“I feel so trapped. We don’t belong together.” She didn’t really want to die, but she was so very tired, and death promised to give her rest. “I’m tired of fighting for the right to be free. I don’t want to be anyone’s possession. I want to free.” In a state of turmoil, she looked up at him again. “I can’t be with you. I’m so tired, Haden.”
“Calm down, little love, just calm down.” He knew she was asking him to allow her jump to her death. “I don’t want to own you, but I could never stand back and allow you to hurt yourself.” He released her to make her feel a sense of control, but there was no way he would allow her to jump. “I would give you anything, but never the freedom to take your life.”
There it was. The cold, hard truth. “I was so close to knowing freedom, but you took it from me.” Just like every other man in her life, Haden believed he owned her. “My greatest wish is that you never found me a year ago.” She turned away from him and jumped.
He lunged forward and wrapped his arms around her. Turning her around, positioning his body between her and the cliff, he held her for several moments before he gently lowered her onto her feet. “Destroying yourself won’t give you freedom.” Holding her face in his hands, he gazed deeply into her eyes, attempting to absorb her pain and fill her with healing energy. His entire body was trembling. He couldn’t believe she’d actually attempted to jump. “Earlier, when I frightened you, I was wrong. I was frustrated. I should’ve handled the situation differently.”
She turned her back to him. “You wanted me to be so afraid of you I wouldn’t challenge you. You wanted me to believe you would hurt me if I dared to defy you.”
She turned to face him again. “I trusted you, Haden. I knew you were mad at me, but for first time in my life I wasn’t afraid of what an angry man would do to me.” She paused to catch her breath. “I just didn’t want you to go. I didn’t want you to get hurt. I stood up to you because I believed you wouldn’t hurt me. I wasn’t frightened of you until you took my ability to move away.”
“I would never hurt you. I know I was wrong. You must understand that I was only trying to keep you safe. There’re no words to explain my driving need to protect you. I’m a dragon, a demon. It’s what I am. It’s what I’ll always be. I have a bad temper at times, but I would never harm you.”
“You don’t get it! I wasn’t afraid you were going to hurt me. Huh. God. You’re such an egotistical jerk, Haden!” Glaring, looking quite fierce, she took a step closer to him. “How can you justify your actions by claiming you couldn’t help yourself because of what you are? You took control of my body. I couldn’t move. It’s too much. You have too much power. I can’t deal with it.” Shocking herself, she reached out and shoved him. “I won’t be your puppet.”
He tilted his head to the side, struggling to understand why she would be upset over something so ridiculous. It wasn’t as if he’d hurt her. He was taking charge because he knew what was best and she wasn’t cooperating. “That’s why you’re upset?” He took a step toward her. “There’s no reason to over-dramatize it. I returned your control to you when I believed you’d realized you were wrong.”
Jaw dropping, her eyes widened. “Are you being serious?” Holding up her hand, she shook her head. “No. Don’t answer that.” Clenching her fists at her sides, she took a deep breath and released it with a sigh. “Haden, it would be in your best interest to turn around and get away from me as quickly as possible.”
Failing to heed her warning, he took a step closer to her. “Being mad at me isn’t going to help anything, little love.” He caressed her cheek with the tips of his fingers. “I won’t apologize for doing what was necessary to protect you. You weren’t listening to me. You were being irrational.” He shrugged. “It’s okay. I understand being irrational at times is in your nature. It’s what you are. You’re a woman.” He smiled at her. “My woman. And I am your man. It’s my responsibility, my right to make decisions to ensure your safety.”
Shaking her head, Caylee stared up at him. “Huh?”
“Stop being so stubborn, little love.” He bent his head to kiss the corner of her mouth. “There really is no reason to be so overly dramatic. I mean, is it really so terrible to have a man love and cherish you so deeply he would do anything, go to any length to protect you?”
“Control is not love. I refuse to deal with your inflated ego anymore. I’ve always known I’m not the right type of a woman for a man like you. I don’t want to be in love with a man that possesses so much power and such a great need to control. As far as I’m concerned, it would be better to never fall in love than be in love with a man that has the ability to force me to obey his every command. You don’t need me. There are women like you, right? Strong women that are worthy of your respect. Just get away from me and stay away from me, Haden. I don’t want you. Go out and find a rational woman that is your equal.”
