Volatile Breath of Darkness

by Candice Stauffer

  Smiling, he lightly tapped her forehead with his index finger. “That’s why I was helping you search

  for him.”

  “You were doing it for me?”

  “As much as you’ve dreamed of having a father like me, I’ve dreamed of having a daughter like

  you.”

  She wrapped her arms around his waist. “You’re the best friend ever. I love you, Demetri.”

  He returned her hug. “I love you too, Emily.” He set her away from him, turned her around and gave

  her a swat. “Now, get your butt moving, go out and find Zack.”

  ***

  Demetri had been aware of Zack’s shock and growing rage as he watched Emily take his blood. The

  younger demon was jealous as hell, but he was not making any attempt to intervene. Though Zack was

  strong and would likely give him a few aches and pains, Demetri hoped to draw him out to fight for her.

  He wasn’t sure why Zack was hesitant. Demetri assumed it was because he was unsure of himself.

  Getting used to having a thirst and need for blood would be quite a challenge. It wasn’t a stretch of the

  imagination to believe he feared that he might hurt her if he lost control.

  He had been worried about sending her away, but not anymore. He knew Emily would be safe for

  Zack would continue to follow her. “It is not right for the demon to lurk in the shadows and stalk his

  mate. You need to take her, claim her, and get on with it or someone else might beat you to it,” he

  whispered beneath his breath, knowing Zack would hear and be antagonized by the taunt.

  Ruining his good mood, the instant Demetri walked back inside the club, Mary started to hassle him.

  “Why haven’t you taken care of Caylee and Megan yet? I want it finished. Phillip Wicks came by again to

  threaten me with his videos.”

  “I am taking care of it,” he walked passed her to go out into the busy bar, knowing she wouldn’t

  hound him in front of the patrons.

  “It is not only your time that is running out. You know that, right?”

  He stopped and turned to face her though the sight of her sickened him. “It will be finished tonight.”

  Her eyes narrowed in suspicion. “How do you plan to do it?” she asked.

  He knew he wouldn’t get away without giving her details, but it was worth a try. “Does it really

  matter to you as long as it’s done?”

  “Yes.” She nodded. “Tell me what you plan to do.”

  “I intend to catch Haden and the others with their pants down at their charity event tonight.”

  “I haven’t heard about it. What charity event?” she asked.

  “Their mates plan to auction them off in their underwear.”

  “Regardless of being dressed or not they will sense your presence, won’t they? They’ll still be able

  to fight.”

  “Yes. But they won’t know I’m there until it’s done and I’m gone.”

  “I have a new plan for Megan. You will bring the brat to me. Her blood will replace all that we have

  lost since Zack Savage got away.”

  He shrugged his shoulders in a careless manner, though nothing in him was laidback at the thought

  of Mary using an innocent baby for blood. Sara would hate him for the rest of eternity if he did anything

  to harm the baby. He would loath himself. Hopefully, showing up at the boutique and proving to Haden

  that he was able to secretly monitor Megan was enough to convince the other demon to isolate his family.

  “You had better not fail.”

  He needed to get away from her. “I need to head out to take care of a few loose ends before tonight.”

  She stared at him for several moments. Normally, she insisted that he hang around the club. She

  liked to have him around to intimidate and control drug dealers, the local rogue Lycan pack and the

  corrupted vampires. She had made numerous dangerous enemies. His constant presence was the only

  reason she was still breathing. Believing they were a couple no one dared to cross or harm her.

  “Fine,” she nodded. “Do whatever it is you must do to kill Caylee and bring me that brat tonight. I

  will be waiting. If you don’t return…”

  “It would be wise for you to leave it at that,” he advised. He was already so close to losing it, to

  wrapping hands around her throat and strangling her. It took every ounce of his strength and every second

  of his ten thousand years of experience and patience to keep from doing it. He couldn’t kill her. Not yet.

  When it was time he wouldn’t need to lift a finger. All he had to do was walk away, make it clear that she

  wasn’t under his protection and one of her adversaries would do it in no time at all.

  He didn’t wait for her to respond. He walked out the front door. He should’ve seen what was coming

  next, but he didn’t. A solid punch with a closed fist to the jaw landed him flat on his ass. Massaging his

  jaw as he kept an eye on Zack, Demetri got to his feet. “I would’ve thought a sucker punch was beneath

  you.”

  “Why did you touch my mate? Why did you give her your blood?”

  “The simple answer to both questions: Someone had to put his big boy panties on and do it.” Demetri

  knew his words would cause Zack to explode into a fit of rage. That’s what he wanted. A demon fighting

  with rage was easier to defeat. Rage caused them to make stupid mistakes in battle. It worked a little too

  well. His goal was to stay alive and avoid killing Zack. Taking Zack with him he shifted to desolate desert

  location in Southern Oregon to avoid human witnesses and casualties.

