His eyebrows drew together sharply as he moved closer to her, pushing her against the window. Aria stared at him in surprise, taken aback by his blistering anger. "To Max?" he snarled.
Aria frowned at him, she was trying not be intimidated by him, but she was completely baffled by his sudden change. "Yes, I guess, maybe… Oh, I don't know," she breathed. "I have no intention of bringing children into this awful world but he's a good man, he's safe, and he cares for me. Perhaps he even loves me. That should be enough, shouldn't it?"
He was staring at her as if she had just sprouted another head. "You will not be with Max."
She blinked in surprise at the growled command; then her pride rose back up. "You're not my father, you can't tell me what I can and cannot do!" she snapped.
His hands were on either side of her, pressed against the window as he leaned ever closer. "You're right I'm not your father, but I am a part of you, and as that part I am telling you that you will not be with Max."
She frowned at him, confused by his response. "Part of me? I don't understand."
"My blood flows in your veins Arianna; it's how I found you. It is how I will always be able to find you."
Her mouth dropped open, her mind spun. She recalled their last night together, when he had taken her blood. After, she had drifted in and out of confusing consciousness. She had dreamt that he'd held her gently as he gave her something sweet and delicious to drink. Disgust curdled through her at the realization that the sweet drink had been his blood. At the same time longing blossomed like a spring flower as she recalled the tenderness of that night.
"I don't…" she shook her head, trying to clear her thoughts, trying to clear the fog that was clinging to her. "No, it was a dream. Wasn't it?"
The tension melted from his body, his hands were upon her shoulders again as he stroked her neck. "No, Arianna, it was not a dream. It was my fault. I was so hungry…"
"You hadn't been feeding well, because of me. To protect me!" she recalled on a gasp.
"Yes. They couldn't know that I wasn't feeding from you. But I took too much Arianna, you were just so delicious. I took far more than I had anticipated, and the only way to keep you alive was to give you some of my blood. I linked us forever by doing so."
Tears burned her eyes; she looked away from him, staring at the wall over his shoulder. He had also told her he loved her that night, it had all been foggy, hazy, but now that she knew that it wasn't a dream, she knew that he had said that as well. He had told her he loved her, and she had left him the next day.
"That's why Jack asked me if I had shared your blood," she whispered.
His hands clasped hold of her face; he turned her back to him. There was a ferociousness in his eyes that staggered her. "Jericho asked you that?" he demanded.
Aria swallowed heavily as she nodded. "Yes, when he came for me, when he saw the blood still on me, he asked me if I had shared your blood. But I thought that it had been a dream, I was certain of it once he told me you were engaged." She thought his teeth might crack if he clenched his jaw any tighter. "Would he have left me there if I had answered differently?"
He shook his head; his dark hair fell around his face, highlighting the hard planes of it. "I don't know what he would have done Arianna. If anything, these recent events have made me realize that I don't know my little brother at all."
Aria clasped hold of his hands, holding them tenderly against her face. She closed her eyes, savoring in his gentle touch, savoring in the strength of him. Yes, he did have a fiancée. Yes, she couldn't expect much, if anything, from him. However, he had loved her, he had told her so. He had not merely been using her, playing with her in order to cause her even more anguish when he turned on her.
"You said you loved me," she whispered.
He pulled her closer, enfolding her in his arms as his body melded to hers. "Yes."
She wanted to cry again, for everything they'd almost had, for everything that they had lost. For everything that they would lose, and could never have. But it was impossible to feel sad when he was holding her. It was impossible to hurt when he was kissing her forehead soothingly, nuzzling her ear, touching her with such reverence and awe. She let herself drift into him, let herself get lost in him. These past months had been so awful, but his touch eased all of the rawness and sorrow that had been clinging to her. His touch made everything better; it was the salve to the ragged lesion that had been festering since their separation. For just this moment, in this time, she needed to feel better.
She needed to feel him.
