her, over the baby’s tragic end
but she did.

Once the contraction was over, Mia
allowed herself to breathe. “Listen to me. I’m not going to leave you. Help is
coming. I’m going to stay right here with you until it arrives. What’s your
name?”

“Kara.”

“I’m Mia.

I know you’re in pain. I know you’re
hurting, but you need to keep as still as possible until help arrives.”

 “It’s too late. You need to leave.
There’re more. They will kill you.”

“Don’t worry. No one is going to hurt
anyone.”

Kara closed her eyes.

Mia panicked. “Don’t give up.”
Joseph,
I need you! She’s dying.

I’m with you.
Always the
perfect calm in the center of every storm, Joseph wasn’t physically with her
yet, but she felt him kneeling down next to her.

Can you help her, Joseph?

I’m close. Place your palms on her
belly, angel.
Mia
did as he instructed.
Using my power to heal someone is the same as using my
power to kick ass in a fight. All that I have, all that I am belongs to you.
Take it. Use it.

She has been shot in the head.

I know. We need to focus on the baby
first.
Mia felt Joseph’s power fill her. She felt it exit through her hands and enter
Kara’s body.

Kara’s eyes flew open. Crying out, she
was nearly thrown up off the ground when her next contraction escalated. Once
it eased up she began to weep. The sound of devastation in it would forever
haunt Mia.

I can’t do this
.

Her labor is progressing far too
quickly. The baby has already died. His spirit is moving further and further
away with each passing second. Her spirit will follow if we allow her life to
slip away. We should let her go. It would be kinder than to force her to
survive the loss of her child.

Let her die?
Mia asked.

We can heal her.

What are you saying?

 We can save her, but the baby is
gone.
Eli
explained.

 Can you bring the baby back?

He’s too far gone.
I can’t
reach his spirit.

Allowing her to die would be more
merciful than causing her to survive, but something tells me that her survival
is imperative. It’s Eli. I think…his scent is…she was with him today. I don’t
know how I know it, but I just know she’s his mate.

She will live.
His response was
instant. He didn’t pause to think about what she was saying. Though he had
every reason to hate Eli he didn’t use it for an excuse to tell her she was
wrong. He didn’t doubt her instincts even though she did. She wouldn’t expect
anything less from Joseph. He believed in her. He always had her back. No
matter the situation. Right or wrong he was always ready to fight for her.

You have company.
Joseph stated.

I know.

I’ll be coming up from behind you.

“Get away from her.” 

Drawing on Joseph’s power, Mia placed a
hedge of protection around Kara. She didn’t rush. She waited until she was
certain no further harm could come to Kara before she stood up and turned
around. “Oh my! I’m such a lucky girl. Two not so attractive men and a nasty
ass vampire all dressed up in expensive suits.”

“Leave now or you’re going to end up
like her.”

“You shot her?”

One man smacked the back of the other
man’s head. “Kill her. She’s a witness.”

The other man lifted his gun and fired
several shots, but the bullets were deflected by a barrier of protection.

The vampire stepped back. “I knew she
looked familiar. You won’t be able to kill her. She isn’t human.”

“She’s a vampire?”

“No. You’d best leave her alone. She
belongs to a demon.”

“I don’t care if the bitch is possessed
by Satan! Kill her!”

“I’ve a better idea. How about you all
turn your asses around and leave right now? If you do there’s a tiny
possibility you might live to regret pointing your little pistols at me for a
little longer.” She shrugged. “Do what you want. It doesn’t really matter.
Regardless of what you do I’m quite convinced you’re all going to die tonight.”

“Kara is dead. It’s done. Let’s get out
of here before her mate shows up.”

“I doubt you’ve much time to get away.
He’s pretty close now,” Mia explained.

“Kill the bitch. Wait!” One of the men
pointed up into the sky behind her. “Look. What the fuck is that?”

“I’m just guessing, but does it happen
to resemble a very big dragon?” Mia asked.

The vampire turned to run but in his
dragon form Joseph was much faster. He got in front of the vampire and shifted
into his human form. The vampire ran straight into him. It wasn’t much of a
fight. She’d seen Joseph do it many times, but she was always in awe of his
power. He ripped the creature’s head off and was moving toward them before she
had a chance to blink.

Trusting Joseph to deal with the two
men, Mia knelt down to check on Kara. Obviously hoping to use her as a shield
to get away from Joseph one of the men pressed his gun against the top of her
head. “Get up. You’re coming with me.”

Mia lifted her head to look up at him.
“You’re an idiot. And you’re going to die for it.” Her movement a blur, she
ripped the gun out of his hand and shot him in the face. Before he hit the
ground the other man, gun drawn, came at her. She shot him dead too.

“You didn’t see me coming up from behind
him, right?” Joseph asked as he approached.

“Of course I saw you.”

“Really? Before or after he fell and you
fired again?”

“I was being extra careful when I
aimed.”

“You weren’t aiming. You were shooting.”
Grinning, he took her hand and placed a bullet in it. His behavior was playful.
Considering all that was going on his actions would naturally seem odd, but she
knew he was using it as an excuse to make physical contact with her to make
sure she wasn’t injured.  “Unless of course you’re still holding a grudge
against me for not telling you that Caleb took Julie out for dinner last
night.”

“I guess we will never know.” Caleb
Stone was a vampire. He was supposedly a good vampire. An ancient pure blooded
vampire. Joseph liked him. Mia didn’t like him at all. He’d never given her a
reason to dislike him, but it didn’t matter. It was what it was.  She had
taken it upon herself to watch over and protect Julie for the past few years.
She wasn’t about to allow a vampire to take advantage of her.

Joseph knelt down next to Kara. “We need
to wake her up the baby is coming fast.”

“Since the baby is…Joseph, can’t we just
keep her unconscious through it?” Mia asked.

“No.” Mia watched as he placed his hand
on Kara’s head. “Talk to her while I wake her.”

“Kara, can you hear me?”

Kara’s eyes fluttered a few times before
focusing on Mia. “You need to leave. He’ll send men. They’ll kill you.”

Mia took Kara’s hand. “You’re safe now.
Don’t worry about anything. Do you remember that I told you help was coming?
Joseph is here now. We can trust him to take care of us. No one will be able to
harm us when he’s here.”

 “You don’t understand. He’ll kill
you for helping me.” Arching her body, she cried out in pain.

“We aren’t leaving you. You’re safe now,
Kara.” Mia poured her own sense of peace into Kara to soothe and calm her until
the contraction subsided.

***

Joseph
was proud of Mia’s inner strength and kindness. He was humbled by her
unshakable belief in his ability to protect them.
I am holding the pain of
her head wound, but I can’t shield her from the pain of giving birth.