Renegade (The Captive Series Book 2) (8 page)

Aria was silent for a long moment as
she absorbed his words. “That doesn’t change anything Braith,” she
whispered. “You will still go back, and you will marry her, and I
will… Well I suppose I will either end up being recaptured, killed,
or perhaps even one day I will end up married to Max, or some other
rebel though it is unlikely I will live long enough.”

His eyebrows shot up, his eyes narrowed
fiercely as he moved closer to her, pushing her against the window.
Aria stared at him in surprise, stunned by the anger blistering
from him. “To Max?” he snarled.

Aria frowned at him, trying not be
intimidated by him, but she was completely baffled by his sudden
change. “Yes, I guess, maybe… Oh, I don’t know,” she breathed. “I
don’t want to bring children into this awful world but he’s a good
man, he’s safe, and he cares for me. Perhaps he even loves me. That
should be enough, shouldn’t it?”

He was staring at her as if she had
just sprouted another head. “You will not be with Max.”

She blinked at the growled command,
then her pride rose swiftly back up. “You’re not my father, you
can’t tell me what I can, and cannot do!” she snapped.

He was fairly vibrating with anger. His
hands were on either side of her, pressed against the window as he
leaned ever closer. “You’re right I’m not your father, but I am a
part of you, and as that part I am telling you that you will not be
with Max.”

She frowned at him, confused and
baffled by his response. “Part of me? I don’t
understand.”

“My blood flows in your veins Arianna;
it’s how I found you. It is how I will always be able to find
you.”

Her mouth dropped, her mind spun. She
recalled their last night together, when he had taken her blood.
After, she had fallen asleep and drifting in and out of confusing
consciousness. She had dreamt that he had held her tight, cradling
her gently as he gave her something sweet and delicious to drink.
Horror curdled through her at the same time that longing blossomed
like a spring flower. It had all been a dream though, hadn’t
it?

“I don’t…” she shook her head, trying
to clear her thoughts, trying to clear the fog that was clinging to
her. “No, it was a dream. Wasn’t it?”

The anger melted from his body, his
hands were upon her shoulders again, stroking gently over the marks
on her body. “No, Arianna, it was not a dream. It was my fault, I
took too much. I was so hungry…”

“You hadn’t been feeding well, because
of me. To protect me!” she recalled on a gasp.

“Yes. I didn’t want them to know I
wasn’t feeding from you. But I took too much Arianna, you were just
so delicious. I took far more than I had intended, and the only way
to keep you alive was to give you some of my blood. I linked us
forever by doing so.”

Tears burned her eyes; she looked away
from him, staring at the wall over his shoulder. He had also told
her he loved her that night, it had all been very foggy, very hazy,
but now that she knew that it wasn’t a dream, she knew that he had
said that as well. He had told her he loved her, and she had left
him the next day.

“That’s why Jack asked me if I had
shared your blood,” she whispered.

His hands clasped hold of her face; he
turned her back to him. There was a ferocity in his eyes that
shocked her. “Jericho asked you that?” he demanded.

Aria swallowed heavily as she nodded.
“Yes, when he came for me, when he saw my blood still on me, he
asked me if I had shared your blood. But I thought that it had been
a dream, I was certain of it once he told me that you were
engaged.” Braith was silent for a long moment, his jaw was
clenched. “He would have left me there if I had answered
differently, wouldn’t he have?”

He shook his head, his dark hair
falling around his face. “I don’t know what he would have done
Arianna. If anything, these recent events have made me realize that
I don’t know my little brother at all.”

Aria clasped hold of his hands, holding
them lightly against her face. She closed her eyes, savoring in his
gentle touch, savoring in the strength of him. Yes, he did have a
fiancée. Yes, she could not expect much, if anything, from him.
However, he had loved her, he had told her so. He had not merely
been using her, playing with her in order to cause her even more
hurt, and anguish, when he turned on her.

“You said you loved me,” she
whispered.

He pulled her closer, enfolding her in
his arms as he held her tight against him. “Yes.”

She wanted to cry again, for everything
that they had almost had, for everything that they had lost. For
everything that they would lose, and could never have. But it was
impossible to feel sad when she was holding him. It was impossible
to hurt when he was kissing her forehead gently, nuzzling against
her ears, touching her with such reverence and awe. She let herself
drift into him, let herself get lost in him. These past months had
been so awful, but his touch eased all of the rawness and pain that
had been clinging to her. His touch made everything better; it was
the salve to the ragged wound that she had so desperately been
seeking. And for just this moment, in this time, she needed to feel
better.

She needed to feel him.

CHAPTER 5

Aria woke slowly, her eyes were heavy
and sleep clung to her. It was the first time she had slept without
being plagued by nightmares and loss in so long. The first time she
did not wake up in pain, the first time she could awaken and
actually breathe easily again. Her gaze fell instantly upon Braith;
he was standing by the window, staring out at the darkening night.
Aria lay for a moment longer, enjoying this wonderful moment of
peace, but realization crashed swiftly back over her.

She bolted upright, horror rolling
through her as she stared at the night sky. The day was gone.
Braith turned toward her, his eyes troubled as he studied her. “My
father is going to be so worried, my family; my friends.” Though
the words were going to kill her to say, she said them anyway. “I
have to go Braith.”

He turned back to the night, before
looking at her again. “It is late Arianna.”

“I know, but…”

“Tonight, just tonight.”

Aria stared silently at him, her mouth
parted slightly as her heart hammered in excitement. She so badly
wanted to stay with him for this night, and for every night after
this, but she couldn’t have those nights. She could have this one.
Guilt tugged briefly at her as she thought of her family and
friends, but it was only one night. It was the only night she would
have for the rest of her life.