Powerful emotions washed over him. Through him. Hatred. Love. Sadness. Joy. Fear. Courage. Pain. Pleasure. Frustrated, he grabbed her shoulders and shook her. “I am the one unworthy of your respect and your love.”
He suddenly looked wild and ferocious. He was more beast than man. His voice, a shocking, inhuman growl, revealed such terrible agony. She felt his pain. His self-hatred. His loneliness. She wanted to remain mad at him, but her heart was shattering into a million pieces. It didn’t make sense, but it was true. He honestly believed he was unworthy of her love and her respect. A sudden gush of tears streamed down her face. Unable to respond, she lifted her chin and stared up at him.
He closed his eyes. It was time. He needed to tell her the truth. He didn’t deserve her tears. His rage built quickly, violent and ravenous. Incandescent flames, ignited by his self-hatred, swirled around his body. The atmosphere came alive with his rage. For an instant, the ground beneath their feet trembled. “I abandoned you.” Lightning flashed across the sky, followed by a loud clap of thunder.
Startled, she jumped back, nearly out of her skin. “What are you talking about?”
Lightning streaked across the sky, each blinding streak followed by a deafening boom. Large hailstones pelted down all around them, but not one came near her. She wasn’t afraid. It wouldn’t hurt her. It couldn’t. The storm was a physical manifestation of his emotions. It was a part of him. It was him. The ground shook violently, and trees groaned and creaked eerily, threatening to topple over.
~ Fourteen ~
THE STORM WAS building too quickly. It was getting dangerously out of control. He closed his eyes and commanded the violent forces of his emotions to return to his soul. A powerful gust of wind slammed into his chest. He stumbled back a bit. Caylee reached for him, but he pushed her away as he bent over. For a few moments, feeling helpless, she watched as he struggled to breathe. Once he caught his breath, blood-red flames flickering in his black gaze, he stood straight and squared his shoulders. “I turned my back on you. I allowed you to suffer a loveless, violent childhood.”
“No. We met a year ago.” She stepped forward and placed her hand on the center of his chest. “Your eyes. They’re red. Whatever you’re doing, you need stop. You’re hurting yourself. Your heart is beating too hard, too fast.”
“We first met when you were five years old. You were flying a kite on the beach in Astoria. I was talking to Nikolas, my brother, when you ran straight into the back of my legs.”
“Wait,” she interjected. “I remember. I lost my kite when I fell.” She smiled at him. “I was so upset. I loved that kite. You knelt down next to me and took my hand in yours. You raised my hand toward the kite and told me to call it back. It was so amazing, so magical. It came right back to me. I didn’t know how, but I knew that you did it.” Returning her smile, he nodded. “I was so sad. I turned to thank you, but you were gone. One second you were there, and the next you were gone.”
“I didn’t leave. Not right away. I watched you for a few hours. I knew you were my other half. I was shocked. I’d searched for you for hundreds of years. Yo
u were my miracle, but because you were human I refused to be bound to you.”
“I don’t blame you.” Forcing herself to smile at him, she stared up at him. “I understand.” And she did. The truth was painful, but he was right. They clearly weren’t equal. They were so very different. Turning her back to him to hide the tears welling up, she stepped away from him. “We don’t belong together.”
“You’re wrong. I was being an idiot, Caylee. I will forever regret my actions that day. I should’ve taken you under my protection. I failed you. I allowed you to suffer. I could’ve stopped your misery before it ever started, but I didn’t. I chose to remain detached from you, from your suffering.” He felt so cold and alone. He deserved her hatred. He deserved to be cold and alone. “The only reason I finally returned to you a year ago was because I could feel you dying. I couldn’t allow you to die.”
She turned to face him again. That was it. For the past year she couldn’t understand why he’d chosen to be around her all the time. Guilt had been forcing him to remain by her side. She needed to let him go. She needed to help him find peace with the fact that they didn’t belong together. “Why did you stay away, Haden?” It was too painful to continue looking at him. She turned away from him.
