Reaching the lake, she sat amongst the limbs of a tree as she surveyed the area around her. The lake was pristine, clear. There wasn't even a ripple disturbing the glass surface. She folded her hands beneath her, resting her head upon them as she sprawled out on the limb, content to lie amongst the branches and watch the activity within and around the lake and find solace in the beautiful vista before her.
She didn't realize she had drifted off until she tried to roll over and nearly fell from the tree. She awoke with a start, sitting up on the branch in surprise. She hadn't even been tired, but the events of the day had beaten her down, and taken more of a toll on her than she'd realized. Her gaze turned to the sky, judging by the movement of the sun she'd been asleep for a couple of hours.
She would have to go back soon, but before she returned she was going to take a quick swim. She kicked her shoes off, letting them drop to the forest floor before standing. She ran to the end of the limb and dove into the lake. She stayed beneath the water, swimming out a ways before popping back to the surface. The water was refreshing and cleansing after the awful events of the day.
She swam for a brief period before heading back. Stopping a few feet away from the shore, she treaded water. Jack was leaning against the tree with her shoes dangling from his fingertips as he watched her. Aria frowned at him as she pushed the hair from her eyes and swam forward.
"You have to stop taking off like that."
"I can take care of myself." She grabbed her shoes from his hand, but didn't put them on. "What are you doing here?"
"Looking for you."
"Did my father send you?"
"No, they're still making plans. What are you going to do Aria?"
"What do you mean?"
"Are you going to tell him?"
Aria couldn't meet his gaze. The water had managed to calm her for a brief moment, but now she was back in the harsh reality of her life. "Are you?" she whispered.
"He is my brother, but I chose my loyalties when I took you from that palace. I cannot go back on that now."
"You would allow him to be killed?"
He shifted in distress but his eyes were sad and accepting. "He would allow the same thing to happen to me, if the roles were reversed. He would hate it as much as I do, but we are on separate sides of this war. There is nothing that we can do about that. Now you have to choose a side Aria."
She shook her head, hating the fact that she had the urge to cry again. "How can I choose a side Jack? It's not so simple. If I choose him then I forfeit my life, there would be nowhere for me to go after that. If I choose my family than I am giving up the only man that has ever made me feel this way, the only person I have ever been in love with."
She followed as he made his way through the forest. "I didn't say it was going to be an easy choice, it wasn't for me either. But it is one that you are going to have to make, and soon."
"I don't know when he'll be back," she whispered.
"He won't be away for long…"
"You don't know that."
Jack stopped abruptly and turned to face her in the dwindling daylight. The strong resemblance he bore to his brother tugged at her heart. He watched her with the same intensity that his brother always did, studied her with the same confusion that she had often seen on Braith's face. It seemed that neither of them knew exactly what to make of her. But then, she didn't know exactly what to make of them either.
She'd thought Braith a cruel, monstrous bastard, and now she was in love with him. She'd thought Jack a human, her friend and rebel companion, but it turned out that he was actually a vampire, and a member of the royal family. She'd been kept in the dark about Jack's identity, because they all thought her too weak to be able to handle the truth. In truth, she was far stronger than any of them knew. There was far more to her than they had ever imagined. The only one that seemed to understand, and accept the true depth of her strength, was Braith. He was the only one that didn't try to coddle her, didn't try to shelter her from the harsh realities of both of their existences. He was the only one that knew she was strong enough to handle it.
And if there was one thing she was becoming very tired of, it was being coddled.
"I do know it, and by the time he comes back you are going to have to make your choice."
"What if I choose wrong?"
He glanced over at her, his eyebrows lifted as he studied her. "I don't think you have a right choice here Aria."
"You're right. Are you going to tell my family about this?"
Jack shook his head as he started walking again. "No. Braith is not a threat to them. Even if you choose them, he will not go after them, that's not who he is. If you don't choose him he would not purposely hurt you in such a way. No matter how much it will hurt him if he loses you."
She grasped hold of Jack's arm, pulling him to a stop beside her. "I do love him," she said forcefully.
He managed a small smile, his hand enclosed hers. "I know that Aria. And though it is baffling to me, I know that he loves you."
She frowned at him, not at all liking his comment. "Thanks."
He grinned at her and squeezed her hand before releasing her. "As the future king, Braith always kept a part of himself distant, aloof. It would always be his job to uphold his duties and responsibilities, and to Braith those responsibilities always came first. I didn't think he would ever be capable of loving someone; he kept himself too separated for that. You may be the first thing he has ever chosen over his obligations. The first sign of disloyalty he's ever exhibited toward our father."
Aria was silent for a moment, and then she resumed her pace at his side. "But he hasn't chosen me."
"He's chosen you more than I've ever seen him choose anything else. He came here for you, didn't he?"
Aria shook her head. She watched her bare feet as they moved through the forest, avoiding any obstacle that may pop up. She didn't tell him that she was fairly certain that Braith had originally come here to kill her, or at least make her pay severely for her disobedience. "I choose your side over my family."
