"I love you," he whispered against her ear.
"And I you."
His hands clasped her face, and he kissed her trembling lips.
The look on his face tore at her soul as he pressed his fingers against her lips. "I will love you until the end of days, Aria; never doubt that for a moment."
"I couldn't possibly." She traced the contours of his face before wrapping her hand around the back of his head and guiding it toward the hollow of her neck. "Please."
He hesitated before biting down. She sighed with pleasure as they were joined again.
Chapter Eighteen
Braith found her with her brother; their heads were bent close together and their shoulders touching as they sat on the bench before the fountain in the garden. Their hair, identical in color, shimmered a deep auburn in the radiance of the sun. Their words were hushed, their arms in front of them as they seemed to be pulling and pushing at each other.
It wasn't until he was closer that he realized they were holding hands, and attempting to pin each other's thumbs down as they tugged at each other. Though they were playing a game, they were also talking about their father, reminiscing and laughing. Heartache had weighed heavily on them, and they wore it similarly in their thinner frames, and halfhearted smiles.
William pinned her thumb down and grinned at her. "You're slipping, sis."
"You cheated," she accused as she pulled her thumb free and they battled again.
He was captivated by her, entranced by the laughter finally radiating from her again. How had he ever thought she wasn't beautiful? She may not be perfect in the classical sense, but her soul was glorious, and it shone from her like the sun. He'd sensed her spirit even before he could see it.
And he had no idea what was to become of her, of him, of them.
He took a step back, intending to return to the palace. She had so few moments of peace and tranquility; he wasn't about to intrude on this time with her brother. She turned suddenly, and her head tilted as she spotted him.
Her smile grew as her cheeks colored beautifully. William frowned at her before turning toward him. Their hands remained joined, but the game was forgotten as they stared at him questioningly.
Even from here, he could hear the increased beat of her heart and feel the joy suffusing her, along with the shy hesitance she'd experienced briefly this morning when they woke.
He'd hoped it would be gone by now, but he had a feeling it had more to do with her brother than being around him as she glanced nervously at William. Her brother looked between them; heat rose in his face as he released her and rose to his feet.
"You don't have to go," Braith informed him. He hated to break them up, especially for the reasons he had come.
"Yes." William glanced at Aria who offered him a small smile and nodded. Braith sensed there was more behind their look, but William was already turning back to him. "I do."
William squeezed Aria's shoulder before moving around the bench and leaving the gardens. Braith walked around the bench and sat beside her.
"Do you remember the first time you brought me here?" she inquired.
He stared at the fountain as he recalled that day. He hadn't known what to make of her then, hadn't known what to make of anything happening to him. She'd thrown him off balance, rattled him and confused him in a way he'd never been confused before.
She still did.
He didn't think he would ever get used to her or the way she made him feel; the way she could melt him, infuriate him, and drive him nearly to his knees all in the same moment.
"I do," he said.
"I was so uncertain of you before then."
"You sure didn't act like it," he muttered.
She released a velvety laugh as she leaned against his side. He loved the way she looked at him like that, from under lowered lashes, playful and joyful. It almost made him believe she wasn't still aching inside, but even through the smile, he saw the persistent torment in her eyes. It would be there for a long time to come.
He took her hand and pressed it gently between his as he placed it in his lap. "Well, I couldn't let you know I was a little scared of you; you'd take advantage of me then."
He couldn't stop a snort of laughter. "Oh, I'm sure, as you're so easy to take advantage of.”
"Only with you."
Her cheeks colored more, and he couldn't help the increase of his laughter. It was so rare and fleeting to see her embarrassed or shy about anything.
"Even then you're like a thorn," he teased.
A burst of astonished laughter escaped her; she leaned over to kiss him. He knew she'd only meant it to be chaste, a small show of affection, but the minute her lips touched his, heat flashed through his body. He grabbed her shoulders to hold her in place as memories of the night and morning burst through him.
He was unable to control the powerful wave of desire that swamped him. He'd most certainly never loved another woman before, but he'd also never been this enthralled or rattled by one either. He'd thought possessing her would ease the need somewhat; he'd been wrong. It had only increased.
She was breathing rapidly; her face flushed with a different kind of heat when he regained enough control of himself to finally separate from her. Her eyes were wide with awe; her lips parted and swollen from the force of his kiss.
He craved nothing more than to take her back upstairs and forget about everything as he lost himself to her, but things had to be settled between them. There was only so long they could push away reality, and though he would have liked a few more days, he knew it would make things more difficult in the end.
"There is something I have to tell you, Aria."
Reality crashed over her as she straightened her shoulders and thrust her chin out. "There is something I have to tell you too."
"Does it have to do with what has been between you and Jack recently?"
She paled as she leaned away from him. "You knew?"
"I suspected something; I'm not a fool. You haven't been the same since The Swamplands. I'm aware you were trying to put some distance between us; I suspected it was because you were nervous one of us wouldn't survive, but I've come to believe it was more than that, wasn't it?"
