“Well isn’t the future king special,” Max drawled.
“He is,” Aria said softly.
Max’s lip curled in disgust, her family stared at her as if she had sprouted another head. “Ok William can’t go in then, but I can.”
“Daniel,” Aria moaned, dropping her head into her hands as her mind spun. She needed to think of something, anything that would stop this. She turned back to Jack, but he was leaning against the wall again, his arms folded back over his chest. “You don’t know what you are doing.”
“Yes, I do.”
Aria could barely breathe through the lump in her throat, could barely see through the tears burning her eyes. She had to stop this, she didn’t know how, didn’t know what to do, but she knew that she had to stop this. She didn’t know when Braith would be back, she didn’t know if she should even tell him what they intended. She’d be betraying her own family if she did. She’d be betraying her own kind.
But if she remained silent and something happened to Braith, or someone in her family…
She shut the thought down. She couldn’t live with herself if something happened and she could have stopped it. Her legs gave out; she slid limply to the ground, her mind spinning as they continued with their plans. Plans that she could barely comprehend anymore. Plans that were slowly tearing her in two.
***
Aria knew that she shouldn’t do it, but she couldn’t stop herself from slipping through the woods, back to the lake. It had become her favorite place over the past couple of months, and now that she needed it the most, she was not supposed to go near it. But after the events of the past few hours she didn’t give a damn what she was, and was not, supposed to do. Not anymore.
She slipped easily through the forest, sticking to the trees, remaining hidden amongst their thick foliage as she darted from limb to limb. She moved slowly, keeping an eye out for any threat. She knew the forest better than anyone, knew the signs of danger. She could read the animals as well as she could move through the trees. They remained alert, and active, the birds continued to sing, the squirrels hopped eagerly in out of the branches, barely noticing Aria’s presence amongst them.
She reached the lake, sitting amongst the limbs of a tree as she surveyed the area around her. The lake was pristine, clear. There wasn’t even a ripple amongst his glass surface. She folded her hands beneath her, resting her head upon them as she sprawled out on the limb, content to lie amongst the branches and just watch the lake for a long while. Content to just take solace in the beautiful sight before her.
She didn’t realize she had drifted off until she tried to roll over and nearly fell from the tree. She started, sitting up on the branch in surprise. She hadn’t even been tired, but the events of the day had beaten her down, and taken more of a toll on her than she’d realized. She sighed softly, her gaze turning to the sky. According to the movement of the sun she had been asleep for a couple of hours.
She would have to go back soon, but before she returned she wanted to take a swim. She kicked her shoes off, letting them drop to the forest floor before climbing to her feet. She ran to the end of the limb, leaping off of it as she dove into the lake. She stayed beneath the water, swimming out for a long while before popping back to the surface. The water felt wonderful, refreshing, cleansing after the awful events of the day.
She swam for a long while before finally heading back. She stopped a few feet away from the shore, treading water. Jack was leaning against the tree, her shoes dangling from his fingertips as he watched her. Aria frowned at him, pushing the hair from her eyes as she swam forward.
“You need to stop taking off like that.”
“I can take care of myself.” She grabbed her shoes from his hand, but did not put them on. “What are you doing here?”
“Looking for you.”
“Did my father send you?”
“No, they’re still making plans. What are you going to do Aria?”
“What do you mean?”
“Are you going to tell him?”
Aria couldn’t meet his gaze. The water had managed to soothe her for a brief moment, but now she was back into the harsh reality of her life. “Are you?” she whispered.
“He is my brother, but I chose my loyalties when I took you from that palace. I cannot go back on that now, no matter how much I might want to.”
“You would allow him to be killed?”
He was silent for a long moment, his eyes sad yet accepting. “He would allow the same thing to happen to me, if the roles were reversed. He would hate it as much as I do, but we are on separate sides of this war. There is nothing that we can do about that. Now you have to choose a side Aria.”
She shook her head, hating the fact that she wanted to cry again. “How can I choose a side Jack? It’s not so simple. If I choose him then I forfeit my life, there would be nowhere for me to go after that. If I choose my family than I am giving up the only man that has ever made me feel this way, the only person I have ever been in love with.”
He stared at her for a long moment, and then he turned his back on her. She followed him as he made his way through the forest. They moved slowly together for a long time in silence. “I didn’t say it was going to be an easy choice, it wasn’t for me either. But it is one that you are going to have to make. And soon.”
“I don’t know when he’ll be back,” she whispered.
“He won’t be gone for long…”
“You don’t know that.”
Jack was silent for a long moment, and then he stopped walking and turned to face her in the dwindling daylight. The strong resemblance he bore to his brother caused a tug of longing to pull at her heart. He watched her with the same intensity that his brother always did, studied her with the same confusion that she had often seen on Braith’s face. It seemed that neither of them knew exactly what to make of her. But then, she didn’t know exactly what to make of them either.
