"No, Braith, I have to go through this time. It's booby-trapped, and I know where the triggers are."
A low grumble of displeasure escaped him as he moved to intercept her.
She'd already prepared herself for this argument. "I helped Daniel design a good portion of them, believe me, it is far safer for me in there than you."
"Aria—"
"Stop being so stubborn," she interrupted. "Besides, your life is far more valuable than mine."
She realized it was the completely wrong thing to say when he seized her and lifted her until his face was level with hers. The gentleman from outside had vanished; before her was the vampire prince used to being obeyed by everyone—except for maybe her.
"Don't you ever say that again!" he snapped so loudly Ashby's gaze darted nervously to the top of the cave. "Your life is every bit as important as mine, if not more so."
"Braith," she whispered. "You must lower your voice."
"Do you think I care about a bunch of flying rodents?"
"If they leave their perch, they'll leave this cave. They'll attract attention; you must calm down." She touched his arm to soothe him. "I know these caves; I'll be fine."
His head bowed as he pressed his forehead against hers. "Your life is just as important. Without you, I'm nothing."
Her gaze darted nervously toward Xavier; Braith had revealed too much, she knew it. A surge of protectiveness shot through her. Her hands squeezed around Braith's arms as she stared fiercely at the dark vampire, daring him to say something or do anything to hurt Braith. She would be nearly useless against the powerful older vamp, but she would do everything she could to keep Braith safe.
"It's okay," he whispered against her ear. "It's too late to keep it from him anyway."
Aria shuddered; it was too late. Their secret had been revealed to Xavier, and if they continued it wouldn't be long before it became evident to everyone. Terror coiled through her belly; it spread out to her limbs and left a trail of cold across her skin.
She pressed closer to Braith. She needed the physical contact like a drowning man required air. Beneath the wiry hair of his forearms, his skin was smooth to the touch and helped ease the tension in her.
She forced herself to release him and step away. "I can do this; I know the traps well. I'll be fine."
When his eyes closed, she sensed his inner struggle and braced herself for more of a battle, but then his shoulders slumped.
"I'm going to be right by your side," he said.
She went to turn away, but he pulled her back to him. He clasped her face with a tenderness that belied the power radiating from him. He could crush her in an instant, yet he held her with the gentleness of someone who had been handed the most fragile flower in the world. His lips were a light caress against hers.
"Your life is as important as mine, and don't ever forget that; don't you ever say something like that again."
She swallowed heavily and managed a small nod. "I won't.”
He continued holding her, seemingly torn and unwilling to let her go. Finally, he stepped back and released her. She couldn’t shake her sense of loss. She didn't look at Xavier when she turned away from Braith and moved toward the closed fourth gate.
"How do you get it open?" Ashby's voice was hushed.
When she turned toward him, she was startled by the paleness of his skin. She didn't think it was entirely due to the bats. His lips were pinched; his eyes shadowed and haunted as his gaze darted nervously away from hers.
"I have my secrets and talents," she answered with a small wave of her fingers, hoping to coax his cocky smile back. He remained uncharacteristically solemn.
"That's for sure.”
Aria frowned as her eyes shot to Xavier. She thought he’d spoken those words, but she couldn't be sure. She took the torch from Braith as she ran her fingers over the wall. When she found the tiny switch set back into the wall, she pressed it.
The thick metal door popped open with a hiss of stale air. It smelled even danker and mustier in there, but it didn't stop her. She pressed her hand against the solid iron door and pushed it the rest of the way open.
"Ingenious," Ashby muttered.
Aria gulped as she stepped into the dark tunnel. It was ten steps to the first trap, a set of four stones set into the floor that, when stepped on, fired a rapid release of stakes from the cave walls.
"Should we shut this?" Xavier inquired.
"Yes,” Aria said. “William knows how to open it, and we all know Ashby won't appreciate it if a bat gets in."
"You got that right," Ashby said.
"There are four stones here." She pointed them out. "Don't step on them."
