Volatile Breath of Darkness

by Candice Stauffer

  pull him closer after he buried himself as deep as possible with one thrust. Her spasms of pleasure caused

  her sheath to tighten like a vise around his hard cock as wave after wave of rapture washed over him and

  through him.

  Several hours later he held her close and listened to her breathe as she slept. His world was finally

  right, but he wasn’t at peace. It would be a long time before he let her out of his sight. The thought of

  losing her terrified him. Being immortal he had never really fear death. He wasn’t sure he would ever get

  over the power it had to totally devastate.

  Excerpt Hot-Blooded Breath of Darkness (unedited)

  ~ONE~

  The first touch of her lips to his, a gentle whisper of a caress, sent a bolt of lightning straight

  through his heart.

  TOBIAS DANIELS LEANED heavily on the rail as he made his way up to the second floor. He

  staggered clumsily down the hall. Once he entered his bedroom he lifted a bottle of whiskey to his mouth.

  While allowing the fiery liquid to flow down his throat he lit candles all around with a simple wave of his

  free hand.

  He stubbed his toes on the raised stone base of his fireplace. “Son of a bitch!” He lifted and nearly

  threw the bottle, but then he considered the stupidity of doing so. Why the hell waste a bottle of whiskey

  that had been aged to perfection over a bruise that had already healed? Laughing out loud, he stumbled

  backwards a bit, but then quickly righted himself as he took a few more gulps.

  Leaning over, he picked up a log. He nearly fell over, but managed to stay upright as he tossed it into

  the extinguished fireplace. Being a demon, his body temperature always perfectly regulated, he had never

  known what it felt like to be too hot or too cold. Failing to notice the lack of flames and chilling breeze

  drifting down the chimney, he indulged himself in the warmth of the make-believe fire his intoxicated

  mind had produced.

  After a few moments, suddenly realizing he’d finally reached oblivion, the best part of intoxication,

  he moved over to his bed and collapsed onto it. Being immortal he didn’t need to sleep. Some demons

  were able to shut their minds and bodies down and sleep. Not Tobias. The only way he could escape the

  dark and lonely reality of his endless existence was through liquor. Closing his eyes, he allowed all

  thoughts to cease as he succumbed to an unconscious state. Well, that was the plan. He no sooner closed

  his eyes when it was ruined.

  Knowledge of the unseen and the unspoken had a way of creeping into his mind at the wrong

  moment. Over the years he had noticed that those who did not possess the ability would do and give up

  just about anything or anyone to gain it. It was a matter of ignorance. They viewed it as a gift because

  they had no ability to comprehend the unsavory aspects of seeing and hearing things that were never

  meant to be exposed.

  The last thing he wanted to do was to ruin a good buzz with the arrival of two fellow demons,

  Nikolas Drake and Joseph Payne. They had passed through the outer safeguards surrounding his property.

  Just the fact that they had showed up wrecked his day. Knowing that they were planning to unload their

  troubles onto him completely destroyed it beyond any hope of repair. Except for violence he had done

  everything possible to make his wish to remain apart from them perfectly clear. If Nikolas had not been

  one of the intruders he would not have permitted them to remain. He owed a debt to Nikolas. Until he had

  paid it he had an obligation to hear him out.

  Being an eight thousand years old demon, he had acquired a great deal of common sense. He knew

  better than to drink alcohol, but on the flip side he had lived long enough to not give a damn about

  knowing better. Truth be told, he did not care about much of anything at all other than being left alone to

  quench his insatiable thirst for top quality aged whiskey.

  Most demons steered clear of alcohol because of its ability to influence them. Basically, having the

  same results, minus the hangovers, on them as on humans, it caused them to do stupid things. It also

  slowed them down and sometimes quickened their reactions at the worse possible moments. Plus, if in a

  foul mood, intoxication made a demon’s already hot-blooded temperament dangerously unstable.

  Demons needed to always be mindful of their superior supernatural powers and physical strengths to

  prevent unintentionally harming or killing humans. It was a serious matter. The smallest slip up could be

  disastrous, but he had made certain that he no longer had any reason to worry about healthy or unhealthy

  interactions with humans. By choice he was alone smack dab in the center of hundreds of acres.

  Growing tired of pretending to age and returning as the long lost illegitimate son who had become

  the lucky recipient of his earthly possessions, he had long ago cut back on his herd of Longhorns and sent

  his ranch hands away. He did not mind the solitude. Not even a little. He loved it. He had never had a

  companion he had been able to truly share his life with. Though they fought to protect them, humans were

  better off believing demons were evil spirits to be feared and avoided. In his opinion, demons were better

  off as well. Engaging in any form of a relationship with easily broken mortals brought nothing but

  problems and sorrows.

  While waiting for them to work their way through the more powerful spells closer to his home it

  occurred to Tobias that he was prolonging his misery. Deciding that ending it as quickly as possible was

  much more desirable, he went to them instantly. “What do you want?” Asking a question when he knew

  the answer was ridiculous, but it was better than actually greeting them. It would be a shame to do

  anything to make them feel welcomed.

