"Max?" Aria inquired nervously.
His gaze focused on the window behind her. Her fingers clenched on Braith's back as tears burned her eyes. Please, she pleaded silently. Please don't hate me again. He finally looked at her, and though it was sad, he offered her a small smile. "I'm glad you survived. I'm happy for you," he assured her.
A low sob escaped her as she released Braith and stepped forward to hug Max and her brothers again. Another knock on the door drew her apart from them. Melinda poked her head in; she scented the air before she broke into a brilliant grin. She flung the door open and bounded across the floor to them. Free of the cloak of her father's oppression, and her separation from Ashby, Melinda had turned into a lively, exuberant woman.
William shot her a disgruntled look as Melinda elbowed him out of the way, seized hold of Aria's hand and jerked it toward her. Aria's eyes widened as Melinda released a joyous squeal. Ashby had entered behind her and now stood beside Braith, grinning in amusement as Melinda began to prattle on. "We have so many plans to make! So much to do! It's going to be amazing!"
"I'd actually like a small ceremony," Aria told her.
"A queen's wedding can never be small!" Melinda retorted.
Aria cast Braith a pleading look as his sister began to propel her toward the sofa. He jumped forward, smiling pleasantly at Melinda as he extricated Aria's arm from Melinda's death grip. "We can do both," Braith placated.
She knew that arguing would be pointless, Melinda was right, and if she still got to have the ceremony she wanted she didn't see what difference it made as long as she got to marry Braith.
- CHAPTER 24 -
Over the next few days Melinda kept her occupied with endless details, most of which she never would have thought of. It was overwhelming on top of trying to adjust to her new vampire abilities. She'd accidentally ripped the handle off the door in the library, and broken a saddle when she'd forgotten that she was stronger now. She kept trying to breathe, missed the beat of her heart, and was still trying to adjust to the unfamiliar sensations of her over sensitized skin.
Even though she felt overwhelmed, she'd also never felt this secure and happy. She fell asleep in Braith's arms every night and woke to find him beside her every morning. When Melinda wasn't demanding her time, she would go out with Max, Xavier, Jack and William to help in rebuilding the town. Daniel and Braith were still entrenched in the intricacies of establishing the new government, and dealing with the problems that arose from the people and vampires that were still struggling to assimilate to the changes.
Melinda had told her that the building wasn't something a future queen should be doing, but Aria didn't care. She didn't want to be involved in the running of the household, and planning a wedding was beyond tedious. Besides, with her newfound strength she was far better at building, and faster at it than she ever would have been in the past.
Maybe it wasn't what the other queens had done, but it was what she was going to do, and there was nothing that was going to change that. She was willing not to be in the woods every day, to wear the silly undergarments and dresses when they were required. She would tend to the things that she had to once she was queen, but she was not going to be trapped within that palace, and she was not going to be relegated to running the household. Melinda enjoyed doing it and Aria preferred to be with all the people and vampires in the town.
She listened to the problems they were having, what they needed, and she did her best to resolve the issues that arose either herself, or by bringing it to Braith and The Council's attention. She enjoyed working side by side with them toward a common goal as they all tried to assimilate to their new lives. It also helped to ease the grief, helped take her mind off of the empty hole in her life. She knew her father would have been thrilled to see all the changes that were taking place, and his children helping to make those changes.
Aria stepped back as she handed the last of the boards up to William and studied him with a heavy heart. He'd told her this morning that he planned to go with Jack, when the rebuilding was done here, to help build up the towns in the outlying areas. They planned to expand the territory, search for water, and create a burgeoning world of prosperity and hope where now there was none.
She'd assumed William would stay with Daniel and learn more about the way things were going to be run, but he'd been showing less interest in it every day, and had asked Max to step in to take over for him completely yesterday. She knew it was because of their father's death, but she also knew that he wouldn't talk about it. Maybe when he came back from his journey, but not now. She understood his urge to run away, but it was still tearing her up inside and she prayed that he found whatever it was he was looking for and came back to her soon.
It had taken everything she had not to cry when he'd told her, and she could feel tears burning her eyes again. She longed to tell him to stay, that she needed him, but he'd never confined her or disapproved of her decisions. This was something he had to do and she wasn't going to try and dissuade him no matter how much she wanted to.
"You're the one that likes heights, shouldn't you be up here?" he protested from the roof of one of the new homes being erected in the bailey.
Aria grinned at him as she wiped her hands on her dirty pants. "I have a wedding to help plan," she reminded him. "Unless you want Melinda to come out here to retrieve me again?"
He made a face as he shook his head briskly. The last time Melinda had come out here to retrieve Aria, she'd forced William and Max into the palace in order to be fitted for tuxes. They'd both gone out of their way to avoid her since. "Go! Go!" he urged with a quick wave of his hand before hastily retreating from sight. His hand reappeared to wave her briskly away once more but he didn't look over at her again.
She laughed as she turned away from the house and made her way to the stables with her constant companion at her side. There was a colicky horse she wanted to check on before retreating to the palace. "Are you ready for more wedding planning?"
Xavier crooked an eyebrow at her as he shook his head. "I never knew there were so many different flowers before."