"What happens if we do?" Xavier inquired.
"Nothing good. I'll be right back." She had to set off the traps. William was aware of their location, but there was no way all those troops could move through here without hitting at least one of them. "Stay here."
"These traps are old," Braith said.
"Not that old, and Daniel is a genius. They're still safe for me to maneuver through."
She could tell he didn't want her to go, but he fisted his hands at his sides, locked his jaw, and managed to give her a brief nod. Aria placed the torch into a socket in the wall; she wouldn’t need it on the other side.
While she moved through the tunnel, she avoided the stones with ease. Reaching the safety of the solid rock, she knelt as her fingers sought the small switch carved into the bottom of the cave and set about six inches back from the bottom.
"Move back," she told the others.
Braith hesitated before pushing Xavier and Ashby back. When she was sure they were out of the way, she flipped the switch. Stakes exploded from the wall in a puff of dust that made it impossible to see the three on the other side. Ashby and Xavier cursed loudly.
"Aria!" Braith shouted.
"I'm fine," she assured him.
He gradually came back into view as the dust began to settle. Though most of the stakes littered the ground, some had embedded themselves into the crevices of the wall. Ashby gawked as he searched the scattered stakes, and even Xavier's normally calm exterior seemed ruffled.
"It's safe now," she said.
Though Xavier and Ashby hesitated; Braith strode rapidly toward her. His tension was high as he wrapped his arm around her waist.
"How many more of these traps are there?" Xavier inquired as he and Ashby picked their way carefully through the stakes.
"Ten."
"Crap," Ashby muttered.
"I can dismantle them all; don't worry," she said.
Xavier's dark eyes were intense as he studied her. "You helped the man who designed these?"
"I had a hand in some of it, but for the most part he created them."
"Is this Daniel someone in your family?"
Aria wasn't surprised by Xavier's keen insight, but she still didn't like it. "Yes, my brother."
His eyes darted over the cave walls. "His talent will come in handy."
"It will," Braith agreed. "How far until the next one?"
"Thirty feet," Aria answered.
"Lead the way."
Aria sighed in relief as he remained resigned to let her do what was necessary.
Chapter Twelve
It took almost two painstaking hours, but eventually, Aria dismantled all the traps. She was exhausted and on edge by the time they made their way into another large, entirely bat-free cavern; a fact Ashby commented on happily.
The torchlight played over the dark recesses and lit the shadows as Aria made her way around the cavern, gathering more torches from their sconces in the wall.
"This tunnel will lead back to the main exit," she said. Taking Braith's hand, she ran it over the wall until she found the switch. "This will open the gate when pressed."
Xavier and Ashby came closer; they murmured between each other as Ashby held the torch higher to inspect the area she’d shown Braith. Aria left the three of them to marvel over the intricac
ies within the caves.
Her throat was dry, and her clothes stuck to her as she made her way to the supply room at the end of another tunnel. There was another gate here, but the key to it hung beside the door. There was no need to keep humans from taking what they might require from the room beyond.
Grasping the key, she lifted the light and frowned when she realized the gate was unlocked. They never left the supply rooms open in case an animal managed to get this far.
She grabbed the iron bars and pulled the gate open as she lifted the torch high. A set of crazed, pale blue eyes blazed out at her. A startled gasp escaped as she took a hasty step back.
It was a man, but she wasn't sure exactly what kind of man he was anymore. His skin was abnormally pale, and he seemed unaccustomed to light as he blinked rapidly against the flame.
Disgust filled her when his lips skimmed back to reveal a mouth riddled by missing gaps and rotten teeth. The torch slipped from her fingers when the man leapt from the bags of stored grain. He seemed more animal than human as he rushed her. Stunned, it took Aria a second to realize this person, this thing, had every intention of attacking her.
A startled cry escaped her, she grasped the gate and heaved it forward. It was too late though. When the man slammed into the gate, he ripped it from her grasp as he shoved it open. Aria swung her fist up and connected with his jaw; his head snapped to the side as he launched at her.
