"It's okay, 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, and he needed her with him to keep himself steady. Otherwise, he might injure someone in this room, someone she cared about, or 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?" Melinda asked 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, but 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. "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 and standing on tiptoe, she pulled him down to her to make sure 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 get hurt. In fact, they've been trying to protect you for a while. Anyone of them could have tried to kill you in the palace."
"I'm not risking your life," he muttered.
"You won't be," she promised. "Just let her untie Ashby. 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, and a muscle jumped in his cheek. For a 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 each other. Aria's heart went out to them, and 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. Something was changing inside Braith, something evolving within him that frightened her.
She'd been aware that he'd had no solid plan when they 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, 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 watched them fixedly with his head turned to the side as he inspected her. He was usually clean shaven, but he had a couple of days worth of growth shadowing his strong jaw.
His hair was dark auburn like hers and William's, but recently it had become streaked with strands of white, and so had his beard. His eyes were a bright, piercing green that 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 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 okay, dad."
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 rested 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 who claimed my daughter as a blood slave; you're the one who 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 wasn’t 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 who 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 in his head, and his hair stood up in disarray. Braith pushed her back as Max charged at them.
Jack leapt forward and snagged Max's arm as Braith released a snarl that caused 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 anticipated the punch, and it knocked him off balance. Not only had he not expected the first blow, but he sure hadn't expected the one-two combinations Max laid on him next.
Daniel and William lunged at Max, but he had already shaking off Jack and was charging back at them.
"You're lying!" Max 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 in ways she could never imagine. Max didn't understand her love for Braith because he was convinced 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 her. She thrust herself forward and threw herself between Max and Braith. Unfortunately, she hadn't seen what it was Max wielded in his hand until it was too late. His arm came forward, and the metal blade whipped through the air 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 at him and to try to 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. It had to hurt like a bitch, but Braith showed no sign of that as he reached around her, grabbed the handle 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 and plopped onto the wooden floor. Aria gul
ped; she was terrified of what Braith's reaction would be. She could feel the deadly tension vibrating through him. He was so infuriated 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 idea he’d nearly killed her, seemed to have regained some control over himself. Braith, not surprisingly, was the first to react. He fisted his hand and twisted it before him.
Aria was horrified by the blood spilling freely from the large gash. She started to grab for him, but he seized her hand, his touch surprisingly gentle for the pain he had to be suffering.
"Braith," Jack said.
Aria heard 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 what he saw on Braith’s face had to be terrifying.
Though he was large, temperamental, and powerful, Braith had always been relatively mellow and kind to 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 frightened her now.
Aria turned; she had to see him and see 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, seized 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 spun, the confusion in the room was mind-numbing.
"That's enough, Maxwell!" her father commanded sharply.
But even her father, a man who helped to raise Max, a man Max highly respected and listened to, could not pierce the fury enshrouding 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 people, and he needs to die for his perversity!" Max cried.
Aria recoiled from his words, feeling as if she'd been slapped, feeling as if she was the one who was stabbed. For the first time, she realized Max would never forgive her for this. She had lost him forever.
"You bitch!" he spat at her.
Aria gasped, but it wasn’t Max's words that caused her reaction. It was 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 away. 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 Braith's shoulders, but Aria knew they were nothing more than annoying gnats to him.
"I don't care what was done to you!" Braith roared as his face twisted into an expression 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 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 kicked against the wall.
"Braith!" Jack yelled, pulling uselessly at Braith's arm. "Let go of him! Damn it, 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 yelled.
She shoved her way past Ashby. Grabbing Braith's arm, the one pinning Max to the wall, she gave a hard tug on it. It was like trying to bend iron, and he barely noticed 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 accidentally 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 to catch her before she could hit the floor. Max dropped like a weight and hit the ground with a loud thump.
Aria gazed up at Braith in stunned disbelief. He had been so fast 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 at her.