  ***

  Zack didn’t pause to think about the potential consequences of his action, he simply reacted. It would’ve

  been easier for a human to hold back the wind, than for him to contain his fury in that moment. In a

  blinding haze of fiery rage, he erupted. He attacked Demetri with every intention of killing the bastard for

  using Emily as a pawn to amuse himself.

  Each demon, equally strong and able to predict the other’s next move as if they’d rehearsed the fight,

  took turns exchanging blows.

  They’d fought for a good solid hour. Each had given and received one bone crushing blow after

  another, but they continued to fight. Then, something happened that caused Zack to stop. Demetri had

  overpowered him. He’d had his hands, perfectly positioned for a quick kill, wrapped around Zack’s

  throat. Rather than finishing him off, Demetri released him and tossed him several feet away. There was

  something else. Zack had lost control. He’d used his physical strength to fight. He’d completely forgotten

  to use any of his supernatural powers. Demetri wasn’t even mad.

  His chest was heaving as he struggled to catch his breath, he stood up. Demetri was in trouble. “The

  truth Demetri, I want to know the truth.”

  “About?”

  “What the hell are you doing fucking around with Mary Tate and the damned vampires?”

  Bent over with his hands on his thighs with a look of sadness and defeat in his eyes, Demetri stared

  at Zack. “I can’t tell you. I won’t. If you’ve had enough sparring you should track down to your mate. She

  needs you.”

  “She wants to rip me to shreds.”

  “I’ll admit she tends to gets a little temperamental from time to time.”

  That’s when Zack realized something else. It was so much more than Demetri giving his blood to

  Emily. A demon willingly giving his blood to a human infected with a corrupted vampire’s blood was

  unthinkable. Demetri shouldn’t
have been able to do it. It was believed that only a mate could do it. He

  had heard that Haden had done it for Caylee. But even then it was risky. A dragon’s greatest, most

  powerful instinct, even above protecting humans, was their own survival. Their most dangerous enemies

  were corrupt vampires. Demetri shouldn’t have been able to resist the natural urge to kill her for what

  she’d become. Unless… “You care about Emily a lot.”

  Standing up fully, Demetri shrugged as if attempting to appear casual. “Nikolas’ mate ran off with

  me once. Emily amuses me.”

  “No.” Zack shook his head. “It’s much more than entertainment. You care a great deal about her or

  you wouldn’t have been able to do it. You haven’t turned against us. You haven’t gone insane. You aren’t

  evil. The truth doesn’t lie. You’re in trouble. Other than Emily you’re protecting someone else. I watched

  Nikolas’ mate stand up to him and defend you to his face. It’s your mate, isn’t it?”

  The movement barely noticeable, as if he’d done it by accident, Demetri nodded. “I do what I do for

  myself. You should be concerned less about me and worry more about your mate. She’s alone and

  wandering around a big city. The vampire responsible for turning her would love to have another go at

  her. He raped her. Did you know that?”

  “I do now.” The statement, the thought of Emily being raped shook Zack to the core.

  “I trust you will kill him.”

  “There’s no doubt of it.” Zack crossed his arms over his chest. “I can’t be sure of what you’re doing

  or why you’re doing it, but I know you stepped way out of your comfort zone to save Emily. When

  you’re ready to get your stubborn ass hauled out of the ditch let me know.”

  “Right the wrong that has been done to Emily. That is all I need you to do.” He started to take a step

  toward Zack, but then he stopped and took a step back. “Emily has a beautiful soul, but she is a handful. I

  suspect she will be even more willful now. Don’t break her. Be patient with her. She’s young.”

  Watching Demetri’s image fade until it disappeared, Zack thought about what Demetri had said.

  Demetri needed him to kill Jeremy Lang. He didn’t know how a vampire could become such a problem

  for a demon. Whatever Demetri was doing he was doing it to save his mate. A demon’s mate was his life.

  For some reason, perhaps he feared someone would hear and retaliate, Demetri wouldn’t tell anyone what

  was truly happening. The only way a demon would fear possible retaliation would be if it was threatened

  against his mate and he couldn’t get to her.

  ~Sixteen~

  WITH A BAG of trash in hand Brianna opened the backdoor and stepped out into the alley. As the door

  closed she extended her free hand and began to count the steps as she made her way toward the dumpster.

  After reaching twenty and not reaching it she knew it had been moved from its normal spot. Thanks to

  taking the time to learn and memorize each step throwing the trash out was a simple task as long as the

  dumpster had not been moved.

  Taking a deep breath and slowly releasing it with a sigh, she stopped and stood still while

  contemplating her next course of action. She had three options to choose from. She could turn around to

  go back inside, attempt to locate it or panic. Since self-reliance was important to her, freaking out was the

  worst of the three. It could lead her so far off course that she might wander into a completely unfamiliar

  area. If that happened she would be forced to rely on the mercy of any person she happened to cross paths

  with.

