She had given him her heart willingly also. She hated to pop Max's bubble, but he couldn't go about thinking such things. He had to know that she hadn't been corrupted in there, but a willing, even eager, participant. He had to know that she was a horrible person. He had to know these things so that he would stop looking at her like that, so that he would understand she could never care for him the same way that he cared for her.
"I'm sorry Max," she whispered. "But that's not what happened. He didn't manipulate me, he didn't corrupt me. He was kind to me, he took care of me. I may have been his blood slave, but he only treated me as such when it was absolutely necessary. I would like to say that I hadn't come to care for him, that I had remained loyal to you and everyone here, but I can't. I loved him Max…" She broke off, unable to speak through the grief that clawed at her. "I still love him," she choked out.
He stared at her for a moment, his eyes wide in disbelief, and then he shook his head rapidly. His sandy blond hair fell across his forehead curling around his bright eyes. "But don't you see Aria that is how he twisted you. He knew that you'd always had nothing, that your life had been hard. He knew that by being kind, by giving you the things that you'd never had, you would come to rely on him, trust him, and perhaps even convince yourself you cared for him. That way it would be more fun when he destroyed you, it's why he never told you he was engaged."
Aria's fingernails clawed into the edge of the river bank as she grasped it. She tried to believe Max's words. Maybe, just maybe, she could move on if she believed them, but she couldn't. Yes, the prince had kept his fiancée from her, yes he had been dishonest, and yes he had broken her heart, but something between them had been real. There had been a strange connection between them from the very beginning. Max knew that the prince was blind; he didn't know that whenever the prince was near her, he could see again.
And though the prince had omitted things about his life, she knew he hadn't been lying about the fact that he could only see when he was around her. The fact that he could see her was the reason that he had claimed her as his first blood slave. No, Max didn't know about that, and as far as she was concerned no one ever would, not even the prince's brother Jack. That was one secret that would stay completely between the two of them. It was the one secret that she clung to; the one idea that made her believe it hadn't all been a lie. It was the only thing that helped to ease her self-disgust just a little.
Although she knew she would never see or feel him again, and even though he had hurt her so badly, she needed to believe that he had cared for her, at least a little bit. It probably wasn't the best idea for her to cling to that notion, not when she had to let him go, but she couldn't help it. Right now it was the only thing that was getting her through the days.
"I don't think so Max."
"I do," he replied with more confidence than she had. "And one day you will realize it too. You just need time for his psychological games to wear off, and when they do, I'll be here."
Aria shook her head. "No Max…"
Her words broke off as he clasped hold of her chin, turning her so that she had to face him. He wiped the tears from her face. Tears she hadn't even known she was crying. "Yes Aria."
Before she could react, he was leaning forward and kissing her. Aria started in surprise, she didn't know what to do or how to respond, but before she could do anything he was already pulling away from her. She could only sit and stare at him as he smiled back at her. "Just thought it was time for our second kiss."
She couldn't have disagreed more, but she didn't say so. She was being selfish by not telling him that, but she had already lost so much in the past couple of months, she couldn't bear to lose Max's friendship as well. However, once he realized who she truly was, how little she deserved his love, he would turn against her. "We should be going," she managed to choke out.
Nodding, he quickly climbed to his feet wiping the dirt and mud off his pants as he went. Aria listened to the familiar sounds of the forest, her forest as she followed him. She had always taken solace and refuge within these thick woods, but she hadn't been able to find either of those things as of late.
***
Leaning against the wall of the cave Aria stared out the entrance. In the shadows of the evening, she could just barely make out the figures of a few guards, but she only saw them because she knew that they were there. If she hadn't known, she never would have been able to see them amongst their strategic hiding spots. The caves were good shelter, but without fair warning that an attack was coming, it was easy to get trapped within the thick walls. There were many escape routes throughout the underground system, but there were just as many dead ends.
She glanced behind her, but the cave was dark. The fires were lit much further beneath the earth, where they couldn't be seen from the woods. She didn't fool herself into thinking that she was alone out here; her father had people watching her like a hawk since she'd been taken, but at least she had a little sense of peace and tranquility. Well, that was until she felt William coming.
She turned as her twin emerged from the dark recesses of the cave. She would know him anywhere and often felt him coming before he actually arrived. He leaned against the wall opposite her, his arms folded over his chest as he gazed at her. They both had the same bright blue eyes, the same dark auburn hair. Though they'd come from two different eggs, they were even more similar than most identical twins. Right down to their quick tempers and impulsive actions.
Those impulsive actions were what led her to be captured and subsequently made into a blood slave, and though she'd like to say that they were both more thoughtful now, she knew she'd be lying. The only thing that had changed was she was sadder and more mature than she had been before going into the palace, and William was angrier. He blamed himself for not being with her that day, even though he'd been injured and unable to accompany her on the hunt. He hated the vampires for taking her, and he especially hated the prince for claiming her as a blood slave.