"Neither did I."
Xavier followed her into the stable and waited as she entered the mare's stall. She was relieved to find the mare more relaxed and some fresh manure in the corner. Patting the mare's back and neck, she moved slowly around her as she spoke softly with her for a few moments.
"Xavier can you bring me some hay? I think she might be ready to eat now." Aria rested her hand on the horse's neck as she waited for an answer, or for her guardian to appear. She heard nothing though, and the stable remained oddly hushed. "Xavier?"
The dim light danced and swayed as shadows flitted around the dusky interior of the barn. A chill slid down Aria's spine, her hand fell from the mare's neck as a rustle of movement drifted to her. "Xavier?" she called, trying to keep the nervousness from her voice.
Silence continued to greet her. The scent of hay, straw and horse seemed even more acute as she remained immobile. Her body became still in ways it never could have been if she was human. For the first time she didn't miss the beat of her heart as her ears picked up sounds that the beat would have muted. Calmness settled over, her heightened senses opened as she searched the surroundings outside of the stall.
A smell that she'd never experienced before reached her. It was body odor, decay and rot all rolled into one disgusting blend. It was old and decrepit but also strangely powerful. The image of a walking corpse filtered through her mind as a soft rustle reached her. She opened her mouth to call out to Xavier again but thought better of it. Whatever was out there, it wasn't Xavier.
A shadow fell across the stall door seconds before feet shuffled into view. If she'd still had a heartbeat it would be on the verge of exploding. She couldn't tear her gaze away from those filthy feet with their overgrown toenails and ragged cuts. The bottom of the pants were tattered and so incredibly soiled that she couldn't even discern the color of them anymore. A lump formed in her
throat, tears burned her eyes as she arrived at the disgusting shirt that was in much the same condition, but the hole and bloodstain on it were still clearly discernible.
It took every ounce of courage she had to force her eyes to continue upward. The haggard features, obscured by dirt and decay, were almost indiscernible. The grayish skin sagged, the outline of the skull was clearly visible as cheekbones stood out severely and the eyes had sunken in. A piece of the bottom lip, right ear, and half the left side of the nose were gone. Nausea twisted through her as she realized they'd probably been eaten off while he was buried. Perhaps even more had been missing, but even as she watched the lesions on his face and arms seemed to be knitting together and repairing themselves.
Her nose wrinkled, she recoiled from the smell radiating from this thing standing across from her with blazing ruby eyes. The mare snorted, she shifted nervously in the stall as a low whinny escaped her and she spun suddenly. Aria just managed to avoid being knocked over as the mare shoved her toward the hideous creature at the front of the stall.
A scream surged up her throat; she drew on her recently acquired vampire strength to lunge back. She wasn't quick enough though, even partly decayed and slightly rotten the king was still faster than her. He seized hold of her throat, propelling her backward as he slammed her into the wall with enough force to shake it. Pain lanced through her back, the mare squealed and bolted from the stall.
Aria envied the horse greatly as the monstrosity holding her lowered his face to hers. His lips skimmed back to reveal his pointed teeth and black, black, gums. A shudder of revulsion rippled through her, she tried to twist her head away but he seized hold of her cheeks and squeezed. The reek of putrefaction entrenched her; she wished she was still human so it wouldn't be so potent. A small whimper escaped her as she finally managed to get her hands in between them.
Beneath the shirt, she could feel the pliancy of his skin, and for a moment she thought her fingers were going to sink right into it. She gagged involuntarily, even if she couldn't breathe, she felt herself spiraling toward a panic attack.
This couldn't be possible! She'd seen Caleb kill him! She'd been there for it! Yet as his fingers dug into her cheeks to force her lips out, and his black tongue slithered out to brush against her mouth, she couldn't deny the reality, no matter how badly she wanted to. She nearly vomited on him as he pushed against her.
"Someone's no longer human," he murmured against her ear as he sniffed along her neck. A shudder rippled through her, bile surged up her throat. "My son thinks he can keep you, but he's wrong. I'll be keeping you."
"How?" she croaked as he forced her head to the side.
"You think a simple stake is going to kill me? I'm almost fifteen hundred years old, there's plenty you don't know about me, bitch. I know plenty about you though, especially where you are, always." His fingers flitted up and down her neck before resting on the marks that Braith had left on her last night. "I'm going to make you pay, and I'm going to make my son pay. No one can defeat me."
Pain, unlike any she'd ever known, exploded through her as his teeth sank into her neck and he began to replenish his depleted strength with hers.
***
Gideon handed Braith the truce agreement that had been written with the border towns. He knew most of the concessions and promises that had been made within the agreement, but even so he read it carefully to make sure everything met his approval. The border towns would be sending an elected representative to join The Council next week. In exchange, they would consent to representatives from the palace moving into the towns for an unspecified amount of time to ensure that all slavery was ended.
Braith nodded as he grabbed the pen and hastily added his signature to the document. His hand was cramped from the endless signatures, but they were finally reaching an end, finally forming a solid union with everyone that had been involved in the war. He flexed his fingers as he sat back in his chair and surveyed the room.
