Salvation (The Captive Series Book 4) (24 page)

   “Not all the time.”
   “Since you met me?”

   He brushed the hair back from her face. “Not all the time.”

   She shuddered, she ached for the torment he had gone through, the torment she hadn’t been able to understand until now. “It’s an awful feeling, how did you deal with it?”

   “Years of experience, and you. Just being with you made it all worth it.”
Her discomfort was forgotten as love streamed through her. She kept thinking it wasn’t possible to love him more, but he always managed to prove her wrong. “I’ll teach you how to control it but if you feed well, and often, it will be easy to control. You won’t have to feel this way again Aria, I’ll make sure of that.”

   Her gaze drifted back to his vein. She shuddered as desire tore through her and
left her shaken. It was not his body she hungered for right now though, but something more and it frightened her. She’d fed from him once, but she didn’t recall it and didn’t know how she’d done it, or if she’d even done it right. “Braith,” she gasped.

   “It’s ok.” His hands were on her waist; he lifted her and eased her into his lap. “It’s ok Aria.”

   His hand wrapped around the back of her head. She remained unyielding in his grasp as uncertainty, dread, and a coil of disgust warred incessantly within her. “What if I hurt you?”

   “You won’t.” She licked her lips, starting in surprise as she felt the
harsh prick of her teeth. A whimper involuntarily escaped her. He turned his wrist over, revealing the marks to her. “This didn’t hurt.”
   “I was completely out of it; I didn’t know what I was doing.”

   “You knew what you were doing then, and you’ll know what you’re doing now. Just let your instincts take over; they’ll guide you through this.”

   He guided her head to the hollow of his neck and rested it there. She could smell the sweet scent of his blood as it wafted out of him. It was delicious, enticing as it ensnared her within its scent of spices and earth, and
her
. She pressed her lips against his warm skin; he tasted of soap and something more, something masculine and dark and powerful. Something that she craved with a driving frenzy that frightened her, but that wouldn’t be denied.

   How had he ever been able to control this kind of consuming thirst around her?

   She tried not to think, tried to shut her brain down as she let the instincts he spoke of take over. Her lips pulled back, her teeth, no they weren’t just teeth anymore, they were razor sharp fangs, and right now they were aching to be buried in his tender skin. A small shudder of anticipation rocked him as she pressed her fangs against his skin. She hesitated, kissing him for a long moment before she bit down. His hands clenched upon her back, a low groan escaped him as she pulled his blood from him. Pleasure swamped her; she pressed closer as the sweet flow of his blood filled her mouth. She didn’t feel repulsed; she wasn’t sickened by the flavor and heat of it within her mouth. It was the most delicious thing she’d ever tasted as she felt their minds surging forth to mingle together.

   Her fingers dug into his back as his joy mixed with hers. She’d experienced it as a human, but now, as a vampire, it was even deeper and more open. There weren’t any barriers between them. He was completely bared to her; she felt the ebb and flow of the darkness within him. Felt the lengths and depths of brutality he would go to for her, and the others he sought to protect. He revealed to her the true depth of his fear for her, the
extent of his instability within The Barrens, and when she had been taken by Caleb.

   It shook her, humbled her and brought her to tears. She’d always known he was powerful, always known that it had been stressful for him when it came to her, but he hadn’t revealed the true depth of that
strain until now. He hadn’t revealed the true depths of his dislike, and lack of pleasure and satisfaction he experienced with anyone else’s blood.

   Aria pressed closer, unable to get enough of this glimpse into him, of this complete baring of the soul of the man she loved so desperately. She simply couldn’t get close enough as she exposed everything she had to him,
and revealed all of her love and concerns to him as he did to her.

   She was
enmeshed in his pleasure, caught up in his love as she nestled closer. The soreness in her body eased, her muscles loosened further the more that she consumed. She bit deeper into his neck, relishing in the blood and energy that infused her.

   A low groan escaped him; the headboard crashed off the wall as he slammed his hand against it in an attempt to curve the burgeoning desire she felt swirling up through his body and into hers. She whimpered as he released the headboard and buried his hand within her hair. His mouth pressed hotly against her shoulder, his fangs nipped at her skin before biting. If she’d had any doubt that he wouldn’t find her blood as appealing, it was quickly squashed by his intense delight as it engulfed her.

