Seeming to realize she wasn’t going to bend, Braith placed her down but didn’t release her. He kept his arm latched around her waist.
“My family won’t come for me,” Aria declared. “No matter what happens, no matter what is done to me, they will not come for me. They can’t.”
Braith’s fingers clutched on her stomach as he pressed her back flat against him. Astonishment filtered over Jack’s face as he surveyed her and Braith.
“Damn it, Arianna! You should have told me!” Braith roared, causing her to flinch in response.
She shuddered, wishing she could take solace in his arms like she had before, but there was no solace to be found this time. Telling him wouldn’t have changed any of this; it only would have denied her the few moments of happiness she’d found with him.
No matter what, she wouldn’t trade those moments for anything, not even to avoid this. He couldn’t protect her from this; he couldn’t stop his family from torturing her, not once his brother revealed who she truly was. She didn’t pretend to kid herself he could; it would be impossible.
Aria closed her eyes against the hot wash of tears filling them.
“I can’t let you turn her in, Jericho.”
Braith’s words caused her eyes to fly open in shock. She trembled in his grasp, uncertain she’d heard him right. He released her to push her behind him and pin her against the door.
“I can’t let you tell them it’s her,” Braith stated.
Amazement radiated from Jack as his gaze darted between them. “What are you saying?” he demanded.
“I’m saying you won’t leave this room until we figure out something, but it will not involve you taking her, and it will not involve you telling them who she is.”
Aria rested her fingers on Braith’s back, too taken aback to move for a second. Slowly, she peered around his back to look at Jack.
“Braith—” Jack started.
“You may be mature now, but I can still take you,” Braith warned.
Aria gaped in astonishment; Jack’s mouth dropped as his dark eyebrows shot into his hairline.
“Braith,” she breathed. Her fingers curled into the shirt he wore; it awed her he was willing to protect her. He was going against his kind, going against his family, for her.
“She can’t stay here, Braith,” Jack retorted. “You know that.”
“You’re not giving her to them!” Braith took a threatening step toward his brother.
Aria jerked on his shirt. His body quivered with rage. She didn’t want to die, didn’t want to be handed over to be tortured and used against her family, but she also wasn’t going to watch two brothers fight because of her. If Braith were injured, she would never forgive herself.
“I never planned to,” Jack told him.
Both Aria and Braith started at his words.
“Excuse me?” Braith grated.
Jack rocked on his heels as he studied the two of them. “Apparently, we have a lot to discuss, but you can rest assured I’m not here to turn Aria over to our father.”
“Then what are you here for?” Aria whispered.
Jack’s eyes were remorseless when they met hers. “To bring you home.”
Aria’s fingers dug into Braith’s shirt as she trembled against him; she was thrilled by Jack’s words. Home! To be home in her forest, with her friends, and her family! To be free, running wild, back in the world she knew and loved so much, to be amongst the animals and trees, to breathe fresh air and not be leashed to do so. It was all so wonderful, and she craved it so badly she could almost taste it.
Then Braith turned toward her. She felt the heat of his gaze behind his glasses and the alarm filling him as she tilted her head back. She knew she couldn’t keep the hope from her gaze, but a new sense of longing swirled within her. She would have her freedom, but she would not have him. She clung to him, unable to stop the surge of anguish shooting through her.
What was wrong with her?
She should embrace this; she should be halfway out the door with Jack right now, not standing here feeling confused and heartbroken. Her head dropped against his chest; she could scarcely breathe through the loss swamping her.
She barely knew him but there was so much between them, so much that would keep them apart, yet the idea of separating from him was almost unbearable. He remained unmoving for a moment before his hand slid into her hair and he cradled her against him.
“Yes,” Braith agreed. “Apparently we do have a lot to discuss.”
Chapter Fourteen
Braith didn’t move away from the door; he didn’t let Arianna step away from him either. He wasn’t going to let her anywhere near Jericho, or Jericho anywhere near the door until he felt he could trust his brother, which might never happen.
“What happened here?” Jericho inquired.
“I might ask you the same question,” Braith retorted sharply.
Jericho’s gray eyes shone with merriment for a moment before they grew serious and harsh once more. Braith was right; his brother had matured. Jericho’s demeanor was always carefree and lively, but it wasn’t now.
Jericho looked perplexed and more than a little upset. He was thinner in the face, and in his build, most likely from not having access to the unlimited sustenance he’d enjoyed within the palace.
Although he was thinner, the muscles cording his body hadn’t been there before. A jagged scar marred his cheek, it was fresh though, and with time it would disappear. Just as in another fifty years, Braith wouldn’t have scars around his eyes anymore. It was only because of the severe amount of damage done to his eyes that the scars remained. He was still uncertain if he would ever fully regain his eyesight when he wasn’t in Arianna’s presence.
“What are you doing, Braith? If they discover this, they’ll kill her. Father might even kill you.”
Arianna’s fingers tensed on his shirt.
“And you plan on what, just walking out of here with her?” Braith asked. “Do you believe father would allow that? And if someone else had claimed her, then what Jericho, were you going to kill them to free her?”
