“Let me see the menu,” Braith said.“Menu?” she croaked. Her head was spinning, this town and everything in it was far different than anything she’d ever known. It was overwhelming and so out of place with the jars of teeth and scenes of death she’d seen in Gideon’s study.
Braith pointed to the paper she held before smoothly taking it from her hands. A feeling of uncertainty seized her; there was still so much she didn’t know. Braith’s hand took hold of hers; he gave her a reassuring squeeze as he nudged the crackers toward her. Gideon was studying her in a strange manner that flustered her even more. Instinct made her want to pull her hand away from Braith’s, but it was already too late to hide what was between them from Gideon.
“These are all humans?” she inquired as she studied the shadowed room.
“No, there are vampires here too.” She started in surprise as her focus shifted back to Gideon. The woman reappeared, placing two goblets before Braith and Gideon, and a glass of water before her. Aria’s throat was dry, but she was far more interested in what Gideon had to say at the moment. “Braith and I can tell the difference.”
As she looked around the room again, she realized she could pick out some humans also. The one’s that appeared to be over thirty and eating were most certainly humans, but the rest were more difficult to discern. She didn’t ask how the two of them could tell; she assumed all vampires could tell the difference. “They get along together?” she asked.
“Of course they do, why wouldn’t they young human?”
Aria shot him a dark look, not at all liking his placating tone, and the young human nickname was beginning to grate on her last nerve. “You have jars of human and vampire teeth on shelves in your home,” she retorted. “That’s why.”
Gideon just grinned annoyingly back at her as he reclined in his seat. He swirled the contents of his goblet before taking a small sip. “Those humans were just as culpable as those vampires during the war, sweetheart.”
“Watch it Gideon,” Braith growled.
Gideon’s hooded gaze flickered briefly to Braith; he looked about ready to say something more but seemed to think better of it. “What do you mean?” Aria inquired.
“Do you think it was just vampires that were fighting on the side of the king? No dear, there were also humans involved.”
Surprise flooded her, her gaze flew to Braith, looking for denial of Gideon’s words but he just squeezed her hand. Anguish filled Aria; her shoulders slumped as she forgot about her crackers. “Why?” she breathed.
“Who really knows why?” replied Gideon. “Some wanted to be on the winning side while others wanted to be in the king’s good graces should he be the victor. You know the saying ‘to the victor go the spoils?’ Perhaps some of them were even offered the chance to survive the change. No matter their reasons, unfortunately, they chose correctly and it paid off. Their offspring, and their offspring’s offspring, are still amongst the higher-ups of the human race within the palace.”
“Oh,” Aria breathed, her hand pressed against her lips as the full horror of his revelation sank in. She’d known that the humans within the palace were more than willing to sell them out now, and in the past. She hadn’t known it had gone all the way back to the war, and that they had actually fought with the vampires.
“I keep the teeth of the ones I killed, and their vampire brethren as a reminder.”
“Why would you require such a reminder?”
“To keep the fire for revenge alive.” Gideon leaned across the table, for the first time his flippant air vanished. His hazel eyes burned forcefully as he studied her. “I keep that whole room like that to remind myself every day of my hatred of that place, of the betrayal, and the destruction. I fan the fires everyday in the hopes that one day, just one day I’ll get a chance for payback.”
The ardor with which he spoke, the fire in his eyes ignited an answering spark inside of her. “I escaped that palace, and that war, and I fled to safety. My family was not so lucky. They were already gone, already massacred when I escaped, but I vowed that one day I would avenge their deaths and it appears that day has finally come.”
Aria swallowed heavily, she didn’t know what to say to that. She knew how Gideon felt and understood the urge that drove him forward. She had hated the vampires for as long as she could remember, had wanted their deaths more than anything, until she’d met Braith. And now she realized that her kind was just as culpable for the fall of her race as the vampire’s were. She should be relieved to see this side of Gideon, to know what drove him, and finally understand why he had that hideous room; however, she didn’t like the way Gideon was looking at Braith.
She didn’t like the stiffness, the rigidity she could feel taking hold of Braith. The tension was nearly palpable in the small booth. The woman reappeared, seemingly oblivious to it as she placed heaping plates of food before Aria. She laid utensils down, utensils that Aria hated but had grown accustomed to in the palace. Her stomach rumbled at the sight of the food, but she couldn’t bring herself to move toward it as she warily watched the silent war of wills going on beside her.
Braith looked away first, not because he was capitulating to anything, but because he realized that she was not eating. His glasses were back in place but she knew when his eyes latched onto hers, she would always know. “Eat Aria.” She swallowed heavily, her gaze darted nervously to Gideon. Braith grasped hold of the fork and pressed it into her palm. “Eat,” he urged.
She hesitated before digging eagerly into the plates of meat, potatoes, and vegetables before her. She thought he might have ordered everything on the menu. It was delicious and she couldn’t stop the small moan of pleasure that escaped her as she devoured it. They didn’t speak again until she had finished every last morsel on her plate.
“Are you still hungry?” Braith inquired.
