The Captive Series 1-5

by Erica Stevens

  "Except the girl, keep her alive if you can." Caleb lifted his head to survey Aria. "I have some truly magnificent plans for her."

  A chill crept down Braith's spine as he met Aria's gaze. Her face was pale; her eyes shadowed and haunted as she stared back at him. She would never allow herself to be taken alive again. No matter what it took, he had to keep them all alive until Jack could get here, if Jack could get here, with the reinforcements.

  The room erupted into violence again as the soldiers lurched forward to obey their new king's command.

  Chapter Fourteen

  Aria forced herself to take a deep breath and steady her shaking hands as she pulled an arrow from the quiver. He'd murdered his father. Caleb had just killed the man who helped create him, who raised him and molded him in his image.

  She shouldn't be surprised. She'd spent a fair amount of time in their company these past few days and knew there wasn't anything they weren't capable of, but she couldn't shake the disgust and horror ensnaring her.

  The worst part was now that hideous spawn of the devil was the new king.

  Struggling to keep her composure, her wounded middle finger gave a twinge she ignored as she placed the arrow against her bow and fired at a soldier narrowing in on William. She didn't think about William's suffering; she couldn't right now. Not when their death order had just been handed down. The arrow pierced through the vampire's back, driving straight through his heart as the man fell forward.

  Max charged forward with a loud bellow and threw his shoulder into one of the soldiers closing in on William. Xavier grabbed the spear that was knocked free and used it to batter back three guards trying to get at Daniel as he hurriedly tended to William's wound. Keegan, seeming to sense William's extra need for protection, stayed close to his side.

  Aria rapidly released a flurry of arrows on the soldiers focused on her brothers. She wished she could offer cover for Braith too, but he seemed to be handling the soldiers trying to get at him reasonably well from his elevated position on the table. Her brothers were unprotected, vulnerable, even with Max and Xavier trying to battle back the men bent on destroying them. Aria fired two more arrows; there were only five left in the quiver Braith had tossed her.

  Her gaze ran rapidly over the hall; she had to find something else to use. A loud shout jerked her attention back to the battle below. Blood seeped from a deep cut on Max's cheek; his shirt had been torn open to reveal his firm chest and the blood welling from his flesh. Aria clenched her jaw and fired an arrow at the vamp closing in on him. The guard jerked forward before keeling over from the fatal blow.

  Max nodded a brief thanks to her before turning his attention back to helping Xavier. Five soldiers surrounded Braith, she managed to take one of them out, but another one quickly replaced him. Terror tore through her; there were too many of them, it was only a matter of time before they were overwhelmed.

  Caleb stepped casually over the body of his father as he climbed down the steps of the dais. Taking a steadying breath, the world around her went strangely silent as she focused her entire being on Caleb and fired an arrow straight at his already cold and deadened heart. At the last second one of the guards dove forward and threw themselves in between Caleb and the arrow.

  Caleb's head tilted back, a wicked grin curved his mouth as his lips pulled back to reveal his elongated fangs. Aria met his gaze, refusing to back down, refusing to cower from the twisted perversion within his eyes. Then, ever so deliberately, he tilted his head and nodded toward where she had last seen Braith.

  Braith was being pushed back by the wave of soldiers pressing against him. She fired three more arrows in rapid succession, killing two guards and knocking another one away from Braith. There were only two arrows left; she'd have to make them count.

  Adrenaline pounded through her as Braith was maneuvered toward where Max and Xavier stood before Daniel and William. They were going to die. She was about to watch the people she loved most be slaughtered right in front of her. Caleb passed beneath her beam as a grunt of pain escaped from Braith. Heart hammering, panic drove her as she scurried across the beams toward a flag hanging above the king's throne.

  She knelt on the beam and stretched out as her fingers fumbled for the tip of the flagpole. She nearly tumbled from the beam as she lurched forward, but managed to catch herself by locking her ankles around the solid wood at the last second.