   She wrapped her legs around his waist as he shifted her in his lap. Aria was consumed with love as she lost herself to the touch and feel of him. The pleasure he took from her engulfed her, she couldn’t separate her own ecstasy from his as she was consumed by his infinite wonder and fulfillment.

   The rest of the world faded away as for the first time she gave herself to him with no fear of what the future held. For the first time she knew complete safety and security. She knew there was nothing that could ever tear them apart again.

CHAPTER 23

   Aria fiddled anxiously with the sleeves of her shirt. Braith quirked an eyebrow as he grabbed hold of her hands and held them within his own. “It will be fine.”

   She gulped and managed a small nod as Braith opened the door to his newly fixed and refurnished apartment. The furniture was a deep forest green now and the carpet had been replaced with a gleaming wood floor. The apartment had been beautiful before, but more masculine. It was more feminine now and she suspected that Melinda had had a big hand in picking out the furniture and the colors.

   “I thought you would like to pick out the paintings,” Braith told her.

   She nodded as she glanced around the bare walls. She hadn’t put much thought into what the apartment would look like, or how it should be decorated. She’d been too consumed by her grief and uncertainty. As she glanced at the walls now though she itched to cover them with some of the beautiful paintings and artwork that Daniel had created since moving into the palace.

   Braith pulled the drawing of the two of them free of his coat. Tears burned her eyes but she kept them suppressed as she took it from him. It would be the first thing she put on the wall. A subtle knock on the door reminded her of what she’d been so nervous about just moments ago. She rolled the drawing back up and placed it on the desk.

   Braith opened the door to William, Daniel, and Max. If she still had a heartbeat she knew it would be thumping riotously in her chest. The stillness was a little unnerving, but nowhere near as unnerving as facing the three of them. Braith grabbed her hand as she started to fiddle again.

   She was concerned they’d be mad at her, not because she was a vampire now, but because she hadn’t told them she was going to do it. She worried that Max would resent her. He’d been doing so much better, but she still didn’t know how he was going to react to this news.

   William, finally free of his crutches, grinned at her as he swooped into the room, lifted her into the air and gave her a crushing hug. He dropped her down and seized hold of her hand, seemingly oblivious to the fact that she wasn’t human anymore. “Nice ring.”

   “I’m glad you approve,” Braith commented dryly.

   Aria smiled shyly at William as he grinned at Braith and twisted her hand within his. Max and Daniel came forward to hug her and offer their congratulations. She went to fiddle with her hands again but thought better of it as Braith shot her a look. She didn’t know how to tell them, did she just blurt out, ‘oh by the way I died?’ Or perhaps the, ‘I’m not a human anymore’ approach would work better.

   “I uh…I’m…” the words died in her throat, she couldn’t stop her gaze from going to Max.

   His forehead furrowed as he stared at her questioningly. Then his forehead cleared as realization dawned in his eyes. “A vampire.”

   William and Daniel’s head
s snapped toward her, their eyes perused her. Braith took hold of her hand and enfolded it within both of his. “You did it?” William asked.

   Aria winced at the upset in his voice. “I didn’t know I was going to,” she told him. “And then I found the drawing that dad left behind for me.”

   “What do you mean?” Daniel’s blue eyes narrowed on her.

   She filled him in on what she’d discovered in the banquet tree. “I really didn’t go out there with the intention of this happening,” she told him.

   She shifted uneasily beneath their intense scrutiny. “You’re ok though?” William worried.

   It was a little disconcerting but she heard the difference in William’s heartbeat as he circled around her. His pulse sped up; there was a faint knock in it as adrenaline spurted through him. It didn’t entice her, but she was unsettled by the fact that she could even hear it to begin with. It was going to take her awhile to get used to all the new sights, sounds, and sensations her new status offered her.

   Braith slid his arm around her waist and pulled her against his side as he seemed to sense her discomfort. “I’m ok,” she assured William.

   “So I guess this means we do have some vampire DNA in us.”

   “I would assume so,” Braith confirmed.

   “Max?” Aria inquired nervously.

