Salvation

  It had taken everything she had not to cry when he’d told her, and she could feel tears burning her eyes again. She longed to tell him to stay, that she needed him, but he’d never confined her or disapproved of her decisions. This was something he had to do and she wasn’t going to try and dissuade him no matter how much she wanted to.

  “You’re the one that likes heights, shouldn’t you be up here?” he protested from the roof of one of the new homes being erected in the bailey.

  Aria grinned at him as she wiped her hands on her dirty pants. “I have a wedding to help plan,” she reminded him. “Unless you want Melinda to come out here to retrieve me again?”

  He made a face as he shook his head briskly. The last time Melinda had come out here to retrieve Aria, she’d forced William and Max into the palace in order to be fitted for tuxes. They’d both gone out of their way to avoid her since. “Go! Go!” he urged with a quick wave of his hand before hastily retreating from sight. His hand reappeared to wave her briskly away once more but he didn’t look over at her again.

  She laughed as she turned away from the house and made her way to the stables with her constant companion at her side. There was a colicky horse she wanted to check on before retreating to the palace. “Are you ready for more wedding planning?”

  Xavier crooked an eyebrow at her as he shook his head. “I never knew there were so many different flowers before.”

  “Neither did I.”

  Xavier followed her into the stable and waited as she entered the mare’s stall. She was relieved to find the mare more relaxed and some fresh manure in the corner. Patting the mare’s back and neck, she moved slowly around her as she spoke softly with her for a few moments.

  “Xavier can you bring me some hay? I think she might be ready to eat now.” Aria rested her hand on the horse’s neck as she waited for an answer, or for her guardian to appear. She heard nothing though, and the stable remained oddly hushed. “Xavier?”

  The dim light danced and swayed as shadows flitted around the dusky interior of the barn. A chill slid down Aria’s spine, her hand fell from the mare’s neck as a rustle of movement drifted to her. “Xavier?” she called, trying to keep the nervousness from her voice.

  Silence continued to greet her. The scent of hay, straw and horse seemed even more acute as she remained immobile. Her body became still in ways it never could have been if she was human. For the first time she didn’t miss the beat of her heart as her ears picked up sounds that the beat would have muted. Calmness settled over, her heightened sense’s opened as she searched the surroundings outside of the stall.

  A smell that she’d never experienced before reached her. It was body odor, decay and rot all rolled into one disgusting blend. It was old and decrepit but also strangely powerful. The image of a walking corpse filtered through her mind as a soft rustle reached her. She opened her mouth to call out to Xavier again but thought better of it. Whatever was out there, it wasn’t Xavier.

  A shadow fell across the stall door seconds before feet shuffled into view. If she’d still had a heartbeat it would be on the verge of exploding. She couldn’t tear her gaze away from those filthy feet with their overgrown toenails and ragged cuts. The bottom of the pants were tattered and so incredibly soiled that she couldn’t even discern the color of them anymore. A lump formed in her throat, tears burned her eyes as she arrived at the disgusting shirt that was in much the same condition, but the hole and bloodstain on it were still clearly discernible.

  It took every ounce of courage she had to force her eyes to continue upward. The haggard features, obscured by dirt and decay, were almost indiscernible. The grayish skin sagged, the outline of the skull was clearly visible as cheekbones stood out severely and the eyes had sunken in. A piece of the bottom lip, right ear, and half the left side of the nose were gone. Nausea twisted through her as she realized they’d probably been eaten off while he was buried. Perhaps even more had been missing, but even as she watched the lesions on his face and arms seemed to be knitting together and repairing themselves.

  Her nose wrinkled, she recoiled from the smell radiating from this thing standing across from her with blazing ruby eyes. The mare snorted, she shifted nervously in the stall as a low whinny escaped her and she spun suddenly. Aria just managed to avoid being knocked over as the mare shoved her toward the hideous creature at the front of the stall.

  A scream surged up her throat; she drew on her recently acquired vampire strength to lunge back. She wasn’t quick enough though, even partly decayed and slightly rotten the king was still faster than her. He seized hold of her throat, propelling her backward as he slammed her into the wall with enough force to shake it. Pain lanced through her back, the mare squealed and bolted from the stall.

  Aria envied the horse greatly as the monstrosity holding her lowered his face to hers. His lips skimmed back to reveal his pointed teeth and black, black, gums. A shudder of revulsion rippled through her, she tried to twist her head away but he seized hold of her cheeks and squeezed. The reek of putrefaction entrenched her; she wished she was still human so it wouldn’t be so potent. A small whimper escaped her as she finally managed to get her hands in between them.

  Beneath the shirt, she could feel the pliancy of his skin, and for a moment she thought her fingers were going to sink right into it. She gagged involuntarily, even if she couldn’t breathe, she felt herself spiraling toward a panic attack.

  This couldn’t be possible! She’d seen Caleb kill him! She’d been there for it! Yet as his fingers dug into her cheeks to force her lips out, and his black tongue slithered out to brush against her mouth, she couldn’t deny the reality, no matter how badly she wanted to. She nearly vomited on him as he pushed against her.