“I have a plan.”
“And it doesn’t risk her life at all?” Braith growled.
Jericho’s gaze drifted toward Arianna. “There is always a risk, in everything we do. However, we felt the risk far outweighed the danger, if it meant getting Aria back.”
“You followed me up here after Caleb told you she was a redhead, were you going to kill me?”
Jericho shifted uneasily. “No. I was sent here to find out if Aria was even still alive, and to see if I could get her safely out without jeopardizing either of our lives.”
“And if you couldn’t?”
“Then I was to leave.”
Braith was somewhat put off by this statement. It made little sense to him, and he didn’t entirely believe it. “They sent you in here just to have you leave if you couldn’t do anything?”
“Jack worked his way up in our ranks; my father thinks very highly of him, he wouldn’t risk losing him. Especially if he feels he can trust him.” Arianna’s gaze remained wary as she surveyed his brother.
“Is that so, Jack?” Braith inquired sharply.
Jericho shrugged as he reached into the pocket of his coat. “I couldn’t give the rebels my real name, now could I? They may not know much about the royal family, or at least a lot of them don’t, but I wasn’t going to chance one of them possibly recognizing my name. And Jack is just less pretentious, don’t you think?” He pulled something from his coat pocket and stepped toward them. “Your father instructed me to give you this.”
Braith shifted, blocking her with his body as Jericho approached them. He snatched the thing from Jericho’s hand, a low rumble of warning issued from him when Jericho went to take another step toward her.
At one point in time, Jericho had been the only one he trusted, that wasn’t so now. Not when Arianna’s life was on the line. He didn’t want to kill his brother, but he would do wha
t was necessary to keep her safe. Jericho appeared startled as he retreated from them.
Arianna held out her hand, accepting the small silver pendant Braith gave her. Her mouth parted as she stared down at it with tears in her eyes. “He gave this to you?” she whispered.
“So you would know you could trust me, that I was telling the truth. Your father trusts me, Aria, and you must trust me too.”
Her fingers trembled as she stroked the silver horse head. Her eyes came up to Braith’s; a single tear slipped free as she spoke. “It was my mother’s; he would never give it to anyone he didn’t trust.”
Braith wiped the tear from her cheek; his hands enfolded hers as he turned his attention back to his brother. “And can he trust you?” Braith challenged.
“There are many things you don’t know about me, Braith, many things you have never known,” Jericho informed him.
“I can see that, but can he trust you, can I trust you?”
Jericho nodded. “If you desire her safety as much as her father and I do, then yes, you can trust me.”
Braith studied him carefully, not at all convinced by his words. “What was supposed to happen if you couldn’t get her, or yourself, out of here safely?”
Jericho’s eyes were grave when he leaned back and folded his hands behind him. “If I am unable to get us both to safety, I am to leave so David can come here.”
“Excuse me?” Arianna asked sharply; her head snapped up at Jericho’s words.
Jericho’s shoulders slumped as he ran his hand through his hair. “He’s not going to risk losing us both. If I couldn’t get you free, then I was to return to the woods, and he was going to offer himself in trade for you.”
Arianna’s breath hissed out of her; her hands clenched around the pendant. “That’s crazy! Why would he do such a thing!?”
“Because he loves you; because you are his child. Because he would rather give his own life than think of you as a blood slave for the rest of yours.”
Arianna shook her head rapidly. “No, he can’t do that! There are thousands of other lives depending on him. Mine is nothing compared to that. Nothing! He knows better than to do something so foolish!”
Jericho studied her silently. Braith was unable to wrap his mind around the words Jericho uttered. A father who would give his life for his child... it was unfathomable to him.
He stared at Arianna’s countenance, noting the stubborn set of her jaw, and the fire in her bright eyes. There was a rod of strength and courage running through her that was both admirable and slightly frightening. She was reckless, a danger to herself, and she had to be protected from the cruelty of the world. To give his life for her didn’t seem so unbelievably farfetched. It was a strange realization, one he’d never experienced before, and never expected to experience.
For her, he could and would do anything. Even see.
That truth slammed into his gut as his hands tightened around hers. He felt that was the reason why he could see when he was near her. Something inside of him had somehow recognized her spirit as belonging to him. And then, because he wanted to see the face behind the bright spirit so badly, his eyes finally worked enough to see her on the stage. He would always be able to see her; he would always be able to find her.
“Of course, he knows better,” Jericho agreed. “But he doesn’t care, not when it comes to you. If I couldn’t succeed in saving you, I was to try for Max and then retreat to the woods. Is Max still alive?”
“Yes,” Arianna whispered, her voice choked with emotion.
“Katrina has him,” Braith informed him.
Jericho nodded. “She might be difficult, but I’m sure I’ll be able to get to him. Your father will not have to come for you.”
“He was going to sacrifice himself for Max too?” she breathed.
Jericho shook his head. “No, your father cares for Max, and he is an important member of the rebellion, but he was not going to come for him. You are his daughter Aria, he loves you, and you are far more important to the rebellion than Max is.”
