Exquisite Breath of Darkness

by Candice Stauffer

  He chose the end because it was possible the formula for the poison had changed during the time she’d been forced to take it. He needed to make sure his body worked out the right cure for her as soon as possible. He didn’t have time to waste on a second try. She didn’t have time for it.

  ~ Eight ~

  THE SOUND OF the phone ringing woke Mia up. “Hello.” She felt unusually drowsy. She remembered Joseph carrying her to the bed, holding her in his arms, and talking to her, but she didn’t remember him leaving.

  “Emily called, but I didn’t answer in time! She’s in trouble! I need to find her!”

  Mia, fully alert now, sat up. “No. She’ll call back, Julie.”

  “She needs me. I’m not abandoning her.” Julie was sobbing uncontrollably. “I’m going to the club.”

  Mia jumped out of the bed. “Wait for me!”

  “I can’t.”

  “Damn it, Julie.” Mia pulled shoes on and quickly got her jacket on. “Do not go there alone. I’m on my way.”

  “I’m already here. I’m going inside.”

  “You can’t do her any good if you get yourself killed.” Mia’s heart pounded against her chest as she ran out the door. “Don’t go inside. Wait for me! Do you hear me? Wait for me, Julie!” There was no response. Mia looked down at the phone and realized Julie had ended the call. Getting onto her motorcycle, she called Julie.

  “Hello.”

  Julie sounded as if she’d been sleeping. “Julie, honey, where are you?”

  “In bed.”

  “Fuck.” Expanding her mind, she scanned her surroundings. She knew it was a trick. But she had been certain it was Julie on the phone. Perhaps it was Eli.

  “What’s wrong, Mia?”

  “Nothing,” she lied.

  “Do you need me to come over?”

  “No. Sorry. Go back to sleep. I butt dialed. I’ll see you in the morning.” Mia ended the call and got off the bike.

  Hopefully it was just Eli. He was dangerous but not in a deadly way. A sudden and drastic drop in the temperature caused Mia to shiver. “Damn it.” It wasn’t Eli. She was about to be attacked by a vampire.

  The stench of decayed flesh rose from out of nowhere. All senses on heightened alert, she waited for a few minutes, trying to figure out why the damn thing hadn’t attacked yet. She felt the vampire attempt to breach the barrier in her mind. It was obviously unlearned in the art of being discreet when stalking its prey. She studied its brain patterns and realized it was Jeremy Lang, the vampire she’d been helping Joseph hunt down for several weeks.

  She was tempted to make a run for it. Who wouldn’t be? But she didn’t. Not only would it let Jeremy know she was aware of his presence, it would be a waste of time and energy. And she didn’t have either to spare. She needed to draw him out of hiding as soon as possible.

  She figured it was a good the vampire believed she was clueless about its presence. He wasn’t an average vampire; he was more powerful than most. She should be afraid—most anyone else would be terrified—but she wasn’t. She just wanted to get it over with. For a second, she once again considered making a run for it. It had been a long day. She was tired and not at her best. But she knew it was useless.

  A vampire could be on her and rip her apart before she took two steps. She’d learned the hard way that they moved with preternatural speed. She forced herself to remain calm, watching and waiting.

  Though she didn’t know it, lycan instincts were leading her actions. As always she chose fight rather than flight, though at least she was smart enough to reach for Joseph. But it was odd—just like when Demetri came to her boutique, she couldn’t feel Joseph’s presence. All she felt was a swirling mass of dark, ugly rage.

  She reached for the knife from inside her jacket. “Oh, damn it,” she whispered between clenched teeth. How the hell had she forgotten it? The better question was how the hell was she going to get the upper hand without a weapon? Vampires were far stronger than the average man. She was strong, but she was slightly smaller than the average woman.

  She stopped, took a deep breath, and then released it with a sigh. The odds didn’t matter. Fighting was the only way she would survive the night. And it just so happened that surviving the night was on her to do list.

  She heard a rustling sound and turned around just in time to see a dark shadow in the shape of a large dog duck behind a car. It felt vampire, but something was off with the creature’s thought patterns. It was as if had no intelligence. Its mind was consumed rage. It was insane. She didn’t know what she was dealing with, but she didn’t panic.

  Keeping her arms at her side and knees slightly bent, she prepared to attack. “Are you seriously going to hide from me?”

  At the same time, she reached for Joseph again. She didn’t even realize she was doing it until it occurred to her she still couldn’t feel him. She needed to focus. She believed he could hear her just like before when Demetri had entered her boutique. She studied her surroundings. She waited. Nothing. But it was there. Watching her. Stalking her. Why was it hiding?

  She shrugged. The reason didn’t matter. She needed to get it over with. She decided to provoke the vampire. Easily done. Vampires had nasty tempers. “Stop acting like a little girl. I know you’re here. If you want to get your ass kicked, come out and let’s get it done.”

  Sensing its sudden surge of anger, she smiled. Insulting a vampire was the best way to draw one out from hiding. Remaining absolutely silent and still, she waited for several seconds. But something was wrong. The vampire didn’t make any move to reveal itself. “What’s the matter? Are you afraid of a woman?”