  “Someone’s no longer human,” he murmured against her ear as he sniffed along her neck. A shudder rippled through her, bile surged up her throat. “My son thinks he can keep you, but he’s wrong. I’ll be keeping you.”

  “How?” she croaked as he forced her head to the side.

  “You think a simple stake is going to kill me? I’m almost fifteen hundred years old, there’s plenty you don’t know about me, bitch. I know plenty about you though, especially where you are, always.” His fingers flitted up and down her neck before resting on the marks that Braith had left on her last night. “I’m going to make you pay, and I’m going to make my son pay. No one can defeat me.”

  Pain, unlike any she’d ever known, exploded through her as his teeth sank into her neck and he began to replenish his depleted strength with hers.

  ***

  Gideon handed Braith the truce agreement that had been written with the border towns. He knew most of the concessions and promises that had been made within the agreement, but even so he read it carefully to make sure everything met his approval. The border towns would be sending an elected representative to join The Council next week. In exchange, they would consent to representatives from the palace moving into the towns for an unspecified amount of time to ensure that all slavery was ended.

  Braith nodded as he grabbed the pen and hastily added his signature to the document. His hand was cramped from the endless signatures, but they were finally reaching an end, finally forming a solid union with everyone that had been involved in the war. He flexed his fingers as he sat back in his chair and surveyed the room.

  Things weren’t perfect, far from, but they were better than he’d thought they’d be at this stage. They’d formed alliances, they were rebuilding, the donation center wasn’t thriving, but more people were coming around to the prospect of giving their blood. There were still fights, and there would be continuing violence for awhile, but even that had started to slow as stability was beginning to return in the form of homes, businesses, and a solid government.

  He also had Aria. It was more than he ever could have hoped for, more than he ever had hoped for. He was going to have an eternity to enjoy their marriage, an eternity to enjoy her. The thought caused a small smile to tug at his li
ps. He knew she would be coming in soon to meet with Melinda, he thought he might be able to slip away for a few minutes in order to intercept her. Unknowingly, he began to tap the pen harder as he planned out his brief escape.

  The pen tapped harder on the table, he didn’t realize his foot had dropped to the floor as an uneasy feeling began to twine through his stomach. “Easy there fidgets,” Daniel said as he signed the document and passed it on.

  The pen cracked in his hand, ink ran out to coat his fingers as he stood slowly. A sense of doom slithered like a serpent through him as he searched the room for whatever danger he felt licking across his skin. Even as he searched though, he began to realize that whatever was wrong wasn’t coming from in here, but from somewhere else.

  It was Aria, something was wrong with Aria. He didn’t know how he knew, didn’t know why he was so certain of it, but he knew that something wasn’t right with her.

  “Braith?”

  An involuntary snarl ripped from him as Gideon rose from his chair. Gideon took a startled step back. “Aria.”

  He didn’t look back as he moved from the room faster than he’d ever moved in his life.

  ***

  After the initial burst of agony that nearly drowned her within its dark depths, Aria managed to regain enough control of herself to begin to put up a fight. Her hands fisted as they were ineffectively pinned against his mushy chest. She squirmed against him as she tried to bring her legs up between them in order to get some leverage against his savage attack. Using the palm of his hand, he pressed it flat against her face as he pushed it hard against the wood of the stall.

  She kicked at him, but with his body flat against hers she was unable to get in a good shot at him. She finally managed to break one of her pinned hands free, he blocked her from punching him, but her fingers hooked into claws that she was able to rake down the side of his face. A choked scream escaped her at the feel of the bugs beneath the squishy skin she’d managed to tear free. His skin broke away with a vile odor that nearly overwhelmed her.

  Her struggles increased but it was like pitting a lion against a lamb as he growled low and bit down harder. Even half dead, he was ten times stronger than she was, and his strength was increasing as hers weakened. She put every ounce of power she had into her legs and arms as she gave one final attempt to shove him off of her.

  A startled cry escaped, she dropped onto her butt as the king abruptly released her. She looked up in time to see Braith heaving him one handed across the stall by his shoulder. The wooden wall gave way, collapsing beneath the impact of the king’s body as it shattered around him. She stared in disbelief at the wreckage as ruined wood continued to topple down on the king.

  Aria’s hand fumbled at the trail his teeth had raked across her throat as she tried to staunch the flow of blood. Braith was suddenly before her, his hands on her cheeks as he turned her head toward him. “Are you ok?” he demanded.

  “I’m fine,” she assured him. “I’m fine.”

  “Who did this?” His upper lip curled as his eyes shimmered red.

  “You didn’t see?” she gasped. He shook his head as he pulled her hand away to examine her neck. “Braith it’s your…”

  She broke off as the broken fragments of wood exploded outward. Braith enveloped her with his body as splinters, boards and beams rained down around them. He grunted beneath the impact of the debris as he protected her from the dangerous wood crashing against him.

  Silence filled the broken stall as the last board clattered to the ground. Braith’s face was warm against hers, the stubble rough on her cheek as he waited to see if there was anything more coming at them. “Hold onto me.”

  Her hands encircled his biceps; his muscles flexed beneath her grasp as he lifted her against him and surged back to his feet. Releasing her, he planted both hands on either side of her head and pressed closer as he turned his head to face the new threat.