She had thought Braith a cruel, monstrous bastard, and now she was in love with him. She had thought Jack a human, their friend, and companion, but it turned out she was the only one in her family that hadn’t known that he was actually a vampire, and a member of the royal family. She had been kept in the dark, because they all thought her too weak to be able to handle the truth. In truth, she was far stronger than any of them knew. There was far more to her than they had ever imagined. The only one that seemed to understand, and accept the true depth of her strength, was Braith. He was the only one that did not try to coddle her, did not try to shelter her anymore from the harsh realities of both of their existences. He was the only one that knew she was strong enough to handle the truth.
And if there was one thing she was becoming very tired of, it was being coddled.
“I do know it, and by the time he comes back you are going to have to make your choice.”
“What if I choose wrong?”
He glanced over at her, his eyebrows raised as he studied her. “I don’t think you have a right choice here Aria.”
She bit on her bottom lip as she nodded. “You’re right. Are you going to tell my family about this?”
Jack shook his head as he started walking again. “No. Braith is not a threat to them. Even if you choose them, he will not hurt them, that’s not who he is. If you don’t choose him he would not purposely hurt you in such a way. No matter how much it will hurt him if he loses you.”
She grasped hold of Jack’s arm, pulling him to a stop beside her. “I do love him,” she said softly.
He managed a wan smile, his hand enclosed hers. “I know that Aria. And though it is baffling to me, I know that he loves you.”
She frowned fiercely at him, not at all liking his comment. “Thanks.”
He grinned at her; his hand squeezed her tightly before releasing her. “I just never thought it of Braith. We may have been the closest out of all our siblings, but he always kept a part of himself distant, aloof. As the future king, he had to stay distant. It would always be h
is job to uphold his duties and responsibilities. And to Braith those responsibilities always came first. I didn’t think he would ever be capable of loving someone; he kept himself too separated for that.
“You may be the first thing he has ever chosen over his obligations.”
Aria was silent for a moment, and then she resumed her pace at his side. “But he hasn’t chosen me.”
“He’s chosen you more than I’ve ever seen him choose anything else. He came here for you, didn‘t he?”
Aria shook her head. She watched her bare feet as they moved through the forest, avoiding any obstacle that may pop up. She didn’t tell him that she was fairly certain that Braith had originally come here to kill her, or at least make her pay severely for her disobedience. “I choose your side over my family.”
Aria glanced up at Jack, brushing aside her damp hair. “Why?” she asked quietly, still not completely understanding why he had taken their side.
“Because the only person I cared about within those walls was Braith. Because once I was here, I knew that I was on the wrong side. There’s no need for anyone to be living like this, there is no need for the cruelty that has been bestowed upon the humans. Not anymore.”
“It sounds like you picture a world where we can all happily coexist,” she said softly.
He shrugged. “I’m not delusional,” he replied. “But I do think things could have been different, maybe even still could.”
“Perhaps.” Though she didn’t hold out much hope for that.
“You do need to stop taking off on your own though. Not even Braith can help you if you get caught again, and what Caleb would do to you…” His voice trailed off, his eyes were distant as he stared at the woods around them.
Aria didn’t want to know what Caleb would do to her. She didn’t even want to imagine what Caleb would do to her. He had unnerved her from the moment she had met him. There was something wrong with Caleb, something sadistic and cruel. Something that would take great pleasure in making her scream, in making her beg for mercy. In making her suffer.
Aria shuddered, she tried to shut the thought down, but it would not stop. “Ok?”
She swallowed heavily as she nodded. She hated to be restrained, confined, monitored, but Jack was right. “Ok,” she agreed.
He slid his arm though hers, pulling her lightly against his side. “I think of you like a sister.”
She managed a wan smile as she leaned against his side. “An annoying one?”
“Yes. You are also going to have to do something about Max.”
“Max?” she asked in confusion.
“He’s in love with you.” Aria frowned, her hand tightened on Jack’s arm. Jack was right, she had to make it clear to Max that there would never be anything between them. She hadn’t been fair to him lately, telling him no well leaning on him to help get her through the past months. Guilt and self hatred twisted through her stomach, she was ashamed of herself and Max was going to be hurt. But she knew now, that even if she never saw Braith again, he would always own her heart. “And he’s not very stable right now.”
“That woman that held him, she was awful to him in there, wasn’t she?”
Jack was silent for a long moment before he nodded briskly. “She was, and Max is convinced that it was the same with you.”
“I’ve told him it wasn’t.”
“And he doesn’t want to believe that. It’s easier for him to think of us all as monsters. If I hadn’t pulled the two of you out of there, he would hate me too. He still doesn’t trust me.”
Aria frowned as she glanced up at him. “Do you think he would do anything to hurt you?”
Jack shrugged. “He might try, but not for awhile, not until things are more established. He knows that I’m needed right now, but after…”
Aria stared at him in wide eyed surprise. “And you’re not angry about this?”
He glanced down at her. “What was done to him in there was something awful Aria. We will never know the extent of the cruelty he experienced, of the abuse that he took. No one comes out of that completely normal. I understand his anger and his hatred. But if he tries to kill me, I will not hold back.”
