"It's who he is," Braith grated. Arianna glanced up at him in surprise, her hands were firm in his grasp, warm, and oh so very fragile. "It's who he's been since he encountered Melinda. It was only six years ago that he was able to break free and officially become Jack and allow that other side of him to come out. He left the palace with no intention of ever returning to it."
The betrayal was sharp, and far deeper than he had expected it to be. When Jack had taken Arianna, Braith had known that Jack had changed, that he was not the brother he had always known, but Jack hadn't been that brother for far longer than Braith had ever suspected. Arianna leaned against him; she released his hand to wrap her arm around his waist, holding him closer to her. Her forehead rested against his chest, he could feel her distress and knew that it was for him.
"Why didn't you tell me?" he demanded.
"Because we were trying to keep you safe. No matter how little you knew our mother, your sense of duty, your sense of responsibility, your sense of honor would have driven you to go after father, and he would have killed you. We decided to wait, to bide our time until we thought that there might actually be a chance to take father down."
"And you believe that time is now?"
Melinda's gray eyes flickered, sadness crept into them. "If you had asked me that five months ago I would have said no, but I hadn't known that Jericho had immersed himself in the resistance until he took her, and I never would have guessed that you would decide to relinquish your title for a human. You are a powerful ally Braith, the rebels are powerful allies, and I believe that even if we weren't expecting it that yes, this is the time. Things are rapidly changing and I don't think there is any way to change the flow of this tide. Not anymore."
"Were you ever going to tell me?"
"One day. We weren't entirely sure when, we were just waiting for the right moment. I never expected you to fall in love with a human, your blood slave, and to have her be one of the prominent figures of the resistance no less. How could anyone have seen that coming?"
Braith took strength in Arianna's presence, and unwavering love and loyalty, but it couldn't ease the betrayal festering inside of him. He had thought that Caleb and Natasha were the deceitful and manipulative ones, apparently he was wrong. It seemed they were all dark and twisted in their own ways; they had all held and kept their secrets from each other.
"What a trusting family we are," he drawled sarcastically.
"We were only trying to keep everyone as safe as possible," Melinda said. "If father had known anything…" Her voice trailed off, horror filled her gaze as she shook her head. "Awful, it would have been awful."
Braith silently agreed, but he wasn't willing to concede anything to her. "Your father used the war as an excuse to kill your mother, and probably Melinda, but why?" Arianna questioned.
"Because he didn't use the war as an excuse to kill our mother, he used it as an excuse to start the war." Arianna jumped in surprise, but Braith had sensed Jack's steady approach a few minutes ago.
Braith smoothly pushed Arianna toward the wall as he turned to face his brother. He couldn't stop his instinctual urge to protect her from the people that had entered the room. Even before she uttered the word dad, he knew immediately which one of the seasoned, disbelieving, infuriated men was her father.
And that man was mad enough to kill.
- CHAPTER 16 -
Aria tried to take a step toward her father, but Braith held her back. The muscles in his ridged arms clamped against her, the taut muscles of his body rippled beneath his clothes. She hadn't missed the fact that Braith had turned her, putting her in a more secure position, using his body to defend hers.
There was no reason for him to protect her though. This was her father, her family. As she watched William and Daniel slipped into the room behind Jack and her father. "It's ok Braith," she whispered.
"Wait," he hissed; his voice low and commanding. She frowned at him, but didn't fight against his hold. He was thrown off balance right now; he needed her with him in order to keep himself steady. Otherwise he might injure someone in this room, someone she cared about, someone he cared about.
"You told him everything?" Jack inquired.
Melinda nodded; she stepped closer to Ashby as she eyed Aria's family warily. Melinda didn't trust her own kind, and it was more than apparent she didn't trust humans either. Especially rebel humans. "Can I untie him now?" she asked of Braith, her voice wavering slightly. He remained unmoving, his eyes dark and intense. "We can't take you down Braith; all of us combined probably couldn't take you down."
