"It's not her, and it never will be."
"Braith!" Melinda's frustration was mounting; her eyes were growing darker, redder. Her emotions were wildly swinging toward the breaking point.
"Easy love," Ashby comforted. "It's ok, I'm fine. Braith doesn't know how to tie someone up all that well anyway." His eyes were gleaming with amusement, but Aria could sense the tension beneath his blithe façade. The last thing he wanted was to see Melinda try and fight her way through her brother.
Melinda remained wary; she leaned over and placed a quick kiss upon Ashby's mouth. Aria pitied them; she couldn't imagine being kept from Braith in such a way. Yet there were two of them, separately they weren't much of a threat to Braith, together they could be.
"Let your brother know what is going on, maybe then he won't look like he's about to go on a rampage and slaughter us all," Ashby urged.
Aria stepped closer to Braith; she needed to feel and touch more of him. She had a feeling she wasn't going to like what Melinda and Ashby had to tell them. He wrapped his arm around her waist. His body was cooler than hers, but heat still flooded through her as her chest was brought up flush against his side. His hand briefly stroked over her, his eyes burned into hers.
"Have you ever heard the term bloodlink?" Melinda inquired, breaking into their moment.
Braith reluctantly turned away from her. "No, I haven't."
"Neither had I, until I met Ashby." Her gaze traveled leisurely to him, she reached out a delicate hand and clasped hold of his outstretched one. They seemed to take solace from the feel of one another as their hands entwined. "And then the whole world was completely right, and so completely wrong."
"I was already married to Natasha," Ashby continued.
Melinda's face scrunched up, disgust flitted over her delicate features. "If you recall, I was with mother when their wedding occurred. I was too young to stay behind when father banished her and he didn't want the responsibility of taking care of me. It wasn't until she was killed that I was allowed back into the palace."
"I had been married to Natasha for five years at that point," Ashby said.
"I remember," Braith interjected coldly.
Ashby grinned at him. "We used to have fun in those days. Before the war, when everything was still easy. You were the reigning heir and I was a vampire with a title, money, women, and a wife that cared as little for me as I did for her. Ok, well the wife part may have sucked, but mostly we avoided each other. All we had to do was conceive a son in order to make your father happy, and then we wouldn't have to be with each other again. It just wasn't working for us."
Melinda's eyes had grown darker at the mention of her sister; her face was as stormy as a tumultuous sky. Ashby brought Melinda's hand to his mouth, kissing her as he sought to ease her tension. "Then mom was killed, the war broke out, and I was sent back to the palace," Melinda said tersely.
"Your father was always greedy, always aspired to have more. He just never banked on so many vampires being content with their way of life. He never even considered the fact that some of the other powerful families might not go along with him. And he never expected that I planned to get out of my marriage from one sister, because I had lost my soul to the other one."
They seemed to silently communicate with each other before Ashby turned his attention back to them. "A bloodlink is something that happens between vampires, and apparently with humans also. It happened to my parents; that is how I knew about it, and what the signs of it were. Most vampires believe it is a myth because it is so rare, but I knew that it was true, I just never thought it would happen to me. My parents were fortunate enough to find each other and not have any obstacles in their way. Unfortunately we weren't, and neither are you.
"My parents saw the war as a chance to escape the tyrannical rule of your father; I saw it as a chance to break free of my wife. It was a chance to start anew and build a better life with Melinda, so I took it. You were caught in the crossfire Braith, but I really didn't mean for you to get hurt. As retribution for our mutiny my family was killed, but your father thought this was a better punishment for me."
"Thankfully," Melinda breathed.
"What exactly is a bloodlink?" Aria inquired.
"It's a deep connection between vampires. Our blood calls to each other. We grow stronger off of it when we share it. The connection is instantaneous, as Braith well knows, and it is unbreakable. It will eat you alive if you're kept from each other, something else that Braith seems to have discovered."
"Stronger from it," Aria mulled.
"Of course dear," Ashby purred. "It's why Braith can see again, but I'm guessing it's only when you are near."
"What?" Melinda gasped. "Braith?"
Braith was silent for a moment; the tension in him was growing by the second. "Yes, I can see when she is near. What about the two of you?"
Aria swallowed nervously. Braith could see, and it was a miracle, but could they also perform miracles? Had she completely misjudged this situation, was Braith weaker than them? She glanced between Melinda and Ashby, and then turned back at Braith. No, it was obvious who the strongest was, but if Ashby were to get free…
Melinda was frowning fiercely. "Ashby…"
"I know love."
"Melinda, you may be my sister but if you don't tell me I will destroy him," Braith told her.
Aria shuddered, her hands tightened on Braith's arm. She wanted to promise that she would never let that happen, the last thing she wanted was to ruin their love, but if there was any chance they might attack Braith, she wasn't going to say anything. It was better that they were afraid of Braith for now. Melinda took a protective step closer to Ashby.
