Hot Decadent Rising (Breath of Darkness) (12 page)

At that point, regardless of her
courage, she didn’t stand a chance against the two powerful males. His father
had just reached the top of the falls when she dropped to the ground
unconscious. He didn’t hesitate. He didn’t think about the pain, the possible
broken bones he’d suffer.  His only thought was to get to her before it was
too late.

His father never bragged about it. He
never talked about it at all. No one would’ve known about it had his mother not
shared the story. She would have died, had his father not risked serious injury
by jumping at that moment. He and his siblings would never been born.

The day came when his father caught them
teasing and taunting each other at the top of the falls. Of course they asked
him to do it again. He was larger than life. He was their hero. They wanted to
witness the fascinating tale of his bravery their mother had shared with
them.  

His father laughed out loud. “There’s no
chance in hell I’d ever choose to jump.”

“You chose to do it to save mom,” Eli
pointed out.

“Are you crazy? Do you see how far it
is? I never chose to do it just as you will never choose to do it.”

“But you did it, right?” Eli asked.

“Of course. I had no choice. Your mom
was dying. The man in me could never survive a day without the woman in your
mom.”

Eli didn’t like the answer at all. It
didn’t make sense. Of course his dad had a choice. He could’ve walked away. He
could’ve allowed her die. “You never talk about it.”

“The woman I love nearly being killed is
not a memory I’m strong enough to relive.”

“You’re the strongest of the pack.
You’re the leader.”

His father smiled at him. “I need your
mom with me, by my side. I would be nothing without her. She is my strength.”

“You would still be the leader without
her. You would still be the strongest.”

“You’re wrong. I can’t explain it to
you. It’s something you’ll have to learn on your own. One day you will
understand why I didn’t have a choice.”

“When?”

“When you’re holding a woman in your
arms and you suddenly realize you couldn’t possibly live without her, because
she holds your heart and soul in her hands.”

Eli remembered walking away from his
father feeling so confused. His father was the most powerful male in the area.
He ruled the pack with an iron fist. He protected it with infinite valor. He
even fought side by side with demons and pure blooded vampires to ensure the
survival of the pack. He was a champion. He was a legend. He was always calm
and in absolute control of every situation. He never ran from or to anyone. No
one ever dared to challenge anything he said. His word was law.

“I finally understand why jumping from
here to save Mom wasn’t a choice made of courage.” Standing there now, the past
was so clear in his mind he couldn’t help but laugh. “You ran to Mom whenever
she called out to you. You even ran from her when she was mad, but never so fast
she couldn’t catch you and beat the hell out of you. And, if she thought you
were wrong, she had no fear of getting in your face and setting you straight.”

“Who are you talking to?”

 He turned the moment he heard
Maximus’ familiar voice. He hadn’t seen Max, the son of his father’s best
friend, for nearly twenty years. He heard rumors he had died. “A ghost.”

“You’re father?”

Eli nodded. “Where have you been all
this time? Some thought you were dead? Was it you? Did you bring me here?”

“It wasn’t me, but I’m glad you’re here.
I need to show you something. Come with me.”

Eli followed Max to his lair, deep
inside a cave, about a mile west of the falls. He wished he hadn’t. Some things
were better off never having been seen. He stared in disbelief at Grace, the
woman Max claimed to be his mate.

She was staring at him, growling as she
paced back and forth on the other side the iron bars imprisoning her. “She’s
too far gone, Max. The corrupted vampire blood is strong in her. It’s too
strong. She’s no longer your mate. Clearly, you can see that she has no
recognition of you.”

“She’s pissed.”

“Pissed? She’s insane,” Eli stated. “And
so are you, if you think there’s anything you can do to make her well again.
You know there’s no cure once a human has fallen victim to the blood. All that
you can do is put her out of her misery.”

“There’s another option,” Max explained.
“I have to find the vampire responsible for infecting her. If I destroy him she
will be free of his influence. She will have a chance.”

“That’s a myth.” Eli shook his
head.  Though he’d had the encounter with Nikolas and Zack, he was
shocked. What was wrong with everyone? Tainted vampire blood was lethal. It
created death and destruction. It wasn’t curable. Sure, he didn’t doubt that
Zack could momentarily control the evil in it, but at any time the influence of
it could triumph over the good in him.  It was like playing a game of
Russian Roulette. It made more sense to destroy the one infected. It was kinder
to all. “It has never been proven. And you would have to replace her blood with
yours. How the hell do you plan to get your blood into her system and live
through it?”

“I have to try. And who else do you
think feeds her? For nearly twenty years I’ve allowed her to take blood from me
regularly.”

“Are you serious? You actually get in
there with her?”

“Every day.” Max stared at Grace. “She’s
usually calmer. A few months ago her daughter, Kara, hiked to the top of
Multnomah Falls. Grace sensed her nearness. She’s convinced Kara is in danger.”

“Kara?” Eli asked.  

Grace reached out to him and opened her
mouth as if to say something. All that came out was strangled sounding growl.

“It’s okay. We will protect her.” Max
moved closer to her. He reached through the bars and took her hand and brought
it to his face. “I can’t let you out of here.” Making a horrible wailing sound
she slashed Max’s face with her nails. 

“Holy fuck! She just tried to rip your
head off! There’s no way in hell you get in there with her. It’s too dangerous.
You can’t keep her like this. What if she gets free?”

“I do.” Max turned to face Eli. “And she
won’t get away.”

“You can’t be sure of it.”

“I am.”

“You need to accept reality. She can’t
even communicate with you. She’s too far gone.”