"He knows that, and that's not what he's worried about. That's never what he's worried about anymore," Jack responded.
"Then what!?" Melinda demanded, her composure beginning to unravel. She was so frustrated with him, incensed that Ashby was still being restrained. "What Braith, what do you want!?"
Jack's gaze rested on Aria. "He can protect himself, but if one of us, just one gets by him…"
"You don't have to worry about my family Braith, they won't hurt me," Aria assured him. "And you don't have to fear yours."
"Don't I?"
She shook her head, standing on tiptoe she pulled him down to her to make sure that he could hear her, but no one else could. "If they were going to harm you they would have done so by now. They may have kept things from you, but none of them meant for you to be hurt, in fact they've been trying to protect you for awhile. Anyone of them could have tried to kill you in that palace."
"I'm not risking your life," he muttered.
"You won't be," she promised. "Just let her untie Ashby, Braith. I couldn't stand to see you like that either. They haven't earned your trust, not yet, but you haven't earned theirs either. This is a good way to start."
His jaw clenched, a muscle jumped in his cheek. For a brief moment his arms tensed around her, and then his grip relaxed. "Untie him," he ordered briskly. "But I will kill you both if you come anywhere near her."
Melinda stared at Aria for a long moment, her eyes filled with surprise and gratitude as she gave a small nod of appreciation. Then she turned to Ashby and her fingers flew deftly over the knots. Aria refused to look at her family; she could feel their horrified gazes she didn't have to see them. Ashby's hands came forward; he rubbed his wrists together as Melinda untied his ankles.
As the last of the ropes fell away, they embraced tightly, clinging to one another. Aria's heart went out to them, her hands clenched on Braith. She needed him so much, needed his embrace and touch and security. She yearned to run from here with him, and her family, but she had a feeling that wasn't going to happen. There was something changing inside of Braith, something evolving and growing within him that frightened her.
She'd been well aware of the fact that he'd had no solid plan when they'd fled those caves. He had a plan now, or at least he had some idea of what he meant to do. The only problem was that his plan was going to terrify her, and he was going to try and leave her out, of that much she was certain.
"Aria?"
She turned toward her family, struggling to keep her tears at bay. Her father was watching them fixedly, his head turned to the side as he inspected her. He was normally clean shaven, but he had a couple days worth of growth shadowing his strong jaw. His hair was dark auburn like hers, and William's, but recently it had started to become streaked with strands of white that also shadowed his beard. His eyes were a bright, piercing green that had never failed to pin her to the spot and make her squirm. Time had etched lines around his eyes and mouth, but he was still a handsome man. Especially when he smiled, which wasn't very often, and certainly wasn't now.
She longed to go to him, to all of them, but Braith's tension was too high. "I'm ok dad, really."
She offered him a tremulous smile that did nothing to alleviate the tension humming through him. Hatred simmered in his gaze as he focused on Braith, but there was also confusion and disbelief. "This is the prince?" he inquired scathingly.
Aria reste
d her hand on Braith's chest, trying to relieve the hostility she felt rapidly building in him. She knew it wasn't going to be easy, but her family would have to learn to trust him, as they had learned to trust Jack. And Braith was going to have to learn to trust someone besides her.
"One of them," Braith replied crisply. "The youngest one is standing in front of you."
Her father's eyes darted to Jack, but he didn't acknowledge Braith's words. "You're the one that claimed my daughter as a blood slave; you're the one that took her this time also."
"Yes."
Fury flashed across her father's face. William and Daniel's eyes widened, but they didn't radiate the hatred her father did. "You held her, you tortured her…"
"I have told you many times that I was not tortured in there!" Aria interrupted sharply.
"I saw the bite mark!" her father snapped.
Aria blinked in surprise. Her hands tightened on Braith's arms, not to comfort him this time, but because she required his strength. "Everything I gave, I gave willingly," she said firmly, truthfully.