   His gaze focused on the window behind her. Her fingers clenched on Braith’s back as tears burned her eyes. Please, she pleaded silently. Please don’t hate me again. He finally looked at her, and though it was sad, he offered her a small smile. “I’m glad you survived. I’m happy for you,” he assured her.

   A low sob escaped her as she released Braith and stepped forward to hug Max and her brother’s again. Another knock on the door drew her apart from them. Melinda poked her head in; she scented the air before she broke into a brilliant grin. She flung the door open and bounded across the floor to them. Free of the cloak of her father’s oppression, and her separation from Ashby, Melinda had turned into a lively, exuberant woman.

   William shot her a disgruntled look as Melinda elbowed him out of the way, seized hold of Aria’s hand and jerked it toward her. Aria’s eyes widened as Melinda released a joyous squeal. Ashby had entered behind her and now stood beside Braith, grinning in amusement as Melinda began to prattle on. “We have so many plans to make! So much to do! It’s going to be amazing!”

   “I’d actually like a small ceremony,” Aria told her.

   “A queen’s wedding can never be small!” Melinda retorted.

   Aria cast Braith a pleading look as his sister began to propel her toward the sofa. He jumped forward, smiling pleasantly at Melinda as he extricated Aria’s arm from Melinda’s death grip. “We can do both,” Braith placated.

   She knew that arguing would be pointless, Melinda was right, and if she still got to have the ceremony she wanted she didn’t see what difference it made as long as she got to marry Braith.

CHAPTER 24

   Over the next few days Melinda kept her occupied with endless details, most of which she never would have thought of. It was overwhelming on top of trying to adjust to her new vampire abilities. She’d accidentally ripped the handle off the door in the library, and broken a saddle when she’d forgotten that she was stronger now. She kept trying to breathe, missed the beat of her heart, and was still trying to adjust to the unfamiliar sensations of her over sensitized skin.

   Even though she felt overwhelmed, she’d also never felt this secure and happy. She fell asleep in Braith’s arms every night and woke to find him beside her every morning. When Melinda wasn’t demanding her time, she would go out with Max, Xavier, Jack and William to help in rebuilding the town. Daniel and Braith were still entrenched in the
intricacies of establishing the new government, and dealing with the problems that arose from the people and vampires that were still struggling to assimilate to the changes.

   Melinda had told her that
the building wasn’t something a future queen should be doing, but Aria didn’t care. She didn’t want to be involved in the running of the household, and planning a wedding was beyond tedious. Besides, with her newfound strength she was far better at building, and faster at it than she ever would have been in the past.

   Maybe it wasn’t what the other queens had done, but it was what she was going to do, and there was nothing that was going to change that. She was willing not
to be in the woods every day, to wear the silly undergarments and dresses when they were required. She would tend to the things that she had to once she was queen, but she was
not
going to be trapped within that palace, and she was not going to be relegated to running the household. Melinda enjoyed doing it and Aria preferred to be with all the people and vampires in the town. 

   She listened to the problems they were having, what they needed, and she did her best to resolve the issues that arose either herself, or by bringing it to Braith and The Council’s attention. She enjoyed working side by side with them toward a common goal as they all tried to assimilate to their new lives. It also helped to ease the grief, helped take her mind off of the empty hole in her life. She knew her father would have been thrilled to see all the changes that were taking place, and his children helping to make those changes.

    Aria stepped back as she handed the last of the boards up to William and studied him with a heavy heart. He’d told her this morning that he planned to go with Jack, when the rebuilding was done here, to help build up the towns in the outlying areas. They planned to expand the territory, search for water, and create a burgeoning world of prosperity and hope where now there was none.

   She’d assumed William would stay with Daniel and learn more about the way things were going to be run, but he’d been showing less interest in it every day, and had asked Max to step in to take over for him completely yesterday. She knew it was because of their father’s death, but she also knew that he wouldn’t talk about it. Maybe when he came back from his journey, but not now. She understood his urge to run away, but it was still tearing her up inside and she prayed that he found whatever it was he was looking for and came back to her soon.

