"Are there often people within them?" Ashby inquired, glancing nervously at Braith.
"What do you mean?"
"The cave system where the troops are hiding had a man inside of it."
"That's not unusual, many know about the caves and the food supply," David told him.
"It looked like he'd been there for awhile."
"I suppose some may stay below hoping to avoid the king's troops. It's why we retreated into the swamplands. The king's raids have become more frequent and aggressive since you left the palace." Braith held David's steady gaze. "The man in the cave, what did he do?"
"He attacked Aria," Braith growled.
David's eyes widened, he leaned forward on the table. Braith lowered his head and inhaled her sweet scent. The soap she'd been given smelled of honey. Beneath it he could smell the faint hint of his blood as it flowed through her veins. She was the most enticing thing he'd ever smelled, and he needed her soothing effect right now.
"Why would he do that?" David inquired.
Ashby glanced nervously at Braith, but seemed satisfied that he would remain calm while holding Aria. "Apparently he hadn't seen a woman in awhile."
"Did he harm her?" Daniel demanded.
"He tried, but she's fine."
"And what of the man?" David inquired.
"Dead," Braith said unremorsefully. "Anyone that injures her will meet the same fate."
David sat back as he studied them. "What exactly is it that you intend for my daughter? What do you think you can give her?"
"Anything she desires."
Gideon and Ashby shifted nervously, well aware that this conversation was drifting into treacherous waters. Xavier leaned forward, his dark eyes eager as he absorbed the discussion. "I can see that she loves you, and though it's baffling and astonishing to me, I think you love her too. But I don't see how any of this can work. Will your people accept her? Do you have plans to make her a vampire?" David nearly choked on the word vampire but somehow managed to get it out. It was apparent the man found the thought abhorrent.
"Most do not survive the change; I have no intention of inflicting that upon her." Gideon, Jack and Ashby winced, Xavier quirked an eyebrow as he gazed at Aria.
David's frustration was nearly palpable. "Then what do you intend? To watch her grow old and die? To have her be an outcast among your people? Tell me Braith, what will you do when she dies?"
"I'll find a way to die also," he said simply.
Gideon groaned as he shook his head, dropping it into his hands. Ashby closed his eyes as Jack folded his arms over his chest and sat back in his chair. Xavier remained unmoving, he'd known there was a bond between them but he hadn't known the extent of that bond until now.
"But you have been voted the leader; your people will follow you…"
"Or Jack," he interrupted sharply. Despite his every intention not to, he found himself leaning forward as he met David's incredulous gaze, and Jack's completely aghast one. "I will lead them into battle, I will lead you all into battle, but I have not hidden the fact that I do not intend to lead afterward. Not unless Aria is at my side. I will stay long enough for whatever leader you elect to settle in, and then she and I will leave. I will not expose her to a life of unhappiness."
"I don't want it," Jack blurted.
"Neither do I," Braith snarled in frustration. "I never have, but I accepted it, and I did it. I've done my duty for the past nine hundred years, I've done everything expected of me and I will continue to do it until this is over, but someone else can step up afterward."
"It will be difficult on her, to grow old while you don't," David told him.
"I know that."
"You could let her go." Braith stiffened as fury ripped through him. Aria's fingers slipped beneath the buttons of his shirt to press against his flesh in an attempt to soothe him. They had woken her. "It would be best, for both of you, for everyone involved if you let her go."
"It's too late for that." He had managed to regain enough control to answer without smashing the table before him.
"I don't understand why. I know it will be tough, the last thing I want is to see my daughter unhappy, but she'll be hurt no matter what. There's no way to stop that now."
Her heartbeat had increased; the scent of her fear assailed him. "Ashby can explain it to you," he said bluntly. Aria gasped as he rose abruptly from his chair. Staying here was only going to annoy him further and he had promised her that he would try to be nicer. "Does it matter what room we take?"
