Salvation (The Captive Series Book 4) (6 page)

   “I create
d it as an escape route from that man in case it became necessary.
No
one knows about that tunnel, except for me,” Braith told him.

   “Must have taken awhile,” William muttered.

   Braith shrugged, his fingers and muscles clenched at the mere thought of the king. “You do what is necessary, no matter what the cost,” he added bitterly. “I’ll take twenty in with me when we first enter.”

   “You can’t go into that palace
so unprotected,” Gideon protested.

   “If I take more than that it will be impossible to move them through undetected
.”

   “
The tunnel is our best advantage to get more men inside without being seen,” Gideon insisted.

   “If they know we are inside they will
make sure that they have Aria with them,” Braith growled.

   “Braith…”

   “No!” he barked. “No more arguments Gideon. This right here,
this
, is not a democracy! Not when it comes to her. I will go in there with only twenty. We will have one hour before others may follow, but I
will
have that hour to try and locate her first. When the others enter they can make their way to the main gate, but I will remain inside until I find her.”

  
“Can we take all of the troops through the tunnel?” Frank inquired.

   “No, there’s not enough room to maneuver
that many men through undetected. They would discover us and we would be trapped, pinned down by the king’s men if we try to move everyone inside the palace that way. It will be hard enough for the three hundred that enter behind us, but it will be doable.”

  They uneasily shuffled around him. “It’s a solid plan,” Ashby finally agreed.

 
Braith listened as Daniel rolled the designs back up and tucked them into his shirt. “Of course it is.”

  
Braith normally would have felt some amusement over Daniel’s self assured response, but he was incapable of feeling such a thing right now. He rose to his feet and rolled his aching shoulders as he tried to ease some of the tension within them. “When will we be ready?”

   “
Tomorrow, two days at the most. If we wait until nightfall there will be even less resistance,” Daniel answered hesitatingly.

   Braith’s teeth clenched, his jaw
throbbed from the pressure on it. Two days, it was far more time than he had expected. Two more days of Aria trapped in that palace, at the mercy of his father and brother. Taking down his father’s soldiers had assuaged some of his bloodlust and his craving for death, but it was coming back tenfold right now. It thrummed in his temples and pulsed through his body with every second that passed. “Two days it is,” he grated.

   There was a collective exhalation
of relief. He turned away from them and moved deeper into the woods. He had to get away from them. Rage was burning up his chest, surging up his throat, strangling him with its intensity. He moved through the trees that Aria loved so much, taking refuge in the forest that she cherished as he climbed the hill. He could almost feel her here, amongst them, laughing as she jumped from tree to tree and limb to limb.

  
He was thankful that most of their troops were still in the caves, he couldn’t deal with anyone else right now. Arriving at the top of the hill, he turned back toward the town and the palace. The shadows shifted and blurred before him but he could make out the silhouette of the king’s home. It wasn’t anger that tore through him now but a sense of loss so profound that it nearly drove him to his knees. He couldn’t think about what was being done to her, what she was going through because of him.

   It had just been a simple mission, and he’d lost her. He’d let her down. He’d vowed to keep her safe and he’d failed miserably. Even if he did get her back, he didn’t know if he would ever be able to make
up for the torture he was certain she was enduring. He shuddered as his hands fisted. “Focus,” he told himself firmly.

   The only problem was
that there was little to focus on besides her. It was why he’d come here. He couldn’t see the boards scattered about him, but he knew they were there. William, Daniel, David, Max and Jack had helped him to carry the wood here. Even Ashby, Gideon and Xavier had wandered to the clearing to see what it was that Braith had in mind for all the lumber.

   “You can have mine,” Ashby had offered
when Braith stated he planned to build a tree house.

   Braith didn’t want
the memories that came with Ashby’s though. He wanted something untainted by his father, something that was entirely for Aria, and he was going to build it for her. It was the only thing he could think of to do, the only thing that even remotely helped to ease some of the pent-up rage burning inside of him, besides killing. It would be hers alone when he finally had her back. 

  
He felt another presence before he heard or smelled anything. His head dropped, he searched the shadows the best that he could. Then something stepped out from behind the tree and he caught the scent of it.

   “Keegan,” he murmured
. He couldn’t clearly see the wolf, but he heard the faint padding of his paws as he made his way toward Braith. Braith had assumed the wolf had found his own pack within the woods, and that he’d never see him again. He dropped to his knees, finding some solace as his fingers slid into Keegan’s thick coat. Pulling Keegan close, he buried his face in Keegan’s fur and embraced his lost friend. Keegan’s tongue was rough as it lapped at Braith’s face. From behind the tree another wolf appeared, followed by four small blurs that rolled over top of one another.

   “Seems you’ve been busy also.”