- CHAPTER 5 -
Aria woke leisurely, her eyes were heavy and sleep clung to her. It was the first time she had slept without being plagued by nightmares since she'd left the palace. The first time she didn't wake up in pain, the first time she could awaken and actually breathe easily again. Her gaze instantly fell upon Braith; he was standing by the window, staring out at the darkening night. Aria lay quietly, savoring in this blessed moment of peace, but all too soon realization crashed back over her.
She bolted upright, distress rolling through her as she stared at the night sky. The day was gone. Braith turned toward her, his eyes troubled as he studied her. "My father is going to be so worried, my family; my friends." Though the words were going to kill her to say, she said them anyway. "I have to go Braith."
He turned back to the night, before looking at her again. "It's late Arianna."
"I know, but…"
"Tonight, just tonight."
She stared at him wistfully, her mouth parted as her heart hammered in excitement. She so badly wanted to stay with him for this night, and for every night after this. She couldn't have those nights, but she could have this one. Guilt briefly tugged at her as she thought of her family and friends, but it was only one night. It was the only night she would have for the rest of her life. It was wrong, she was being selfish, but for once she didn't care.
"Ok," she said in a hushed voice.
His mouth curved in amusement, his head tilted to the side. "I expected more of an argument."
She grinned back at him as her fingers played with the cushion of the couch. "I'm not always difficult."
"Could have fooled me. Come." He held his hand out to her as he walked over to her. She slipped her hand into his and smiled shyly at him.
He led her down a darkened hall, flicking on light switches as he moved. The mouth watering scent of food hit her before they even reached the kitchen. Her mouth parted, her eyes widened in surprise as she stepped into the room. Food was set up on the counters, cheeses, breads, fruits, and meats were stacked neatly upon two plates. She glanced around, wondering who had done this, but there was no one else within the small house. Her gaze fell upon Braith, who was watching her in amusement.
"You did this."
"I'm not completely helpless," he replied flippantly. She couldn't help but grin back at him. It was one of the sweetest things anyone had ever done for her. She didn't stop to think about what that said of her life, it wasn't worth it. She was good at getting by with very little. "Come on, you're hungry."
She didn't ask him how he knew that, her stomach was rumbling loudly, and repeatedly. She settled onto a stool at the counter while he heaped food onto her plate. She cocked an eyebrow at him, amused by the amount of food he was piling on for her. "I'm not starving," she told him.
"You've lost weight again," he replied as he slid the plate before her.
Aria shrugged; there was no help for it in the forest. They didn't have enough to eat, and they worked endlessly. "Thank you." He sat across from her as he folded his arms across his chest. Aria studied him for a moment, feeling self conscious as he watched her eat. "What is this place?" she inquired.
"It belonged to my mother's family, it was their summer getaway."
"Really?" Aria glanced over the large, airy kitchen. "It's very nice. Will they come looking for you here?"
"Jericho and I were the only ones that ever came here, except for some cle
aners once a week that replenish the food just in case we bring a human with us."
"Why did the two of you come here?"
Braith shrugged as he sat back and folded his arms over his chest. "To hunt, to get away. To be alone for awhile."
"To get away from what?"
"From many things," he replied evasively. "Eat Arianna."
She picked up a piece of apple and began to chew on it. She barely tasted its sweetness in her mouth as she thought over his words. "Will they come looking for you here?"
"No. I doubt my father even remembers where this place is, and Caleb is busy. They won't even notice I'm gone."
"What about Jack? Will he come here looking for me?"
Confusion filtered through his eyes before realization dawned. "I forget you call him Jack."
Aria smiled as she leaned toward him. "It's what we know him as. He certainly isn't a prince to us."
He grinned back at her and poked her nose before settling back in his seat. "I suppose he isn't. But no, Jericho will not come here. I doubt he will even think of it."