“Why? Just because she lashed out at me?
She’s mad. She’s frustrated. She wants me to let her out so she can go to her
daughter. You’re right. She can’t talk. I don’t understand why. But my face is
proof that she has no problem letting me know what she’s thinking. She has
moments of lucidity. Her emotions have remained with her. From love to hatred,
sadness to happiness, and every emotion in between. She loves her daughter as
much as she hates me for keeping her prisoner, when every motherly instinct is
screaming at her to protect her daughter.”

Eli considered Max’s words, as he
watched Grace move into a corner and sit down with her knees drawn up to her
chest. She was rocking back and forth as if trying to soothe herself. He’d
known from the time he was a child that the bonds between mates were
exceptionally strong, but he’d never really thought about what it meant. “No
one else know she’s here, right?”

“That’s right.”

“What if something happens to you while
you’re out hunting for food or for the vampire? She wouldn’t have any hope of
surviving. She would starve to death.”

“I am well aware of the risks I take
every time I leave, but I will fight until my last breath to save her from this
curse. She will know I never gave up. She will take her last breath knowing
that I loved her with all that I am.”

Suddenly, the thought of ever having
rejected the notion of Kara being his mate for the simple fact of her being
human made Eli feel like shallow idiot. “Kara is my mate. The compulsion that
led me to this area was Grace trying to lead Kara here.”

“Why isn’t she with you?” Max asked.

“She doesn’t know it yet. I’ve just
begun to actually come to terms with it. Do you know the name of the vampire
that infected Grace?”

“Jeremy Lang.”

“I know him. He is working with a woman
who has targeted Kara. Once she is safe I will lead my pack to destroy him.”
Eli turned to look at Grace. “You will see Kara again soon.”

Grace stood up.  He expected her to
be pleased, but she went into a fit of rage.

“Go now. I need to calm her down.”

***

Max
breathed a sigh of relief when Grace finally settled down. Cradling her head in
his lap and smoothing her long soft blond hair with his palm, he sat with his
back against the cold smooth stone wall of the cave. He’d been so afraid she
would hurt herself after Eli left that he locked himself in the cave with her.
He hated to physically restrain her, but he didn’t have a choice. She’d had
many fits of rage over the years, but nothing quite as severe or as
uncontrollable as this last one. And none at all that were so violent and long
lasting.

He’d lost track of the time, but he
figured it had been well over fifteen years since he’d brought her there to
hide her from the vampire. He couldn’t leave her for more than an hour or so
and he couldn’t go further than a half a mile from her or she would panic. All
he could do was
keep
her alive and hope for help to
happen along. He couldn’t go to just anyone for help. Most of his kind would
attempt to destroy her, for being infected by tainted blood from the undead.
He’d come so close to giving up, to killing her, to killing himself, when he
realized that Eli had returned to area to take his mate.

He tried to use a compulsion to lead Eli
to him. It didn’t work. After a while, he figured Eli had found his mate and
left with her, but then he learned that Eli had lost his mate to demon. It
meant that whoever he believed to be his mate wasn’t. Several months passed
by. 

Grace stirred. He was never sure what
would set her off. She had the physical strength of a vampire. He was the only
one to take care of her. He had to be careful to avoid serious injury from her,
but he knew she wasn’t a threat tonight. She was exhausted. She was at peace
for the first time in months; she knew her daughter was safe. “That’s right.
Your little girl is out of harm's way now. She’s with her mate. He will love
and cherish her with every breath he takes.  He will protect her with his
life.”

Moving at a speed that startled him she
sat up. With tears welling up in her eyes, she stared him. Since the day she’d
been turned, he’d never seen her shed a single tear. She seemed to have only
one emotion. Rage. “What is it? Are you in pain?”

Frowning, she shook her head and mouthed
the word “no”.

He would never forget what happened
next. He held his breath as she reached out and gently touched the gouges she’d
put in his face when Eli was there. He couldn’t look away. If he could he
wouldn’t want to. Normally her face was an emotionless mask. In all the times
she’d hurt him or flat out kicked his ass she’d never even attempted to
apologize. He never expected an apology. It was never her fault. The vampire
blood in her system was tainted. She was insane.

“It’s okay.” He put his hand over her
hand. “I know you didn’t mean to hurt me.” She smiled at him. It shocked him.
He’d dreamed of seeing her smile so many times he’d long ago lost count. He
swore his heart stopped beating at the sight of her upturned lips though it was
a mischievous smile. “Fine. Maybe you meant it at the time, but now you’re a tiny
bit sorry.” 

She nodded and took his arm and wrapped
it around her as she cuddled up to him. She was always so cold. Even if she
could talk she would never admit
to
it, but he knew she craved the natural warmth of his body as much as she craved
his blood.

As if she’d heard his thoughts and
intended to prove him wrong, she stood up and held her hand and out to him.
Taking it, he stood up. She wrapped her arms around his neck. He expected her
to bite him, to take his blood, but she didn’t. Instead, she began to dance
slowly. He froze. He was stunned. The last moment they shared before she’d had
her throat slit and her system poisoned by vampire blood, they danced. She’d
always loved to dance with him. He’d loved it just as much. She was showing him
that she remembered their past. He’d never known she could remember. She was
showing that she still loved him, even though she was consumed by bouts of
madness.

Slowly and gently, he pulled her closer
into the shelter of his arms. She allowed him to hold her, to feel her body
against his. She rested her head against his chest, over his heart. He knew the
peace between them wouldn’t last. Until the vampire that had given his blood to
her was dead she wouldn’t be right. Soon. He thought to himself as he moved his
body with hers. With the help of Eli and the pack, the love of his life would
soon be well again.

~Six~