David's jaw dropped. Aria's lashes flickered against his neck as she opened her eyes, he could feel the heat of her skin against his neck. He bit back a groan, he didn't understand these human customs, or perhaps they were simply family customs, but he was becoming increasingly frustrated with them.
"I'll sleep on the floor," he grated, hoping that would help to ease some of the tension that filled the room. He swore that once this whole mess was over he was going to build her a house that no one else would ever be invited to.
"Third room on the right, there's a small cot in there," David responded in a choked voice.
"I'll get you some blankets," Daniel volunteered.
"You can put me down Braith."
He held her for a moment longer before lowering her feet to the floor. She hurried to her father, pecked him on the cheek and gave him a hug. Braith was fascinated by the look of love on David's face as she spoke with him. He'd certainly never seen it on his own father's face. David patted her arm reassuringly as she kissed him again and rejoined Braith.
"I would like to retire also." Xavier rose to his feet, his fingers rested briefly on the table as he surveyed the room. "I am aware of the baffling vampire bond referred to as a bloodlink. I assume that is what Ashby will speak of as I am well aware of his relationship with Braith's sister, and not the one he married."
Apprehension flashed briefly across Aria's face, but she remained immobile at Braith's side. She didn't trust Xavier, not yet. Braith wasn't even certain he completely trusted him yet. "How do you know about that?" Ashby demanded, his carefree demeanor vanishing at the mention of Melinda.
Xavier moved away from the table. "My job in the palace was to pay attention, to record the histories, to take note of things and see the things that no one else saw. I'm not blind Ashby, the two of you tried to hide it and you succeeded with most." His gaze was pointed on Braith. "But not me."
Ashby looked wary. His eyes were hooded as he studied Xavier with annoyance and distrust. "Ease up Ashby, I never told anyone that you were having an affair with the youngest daughter while still married to the oldest."
"Watch what you say Xavier," Ashby's tone was low, deadly.
Xavier didn't look the least bit phased by Ashby. Braith pulled Aria back a step as Xavier stopped beside her. "But a human." He shook his head, something flickered in his eyes as he studied her. "That is unheard of." Aria's eyes narrowed, her chin tilted defiantly. Xavier smiled at her in amusement. "Quite a conundrum."
"I'm not Ashby. War or no war, followers or no followers, I will kill you if you touch her. Remember that Xavier, I am a real threat to you."
"I am well aware of that fact Braith. I have no ill intentions toward her."
Braith was not appeased by the words. He pulled Aria further back as Xavier stepped closer to her. "Don't," he snarled thrusting himself in between them.
Xavier held his hands up as he took a step back. "Easy Braith, I said that I would not hurt her, and I meant it. I've seen what you are capable of when it comes to her, and I have a feeling that cave was only the tip of the iceberg. We need her if we are to win this war."
"And after?"
"After will be up to you, and her. Now, where are those blankets, I'm exhausted."
Aria pressed closer to Braith's side, he stood for a moment, trembling with suppressed anger and uncertainty. Xavier had always been a little odd, or at least he had always seemed that way as he stood in the shadows calmly watching everything. He
suspected Xavier knew more than he was letting on as he stared curiously at Aria, but exactly what his secrets were, Braith couldn't even begin to guess at.
"Uh, this way," Daniel awkwardly interrupted.
He stepped back as Xavier moved past him to the stairwell. "Are these things going to hold me?" Xavier pondered as he eyed the stairs.
"Yes."
Daniel led them upstairs, handed out blankets and hugged his sister goodnight. Braith wasn't pleased to see that the room really did hold just a tiny cot shoved against the wall. He wasn't even certain Aria would fit on it as he spread the blanket out.
"Xavier is strange."
Braith sat on the edge of the cot and pulled her into his lap. She wrapped her arms around his waist as she rested her head against his chest. "He is," Braith agreed, lightly rubbing her back.
"He's baffling but I don't think he would harm me. I think he's just as confused by me as I am by him."
