"I'm fine," she replied with a brilliant grin that eased the knot in Braith's chest. He wanted her back, but her happiness was far more important.
"Where's William?" David demanded when he realized his youngest son wasn’t present.
"It was too tricky to move everyone through the forest; immortal or not, they're unbelievably loud," she informed him with a mischievous smile. "William stayed in the caves with the others." David's hands tensed briefly on her face. "He'll be fine, dad, I promise. We've been with the vampires for a while now."
Her father's gaze flickered toward him. Braith knew David disapproved of their relationship, but he didn't care. The man was not going to tear them apart.
"I see," David said.
"Hellion!" Daniel cried.
Aria released her father as her brother Daniel broke free of the crowd. "Daniel!"
She threw herself into his arms. Braith bristled, and his fingers twitched as his jaw clenched.
He’s her brother; he reminded himself fiercely. Even so, it took everything he had not to pull her away from the slender man. Unlike his younger siblings red hair, Daniel's hair was wheat colored, but he did have the same bright blue eyes William and Aria possessed.
"You stink!" Daniel blurted.
Aria laughed as she stepped back from him. "We've been wandering through swampland for the past three days."
"That would do it," Daniel agreed.
"I'm sure you're eager to clean up." Though her father said the words to her, his gaze was intent on Braith.
"Very much so," Ashby agreed.
The humans shifted, then Max stepped forward. Anger swelled through Braith as hope spread across Aria's face and lit her eyes. Max held her gaze before turning and disappearing into the crowd.
Aria's shoulders slumped as despair settled over her. No matter how much Braith didn't want her near Max, he hated to see her upset in any way. He would like to shake some sense into the selfish bastard or kill Max for creating that crestfallen look on her face.
Daniel watched him warily when Braith stepped closer until his arm brushed against hers in an attempt to offer her as much comfort as he could right now. Tears burned in Aria’s eyes before she blinked them back and forced a smile.
"Perhaps we can go somewhere a little more private," Braith suggested.
"Yes, of course," Daniel said. "This is one of the few areas in the swamps that aren't just water and mud. It's not hospitable but there are some homes here, and we've erected temporary shelters."
The crowd parted as Aria's father led them down the street of the small town where they’d taken residence. David led them into the ramshackle remains of a small house. Braith observed Aria as she picked her way over some broken boards. He was braced to grab her if one of the boards happened to give out. David stopped to speak with a few younger men before leading them into what remained of the living room.
"Is there a lake around here?" Aria asked.
"Yes, but I've instructed them to heat water for a bath," David said. Her face lit with joy as she looked eagerly at Braith. "For all of you." Braith felt almost as excited as she looked when her father added this. "I thought you would prefer to talk after you were clean."
"I sure would," Ashby agreed as Jack entered the room. "Well, look at what the cat dragged in!"
Jack's nose wrinkled. "I'd say the cat hauled you through sewage going by the smell and look of the five of you.” Jack grinned as he grasped Braith's hand and clapped him on the arm. "Good to see you, brother."
"You also," Braith said.
Jack released him, and his smile grew when his gaze raked Gideon's miserable, filthy form. "Well now, this is a pleasant treat."
"Wish I could say the same," Gideon retorted.
Jack laughed as he shook Gideon's hand and then Xavier's. "Long time no see."
Xavier bowed his head in response. Braith remained immobile as he watched three young men carry in five wooden tubs. Four of the tubs had been taken into one room, while the other was kept separate. It took almost a half an hour before enough heated water was brought in to fill them. Aria remained by her brother and father; the brilliant smile never left her face as they talked.
"Go on," David urged her when the last of the water was hauled in.
Aria looked at him as he took a step toward her. He could control his need to pull her away from them, but he wasn't going to leave her alone and vulnerable while she bathed. He didn't trust most of these people, and he definitely didn't trust Max. The boy was lurking around here somewhere, and he'd almost killed her once.