"We don't have anything like that Braith. We're stronger because we have each other; we're stronger because the bond between us has made us stronger. We feed off of each other, which is something that most vampires will not allow to happen, our blood helps to enhance our power and speed. As a united front we will prevail over a lone vampire, and death is the only thing that will divide us. But you…"
"You are different," Ashby finished for her. "Maybe because she is human, maybe because you are the prince apparent, the first born, and your blood is more powerful than your siblings, but you've had a stronger reaction to the link than any I've ever heard of."
"You've actually had a physical strengthening reaction without the blood," Melinda continued. "I'm assuming that is why you bought her in the first place, because you actually saw her then."
Braith gave a crisp nod of confirmation. "Imagine if she becomes a vampire?" Ashby pondered.
"Is it possible?" Melinda wondered.
Aria frowned at the two of them. "I don't know," Ashby admitted. "But I think they have more than a bloodlink. I think they may have an even stronger bond."
"You may be right," Melinda agreed. "For him to get his eyesight back like that is so strange."
"It is," Ashby confirmed.
Aria sensed Braith's mounting aggravation and she was growing just as frustrated by the couple as he was. "Enough!" he snapped, causing Melinda to jump slightly. "Enough, the both of you, enough. If you are so close, then why is there another vampire here?"
They both frowned in confusion then their gaze drifted to the girl who had stayed utterly silent, though she was listening raptly to them. "Oh her," Melinda replied, giggling softly. Ashby brought her hand up to his chest, enfolding it within his. Braith's composure was rapidly unraveling. They didn't know what they were messing with right now, didn't know that he was close to losing all control. Aria knew though. She had seen him in the woods with those vampires. She had seen what he was capable of, the punishment and death he could deal out so swiftly and without remorse.
"Melinda," Aria prodded.
The smile slipped from Melinda as she finally focused on Braith again. "She's just a girl from town; they knew that I would be coming back soon."
"How?" Braith growled. "And why would she come here?"
"I manage
to sneak out of the palace more often than you know. As the youngest and most ineffective child, no one ever pays attention to my comings and goings. I bring blood slaves here with me when I can, in order to keep the people in the area quiet about the fact that there are no guards anymore. She is here in the hopes of returning to town with whatever I might have managed to smuggle out."
"Why?" Braith demanded.
"To keep Ashby safe of course. I killed the guards years ago, but Ashby couldn't escape. There was nowhere for us to go. Every village knows who Ashby is, father made certain of that, and the reward for him is large enough for any starving vamp to hand Ashby over, no matter how much they may hate father. But only one person, or one family, could get that reward, not the entire village. And no matter what, there was no guarantee that father would actually give them the money. I bought the loyalty of the people closest to here by promising them a steady supply of blood, if they kept their mouths shut. It was more than father could promise all of them."
Aria bowed her head beneath the implication of those words, nausea twisted through her. She was certain she was going to be sick. Her people had been used to buy silence; their lives had been freely traded away as if they meant nothing. "Awful," she breathed.
"Life is not always roses and sunshine dear." A chill crept down Aria's spine, she found herself unable to hold Melinda's cold gaze. "And I would do anything to keep Ashby alive, just as I am assuming you would do the same for Braith."
Aria bit on her bottom lip, she couldn't look at any of them. She would do anything for Braith, but to freely trade lives for his, she didn't think she could do that. But then, she was human, and they were not. They thought little of her species; humans were beneath them, they didn't care what happened to them. Aria knew she would freely trade a vampire life for his, she was certain of that.
"There are things that have to be done in order to secure the bond between bloodlinks," Ashby explained.
Braith squeezed her hand. He was trying to comfort her, but Aria could not shake the dread rolling through her. This was not her world, she didn't belong in this place of blood and death and strange bloodlinks that allowed the blind to see. What was she doing here? How did she get involved in all of this?
But the answer to those questions was standing before her, willing to die for her, as he used his body to block her from whatever attack might come their way. Her heart swelled, tears burned her eyes. She didn't fit in this world, but she realized now that she would never be leaving it again. She hadn't realized it at the time, but when she'd chosen to leave the woods with Braith, she had sealed her fate. There was no turning back, and even though she was frightened by the uncertainty of their future, she was willing to endure the challenges that were still to come.
"And those are?" Braith inquired.
"Exchange of blood, sex," Ashby continued. Aria's face burned, it was all she could do to keep standing before them. "But those are vampire interactions. With this, I'm assuming that the change will also be necessary."
"And if she doesn't survive it?" Melinda asked.
"Then I doubt any of us will," Ashby muttered.
Aria finally managed to lift her head to stare at them. "I'm not going to die," she told them.
Ashby and Melinda leveled her with identical looks of hopelessness. "Most do not survive the change. The human body is too frail; it simply cannot take it. If you stay human it is certain that one day you will die. And Braith will go crazy from it."
"And that's only if you are willing to become a vampire," Melinda elaborated.