  Her hand snagged the pole, and she jerked it free of the wall. She barely glimpsed the king's coat of arms, with a red dragon on it, as she fell forward, spinning around the beam to dangle by her ankles for a heart-stopping moment.

  Taking a deep breath, she used the pole to help shimmy herself back around. The wooden flag handle was solid and reassuring in her grasp. She longed to sit for a moment and steady her shaking muscles, but there was no time. Her legs trembled as she pushed herself back to her feet and hopped her way back toward the fray gathered around Braith and the others.

  Soldiers parted from around Caleb, stepping back to allow him access to the people they had herded into the back corner of the room.

  They were going to die; Caleb was going to kill them all. Desperation drove her as she lifted the pole up and smashed it as forcefully as she could against the massive beam. The force jolted her arms and hands but the pole splintered within her grasp. It wasn't much, but it was far better than nothing.

  She placed it onto the beam, and drawing out her last two arrows, she fired them with deadly accuracy into the soldier closest to Daniel and the one nearest Xavier, as they were the two being most threatened right now.

  She tossed the useless bow aside as Braith seized one of the guards by the throat. He drew him abruptly in, and for horrifying moment Aria thought he was going to lose himself in the darkness again, but he lifted the guard instead and threw him into the soldiers encircling them.

  Xavier lurched forward, stabbing the spear deep into another soldier and forcefully thrusting him back. Daniel managed to get William onto his feet and had him propped against the wall behind Daniel and Max's back.

  Their shoulders heaved, all of their faces were bruised and battered, their blood and the blood of others coated them, but they still looked prepared to continue the fight as they raised their meager weapons. Aria hefted the broken spear; she rotated it in her hands as she moved to the place where she had climbed onto the beam. Bending low, she was about to leap onto the table when the doors on the other side of the room burst open.

  Aria gawked as Natasha burst through the doors with Jack, Aria's father, and the others hot on her heels. The aching tension in her muscles eased as she rose to take in the new melee erupting in the room.

  King's soldiers and militia converged with a loud clash of metal and shouts of wrath and pain. Aria recoiled from the violence reverberating through the room and the blood so ruthlessly and methodically shed, but she welcomed the hope the new arrival brought with them.

  The attention of Caleb's men was diverted as they were torn between pursuing Braith and trying to fend off the new threat pouring into the room. Calista surged to the forefront as Natasha attempted to flee the invading army. Calista grabbed the vampire woman and brought her down beneath her. Aria had never liked Natasha, but that didn't mean she wanted to witness her death either.

  Aria turned away before Calista delivered the final blow. Daniel, Max, and Xavier leapt forward as the guards encircling them were distracted by the troops flooding the room. She was bracing herself for the leap down when Braith appeared beneath her.

  His face was bloody, his plain forest clothes were torn and ragged. There was still a hole in his chest and stomach, but he appeared to be healing rapidly. Though she sensed violence in his set shoulders and locked jaw, his eyes were not red as they met hers.

  "Stay up there!" he barked.

  Aria bristled over his command. He didn't give her time to protest though as he began to push and fight his way toward Caleb. She was about to ignore him, about to jump down anyway, when she fr
oze.

  If her capture had taught her anything, it was that she had to think before acting, and she sensed this was one of those times when it was best for her to stay out of the way and not plunge into the fray. She would only be a distraction to her family and friends, and especially to Braith. Her rebellious nature struggled against her decision, but she managed to restrain herself.

  Through the mob, Aria spotted her father by the doors of the massive throne room. There was a bloody bandage wrapped around his shoulder, but he appeared unhindered by the wound as he fired an arrow and killed a guard lurching at him. Relief filled her; tears burned her throat as he lifted his head and spotted her across the crowd. They exchanged a brief smile and a wave before the crush of people once again swallowed him.

  Her attention was brought back to Caleb as he attempted to lose himself in the press of bodies while the two sides hacked and stabbed at each other with ruthless intent. Aria wasn't about to let him get away that easy though.