Arianna shook her head forcefully at him. “No, I’m not!” she protested. “Max is a strong fighter, he rallies people to the cause, and he knows the woods as well as I do!”
“No one knows those woods as well as you do,” Jericho muttered.
“It still makes no sense,” she whispered.
“As your father’s daughter, a man the rebels obviously admire and already follow, you would be able to rally the rebels to battle even more so than Max,” Braith explained sympathetically.
Arianna bit her bottom lip; her gaze darted swiftly up to him. “I don’t want this; I didn’t want any of this.”
She looked so lost, so frightened and sad. He’d never seen her like this; even dirty and bedraggled she’d displayed an admirable air of defiance. “I know, but it has to be dealt with.”
She turned back to Jericho. “My father had to know it would be a suicide mission, and that they wouldn’t release me, no matter what.”
Jericho’s gaze darted to Braith. “It was a chance he was willing to take if it meant he had the slightest possibility of saving your life. Daniel is capable of taking charge of the rebels within the camps, while William and I could lead the rebels outside the palace if your father had to come in here.”
All the color drained rapidly from her face. “William?” she choked. “You brought William near here? What were you thinking, Jack? What was my father thinking?”
“He’ll be fine,” Jericho assured her.
“Fine?” she sputtered, releasing Braith as she took an angry step forward. “Are you trying to get him killed!?”
“Aria—”
“Don’t you Aria me!” she retorted, suddenly charging at Jericho.
Braith was so thrown off by her sudden attack that he didn’t spring into immediate action to try and stop her. She was in front of Jericho poking him relentlessly in the chest as he backed away from her. Her broken demeanor was gone, she radiated fury now.
“What were the two of you thinking?” she demanded.
Jericho seized her finger, keeping it within his grasp when she tried to pull it back. Arianna let out a raspy grunt of frustration, then wound up and kicked him as hard as she could in the shin. Jericho jumped back as Arianna glared at him.
“Damn it, Aria!” he barked at her.
“You’re lucky I’m wearing this stupid dress and couldn’t get my foot any higher!” she snapped back.
Jericho glared at her; she returned it wholeheartedly. Braith stepped forward and seized Jericho’s arm. He didn’t think his brother would harm her; in fact, Jericho seemed to like and admire her. There appeared to be an almost sibling-like connection between them, but Braith didn’t want him touching her. He didn’t like the idea of any other man touching her, even if it was his brother. Jericho glared at her for a moment longer before releasing her hand. Arianna looked as if she was going to kick him again, but she restrained herself.
“Now,” Braith said coldly. “Who the hell is William?”
Arianna crossed her arms over her chest; displeasure radiated from her as she scowled ferociously. “My brother,” she answered.
“Her twin brother,” Jericho emphasized.
Braith didn’t entirely understand why that seemed to upset her so much. “Okay,” he said slowly.
Arianna finally turned her attention to Braith; the desperation in her eyes surprised him. “William and I are inseparable; we’re rarely apart. The only reason he wasn’t on the hunt with me that day was because he’d been wounded in a raid two days before. He’s my twin; he’s an extension of me just as I am of him. We’re a lot alike.”
“They’re both hotheaded and reckless,” Jericho explained further when Braith still didn’t fully grasp what she was saying. “I blame it on the hair.”
“You’re an ass!” she snapped, spinning on her heel and storming away. “You and my father are both idiots! William won’t stay away.”
She strode rapidly to
the door of the library where she stopped and stood uncertainly. Her arms wrapped around her stomach, she seemed torn, lost.
“That is why your father brought him.”
She turned back at Jericho’s words. “At least here your father can keep an eye on him and keep guards on him so he can’t break free and do something that could get us all killed. If he left William behind, then he wouldn’t be able to watch and monitor him.”
Arianna’s gaze flickered; then she bit her bottom lip and nodded. “You’re right,” she whispered.
Then she was moving again, coming back to Braith, slipping her hand into his. He didn’t think she was aware she’d just sought him out for comfort, but he was pleased by the notion. She stared up at him for a moment, her eyes searching his face.
“What do we do?” she asked.
He didn’t have an answer for her, but Jericho did. “Now, we make a plan to get you out of here.”
Dismay filled Arianna’s eyes; Braith felt a sharp twinge in his chest as his entire being recoiled at the idea. He knew she should leave, that she had to get somewhere safe, but he wasn’t sure he could let her go to do so.
Aria stared numbly out the window at the gardens; she hadn’t moved from the window seat since Jack and Braith left to attend the banquet. They were both required to be there, but neither of them was willing to let her anywhere near it.
Braith didn’t think Max would be brought, but he wasn’t willing to take the chance. No one knew how Max was going to react when he saw Jack was one of the royal family; they didn’t need her presence there to complicate things further.
The only problem was they hadn’t settled anything before they left, and now she felt lost, confused, torn between her family and a man she was beginning to realize she loved. She didn’t know when she started to love him; she supposed it was the night he comforted her after Lauren’s attack. The revelation of his beautiful, wounded eyes had cemented it.
But what did that mean? Where did that leave her? Where did that leave them?
The Captive Series 1-5 Page 15