   It had taken everything she had not to cry when he’d told her, and she could feel tears burning her eyes again. She longed to tell him to stay, that she needed him, but he’d never confined her or disapproved of her decisions. This was something he had to do and she wasn’t going to try and dissuade him no matter how much she wanted to.

   “You’re the one that likes heights, shouldn’t you be up here?” he protested from the roof of one of the new homes being erected in the bailey.

   Aria grinned at him as she wiped her hands on her dirty pants. “I have a wedding to help plan,” she reminded him. “Unless you want Melinda to come out here to retrieve me again?”

   He made a face as he shook his head briskly. The last time Melinda had come out here to retrieve Aria, she’d forced William and Max into the palace in order to be fitted for tuxes. They’d both gone out of their way to avoid her since. “Go! Go!” he urged with a quick wave of his hand before hastily retreating from sight. His hand reappeared
to wave her briskly away once more but he didn’t look over at her again.

   She laughed as she turned away from the house and made her way to the stables with her constant companion at her side. There was a colicky horse she wanted to check on before retreating to the palace. “Are you ready for more wedding planning?”

   Xavier crooked an eyebrow at her as he shook his head. “I never knew there were so many different flowers before.”

   “Neither did I.”

   Xavier followed her into the stable and waited as she entered the mare’s stall. She was relieved to find the mare more relaxed and some fresh manure in the corner. Patting the mare’s back and neck, she moved slowly around her as she spoke softly with her for a few moments. 

   “Xavier can you bring me some hay? I think she might be ready to eat now.” Aria rested her hand on the horse’s neck as she waited for an answer, or for her guardian to appear. She heard nothing though, and the stable remained oddly
hushed. “Xavier?”

   The dim light danced and swayed as shadows flitted around the dusky
interior of the barn. A chill slid down Aria’s spine, her hand fell from the mare’s neck as a rustle of movement drifted to her. “Xavier?” she called, trying to keep the nervousness from her voice.

   Silence continued to greet her. The scent of hay, straw and horse seemed even more acute as she remained immobile. Her body became still in ways it never could have been if she was human. For the first time she didn’t miss the beat of her heart as her ears picked up sounds that the beat would have muted. Calmness settled over, her heightened sense’s opened as she searched the surroundings outside of the stall.

   A smell that she’d never experienced before reached her. It was body odor, decay and rot all rolled into one disgusting blend. It was old and decrepit but also strangely powerful. The image of a walking corpse filtered through her mind as a soft rustle reached her. She opened her mouth to call out to Xavier again but thought better of it. Whatever was out there, it wasn’t Xavier.

   A shadow fell across the stall door seconds before feet shuffled into view. If she’d still had a heartbeat it would be on the verge of exploding. She couldn’t tear her gaze away from those filthy feet with their overgrown toenails and ragged cuts. The bottom of the pants were tattered and so incredibly soiled that she couldn’t even discern the color of them anymore. A lump formed in her throat, tears burned her eyes as she arrived at the disgusting shirt that was in much the same condition, but the hole and bloodstain on it were still clearly discernible.

   It took every ounce of courage she had to force her eyes to continue upward. The haggard features, obscured by dirt and decay, were almost indiscernible. The grayish skin sagged, the outline of the skull was clearly visible as cheekbones stood out severely and the eyes had sunken in. A piece of the bottom lip, right ear, and half the left side of the nose were gone. Nausea twisted through her as she realized they’d probably been eaten off while he was buried. Perhaps even more had been missing, but even as she watched the lesions on his face and arms seemed to be knitting together and repairing themselves. 

   Her nose wrinkled, she recoiled from the smell radiating from this
thing
standing across from her with blazing ruby eyes. The mare snorted, she shifted nervously in the stall as a low whinny escaped her and she spun suddenly. Aria just managed to avoid being knocked over as the mare shoved her toward the hideous creature at the front of the stall.

   A scream surged up her throat; she drew on her recently
acquired vampire strength to lunge back. She wasn’t quick enough though, even partly decayed and slightly rotten the king was still faster than her. He seized hold of her throat, propelling her backward as he slammed her into the wall with enough force to shake it. Pain lanced through her back, the mare squealed and bolted from the stall.

