"Dear God Braith, this is a mess," he breathed. "Your father is worried about you Aria."
"I'm sorry for that." Jack ran his hands through his shaggy hair, nodding as he played with the fork Braith had placed on the table. "How did you know I was here?"
"I didn't. I knew Braith might be here."
Arianna glanced up at him, frowning in consternation. "I didn't think he would look for me," Braith admitted. "I didn't think he would expect the two of us to be together, and even if he did, I didn't think he would come here."
"I see," she murmured.
"I only hoped that you had brought her here, and not returned her to the palace. I only hoped that it was not someone else that had taken her," Jack explained further.
"Now you trust me with her?" Braith grated.
Jack quirked an eyebrow as he tilted his head. "No matter what I've heard about you recently, I still believed that father had not succeeded in destroying all of your humanity as he has with Caleb. I knew you would be infuriated that I took her from you, I half expected you might try to find her again just to soothe your pride, but I didn't think you would punish her for something that I had done."
Braith continued to glare at his brother, infuriated with him. It was the faint rumbling of her stomach that finally pulled his attention away from his sibling. "You should get something to eat Arianna."
"Braith…"
"I can hear your stomach rumbling." Her face flared red as she ducked her head. "Come on."
He led her forward, pulling out the chair for her to sit. He watched his brother suspiciously as he unhurriedly pushed the chair in. Jack was frowning, his forehead creased as he studied them. Arianna stared back at him, her gaze distrustful and resigned. Braith made her a plate of food and slipped it in front of her.
She hesitated for a moment, but eventually her hunger won out. She eagerly dug into the eggs. "You can see!" Jack blurted in astonishment.
Arianna froze with the fork halfway to her mouth, her gaze darted to Braith. She didn't even breathe as she anxiously watched him. Braith rested his hand reassuringly on her shoulder. "I can," he confirmed.
"What? When? How?"
Braith shrugged, he settled into the seat beside Arianna. "Eat," he encouraged. She took a few more bites, but he could tell that her appetite had vanished beneath her apprehension.
"How Braith?" Jack pressed.
He turned back to his brother, keeping his hand on Arianna's thigh. Jack may have taken her from him, but he was one of the few people in the world that Braith trusted with Arianna. "I don't know," he answered honestly.
"But your vision is back? You can see again?" he asked excitedly. For a moment his irritation and disbelief was gone as pure joy for Braith blazed forth. Braith had never complained about being blind, had taken it in relatively easy stride, but he had hated it. Jack had known this, and sympathized with him because of it.
"Sometimes I can, yes." Jack frowned in confusion. Arianna was unmoving, he could hear the forceful beat of her heart, sense the anxiety that ran through her. He had told her not to tell anyone about his ability to see only when around her. Jack wouldn't harm her though, of that Braith was certain. He ran his hand over her thick hair, savoring in its silken feel as he tried to ease her tension.
"And other times?"
"I am still blind."
Jack was completely confused, but Braith felt no need to elaborate more. He felt he could trust his brother with her safety, but Jack had taken her from him, he had betrayed him, and in all honesty Braith liked keeping him in the dark and confused. It was a minute amount of payback, but at least it was something. Arianna remained silent, her mouth compressed in a taut line as she watched them. She picked her fork back up and began to eat again.
"Well that's strange," Jack muttered.
"I suppose it is," Braith agreed.
"When did this start?"
"A little while ago."
Arianna continued to pick at her meal until she finally pushed the plate away. "I should get back soon. I've already caused my family enough worry."
She didn't look at either of them as she uttered the words. He could hear the sorrow in her voice, the strain it had caused her to say those words. He leaned closer to her, inhaling her sweet scent as he briefly nuzzled her hair. She finally turned toward him, her eyes morose, but there was an air of resignation and steely resolve to her.
"Arianna…"
She smiled thinly at him as she stroked his cheek. "Thank you for bringing me here. Thank you for giving me last night."
He grasped hold of her hand, hating to see her like this, hating the distance he felt her putting between them. "Not yet Arianna."
She smiled sadly at him as she turned her cheek into his hand. "Yes, it's easier to just do it now. Jack will take me back. It will be ok."
There was a forlorn look on her face as she squeezed his hand and rose. His chest constricted, panic tore through him. He couldn't lose her again, he simply couldn't. The chair skittered back as he leapt to his feet. "Arianna…"
"Its fine Braith, we'll both be fine." Though she said the words, her heart was beating loudly. "We'll be fine," she said again.
He pulled her firmly against him. He could stay here; he could become like Jack and hide in these woods. He could stay with her, help with the rebel cause. Make sure that she was safe. They could both be happy. But even as the thought crossed his mind, he knew that he couldn't. His father hadn't destroyed the forest in search of Jack, but if Braith were to leave, and his father was to discover why, he would destroy everyone, and everything, in order to find him and punish him. If he ever found Arianna…
Braith couldn't finish the thought, it was too awful. What his father would do to her in order to punish Braith would be horrendous, atrocious. He couldn't put her in such a position, couldn't risk her life in such a way. She buried her head against his chest as she embraced him whole heartedly.
