Exquisite Breath of Darkness

by Candice Stauffer

  “Your love for me gave me the courage and strength to break free of the fear. Maybe mine will do the same for you. I love you, Haden.”

  “I have no doubt it will. And I love you. Now, back to this little matchmaking plot you’re working on. You said Joseph knows about this plan, right?”

  “Yep. He does. It was his idea.”

  “Did he by any chance have any part in locating the perfect man to take Brianna on this date?”

  Caylee had a very bad feeling she didn’t want to know, but she asked, “Why?”

  Haden laughed out loud. “He did, didn’t he?”

  “Yes.” She frowned. “Why?”

  “Do you know the mystery man’s name?”

  “Adam.” When Haden burst out laughing, Caylee smacked his arm. “Why are you laughing?”

  “You and Mia have just been pulled into a feud that has been going on for over four thousand years.”

  “Huh?”

  “Nikolas and Adam haven’t been very friendly for quite some time. They’re very competitive, and Joseph has always found spurring them on to be amusing.”

  “Joseph knew?”

  “Who doesn’t?”

  “Me. And I suspect Mia.”

  “Do you and Mia have a backup plan in case Brianna falls for Adam?” Haden asked.

  “She won’t.”

  “It’s possible.”

  “Don’t say that,” Caylee said.

  “It’s true.”

  “Go. Get out of here right now, Haden. You need to stop Adam from coming.”

  “It’s not possible.”

  “Why?”

  “He’s already in town.”

  “How do you know?”

  Haden pointed at the door. “He’s coming inside right now.”

  “Oh, crap.” Caylee turned to look at Adam. “I really hate Joseph right now.”

  “He has an odd sense of humor, but don’t worry. He’ll get what he deserves. I’ve no doubt he’ll get his ass kicked for this one. If Mia doesn’t beat him up over tricking her, I promise you that Nikolas isn’t the type to turn the other cheek.”

  “What about poor Brianna?”

  “There’s no reason to worry about her. No matter how ugly it gets, Nikolas and Adam would never hurt her. They’ll both shield her from any unpleasantness.”

  “But she’s going to be confused if they engage in some type of twisted, chest-beating competition over her.”

  “If?” Haden laughed. “It’s a given.”

  “How sure are you that she is destined to be with Nikolas?”

  “I’ve no doubt of it.”

  “So Adam won’t really try to take her, right?”

  “Adam plays by his own rules.” Haden wrapped his arm around Caylee and led her to the front of the boutique to greet Adam. “And I like I said, Nikolas and Adam have never gotten along.”

  ~ Fifteen ~

  MIA SENSED SOMETHING was wrong and opted to be as quiet as possible. Leaving her motorcycle at the front entrance, she walked through the cemetery. Slowly making her way toward Julie’s car, she scanned her surroundings. She couldn’t pick up on anything out of the ordinary, but the feeling of uneasiness increased, and she walked a little faster. When she got to the car and still didn’t see Julie she took her phone out of her pocket and called her. She heard the phone ring directly behind her.

  Mia turned around to find Julie between two vampires.

  “I’m sorry, Mia,” Julie said, as she fought to get away from the vampires holding her arms. “They made me do it.”

  “It’s okay, Julie. Be calm.” Mia knew better than to wait. She instantly opened her mind to Joseph so he could see all that was happening. The second she felt him with her, assessing the situation, she shifted her gaze to one of the vampires. “What do you want?”

  “Come with us, and she will be spared.”

  “Yeah, right. I don’t believe a damn word you say. Let her get into her car and drive away. Once I knew she’s safe at home, I’ll think about coming with you.”

  Mia felt a powerful being approach from behind. It wasn’t Joseph, and it wasn’t Demetri. In fact, it wasn’t a demon at all. It felt like a vampire, but it was much different than any other she’d ever met. She didn’t dare take her eyes off Julie and the vampires in front of her even when she saw them look at whoever was walking up behind her. Who is it, Joseph?

  Caleb Stone. He’s a vampire. A good vampire—so don’t go kicking his ass. He’s there to help you. Let him deal with the other vampires. He lives in the home overlooking the cemetery, so he’s very well acquainted with the area. You stay focused on Julie. If an opportunity arises, just get the both of you the hell out of there. He just told me there are several more vampires hiding all around, preparing to attack. I’m going to take as many of them out as possible before I get to you. But I want you to keep your mind merged with mine at all times.

  “Take your hands off her.” Caleb’s voice was a low rumble.

  Mia didn’t turn to look at Caleb, but she knew he was a few feet to her right, giving them both room to properly fight if needed.

  “This isn’t your concern. Leave us or die.”

  “To be honest, neither sounds good to me,” Caleb replied. “How about you release her right now, and I will swear to kill you quickly rather than slowly torture you to death?”