She had tried to explain to all of them that she hadn't been abused, that it was only her heart that had been maimed, but none of them believed her. She supposed it didn't help that she was more like the walking dead than a living person since her return. She most certainly wasn't the same girl that had been taken from the woods, and they blamed the prince for that. They didn't understand that he had saved her from a fate far worse than the one she'd actually experienced. It had been another vampire that had claimed her originally, if it hadn't been for the prince far worse things would have been done to her. Whereas they felt she'd been tortured, she knew she'd been quite lucky.
"Do you think you'll ever fall in love?" she questioned.
He turned toward her, his eyes bright in the night, his dark eyebrows quirked upward as he studied her. "Is that what you think you were?"
She was silent as she thought over her next words. She had never kept anything from William, they had always shared everything, but he had been so angry lately that she was frightened her words might send him over the edge. She couldn't lie to him though. "Yes."
He swallowed heavily as he ran a hand through his shaggy hair. She could tell he was trying to keep hold of his temper, struggling to hide the vehemence behind his emotion from her. "Aria, things happened in there, things I can't even begin to imagine…"
"Don't William. Max may choose to believe that, but you know better. You know me, you know who I am. Do you really think I don't know what I felt in there?"
"I believe that you think you do." Aria's hands fisted in frustration; it seemed that everyone thought she didn't know her own feelings. But she supposed that if it were William telling her these things, she wouldn't believe them either. "And no, I don't think I will ever fall in love."
"Oh."
He moved away from the wall, throwing his arm casually around her shoulders he pulled her against his side. He grinned down at her; she couldn't help but grin back at him. For the first time in their lives he may not understand her, but he wo
uld always love her. No matter what. She dropped her head to his chest and wrapped her arm around his waist. She listened to the sound of his heart as they stared out at the night. She was so absorbed in the reassuring beat that it took her a few moments to realize that all of the animals, and insects, had gone silent.
Aria lifted her head slowly, her heart thumped wildly as she gazed out at the darkness. She searched for the guards amongst the trees; she spotted their prone figures amid the darkness. "William," she whispered.
"I know. Come on."
He pushed her deeper into the cave, with his hand on her back, as they made their way swiftly through the familiar terrain. The guards still hadn't raised the alarm, a low pitched whistle that could easily blend in with the chirruping of the insects, but Aria strained to hear it. It had to be coming soon. "Hurry!" A sense of doom descended over her as her breath came faster.
Her hand clenched upon William's, when they were far enough from the entrance, they broke into a run. Their feet flew over the rock of the cave floor. They might already be too late if the vampires were already upon them. With the vampire's exceptional eyesight in the dark, and their rapid speed, it would be almost impossible for her and William to escape. They took a side tunnel on the right, ducking low as the ceiling became lower. William turned back and grabbed hold of one of the heavy iron gates that had been built into the wall.
"The guards!" she hissed, grabbing hold of his arm before he could close the gate.
"It's too late for them Aria."
Horror filled her as the low pitched warning whistle echoed through the caves. William froze for a moment; the gate was still partly open when she sensed, more than heard, something approaching. William effectively sealed the guards out as he closed the gate as quietly as possible. There were many other tunnels leading through here. It could take awhile for the vampires to find the right tunnel, and the gate should buy them enough time to try and escape.
They retreated, moving as quickly as they could through the stooped tunnel. Aria's heart pounded rapidly in her chest, a crushing sense of time running out seized hold of her as something large and heavy slammed into the gate, rattling it within its frame.
- CHAPTER 2 -
Aria was panting for air as they raced forward. They were running on instinct and memory alone, too disturbed by what was behind them to grab one of the unlit torches from the walls surrounding them. William led her around another turn, pausing long enough to reach back and slide a gate shut. They weren't far from the main room now. She stumbled over a loose stone, and her ankle rolled out beneath her as he pulled her forward. A muted cry escaped her but she hurried on, refusing to be hindered by the throbbing that raced up her leg.
The tunnel began to narrow as William slid another gate home. As they maneuvered another turn, the fire of the main room became visible and she could hear the faint sounds of laughter. Aria's heart hammered, she could barely breathe. She had never felt claustrophobic within the tunnels before, now she felt like a caged rat running aimlessly forward. If they got out of this she swore she would never return to these caves. Then again, they could never return to them anyway, they would never be safe again.
They had been discovered.
William and Aria stumbled into the main hall. Everyone became silent as William spun around to push another gate shut. "They're here!" Aria informed them.
There were a good hundred people in the room; panic claimed over half of them. Screams rang out, children began to cry. Though they had run drills, and practiced for this sort of thing, it had never happened before. Aria was dismayed and horrified to see the chaos that promptly took over. Her mouth dropped as people began to run about, trying to gather as many of their things as possible. Thankfully, some kept a level head long enough to shut the three gates that blocked the tunnels from the main room.
