A low growl of frustration issued from Braith. The hair on Aria's neck and arms rose as he stalked toward Ashby. She was afraid he was going to kill Ashby; apparently, Ashby felt the same way as he recoiled from Braith's approach.
When Aria leapt to her feet to stop Braith, the girl charged at her with a violent hiss. Aria spun but was caught off guard by the girl's sudden attack. Overwhelmed by the brutality the girl radiated, Aria stumbled away as the girl lunged forward with a ferocious snarl, red eyes, and hooked fingers.
Aria was defenseless as she’d left her bow on the sofa. Reacting on instinct alone, she slammed a fist into the girl's cheek, putting the full force of her weight behind it. Aria's blow barely did anything to affect the vampire, but the ropes caught suddenly and roughly jerked her back. The girl fell on her ass; a frustrated cry escaped her as she slammed her hands on the floor.
Braith was before her, and his hands grasped her arms. "Are you okay?" he demanded.
Aria gulped as she tried to calm the frantic beat of her heart.
"Arianna?"
"I'm fine," she assured him.
He grasped her chin and turned her face toward him. His eyes were dark and simmering with the barely contained bloodlust pulsating through him. She had seen that look a few times from him before, but it still scared her, mainly because she knew there was nothing she could do to stop whatever it was he had in mind.
"Braith..."
But it was not the girl Braith took his anger out on; it was her. His mouth seized hers in a desperate, needy kiss that left her staggered and shaken. He took firm possession of her as he pulled her roughly against him.
Though she was initially shocked into immobility by his fervent desire, she began to melt against him. She gave in to his wild passion, mainly because she couldn't refuse him anything, but also because she needed this as badly as he did. His hand was firm in her hair; his fingers cradled her head as he deepened the kiss. His tongue was hot and heady as it swept into her mouth.
When he reluctantly pulled away from her, his arms trembled as he rested his forehead against hers. Aria couldn't catch her breath as she struggled to calm the hum of passion his kiss had ignited. She gripped his strong, corded arms as she sought to keep herself grounded in this strange new world and the overwhelming sensations he evoked in her.
"I need you to go into the other room."
"Braith—"
"Just for a minute, Arianna, I don't want you to see this."
Disbelief and disgust tore through her as she realized what he planned to do. They were outnumbered here, between Ashby and the girl they were under constant threat of attack. But the girl was tied up and defenseless. It wasn't right. She was shaking her head, trying to get words out, but he was already pushing her toward the door of another room.
"Braith, wait." She frantically grasped at his arms. "Don't do this."
"I'm not going to kill her."
"But—"
"It's okay, Arianna; go on now, just for a moment."
She was frowning at him, but he’d already managed to navigate her through the doors and into a room that appeared to be a library. Braith glanced around, displeasure crossing his features as he took in the vast array of books.
"Braith?"
He kissed her quickly before spinning away from her. "I just need some time alone with them, with him. Stay in here."
She didn't have time to argue with him as he closed the door. Exasperation and disbelief surged through when she heard the lock click into place. Her hands fisted; she bit her bottom lip in frustration as she fought the urge to race at the door and pound on it until he opened it again.
It would appear childish, she knew, but she also knew she was not going to be confined to this damn room, and she was not going to let him order her around like this.
She made her way rapidly through the other rooms. As she moved through the ramshackle house, the rooms and doorways became more haphazard. It was easy to tell what had been the original house, and what the newest additions to the massive tree structure were.
The floor creaked beneath her, but she wasn't worried it might collapse, it seemed stable enough. She passed by an extended version of the library, a rather large and surprisingly well-equipped kitchen, a den, three bedrooms, and two bathrooms with showers. Blessed showers, that if they were here long enough, and things settled down, she was going to enjoy.
Then, there were the empty rooms, apparently built just to keep Ashby busy during his time of confinement. The additions weaved deeper through the forest, branching off into new and different angles. Limbs from the trees had been used for support and incorporated into the rambling structure.
Despite its empty air, and somewhat lonely feel, something about the strange house intrigued her. She’d always been more at home within the trees than anywhere else, and this was the kind of place she could one-day call home. The strange realization was astounding even to her. She'd never thought about having a stable home, but it felt right somehow.
She came to the end of the structure, stopping as she came face to face with the wall before her. Frustration filled her; she’d hoped this meandering labyrinth somehow came back around on itself, but it didn't.
Fighting the urge to kick the wall, Aria fisted her hands and spun back around. She yearned to be with Braith, but she wouldn't be relegated to this small role. She would not be ordered about and hidden away like a child who couldn't fend for herself.
She could fend for herself; in fact, she was far better at it than almost anyone else she knew.
Maybe she wasn't as quick and strong as a vampire, but she had her own set of skills that elevated her above most humans. She stormed back through the rooms, determined to have it out with Braith. Aria was making her way through the kitchen when he appeared in the doorway. She could see the barely contained tension simmering beneath his surface and the thin thread of control he had over himself.