"You're going to be mad."
He shifted uneasily, but he'd known he would be. "I don't doubt it for a minute."
"Just please try and control your temper."
His jaw clenched. "I'd never harm you."
"I know!" she cried. "But I do enjoy this garden and the fountain, and I'd like to keep it all in one piece."
He quirked an eyebrow at her. "It's that bad?"
She shrugged, but there was no casualness to the gesture. "Depends on your point of view."
"From my point of view?"
"You're probably going to feel like breaking something, but for me, please don't."
He didn't like the sound of that. "For you, Aria, I can do just about anything."
He wasn't going to promise her though, not when he didn't know what she was going to tell him. He didn't believe anything romantic passed between her and his brother, but other things might set off his temper.
She took a deep breath and blurted her words so fast he had a tough time trying to follow what she was saying. The quicker she spoke though, and the more she talked, the more anger and dread curled in his belly, through his chest, and into his outer extremities. He was struggling not to shake, trying hard not to clench down on the hand he held.
He'd suspected they were plotting something, he even suspected it might have been something like this, but it did nothing to ease the acid churning through his stomach. Nothing to reduce the sense of betrayal he felt building through him.
"I never meant to upset you, Braith."
"And leaving me again wouldn't upset me?" he grated through clenched teeth.
She looked as if he'd slapped her when she recoiled from him. "It's not what I wanted to do," she whispered.
He released her hand and rose abruptly. His
muscles trembled as he struggled against the urge to lift the bench on the other side and smash it into the ground. He fought for control to keep his half promise to her.
"Jesus, Aria."
"I'm sorry, I truly am. But no matter how much I love you and believe me I do love you more than I ever thought possible, my happiness, our happiness is not as important as the thousands upon thousands of lives who depend on you. Because of that, I was willing to forfeit my happiness, my life…" She broke off abruptly, wincing as she seemed to realize she'd said too much.
"Your what?" he barked. "Jack was going to… no, not Jack. Jack wouldn't have the heart and neither would Ashby. Gideon," he stated with dawning realization.
Her gaze focused on something else within the garden. "They didn't know. Jack and Ashby didn't know, and Gideon, well I went to Gideon, he didn't come to me."
He wanted to scream at her and tear the garden apart. He had the urge to shake her until he rattled some sense into her thick skull, but even as all those urges slammed through him, he also felt a deflating of his spirit.
He'd driven her to this; he'd driven them all to this.
He'd been determined to believe he could walk away, and wouldn't be necessary here; he was so determined to bend the world and everyone in it to his will. He hadn't stopped to think of anyone other than himself, and her. He'd only meant to keep her safe and protected; he'd been insistent he would leave with her as soon as the war was over, but by doing so he pushed her and the others into trying to find a way to make him stay.
He didn't doubt she would have sacrificed herself to make him lead. He ran his hands through his hair as he dropped onto the bench beside her.
"You're angry with me," she whispered.
"I am. I'm also angry with myself."
"Know it was never what I wanted. I always wanted you. My heart." She pressed a hand to her chest. "Would always have been yours, no matter how far I went, or how long we were apart."
His head bowed, he folded his hands before him as he listened to the reassuring beat of her heart. "My blood is inside you, Aria, Jack knows that means I can track you anywhere."
"We were hoping if someone else's blood diluted it…"
He couldn’t stop his low groan of anguish at the thought. It was a stab to his heart his father had done such a thing to her. He could no longer taste his father's blood in her, but if he'd still been alive he could find her anywhere she went.
"Perhaps it would lessen your ability to track me," she said.
"And if not, Gideon was the backup plan," he growled.
She managed a small nod as her lower lip quivered. "Yes."
"Aria," he moaned as regret filled him. Pulling her against him, he pressed a firm kiss against her forehead. "I would have found you, you know, diluted blood or not I would have found you. I'll always find you."
"I know." Her fingers curled into his shirt as she pressed her face against his neck. "I think I always knew."
"Gideon became your entire plan at one point."
"Yes."
"You should have come to me," he broke off as he shook his head. "You couldn't; I wouldn't listen. Why did you change your mind? Why have you decided to tell me this?"
She pulled slightly away. "Because I couldn't be that person anymore. I simply couldn't leave you a second time. I was trying to do what I felt was right by leaving now, but it was never going to be right, not in the end. It would have destroyed us; even if you found me things never would have been the same. No matter what, you would have brought me back here, and you would have resented me for the rest of my life for betraying you, even if you could have forgiven me. You've also come to realize we're not the most important thing, not anymore. While I was in that dungeon, I knew you'd become the king."
"I don't understand."
"The stubborn, determined, unwilling to bend Braith I knew would have stormed through those gates with no thought to reason and logic—"
"I came as soon as I could."
She smiled as she rested her forehead against his; her fingers were as delicate as a butterfly's wing against his face. "I know you did. But you restrained yourself, and you put the greater good ahead of me, and you."