  “It has been a long time, Tobias. It is good to see you.” Nikolas reached for his hand as if he didn’t

  know he was trespassing.

  In a moment of weakness Tobias glanced down at his hand and considered taking it for the sake of

  civility, but he just could not force himself to do it. Meeting the other demon’s gaze, he shook his head.

  “Not anywhere near long enough for my liking. Let’s forgo the pleasantries, shall we? I would rather get

  right down to whatever has brought your sorry asses to my home so that I can assure you that I do not

  give a damn and you can feel free to leave.”

  “I must say that it is good to see that you are just as eloquent as ever,” Joseph said.

  “I’ll be damned. It is Joseph Payne. I did not recognize you until you opened your mouth. I would

  apologize for failing to notice you, but my failure to even consider the possibility of you showing up is

  your fault. The last time I heard anything about you was shortly after you had been killed and buried in a

  basement by your adoring bride and her lover.” Reminding him that his wife had tried to kill him was not

  nice, but Tobias was not big on being kind.

  An absurdly goofy smile on his face proved that he had recovered from the pains of having his

  dignity striped away. “I moved on.”

  “It’s true.” Nikolas clearly liked the sound of his own voice. Why else would he feel the need to

  confirm the obvious? “He found his true mate. She would never try to kill him. She is real fond of him. In

  fact, she rarely leaves his side. She even insisted on fighting side by side with him in just about every

  b
attle he encounters.”

  Tobias knew Nikolas was yanking his chain in hopes of getting him to engage in a conversation. He

  tried to resist the urge to speak up, but disgust welled up in him. He had no other option than to release it

  by conveying his contempt for any male that willingly placed his mate’s welfare at risk. “You permit your

  mate to fight?”

  Obviously tickled by his success at riling him to the point of getting a response, Nikolas laughed out

  loud. “I do not think she has given him the authority to permit or forbid her to do anything.”

  Still wearing a smile that was suddenly becoming excruciatingly stomach-turning, Joseph casually

  shrugged his shoulders. “It is true. She will kick my ass if I try.”

  The fact that he knew it was the truth brought his brow up. It also twisted his gut so entirely that he

  nearly wasted perfectly good whiskey by hurling it. There was no excuse for allowing something so

  blatantly reprehensible to happen. A demon’s mate was to always be guarded and protected above all else.

  She was never to be placed in danger for any reason. “Your head is totally, permanently fucked up.”

  “Considering that it is not really his fault you should apologize for being harsh,” Nikolas said.

  “How the hell do you figure he is blameless?”

  The satisfaction in Nikolas eyes caused him to immediately regret asking. “She is Lycan.”

  Feeling like an idiot for taking the bait and swallowing the hook, Tobias groaned. He intended to

  turn his ass around and walk away, but once again keeping his opinion to himself proved more difficult

  than he anticipated. “You took a Lycan for a mate?”

  “She is my other half. We were destined to be together for all of eternity.”

  “To hell with all the bullshit today has brought to me. It is a gargantuan tragedy to know that I am

  not drunk enough to be hallucinating. Pretending that you both being here was not real would have been

  marvelous.”

  “You should not drink at all.” A lecture about the dangers of consuming alcohol from Nikolas, a

  demon known for fueling his anger when his mood was already turbulent, was not nearly as annoying as

  it was laughable. The sight of him doing it with a straight face was outright hysterical.

  Keeping his amusement from being exposed was no small feat. “And you should not have showed up

  here unwelcomed. Live and let live. I leave you all the hell alone you should do the same for me.”

  “I wish I could return the favor, but we have a mutual problem that will require us to work together

  to resolve.”

  “We? No. Your dilemma is not mine.”

  “It is only a matter of time before it becomes your problem.”

  “If so I will deal with it, and you can rest assured that I will not come to you for help.”

  “There is a group of demons that call themselves the Evolved. They are working alongside the

  tainted vampires topping off their systems with our blood. Their goal is to wipe us out.”

  “Brace yourself for a shocker. Pummeling me with details was a waste of your breath. I still fail to

  view your problem as mine.” It certainly did not compel him to even consider going to war again. The

  truth was that nothing could do it. He lacked desire to care enough about anything to embrace life. “I have

  fought my fair share of battles, but I have decided to never again exchange blows for anything that does

  not truly matter to me. It just happens to be that I have decided to never permit myself to give a shit about

  anything.”

  “You will have a change of heart when a supercharged mosquito or two turns up on your door step,”

  Joseph said.

  “Are you trying to tell me that I should fear vampires?”

  “They are not simply vampires,” Nikolas explained. “They are a combination of demons and

  vampires.”

  “It is impossible for me to even think about being concerned since the vampire part gives them such

  a major disadvantage against me. If they show up I will simply exterminate them.”