"She goes alone," David said sharply.
Braith's hands fisted. "No, she will not be alone."
David looked as if the top of his head were about to blow off. Braith stepped closer to her.
"Its fine, dad," Aria assured him. "It's not what you think. He won't even be in the room."
"She's not going to be anywhere alone," Braith said.
"Aria is perfectly capable of taking care of herself!" David snapped.
"I know she is, and she's also perfectly capable of getting herself into trouble," Braith replied.
Aria shot Daniel a dark look when he guffawed loudly.
"I don't trust these people,” Braith continued. “I don't trust Max. Whether you like it or not, she is not going in there without me to stand guard."
"Braith!" Aria hissed when her father's eyes narrowed in rage.
"Who the hell do you think you are?" David demanded.
"Hers."
The simple, startling answer knocked some of the anger from David. Daniel's mouth dropped as Ashby shook his head. Xavier watched while Gideon strolled out of the room toward the other tubs. Jack dropped his head into his hands and began to massage his temples.
"And she is mine." Braith touched her arm gently and nudged her toward the back room.
She hesitated, seemingly torn as she gazed from him to her father and back again. Then she turned and walked with Braith out of the room.
The room they’d brought the tub into was small with a single window in the back. Braith closed the shutters and locked them into place before turning back to her. Steam rose from the tub; a small sliver of soap sat on top of some towels and clean clothes on the floor.
"A little diplomacy goes a long way," she murmured.
"They have to understand—"
"He's my father, Braith. I know you don't understand what that means, not in the same way I do, but he loves me. I'm his little girl. This is hard for him, it's hard for Daniel and William, but it's especially hard for my father."
She was right; he didn't understand.
"You need to be nicer and more patient." She tilted her head and peered up at him as she smiled faintly. "Do you think you can do that?"
He grasped the collar of her shirt and pulled her closer. "I can try, for you."
"Just for me?"
He grinned. "I sure wouldn't do it for anyone else."
She laughed as he slid the buttons of her shirt free before slipping it off her shoulders and tugging it from her arms. He touched her shoulders briefly and turned away before he couldn't. He listened as the rest of her clothes fell away before she slid into the tub with a groan of pleasure.
Listening to her and knowing what she was doing was excruciating torture. His teeth grated, he stepped into the doorway and leaned against it as he fought the urge to turn around and go back in there.
His body was so taught with the strain from not looking that he didn't know she approached until her fingers slipped between his. He relished the supple feel of her skin as he pulled her against his chest and held her close.
Chapter Fourteen
Aria slept soundly in his lap; her hand curled against his chest, and her head rested in the hollow of his shoulder while she breathed in and out. As she slept, the tension of the day faded from her features to make her look younger and more vulnerable, which only made him worry for her more. Max hadn't appeared again since he rebuked her earlier, a
nd Braith hoped he never did.
Daniel talked quietly as he pointed at some of the designs he’d created.
"These are all of your cave systems?" Gideon inquired.
"Not all of them," David answered. "These are the ones closest to the palace. We had others, but some were lost to cave-ins, and others are too far from the palace to be of any use to us."
"Are there often people within them?" Ashby inquired and glanced nervously at Braith.
With Aria curled securely in his arms, the reminder of the man who attacked her didn’t upset him though.
"What do you mean?" David asked.
"The cave system where the troops are hiding had a man inside it," Ashby said.
"That's not unusual, many know about the caves and the food supplies stored within them," David told him.
"It looked like he'd been there for a while."
"I suppose some may stay below to avoid the king's troops. It's why we retreated into the swamplands. The king's raids have become more frequent and aggressive since you left the palace."
David flicked a pointed look at Braith who held his steady gaze.
"The man in the cave, what did he do?" Daniel asked.
"He attacked Aria," Braith growled.
