"He'll never forgive me either," she whispered, giving voice to her thoughts. "What if you're wrong? What if he loses it completely?"
"Then we'll deal with the consequences of that when it happens. Whether we bring you back or he steps down—"
"People could be killed before then."
"I don't think he'll go that route again, Aria. Last time he was confused. He didn't know what was going on inside himself, and his pride wouldn't let him go after you. This time he'll know why he’s so upset, and once Braith calms down, he'll understand this is for the best. You'll leave him a note—"
"A note." She laughed humorlessly.
As if a simple piece of paper would be enough to convey her regret over leaving him. How could she put her sorrow into words? How could she possibly write down how much faith she had in him or how he would be the best leader for all those depending on him? She didn't think they had enough paper for that. Even worse, Jack would have to write it for her as she still didn’t know how.
"And he'll come to realize that, though it's not fair, it is for the best for everyone."
"Maybe they would accept me," she whispered.
"I'm sorry, Aria," Ashby squeezed her shoulders and pulled her against him. "But that will never happen. Saul and Barnaby have already inquired about your relationship. Braith believes he can keep the true nature of it hidden from them, but they will eventually figure it out. They're on our side now, but human and vampire bloodlines are not to mix; the children are shunned if they are human and tormented if they're not."
"Children?"
"It never ends well for them, Aria," Jack told her.
"There have been children?" she demanded stunned by this revelation.
"Yes, though if it is a blood slave carrying the child, she is usually killed before she gives birth."
Horror shuddered through Aria’s body, and her hand instinctively rested on her stomach.
"The mixed vampire children are relegated to a life nearly as bad as the human servants within the palace. I wouldn't be surprised if there aren't a good number of half-breed vampire children amongst the troops in the cave; a lot of them left soon after my father took over."
"Children," Aria breathed awed by the possibility.
She’d never given much thought to children; Aria had assumed she probably wouldn't live long enough to have them, and she certainly didn't want them exposed to the hardships of her life. She hadn't thought a child with Braith was a possibility, but now...
Jack knelt before her. "You cannot allow your relationship to progress, Aria."
The dreams inside her shriveled like a plant without water. Fresh tears fell. It had all been right there in front of her: happiness, security, a family. And now it was gone.
Jack cradled her cheeks in his hands. "I'm sorry. I know this is a lot to ask of you, and this isn't fair, you deserve a happy ending, you both do, but..."
She grasped his hands and squeezed them as she leaned toward him. "But so do many others. I get it," she whispered.
Jack's steel gray eyes were intense. "That's not what I was going to say. You know well enough the world isn't fair, that bad things happen to good people, but you're the only one who can do this."
She released his hands and looked away. The lake shimmered in the light of the sun; it was beautiful, but she found no joy in it. She didn't think she'd find joy in anything for a long time, if ever again. Aria didn't know how she was going to do this, but she would.
Jack was right, Braith had to lead. He was powerful, bred for leadership, and they would follow him.
Jack leaned back as he studied her. "Aria?"
She turned toward Jack. "I've always done what has to be done, as has Braith. I'll do it now, and he’ll do it when I'm gone. I don't know how I’ll pretend everything is fine, but I'll figure it out."
Jack grimaced as he closed his eyes. For the first time, Aria realized a part of him had hoped she wouldn't agree and that she would go back to Braith and not care about the consequences of her actions.
Jack didn't want to be the one to inflict this pain on his brother, or her, but now that she’d made her choice, his road had been mapped out for him too. For the first time since he'd brought her out here, she didn't see him as the person who had just ruined her life, but as an ally in her despair.
"I'm sorry," Ashby apologized.
Aria had no idea how she was going to deceive Braith in such a way, but hopefully, their lives would continue to be as hectic as they’d been recently and he wouldn't notice if she became a little distant.
"We should return," Jack said.
She hated the idea of going back, but she couldn't hide here forever, and as of now Braith could still track her anywhere. It was possible he would always be able to do so. Jack hoped there was a way to dilute Braith's blood, but she wasn't so confident; Braith's blood was a part of her now. Perhaps someone else's blood could alter that, but she didn't see how.
She started to share her thoughts with Jack and stopped herself. She had to leave Braith, but it may be impossible for her to ever separate from him. There was nothing Jack could do about that or at least nothing he would do about it.
Jack was willing to take this road with her and give up his old life for good, but if it became necessary, he would not do the one thing that may be required to separate her and Braith.
He was like a brother to her, and he was almost as stubborn as Braith. If she told Jack what she was thinking, he would only insist someone else's blood would be enough to dilute Braith's within her, even if it wasn't.
Jack would not consider that there may only be one way to sever her bond from Braith, but she knew someone who would.
Chapter Sixteen
The reassuring thud of the arrow hitting its mark was typically music to her savaged spirit, but nothing could soothe her now. Still, she fired another arrow.
"Bad mood?"
She started in surprise at the question; she'd been so entrenched in her melancholy that she hadn't heard anyone approach. She was even more surprised to discover it was Max.
