“I’m fine Braith, I swear; a little shaken, but fine.”
He rocked her soothingly, his cheek resting against her head as he swayed her back and forth. “Braith.” A low growl of displeasure escaped Braith as Ashby appeared at the end of the tunnel. Ashby was undeterred by it though. “They’re here Braith.”
A regretful sound escaped him. “Ok.”
“I brought a shirt.” Ashby didn’t come into the tunnel though; instead he threw it to Braith before turning away.
Braith grasped hold of her ruined shirt, his fingers quivered as he slid it from her shoulders. He tossed it aside and helped her shrug on the new one. Braith slid the buttons into place; his hands hesitated upon the last one as he lifted his head to hers.
“You’re beautiful.”
It wasn’t true, but he made her feel every inch as beautiful as he thought she was. She managed a wan smile as her fingers encircled his. “I love you.”
It was his time to smile now, it lit his face like a beacon and made her heart melt. It was magnificent, his smile, breathtaking even. “I love you too.”
And even though the troops had invaded the cave, he gave her one last, lingering kiss.
***
“Did you ever, in a million years think that we would be sitting in one of our cave systems surrounded by vampires?”
Aria cocked her head as she turned to look at her brother. The firelight played over his features, harder and more masculine than hers, but similar all the same. “No,” she admitted with a low laugh.
“Do you think they’ll eat us?”
“It’s a possibility,” she joked.
William chuckled, but she sensed the tension beneath the laughter. He still wasn’t entirely certain about this situation, or the vampires and humans surrounding them. “We’ve come a long way sis.”
“We have,” she agreed. William’s hand was suddenly holding hers. She looked at him in surprise. They were closer than most siblings, always had been, but it had been years since they had held hands. It appeared he was as troubled as she was. She squeezed his hand with both of hers and relaxed against his shoulder.
They stood at the edge of the circle that had been formed around the fire within the center of the cave. It was still summer above, but down here it was cool and damp.
She watched as Braith stood with his head bowed while he conferred with the other faction leaders. The firelight played off of his hair, highlighting his handsome features and broad shoulders. He was nodding as Gideon spoke in quick, hushed whispers that were accentuated by the constant flutter of his hands. Braith’s arms folded over his chest, he leaned briefly back on his heels and though she couldn’t see it, she felt it when his eyes landed on her.
Her hand constricted around William’s. “I’m afraid.” It was the first time she had said the words out loud, the first time she had admitted it, even to herself.
“I know. So am I.”
Tears bloomed in her eyes as she turned to her twin. She’d never expected such an admission from him. “Not of dying,” she whispered.
“No shit,” he retorted.
She couldn’t help but laugh as their hands began to swing back and forth like they had as children. “You’re not either.”
“Never have been.”
“Then what is it we’re so afraid of?” She was asking because she didn’t know. She knew she was scared of losing Braith, of losing this war, of losing any member of her family, but those were worries she’d always had, or that she’d learned to deal with since meeting Braith. This was something different, it was in the pit of her stomach, it was buried in the back of her mind at all times, festering like an infected lesion.
William was thoughtful before he answered. “The unknown…”
The hesitation in his words made it clear he wasn’t entirely certain about his answer, but the minute she heard it Aria knew he was right. They had struggled with death and loss; starvation and thirst; dirt and homelessness their entire lives, but they had always had some sense of knowing. They’d had their father, Daniel, the other rebels, the caves, the woods, and the knowledge that vampires were the enemy to be fought and destroyed. Now they were on their own, surrounded by what had once been the enemy, in a cave system Aria had grown to hate, and filled with nothing but uncertainty.
“Yes,” she agreed. “The unknown.”
“It’s not the same now.”
“And it never will be again.”
“Do you want it to be?” he asked.
“Sometimes.”
“And other times?”
“I wouldn’t change a thing,” she admitted. “Not one thing.”
“Because of him?”
“Yes, but also because of the hope that the unknown brings us now, because of the promise of something better for everyone. No matter how much we knew before, the outcome was always the same. If we were lucky we would grow older, if we weren’t then we died young.”
“Or became blood slaves.”
“Yes.” She did not shy away from it anymore. “You’re not still angry at him because of that, are you?”
William hesitated for a moment before he shook his head. “No. If it hadn’t happened then we wouldn’t be here.”
“Afraid?”
His smile was small and fleeting. “Afraid, and full of hope,” he responded with a twinkle in his bright blue eyes.
Aria’s gaze locked on Braith as she recalled their encounter in the hallway of that dilapidated house. She had one more thing to fear, what would become of them? Of her?
She knew Braith planned to leave when this was over, knew that the vampires would not accept her if she stayed. But he couldn’t leave. They had voted him in for a reason, and even if he didn’t see it, or refused to see it, it was obvious to everyone else that he was a born leader. He’d done some things he was not proud of, he’d hurt innocents, and he’d been a monster for a brief time, but at heart he was good, and he would do right by as many people and vampires as he could.
He may not intend to be the leader, but he already was, even if he didn’t see that, she did and so did everyone else in this room.