Things weren't perfect, far from, but they were better than he'd thought they'd be at this stage. They'd formed alliances, they were rebuilding, the donation center wasn't thriving, but more people were coming around to the prospect of giving their blood. There were still fights, and there would be continuing violence for awhile, but even that had started to slow as stability was beginning to return in the form of homes, businesses, and a solid government.
He also had Aria. It was more than he ever could have hoped for, more than he ever had hoped for. He was going to have an eternity to enjoy their marriage, an eternity to enjoy her. The thought caused a small smile to tug at his lips. He knew she would be coming in soon to meet with Melinda, he thought he might be able to slip away for a few minutes in order to intercept her. Unknowingly, he began to tap the pen harder as he planned out his brief escape.
The pen tapped harder on the table, he didn't realize his foot had dropped to the floor as an uneasy feeling began to twine through his stomach. "Easy there fidgets," Daniel said as he signed the document and passed it on.
The pen cracked in his hand, ink ran out to coat his fingers as he stood slowly. A sense of doom slithered like a serpent through him as he searched the room for whatever danger he felt licking across his skin. Even as he searched though, he began to realize that whatever was wrong wasn't coming from in here, but from somewhere else.
It was Aria, something was wrong with Aria. He didn't know how he knew, didn't know why he was so certain of it, but he knew that something wasn't right with her.
"Braith?"
An involuntary snarl ripped from him as Gideon rose from his chair. Gideon took a startled step back. "Aria."
He didn't look back as he moved from the room faster than he'd ever moved in his life.
***
After the initial burst of agony that nearly drowned her within its dark depths, Aria managed to regain enough control of herself to begin to put up a fight. Her hands fisted as they were ineffectively pinned against his mushy chest. She squirmed against him as she tried to bring her legs up between them in order to get some leverage against his savage attack. Using the palm of his hand, he pressed it flat against her face as he pushed it hard against the wood of the stall.
She kicked at him, but with his body flat against hers she was unable to get in a good shot at him. She finally managed to break one of her pinned hands free, he blocked her from punching him, but her fingers hooked into claws that she was able to rake down the side of his face. A choked scream escaped her at the feel of the bugs beneath the squishy skin she'd managed to tear free. His skin broke away with a vile odor that nearly overwhelmed her.
Her struggles increased but it was like pitting a lion against a lamb as he growled low and bit down harder. Even half dead, he was ten times stronger than she was, and his strength was increasing as hers weakened. She put every ounce of power she had into her legs and arms as she gave one final attempt to shove him off of her.
A startled cry escaped, she dropped onto her butt as the king abruptly released her. She looked up in time to see Braith heaving him one handed across the stall by his shoulder. The wooden wall gave way, collapsing beneath the impact of the king's body as it shattered around him. She stared in disbelief at the wreckage as ruined wood continued to topple down on the king.
Aria's hand fumbled at the trail his teeth had raked across her throat as she tried to staunch the flow of blood. Braith was suddenly before her, his hands on her cheeks as he turned her head toward him. "Are you ok?" he demanded.
"I'm fine," she assured him. "I'm fine."
"Who did this?" His upper lip curled as his eyes shimmered red.
"You didn't see?" she gasped. He shook his head as he pulled her hand away to examine her neck. "Braith it's your…"
She broke off as the broken fragments of wood exploded outward. Braith enveloped her with his body as splinters, boards and beams rained down around them. He grunted beneath the impact of the debris as he protected her from the dangerous wood crashing against him. r />
Silence filled the broken stall as the last board clattered to the ground. Braith's face was warm against hers, the stubble rough on her cheek as he waited to see if there was anything more coming at them. "Hold onto me."
Her hands encircled his biceps; his muscles flexed beneath her grasp as he lifted her against him and surged back to his feet. Releasing her, he planted both hands on either side of her head and pressed closer as he turned his head to face the new threat.
The muscles in his arms vibrated beside her head as his fangs extended over his bottom lip. He actually did a double take as his father stepped from the wreckage with far more aplomb than Aria had expected from a man wearing rags and still missing part of his nose. The king appeared refreshed and better than he had before, thanks to her blood. He wiped the blood from where she had gouged his face but the marks were already gone. Straightening the remains of his shirt, he eyed them both with amusement.
"Father," Braith finished for her.
- CHAPTER 25 -
Braith couldn't keep his astonishment hidden as his father took another step away from the ruined wall. It was a sight he'd never even imagined he would ever see, never mind actually experience. There was a part of him that felt like a child again, cowering beneath his father's heavy hand, unable to defend himself from the repeated blows, unable to escape the abuse that his father so jovially inflicted upon him.
Another part of him, the adult one, the king one, the one shielding Aria, wanted to rip the entire barn down and shred the man looking at him with such delight. Red shadowed his vision as the scent of Aria's blood drifted up to him and a snarl curved his lip. He'd dared to touch her again and Braith was going to make him pay for that. After everything this man had done to Aria, to him, and countless other innocents, Braith knew that he could not let him survive this. There was no way he would allow this man to touch her again, to be in charge again; no way he would allow him to unravel all of the good they had already created here.