  She crouched low to the ground and reached deeper into the creature’s mind. A sudden sharp pain struck her skull. She let her breath out with a hiss. Damn. Jeremy had powerful safeguards protecting his mind. Once more, she waited. But still, there was nothing. “What the hell ever.” She shook her head. “I don’t have time to play hide and seek with a sissy. If you’re going to hide, you’ll have to find someone else to find you.”

  Just then, she realized what it was waiting for. It was a trap. But not for her. The vampire was waiting for Joseph to rush to her defense. She stood up to full height and took a step back, intending to appear as if she were going to turn and walk away. Just then, she felt a shift in the atmosphere as a gust of icy, rancid air rushed past her. She stopped and crouched. Something felt wrong about Jeremy. He was way too powerful.

  Hissing, Jeremy burst out of the shadows and leapt at her. Mia jumped out of the way. But he managed to rake his claws across her cheek. Ignoring the pain and keeping her wits, she positioned herself so she could see the vampire as well as the area where the shadow-dog was hiding behind the car.

  Mia felt Jeremy studying the barrier in her mind. She was shocked she was able to easily hear his thoughts, but she was more shocked by what he was thinking. He knew she was lycan and was waiting for her to switch forms. That was crazy. How did everyone know she was werewolf before she did?

  “Where is your mate?” He seemed to study the area thoroughly. She felt him reaching out with his mind, attempting to pinpoint Joseph’s location.

  “Who?”

  He slowly moved closer. “Your mate. The demon that helped Jake Mann escape, the one that has been hunting me.”

  Mia vision blurred but only slightly. She blinked to refocus her eyes. That was weird. “A demon? Like with horns and a pitchfork?” She shrugged as if she didn’t have a care in the world. “Don’t know what you’re talking about. And I definitely wouldn’t trust one of the sneaky bastards enough to be my mate or to go hunting with one.”

  “You think this is funny? You can’t lie to me. His stench is all over you.” He took a step toward her. “Call him to you.”

  Even if she could reach Joseph, no way in hell was she going to call him now. Something was seriously wrong, and she needed to figure it out. Why would a vampire want to tangle with a demon? Obviously, he wasn’t afraid of Joseph, and that was
a bad sign. Since she’d learned what Joseph was she’d never seen a vampire that didn’t try to run from him.

  “Yeah.” She shook her head. “I think not. If you’re hell-bent on playing with a demon, call one yourself.”

  The vampire advanced slowly. “Call him to you, or you will die slowly, painfully.” He’d dropped his voice.

  She lifted her chin. “No.”

  She heard a strange buzzing in her head. She knew he was trying to use a compulsion on her, and that truly pissed her off. Then, arms outstretched as if in invitation to embrace him, he moved toward her. “It’s your lucky day. I think before I kill you I will have a little recreation time with your body.”

  “Lucky? Please. Obviously you haven’t bothered to look in a mirror lately.” She took a step back. “It’s definitely not happening.”

  He moved again. “Call the demon to you.” But this time he moved, and his image was a black blur.

  “No.” He was in her face, drooling and sniffing, the foul odor of his breath causing her to gag. She really wished she weren’t able to hear the vampire’s nasty thoughts when he breathed in through his nose, filling his lungs with her scent as his gazed locked onto her pulse.

  “You wish to die with more agony.”

  “Not today.” The stench of his breath made her gag. “Ugh. Gross.” She tried to kick him in the groin, but he managed to block it. “Just get the hell away from me and stay away, you nasty freak.”

  “There’s no use in stalling.”

  She sensed he was the one stalling. He didn’t plan to kill her. Not yet anyways. He believed that he needed her to lure Joseph to him. She stepped back. She couldn’t allow him to get that close to her again.

  “How the hell do you smell a demon on me? You smell like a pile of shit.” She smirked. “And I mean literally. Definitely not figuratively. What the hell do you do, roll around in it like a damn dog?”

  * * *

  When Joseph returned to the current time, he decided to take a bit of a detour rather than head straight to Mia’s home. He hadn’t yet found where Eli and his pack were camping, so he decided to search for them. In his wake, great gust of wind brutally pushed through the trees and snapped limbs. The setting sun caused the billowing storm clouds in the western horizon to look like a swirling caldron of steel as he moved across the sky in the form of the dragon.

  Mia had made Joseph’s world right after he’d come to the conclusion that nothing could ever be right again. She didn’t know how deep his feelings for her were. She most certainly didn’t know he planned to kill Eli to keep her. She wouldn’t believe it anyways. She didn’t understand that she’d given him a reason to live again. He’d been lost before he found her.

  From the moment they’d met, Joseph knew Mia didn’t belong to him. And yet, he was powerfully drawn to her. It didn’t matter that Eli could quite possibly be her rightful mate. It didn’t matter that she might find happiness with Eli. Joseph would never allow another male to take her away from him. No matter the cost, he would fight any battle to hold onto her love.