Aria nodded, relieved to know that they wouldn't be disturbed tonight. She settled in, a large weight lifting off of her as she eagerly dug into the delicious food. They talked easily, exchanging stories. She told him what it was like to grow up within the forest. She told him about her father, and her brothers Daniel and William. She told him of things she'd been too frightened to tell him about before, when he hadn't known that her father was the leader of the rebels. She didn't know much about her mother, she'd been killed when she and William were young. Her father didn't talk about her very often, it was too painful for him, but when he did talk of her Aria listened intently, eager to learn anything she could about the woman that she had never really known.
Though she told him many things, she didn't tell him any details about where they were located, and exactly how they operated everyday. She believed she could trust him, but there was still too much between them to even think about giving him any of those details, and he didn't ask.
Though Braith listened to her, he didn't say much about his life. His mother was also dead. He didn't speak of his father much, and when he did, Aria got the feeling that he didn't like him, and that they didn't get along. He barely mentioned Caleb, or his sisters, he spoke a little more of Jericho, and though she caught the underlying tension in his voice, she also caught the only hint of fondness she'd heard toward any of his family when it came to his youngest brother.
She enjoyed listening to him talk, and thought she could do so forever. Even though she knew that was impossible, she decided to pretend that just for tonight, they could have forever. It was amazing to be his equal for a change, and not his slave. The moon rose high in the sky, and was beginning its downward descent when he stood. "You must be tired."
She was tired, but she wasn't going to go to sleep. She wanted to savor every moment of this night. She could sleep tomorrow when he was gone, and she was alone again. "I'm ok."
He slipped his hand into hers and pulled her against him. His hand wrapped around the back of her head as he cradled her against him. She held him, simply relishing in the feel of his firm body against hers, committing to memory the feel of being in his arms again. She gasped, amazement racing through her when he bent and scooped her easily into his arms. She stared down at him in delirious wonder as her fingers stroked the nape of his neck. His eyes, intense and burning, never left hers as he easily strode from the room.
He navigated the dark hallways with ease until he stopped at a door that he thrust open. He didn't bother with the light switch as he strode over and placed her tenderly upon the bed. Aria watched him as he moved around, drawing the curtains shut and blocking out the fading moon. Her heart hammered with excitement, her mouth was dry as uncertainty claimed her. She didn't know what was going to happen, what he expected, or what she was even willing to give to him. She would like to pretend that they had forever, but they didn't. Yet, it was Braith. Even if she never saw him again, she knew she would never love anyone the way she loved him. This was more than likely their last night together, if she was never going to see him again, didn't she want to give him everything she could?
He was as silent as a ghost as he came back to her and slid onto the bed beside her. He pulled her against him, kissing her softly. All doubts and concerns vanished; she wasn't going to think about it, not now. And he made it so very easy to forget everything, except for him. His hands caressed over her face, her hair, as he pressed her into the bed. His eyes were bright in the dim illumination of the room as his hands smoothly clasped each side of her face.
"You are beautiful."
She had never thought she was, but she felt beautiful when she was with him. She felt as if she were the only woman in the world, and in some ways, to him, she was. She was the first woman he had seen in years. She lowered her lashes as tears burned her eyes, she didn't want to think about anything else, but she couldn't help it. This was it. This was all she would have of him.
"Arianna?"
She lifted her eyes to him and forced a smile. "I'm fine Braith, I'm ok."
He kissed her nose, pulling her against his side as he rolled off of her. "There are some other things I have to tell you Arianna. I'm not looking to upset you but I don't want you to be surprised by anything you hear about me."
She frowned as she lifted her head to look at him. He looked troubled, his eyes were distant, haunted. "What is it?" she asked.
His fingers slid through her hair as he ran it through his grasp. "Before you, I never had a blood slave."
"I know."
"After you…" his voice trailed off for a moment, his fingers tightened briefly in her hair. "There were many."