Hands skimmed down her body as he tried to secure his hold on her. She realized her mistake too late. So attuned to having to defend her throat and her blood, Aria hadn’t been prepared for a different sort of hunger from the man.
It wasn't until the frenzied man ripped open her shirt that she realized she was in a situation unlike any she'd ever been in before.
Taken aback by the ferocity of the attack, and his intentions, Aria was momentarily unable to defend herself. Then his hands were pushing and pulling at the skin exposed by her torn shirt. Reason returned as adrenaline doused her terror.
She shoved at the man and turned her face away from the putrid stench of his breath. A scream built in her chest rose up her throat and erupted in a squeak that was cut off when the man succeeded in pressing his mouth to hers.
She almost vomited as his thick tongue shoved against her compressed lips. With a fresh surge of strength, she lifted her knee and drove it into his balls. The man squealed, and his grip on her relaxed enough she could throw herself to the side and nearly succeeded in ripping free of his hold.
The sharp right hook she delivered to his cheek finally knocked his hold on her loose. She staggered back before spinning and starting to run.
She was almost to the end of the tunnel when his arms encircled her waist. The air rushed out of her as they fell to the ground in a tumbled heap that skinned her knees and elbows. He was clawing his way up her back when the air rushed back into her lungs. Flipping beneath him, she swung at him again and shattered his nose.
He squealed and fell back as blood spurted forth. Aria crab-crawled backward and tried to regain her feet as the man leveled her with a glare that was not only lustful but also murderous.
A roar of fury suddenly reverberated throughout the massive cavern.
The man's head snapped up, and his eyes widened on Braith standing at the end of the tunnel. Aria hadn't been sure there was much reason left to him, but apparently, his survival instinct was still intact as he reeled backward. She was aware of how terrifying Braith could be, and all his fury was homed in on the man before her. The man leapt up and raced down the tunnel.
Aria clung to her shredded shirt as she tried uselessly to cover herself. Braith raced past her, barely a blur, as the loud clang of metal echoed throughout the cave. The man had succeeded in retreating into the storage room and slamming the door shut.
"Are you okay?" Ashby demanded as he knelt beside her.
She wasn't frightened of Ashby, but when he reached for her, she shied away from him.
"I wouldn't touch her," Xavier cautioned.
Ashby looked torn as his eyes skimmed over her.
"I’m fine," she managed to breathe as she clung to her shirt.
Aria's attention was distracted from Ashby when a loud wrenching sound filled the cave. Xavier stepped forward as Braith ripped the gate from the wall of the cave. The gate was solid steel and without bars to prevent rodents from entering the storage room. The only hole in it was a slit near the top to allow some air to flow through the room. Aria didn't know how Braith managed to wrench the heavy door free.
When the door flew down the tunnel, Xavier darted out of its way as it bounced off the rock walls and nearly took him out in the process. Xavier's mouth dropped; his gaze darted to the door now lying at the opening of the tunnel. Aria knew it weighed a good five hundred pounds and it had taken seven men to get it in place. Xavier stared at Aria before turning to Ashby.
"I told you he could take the king," Ashby murmured so faintly Aria wasn't sure she heard him right.
Xavier's gaze came back to her as she tried to lurch to her feet. Inhuman squeals echoed through the storage room when Braith disappeared inside.
"Wait, no!" she cried and fell back against the tunnel wall when a wave of dizziness rocked her.
Ashby gripped her shoulders to steady her, but she shrugged him off as silence enshrouded the tunnel. Horror pooled in Aria; her hand fell against the wall and helped to keep her up as Braith emerged from the storage room. She knew the sudden silence wasn’t because he was injured, but relief still filled her.
The man was dead. She didn't have to ask, Braith wouldn’t have left him alive. She thought she should be more upset; she wasn't. What was in that room was no longer a man; there had been no saving him.