Aria brushed aside her damp hair as she glanced up at Jack. "Why?" she questioned, still not completely understanding why he had taken their side.
"Because once I was here, I realized that I had been on the wrong side. There's no reason for anyone to be living like this, there is no reason for the cruelty that has been bestowed upon the humans. Not anymore."
"It sounds like you picture a world where we can all happily coexist."
He shrugged. "I'm not delusional. I don't believe it will be easy, but I do think things could have been different, maybe even still could."
"Perhaps." Though, she didn't hold out much hope for that.
"You are going to have to stop taking off on your own though. Not even Braith can help you if you get caught again, and what Caleb would do to you…" His voice trailed off, his eyes were distant as he stared at the woods around them.
Aria didn't even want to imagine what Caleb would do to her. He'd unnerved her from the moment she'd met him. There was something wrong with Caleb, something sadistic and cruel. He would take great pleasure in making her scream, in making her beg for mercy. Caleb would delight in making her suffer.
Aria shuddered, she tried to shut the thought down, but it wouldn't stop. "Ok?"
She swallowed heavily as she nodded. She hated to be monitored, but Jack was right. "Ok," she agreed.
He slid his arm though hers, pulling her against his side. "I think of you like a sister."
She managed a weak smile as she leaned against his side. "An annoying one?"
"Yes. You are also going to have to do something about Max."
"Max?" she asked in confusion.
"He's in love with you." Aria frowned, her hand tightened on Jack's arm. Jack was right, she had to make it clear to Max that there would never be anything between them. She hadn't been fair to him lately. Telling him no, while still leaning on him to help get her through the past few months. Guilt and s
elf hatred twisted through her stomach, Max was going to be hurt again because of her. She knew now though, that even if she never saw Braith again, he would always own her heart. There could never be anything between her and Max. "And he's not very stable right now."
"The woman that held him, she was awful to him in there, wasn't she?"
Jack seemed hesitant to confirm her words but he'd never sugarcoated anything for her before. "She was, and Max is convinced that it was the same with you."
"I've told him it wasn't."
"It's easier for him to think of us as monsters. If I hadn't pulled the two of you out of there, he would hate me too. He still doesn't trust me."
Aria frowned as she glanced up at him. "Do you think he would do anything to hurt you?"
Jack shrugged. "He might try, but not for awhile, not until things are more established. He knows that I'm needed right now, but after…"
Aria stared at him in surprise. "And you're not angry about this?"
He glanced down at her. "What was done to him in there was something awful Aria. We will never know the extent of the cruelty he experienced, of the abuse that he took. No one comes out of that completely normal. I understand his resentment and his hatred. But if he tries to kill me, I will not hold back."
Aria swallowed heavily, she hated the awful situation they were stuck in, hated the fact that she would have to choose between Braith and her family; hated the fact that she was becoming increasingly worried and fearful of Max.
- CHAPTER 8 -
"Do you ever do what you're told?"
Aria didn't bother to look up from the berries she was collecting. "Not usually."
"You know you're supposed to stay close."
She glanced up at Max as he stopped at her side. His shadow fell across her, blocking out the sun. "I'm close."
"Within eyesight Aria," he said brusquely.
She dropped the berries into her bucket as she fought to maintain her patience. She hated being ordered about, hated his high handed demeanor, but most of all she hated the fact that he felt he had any say over what she did, or didn't, do. She wasn't far from the caves, everyone knew where she had gone and had been fine with it. Except, apparently, Max. "I have my bow," she reminded him.
"That will do a lot of good against a group of marauding vampires."
Aria rolled her eyes as she wiped her hands and rose to her feet. "I'm perfectly capable of taking care of myself," she reminded him.
"So capable that you were caught already."
Aria heaved an impatient sigh; she grabbed hold of her bow as she tried to ignore the tugging waves of guilt crashing through her. She didn't think she would ever be able to forgive herself for what had been done to Max, but she couldn't continue to live under the weight of that guilt. She also couldn't allow him to continue thinking there was any hope for them. Even if she gave Braith up, she wouldn't choose Max.
"I'm fine Max."
"I understand you require solitude Aria, I do, but you have to understand that I'm only concerned about your safety."
"I know." She was just agreeing with him in the hope that he would back off. Aria jumped in surprise when he seized hold of her chin. She frowned fiercely at him, trying to keep her temper.
"I know you feel that this raid is a bad idea, I know you think that he treated you kindly in there, but…"
"Max I can only tell you so many times that I was treated kindly in there. I know you had an awful time, I know that, but you have to believe me when I tell you that I didn't. This raid isn't just a bad idea, it's an awful, horrible idea. I know you want revenge, but risking innocent lives isn't the way to get it."
He glared at her. Jack thought that Max was in love with her, but at the moment she felt that he might actually hate her more. "Max," she whispered.
His shaggy blond hair fell across his forehead as he shook his head. "You don't know what you're talking about Aria. What they did to you in there, it's confused you."