"Bullshit!"
It was not her father that exploded with those two words, but Max. Aria hadn't realized he was just outside the doorway, behind her father, Daniel, and William. He shoved his way forward now, pushing roughly past them as he shouldered his way into the room. Aria had never seen him look so crazed, and so completely out of control. His blue eyes were bulging and wild in his head, his hair stood up in disarray. Braith stiffened, pushing her back as Max charged at them.
Jack leapt forward, snagging hold of Max's arm as Braith released a snarl that caused even her heart to jump. Max swung on Jack, catching him sharply beneath his chin and knocking him back a small step. Jack was far stronger than Max, but he hadn't expected the punch and he was knocked off balance by it. Not only had he not expected the first punch, but he sure hadn't expected the one two combination that Max laid on him next.
Daniel and William were lunging at Max, but he had already shaken off Jack and was charging back at them. "You're lying!" he accused, his shoulders stiff as he barreled toward them. "He's twisted you! You're lying!"
Daniel, William, and Jack continued after him, but they were never going to stop him in time. Neither was Ashby as he pulled Melinda out of the way before lunging forward to make a failed grab at Max. Braith released her, pushing her behind him as he used his body to block her from Max's attack. Terror hammered through Aria, she could not allow this to happen. Max was out of his mind; he had been tortured and used as a blood slave, he had been abused in ways that she could never begin to imagine. Max didn't understand her love for Braith because he was convinced that Braith had done the same things to her.
"Wait! Stop!" she yelled.
Braith attempted to push her farther back but she ducked, dodging his arm as he tried to snag hold of her. She thrust herself forward, throwing herself in between Max and Braith. Unfortunately she hadn't seen what it was that Max wielded in his hand until it was too late. His arm was already flung forward, the metal blade whipped through the air even as she rose to her full height.
Braith's hand shot out in front of her. The blade slammed into his palm, driving through flesh and bone before bursting out the other side. Aria stared at it in horror. It was only a mere inch from the center of her forehead, exactly where Braith's heart was behind her. Though the metal blade wouldn't have killed Braith, it would have wounded him and knocked him back enough for Max to get to him, for Max to try and use the wooden stake he now wielded.
Aria's heart lumbered in her chest. Her eyes crossed as she stared at the awful blade before her, the one that would have killed her; the one that was still embedded in Braith's hand. It had to hurt like a bitch, but he showed no sign of that as he reached around her, grabbed hold of the blade and pulled it out. The scrape of metal on bone was loud in the room that had become deathly silent.
Blood trailed down Braith's hand, plopping loudly onto the wooden floor. Aria swallowed heavily, terrified of what was to come, terrified of what Braith's reaction would be. She could feel the deadly tension that vibrated through him. He was so infuriated that she didn't think she'd be able to stop him from killing Max. No one moved, no one even breathed.
Even Max, horrified by the fact that he had nearly killed her, seemed to have regained some control over himself. Braith, not surprisingly, was the first to react. He fisted his hand, twisting it before him. Aria was horrified by the blood that spilled freely from the large gash. She grabbed for him, but he seized hold of her hand, his touch surprisingly gentle for the pain he had to be suffering.
"Braith."
Aria could hear the nervous tension in Jack's voice. She understood it completely, though she couldn't see Braith's face, she could feel the murderous intent thrumming through him. Max took a small step back; Aria knew that what he was seeing had to be terrifying. Though he was large, temperamental, and powerful, Braith had always been relatively mellow and kind with her. That was who he was with her, but with others, and to others, he could be cruel, brutal, and lethal.
It was the lethal part that she was most frightened of now.
Aria turned, she had to see him, had to know what he was thinking. His eyes were a violent shade of red that caused Aria's knees to tremble as he focused on Max. His fangs had extended, but they didn't drop over his bottom lip. Instead, they were clamped behind his full mouth as a muscle jumped in his cheek.