"I would give my life for yours, Aria, never doubt that."
She tilted her head to study him. "I know that, but you're a king, Braith, so many depend on you, and I'm—"
"A queen if you agree to be."
She closed her eyes, and her hands stilled on his face. "I know they won't accept me as a human."
"They have agreed to it." Her eyes flew open as she leaned back. "They will accept you as a leader, as a human, and as a queen. They will recognize you."
"Because of Caleb."
"You may not want it for that reason, but you gained their respect and admiration for it. I think they would have eventually agreed even if you hadn't helped take down Caleb. They are beginning to realize if things are to be equal, this is one of the things that will have to change. They accepted and respected human leaders in The Barrens, and they'll accept them here as well. You make me stronger, Aria, and it will help gain the support of the humans if you are by my side. They will recognize you as my queen."
"You had a meeting about this?"
"Yes."
"And if we have children?"
His hand fell instinctively to her belly. "I will love our children no matter what, human or vampire. I never thought I'd say those words, never even thought I'd care for any progeny I had, but I will love our children as much as I love you."
Tears shimmered in her eyes. "I know that, Braith, but they will not be accepted if I stay human, will they?"
"They have agreed our oldest child will have a seat on the council, but if the child is human, he or she won’t be accepted as my heir. It will have to be a vampire child of ours, and even if it doesn't sound like it, that is a huge concession for them. Though, I don't plan on stepping down for a very long time."
"Would others accept them?"
He hesitated. "It's going to be very difficult for a while, Aria. It's going to be a long time before our society operates the way we want it to."
"Probably not in my lifetime though," she muttered. "The life they will face…" Her voice trailed off as she turned toward the fountain. "We fought to make a better world, but our children will still know hardship and hostility—"
"No." He grasped her chin as he turned her head toward him. "No. Our children will know no such thing." But even as he said the words, he knew he was trying to make things bend to his will again. "Okay, yes, they may face some obstacles, but all children do, and things will be different for them. There will be prejudices, distrust, and hatred for a long time to come, but one day all of this will be just a memory, and the hatred will fade."
"Just as the memories of the old world have faded, I don't have that many years though, Braith."
"I know." This was it; the time had finally come to tell her. He was fairly certain of the choice she would make; he just wasn't sure he was ready for it. "Aria, there is something you must know."
She frowned at him. "What is it?"
He braced himself before continuing. "Xavier knows many things; more than both of us could ever learn, figure out, or understand over hundreds of years."
"I know, he's fascinating."
"That's one way to describe him, I suppose; most go with peculiar, but I guess fascinating works. He also sees deeper into people than anyone I've ever known, and he understands more about the way they work. He sees things in this world no one else would or could. Before you were captured, I noticed he’d taken a particular interest in you."
"What kind of interest?"
"That's what I was curious to know, and I confronted him about it."
"What did he say?" she prompted when he didn't speak for an extended moment.
He didn't want to say the words, as badly as he wanted to blurt them. "He believes you have vampire blood in your heritage."
She became as still as
a stone; even her heart seemed to freeze before giving a forceful kick against the inside of her ribs. "That's not possible."
"I think it is."
"No." She shook her head so vehemently her hair fluttered around her face. "No, Braith. I'm human."
"Yes, you most certainly are human. However, I believe that one of your ancestors was the child of a vampire. Listen to me, Aria, it makes sense," he said when she continued to shake her head. "You're faster than most humans, and only Daniel and William move with the same sort of soundless grace you do." He didn't add in her father; this was difficult enough without that reminder.
"Max is quick and capable in the woods, but nowhere near as quick or as silent as the three of you. You're strong; you destroyed the vampire in The Barrens. The first time I ever saw you maneuver through the trees, even I thought the speed and grace with which you moved was extraordinary. I'd never seen anything like it. If I'd been thinking clearly at the time, maybe I would have picked up on it, but I don't think I've thought clearly since I met you."
"Same here," she muttered as she stopped shaking her head and frowned at the fountain.
"There's also the bloodlink."
"It's never been with a human before; Ashby and Melinda were so baffled by us."
"As were Xavier and Gideon. No vampire has found their bloodlink in a human; Xavier is certain of it."
"That might explain why I unreasonably felt like I could trust you from the beginning, and why I was strangely unafraid when I first met you. I was always so reckless and driven to find a piece of me I didn't know was missing until you kissed me and I found it. Maybe there is a little bit of vampire DNA in me that recognized something in you."
He quirked an eyebrow as she frowned at him. "You weren't fearful of me? I'm terrifying."
"Nowhere near as afraid of you as I was the other vamp who tried to claim me." He would have protested if she wasn't smiling at him so endearingly. "But what does it mean, Braith? What difference does it make if somewhere along the way there was a vampire in my family?"
"It didn't have to be a vampire; it could have been a human-vampire child banished from the palace, one who fled to avoid the abuse they received."
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