Aria wanted to argue with him further, but it was useless, and something else had caught her attention. She tilted her head, her eyes narrowing as all of her senses focused upon the forest. Aria glanced around the shadowed woods, panic hammered through her as she realized the birds had stopped singing and the squirrels no longer ran through the trees.
"One day you'll realize…"
Aria slipped her hand over Max's mouth, and placed her finger over her lips as she motioned for him to be silent. He frowned at her, but she'd stopped paying attention to him. She could read the woods better than a book, and right now they were telling her that something wasn't right, that there was a threat out there. She just didn't know what direction it was coming from, didn't know which way to flee. She tilted her head back, glancing into the high branches of the tree.
She pointed up as she took her hand away from his mouth. Moving silently, Aria grasped hold of the lowest limb and easily scooted her way through the branches. Max was not as quick as she was, but he followed her. Aria climbed higher, burying herself within the thick foliage. She searched the forest but still saw no cause for the odd silence that had descended over it.
She bent down to grasp hold of Max's hand to help pull him onto her branch. His skin was paler and he looked as if he were about to throw up. He had always hated heights, but they didn't have many options right now. He opened his mouth to speak but she shook her head vigorously at him. She still couldn't find the danger hidden within the shadows.
And then she saw them. They had come from behind the tree, and were underneath it before she knew what had happened. She plastered herself against the trunk of the tree, grasping hold of it as Max pressed against her. Aria was shaking, if they looked up…
If they looked up, she and Max were dead. Max couldn't move through the trees like she did, and even she couldn't outmaneuver a group of vampires forever. They would catch her eventually. Her heart was thumping so loudly that she was certain they would hear it, certain that they would look up and spot them within the foliage of the tree. Aria's breath caught in her throat, she could barely breathe as Caleb appeared beneath them, moving leisurely behind the six soldiers before him. His head moved constantly as he searched the woods. The excitement strumming through his body was nearly palpable.
Her legs were trembling so bad that she could barely stand anymore. Max was frozen before her, his lean body hard as rock as he pressed against her. If Caleb was here then only bad things could follow.
Aria froze, her mouth dropped as Braith stepped into view behind his brother. Her heart leapt, flipping wildly as she took in his magnificent form. Longing erupted through her, she almost called out to him, almost flung herself from the tree, and into his arms. And if it hadn't been for Caleb mere feet before him, she probably would have.
It had been a week since she had last seen him; a tortuous week that had been filled with uncertainty, trepidation, and a desperate yearning that was shaking her thoroughly now. She had gone two months without him, had spent two months trying to forget him, but this past week had been far more grueling. There was no hatred and anger within her to fall back on now when she craved his touch. Her fingers twitched, she almost cried for the unfairness of this whole situation. She remained frozen instead, motionless with the dread that had locked her muscles into place.
Braith stopped, his head turned from side to side and then tilted back. She knew the minute that his shaded eyes locked onto them. Max took a small step closer to her. She could barely breathe as she was squished against the trunk of the tree. Though his jaw clenched and a muscle jumped in his cheek, Braith showed no other sign that he'd seen them.
He turned away from them, moving onward through the forest as the small troop disappeared. Max relaxed against her as he breathed a sigh of relief. "Good thing your former master is blind."
Aria was fighting against tears and the need to scream in frustration. She ached to tell Max that Braith had seen them, that he knew they were there, and that he would keep them safe. She thought
it might help him to understand that Braith wasn't bad, that he was in fact a very good man, and that he loved her. She thought it might help Max to understand that not all vampires were evil, but she couldn't bring the words to leave her throat. She had promised Braith that she wouldn't tell anyone his secret, and she meant to uphold that promise, even if it meant continuing to alienate her friend.
"We have to warn the others," Aria whispered.
Max nodded, he moved away from her as he began to gingerly make his way from the tree. Aria hesitated as she searched for any sign of Braith, and the others. They had moved on though. She descended rapidly, dropping silently to the ground beside Max. They moved swiftly through the forest toward the campsite they had left behind.
***
"What are they doing here?"
Aria shook her head helplessly. How was she supposed to know what they were doing here? "I don't know Jack."
"Did Braith tell you about this?"
"No," she retorted in exasperation. "I would have prepared people if he had. I sure wouldn't have been hanging out in a tree with Max if he had! In case you didn't realize it, they don't exactly like each other."
The look he shot her was more than a little irritated. His eyes were cold and thoughtful, his face dark. "He may not have known that Caleb planned to come here."
"Of course he didn't know! He wouldn't have left me out here unprepared if he had known."
"Aria…"
"He wouldn't have Jack," she insisted, infuriated that Jack would even think such a thing. Infuriated that she was also thinking it, even though she knew it was wrong.
"He knew we were in that tree Jack. If he was here to harm us, or to recapture us, he would have turned us in. I couldn't have escaped them all, and I wouldn't have left Max behind."
"He might not have seen you. He said himself that his vision comes and goes; we have no idea of knowing how good it is when he does have it."
"I know he saw me," Aria insisted unwilling to discuss how she knew this.