He was terrifying, and deadly. "Braith, please," she whispered tremulously. His eyes flickered to her, but there was no easing of his features. "He didn't know what he was doing."
"He could have killed you," Braith grated.
"I wasn't going for her," Max retorted.
"Max, shut up!" Jack commanded.
"Well I wasn't."
Jack lunged forward; he seized hold of Max's arm and ripped him back. "You are an idiot."
"Let go of me!" Max snapped. "I'm going to kill him!"
Jack was struggling to get Max under control as a low growl rumbled up Braith's chest. Aria's head was spinning, the confusion in the room was mind numbing. Her father was grasping for Max, bitterness was etched into the lines of his face. "That's enough Maxwell!" her father commanded sharply.
But even her father, a man that had helped to raise Max, a man that Max highly respected and listened to, could not pierce the fury that enshrouded him. He continued to struggle, his face florid as a vein throbbed in his forehead. "He's corrupted her! He's made her a traitor, a disgrace to her own people, and he needs to die for his perversity!"
Aria recoiled from his words, feeling as if she'd been slapped, feeling as if she was the one that had been stabbed. For the first time she realized that Max would never forgive her for this. She had lost him forever. "You bitch!"
Aria gasped, but it was not Max's words that caused her reaction, but the sudden explosion of motion from behind her. She barely saw Braith, and she most certainly didn't hear him, as he sped across the room. Jack didn't have time to react, her father had one hand on Max's arm, but he wasn't strong enough to stop Braith from ripping Max back. Jack lunged gracefully forward, but it was too late. Braith was already spinning Max away from the others. He slammed Max against the wall with enough force that the entire room shook, and the wall splintered.
Melinda's hand flew to her mouth. Ashby swept past her as Braith pulled Max back before slamming him into the wall again. Ashby and Jack grasped hold of Braith's shoulders, but Aria knew they were nothing more than annoying gnats against him. "I don't care what was done to you!" Braith roared his face twisted in a mask of brutality the likes of which Aria had never seen before. "You hurt her, you talk to her, you so much as look at her again and you'll be dead before you even know what happened. Do you understand me you little shit!?"
His hand constricted on Max's throat, he lifted him off the ground and smashed him against the wall again. Aria was scared the building was going to collapse as it rocked on the stilt foundations. Max's eyes bulged, his fingers clawed
at Braith's hand as his feet began to kick against the wall. "Braith!" Jack yelled, pulling uselessly at Braith's arm. "Let go! Damn it Braith, let go!"
Aria's bewildered stupor vanished. If she didn't do something, Braith was going to kill Max now. "Arianna!" Melinda cried as Aria ran toward Braith.
"Stop! Don't Braith! Please let him go!" She shoved her way past Ashby. Grabbing hold of Braith's arm, the one pinning Max to the wall, she gave a hard tug on it. It was like trying to bend iron; he barely noticed that she was there. Bracing her legs on the wall, she yanked on his arm. "He's my friend!" she cried in frustration. "Stop it, you're hurting him!"
Braith released Max so suddenly that Aria accidently shoved herself off the wall. She flew backward, losing her grasp on his arm as she tumbled back. Braith spun suddenly, his arms swooping around her, catching her before she could hit the floor. Max dropped like a weight, hitting the ground with a loud thump.
Aria gazed up at Braith in stunned disbelief. He had been so quick, so fast in catching her, and so gentle as he cradled her with a tenderness that robbed her of her breath. The red faded from his eyes, his fangs retreated as he looked lovingly upon her. He ignored the rest of them as he turned away, and strode with her across the room. The vampire girl was watching them in surprise, but there was a keen interest in her gaze that somewhat unnerved her.
Aria peeped around Braith's massive shoulder. Jack and Ashby were helping Max to his feet, he was rubbing his throat; the imprint of Braith's hand was clearly visible upon it. "I would stay quiet if you want to live!" Jack hissed at him when Max opened his mouth to say something more. "She won't be able to stop him again."