  She followed him across the beams as Braith tracked him on the ground. The tide of the fight seemed to be turning in their direction, but it was still far from over as Caleb barked orders while retreating toward the table, and then onto it. Aria realized only too late what he was doing, what he intended. He'd never been fleeing but heading towards something.

  "Braith watch out!" she screamed above the incessant din of the room as Caleb seized hold of a bow and arrow and took aim at Braith.

  Braith twisted to the side, barely dodging the arrow Caleb shot at him. A loud roar escaped him as he finally broke free of the crush and bolted toward his brother in a blur of motion. Caleb fired another arrow that Braith snatched out of the air and tossed aside. Caleb threw the bow uselessly at Braith and braced himself for the impact.

  Aria winced as they collided with a thunderous shout and the loud crack of at least one broken bone, though she didn't know who had suffered it. She didn't want to look, but she couldn't take her eyes away as they fell on top of the table, pummeling and tearing at each other with a ferociousness that rivaled two alpha wolves fighting for dominance.

  All their hatred toward each other erupted in a violent battle that shattered the plates, crushed and bent the golden goblets, knocked the candle holders over, and toppled a few of the poor souls trapped within the chairs.

  They rolled across the table as they punched and kicked and scrambled to stay on top, to remain in control, to destroy the other. The guttural, animalistic noises coming from them were unlike anything she'd ever heard and hoped never to hear again.

  Braith healed fast but he was still impaired, and Caleb had been feeding better than he had. But even so, it appeared Braith was winning as he leveled Caleb with a brutal blow that caved his cheekbone. Caleb howled as he clawed at Braith's face, trying to tear at his eyes as he fought to escape Braith's devastating punches.

  Nausea twisted in Aria's stomach. This is war, and it's brutal, she reminded herself. She'd done her fair share of killing today, but what was between them was something more than the war surrounding them. This violence had been building for centuries and was finally being released in a torrent of blood and loathing.

  Caleb somehow managed to twist in Braith's grasp and dodge the next punch. Braith's fist slammed into the massive wood table; the harsh sound of cracking bone was distinct even over the raucous of the room.

  Braith cursed loudly; he jerked his broken hand back as Caleb thrust his fingers into Braith's Adam's apple. Braith was thrown off enough by the switch in attack methods that Caleb was able to get his legs in between them and push Braith off. Braith fell back on the table as Caleb scrambled out from under him. Caleb staggered to his feet, nearly fell over, but somehow managed to keep his balance as he grabbed one of the torches in the sconces above him.

  A cry of horror escaped her as Caleb thrust at Braith with the flame. Braith jerked back as the flames caught at the tail end of his shirt. He slapped at the fire, beating them out as Caleb launched at him again.

  Knocking the torch aside, Braith seized Caleb's arm and jerked him forward. Caleb managed to dodge Braith's punch, he slammed his shoulder into the lower part of Braith's chest and propelled them both across the table.

  They tumbled over, bouncing across the hard surface before spilling onto the floor beneath her feet. Braith seized Caleb's shirt, lifted him, and smashed him into the floor. Caleb was stunned for a moment, but then he rapidly kicked out at Braith as he was lifted high again. Aria had been so focused on the fight between them that she didn't notice the soldier coming up behind Braith until he smashed a club off Braith's back.

  A cry of distress tore from her as Braith pitched forward beneath the force of the blow. Braith spun as the guard went back at him with the club raised high and a malicious gleam in his eyes. Grabbing the club, he ripped it from the man's hands and swung it across his face.

  While he was distracted, Caleb threw himself at Braith's back. The knife he brandished gleamed in the light of the room. Braith knocked his hand aside, blocking Caleb from slitting his throat completely, but Caleb was still able to cut him. Blood spilled forth as Braith's sliced skin began to bleed profusely, and more guards encircled him.