She did want more, simply because it had been so good, but she was completely stuffed. “No, I’m full.” He squeezed her knee gently as she focused on Gideon again. “Humans and vampires live together in peace here?”
Gideon signaled for the woman who reappeared with a bottle of something. She topped off Braith and Gideon’s drinks, though Braith required far less of a top off than Gideon did. “They do,” Gideon confirmed when the woman was gone. “We do not have blood slaves and we do not force people to give their blood.”
Gideon’s gaze latched onto her neck. She hadn’t realized her hair had fallen back until Braith tugged it over the marks he had left upon her.
“Most give it willingly, either by allowing us to feed from them or by donating their blood. Just as most vampires don’t like the intimacy and vulnerability that the exchange of blood can produce, neither do some humans.” Braith didn’t move his arm, but his firm jaw flexed as Gideon’s gaze dropped to the bite marks on his inner wrist. Gideon’s left eyelid ticked. “Though, the connection between a human and a vampire is never as strong as it is between two vampires. I’ve never allowed another to feed from me, and I have never fed from another. I don’t know many vampires that have.”
“What do you mean by donate?” she inquired. She knew what “donating” meant in her world. The people who were not purchased as blood slaves were taken to be drained of their blood, and their bodies were callously discarded afterward.
“It is given willingly here. If they do not care to give, they do not have to.” A small smile played at the corner of Gideon’s mouth as he lifted his goblet and swirled the liquid inside. Aria frowned and leaned over Braith’s shoulder to peer at the contents of his goblet. It was the color and viscosity of blood as it gleamed in the candlelight. She glanced up at Braith, who nodded briefly, confirming what she suspected. He didn’t seem to be enjoying it very much though as he’d only taken a few small sips. “There is enough for everyone to go around here, and we live in easy, relative peace.”
Aria sat back. “Relative?”
Gideon frowned as he nodded firmly. “There are always those that break the rules. I think yo
u encountered a few of them on your way here.” He glanced pointedly to the bandages on her arms showing from the edge of the cloak that had slid back. “Humans are not to be hurt here, not unless they ask for it, of course.”
“So those humans in that section of town back there, and that girl at your home, they were… ah…”
“They are willingly there. We do not force humans to do anything they do not want to do, some simply have lustier needs than others, and they like to fulfill those needs. Besides, most of them are vampires, not humans, and we have far lustier needs, don’t we Braith?”
Aria fought against the blush creeping up her neck and across her cheeks. She was well aware of Braith’s needs, even if she hadn’t satisfied all of them yet. “Gideon,” Braith warned.
“She’s a big girl Braith, she can handle it, stop being such a bear.” Braith’s jaw clenched, his hands fisted on the table. Aria grasped hold of his arm; his biceps bulged beneath her hand as he fought the urge to punch Gideon. “There is a no tolerance policy here against hurting humans that are not willing and eager. Those offenders are dealt with swiftly. We do not kill our own kind, but we do not allow them to stay either. Although, most of them would probably prefer death to the banishment they are given.”
Aria glanced at her bandaged arms. Gideon was probably right, those pitiful creatures probably would have preferred death to the life of starvation and struggle they now endured. “And what are the rules for the humans?”
“They are the same for both species. Do no harm to others, no stealing, and no false accusations are to be issued. Our justice system is swift and decisive. The humans are also banished; most of them end up in the border towns where their rights are stripped away by the vampire’s presiding there. Some of us didn’t care for the king’s new rule, and fought to keep things the way they were. Others liked the idea of no longer hiding, of letting their cruelty reign, but they didn’t like the rules and tyranny of the palace. Those vampires reside in the border towns. You passed through one such town before arriving here, that’s how I knew you were coming.
“We trade human food, clothing, and other goods with them and in exchange they alert us when anyone may be coming to look for us. Though we do not actually hand them the humans that are banished from here, or deal in slavery, it doesn’t hurt that most end up seeking shelter and protection in the towns.
“The vampires within the towns are used to dealing with The Forsaken Ones, as we have started to call the banished, and are usually able to avoid them in order to reach us, though sometimes they do get lost. However, if they hope to keep receiving food they have no choice but to aid us. We need to know when someone is coming, or when the king has sent one of his raiding parties to attempt to find us. The Forsaken Ones are hazardous, and we’ve been having increasing problems with them lately, but they come in handy as a defense against the king’s soldiers, and other unwanted guests.”
Aria hadn’t realized what that town had been; it was a little unnerving to know they had been being spied on, and monitored, the entire time. “They asked to buy me though,” she blurted.
“No dear, it was Braith they were interested in. It’s been awhile since they’ve seen the prince, and they were a little surprised by his appearance. Though, they would have taken you if Braith had been willing.” Aria sat back, she was flabbergasted by this revelation. “Truth be told, we had once hoped that Braith would come here to do something about his father’s policies. We had given up that hope though.”
Gideon’s gaze was irritated as he turned his focus to Braith. “Why would you think I’d come at all?” Braith’s voice was hoarse, grating.
“You were never a malicious bastard like your father or Caleb. I thought you would eventually grow tired of the brutality, the unfairness of it all.”