   Aria envied the horse greatly as the monstrosity holding her lowered his face to hers. His lips skimmed back to reveal his
pointed teeth and black,
black
, gums. A shudder of revulsion rippled through her, she tried to twist her head away but he seized hold of her cheeks and squeezed. The reek of putrefaction entrenched her; she wished she was still human so it wouldn’t be so potent. A small whimper escaped her as she finally managed to get her hands in between them.

   Beneath the shirt, she could feel the pliancy of his skin, and for a moment she thought her fingers were going to sink right into it. She gagged involuntarily, even if she couldn’t breathe, she felt herself spiraling toward a panic attack.

   This couldn’t be possible! She’d seen Caleb kill him! She’d
been
there for it! Yet as his fingers dug into her cheeks to force her lips out, and his black tongue slithered out to brush against her mouth, she couldn’t deny the reality, no matter how badly she wanted to. She nearly vomited on him as he pushed against her.

   “Someone’s no longer human,” he murmured against her ear as he sniffed along her neck. A shudder rippled through her, bile surged up her throat. “My son thinks he can keep you, but he’s wrong.
I’ll
be keeping you.”   

   “How?” she croaked as he forced her head to the side.

   “You think a simple stake is going to kill me? I’m almost fifteen hundred years old, there’s plenty you don’t know about me,
bitch
. I know plenty about you though, especially where you are, always.” His fingers flitted up and down her neck before resting on the marks that Braith had left on her last night. “I’m going to make you pay, and I’m going to make my
son
pay. No one can defeat me.”

   Pain, unlike any she’d ever known, exploded through her as his teeth sank into her neck and he began to replenish his depleted strength with hers.

***

   Gideon handed Braith the truce agreement that had been written with the border towns. He knew most of the concessions and promises that had been made within the agreement, but even so he read it carefully to make sure everything met his approval. The border towns would be sending an elected representative to join The Council next week. In exchange, they would consent to representatives from the palace moving into the towns for an unspecified amount of time to ensure that all slavery was ended.

   Braith nodded as he grabbed the pen and hastily added his signature to the document. His hand was cramped from the endless signatures, but they were finally reaching an end, finally forming a solid union with everyone that had been involved in the war. He flexed his fingers as he sat back in his chair and surveyed the room.

   Things weren’t perfect, far from, but they were better than he’d thought they’d be at this stage. They’d formed alliances, they were rebuilding, the donation center wasn’t thriving, but more people were coming around to the prospect of giving their blood. There were still fights, and there would be continuing violence for awhile, but even that had started to slow as stability was beginning to return in the form of homes
, businesses, and a solid government.

   He also had Aria. It was more than he ever could have hoped for, more than he ever
had
hoped for. He was going to have an eternity to enjoy their marriage, an eternity to enjoy
her
. The thought caused a small smile to tug at his lips. He knew she would be coming in soon to meet with Melinda, he thought he might be able to slip away for a few minutes in order to intercept her. Unknowingly, he began to tap the pen harder as he planned out his brief escape.

   The pen tapped harder on the table, he didn’t realize his foot had dropped to the floor as an uneasy feeling began to twine through his stomach. “Easy there fidgets,” Daniel said as he signed the document and passed it on.

   The pen cracked in his hand, ink ran out to coat his fingers as he stood slowly. A sense of doom slithered like a serpent through him as he searched the room for whatever danger he felt licking across his skin. Even as he searched though, he began to realize that whatever was wrong wasn’t coming from in here, but from somewhere else.

   It was Aria, something was wrong with Aria. He didn’t know how he knew, didn’t know why he was so certain of it, but he knew that something wasn’t right with her.

   “Braith?”

   An involuntary snarl ripped from him as Gideon rose from his chair. Gideon took a startled step back. “Aria.”

   He didn’t look back as he moved from the room faster than he’d ever moved in his life.

***

   After the initial burst of agony that nearly drowned her within its dark depths, Aria managed to regain enough control of herself to begin to put up a fight. Her hands fisted as they were ineffectively pinned against his mushy chest. She squirmed against him as she tried to bring her legs up between them in order to get some leverage against his savage attack. Using the palm of his hand, he pressed it flat against her face as he pushed it hard against the wood of the stall.