Lowering her bow, her lips parted as her heart leapt in anticipation. She hoped he’d come to speak with her and try to salvage their tattered friendship. She couldn't handle it if he’d only come to reinforce his intense disapproval of her and her decisions.
"Max." Though she tried to sound as aloof as he was with her, she heard the longing in her voice.
He heard it too as he offered a small smile and ran his hand nervously through his shaggy blond hair.
"I haven't seen you around," she said.
He shrugged before stuffing his hands in his pockets. His eyes shifted nervously to the target as he started to rock on his heels. "Been busy. There's a war coming, you know."
"So I've been told."
"Glad to see you're still deadly with that thing," he said with a glance at her bow.
She didn't know what to say or what she expected from him. What had once been simple and easy between them was awkward and uncomfortable now. "Yeah."
"How have you been?"
"I've been better," she admitted unable to lie to him. "You?"
"Possible imminent death and destruction aside, I've been doing better."
Hope swelled in her. "Really?"
His smile widened. "Yeah, really. I'm not looking forward to going back into the palace, but I am looking forward to getting some revenge."
"You're not going to do anything crazy, are you?" she inquired worriedly.
"Me? Nah, I'm not angry enough for something like that anymore, but it will be good to free some others."
"It will," Aria agreed. She wanted to ask if he would ever stop being so angry at her, but the question froze in her throat. She couldn't bring herself to utter it, mostly because she was frightened of the answer. "I'm glad you're doing better. I know it was awful for you in there."
His smile fell away as he stared at the target again. "It's been an awful time for all of us recently. Hopefully,
it will change soon."
"Yes," she whispered, but it wouldn’t change for her.
"Are you happy, Aria?"
If he’d asked her that question four hours ago, she would have given him a resounding yes; despite everything going on, she was happy. She was frightened of the future and the possibility of losing a loved one, but happy and in love.
"Yes." It was her first lie in the web of them she now weaved.
"That's good." He rocked back on his heels again.
The awkward tension was enough to make her want to scream.
"I'm sorry about what happened the last time we saw each other,” he apologized. “I lost my temper; I never meant for that to happen."
"It's okay."
His forehead furrowed as his clear blue eyes turned turbulent. "It's not okay. I still feel this is a situation you shouldn't be in. That he's too old for you, too different, it's not natural—"
"Max," she whispered.
Her heart ached for him and their lost friendship; she knew they were all valid points, but they’d never mattered to her. They certainly didn't matter after the conversation she had with Jack and Ashby. However, she couldn't stand here and listen to even more reasons why she couldn't be with Braith.
He seemed to sense this as he nodded. "But even so, what I did in that treehouse never should have happened. I could have killed you. I feel awful about it; it made me take a look at what I was becoming, and I didn't like that person."
"You're a good person, Max. You had some terrible things happen to you; any person would be different after."
"I suppose."
"It's my fault. You became a blood slave because of me—"
"No. I could have escaped being caught; I chose to let myself be captured and go in there with you. That's not your fault."
"But it didn't go the way you expected."
He finally met her eyes head-on; finally seemed to see her for the first time in a while. "Does anything?"
"No."
"I thought I'd be the one to rescue you, but then neither of us knew what Jack was, and I honestly didn't know how awful it was going to be in there."
He shied away from her touch when she squeezed his arm. Feeling as if she’d been slapped, Aria went to pull away, but he seized her hand.
"It's not you; it's been a while since someone touched me,” he said. “I don't like being touched much since being in the palace."
For the first time since she spoke with Jack, she felt something else unraveling inside her—strength and determination. Aria realized that no matter how devastated she was, no matter how much she would hurt Braith, she was taking the right course. No one should have to go through what Max and countless others had been forced to go through.
"What happened to you in there, it will never happen again, to anyone, if we win," she vowed.
Max smiled tremulously. "That's the only thing keeping me going."
"Max—"
"It's okay, Aria." His eyes had become distant again. His fingers tightened briefly around hers before he released her hand. "I've come to accept it. I can see that you love him and he loves you. I'll move on; I didn't think I would, but there are things I never thought I would get over, and I'm already starting to come to terms with them. I'll get over this too."
"You will," she assured him. "I never meant to hurt you."
"I know. You tried to tell me how you felt; I didn't want to hear it. It's my fault too." He nodded toward the target. "How about we forget some of this for a bit, and I kick the crap out of you in some target practice."
"As if," she snorted and chuckled as she handed her bow to him. A semblance of normalcy settled over them as he grabbed an arrow from her and stepped to the line she’d created in the dirt.
Braith followed her laughter around the building. The sound of it caused his lips to twitch involuntarily upward. Stepping around the corner of the house, he froze at the sight of Aria standing in front of Max, smiling smugly as she handed her bow to him.
For a moment, Braith was too stunned to move, and then rage tore through him. Beside him, Jack groaned.
"I thought you were watching her!" Braith snarled.
"Braith."