She wished that her father, or Daniel, were here. They would have an easier time at keeping everyone calm, but they had gone to meet with another group of rebels about a mile away in another set of caves. "Everyone! Everyone! You have to calm down!" She raced into the center of the room, holding her hands up as she tried to calm the fray. No one paid her any attention as they began to push and shove their way toward the only remaining exit. "Wait!" she cried, trying to stop them before they trampled each other and lost their only chance at escape.
Max grabbed hold of her arm, pulling her free of the crushing bodies. Thrusting her behind him, she was pinned between his body and the cave wall. Aria grasped his shirt as he pressed against her, trying to protect her from the jostling and shoving.
"Everyone calm down!" His voice was louder than normal, but not so loud that it would bounce down the tunnels, and not so loud that it caused anyone to hesitate for more than a moment. "Damn it!"
His frustration was apparent in the constriction of his muscles, and his fisted hands. He turned toward her, bracing one hand against the wall by her head as he fought and pushed against the mass of bodies. Grabbing hold of her arm, he pulled her against him as he began to shove his way back through the disarray, fighting against the seemingly endless sea of people. She searched for William, but she couldn't see him amongst the wave of bodies.
As they finally broke free she struggled to get oxygen into her abused lungs. William was suddenly before her, he thrust her bow and a quiver of arrows into her hands. "We're going to have to find another way out."
The tunnel behind them, the one everyone was shoving through, was the only one that didn't eventually meet back up with the main tunnel they had just left. There were ways outside, through other tunnels, but there was a chance that the vampires were already in one of those tunnels. To open one of the gates back up and go into one of those tunnels was a huge risk. It was something they had never planned on having to do.
She glanced back at the exit tunnel, it was jammed full of bodies pushing and shoving at each other. In the drills they had run, most people were supposed to be halfway through the tunnel by now. Panic had hindered things; she was certain there were people on the ground in there being trampled by the mob.
"We have to help them."
She took a step toward them but William grabbed hold of her arm and pulled her back sharply. "There is no helping them now Aria; we have to get out of here before we're trapped. We have to go."
"The people," she whispered.
"Will be fine, they have the safe exit, remember?" he retorted. "Come on."
He pulled her back toward the gate that they had entered the cavern through. "We just came through there," she breathed.
"There are three gates already closed between us and the main hall. It will be the safest one."
His long fingers worked deftly over the locks, swiftly throwing them open. Three other men and a woman gathered with them. They had apparently decided to throw their chances in with them, rather than the crushing mass of people on the other side. Aria didn't know who they were, but the people within the caves changed often. Most of the rebels relocated constantly, preferring to stay on the move rather than remain cooped up in one place. It was a theory that her family had also stuck to, but her father had stayed here for far longer than normal. Aria knew it was because of her. He wanted her to rest and recuperate in one place, and maybe even have some sense of stability for once in her life.
She'd hated being stuck here, and now she knew why. She felt much safer when they were constantly moving, felt much safer outside in the woods she knew so well. Yet, they had spent so much time over the years running in and out of the cave systems that she knew most of them by heart. She always felt like a caged animal when she was within the caves. She'd wanted to make her dad happy though, especially when he was obviously worried about her, so she hadn't complained about staying. She wished she had now. The caves would have been raided, even if they hadn't been here, but she couldn't help but feel like this was somehow her fault. That somehow she had brought them here.
"Come on," Max said as he seized hold of her hand.
&n
bsp; They plunged back into the black tunnels. The darkness enveloped them; she could barely make out the back of Max's head as she strained to see. They couldn't use any of the torches though, that was just begging to be caught and killed, or worse, she could be re-captured and brought back to whatever horrible fate awaited her at the palace. She had the distinct feeling that if she was brought back to the palace, it would not go over well. In fact, although the prince was engaged, she thought she would be made to pay dearly for her escape. She knew how badly he hated to be disobeyed and her escape had been the ultimate defiance. He would punish her for it. Or he wouldn't even care that she was back, and let her go to whoever tried to claim her this time.
She shuddered at the thought. Her hand clung to the strap of the bow and quiver slung over her back. They were her specialty; she could shoot an arrow better than anyone else. She just wasn't going to be able to do it in these restricted confines, and from the direction William was heading, she knew that it was about to get a lot more compact in here. She hated this route through the caverns, but it was the one that made the most sense right now. It would be harder for the vampires to navigate through here also, and at this point the other tunnel options led to a waterfall. It was a beautiful view, but the sound of rushing water blocked out the noise of their pursuers, and they were relying on their sense of hearing most right now. The rocks were also slippery, and climbing them under the best of circumstances was risky enough, without adding the bonus obstacle of rushing.
William took a sharp right. The tunnel began to climb steeply upward. They were heading toward the back of the mountain, and what had once been an old coal mining operation, or so she had been told. Aria hated the old coal mines; they were creepy, hazardous, and filthy. Thankfully William took a left and began to climb toward the other side of the mountain. The air became easier to breathe, although the walls were still snug against them, she didn't feel quite as pinned in.