Braith was before her suddenly. She didn’t shrink from his frantic, yet tender touch. "Are you okay?" he demanded, his voice raw.
"Yes."
His hands moved steadily lower and stopped at the tattered remains of her shirt. "Get out of here!" he snarled at Ashby and Xavier.
They slipped swiftly out of the tunnel. His hands trembled when he tugged the pieces from her and pulled them apart. He barely moved as he gazed at her. While in the palace she’d been forced to wear some of the silliest and most uncomfortable undergarments she’d ever seen in her life. Once free of the palace, she’d resumed her habit of wearing an undershirt, or sometimes a slip.
The slip she wore was also torn, but unlike the ruined shirt, it remained intact enough to cover her breasts. However, it was nearly see-through, even in the dim light of the tunnel, and especially to the acute vision of a vampire, but she wasn't embarrassed. Her breath froze, and her heart hammered while he remained still as stone before her.
"You're bleeding."
The words were grated through his teeth. And then, before she knew what he intended, he lowered his head to the scratch marks on her chest. His warm mouth made her heart lurch, and his tongue against her skin caused her entire body to shiver with pleasure. Her fingers curled into his hair and held him close as he licked the cuts on her chest.
He pulled away and embraced her as he kissed her neck, her ear, and finally her lips. The brush of his mouth against hers made her forget the hideous assault of the pitiful man. The touch of his lips made everything so arduous and wrong in their lives worth it.
"They'll heal faster now," he whispered against her mouth.
"What will?" she inquired, still dazed by the feelings he aroused in her.
His fingers were a butterfly caress against her sore flesh. "Your wounds."
Aria shuddered at the reminder. Braith could make her forget almost anything, but now that she wasn't overwhelmed by his touch, the events of the past five minutes crashed back over her. His fingers wrapped around her head and he pulled her to him.
"Are you sure you're okay?" he asked worriedly.
"I'm fine, Braith, I swear; a little shaken, but fine."
His cheek rested against her head as he swayed back and forth while he held her.
"Braith." A low growl of displeasure emanated from Braith when Ashby appeared at the end of the tunnel. Ashby was undeterred though. "They're here, Braith."
A regretful sound escaped him. "Okay."
"I brought a shirt." Ashby didn't come into the tunnel though; instead, he threw it to Braith before turning away.
Braith grasped her ruined shirt, and his fingers quivered as he slid it off her shoulders. He tossed it aside and helped her shrug on the new one. Braith slid the buttons into place, but his hands hesitated on the last one as he lifted his head to hers.
"You're beautiful," he said.
It wasn't true, but he made her feel every inch as beautiful as he thought she was. She managed a wan smile as her fingers encircled his. "I love you."
It was his time to smile now; it lit his face like a beacon and made her heart melt.
"I love you too."
And even though the troops had invaded the cave, he gave her one last, lingering kiss.
"Did you ever, in a million years, think we would be sitting in one of our cave systems surrounded by vampires?"
Aria cocked her head as she looked at her brother. The firelight played over his features, which were harder and more masculine than hers, but they were similar all the same.
"No," she admitted with a low laugh.
"Do you think they'll eat us?"
"It's a possibility," she joked.
William chuckled, but she sensed his tension beneath the laughter. He still wasn't sure about this situation, or the vampires and humans surrounding them. "We've come a long way, sis."
"We have," she agreed.
When William grasped her hand, she looked at him in surprise. They were closer than most siblings, but it had been years since they held hands. She squeezed his hand with both of hers and relaxed against his shoulder.
They stood at the edge of the circle surrounding the fire in the center of the cave. It was still summer above, but down here the air was cold and damp.
Braith stood with his head bowed while he conferred with the other faction leaders. The firelight playing off his hair highlighted his handsome features and broad shoulders. He nodded as Gideon spoke in hushed whispers accentuated by the constant flutter of his hands. Braith leaned back on his heels, and though she couldn't see it, she felt it when his eyes landed on her.
The Captive Series 1-5 Page 49