“You’re wrong, little love. I was a wreck. When we met on the beach I was too full of hatred and resentment for your kind to think clearly. I’ve stayed by your side because I can never get enough of you. I’m helpless to do anything else. I love you. I need to be near you. I need to feel your touch. I need to touch you. You’re the most perfect woman ever born. I could never even hope to imagine a more amazing, beautiful woman.”
He didn’t make a sound, but she knew he was moving closer. She took a deep breath and held it. She could feel the warmth of his body reaching out to her, wrapping around her. Slowly, she turned to face him. “Do you really think I’m your true love?”
“No,” he whispered. A terrible chill ran up her spine. She shivered. He removed his coat and draped it over her shoulders. “I know beyond any shadow of a doubt you are my one and only true love.” He pulled the collar together. “I know I will love you with every fiber of my being for the rest of eternity.” He smiled. “But what about you? Despite the fact I failed to protect you, can you still love me until the end of time?”
With a mischievous glint in her beautiful green eyes, she moved closer to him. “Yes.” Shrugging the coat off her shoulders, she wrapped her slender arms around his waist and held him tightly. “I know I’ll love you forever, Haden.” Tipping her head back, she stood on the tips of her toes and nipped his chin, and she then soothed the sting of it with a soft, sensuous caress of her tongue. “Forever is a very, very long time.”
Still standing on the tips of her toes, she kissed the corner of his mouth. “It should be plenty of time to punish you for being an arrogant, know-it-all jerk.” She nipped his lower lip, and then parted his lips with her tongue.
Passionately, raging fires of lust and love merging, they kissed. Devouring. Tasting. Savoring. Teasing. They dined on each other. Blood rushed to his groin and pooled there, making him hard and heavy with need. Clutching her soft, curvy backside, he pressed her body against his. Savoring the sensation of the heat of her body, he moved his hips, rubbing his hard cock against her belly.
Trailing kisses along his jaw and down his neck, her hands worked quickly, unbuttoning his shirt. Pushing it from his shoulders and down his arms, she kissed his chest. Her lips, teeth, and tongue tested his reaction to her curious exploration of his body. “I want to taste you.”
“What do mean?” His husky voice deeply revealed his desire.
She rubbed the length of him from outside his pants. “I want to taste you.” She unbuttoned his pants and slipped her hand inside to stroke his cock. She thought of his mouth and tongue, working together, sucking and licking, driving her insane. His teeth nipping, pushing her over the edge, stealing her sanity. She needed to experience him full and hard in her mouth and against her tongue. She wanted him at her mercy. No. She needed him at her mercy.
Dropping to her knees, she pulled his pants down to his ankles and looked up at him. “Will you like it?”
Helpless, he stared down at her, unable to respond. The heat of her breath caressed the ultra-sensitive flesh of his erection, sending ferocious waves of pleasure through his body. He couldn’t speak. He could barely breathe. His heart raced, pumping more blood to his groin. He was so hard. So swollen. He feared he would lose control. Experimenting, she held the base of his cock; retrieving tasty drops of his essence, she swiped her tongue over the broad head of it.
He wrapped his fingers in her hair, his jaw aching from clenching his teeth together. She drew the head of his cock in mouth and swirled her tongue around it as she gently suckled. His fingers, now tangled in her hair, trembled. He wanted to thrust forward and bury his cock in her throat. She took him a little deeper, licking and sucking.
His control was quickly fading. He’d never experienced anything so wonderful. He was going to seriously hurt her. He wanted her faster and harder. He wanted to ram his cock down her throat. “Caylee.” His voice was raspy. He could barely breathe. “You need to stop.”
Showing no mercy, she relaxed her throat muscles and took him deeper. He involuntarily thrust forward. Trembling, he stopped. He was so terrified he’d hurt her. He remained absolutely still, barely breathing. She moved again, taking his cock even deeper, her lips squeezing it. Her throat muscles were so tight. Agony and pleasure mingled. Hot. Moist. Teeth gently scraping. She kept taking him deeper. She was devouring him. It was so wonderful. It was perfect. Too perfect. He lost control. Holding her head, he plunged deeper.