David's eyes widened, and he leaned forward on the table. Braith lowered his head and inhaled her sweet scent. The soap she'd been given smelled of honey. Beneath it, he detected the faint hint of his blood flowing through her veins. She was the most enticing thing he'd ever smelled, and he needed her soothing effect right now.
"Why would he do that?" David inquired.
Ashby glanced nervously at Braith, but he seemed satisfied Braith would remain calm while holding Aria as he replied, "Apparently, he hadn't seen a woman in a while."
"Did he harm her?" Daniel demanded.
"He tried, but she's fine."
"And what of the man?" David inquired.
"Dead," Braith said without remorse. "Anyone who injures her will meet the same fate."
David sat back as he studied them. "What exactly do you intend for my daughter? What do you think you can give her?"
"Anything she desires."
Gideon and Ashby shifted nervously as this conversation drifted into treacherous waters. Xavier’s dark eyes were eager as he absorbed the discussion.
"I can see she loves you, and though it's baffling and astonishing to me, I think you love her too. But I don't see how any of this can work. Will your people accept her? Do you have plans to make her a vampire?" David nearly choked on the word vampire but somehow managed to get it out. It was apparent the man found the thought abhorrent.
"Most do not survive the change, and I have no intention of inflicting that on her," Braith stated.
Gideon, Jack, and Ashby winced; Xavier quirked an eyebrow as he gazed at Aria.
David's frustration was nearly palpable. "Then what do you intend? To watch her grow old and die? To have her be an outcast among your people? Tell me, Braith, what will you do when she dies?"
"I'll find a way to die also.”
Gideon groaned as he shook his head and dropped it into his hands. Ashby closed his eyes while Jack folded his arms over his chest and sat back in his chair. Xavier remained unmoving; he'd known there was a bond between them, but he hadn't known the extent of it until now.
"But you have been voted the leader; your people will follow you—"
"Or Jack," Braith interrupted David sharply.
Despite his every intention not to, he found himself leaning forward as he met David's incredulous gaze, and Jack's aghast one. "I will lead them into battle, I will lead you all into battle, but I have not hidden the fact that I do not intend to lead afterward. Not unless Aria is at my side. I will stay long enough for whatever leader you elect to settle in, and then she and I will leave. I will not expose her to a life of unhappiness."
"I don't want it," Jack blurted.
"Neither do I," Braith snarled in frustration. "I never have, but I accepted it, and I did it. I've done my duty for the past nine hundred years; I've done everything expected of me, and I will continue to do it until this is over, but someone else will step up afterward and leave us be."
"It will be difficult for her to grow old while you don't," David told him.
"I know that."
"You could let her go."
Braith stiffened as fury ripped through him. Aria's fingers slipped beneath the buttons of his shirt and pressed against his flesh in an attempt to soothe him. They had woken her.
"It would be best for everyone involved if you let her go," David continued.
"It's too late for that." Braith had managed to regain enough control to reply without smashing the table before him.
"I don't understand why. I know it will be tough; the last thing I want is to see my daughter unhappy, but she'll be hurt no matter what. There's no way to stop that now."
Aria’s heartbeat increased, and the scent of her fear assailed him.
"Ashby can explain it to you," he said bluntly.
Aria gasped when he rose abruptly from his chair. Staying here was only going to annoy him further, and he’d promised her he would try to be nicer.
"Does it matter what room we take?" he demanded.
David's jaw dropped. Aria's lashes flickered against his neck as she opened her eyes and her skin heated against his neck. He bit back a groan; he didn't understand these human customs, or perhaps they were merely family customs, but he was becoming increasingly frustrated by them.
"I'll sleep on the floor," he grated, hoping that would help ease some of the tension filling the room. He swore once this whole mess was over he would build her a house that no one else would ever be invited to visit.
"Third room on the right; there's a small cot in there," David responded in a choked voice.
"I'll get you some blankets." Daniel volunteered.
"You can put me down, Braith."
