The Captive Series 1-5

by Erica Stevens

  They seemed to silently communicate with each other before Ashby turned his attention back to them. "A bloodlink is something that occurs between vampires, and apparently with humans also. It happened to my parents; that is how I knew about it, and what the signs of it were. Most vampires believe it is a myth because it is so rare, but I knew it was real; I just never thought it would happen to me. My parents were fortunate enough to find each other and not have any obstacles in their way. Unfortunately, we weren't, and neither are you.

  "My parents saw the war as a chance to escape the tyrannical rule of your father; I saw it as a chance to break free of my wife. It was a chance to start anew and build a better life with Melinda, so I took it. You were caught in the crossfire, Braith, but I really didn't mean for you to get hurt. As retribution for our mutiny, my family was killed, but your father thought this was a better punishment for me."

  "Thankfully," Melinda breathed.

  "What exactly is a bloodlink?" Aria inquired.

  "It's a deep connection between vampires. Our blood calls to each other. We grow stronger when we share it. The connection is instantaneous, as Braith well knows, and it is unbreakable. It will eat you alive if you're kept apart, something else Braith seems to have discovered."

  "Stronger from it," Aria mulled.

  "Of course, dear," Ashby purred. "It's why Braith can see again, but I'm guessing it's only when you are near."

  "What?" Melinda gasped. "Braith?"

  Braith was silent for a moment; the tension in him was growing by the second. "Yes, I can see when she is near. What about the two of you?"

  Aria swallowed nervously. Braith could see, and it was a miracle, but could they also perform miracles? Had she completely misjudged this situation, was Braith weaker than them? She glanced at Melinda and Ashby and then turned back at Braith. No, it was apparent who the strongest was, but if Ashby were to get free...

  Melinda frowned fiercely. "Ashby—"

  "I know, love."

  "Melinda, you may be my sister, but if you don't tell me, I will destroy him," Braith told her.

  Aria shuddered, her hands tightened on Braith's arm. She wanted to promise she would never let that happen, the last thing Aria wanted was to ruin their love. However, if there was any chance they might attack Braith, she wasn't going to say anything; it was better they were afraid of Braith for now. Melinda took a protective step closer to Ashby.

  "We don't have anything like that, Braith. We're stronger because we have each other; we're stronger because the bond between us has made us stronger. We feed off each other, which is something most vampires will not allow to happen, our blood helps to enhance our power and speed. As a united front, we will prevail over a lone vampire, and death is the only thing that will divide us. But you—"

  "You are different," Ashby finished for her. "Maybe because she is human, maybe because you are the prince apparent, the firstborn, and your blood is more powerful than your siblings, but you've had a stronger reaction to the link than any I've ever heard of."

  "You've actually had a physical strengthening reaction without the blood," Melinda continued. "I'm assuming that is why you bought her in the first place... because you saw her then."

  Braith gave a firm nod of confirmation.

  "Imagine if she becomes a vampire?" Ashby pondered.

  "Is it possible?" Melinda wondered.

  Aria frowned at the two of them.

  "I don't know," Ashby admitted. "But I think they have more than a bloodlink. I think they may have an even stronger bond."

  "You may be right," Melinda agreed. "For him to get his eyesight back like that is so strange."

  "It is," Ashby confirmed.

  "Enough!" Braith snapped, causing Melinda to jump slightly. "Enough, the both of you, enough. If you are so close, then why is there another vampire here?"

  They both frowned in confusion then their gaze drifted to the girl who had stayed utterly silent, though she was listening raptly to them.

  "Oh her," Melinda replied, giggling softly.

  Ashby brought her hand up to his chest, enveloping it within his. Braith's composure was rapidly unraveling. They didn't know what they were messing with right now, didn't realize he was close to losing all control. Aria knew though. She had seen him in the woods with those vampires. She had seen what he was capable of, the punishment and death he could deal out so swiftly and without remorse.

  "Melinda," Aria prodded.

  The smile slipped from Melinda’s lips as she focused on Braith again. "She's just a girl from town; they knew I would be coming back soon."

  "How?" Braith growled. "And why would she come here?"

  "I manage to sneak out of the palace more often than you know. As the youngest and most ineffective child, no one ever pays attention to my comings and goings. I bring blood slaves here with me when I can to keep the vampires in the area quiet about the fact there are no guards anymore. She is here in the hopes of returning to town with whatever I might have managed to smuggle out."

  "Why?" Braith demanded.

  "To keep Ashby safe, of course. I killed the guards years ago, but Ashby couldn't escape. There was nowhere for us to go. Every village knows who Ashby is; father made certain of that, and the reward for him is large enough for any starving vamp to hand Ashby over, no matter how much they may hate father. But only one person, or one family, could get that reward, not the entire village. And no matter what, there was no guarantee father would give them the money. I bought the loyalty of the people closest to here by promising them a steady supply of blood, if they kept their mouths shut. It was more than father could promise all of them."

  Aria bowed her head beneath the implication of those words. Her people had been used to buy silence; their lives had been freely traded away as if they meant nothing.

  "Awful," she breathed.

