Free Eternal Breath of Darkness by Candice Stauffer

Or what if, God forbid, an innocent bystander walked into the alley?
Her heart raced quickly. Too quickly. Painfully. She couldn’t quite catch her
breath.
    Caylee’s distress made it
impossible for Haden to focus. He turned to her and forced her to meet his
gaze. I’ve placed a hedge over the alley. No one will be able to enter it. No
one will be able to see what is happening. I need you to be calm.
    From out of nowhere, a knife
appeared in Paul’s hand. He thrust it forward, burying it deep into Haden’s
chest, a fraction of an inch above his heart. Caught off guard, Haden stumbled
backward.
    Caylee’s heart stopped.
“Haden!” She ran toward him as he yanked the knife out of his chest. His blood
spurted everywhere. She was distraught, nearly out of her mind with fear,
pressing her hands to the wound, trying to stop it from bleeding.
    “What are you doing? Stay
back.” Pushing her behind the protection of his body, Haden threw the knife at
Paul, aiming for his thigh, still wanting to prolong Paul’s suffering.
    Paul fell to his knees, his
eyes red and glowing. His hunger for blood burned. The agony was intolerable.
It was a terrible, fiery pain deep in his gut. “You failed to protect your
woman. You used her. You led me to her. It’s my right to take her blood.” He
ripped the knife free, lifted to his mouth, and licked the blood from the cold
metal blade. While black, greasy blood seeped from the wound on his leg, he
thought of Caylee’s hot, sweet blood flowing into his mouth and down his
throat, filling him, restoring his strength. He licked his lips. “Her blood is
mine!” He threw the knife at Caylee.
    Lightning streaks raced from
the north, south, east, and west. At the same moment, each bolt struck the
knife. The thunder was instant and earsplitting. The knife burst into flames,
its ashes falling at Caylee’s feet.
    Haden wasn’t human. She’d
known it for some time now. He couldn’t be. But what was he? A dragon? Or was
he some other mysterious being from a different universe or time? Eyes wide,
she stumbled backward, staring at Haden. It was frightening to think about how
easily he controlled the most powerful, destructive forces of nature.
    Wind blasted through the
alley. Caylee felt something terrible and uncontrollable well up in Haden, a
horrifying beast, a living creature of rage. His image flashed from man to
dragon and then to man again. He growled. It was a deep, animalistic sound.
    He’d hunted and destroyed
many creatures of darkness to protect humans from distinction. Never once had
it been personal. He’d never protected someone he loved. And he loved Caylee;
with every ounce of his heart and soul, he loved and cherished her.
    Trembling, Caylee slowly
backed away. Haden knew she felt the shift in him. He knew she saw the truth.
She saw the dragon. The demon. A killer with no equal. Ruthless. Merciless.
Black flames radiated and leapt out from his body and swirled around him. He
was far more than intimidating. He was powerful beyond any human understanding.
He was more deadly and cunning than any predator that ever walked the earth.
    The ground was shaking
violently, heaving and rolling deep below the surface of the earth, so the
buildings swayed back and forth. Huge hailstones fell from the sky, shattering
windows all around. Several building alarms joined the car alarms. Lightning
was striking the ground in several places all at once. Caylee covered her ears
to muffle the sounds, but it didn’t help.
    Haden glanced at her. His
eyes glowed but were as black as the darkest night. She met his gaze for a
moment and then closed her eyes and prayed it was all a terrible dream.
    Part of him wanted to wrap her
in his arms and take her away. He could easily do it. There was no reason to
force her to witness Paul’s destruction, but he was too enraged, too frustrated
to stop. He fully embraced the cunning, ferocious nature of his kind, allowing
the dragon to totally consume all thought.