Ignoring the rest of them, he turned away and strode with her across the room. The vampire girl was watching them in surprise, but the keen interest in her gaze somewhat unnerved her.
Aria peeped around Braith's massive shoulder. Jack and Ashby were helping Max to his feet, and he was rubbing his throat; the imprint of Braith's hand was visible on 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."
Aria ducked away; she looked up at Braith. She’d never been frightened of him, she had even slapped him once, but she was genuinely terrified for anyone he felt was a threat to her.
For the first time, she realized the depth of his desire to protect her. He had let Max go this time, but he would not do it again. Melinda studied them, her gaze disbelieving as she turned toward Braith, and then Ashby.
Aria saw the silent communication that passed between them, the intensity of their stares, and their concern.
"Put me down, Braith," she urged.
He slipped her easily from his arms and balanced her on her feet. "Are you okay?" he inquired as he pushed her hair away from her face to study her.
"I'm fine; I'm fine," she assured him hastily.
She grasped his wounded hand and pulled it before her. He kept it fisted, but at her persistent prodding, he reluctantly unfolded it. She gaped at him in astonishment, her mouth dropping as she rapidly fumbled with his hand. Blood still marred his skin, but there was nothing there. Not anymore.
She stared in awe, unable to believe that what she was seeing was real. It was there, she knew a cut had been there, but there wasn't even one scratch upon his flesh anymore. His hand curled around hers; he pulled her close for a quick kiss on her forehead.
"It's okay, Arianna, I hardly felt a thing."
She gazed at him, astounded by the rate in which the wound vanished. She knew vampires healed rapidly, but this was something not only stunning, and amazing, but also a little unnerving. She couldn't stop the shiver of trepidation running down her spine.
"Braith?"
When he kissed her again, his fingers lingered on the nape of her neck. "I'm good."
She squeezed his hand, wishing they could go somewhere and be alone for a few minutes to recoup. Unfortunately, that wasn’t possible right now.
He turned away from her, and though he didn't try to block her from everyone again, he kept his hand on the wall by her head, and his other hand on her waist. She was aware that he held himself in a better position to stop her if she tried to jump forward again.
She chafed against the invisible restraints he had placed on her and his protective urges, but it would only irritate him more if she fought with him. Braith ha
d to think he was in control right now, even if he wasn't.
Max was still in the grip of Ashby and Jack, but he wasn't trying to fight them anymore. He was staring at her and Braith as if they had just sprouted two heads, jumped on a table, and started dancing a jig while singing at the top of their lungs. Aria understood his reaction, if it had been anyone else from their camp, she would have felt the same way.
But it wasn't anyone else, it was her; she knew what she felt for Braith was real, and it was so good and pure that it made them both stronger and better.
"It appears we have a lot to discuss,” her father said.
Aria looked across the room, trying to keep up the appearance of strength and courage, but her father was staring at her in a way that made her feel like a child all over again. She wanted to go to him and hug him; she wanted to be his little girl for one more minute, but she knew she could never be his little girl again.
She wanted to apologize and tell her father she had never wanted any of this, but she couldn't. It was true that the last thing she expected was to fall in love with a vampire, but she wouldn't change any of it.
"Yes," she agreed.
Chapter Seventeen
"Our mother's family was nearly as powerful as our father's,” Jack said. “They were married over a thousand years ago when the world was a different place, just as it was different a hundred years ago before the war started. At the time of their marriage, superstition ruled, witches were burned, and our kind was relegated to the shadows. Our father always chafed against that, but he knew to try and come out during those times would only result in death. So he waited. He bided his time, and he married our mother so he would have more power, and more allies, for when the war broke out.
"And yes, I think he was making plans to start it even back then," Jack said swiftly, cutting off Braith's question before he could ask. "I think he planned it for even longer than that. He stayed with our mother, continued to have children with her. He had to keep up the pretense he cared for her a little more than the rest of the nobles cared for their spouses, had to treat her well if he was going to keep her family as an ally.
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