Eternal Breath of Darkness by Candice Stauffer Read Free Book Online Page B

illuminated what appeared to be a
black dragon.
    Doing the rational thing,
she shook her head, rejecting the idea that dragons existed. It was so
beautiful. She wanted to move closer. She wanted to touch it. She shook her
head. What was she thinking? Yes, it was beautiful, but there was no way she
would ever dare get close enough to touch it.
    The dragon lifted its head
high and roared. It was unlike anything Caylee had ever heard before. It was so
deep and loud she actually felt the sound in her belly. It echoed all around,
causing the ground to shake violently.
    It was shocking, but nothing
could have prepared her for what happened next. Her breath caught in her throat
as she watched the hideous doglike creatures turn on each other. It was such a
terrifying, gruesome sight. Jaws snapping and claws slicing, they attacked each
other in a rabid frenzy. It didn’t make sense. Why would they attack each
other? I commanded them to destroy each other. Haden whispered in her
mind. And he sounded amused. Rolling her eyes, she frowned. Of course it was
his doing. Her gaze shifted to the dragon. She wondered what Haden was planning
to do with it.
    She wanted to go back to
believing there were no such things as dragons, but she couldn’t deny what was
right in front of her face. She would give anything to hit rewind and start the
day over. Appearing almost disinterested, the dragon watched the brutal chaos
for a few more minutes, and then, lifting its head high, it roared once more.
The creatures, suddenly silent, turned to face the dragon and froze. Eyes wide,
Caylee held her breath as flames shot out of the dragon’s mouth and reduced the
creatures to an unrecognizable pile of smoldering ashes at the dragon’s feet.
Shaking her head, she took a breath. She now knew the rumors of fire-breathing
dragons were not rumors at all.
    To Caylee’s horror, the
dragon turned and fixed its gaze onto hers. It slowly moved toward her. With
each step it took the ground rumbled beneath its weight. Stopping directly in
front of her, it bowed its massive head reverently at her feet.
    Seeking Haden’s protection,
Caylee took a step back, only to realize he was no longer behind her. He’d left
her? Her mouth went completely dry. How could he just abandon her? She would’ve
screamed, but she couldn’t even breathe.
    “Breathe, little love. I
would never abandon you.”
    “Huh?” She blinked. Did the
dragon just smile at her? She shook her head. Did it just talk to her? She
tilted her head to the side, studying its eyes. It didn’t make sense. Its eyes
were so familiar, so comforting. After a breathless moment of silence, she made
the connection.
    “Oh, oh my God.” She
swallowed hard. “Haden?” It had to be an illusion. “No.” It was a magic trick
of some sort. She’d seen him do many strange, impossible things. She’d seen him
appear from out of nowhere and disappear several times. The dragon wasn’t real.
Hoping to prove it, she reached out to touch it. Her fingers felt warm, hard
scales. “It is really you.”
    “Yes.” Obviously proud of
the havoc it was wreaking in her mind, the dragon grinned at her.
    “No.” Her head was spinning
out of control. “It’s not possible.” Making a small, whimper-like sound, she
bit back a scream. “You’re not a dragon.” Swaying from side to side, she took a
clumsy step back. “How?”
    Before she could blink,
Haden returned to human form. “It’s a secret,” he teased, wrapping his arm
around her shoulders to hold her steady.
    “That’s it? I can’t take it
anymore! Get away from me, Haden!” Hoping to do some real damage, she jabbed
her elbow against his ribs as hard as she could.
    “Ouch.” Hunching over, he
grabbed his side, laughing aloud. “You have such nasty temper.”
    “You’re making me crazy.”
Closing her eyes tightly, she shook her head. “This isn’t real. None of this is
real. You’re not real.”
    He reached out to her. “Come
here.”
    “No!”