His brother went to grab his arm, but he was already storming across the field toward them. When Aria turned toward him, the smile on her mouth froze, and apprehension flashed across her features, but she remained otherwise immobile. Max dropped the bow to his side, but Braith knew the boy would like nothing more than to fire one of those arrows into his heart.
Aria's paralysis broke. She grabbed the bow as she stepped in front of Max.
"What is going on?" Braith demanded, never breaking eye contact with Max; even without the bow he was a threat.
"We're just taking target practice," Aria answered.
"You shouldn't be with him."
"He's my friend, Braith."
"He nearly killed you the last time you saw him."
"It was an accident. We've talked about it."
"And that makes it better?" he barked.
Her hands twisted on the bow and he realized she might also like to take a shot at him.
"Yes," she grated through clenched teeth. "It does."
Max shifted nervously behind her. "I should probably go."
"Yes," Braith informed him at the same time Aria snapped, "No."
Frustration filled him. When he reached for her, she smacked his hand away. "Aria—"
"He is my friend, and that's not going to change, no matter how much you disapprove!"
He didn't get a chance to argue further as she slammed her bow into his chest and stormed off. Jack stepped hastily out of her way when she stalked past him; she shot Jack a dark look as she went.
Max stood uncertainly, looking torn between bolting and laughing out loud. Braith glared at him. "If you hurt her again, it will be the last time."
Max nodded as an infuriating smile played at the corners of his mouth. Braith fought the urge to punch him, but the boy hadn't done anything wrong, at least not yet. He didn't trust him though, not for one minute.
In fact, he thought the best thing would be for Max to leave and never return, but unless Max made that choice himself, or unless he did something to Aria again, it looked like it wouldn't happen anytime soon. Max was important in the cause, and for some unfathomable reason, Aria cared for him.
Braith turned away from him and moved swiftly into the house. He found Aria in the room they shared last night. She looked exhausted and worn, far more so than the encounter outside should have made her. He was bewildered by the distressed look on her face and the dark circles marring her beautiful blue eyes.
"Did he do or say something to upset you?" Braith asked.
"No," she answered tiredly. "He apologized, and then he tried to help mend our friendship. I miss him, Braith. I know what happened before, but we were once good friends. I wouldn't have survived after I left the palace if it wasn't for Max. I was heartbroken, and he helped to ease some of it."
Braith didn't like to think about that time; it hadn't been easy for either of them. "He's in love with you."
Tears shimmered in her eyes. "Maybe then, but he's accepted I don't feel the same way about him, and he's trying to move on. He may not approve, but he knows I love you."
"I don't approve of him either."
"I wish you would learn to get along. Max was an important part of my life, and I would like to have him back in it. I'm not foolish enough to believe it can ever be the same, but I'd like to at least see the two of you come to an understanding with each other."
"And if he hurts you again?"
"He won't."
"But if he does?"
A single tear slid free. "I'll stay away from him then."
"He almost killed you last time."
"Braith, stop! It was an accident, a mistake. I will never know what happened to him in the palace. I was lucky you stepped forward to take me from that other vampire."
Braith's h
ands fisted; his muscles locked as he recalled the bastard who almost owned her.
"I can only guess at what happened to Max. You especially should know it couldn't have been easy or pleasant,” she said.
"That's not fair."
"Nothing is fair!" She practically screamed the words at him.
The ferocity of her reaction startled him as did the tears that suddenly burst free and streamed down her face. He'd seen her cry before, but he'd never seen this level of emotion over something he hadn't even realized was bothering her so much. She was almost irrational, something she never was.
"I didn't realize this was upsetting you so much." He told her as she dropped her head into her hands. Her shoulders shook as she sobbed quietly. Her cries only increased when he wrapped his arms around her and pulled her against him. Desperation radiated from her as her fingers dug into his back. "Arianna—"
"I'm sorry," she sobbed. "I'm so sorry."
He was unbelievably confused. He'd been around irrational women before, not for long because he usually left them behind if it happened, but this was Aria. His unbelievably proud and fierce Aria was sobbing uncontrollably for some reason he couldn't fathom. Her exhaustion must be getting to her, a fact evident in her pale face and shadowed eyes.
"For what?" he demanded, frightened and uncertain of what her answer would be.
She shook her head, seemingly unable to speak through her tears. He grabbed her cheeks and pulled her face from his chest.
"What are you sorry for?"
"I just..." she broke off as she tried to suppress her tears. "I know how much you don't trust Max, and I know I frightened you today. I didn't mean to."
It was true, but it didn't warrant this. "Don't cry, Arianna, it's okay."
Absurdly, she cried more. He pulled her back against him and rocked her as she buried her face in his chest again. A sob escaped her; she bit her lip hard enough to draw blood which he scented in the air.
"Braith?" Jack's voice interrupted.
Closing his eyes, he suppressed a groan as he turned her, making sure she was hidden from the doorway and Jack. "Go away," he commanded.
The Captive Series 1-5 Page 53