Their hands stopped swinging as Braith beckoned them forward. William squeezed her hand before releasing her. “How long do you think it will be before you can find your father?” Braith inquired.
“Aria can usually track him within a few days,” William answered.
“I don’t know how far into the forest he has gone though and if there are a bunch of us…”
“There will not be,” Braith inserted briskly.
She was beginning to realize that there was more to his clipped tones than trying to appear distanced from her. Something had aggravated him. “That will make things easier. Even if he’s gone into regions that we’ve never explored, I can find him in a week.”
“Are you certain of this?” he asked.
“Two, tops.”
“Which is it?” Barnaby inquired sharply.
Aria’s gaze darted nervously to him. “I think she’s already answered that question,” Ashby told him. “The longest it will take her is two weeks.”
“So that means it could be almost a month before you return. And if there is a large group of them, even longer,” Calista replied coldly.
“We were raised in these woods, we know them well. A group of us is far easier to move than you think. It will not be a month,” Aria said firmly.
“Even if it is a month Calista, you will survive. It’s not the most ideal situation but we knew it wasn’t going to be easy,” Braith informed her.
Calista shifted, her dark eyes narrowed for a brief moment before she gave a quick nod. “We can make do and the human knows the caves.” Aria’s head snapped around, a small gasp escaped her. There were only two humans here who knew this cave, and she didn’t want either one of them staying here. Braith shifted slightly and she suddenly understood the tension in him, the terseness of his words. William didn’t know how to track their father as we
ll as she did, he wasn’t a big fan of the trees, and he wouldn’t be as quick as she would. William glanced anxiously at her; she seized hold of his hand again. “He’ll come in handy for getting us out of here if it becomes necessary.”
Aria was finding it difficult to breathe. She could feel Braith’s gaze boring into her, pleading with her to understand, to do this, to not fight over being separated from her brother, again. She tried to be strong but she was terrified of leaving William with a bunch of vampires.
Everything in her body screamed against it. The other humans were used to the vampires surrounding them, she and William were not. The rigidity in her brother made it clear that he wasn’t too pleased by the idea either, though she didn’t know if it was because he was staying, or because she was going.
She swallowed the heavy lump in her throat. “Who will be going with me?” she inquired with far more strength than she felt.
“Ashby, Gideon, and I.” Braith’s voice was still cold but some of the strain had eased from it.
“I plan to go also,” Xavier informed him.
Braith showed no surprise at his statement, but Aria felt a flicker of it deep in her belly. “Fine,” Braith grated. “William will be staying behind with the others to help keep order, and to help find food if it becomes necessary. If they’re forced to abandon these caves will you be able to find each other again?”
“Yes,” Aria answered.
“Then we leave at nightfall.”
Aria knew he didn’t mean to be harsh, but that knowledge did little to ease the knot of sorrow in her chest. She craved his comfort more than anything but she reluctantly accepted that he couldn’t give it to her right now, maybe not ever.
“Are you ok with this?” she asked William when the others turned away from them, shutting them out again.
“I’d be more ok if I was going with you, but it doesn’t seem we have a choice.”
“No, it doesn’t.”
CHAPTER 13
After eight days Aria was exhausted, aching and feeling a little disheartened. She was also in desperate need of a blessed shower, or at the very least a bath. Her hair was a matted mess she wasn’t certain she’d ever be able to untangle, and she had more mosquito bites than hairs on her head. She loved her woods but despised this area of hell they had wandered into.
She’d never ventured into the swamplands before, and she couldn’t believe her father had chosen this part of the forest to take refuge in. She would like nothing more than to find him and escape as swiftly as possible from this land of muck and filth. Her feet were blistered and her shoes hadn’t been dry in three days. Yet they trudged endlessly onward through acres of dirty water. Ashby had given up complaining, but Gideon had taken to muttering about how he wished he killed humans. Xavier remained blessedly silent, though he grimaced often.
She could handle the mud and dirt, it wouldn’t last forever, and she’d been filthy plenty of times in her life, but the smell… The smell was enough to make her want to vomit, and it had definitely induced more than her fair share of gagging. She couldn’t get away from it and it twisted her stomach in ways that she had never thought possible. But then again, that could also be the incessant hunger that was tearing at her. She’d only planned on seven days of supplies; she had realized three days ago she should probably start rationing her food. She was growing increasingly hungry and she was beginning to agree with Gideon’s craving to kill something.
Braith was becoming steadily agitated. Then again, they were all becoming short tempered and frustrated. He’d carried her more than a few times but she didn’t want to seem weak in front of the other three, so she insisted upon walking most of the time.
The suction from the thick mud caused her feet to make a loud popping sound as she stepped onto solid ground. A dying pine lifted its branches to the fading light and she tilted her head back to peer into it. Light refracted off of something within the branches. Heaving a tired breath, Aria’s shoulders slumped wearily.
Braith grabbed hold of her arm as she grasped the scratchy bottom limb. “Are you ok to do this?” he demanded gruffly. She managed a small nod and a smile. “I’ll go…”
“It won’t hold your weight and you don’t know what to look for once you’re up there.”