He was glad she thought so, but Braith wasn't convinced that Xavier wouldn't do something. Xavier had never been power hungry before, but there was no way to know what was going on inside of his head, or any of the others they had aligned with.
"I'm glad you're not scared of him."
He felt her smile against his neck. "I'm not scared of anyone," she said laughingly.
He would have laughed too if it wasn't so true. For someone so frighteningly mortal, she was strangely unafraid of anyone or anything. It was terrifying. "I know."
"Don't get all bristly." She sought to calm him as she caressed him. "You must be hungry."
"I'm fine."
"You're stubborn."
"As are you."
She was grinning as she tilted her head back to look at him. "Yes, but it's been awhile, I'll be fine Braith."
He dropped his head to hers. "I know, I just…"
Her fingers were against his lips, and then her mouth replaced her fingers. "There is no, "I just", not now. I crave the connection Braith, just as much as you crave my blood. I want to feel you inside me." He shuddered at her choice of words, his arms constricted around her. A low groan escaped him. He would never get over how swiftly and easily she could unravel his composure. "I would love to satisfy you in every way, but with everyone in this house, especially my father…"
"I understand," he grated through clenched teeth. "Not here, not on this cot, and not with your family surrounding us. Not for you Arianna. I want better for you, it will be better."
When he opened his eyes to look at her, he was surprised to find her watching him with a look of absolute love that nearly shattered him. She unwrapped her arms from his waist and deliberately pulled the hair back from her neck. Marks from his other feeding were still visible upon her porcelain skin. He pulled her shirt down to reveal the nearly invisible marks from the first time he'd fed from her. His fingers brushed over it as she pressed against him, her breasts firm against his chest.
"Do you remember this?" His voice was tense.
"How could I forget?"
"I almost killed you that night."
"Braith…"
"Yet you continue to give yourself to me."
"I love you."
"Is it so simple then?"
"Yes. This is not an easy life."
It wasn't, but he hadn't once wished that he was back in that hideous palace with its vast supply of blood and every imaginable luxury. He would wade through a thousand swamps before he ever let her go again. "And I wouldn't change a thing," he whispered against her cheek.
"Why?"
"Because I love you."
"Is it so simple then?"
He smiled back at her. "Yes."
"Good."
She silently guided his head to her neck. His fingers slid up the back of her shirt to press flat against the slender curve of her back. A faint whimper escaped her, goose bumps broke out across her skin. He bypassed the marks on her neck to rest his lips gently against the first bite he had placed upon her; the first time he had marked her as his.
She moaned when he bit into her, reopening the wounds that had bound them irrevocably to each other. She slumped against him as the rest of the world faded away.
- CHAPTER 15 -
Aria looked up from the shirt she had been sewing as Jack stepped into the room. She hated sewing, she'd stabbed herself numerous times already, but she needed the shirt. She swore as she jabbed herself again and stuck her wounded finger in her mouth.
Jack quirked an eyebrow at her. "You're not very good at that."
"I know," she mumbled. He rocked back on his heels as he folded his hands behind him. She frowned as she dropped the shirt down. "What's wrong?"
"I need to speak with you."
"Ok."
"Not here. Take a walk with me?"
She wasn't sure why he would want to take a walk, there was no one around. "Uh yeah, sure."
Placing the shirt on top of the table, she climbed to her feet and followed him as he led the way out of the house. Braith had gone with Gideon, Xavier, her father, and Daniel to meet with the rebels her father had gathered to fight, to look over the supplies they'd accrued, and to do some hunting. Aria had opted to stay behind, she was tired, and she thought that perhaps it would be a chance for Braith to bond with her family. He hadn't liked it in the beginning, but Jack and Ashby had agreed to stay behind.
Ashby was standing by the woods when they emerged from the house. Remorse radiated from his eyes as he fell into step beside them. She glanced between the two of them, suddenly feeling very small and vulnerable. Why hadn't she grabbed her bow? She shook off the crazy thought. This was Jack and Ashby, they wouldn't hurt her.