Braith turned toward her, she could feel the full force of his gaze upon her, but she couldn't find the words to answer his unspoken question. Was she willing to become a vampire? Was she willing to live in that world? Was she willing to die? Willing to drink blood and feed from her people? She lifted her gaze to Braith's, she could feel the tears burning in her eyes, but they did not slip free. He was so strong, so powerful, and wise. He was ancient compared to her, a near god in his world. She was a fighter, and she was strong, but he could snap her bones with a flick of his wrist. And yet, as he looked upon her, she could see the vulnerability in his gaze, the uncertainty that blazed from him and made him almost as weak as she was.
She did that to him, she was doing it to him, and she hated herself for it. Her fingers brushed against his face, she loved the feel of his hardness and stubble beneath her hand. He awed her, and inspired her in so many ways. "You humble me also," she whispered.
A low groan escaped him; he lifted her as if she weighed no more than a feather and pressed her against him. His hands were in her hair, his lips against her cheek and ear. "It will not be so Arianna," he whispered. She pulled back to stare at him questioningly. "I will not take the risk of killing you. I will not be the one that kills you."
Aria frowned at him; she bent her forehead to his. "I will survive it."
"There is no guarantee. I will not risk it."
"But I will die no matter what!"
He managed a halfhearted smile. "Then I will just have to make sure it is not for a very long time."
"I will grow old."
"You will grow even more beautiful. And when you are gone, I will follow you."
Tears spilled down her cheeks. She was far more accepting of her own death than she was of his. But then again, she had expected to die every day since she was old enough to realize what death was. "No Braith. No. I see the way you are now, what you said earlier, in the kitchen…"
"I was wrong," he said firmly. "It was a moment of weakness, it won't happen again. I will not do that to you."
His eyes were beautiful, bright as he watched her, smiled at her, and loved her. He kissed her lightly, his mouth warm and pliant against her own. For a moment Aria allowed herself to forget there were other people in the room and there was only the two of them. For a small fraction of a second, there was total joy, total happiness, and true awe in a world that often lacked such things.
Then Braith was pulling away and the world was once again intruding upon them. Aria wrapped her arms around his neck. She dropped her head to his shoulder and buried her face in his neck, trying to keep the world at bay for a little longer. He continued to hold her firmly, but she knew his attention was not solely focused upon her anymore. As prince, as the future ruler of his world, and hers, he had other matters to attend to.
- CHAPTER 15 -
Arianna was finally asleep, but it had only been a matter of time before exhaustion won out over her stubborn nature. She'd fought against it for awhile but had finally succumbed to the requirements of her body. She was curled up on the couch, her head in his lap, her hand curled around his thigh.
He trailed his hand across her silken hair, letting it slide through his fingers. Melinda was watching him with interest, but she didn't protest the fact that Braith still refused to untie Ashby. She may be his sister, but he was not going to be outnumbered by them. Not when Arianna's life was on the line.
Though there was tension in Ashby's eyes, his posture remained casual, and he retained his mischievous air as Melinda leaned against him. "I never suspected anything between you two," Braith muttered.
"There was a lot going on at the time." Melinda's gaze drifted toward Arianna. "I never suspected anything between the two of you either, but then I never thought you were capable of love. Especially not with a human, and especially not with your blood slave, though I was curious as to why you had finally taken one. Now I know why."
Braith didn't take offense to her words. He hadn't thought he was capable of love either. He cared for his brother Jericho; he even cared for Melinda, though he had never known her as well as Caleb or Natasha. Even when Melinda had returned to the palace, she had remained mostly distant from her other siblings. However, she hadn't really known them as she'd spent her first twenty seven out of thirty years in exile, with their mother.
The war had been raging in full force by the time Melinda returned, Braith had only seen her a handfu
l of times before his vision was lost. Though she had continued to mature over time, most of her growing had been completed before he was blinded; she hadn't changed much since then. Even after he'd lost his vision, he'd only come into contact with her once a month, if even. He'd assumed that she did the same things as Natasha. That she drifted about the palace, enjoying the luxuries, and thriving on the blood.
Apparently she had actually been escaping into the wilderness to nourish and spend time with her lover. Melinda had always seemed so sweet and young to him. Apparently her picturesque face, and serene demeanor, hid a far stronger personality than he had ever suspected.
"Why did you keep returning to the palace? Why didn't you just stay here?"
"Someone had to bring back the slaves and keep the locals around here quiet. Someone had to make sure they didn't send out new guards, and if they did, we had to be prepared to take care of them. Someone had to spy, to see if there would ever be a chance that we could escape together, and finally be free."
Braith nodded, impressed by his sisters cunning, daring, and skill. He was also put off by her manipulation and cold admission about her deceptions. He made a mental note not to trust her, he didn't think she was inherently cruel, but it was more than obvious she would do anything to keep Ashby safe, and Braith was certain that Ashby would do the same thing for her. Neither of them was going to leave his sight until Jack arrived. It was the only way he would feel marginally better about Arianna's safety.
Arianna stirred, her hand constricted on his thigh. "You know that you don't have a prayer of keeping her human," Ashby told him.
"I won't change her."
"You may not want to change her, you may think that you can keep yourself from doing so, but we all know the truth here Braith. You think you can go the next five, ten, fifty years risking her life, and watching her die?"