Twilight's Eternal Embrace (10 page)

"
Ancients?
"
Then she realized what he meant.
"
I fear they are not that old. They only
appear
weathered.
"

"
I often wondered what it would be like to grow old as a Lathe Sith does.
"

"
Not fun or so my mother says when she rubs her aching back. I yearn to stay young and not have my body betray me with not working as it should.
"

"
Living centuries has its drawbacks, I am told
."
Bram
sighed
.

Their conversation had drifted to dire events they could not prevent. She wanted to know more about his family.
"
Tell me about the brother who is still in Dungannon. Is he like you?
"

"
The Heavens above, no.
"
He chuckled.
"
He could not be more different. Before he changed, we had many scrapes
and
with me the victor, but now he could take me down without working a sweat.
"

"
What do you argue about?
"
She would have never dreamed of fighting with her sister.

"
We do not always see
the world in the same respect
.
"
He glanced at her.
"
He would not approve of us meeting like this.
"

"
Well, it is forbidden.
"
She smiled and he returned the grin.

"
Aye, so it is, but he would make a grand production of my falling from grace. He takes great pleasure in pointing out my faults to our father and more so if I am punished for my actions.
"

"
I do not believe I would like
this
brother
of yours
.
"

He
laugh
ed
, a deep chortle vibrating from his chest.
"
Then you shall never meet him,
"
he pledged and gave her hand a gentle squeeze.

The hours seemed to slip by as the sky darkened
,
revealing the stars like twinkling jewels.
"
I do not want this night to end.
"
She turned toward him and was glad to see the longing in his eyes echoed her own.

"
If we are careful, we can
plan another evening such as this
.
"

Her lips curved and she could not stop the bubbling laugh escaping her.

"
I have amused you in some way?
" The dark wings of his eyebrows lifted
.

"
Aye. I never thought I would fancy a
Twilight
tryst and here I am longing for the hours to slip away so I may join you again for another.
"

His hand caressed her cheek with a soft touch that made her shudder with longing. He didn
'
t make her wait, but leaned down and pressed his lips to hers
in a soft kiss
.
"
The day will prove painful as I lay in wait to meet you again.
"

They stayed in each other
'
s company until the sky threatened their visit with the dawning of a new day. Bram secured their horses and led her mount to her. Her mare proved skittish and rebelled against Bram
'
s hold.

"
It is all right.
"
She tried to calm the mount with soothing words. As she stepped closer, the horse twisted away from Bram and reared upon its hind legs. Her feet froze.
The
horse would have trampled her, but Bram swooped in, gathering her in his arms. He brought her to safety a few feet away from her horse
'
s dancing hoo
ve
s.

She clutched his forearms.
"
It amazes me how fast you can move.
"
She glanced at her horse
,
snorting in triumph over its escape from Bram
'
s hold.

"
Not fast enough it would seem.
"
His gaze landed on her arm. A long gash from her elbow to the lower underside of her arm oozed with blood. Bram
'
s teeth lengthened and his eyes turned dark, the rims deep red.

"
Are you okay?
"
she asked, wondering if he could control his urge to take her blood.

He
forced a smile
and nodded
his reassurance
. He bent down and tore the hem of her gown to wrap her wound.
"
The gash is not life threatening, but make sure you wash it well when you arrive home.
"
His hands were gentle as he wrapped the cloth over the wound. He hesitated before he was finished.

"
What is it?
"

He met her gaze.
"
Camden mentioned something to me before I headed out to meet you tonight.
"
His brows furrowed in thought.

Her hand touched his, drawing his attention.
"
Camden, the male wedded to my sister?
"

He nodded.
"
Aye. Blood heals us. We drink the essence for strength.
"

She wasn
'
t sure what he was trying to say.
"
I know this.
"

"
Hmm, aye. But what if you took my blood. Maybe it would make you stronger.
"

"
We are not blood drinkers, Bram.
"
She longed for Bram to take her blood, the intimacy of it warmed her, but the thought of her returning the favor made her shudder.

"
Perhaps you would not have to drink it.
"
His gaze lingered on her and his lips pursed together as if he was gauging his next words with careful consideration.
"
Would you let me try something?
"

She shook her head.
"
I am sorry, but I do not think I could stomach drinking your blood. Please understand.
"

"
I do.
"
He removed his dagger from his sheath.