“You could have started your own rebellion.”
Gideon shook his head, though he tried to appear casual, tension hummed through his shoulders. “Not many of us escaped Braith, certainly not enough to challenge the king again, not with the power he wielded. The number of vampires was just as badly decimated as the number of humans, especially vampires that didn’t agree with your father. We would have been massacred.
“It was a long time before we were able to establish this town. The first twenty or so years after the war were spent moving constantly, trying to avoid the hunting parties he sent after us, but eventually he grew tired of hunting us and became more concerned with the rebellion brewing in his own backyard. We continued to move about for a few more years, but there’s nothing out there anymore. Nothing Braith.”
Braith shook his head almost sadly and took another sip of blood. “We eventually found an underground water supply here that we were able to tap. It took a lot of work but we established an environment where humans and vampires could coexist peacefully.”
“We never knew much about The Barrens, but none of us suspected this existed amongst them,” Aria murmured.
“Nor did we want you to.” Gideon idly twirled the goblet in his fingers, his gaze pensive as he stared at the shiny metal. “The last thing we needed was an influx of humans leaving the woods to come here. We may not have everything we once had, may not live in the lap of luxury, but look around you, these people are happy.”
Aria studied the occupants of the restaurant. They were smiling and they were healthy. They weren’t dirty and bedraggled, they weren’t too thin or sickly like some in the woods. They weren’t pale and drained like the blood slaves. The most amazing thing though, was that they weren’t afraid. They weren’t hiding and screaming, they weren’t struggling to survive, they were sitting in the open, surrounded by vampires, and they showed no fear. It was wonderful.
“We weren’t going to let the word out until we were ready.”
“Ready for what?”
“For a revolution,” Braith informed her.
Gideon shrugged as he leaned forward. “Perhaps, but it still would have been a long time coming. Our numbers are not as strong as we would like, and to reach out to your little rebellion would have been risky.”
“Little rebellion?” Aria demanded in indignation.
“Even you must admit that you don’t accomplish much more than being a thorn in the king’s side.”
Aria’s jaw clenched as she leaned across the table. “At least we’re not hiding in the middle of the desert!” she snapped at him. “We’re there, we’re fighting now, and we’ve come to you to join this fight!”
Gideon arched a brow at her as he leaned closer. Braith rested his hand on the table, twisting so that his shoulder was in between them. Aria sensed no hostility from the man across from her though, just a desperate need for her to understand something. “You have no idea what the king is capable of, what humans are capable of when their livelihoods are threatened. Rushing into something, and getting ourselves killed, wouldn’t do anyone any good.
“The king has a way of drawing everyone in, of making them believe things that they wouldn’t normally believe. It is how he was able to wrest control, how he was able to inflict the damage upon the world that he did. By the time any of us realized what he had in mind, and the lengths that he would eventually go to, to get it, it was too late to stop him. We were outnumbered and overpowered, getting ourselves killed by rushing heedlessly back in would not help us one bit. Of course not everyone was on board with the king at first, which is why your mother was killed, something I think you now realize was your father’s doing.”
“Yes,” Braith acknowledged.
“Vampires gobbled up the crap the king was spewing, bought it hook, line, and sinker. Even then the king was the most powerful, the oldest, and though he didn’t control everything, we looked to him for leadership and guidance. We were fools. He took everything. And when he was done with the humans, he turned on his own kind. There were those of us that disagreed with what he was doing all along, and those that realized to late what he intended. The world had gone to hell, blood and death ruled. Thou
gh I do enjoy my fair share of blood, killing indiscriminately was never my forte, or anything I took pleasure in.
“These people, and these vampires,” he gestured around the restaurant, “Are the survivors, and their offspring. The factions surrounding us are led by the other aristocrats that escaped, and the humans that fled from the fallout of the war. Some of the humans are descendants of the early escapees from the palace.”
“My great grandfather escaped the palace when he was thirteen, he started the rebellion,” Aria muttered.
“So you’ve always had rebel in your blood?” Braith inquired as his finger briefly rubbed the back of her hand.
She smiled as she shrugged at him. “I guess so.”
Gideon shook his head as he took a sip of blood and looked at Braith thoughtfully. “If it hadn’t been for Ashby’s bomb, I think you would have come to see what your father was a lot sooner. I still can’t believe you survived that thing. You were a mess; your arm was barely attached, your torso… We all thought you were as good as dead.”
Aria didn’t like the picture that Gideon was painting. She couldn’t imagine Braith so vulnerable and broken. “So did my father,” replied Braith. “I think surviving it in the first place, even more so than mastering my blindness, was the thing that convinced him to let me live.”
“Your blindness?” Gideon inquired, though his gaze was focused on Aria.
“Don’t play stupid Gideon, I heard you questioning Ashby about us.” Braith’s body vibrated like a tuning fork as his chest pressed against her shoulder. His hand fell to her waist, pulling her possessively closer to him. “I think you’ve figured out the extremes that I will go to, and that there isn’t anything I won’t do, any one I won’t destroy, to protect her.”