She reluctantly pulled away, her head bowed. He grasped hold of her chin, tilting her head up to kiss her. She melded against him, a low sigh escaped her. He barely registered the sound of the door opening and closing as he lost himself to the astonishing feel of her. It was awhile before he roused himself from the sweet taste of her mouth.
Unblinkingly she stared up at him and then a small smile curved her mouth. "I am going to miss that."
He ran his finger over her swollen lips. "I can come back," he said impulsively. He had never planned to come back, it was too much of a risk to her, but faced with the prospect of never seeing her again, the words had popped out of his mouth. "I will come back."
Tears slipped down her cheeks. "Braith, you're getting married."
He shook his head, his thoughts turning dark. The last thing he cared to think about was his upcoming wedding, and the bitch he was marrying. Especially not when he was holding the woman he desired to spend forever with. "I'll come back Arianna, as soon as I can. I will be back. I will find you."
"Won't it be risky for you?"
"I'll find a way," he vowed, stroking her face.
She smiled tremulously. He could tell that she wanted to argue with him, wanted to tell him no, but neither of them were strong enough to walk away. Not right now anyway. He kissed her again, before taking hold of her hand and leading her to the door.
Jack was standing near the forest, his back to the house. He turned at the sound of the door opening. Arianna's hand clutched in his, a tremor worked its way through her. "The blood slaves Braith, do you…"
"There will be no more Arianna." She was trying to believe him but her eyes were still doubtful. He knew that she could forgive him for these past months, she hated what he had done, but she had understood what had driven him to it. She wouldn't forgive him, or understand him, if he continued on such a path. There could be nothing between them then; he would not be the man that she loved if he continued to mistreat her people, and he wasn't willing to lose her again by stooping so low once more. Sensing her uncertainty, he
bent over her as his hand stroked over her cheek. "I swear Aria there will be no more blood slaves."
She smiled feebly as she managed a small nod. He kissed her soothingly, his attention turning away as Jack came toward them, his eyes weary and sad. "Make sure that she stays safe until I can come back," Braith grated.
"You're coming back?" Jack's mouth dropped as he stared at the two of them.
Braith glared at him. "Yes."
- CHAPTER 7 -
Aria glanced up at Max as he stepped closer to the map laid out in the middle of the cavern. His eyes were dark and intense as he stared down at it, his eyebrows drawn sharply together. William stood beside him, his arms crossed over his chest as he bit thoughtfully on his bottom lip. Aria's father was talking in hushed tones, his dark head bent over the map as Daniel traced a line through it with a stick.
Daniel was the only one of them that had inherited their mother's fair coloring. His hair was wheat colored; his fair skin speckled with freckles that made him appear far younger than his twenty one years. His eyes were the same bright blue as Aria and William's though. Aria sat back on her heels, her legs were cramping up, but she couldn't move away from the map. She was far too fascinated, and horrified, by it.
She focused her attention on Jack. He was standing off to the side, his arms folded over his chest as he stared at the back wall. Ever so slowly, his gaze came down to hers. It took all she had not to leap to her feet, grab hold of his arm, and drag him from the cavern and demand to know what he was thinking.
Aria glanced back down at the map, swallowing heavily as Daniel poked the spot where the palace was. She'd always had the rudimentary knowledge necessary to read a map, but Braith had taught her how to read so much more. She didn't share this revelation with the people surrounding her; she didn't think they would appreciate it much, and no matter what she said or did, they would continue to believe that she had been manipulated by Braith. She was tired of trying to convince them they were wrong, it was wearing on her, beating her down, making her everyday struggle to just survive even more tiresome.
"Is this how you remember it?"
Aria didn't realize her father was talking to her until she noticed that they were all staring questioningly at her. She swallowed heavily, trying to wet her suddenly parched throat. "I guess; I didn't really pay much attention. I didn't get out much either," she finished on a whisper.
Though it wasn't memories of being kept as a blood slave that made her voice tremble, her father seemed to think it was. He gave her a sympathetic look before resting his hand on her shoulder. He had been treating her like she was fragile ever since she'd returned. She was becoming frustrated with it.
"Max?"
Max was standing off to the side, his arms folded over his chest as he stared at the far wall. His jaw was locked, his forehead furrowed. She hadn't been abused, but he had, and now her father was talking about going back in there as if it were the simplest, easiest thing in the world. About all of them going back in there. "From what I recall, yes."
Aria's heart hammered and flipped, she could barely breathe through the terror constricting her chest. "You can't do this," she whispered. "It's slaughter to go in there, we can't."
Her father patted her shoulder again before rising to his feet. He knew that this was reckless; he knew that it was crazy, but he seemed determined on doing it anyway. And she knew that it was because of her, because he believed that she had been abused during her time with Braith. It didn't matter how often she told him that she hadn't been; he was convinced she was lying.
He moved away from the map as William and Daniel leaned closer to it. "We'll send a small scouting team in first, have them canvas the area. They will be able to discover the weakest areas, and the best places in which to establish our soldiers. We will have to take the palace swiftly."