  Unmoving, the vampires stared at Caleb for several seconds.

  “Your buddies are giving you some very bad advice. Before following their orders you should ask them why they’re hiding in the bushes rather than coming out to help you deal with me. And I guarantee that if you harm either of these women in any way, you will get acquainted with the true meaning of agony..”

  Mia decided she sort of liked Caleb.

  Not too much though, right? Joseph asked.

  Only a little. He is after all a nasty, blood-sucking vampire. And I’ve sworn to hate them all for all of time.

  Caleb said he’s having trouble reaching Julie’s mind. He says she has a barrier of some sort. Can you get her to say something out loud? It will help him find the right path to communicate with her.

  “Julie, are you injured?” Mia asked.

  “No.” Julie shook her head. “I am fine.”

  Mia watched Julie’s gaze jump to Caleb. I think it worked, Joseph. She’s looking at him now.

  You’re right. He’s able to communicate with her now.

  * * *

  Caleb found the path to Julie’s mind easily. Too easily. Can you hear me, Julie? Eyes wide, her gaze jumped to his and then narrowed suspiciously. He could hear her heart pounding as she stared into his eyes and tried to figure out if it was really his voice she’d heard or if she’d gone insane. You haven’t lost your mind. My name is Caleb Stone. It’s my voice you are hearing. I’m not going to allow them to harm you. They are planning to use you to get to your friend Mia. They will drag you into the tree line. I need you to stay calm. Let them take you.

  The movement was barely visible as she shook her head. No. You can go with them. I am not. He was merged deeply enough with her that he could hear her every thought. She wasn’t allowing vampires to take her anywhere. Besides, what if his voice in her head was a delusion? Nope. There was no way she was going to play the role of submissive captive and allow them to drag her off to into the trees to kill her.

  No matter what you do you can’t get away from them. There are many more gathered all around waiting to attack us. I need your help. Your friend needs your help. Without it we will all die.

  Her swallow was audible. She knew he was telling the truth. She couldn’t see the others, but she could sense their presence. Fine. Biting her bottom lip, she nodded.

  You are willing to do as I’ve told you, Julie? He wanted to be sure.

  Yes.

  I promise I won’t allow them to harm you.

  * * *

  What’s going on, Joseph?

  It’s going to be okay, Mia. She’s confused because of his abil
ity to speak in her mind, but she understands that he’s there to help. He’s also able to hear the thoughts of the vampire leading this ambush.

  Who’s leading it?

  Jeremy Lang. Caleb says the vampires holding her are going to act as if they’re going to leave with her. They believe you’ll follow. No matter what happens, do not follow. The moment they move back and he follows, head straight for your motorcycle and get the hell out of there. He will get her away from them. If you try to follow them, the rest of the vampires that are lying in wait will join them. I’ve only been able to kill four, but at least ten more are still hiding. And they will kill her. It’s you they want, not her.

  Very impressive. You’ve killed four, and you don’t even sound out of breath. You’re sure he’ll be able to help her?

  I’ve no doubt of it. I’m going to come down hard and fast in my dragon form. When you head to your bike, run like hell and don’t look back no matter what you see or hear. Just get on it and go.

  You want me to leave you to fight them alone? He was asking her to do the one thing she would never be able to force herself to do.

  I’m asking you to prevent the majority from going after Julie so Caleb has a better chance of getting her away from the two vampires restraining her. And I won’t be doing any fighting alone. I can remain in my dragon form and take them out quickly with fire if you aren’t too close to them.

  Mia realized the vampires were slowly starting to back away. For the first time she glanced at Caleb. He wasn’t what she’d expected at all. Most vampires she’d encountered were pale, tall, and slender. Generally they were far too slender for their height, which made them appear malnourished. Caleb, on the other hand, had a deep, dark tan, and he was tall with a very large, muscular build.

  Caleb glanced down at her and looked directly into her eyes. You’re very brave to agree to draw the majority away from her. I will not allow them to harm your friend.

  For some reason, despite all she’d ever learned about vampires, she believed him. She nodded.

  And then it happened. The vampires started to run, dragging Julie away from them. Mia looked at Julie one last time, and then she turned and ran for her motorcycle. Joseph, in his dragon form, flew overhead. She didn’t turn to look where he was going. She knew she was being pursued by several vampires and he was intercepting them. She heard Joseph roar the moment she reached her motorcycle. She saw flames from the corner of her eyes as she fired up the engine. When she took off she heard screams of agony and smelt burnt flesh.

  She made it to road and kept going. She was afraid for Julie, for Joseph, but she kept going. And then she see saw it.

  “Holy shit.”

  Countless ghouls were in the road and along the sides of the road. She was going too fast to stop in time, but she had to try—if she drove into their midst, she’d be torn apart. She hit the brakes too hard. She knew better, but she didn’t have any other choice. Her bike swerved and started to slide sideways.