Aria froze as she took him in. He was pushy and overbearing, but for the first time, she glimpsed the fear he was trying to keep from her. The fear he couldn’t keep her safe, and he would lose her. She also saw the strain he was going through at having to face Ashby.
Braith's eyes were smoldering, his shoulders rigid. His thirst was nearly palpable within the room. He’d fed recently, but the stress of their current situation was wearing on him. She felt he hadn't realized how strenuous and draining this would be on him.
She couldn't promise him they would be safe, and make it through this, but she could help to ease the burning hunger radiating from him. She pulled her shirt down to bare the new marks on her skin to him.
His eyes latched on her shoulder; she saw the press of his fangs against the inside of his clamped mouth. A muscle twitched in his cheek. She didn't jump when he slammed his hand against the wall, causing a few pots within one of the cabinets to shift and fall with a muted rattle.
"It's too soon. No,” he said.
The words were grated at her, harsh with the exertion he used to maintain control of himself.
"I can take it,” she said.
"You were hurt pretty badly today. No."
He was going to fight her; she knew that. No matter how much he needed this, her safety was number one with him. And if he felt he would harm her, or this would be a danger to her, then he wouldn’t do it.
But she was far more stubborn then he was, and she wanted this as badly as he needed it. She was beginning to realize she craved him feeding on her as much as he desired her blood. Despite the brief pain the experience brought her, it also produced moments of pure, unadulterated joy.
It was thrilling and wondrous to sustain him with blood. It was exhilarating to have him on her, in her, gaining strength from her. She may not be the only one he could obtain such nourishment from, but she was the only one he wanted to feed on anymore. If he was going to have any relief, she was the only one who could give it to him.
Her heart thumped with the excitement of that knowledge as she
moved toward him.
"Arianna."
His voice was a soft plea, but she couldn't back down from this. He may not feel it was safe to feed on her right now, but he had to. She stopped before him. He pulled her shirt up, but she caught his hand, resting it against her chest, on top of her heartbeat.
"Do you feel that?" she asked. His eyes were dark, stormy as he raised his gaze to hers. She knew he could feel it, it was impossible not to feel the forceful beat of it. "It's yours. I am yours, Braith. I'm strong, and I can handle this; take what you have to from me."
He still vibrated with hunger, but his eyes filled with awe. His fingers curled against her chest; he bent to kiss her forehead, then her cheek, and ear. "I am yours also, Arianna, never doubt that."
"I never will," she vowed.
His hand curled into her hair, caressing her tenderly. Though his finger trailed over the old marks, he didn't bite her, but merely stood over her, soothing and stroking her. His muscles rippled against her, and she felt his weakening. He kissed her neck gingerly, the hard press of his fangs causing her heart to lurch with excitement.
A low moan of pleasure escaped, and her knees nearly buckled when he bit into her, joining them once again. She clung to him, shaking as waves of ecstasy crashed over her. No matter how awful the world around them was, this one moment of perfect bliss, and pleasure was worth every horror she knew was coming their way if it wasn't already here.
He nuzzled her as he licked the lingering drops of blood from her skin. He hadn't taken as much as he usually would.
"You must take more—"
"I'm fine," he interrupted.
"Braith, you have to stay strong, take more."
"It is too soon for you."
She swallowed as she tried to rid herself of the lump forming in her throat. Though the next words were going to kill her, she managed to strangle them out. "Then you must go to someone else."
His hands stilled on her, and he lifted her face to him. She couldn't hide the sorrow such a thought caused her. It would be awful for him to turn to someone else for this, terrible for her, but he had to feed. He had to stay strong, especially now, and she couldn't give him all he required.
Maybe one day, when there wasn't so much pressure and strain on him, she could be enough. But that wasn't today, and it probably wasn't going to be anytime soon. They both had to accept he would have to go somewhere else, to someone else, and there was nothing either of them could do to stop it from happening.
"That thought doesn't make you happy,” he said.
"Of course not, but I would rather you stay strong than have you get hurt because you were hungry, or weak."
"I will not be either one of those things."
"Braith—"
"I will find other ways, Arianna. I will substitute what you cannot give me with animals."
"Is that the same?" she whispered.
He smiled as he kissed her nose lightly. "It may not taste as good, but it is just as nourishing. Nothing tastes as good as you." She shook her head at him as he pushed her hair back. "You're the most delicious thing I've ever encountered."
Aria shuddered; a thrill of pleasure ran down her spine as her body swayed closer to his. "You don't have to say that," she breathed.
"It's true." His hand was on her neck, his palm pressed over the marks there. His marks. "I don't want anyone but you, Arianna. The idea of it is repulsive to me, especially since I know it upsets you."
"I won't let you suffer."
"I will not suffer, and I will not turn to someone else. You are mine; you will always be mine."
His voice rang with possessiveness, and she could feel his tension spiking again. For the first time, she realized it wasn't just this entire situation that had him out of sorts but also her. It was a frightening and disconcerting realization. She didn't know how to help ease the stress thrumming through him.