She was about to ask him what he was about to do, but before the words could leave her lips, he brought the sharp edge of the knife down, slicing his palm. She let out a gasp.
"
Bram, what are you doing?
"

"
I want to try an experiment. If you will allow it, I want to mingle my blood with yours to see if the wound will heal faster.
"
He opened his palm. The blood welled for only a moment before his wound closed with no sign of damage.

"
You heal so quickly.
"

"
I have fed this day. If I was wounded or drained of blood, I would not heal as you saw just now.
"

Her fingers traced his palm before she met his gaze.
"
Aye, do it.
"

He took the dagger and sliced his palm again. She unwrapped her arm and held it out. He let his blood drip onto her wound. The droplets mingled with her blood. Warmth spread, heating the area with a burning sensation, but not so uncomfortable that she couldn
'
t stand the pain. Her wound took a moment longer than Bram
'
s to heal, but the skin began to knit itself together before her eyes. Her gaze riveted to his. His lips slid into a smile and she returned the gesture.

"
It is working.
"
His voice held a note of awe. He had not expected her body to react to his blood the way it had.

"
What does it mean, Bram?
"

"
I do not know, but maybe we can use this knowledge to help the chosen. Maybe sharing our blood will help them to survive.
"

She wanted to believe it was possible, but healing a small cut with blood was nothing compared to healing a chosen from the blooding ritual.
"
It is not just the wounds that need healing. The chosen are drained of their blood, are they not? How will this help?
"

His smile slipped and she wished she had kept quiet and let him have his small victory this night.

"
I do not know, Adryanna, but my gut tells me
my blood healing your wound in a matter of seconds
must mean something.
"

Chapter Sixteen

From the edge of the forest, Bram watched Adryanna make her way toward home. When she entered her dwelling and was safe from harm, he rode toward Dungannon.

Adryanna didn
'
t believe blood could save the chosen, but if not with blood there had to be another way. He wished now he had
studied
alchemy when his cousin Sheerin wanted him to learn. His brother Gareth had been quite apt with herbs, too. Unfortunately, mixing concoctions and such was never his expertise. He was much better
in
the field.

Before he met Adryanna, he never questioned a Lathe Sith
'
s sacrifice. The ritual was one they honored for decades, when the Oiche Sith could no longer bare young. He remembered Sheerin and Gareth had many discussions on the matter. His brother claimed a defect in their blood caused the women to become sterile, but he believed maybe other blood drinking clans were not affected. That
'
s why his brother took on the quest to find out.

Sheerin believed nature was finding a way to even the odds between the species.
An
Oiche Sith was stronger than
a
Lathe Sith. If there were too many blood drinkers alive at one time, they
'
d turn on each other for a blood source
and the Lathe Sith clan would eventually cease to exist
.
Without blood, the Oiche Sith clan would perish also.

He and Loreto scoffed at their cousin
'
s reasoning. Now Bram was not so sure he was right to dismiss Sheerin so readily.

He dismounted from his horse, giving the creature over to the groom to brush down. The boy was one of the Lathe Sith, one who had no family and sought their care. The lad was no more than a servant for their needs. The blooded fed off him and others like him. Bram glanced at the boy
'
s neck. Someone had fed off him recently. The marks had not healed completely. It wasn
'
t forbidden to feed off the help as long as they did not drain them. No one would touch the boy again for another week to make sure he was strong enough for the next feeding.

"
What is your name?
" Bram asked.

The boy
'
s gaze didn
'
t meet his.
"
Please
,
my lord, I have already given blood.
"

"
That is not what I asked.
"

The boy
'
s eyes lifted.
"
Fintan.
"

"
Thank you, Fintan. Take care of my mount and I will make sure you receive a special treat tonight for your effort.
"

The
lad'
s lips curved.
"
Thank you, my lord.
"
He bowed as he backed away. Quite a few of the bloodlings
' eyes
had a vacant look about them. Fintan must be new.

"
Playing nice with the servants
,
are you now?
"

Bram turned to face his brother, Loreto. They were born from good bloodlines on both their mother and father
'
s side. Their parents were the originals and lived
for
centuries, but only married within this century before women were barren. He
mentioned his sister Isla to Adryanna, but he
did not tell
her
how
his sister
died
.

Isla
was only fifteen years older than he.
She was both beautiful and strong. She could wield a sword like any seasoned warrior, but yet her strength had not saved her from childbirth.
The infant
perished that night
, too. She was the last Oiche Sith to conceive.