  "Life is not always roses and sunshine, dear." A chill crept down Aria's spine; she found herself unable to hold Melinda's cold gaze. "And I would do anything to keep Ashby alive, just as I am assuming you would do the same for Braith."

  Aria bit on her bottom lip, she couldn't look at any of them. She would do anything for Braith, but to freely trade lives for his, she didn't think she could do that. But then, she was human, and they were not. They thought little of her species; humans were beneath them, they didn't care what happened to them. Aria knew she would freely trade a vampire life for his; she was sure of that.

  "Some things have to be done to secure the bond between bloodlinks," Ashby explained.

  Braith squeezed her hand. He was trying to comfort her, but Aria could not shake the dread rolling through her. This was not her world; she didn't belong in this place of blood and death and strange bloodlinks that allowed the blind to see. What was she doing here? How did she get involved in all of this?

  But the answer to those questions was standing before her, willing to die for her, as he used his body to block her from whatever attack might come their way. Her heart swelled, and tears burned her eyes. She didn't fit in this world, but she realized now that she would never be leaving it.

  She hadn't realized it at the time, but when she'd chosen to leave the woods with Braith, she sealed her fate. There was no turning back, and even though she was frightened by the uncertainty of their future, she was willing to endure the challenges still to come.

  "And those are?" Braith inquired.

  "Exchange of blood, sex," Ashby continued. Aria's face burned, it was all she could do to keep standing before them. "But those are vampire interactions. With this, I'm assuming the change will also be necessary."

  "And if she doesn't survive it?" Melinda asked.

  "Then I doubt any of us will," Ashby muttered.

  Aria finally managed to lift her head to stare at them. "I'm not going to die," she told them.

  Ashby and Melinda leveled her with identical looks of hopelessness. "Most do not survive the change. The human body is too frail; it simply cannot take it. If you st
ay human, it is certain you will die. And Braith will go crazy from it."

  "And that's only if you are willing to become a vampire," Melinda elaborated.

  Braith turned toward her; she could feel the full force of his gaze on her, but she couldn't find the words to answer his unspoken question. Was she willing to become a vampire? Was she willing to live in that world? Was she ready to die? Ready to drink blood and feed from her people?

  She lifted her gaze to Braith's, she could feel the tears burning in her eyes, but they did not slip free. He was ancient compared to her, a near god in his world. She was a fighter, and she was strong, but he could snap her bones with a flick of his wrist. And yet, as he looked at her, she could see the vulnerability in his gaze and the uncertainty blazing from him made him almost as weak as she was.

  She did that to him, she was doing it to him, and she hated herself for it. Her fingers brushed against his face; she loved the feel of his hardness and the stubble beneath her hand. He awed and inspired her in so many ways.

  "You humble me also," she whispered.

  A low groan escaped him; he lifted her as if she weighed no more than a feather and pressed her against him. His hands were in her hair as his lips caressed her cheek and ear.

  "It will not be so, Arianna," he whispered.

  She pulled back to stare at him questioningly.

  "I will not take the risk of killing you,” he said. “I will not be the one who kills you."

  Aria frowned at him; she bent her forehead to his. "I will survive it."

  "There is no guarantee. I will not risk it."

  "But I will die no matter what!"

  He managed a halfhearted smile. "Then I will just have to make sure it is not for a very long time."

  "I will grow old."

  "You will grow even more beautiful. And when you are gone, I will follow you."

  Tears spilled down her cheeks. She was far more accepting of her death than she was of his. But then again, she had expected to die every day since she was old enough to realize what death was. "No, Braith. No. I see the way you are now, what you said earlier, in the kitchen—"

  "I was wrong," he said firmly. "It was a moment of weakness; it won't happen again. I will not do that to you."

  His eyes were beautiful, bright as he watched her, smiled at her, and loved her. He kissed her lightly, his mouth warm and pliant against her own. For a moment Aria allowed herself to forget there were other people in the room, and there was only the two of them. For a small fraction of a second, there was total joy and true awe in a world that often lacked such things.

  Then Braith was pulling away, and the world was once again intruding on them. Aria wrapped her arms around his neck. She dropped her head to his shoulder and buried her face in his neck, trying to keep the world at bay for a little longer. He continued to hold her firmly, but she knew his attention wasn’t solely focused on her anymore. As a prince, as the future ruler of his world, and hers, he had other matters to attend to.

  Chapter Fifteen

  Arianna was finally asleep, but it had only been a matter of time before exhaustion won out over her stubborn nature. She'd fought against it for a while but finally succumbed to the requirements of her body. She was curled up on the couch, her head in his lap, her hand curled around his thigh.

  He trailed his hand through her silken hair, letting it slide through his fingers. Melinda was watching him with interest, but she didn't protest the fact Braith still refused to untie Ashby. She may be his sister, but he was not going to be outnumbered by them. Not when Arianna's life was on the line.

  Though there was tension in Ashby's eyes, his posture remained casual, and he retained his mischievous air as Melinda leaned against him. "I never suspected anything between you two," Braith muttered.

  "A lot was going on at the time." Melinda's gaze drifted toward Arianna. "I never suspected anything between the two of you either, but then I never thought you were capable of love. Especially not with a human, and especially not with your blood slave, though I was curious as to why you had finally taken one. Now I know why."