"The thought of you turning to someone else, for anything, makes me want to destroy this entire place and shred someone limb from limb,” he said. “I wouldn't inflict such hurt on you by using another to sustain me."
She stared at him in surprise, disturbed by the rapid change she sensed in him. Troubled by the fact she was a large part of the instability she sensed growing inside him.
"I would never do that," she promised.
He was dark, remorseless, and distant in a way he hadn't been since she first met him. For a moment, it seemed as if he didn't see her and was trapped in the thought of her with another man.
"Braith, I would never turn to someone else. You are the only one who has ever made me feel like this."
She didn't think he was aware his sudden instability had caused his fangs to lengthen again. He closed his eyes for a moment; when he opened them again, she was relieved to see a softening in his gaze.
"I know, Arianna. I know you wouldn't."
"Never, Braith. Never." She hoped her insistence would help get through to him, but she still sensed something dark and turbulent beneath his calm exterior. His hand was tense on her neck, his grip almost bruising. "The thought is repulsive to me."
"I know."
"Then why do you seem so troubled? So angry?"
He looked startled by her observation, and his gaze darted to his hand. His eyes filled with a self-hatred that rattled her. He pulled his hand away as he took a small step back from her.
"I'm sorry, Arianna; I didn't mean to hurt you."
"You didn't," she assured him quickly, terrified by the strange gap she felt expanding between them. A gap she didn't understand, just as she didn't understand what was going on with him. She enveloped his hand in hers. "Braith, you could never hurt me."
He didn't look appeased by her words. He didn't even look as if he believed them. "We should return."
"Braith, what is wrong?" she demanded, frightened by the strange air encompassing him.
He grabbed her and pulled her against him. A small gasp issued from her when he fell to his knees before her. He wrapped his arms around her waist and rested his head against her stomach.
"You humble me, Arianna. I don't deserve you; I did nothing to earn your love or the gift of sight your presence has brought back to my life."
Aria was frozen by the sight of the most powerful creature she’d ever known, her prince, on his knees before her, broken by the anguish pouring from him. An anguish she didn’t understand.
Tears spilled from her and her chest constricted in distress. She buried her hands in his hair as a low cry escaped her. She bowed over him, cradling him against her as she fought not to give in to her urge to sob.
She humbled him, he felt he didn't deserve her, but if it hadn't been for him, she would still be dead and lost inside. She may well be dead if he hadn't been there to claim her as a blood slave.
If it weren't for him, she never would have known the joy of love, the wonder of things she'd never understood until he walked into her life. If it weren't for him, she never would have learned what life was truly about, and she would have lost out on so much without his love to save her.
She slid to her knees before him, clinging to him as he enveloped her, rocking her against him, holding her, and touching her so reverently she could barely breathe through the love building within her. His presence overwhelmed her; it floored her and rocked her with its intensity.
His hands were in her hair as his mouth and tongue took possession of hers. His kiss was passionate and burning with a desperation that left her shaken. For the first time, she realized that though he didn't pressure her, there was something else he wanted more than her blood.
He also wanted her body.
Aria shuddered, desire pooled through her. It was something she hadn't been ready for, something she hadn't given because circumstances always seemed to separate them. But even though they were on the run, adrift in a world that provided no security, there were no barriers between them anymore. She didn't care they were kneeling on a kitchen floor right now; she was so swept up in
the aching desire pulsating through her.
He pulled away from her, shaking as he held her. "Arianna," he moaned.
"I understand. I know what you need." But though she said the words, she wasn't sure they were right. She knew he craved this as badly as she did, but she wasn't entirely sure it would be enough. She sensed he might require more than just her blood and her body. He already had her heart and soul; she didn't know what else she could give him to ease the distress she sensed growing within him.
"Arianna." His voice was a low groan of torment. "You are so innocent. So sweet—"
"I'm not that sweet."
His smile was strained; his eyes dark and tortured. "True," he agreed. She grinned at him, sensing the easing in his mood she’d been hoping for. "There is so much you don't know about me. So much you could never understand. There are things I have done—"
She placed her fingers over his mouth, silencing him. "Don't, Braith. You're not going to scare me away; you are not going to drive me away. You are not your father; you are not Caleb."
"I am a killer."
"I have killed also," she managed to choke out.
"In self-defense. I killed for pleasure, for joy."
She tried to turn away from him; she had no desire to hear this. She knew what he was, knew what he was capable of; she had witnessed the full force of his brutality earlier. He grabbed her and pulled her back toward him.
"You have to hear this, Arianna."
"I understand, Braith; you don't have to do this."
"I do because you don't understand. I never killed for pleasure, never killed for the joy of it." She frowned at him, not understanding where he was going with this. "Until Jack took you away from me."
Aria recoiled, and the color drained from her face. He was right; she didn't understand this. He had told her about the blood slaves he'd taken after her escape, and though she hadn't asked, she assumed he hadn't killed them. The Braith she knew was kind, caring, overly protective, and as willing to die for her as he was willing to kill for her, but he was not vicious. And this conversation was taking a turn toward cruelty she hadn't expected from him.
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