  She had spent a great deal of time over the years making maps and storing them in her mind,

  retrieving them as needed. Doing so allowed her to get around without any form of assistance. The

  strategy worked great unless something had been left out of its place. Even a small object moved less than

  foot in any direction had the ability to disorient her.

  It was important to remember that one thing out place did not mean her map was invalid. If she got

  confused, there were keys to avoid getting completely mixed up and turned around. First she had to stop,

  remain calm and refer back to the map. Staying clear-headed at times such as this was easier said than

  done, but it was possible if she remained confident enough to trust all that she had learned.

  She turned around and slowly made her way back to the door, but she wasn’t ready to give up on her

  task just yet. Rather than go inside she leaned her back against the door and lifted her face to the sun and

  began to go through her memories to figure out a solution. One way or another she planned to complete

  the task she had set out to do.

  Several months ago she had encountered the same problem while taking the trash out. It took a

  nearly twenty minutes, but she found the bin. Returning to the backdoor was an entirely different story.

  She had allowed herself to panic and ended up thrown so far off course that she walked right into the

  backside of the building. She ended up with an impressive lump on her forehead, but her pride was spared

  because no one was around to witness her blunder.

  A few minutes later, Julie had opened the backdoor and immediately started to explain that she had

  snuck out to secretly meet up with Caleb. Honing in on the sound of the buzzer and then her voice,

  Brianna was able to make her way to the door without Julie ever figuring out what had happened. Julie

  might have noticed if she hadn’t been entirely focused on meeting up with Caleb and being worried that

  Mia could come at any minute and catch them.

  Since the alley was small there weren’t many locations for the dumpster to be placed, so it seemed

  logical to expect it would be where she found it the last time it had been moved from its regular spot.

  Turning slightly to the left she began to count her steps to make sure she would make it back to the door

  without incident.

  Eventually Mia or Julie would notice she wasn’t around, but since she didn’t tell anyone what she

  was doing they wouldn’t think to look out back unless they heard and actually paid attention to the buzzer

  going off when she opened the door. It wasn’t likely. They’d all grown so accustom to hearing it so taking

  note of it never really happened. In time they would find her, but being stuck outside until someone

  showed up to rescue her didn’t appeal to her at all.

  The instant her hand came into contact with the rounded metal edge of the dumpster she felt an

  enormous sense of relief and satisfaction for achieving her goal. Running her hand across it she found the

  center, opened it, tossed the bag of garage into it, let the lid fall and then headed for the backdoor.

  Giving up would have been the easiest thing to do, but it would have robbed her of her joy. The memory

  and shame of it would have stayed with her. By succeeding her goal she had maintained and increased her

  self-esteem. It was the same for every time she took on and conquered an obstacle caused by her inability

  to see.

  The tips of her fingers had just come into contact with the doorknob when something struck the back

  of her head hard. Feeling as though it had been split open she reached up, she felt a warm wet substance

  that she assumed was blood. She attempted to scream in hopes of being heard, but completely muffling

  the sound was a hand covering her mouth.

  “Be quiet.”

 
The man’s voice was familiar, but she couldn’t identify it. It didn’t matter. She needed to get away

  from him. She struggled to get away, but her strength was just as diminished as her thoughts were erratic.

  She felt herself start to lose consciousness as she dug her nails into his hand to pry it from her mouth.

  “Stop fighting me or you will make this much worse than it needs to be. The first person to walk out

  the door will get a bullet to head.”

  Unwilling to test the validity of his threat she went completely still. He released her at once. She

  dropped to her knees and fell back onto her butt. “Why are you doing this?”

  “I’m taking you home where you belong.”

  She suddenly recognized his voice. “Carl?”

  “If you hadn’t lied to me about whoring around this would’ve been so much easier.”

  “What are you talking about?” she asked.

  “You told me that you did not have a boyfriend. You said that he was stalking you. I saw you with

  him. He isn’t stalking you. You are letting him screw you. You have been spreading your legs and

  whoring your body out to the bastard all along.”

  Attempting to stand up she got to her hands and knees, but her head took another hard blow and she

  collapsed. She intended to call out to Nikolas as she should’ve immediately done, but she had been so

  bewildered by the sudden and unsuspected attack that she failed to even think of him. An image of

  Nikolas leaning down as if to kiss her flashed in her mind and then was gone. That was it. Her last

  thought was that she couldn’t be sure if it was a memory of him or if she had managed to reach him.

  ***

  Carl knew God Almighty had done a wonderful thing for him. After failing to retrieve his gun from his

  mother’s basement he had started to lose hope, but through prayer he managed to hold on to it. He had

  parked in the alley to be near her while he worked out a plan to get her alone. It was clear now that God

  had a better plan all along. Who else would’ve known she would walk out the back door? The answer was

  simple. No other could’ve known. Anyone could have walked out the door to throw the trash out. Why

  didn’t someone else do it? It wasn’t luck. It wasn’t a matter of chance. It was a great and awesome