  “It is not a matter of if they come. It will happen. It is inevitable.”

  At that moment Tobias sensed the approach of another demon. It took a few seconds to identify the

  newcomer. It was none other than the recently redeemed Demetri Demidov. Even he had to admit it was

  an interesting turn of events. He actually looked forward to what would come of his visit. “Is this

  convoluted story anything like the baseless rumor you all spread about your old pal Demetri turning

  evil?”

  “It was far from idle gossip that lacked substance.” The anger and frustration in Joseph’s voice and

  in his eyes exposed the fact that he still viewed Demetri as his enemy. It was unexpected, but it was not as

  surprising as Joseph’s failure to prevent his true emotions over such a serious matter to be so openly

  manifested in his countenance and his tone of voice. Tobias took note of it. He would have been a fool to

  ignore it. Joseph had perfected the ability to use the appearance of being completely indifferent at an

  extremely young age. It was an amazing weapon. He used it conceal his power and true nature to soothe

  and lure his enemies as close as possible before he struck them down.

  “He was forced to do whatever it took to convince us of it.” Nikolas obviously felt a need to declare

  that he viewed Demetri as one of the good guys.

  In that instant Joseph managed to completely alter his expression and his aura. Projecting a flawless

  illusion of perfect serenity, he smiled. “There really is no reason for us to discuss him. We will never find

  any reason to agree with each other. It is obvious that we will always have different opinions concerning

  his decision to use our mates as puppets whenever he felt forced to do it.”

  Their conflicting opinions caused Tobias’ curiosity to get the best of him. By what he had picked up

  on in their minds he was convinced that they both believed Demetri had not actually turned evil. Both had

  accepted that his actions were to save his mate. The only thing he could not figure out was Nikolas’

  inability to comprehend that Demetri’s true motivation for all that he had done made him much more

  dangerous than if he had decided to go for a romp on the dark side. In his mind this was the perfect

  opportunity to open Nikolas’ eyes and in doing so repay his debt. Deciding to do a little fishing for more

  information just to be sure he was right, he quickly examined and fortified the stability of his barriers to

  make sure Demetri did not reach them for a few more minutes. “The last time you showed up here

  making my ass itch with your girly drama about Demetri being an evil brute I told you that it was

  bullshit.”

  “It was a mistake,” Nikolas said. “He has no reason to do any harm to any of us.”

  The response made it perfectly clear that Nikolas was in denial. It was a great relief to know that he

  would be free of his debt. He immediately opened the barrier for Demetri. “That should have never

  happened. Demetri was, is and will always be far too boring and principled to let loose and get frisky with

  his unpleasant side. The notion that he had snapped after ten thousand years and decided to become a

  traitor should have never crossed your mind.”

  “We did not come here to discuss Demetri. We need you to join us to fight against the group that has

  become a threat to our kind.” Joseph was clearly irritated.

  “Your trouble with the big sc
ary group is not my misfortune,” Tobias said.

  Demetri’s form took shape and materialized beside Nikolas. “That is because they have not told you

  the entire story.”

  “You know something we do not?” Nikolas asked.

  “Are you shocked?”

  “Not really. Tell us what you know.”

  “I cannot come out and say it,” Demetri said.

  “You’ve also lost you mind? What the fuck has happened to you all? Is it something on the West

  Coast? Something you’re drinking in the water?”

  “No. Mary Tate has his mate. He is under a silencing spell,” Nikolas explained.

  Until that moment Tobias did not understand the depths of Demetri’s trouble. He knew that the

  demon was fighting to find and save his mate, but he had no knowledge of the silencing spell. That made

  Demetri thousands of times more dangerous. Realizing that Demetri’s nuts were in a vise and he would

  not be able to answer, he turned to Nikolas. “Why hasn’t he killed Mary to undo the spell?”

  “The silencing spell is only one part of it. Not only has Mary managed to hide Sara from Demetri,

  she has also managed to add some insurance to the spell.”

  “And that would be?”

  “Whatever Demetri or any of us on his behalf goes to harm Mary the same will harm Sara.”

  “That is impossible.” This time he turned to address Demetri. “You are too powerful. As I remember

  there is no other able to create shields and safeguards as powerful as you are able to construct. You have

  special knack for it. Your natural connection to your mate should enable you to shield her from being hurt

  regardless of knowing her location. And how the hell did a human manage to hide your mate from you?

  That’s insane.”

  “You are right about it all,” Nikolas spoke up. “The thought of anything or anyone being able to

  separate and stand between Demetri and Sara is unthinkable unless…”

  “You had not given her your eternal breath and she had been convinced that you had abandoned and

  rejected her,” Tobias interrupted. “How did it happen?”

  “You know that I cannot tell you the details,” Demetri said. “We both know it really does not matter

  to you right now, but it will.”

  It mattered to Tobias. How could he fail to feel sorry for Demetri being forced to live every day with