“Something shiny.”
“Yeah, something shiny,” she agreed tiredly. “Which none of us will see if the tree collapses beneath your weight.”
Thankfully, despite his foul mood, reason prevailed as he released her arm. She was slower getting up the tree, the blisters on her feet along with her weighted clothing and shoes made it difficult to move as freely as she normally did. Her hand curled around the piece of tin hanging from a thin line. She lifted herself further up, bracing herself as she stared over the treetops. Relief shot through her as she spotted the next marker only a mile away.
Pulling the piece of tin free, she made her way slowly back down the tree. “About another mile.”
“How long is this going to continue?” Gideon demanded.
Aria shrugged as she wiped the matted hair from her forehead. “I don’t know. Hopefully we’ll get there soon.”
Her head was beginning to pound, her stomach rumbled. Braith cursed as he pulled her pack from his back and tugged it open. Rummaging inside he pulled out her meager assortment of supplies. He shoved some dried meat, a canister of water, and a bag of nuts into her hands.
“Eat.”
Saliva rushed into her mouth, the rumbling in her stomach increased. Her hands were shaking. “I have to ration the supplies, I can’t eat…”
“I’ll find you more food.”
The swamp was vast and imposing but so far they hadn’t encountered much wildlife, and there were few plants she was certain she could eat as she was unfamiliar with this area. She’d seen what could happen to a person when they ate something they shouldn’t, and though they had survived it, they’d been sick for a week. Besides, she wasn’t the only one going hungry right now.
“Braith…”
His hands enfolded hers, holding her tight. “Eat.” She strived to stick to what she knew was right.
In the end, hunger won out. Shaking a little she broke off a piece of meat and lifted it to her mouth. Braith’s shoulders fell in relief. “We’ll make camp here for the night.”
Aria watched as the four of them moved around, establishing a small camp. She wiped the salt from her fingers and took a sip of lukewarm water. They conferred with each other, but Aria wasn’t paying much attention as she chewed slowly on the nuts, savoring each bite as she tried to make them last.
“I’ll be back.”
Aria blinked up at Braith in surprise. “Back?”
“I’m going to search for some food. Ashby and Gideon will stay with you. You’ll be safe.”
“I know.”
Kissing her tenderly, his fingers lingered briefly on her cheek before he reluctantly released her. She munched on the rest of her nuts as she watched Xavier and Braith head back into the swamp. There weren’t as many places here to hide and find shelter, but they soon disappeared from view behind some high grass and rotten trees.
Finishing off her nuts Aria wiped her hands on her filthy pants and turned her attention to the pack Braith had left behind. She didn’t speak with Ashby or Gideon as she pulled out a pair of lightweight pants that were dirty, but nowhere near as dirty as the ones she wore now. “I’ll be back.”
They didn’t try to stop her as she slipped away in search of a place that would offer her at least a little privacy. She found a spot behind a drooping willow with its branches dangling into the water of the swamp. She cleaned the muck from her filthy pants before slipping her other pants back on. Remaining blessedly barefoot she made her way back to the camp with water to boil.
Gideon and Ashby were sitting by the pine; Gideon was leaning tiredly against it as he watched her from under hooded eyes. Ashby looked haggard, even when he had been exiled to a life of solitude and deprivation he’d
never had to endure this kind of hardship. He was not prepared for it, and it was more than apparent that he didn’t like it. Making a small fire, she heated the water and retreated back to the willow to wash her body the best she could before returning.
Aria settled onto the blanket. She didn’t think she’d ever been this bone weary and exhausted. She meant to stay awake until Braith returned but when she laid down on the blanket, exhaustion won out. It was dark when she woke again. Braith’s arms tensed around her as she attempted to sit up.
A sigh of relief escaped her as she rolled onto her back. She didn’t know when he’d returned but he was nestled against her, his broad chest pressed against her side, his arms wrapped around her. The numerous stars were bright in the vast night sky. She’d never seen anything like it before. The trees blocked the stars in the forest, the light reflected them in the palace, and she hadn’t bothered to take the time to look while in the desert.
Now she stared up at them, awed and fascinated by the seemingly endless sky. “Shouldn’t you be asleep?”
“It’s beautiful,” she breathed.
He remained unmoving for a long moment before turning onto his back also. His fingers found hers, entwining firmly as he pulled her against him. “It is.”
She rested her head on his chest, unable to take her eyes from the sky as the moon began to poke its head over the horizon. It was nearly full and the color of blood. Aria shuddered; it seemed a bad omen to her. Braith ran his hand nimbly up and down her spine, causing goose bumps to appear on her skin as he pushed the edge of her shirt up and his fingers found bare skin.
Her eyes drifted closed as pleasure swamped her. She pushed at the edge of his shirt, eager to feel his own bare skin beneath her touch as she melded against him. Her hand splayed against his firm stomach and she was suddenly consumed with the need to feel more as she stroked over the solid flesh of his chest.