"Dad," she whispered, clutching her hands before her. Her legs were shaking, her head was spinning. "The last time someone tried to take the palace it was a massacre."
He wasn't paying attention to her though as he moved away. Dread was thrumming through her. She couldn't allow this to happen, she couldn't allow people to die because her father sought revenge for things that had never even occurred. At least not to her.
But they had happened to other people, and they were continuing to happen right now.
However, the rebels had made an attempt to take the palace when she was a child, and they had been decimated. In retaliation for the rebel's defiance, the king had sent out thousands of troops that had razed, burned, and slaughtered their way through villages and forests. It was how her father had become the leader. He'd been elected after the last one had been brutally murdered, and his body hung within the largest village as an example of what would be done to others who tried to attack the palace.
"We will have to be smarter about it this time, go about it in a more methodical way."
"I would like to go in," William volunteered.
Aria's mouth dropped, she spun on her brother, her twin, her other half. "No William," she breathed. "You cannot go in there."
"Yes, I can."
"No! Your coloring, you're too similar to me. They'll know you. Tell him Jack. Tell him!" She was practically begging as she turned frantically to Braith's brother. "Tell him about Caleb, and what kind of a monster he is. Tell him what Caleb would do to him if he discovered him in there! Tell him he is a fool! That they all are!"
"Arianna, enough," her father said sharply.
"Who is Caleb?" Daniel inquired.
"My brother," Jack answered.
"The middle one," Max elaborated.
"I thought you were held by the oldest brother," Daniel said.
Aria was shaking as she tried to regain control of herself. Acting crazed and wild wouldn't get them to listen to her. It would do none of them any good if she was a raving lunatic. She must remain calm and collected if she was going to talk them out of this crazy suicide mission.
"I was," she said. "Braith is a good man…"
"He's not a man," Max interrupted.
Aria glanced at him, hating the betrayal and abhorrence that radiated from him as his scathing gaze landed upon her. They would hate her, they would all hate her if they knew the truth, but at the moment she didn't care. "My oldest brother believes in duty and honor. He highly values them both," Jack told them.
"Including holding young women hostage and using them," her father interjected sharply.
"Braith was kind to me," she said for the thousandth time, but none of them listened to her.
"Caleb is not like Braith, or me," Jack continued, his glance at Aria was sympathetic but tough. "Caleb is like our father, cruel, twisted; vengeful. If he discovers that you are Aria's brother he will torture you in ways that you can't even begin to imagine. Your hair color alone might be enough for him to take his revenge on you."
"But your older brother wouldn't?" William inquired the scorn in his voice more than apparent.
Aria could feel Jack's unrelenting gaze upon her. She didn't know what to say, what to do. If they found out that she had just been with Braith, that she intended to see him again, they would go ballistic. They would think she had lost her mind, that her time as a blood slave had twisted her. They wouldn't stop to think that she was with him because she truly did love him; they would assume that she had lost her mind, and they would lock her away. She would never see Braith again, and they would all run off half cocked, determined to avenge her for absolutely no reason other than bullheaded male stubbornness.
"No, he wouldn't," Jack admitted.
Aria was too ashamed to look at him anymore. She was running around behind her family's back, and yet she was sitting through this horrendous meeting discussing how to invade the palace. Something that could get Braith seriously hurt, if not killed. Something that could get members of her family killed.
She had spent her entire life fighting against the vampires, trying to destroy them, and now she found herself frantic to do
anything to stop this.
"Well isn't the future king special," Max drawled.
"He is," Aria insisted.
Max's lip curled in disgust, her family stared at her as if she had sprouted another head. "Ok William can't go in then, but I can," Daniel said.
"Daniel," Aria moaned, she dropped her head into her hands as her mind spun. She had to think of something, anything that would stop this. She turned back to Jack, but he was leaning against the wall again, his arms folded over his chest. "You don't know what you're doing."
"Yes, I do."
Aria could barely breathe through the lump in her throat, could barely see through the tears burning her eyes. She had to stop this, she didn't know how, didn't know what to do, but she knew that she had to stop this. She didn't know when Braith would be back, she didn't know if she should even tell him what they had in mind. She'd be betraying her own family if she did. She'd be betraying her own kind.
But if she remained silent and something happened to Braith, or someone in her family…
She shut the thought down. She couldn't live with herself if something happened and she could have stopped it. Her legs gave out; she slid to the ground, her mind spinning as they continued with the plans that were slowly tearing her in two.
***
Aria knew that she shouldn't do it, but she couldn't stop herself from slipping through the woods, back to the lake. It had become her favorite place over the past couple of months, and now that she needed it the most, she was not supposed to go near it. But after the events of the past few hours she didn't give a damn what she was, or was not, supposed to do. Not anymore.
She slipped through the forest, sticking to the trees, remaining hidden amongst their thick foliage as she darted from limb to limb. She kept an eye out for any threat. She knew the forest better than anyone, knew the signs of danger. She could read the animals as well as she could move through the trees. They remained alert, and active, the birds continued to sing, the squirrels hopped eagerly in out of the branches. They barely noticed Aria's presence amongst them.