“Ok,” she said softly.

His mouth curved in a soft smile, his
head tilted slightly to the side. “I expected more of an
argument.”

She grinned back at him, her fingers
playing with the soft cushion of the couch. “I’m not always
difficult.”

“Could have fooled me. Come.” He held
his hand out to her as he came over to her. She slipped her hand
into his, smiling softly at him.

He led her down a darkened hall,
flicking on light switches as he moved. The mouth watering scent of
food hit her before they even reached the kitchen. Her mouth
parted, her eyes widened in surprise as she stepped into the room.
Food was set up on the counters, cheeses, breads, fruits, and meats
were stacked neatly upon two plates. She glanced around, wondering
who had done this, but she saw no one else within the small house.
Her gaze fell upon Braith, who was watching her in
amusement.

“You did this.”

“I’m not completely helpless,” he
replied lightly. She couldn’t help but grin back at him. It was one
of the sweetest things anyone had ever done for her. She didn’t
stop to think about what that said of her life, it wasn’t worth it.
She was ok with getting by on very little. “Come on, you’re
hungry.”

She didn’t ask him how he knew that,
her stomach was rumbling loudly, and repeatedly. She settled into a
stool at the counter while he heaped food onto her plate. She
cocked an eyebrow at him, amused by the amount of food he was
piling on for her. “I’m not starving,” she told him.

“You’ve lost weight again,” he replied,
sliding the plate before her.

Aria shrugged; there was no help for it
in the forest. They didn’t have enough to eat, and they worked
endlessly. “Thank you,” she said softly. He slid into the seat
across from her, folding his arms before him. Aria studied him for
a moment, feeling slightly self conscious as he watched her eat.
“What is this place?” she asked softly.

“It belonged to my mother’s family, it
was their summer getaway.”

“Really?” Aria glanced over the large,
airy kitchen. “It’s very nice. Will they come looking for you
here?”

“Jericho and I were the only ones that
ever came here, except for some cleaners once every couple of
weeks.”

“Why did the two of you come
here?”

Braith shrugged as he sat back. “To
hunt, to get away. To be alone for awhile.”

“To get away from what?”

He watched her for a moment longer
before leaning back in his seat. “From many things,” he replied
evasively. “Eat Arianna.”

She picked up a piece of apple and
began to chew on it, barely tasting its sweetness in her mouth as
she thought over his words. “Will they come looking for you
here?”

“No. I doubt my father even remembers
where this place is, and Caleb is busy. They won’t even notice I’m
gone.”

“What about Jack? Will he come here
looking for me?”

Braith tilted his head slightly;
confusion filtered through his eyes, then realization dawned. “I
forget you call Jericho that.”

Aria smiled at him, leaning slightly
toward him. “It’s what we know him as. He certainly isn’t a prince
to us.”

He grinned back at her, poking her nose
lightly as he settled back in his seat. “I suppose he isn’t. But
no, Jericho will not come here. I doubt he will even think about
it.”

Aria nodded, relieved to know that they
would not be disturbed tonight. She settled in, a large weight
lifting off of her as she eagerly dug into the delicious food. They
talked softly, exchanging stories. She told him what it was like to
grow up within the forest. She told him about her father, whom she
loved dearly, and her brothers Daniel and William. She told him of
things she had been too frightened to tell him about before, when
he had not known that her father was the leader of the rebels. She
didn’t know much about her mother, she had been killed when she and
William were children. Her father didn’t talk about her very often,
it was too painful for him, but when he did talk of her Aria
listened intently, eager to learn anything she could about the
woman that she had never known.

Though Braith listened intently to her,
he did not say much about his life. His mother had also died when
he was young, but young to him had been a hundred and seventy five
years. He didn’t speak of his father much, and when he did, Aria
got the feeling that he didn’t like him, and that they didn’t get
along. He barely mentioned Caleb, or his sisters, he spoke a little
more of Jericho, and though she caught the underlying tension in
his voice, she also caught the only hint of fondness she’d heard
toward any of his family when it came to his youngest
brother.

She enjoyed listening to him talk, and
thought she could do so forever. Even though she knew that was
impossible, she decided to pretend that just for tonight, they
could have forever. It was wonderful to be his equal for a change,
and not his slave. The moon rose high in the sky, and was beginning
its downward descent when he stood. “You must be tired.”

She was tired, but she didn’t want to
go to sleep. She didn’t want this night to end. She could sleep
tomorrow when he was gone, and she was alone again. “I’m
ok.”

He slipped his hand into hers, pulling
her against him. His hand wrapped around the back of her head as he
cradled her gently against him. She held him for a long moment,
simply relishing in the feel of his hard body against hers, simply
relishing the feel of being in his arms again. She gasped, shock
racing through her when he bent and scooped her easily into his
arms. She stared down at him in wide eyed wonder as her fingers
lightly stroked the nape of his neck. His eyes were intense and
burning as he watched her for a long moment before striding easily
from the room.

He navigated the dark hallways with
ease; until he reached a door that he thrust open. He didn’t bother
with the light switch as he strode over and placed her lightly upon
the bed. Aria watched him as he moved around, drawing the curtains
shut and blocking out the light of the fading moon. Her heart
hammered with excitement, her mouth was dry as uncertainty claimed
her. She didn’t know what was going to happen, what he expected, or
what she was even willing to give to him. She wanted to pretend
that they had forever, but they didn’t. Yet, it was Braith. Even if
she never saw him again, she knew she would never love anyone the
way that she loved him. This was more than likely their last night
together, if she was never going to see him again, didn’t she want
to give him everything she could?