Aria stared at him in surprise, and then the sharp stab of betrayal seared through her with the intensity of a lightening bolt. It took all she had to continue to breathe through it. She had thought that she was special. No, she was special to him. She couldn't start thinking like that, couldn't let herself start to doubt that fact. It would ruin this small bit of bliss they had managed to find together. She was special to him, he did care about her. She just had to keep believing that it was true. He wouldn't be here if it wasn't. "Why?" she choked out.
His gaze was relentless upon hers; there was a defensive, almost defiant air about him. "I was trying to forget."
"Forget what?"
"You."
She knew how that felt, the driving need not to think about anything, not to feel anything anymore, if only for just a brief moment in time. "Did it work?"
"That's why I'm here." She managed to smile feebly at him, but she couldn't shake her lingering hurt. "I never gave them my blood Arianna; I've never done that with anyone else."
She managed a small nod, trying not to show how upset she was. She knew that she was failing. "It's ok."
"Arianna, I thought… I don't know what I thought. That's the problem I was determined not to think."
"I know Braith, I understand how you felt, how it hurt to think, to breathe even. I know because I didn't want to think or feel anymore either. I don't like it, but I understand. It's… It's what you had to do."
She could barely speak by the time she was done, tears clogged her throat, but she couldn't find it within herself to be angry right now. She hadn't been there for him, she'd thought that he had lied to her, and he'd thought that she'd betrayed him. She couldn't be enraged when he was looking at her with such a vulnerable, needy expression. He may not have given them his blood, but she was sure that he had done other things with them, things that they hadn't even done together.
Aria quickly shut the thought down. It had no place here, this was their night, he was being honest, and she could not fault him for that. He'd bared himself to her, even though it hadn't been necessary for him to do so; she was already in his bed. She didn't approve of what he had done, she would never condone it, but she wasn't going to let it ruin this night, she couldn't.
"And wha
t did you do to stop from thinking?" he asked faintly though she heard the tension in his voice.
He had buried himself in women, and blood. She had buried herself in the woods, in the wild, in the solitude. "Went fishing."
He lifted an eyebrow in amusement. "You went fishing?"
"Yes, I'd go to the lake almost every day and go fishing. It was so peaceful; I could lose myself in the nature and serenity of it. Even when Max…"
"Max?" the name was almost barked at her.
She frowned at him. She had taken his disturbing news relatively well; he owed her the same respect. "Yes, Max. He is my friend. He was also a blood slave, though his experience was far worse than mine. He needed the solitude, the peace, the company of someone who understood at least a little of what he had gone through. He would join me, and we would just silently sit together."
"I think Max would like to be more than a friend," his voice was low, gravelly as he grated the words at her.
"Braith…" She didn't know what to say, what to do. She started to deny it, she knew it would only irritate him, but he was being honest, so she should be too. "Yes, he does. And at one time I had a big crush on Max. He was older, my brother's best friend, and my first kiss." Braith's hand tensed on the back of her head. "But even before we were blood slaves, even before I met you, I had decided that it could never be between us."
His struggle to keep himself calm was evident in the tight press of his mouth. "Why not?"
Aria shrugged. "My life isn't one that I would wish on anyone else, especially not a child. It's too brutal."
He was silent as he studied her before pulling her down to him. His lips were warm against hers, smooth, and soothing. His hand cradled the back of her head. She lost herself to him again, forgetting everything and everyone. The effect he had over her was amazing and absolute.
He kissed her lips, and then her nose, before pulling back from her. "It will all be ok," he whispered. "Everything will work out."
She managed a wry smile as she nodded. They both knew that it wouldn't be ok, but here, tonight, in his arms, she could believe anything. She fell into his kiss, losing herself to the touch and feel of him. He was amazing, everything she had always coveted, and could never have. He rolled her over as his mouth moved leisurely over her neck. He pulled her shirt down to reveal her shoulders. He stilled upon the bite mark, his lips hovered over it as she felt the sharp press of his fangs against her flesh.