"What's going on?" Neither of them answered her. Aria became aware of the pounding of her pulse in her ears. "Jack?" She was ashamed of the tremor in her voice.
"Just going for a walk Aria, we have to talk."
"About what?" He didn't answer her. She stopped abruptly, refusing to take one more step until she received some answers. "About what?" she demanded.
"The lake is just ahead, ok?"
Aria bristled at his placating tone. She almost refused to move further, almost turned around and walked away. She was certain she didn't want to hear what they had to say. She knew she couldn't run away though. "Fine," she relented.
Aria fell back as Jack led the way to a pristine lake. She stood for a moment, taking in the scene before her as it spread out in a glimmering array of sunshine and blue. Something inside of her chest eased, she took a deep breath, inhaling the fresh scent of the crisp water. Forgetting all about Jack and Ashby, she took a step closer to the water. She itched to dive into it, to swim out as far as she could and simply be.
The clearing of Jack's throat alerted her to the fact that was not going to happen. Sighing impatiently, Aria turned to him. "What do you want to talk to me about?"
Jack and Ashby exchanged a look, but it was Jack that spoke. "Braith."
Aria folded her arms over her chest as she studied them both. Ashby could barely meet her gaze; his eyes darted continuously away from her as if he were ashamed. There was a hollow pit in her stomach; it felt as if a rock had settled in there. She could barely breathe anymore. No, she definitely was not going to like this. "Perhaps you should talk to him then."
"I've tried, and so have Ashby, and Gideon. He needs to lead Aria."
Her heart hammered, coldness was seeping into her bones, stealing into her soul. "He does," she agreed.
Jack shifted nervously. "You know I love you Aria, I think of you like a sister."
"Just say it Jack."
"You have to let him go." She felt as if she'd been punched in the gut. She had braced herself for those words, had even suspected they were coming, but they still knocked the air from her. She was unable to stay upright as she rested her hand on a tree and leaned against it. "Aria…"
She held up a hand to stall him. She needed a moment, just one moment to gather her thoughts and hold back her tears. She'd suspected all along, n
o she'd known, that this was a distinct possibility. That in the end, she would have to give him up, that she would have to leave him, again. She just wasn't ready to hear it confirmed by someone else.
Ashby, looking to soothe her reached for her shoulder. She pushed his hand away, unable to take his pity at the moment. "Braith feels that when this is over he can simply walk away. That he can take you, disappear, and never look back. He thinks that he can leave Gideon, Ashby, or even I in charge. We know that he can't, and I think you know it too."
Aria lifted her head. She had to blink away the tears burning her eyes to focus upon him. "Our family line is the strongest, it always has been. Our bloodline has been traced back to the first vampire, it is the only line that can claim such a feat, and actually prove that it's true. It wasn't often that our line wasn't ruling, and as you've witnessed, even the most powerful vampires on our side have turned to Braith as a leader."
She stared silently at the lake, felt the rough bark of the tree beneath her hand. She needed these things to connect her, to join her to the earth. She felt completely disconnected right now, disjointed and broken. "Since the moment he was born it was expected that Braith would rise to power if our father died. He's been groomed for such an endeavor, trained for it; he is the one that can control the chaos that will follow the dethroning of our father. Even those within the palace, the non-aristocrats will follow him, because that's what they expected to do for the past nine hundred years. Nine hundred years Aria, that is how long it has been accepted that Braith would eventually rule.
"Even if I’m of the same line and closer in age, they won't follow me in the same way, and to be honest I can't control them the way that Braith will be able to. It's not in me, it never has been. They will look to destroy me in a way that they will not look to destroy Braith. Nor will they follow Ashby. He's not a part of our line and even if he marries Melinda, they will not accept him, and Melinda isn't strong enough to rule. Gideon is Braith's other option. But Gideon has been gone for a hundred years, and he has no tie to our line. He's not even a part of the second most powerful family; he is simply older than the other aristocrats at only fifty years younger than Braith."