  Braith didn't take offense to her words. He hadn't thought he was capable of love either. He cared for his brother Jericho; he cared for Melinda, though he hadn’t known her as well as Caleb or Natasha. Even when Melinda returned to the palace, she remained distant from her other siblings. However, she hadn't really known them as she spent her first twenty-seven out of thirty years in exile, with their mother.

  The war had been raging in full force by the time Melinda returned, and Braith only saw her a handful of times before he lost his vision. Though she had continued to mature over time, most of her growing was completed before he went blind; she hadn't changed much since then.

  Even after he lost his vision, he only came into contact with her once a month, if even. He'd assumed she did the same things as Natasha and drifted about the palace, enjoying the luxuries, and thriving on the blood.

  Apparently, she’d been escaping into the wilderness to nourish and spend time with her lover. Melinda always seemed so sweet and young to him. Her striking face and serene demeanor hid a far stronger personality than he ever suspected.

  "Why did you keep returning to the palace? Why didn't you just stay here?" Braith asked.

  "Someone had to bring back the slaves and keep the locals around here quiet. Someone had to make sure they didn't send out new guards, and if they did, we had to be prepared to take care of them. Someone had to spy, to see if there would ever be a chance we could escape together and finally be free."

  Braith nodded, impressed by his sister’s cunning, daring, and skill. He was also put off by her manipulation and cold admission about her deceptions. He made a mental note not to trust her, he didn't think she was inherently cruel, but it was more than obvious she would do anything to keep Ashby safe, and Braith was certain Ashby would do the same thing for her. Neither of them was going to leave his sight until Jack arrived. It was the only way he would feel marginally better about Arianna's safety.

  Arianna stirred; her hand constricted on his thigh. "You know you don't have a prayer of keeping her human," Ashby told him.

  "I won't change her."

  "You may not want to change her, you may think you can keep yourself from doing so, but we all know the truth here, Braith. You think you can go the next five, ten, fifty years risking her life and watching her die?"

  "If I have to."

  Ashby shook his head and leaned back against the wall. The young vampire girl remained silent; she'd offered no further protests to her restraints.

  "You're only in the beginning stages of this, Braith." Ashby folded his hands before him as he stared unflinchingly at Braith. "Do you think it's going to get easier as the years go on? It grows and intensifies; the bond between you will become something so intense it will take everything you have to get through one second without her. You asked me earlier who I was expecting; do you think it was this girl?" He gestured sharply at the young vampire girl.

  "No, I thought it was Melinda at the door. Do you know how difficult it is to see her go back there? I hate myself every time she leaves here, every time she returns to that depraved shit hole. If there were ever a time she didn't return from the palace, I would be there in a heartbeat, killing everyone in my way until they finally took me down. I would welcome the death they would finally deliver to me. She's human Braith; you will live with her mortality every second of your life together. You won't be able to handle it; I can promise you that."

  Braith glowered at him. "I'm stronger than you."

  Ashby snorted as he sat back. "Bull. You're physically stronger than all of us, but you are by far the weakest amongst us right now. Your Achilles heel is lying on your lap, and if any of your enemies get a hold of her, they will control you completely. If they kill her, you are done. Smarten up, Braith. Yes, you are stronger with her in your life, but you are also far weaker. Especially if she stays human."

  "I don't have mu
ch of a choice on that front."

  "Keep her human until you figure out what you mean to do. Though, I'm beginning to suspect that might be taking your father down, am I right?"

  Melinda's eyes widened, and her delicate mouth parted. "No," she breathed.

  Ashby squeezed her hand as his bright eyes gleamed eagerly. "Yes, love. I believe Braith has finally realized there is something more important than duty, honor, and obedience. Right?"

  "I will not kill my father," he grated.

  "No, I'm not sure you could, but you do have the advantage of sight again, and I'm assuming he doesn't know that."

  "He doesn't," Melinda confirmed when Braith didn't.

  Ashby nodded, and his fingers twirled idly, Braith could almost see the gears churning within his devious mind.

  "You wouldn't kill Caleb either. But if you could take them down, overthrow their rule, wrest control from them, you would. If you can get enough help to do it. It's why you came here."

  Braith had forgotten how perceptive Ashby was. It was annoying the hell out of him right now. "You're hoping I may still have ties to the rebellious families who fought with mine and somehow managed to avoid capture. You're hoping I may still know some vampires who might be willing to help you, and the only reason you would like to know those things were if you intended to oust the king. Am I wrong, Braith?"

  Braith turned his attention to the window. He wouldn't deny Ashby's words, nor would he confirm them. He hadn't left the palace with the objective of ousting his father from power. When he went after Arianna in those caverns, it wasn’t because he had decided he was going to fight. He hadn't pulled her free of there with the intention of one day claiming the throne (he still wasn't sure he would do that, it depended on Arianna). He had only planned to get her somewhere safe and to try and live a peaceful life with her.

  Somewhere along the way, he realized there was nowhere safe for her, and no one who could protect her, except for him. And if he were going to keep her safe, then his father would have to be removed. A new power and a new world system would have to be established.