She wanted more. She needed his release. She needed to force him over the edge. Her mouth and throat eagerly accommodated his cock with each thrust of his hips. Her breasts tingled and ached, yearning for his touch. Heat, delicious, scintillating heat spread throughout her body. Pleasurable sensations fluttered over her flesh. She was burning up, set ablaze by the combination of lust and love, moist heat pooling between her legs. Her sex was red-hot and slick, needing him to slam into her, thrusting deep and hard, taking possession of her body and soul.
Suddenly, he froze. Their minds were deeply merged. Her desire, her need for him added to his pleasure. It was too much. He released her head, tugging on her hair as he struggled to untangle his fingers. She moved impatiently, her teeth grazing his overly sensitive flesh. If he moved, if she continued to suck on his cock, he would burst. She would hate him. He opened his mouth to warn her, but he couldn’t speak. He couldn’t even breathe. You need to stop now!
She looked up at him, her lips still tightly wrapped around him. Her eyes shimmered, revealing her mischievous intent. He heard her giggling in his mind. She was doing it on purpose, pushing him to the brink of mindless bliss. She wouldn’t stop until she hurled him over the edge. He tensed, so that every muscle in his body ached, as he fought for control. Toying with him, she slowly slid her tongue over the crown of his cock. Throbbing, his cock swelled even more. His body shook. He gritted his teeth, holding on, refusing to allow his body to let go. He nearly collapsed from the strain of it. She took him deeper, sucking harder, her throat muscles tightly clenching him, drawing him deeper. Her tongue teased. Swirled. Fondled.
Stop being so stubborn, Haden. I want to taste you. Lose control. Come for me. And he did. He threw his head back and shouted her name. His orgasm was so violent he felt it surging throughout his entire body. It was thousands of times more powerful than any other before it. He expected her to pull away from him, but she didn’t. She savored each and every drop as his cock pulsated inside her mouth. She sucked greedily as his hot essence flowed from his body.
He was wild and ravenous, and her scent of arousal heated his blood even more, forcing it to pool at his groin. He was desperate for more, still so very hard, impossibly swollen with need. Lifting her up, he removed all of their clothing with a thought. “Wrapped your legs
around me.” He held her, gripping her hips, her sex poised over his cock. “That’s it.” He tilted his head back to look up at her. “Now, look at me.”
She opened her eyes and met his gaze. She felt such complete joy in that moment. Tears filling her eyes, she shivered, her body weeping for his, needing to be joined with his. She felt his thick, hard heat pressed against her. Her sex clenched tightly. Hot, beckoning fluid rushed from her body, bathing his erection.
“I love you, Caylee.” He lowered her, just enough to immerse the head of his cock inside her heat. “Never doubt that I love you.” He lowered her a bit more and then held her still. “I’m not perfect. I know I will make many more mistakes with you, but I will never abandon you again. I will never fail you. And you must never fear me. No matter how mad I get, I could never hurt you. You must believe it. You must know I could never hurt you.”
“I know.” He didn’t need to tell her anymore. She didn’t want to hear anymore. “I know.” She was way beyond needing to talk. She needed action. She needed his cock buried deep inside her body.
Looking quite extraordinarily fierce, she glared at him. “I love you too.”
Knowing he was tormenting her, savoring the fact he was the man that was able to torment her, he groaned aloud. “Why do look so angry, little love?” He lowered her just a bit more, making sure that it wasn’t enough.
He was holding her too firmly, restricting her movement, using his strength to rob her freedom. She wanted to move. She wanted hot friction. “I don’t want to talk anymore.” Her flesh was too sensitive. It actually hurt. She needed him. She was going to burst into flames. “I need you inside me now.” She wiggled restlessly, seeking pleasure, grinding her body against his.
All at once, he lowered her and surged upward, thrusting hard. Lightning hit the ground all around. Immersed deep in her slick, hot passageway, he paused to savor the tightness of her body.
Eternal Breath of Darkness Page 20