  The muscles in his arms vibrated beside her head as his fangs extended over his bottom lip. He actually did a double take as his father stepped from the wreckage with far more aplomb than Aria had expected from a man wearing rags and still missing part of his nose. The king appeared refreshed and better than he had before, thanks to her blood. He wiped the blood from where she had gouged his face but the marks were already gone. Straightening the remains of his shirt, he eyed them both with amusement.

  “Father,” Braith finished for her.

  CHAPTER 25

  Braith couldn’t keep his astonishment hidden as his father took another step away from the ruined wall. It was a sight he’d never even imagined he would ever see, never mind actually experience. There was a part of him that felt like a child again, cowering beneath his father’s heavy hand, unable to defend himself from the repeated blows, unable to escape the abuse that his father so jovially inflicted upon him.

  Another part of him, the adult one, the king one, the one shielding Aria, wanted to rip the entire barn down and shred the man looking at him with such delight. Red shadowed his vision as the scent of Aria’s blood drifted up to him and a snarl curved his lip. He’d dared to touch her again and Braith was going to make him pay for that. After everything this man had done to Aria, to him, and countless other innocents, Braith knew that he could not let him survive this. There was no way he would allow this man to touch her again, to be in charge again; no way he would allow him to unravel all of the good they had already created here.

  Braith just wasn’t sure there was any way to stop him. His father had taken a stake to the heart, and with no sustenance to sustain and revitalize him, the wound had still somehow managed to heal itself. It was obvious his father hadn’t had much nourishment before returning to the palace, but Braith suspected he’d looked far worse than this when he’d first crawled from his grave. Braith didn’t know how long he’d been wandering around, but the fact that he’d returned here meant he thought he was strong enough to be a threat to Braith, and anyone else he came across.

  He looked like a decomposing corpse, but beneath the rotten exterior, Braith felt the vibrant pulse of power that he still possessed. His body was rapidly healing itself, his shoulders were straightening as he thrust them back and quirked an eyebrow in amusement. His upper lip curled to reveal long fangs that glistened in the murky light of the stable. Even though her chin was raised and her eyes narrowed, a small shiver ran through Aria and into him as his father leveled her with his gaze and licked his lips.

  A low growl rose up Braith’s throat as he pushed Aria back a little. The tension in his body notched higher, bloodlust began to curl through him as he shielded her. He had far more control over his more primitive instincts now, but even so he would slaughter the creature across from him before he ever allowed his father to touch a hair on her head again.

  “Xavier!” His father’s head tilted to the side as Gideon’s startled cry echoed through the stable. Braith had seen Xavier’s prone figure in the shedrow, but he hadn’t taken the time to learn if the vampire was alive or not. Judging by the marks on Xavier’s neck, and his father’s rapid healing, Braith suspected that Xavier was gone. Aria’s blood alone couldn’t have caused the changes that were rapidly transforming his father.

  “He was delicious,” his father murmured.

  Aria shuddered; a small sound of distress escaped her. “Xavier,” she breathed.

  “Almost as good as your whore here,” his father purred.

  Aria’s hands tightened on his arms, he refused to rise to his father’s baiting as he pulled her closer to him. Pressing her flat against his body, his hands splayed across the hollow of her lower back. He stood for a moment, savoring in the feel of her while he still could.

  Aria’s gaze darted behind him at the sound of feet skidding to a halt outside the stall door. “Holy shit!” William blurted.

  “Atticus?” His father’s head swiveled to the side, a smile twisted his lips at Calista’s disbelieving question.

  “You look just as beautiful as I remembe
r Calista, perhaps when this is over we can reunite,” he said suggestively.

  Braith’s grip on Aria eased slightly. If there was one thing he knew for certain, no vampire came back from having their head ripped off. Her eyes were wild as they came back to his, her fingers clenched around his arms before her grip reluctantly loosened. He stared at her for a long moment before she gave a subtle dip of her head and her fingers stroked briefly over his biceps.

  She let go of him as he sprang into motion. His father turned toward him, bracing for the impact as Braith lowered his shoulder and collided with him. His father’s hands came down on his shoulders, his fingers dug into his skin as Braith propelled them both backward. They crashed through the already ruined stall divider and into another wall.

  He was disgusting, everything about the hideous creature that had once been a king, was repulsive. Yet the strength in his hands was even more than Braith had been prepared for, even with knowing that his father was stronger than he appeared. The walls gave out and he lost his balance as they tumbled into the shedrow. They rolled over top of each other as they each sought to gain the top.

  Braith managed to get a few blows into his father’s lower ribcage but it felt just as spongy as the rest of him. He’d actually been decaying when his body came back to life, Braith realized. He hadn’t just become starved and emaciated like his pitiful trophies, his body had actually started to breakdown before coming back to life.

  Braith’s nose wrinkled, his lip curved in a sneer as he lifted his father with his feet and flipped him over his head. He jumped back to his feet, but even in his state, his father was faster and back on him in an instant. They had been about the same size once he’d hit maturity, but he had a good thirty pounds on his father now, even still he was knocked backwards by the force of his weight and momentum.