Aria swallowed heavily, she hated the awful situation they were stuck in, hated the fact that she would have to choose between Braith and her family, hating the fact that she was becoming increasingly worried and fearful of Max.
CHAPTER 8
“Do you ever do what you’re told?”
Aria didn’t bother to look up from the berries she was collecting. “Not usually.”
“You know you’re supposed to stay close.”
She glanced up at Max as he stopped at her side. His shadow fell across her, blocking out the sun. “I’m close.”
“Within eyesight Aria,” he growled.
She dropped the berries into her bucket, trying hard to keep her patience. She hated being ordered about, hated his high handed demeanor, but most of all she hated the fact that he felt he had any say over what she did, or didn’t, do. “I have my bow,” she reminded him.
“That will do a lot of good against a group of marauding vampires.”
Aria rolled her eyes as she wiped her hands and rose slowly to her feet. “I’m perfectly capable of taking care of myself,” she reminded him.
“So capable that you were caught already.”
Aria heaved an impatient sigh; she grabbed hold of her bow as she tried to ignore the tugging waves of guilt crashing through her. She didn’t think she would ever be able to forgive herself for what had been done to Max, but she could not continue to live under the weight of that guilt. She also could not allow him to continue thinking there was any hope for them. Even if she gave Braith up, she would not choose Max. There could never be anyone, but Braith.
“I’m fine Max.”
“I understand your need for solitude Aria, I do, but you have to understand that I am only concerned about your safety.”
“I know,” she said softly, just agreeing with him in the hope that he would back off. Aria jumped in surprise when he seized gently hold of her chin. She frowned fiercely at him, trying hard to keep her temper.
“I know you feel that this raid is a bad idea, I know you think that they treated you kindly in there, but…”
“Max I can only tell you so many times that I was treated kindly in there. I know you had an awful time, I know that, but you have to believe me when I tell you that I didn’t. This raid is a bad idea, it’s an awful idea. I know you want revenge, but risking innocent lives is not the way to get it.”
His eyes were hard, narrowed as he glared at her. Jack thought that Max was in love with her, but at the moment, she felt that he might actually hate her more. She wanted to reach out to him, wanted to explain it all to him, wanted him to understand that she didn’t mean to hurt him, but she couldn’t find the words to even attempt such an explanation. “Max,” she whispered.
He shook his head, his shaggy blond hair falling across his forehead. “You don’t know what you’re talking about Aria. What they did to you in there, it’s confused you.”
Aria wanted to argue with him further, but it was useless, and something else had caught her attention. She tilted her head, her eyes narrowing as all of her senses focused upon the forest. It had become eerily silent. Aria glanced around the shadowed woods, panic hammered through her. The birds had stopped singing; the squirrels no longer ran through the trees.
“One day you will realize…”
Aria slipped her hand over Max’s mouth, silencing his words. She placed her finger over her own mouth, motioning for him to be quiet. He frowned at her, but Aria was no longer paying attention to him. She could read the woods, and right now they were telling her that something was not right, that danger was coming. She just didn’t know what direction it was coming from, didn’t know which way to flee. She tilted her head back, glancing up into the high reaches of the tree.
She pointed up as she took her hand away from his mouth
. Moving silently, Aria grasped hold of the lowest tree branch and easily scooted her way through the branches. Max was not as swift as she was, but he followed her. Aria climbed higher, burying herself within the thick foliage. She searched the forest but still saw no cause for the odd silence that had descended over it.
She reached back down, grasping hold of Max’s hand to help pull him onto her branch. His skin was slightly paler, he looked as if he were about to throw up. He had always hated heights, but they didn’t have many options right now. He opened his mouth to speak but she shook her head fiercely at him. She still couldn’t find the danger hidden within the shadows.
And then she saw them. They had come from behind the tree, and were underneath it, before she knew what had happened. She plastered herself against the trunk of the tree, holding tight to it as Max pressed against her. Aria was shaking, terror pulsed through her. If they looked up…
If they looked up, she and Max were dead. Max could not move through the trees like she could, and even she could not outmaneuver a group of vampires forever. They would catch her eventually. Her heart was thumping so loudly that she was certain they would hear it, certain that they would look up and spot them within the foliage of the tree. Aria’s breath caught in her throat, she could hardly breathe as Caleb appeared beneath them, moving slowly behind the six soldiers before him. His head moved constantly as he searched the woods. The excitement strumming through his body was nearly palpable.
Terror pulsed through her; her legs were trembling so bad that she could hardly stand anymore. Max was frozen before her, his lean body as hard as rock as he pressed against her. If Caleb was here then only bad things could follow.
Aria’s eyes widened, her mouth dropped as Braith stepped into sight behind his brother. Her heart leapt, flipping wildly as she took in his magnificent form. Longing spurted through her, she almost called out to him, almost flung herself from the tree, and into his arms. And if it hadn’t been for Caleb mere feet before him, she probably would have. For a moment all she wanted was to be in his arms again, to hell with the other monsters with him.