  A split second before she hit the pavement, the ghouls burst into flames as strong arms wrapped around her and lifted her. It happened so fast—one second she was preparing to crash, and the next she was in Joseph’s arm.

  “Oh, Joseph.” She wrapped her arms around his neck and buried her face against his shoulder. “Does Caleb have Julie yet?”

  * * *

  “Yes.” He was on the ground, but he was still holding her. It was far too close of a call. If he’d been just a tiny fraction of a second slower, she would be dead. Unable to breathe, his body trembled as adrenaline-laced blood rush through his bloodstream. He was never letting her out of his sight again.

  “I’ve never seen that many of them in one place, Joseph. It’s not just the vampires. Somehow even the ghouls are different now,” Mia said. “They’re more powerful, more organized.”

  “It’s expected. They live off the blood of vampires.”

  “I don’t care what it takes. We need to find a way to stop Mary and Demetri.”

  “We will,” Joseph said. He didn’t want to talk about anything. He just wanted to hold her and know that she was safe. He didn’t want to even think of her going after Mary and Demetri. He wanted her away from it all. Life would be much easier if she didn’t feel the need to rid the world of evil.

  “I can’t believe they used Julie to get to me. She could’ve been killed because of me.”

  “Not because of you, Mia.” It irritated him that she would place any blame on herself. Didn’t realize all the good she’d done for Julie? “You can’t blame yourself for any of this. If you hadn’t taken her in, Julie would still be on drugs and entertaining men for Mary. You’ve given her a life she would’ve never had.”

  Mia tiled her head back to look up at Joseph. “We need to get Emily away from Mary.”

  “We will.” By that he meant he would—and he would find a way to keep Mia as far away from Mary, Demetri, and the vampires supercharged with Zack’s blood.

  “Are you sure Julie’s safe with Caleb?”

  “She’s your friend, and you love her. For that reason alone you can be sure I wouldn’t have allowed him anywhere near her if I had any doubt she would be safe with him.”

  “You knew I was in trouble before I called out to you this time. How did you know what was happening?”

  “Caleb told me what was happening.”

  “I’ve never met Caleb. How did he know to go you?”

  Joseph smiled. “My scent is on you.”

  “He could smell you on me?”

  “Of course.”

  “And you didn’t think to tell me about it.”

  He shrugged. “No.” If she was waiting for an apology, she was going to be waiting until the end of time. She was alive because Caleb knew to alert him that she was in danger. It was obvious that, since she had a way of getting into scuffles with vampires, ensuring his scent on her was a good thing.

  “Ugh! Damn it, Joseph! What are you, some kind of giant, ‘lift your leg and mark your territory’ dog? You’re such an ass. I can’t believe you’d do that without at least telling me. You know I want to hit you right now, right?”

  “Yes. But I also know you want to kiss me even more than you want to hit me.”

  Mia wrenched herself out of Joseph’s arms and took a step to the side to give them room to fight. “Someone is watching us.”

  Joseph already knew it was Eli. Rather than tell her, he waited for her to figure it out. It was good for her to use her lycan abilities. He glanced down at her as she expanded her mind to search the area for the identity of their stalker.

  She looked up at him. “It’s Eli.”

  He hated hearing her say the name. Pulling her close to protect her was his first urge, but resisting it, he examined their surroundings. “He’s not alone. I knew I was going to sorry for not killing him.”

  * * *

  “It’s okay. Eli is telling me he’s here to help us.”

  “He’s a little late,” Joseph said. “And the only reasons he’s here is to help himself to you.”

  “Stop it, Joseph.” She smacked his ass. “There’s no reason for you to get all worked up. Everything is okay. The only man I’ll be allowing to help himself to me is you.”

  “Like hell it’s okay. The moment he’s within sniffing distance he’ll know we’ve been together, and it will piss him right the hell off.”

  Mia stared at Eli as he walked out of the woods surrounded by several men. “Who are they all?”

  “That’s his pack.”

  “There’s too many of them. We should leave.” Mia knew they were seriously outnumbered. She glanced up a Joseph. “Do that disappearing thing. I want go right now.”

  “Nope. Not this time.” Joseph, rather than look down at her, kept his eyes focused on Eli. He shook his head as if to make it clear he totally, one hundred percent rejected the idea of running off. “I don’t want to him to catch you alone when he first notices my scent on you and figures it out.”

 
; It finally dawned on her what he meant when he referred to Eli getting within sniffing distance. “That we’ve had sex?” She shook her head. “Tell me you’re not saying he can smell that we’ve had sex.”

  “That’s not what I’m saying at all.” He looked down at her and smiled that naughty, sexy smile that always flooded her with hot desire. “I’m saying he can smell that we’ve made love.”