  It didn’t matter that she wasn’t truly destined to be his. He belonged to her. She owned his heart and soul. Despite knowing Mia wasn’t his true mate, he no longer cared to look. He no longer hoped to find that special someone. She was all that mattered to him.

  Lightning erupted, causing the billowing clouds above him to look like a swirling inferno. He caught a glimpse of movement. His heart pumped liquid fire through his massive body so that his eyes were fiery red in the darkness as he scanned the forest far below him.

  Hatred for Eli had been churning in Joseph for too long. It was growing in him and stirring to life the dark, merciless killer in him. A small part of Joseph knew he should care about honor. He should allow what was meant to be to be. He should feel some form of guilt for keeping the truth from the woman he loved. Killing Eli was wrong. None of Joseph’s kind would stand by his side. Most would condemn him. But he didn’t care.

  Moving too quickly for the human eye to see his decent, he tucked his wings close to his body and swooped down to glide just a few inches above the dense canopy of trees. And then out of nowhere, the poison he’d injected into his body hit him hard.

  Every muscle in his body cramped. The pain was excruciating. He felt his mind fragmenting, threatening to shut down to escape the pain. It took every ounce of his strength to remain conscious as a fire spread throughout his body.

  He felt the dragon rise to fight it even as he crashed to the ground. It was a violent battle. Every muscle in his body burned. His bones burned. His flesh felt as if it were being shredded. He couldn’t believe a young child, his woman, had been forced to endure such pain. Even as he suffered the same agonizing pain, he wept for her.

  Sprawled out on the forest floor, his body covered with sweat, he felt an uneasy sensation, a premonition of danger. Mia was in serious trouble. He fought to remain conscious. He tried to get up, but he was paralyzed. His heart thundered as he sorted through Mia’s thoughts. He took more time than usual. But he stayed connected and gathered the information slowly.

  Why didn’t you call me to you, Mia? What the hell were you thinking?

  What the hell are you talking about? I tried to call you. But no worries. Everything is fine now. I’m just having a few words with an unpleasant son of a bitch. Mia’s tone changed from cocky to concerned. You’re hurt, Joseph.

  Damn it, Mia. He was mad but not at her. What pissed him off was that she had called out to him and he hadn’t heard her. I can’t get to you. Why the fuck did you leave your room?

  I didn’t know I wasn’t allowed to leave. He called my phone and sounded like Julie. Can you tell if she’s okay?

  She’s sleeping. She’s fine.

  You’re hurt, Joseph. He felt her attempting to search for the source of his pain. What happened? What’s wrong with you?

  Damn it, I can’t get to you.

  It’s okay. Just take care of yourself. There’s no need for you to come here. I have the situation entirely under control.

  Her love for him gave him strength. His need to protect her gave him strength. He got to his knees. The quickest route was to move through time and space, but he knew the poison had made his powers unpredictable. He couldn’t risk getting trapped somewhere else and not being able to help her. He tried to reach for another of his kind, but there was nothing. A vampire can change his voice to sound like someone else. You would’ve known what was happening if you hadn’t been sleeping so soundly. He’d never felt such guilt. She would’ve known it was a vampire disguising his voice on the phone if he hadn’t used a spell to put her into a deep sleep.

  Through her eyes, Joseph saw everything, but he couldn’t do anything.

  Fangs exposed, Jeremy inched closer to Mia. “You prefer to die before he gets here? That’s fine. He’ll come whether you call him or not when he feels your flesh being ripped from your bones.”

  “You know, to be entirely honest, I’m not liking that idea all that much. In fact, surprise, surprise, I’m not liking it at all.”

  Jeremy smiled widely, revealing his saw-like teeth and bloodstained fangs. “You have spunk.” He arched his eyebrow. “I like a spunky woman.”

  Joseph stood up. He took a step and fell to his knees. He’d never experienced the depth of the desperation he felt in that moment. His heart was pounding. His body was trembling with rage. He was going to enjoy killing the vampire.

  “Spunk? Nope. No spunk here. Rage. Yep. That’s it. At the moment I’m feeling homicidal rage. I’m thinking about how wonderful it will feel to kill you.” Mia gave Jeremy a mock sympathetic frown. “I’m sorry, but begging for mercy would be a huge waste of time. You need to die. It’s for the best. It’s the only way to end the suffering of your miserable existence. I don’t see any other option.”

  Joseph knew her thoughts were racing as she tried to figure out the best way to deal with the vampire. She actually believed the vampire could hurt really him because she
felt his weakness. She was trying to figure out a way to prevent Joseph from rushing into a trap. Worse, she believed it was all her fault.

  “You think you can kill me.” Jeremy laughed.

  “I don’t think I can, I know can.” She smirked. “And I will.”

  Joseph was proud of her. She was scared but refused to show it. She believed that if she kept the vampire talking she might be able to figure a way to get out of the mess and get to Joseph to help him. She wasn’t even considering her own well-being.

  Joseph got to his feet. I need you to do something that won’t be easy for you, angel.

  What?

  Stop trying to piss him off.

  What the hell would you like me to do, Joseph? Make friends with him?