He held her for a moment longer before lowering her feet to the floor. She hurried to her father, pecked him on the cheek and hugged him. The look of love on David's face while she spoke with him fascinated Braith. He'd certainly never seen it on his father's face. David patted her arm reassuringly as she kissed him again and rejoined Braith.
"I would also like to retire." Xavier rose to his feet; his fingers rested on the table as he surveyed the room. "I am aware of the baffling vampire bond referred to as a bloodlink, so I do not need to hear what Ashby will say. And I assume that is what Ashby will speak of as I am well aware of his relationship with Braith's sister, and not the one he married."
Apprehension flashed across Aria's face, but she remained immobile at Braith's side. She didn't trust Xavier, not yet. Braith wasn't sure he completely trusted him either.
"How do you know about Melinda?" Ashby’s carefree demeanor vanished at the mention of Melinda.
Xavier strode away from the table. "My job in the palace was to pay attention, record the histories, take note of things and see things no one else saw. I'm not blind, Ashby; the two of you tried to hide it, and you succeeded with most." He focused on Braith. "But not me."
Ashby’s eyes were hooded as he studied Xavier with annoyance and distrust.
"Ease up, Ashby. I never told anyone you were having an affair with the youngest daughter while still married to the oldest," Xavier said.
"Watch what you say, Xavier," Ashby's tone was low and deadly.
Xavier didn't look the least bit phased by Ashby. Braith pulled Aria back a step when Xavier stopped in front of her.
"But a human." Xavier shook his head, and something flickered in his eyes as he studied her. "That is unheard of." Aria's eyes narrowed, and her chin lifted defiantly. Xavier smiled at her in amusement. "Quite a conundrum."
"I'm not Ashby. War or no war, followers or no followers, I will kill you if you touch her. Remember, Xavier, I am a real threat to you," Braith vowed.
"I am aware of that, Braith. I have no ill intentions toward her."
/> The words did not appease Braith. He pulled Aria further back when Xavier stepped closer to her.
"Don't," he snarled and thrust himself in between them.
Xavier lifted his hands as he took a step back. "Easy, Braith, I said I wouldn’t hurt her, and I meant it. I've seen what you are capable of when it comes to her, and I have a feeling that cave was only the tip of the iceberg. We need her if we are to win this war."
"And after?"
"After will be up to you... and her. Now, where are those blankets? I'm exhausted."
Aria pressed closer to Braith's side as he stood for a moment, trembling with suppressed anger and uncertainty. Xavier had always been a little odd, or at least he’d always seemed that way as he stood in the shadows calmly watching everything. Braith suspected Xavier knew more than he was letting on as he stared curiously at Aria, but exactly what his secrets were, Braith couldn't begin to guess.
"Uh, this way," Daniel awkwardly interrupted.
He stepped back as Xavier moved passed him to the stairwell.
"Are these things going to hold me?" Xavier pondered as he eyed the stairs.
"Yes," Daniel said.
Daniel led them upstairs, handed out blankets, and hugged his sister goodnight. Braith wasn't pleased to see the room really did hold only a tiny cot shoved against the wall. He wasn't sure Aria would fit on it as he spread out the blanket.
"Xavier is strange," she said.
Braith sat on the edge of the cot and pulled her into his lap. She wrapped her arms around his waist as she rested her head against his chest.
"He is," Braith agreed while he rubbed her back.
"He's baffling, but I don't think he’ll harm me. I think he's as confused by me as I am by him."
He was glad she thought so, but Braith wasn't convinced Xavier wouldn't do something. Xavier had never been power hungry before, but there was no way to know what was going on inside his head, or how much the years had changed him.
"I'm glad you're not scared of him," he said.
He felt her smile against his neck. "I'm not scared of anyone," she said with a laugh.
He would have laughed too if it wasn't so true. For someone so frighteningly mortal, she was strangely unafraid of anyone or anything. It was terrifying. "I know."
The Captive Series 1-5 Page 51