  She had relented and stayed aloft, but there was no way she could stand idly by and watch Braith be murdered in cold blood. Her gaze fell on the piece of broken flagpole she had left behind, and she scurried back to it. The ominous feeling she may already be too late gave her a burst of tremendous speed as she propelled herself back toward Braith.

  Braith was struggling against two guards when Aria launched herself off the beam at Caleb. There was a moment when it almost felt as if she were flying, almost felt as if Braith would die while she was suspended like a feather in the air. And then, finally, she was falling.

  Caleb staggered beneath her as she crashed onto his back and nearly drove him to his knees. He somehow managed to catch his balance as she wrapped her legs around his waist and clenched her thighs against his sides.

  With a ferocious cry, she lifted the makeshift stake above her head and plunged it down. Caleb's skin and bone gave way with a loud crunch beneath the fractured wood as she drove it through with a strength born of terror and love. His legs gave out as the pole broke through his ribcage and pierced the other side. Even before she saw the angle of the pole, she knew it hadn't been a direct blow to his heart.

  A howl escaped him as he jerked back and tried to throw her off, but Aria adhered to him like burdock to cloth. She bit back a cry of agony and frustration as he clawed at her over his back, tearing her arms open but not slicing as deep as the creatures from The Barrens. Caleb beat at her, catching the corner of her eye, and splitting her lip as she tried to keep her face shielded from him.

  Suddenly Braith was before them. She'd never seen him look this feral and lethal, but with an air of control he'd never possessed when her life was threatened before. His eyes, as they met hers, were not rubies. Instead, they were a piercing gray that touched the very core of her soul with their beauty. She knew, without words, without a gesture or move, what he wanted her to do.

  A final burst of energy poured through her as she leapt off Caleb's back. Braith lunged forward and grabbed her around her waist. Pulling her protectively against him, he slammed his right hand into Caleb's chest. An inhuman wail escaped Caleb; he reared back beneath Braith's assault as Braith yanked back with a mighty heave. Aria turned away and buried her face in Braith's neck as Caleb's wail increased in frequency before silencing completely.

  She shook against him, clinging to his solid frame as he held her flush against his side with her feet dangling in the air. His hand trembled as he brushed the sweat-dampened strands of hair back from her face. She didn't even care he was touching her with the hand that had destroyed his brother as she lifted her gaze to meet his frantic eyes. She simply stared at him while she basked in the feel of him.

  A small breath escaped her; he was the only thing she could see, the only thing she could feel as he kissed her firml
y, bit into his wrist and offered his blood to her. She stared at it for a moment before snagging it and pressing it to her mouth.

  She eagerly swallowed, pulling his blood into her body as she tried to rid herself of the awful taste of the king's blood staining her tongue and throat. The sweetness of his blood, the pureness of it flowed into her, healing her at the same time it helped to purge her system.

  He kissed her forehead as he stepped back from the table and turned her into the shadows of an alcove. Aria gradually became aware of the hush around them, and she released Braith's arm. Her hand pressed into the hollow of his back as she leaned around him to survey the room.

  The few soldiers continuing to fight were swiftly being taken down. It seemed that when Caleb died, most of the king's remaining soldiers had given up the fight. They were pushed against the opposite wall, their weapons on the ground at their feet and their arms raised in surrender.

  There was a new King now.

  "Are we safe?" she whispered.

  Braith's lips were warm against her ear as he bent his head to hers. "Yes. You are safe now, Arianna."

  Aria's heart hammered, and her hand clenched on his back, she didn't want to let him go, but she had to.

  Her grip on him eased as he slid her to her feet. Bodies littered the ground; blood splattered the floor, walls, and fighters who remained. She somehow managed to keep from vomiting as she surveyed the carnage.

  Jack momentarily came to the forefront; he gestured frantically for Braith to join him. Foreboding filled her as she took a step toward the large group. Braith seized her face, turning her away from the casualties strewn about the room and spilling into the hall beyond the massive doors.

  "I have to help them." She managed a small nod as his eyes raked her face. "I need you to stay here, Aria. Please, do as I ask until everything is secure."