   Braith turned at the breaking of a stick; Keegan lowered himself as a low growl rose in his throat. Xavier emerged from the shadows, his dark head bent as he moved closer. Braith recognized David’s scent and nimble gate as he picked his way around the boards behind Xavier. “We must speak,” Xavier murmured.

 
Braith had been waiting to speak to Xavier, but he wasn’t certain he could take much more right now. If he didn’t like what Xavier had to say, he was fearful he would lose it. “Aria?” He was barely able to get her name out.

   “
Yes.”

  
“What about her?”

   Xavier’s hands fell to his sides, he moved closer to Braith, almost touching
him as he lowered his voice. “I believe she is not what she appears to be. There is more going on here than what you, or I, know.” He turned toward David. “Her father has some interesting information that perhaps you knew, but I did not. If I
had
known, all of this would have made a lot more sense to me awhile ago, and perhaps it would have made things easier.” 

CHAPTER
6

   She felt drained, literally
, drained of energy, of blood, of life. She could barely move, it was almost impossible to pry herself up from the swirling gray marble floor. The king stood over her with her blood still staining his mouth. “Delicious,” he muttered as he absently wiped it away. He made a small slit in his wrist. Fresh energy flooded her as she saw the blood quivering on the edge of his arm. She tried to shove herself up, tried to push herself away from him, tried to find the strength to escape his intentions, but he grabbed hold of her hair and yanked her back as he shoved his wrist into her mouth.

   Much to her utter disgrace, and shame, tears
slid free of her eyes and began to roll steadily down her cheeks. She hated herself for the show of weakness, hated him even more for pushing her to such a level. She simply couldn’t take it anymore, simply couldn’t stand the taste of his blood in her mouth; couldn’t take the volatile response her body had to it.

   She gagged, choked, sputtered and finally retched but nothing came up
as he released her. She managed to restrain her tears, though they still burned her eyes as she wiped at her mouth. The king bent before her, his eyes level with hers as he studied her fixedly. “I see now what it was my son saw in you, you are a delicious little treat.” His gaze raked disdainfully over her from head to toe. “I never thought it was because he desired your body, a fact we both know to be true, right my scrumptious?”

   Aria
couldn’t bring herself to think about the time she’d spent with Braith, the times he’d held her, kissed her, loved her, and fed from her. She couldn’t think about the bond that his father was maliciously trying to soil. Her blood wasn’t the reason, she told herself. That is
not
why Braith kept her around, and it was not why he would come for her. No matter what this man said, her blood wasn’t the only reason Braith loved her.

   Her entire body
throbbed as blood seeped over her arms and legs. Though he had concentrated on mainly biting her in the areas that Braith had, he’d left far more marks on her than Braith ever had. At one time he’d even struck up and down her arm much like someone eating an ear of corn. Always, just when she was about to pass out from loss of blood and torture, he forced more of his blood into her to revive her, heal her, and bring her back for more. She didn’t know if she could take much more of this, her skin felt as if someone had taken sandpaper and rubbed it over every inch of her. The mere thought of being touched was enough to make her want to scream. No matter what he did to her though, she would never tell him the answers that he sought.

  
His finger slid beneath her chin and he turned her head toward him. She itched to smack the smile off his face as he peered intently at her. Aria recoiled in revulsion as his hand enclosed her breast and squeezed. He laughed cruelly when a small gasp of pain escaped her. “What fun we’ll have together when he gets here.”

   She
almost yelled at him not to touch her, but she knew what he truly craved was a reaction from her, and she refused to give him that satisfaction. She would like to believe she would
never
give him the satisfaction, but this was merely the beginning of what he planned on doing to her, and Braith.

  
She thought she could handle almost all of what he would do to her, but could she handle what he would do to Braith if he was caught? Could she handle watching Braith turn into a dried up husk of a vampire like the ones that crowded the appalling room? And that might very well be the kindest thing his father did to him. What would she do if Braith was caught and forced to watch as this man and his revolting son violated her over and over again? It would destroy them both, far more than being bled dry and used as ornaments would.

   Biting on her bottom lip Aria was able to
suppress a small moan of torment as he lifted her hand and turned her wrist over. Raw, she was so raw, everywhere. His fingers ran up and down the tender marks he had left on the inside of her arm. He stopped and wiggled his fingers over the mark on the inside of her elbow. His eyes gleamed with amusement as he pressed down on the bite, causing her to wince as he continued to torture her.

  
He chuckled as he began to press repeatedly up and down her arm. She wasn’t certain how but she managed to keep her face impassive. The less reaction she had though, the crueler he became until he was pinching at her skin. Bruises began to appear almost instantly as he spitefully twisted the skin around each of the bite marks he’d placed upon her. She was unable to suppress a low whimper as he poked and prodded with ruthless glee. His merriment faded at her cry and he thrust her arm away in disgust.

  
“Take her back to the dungeons.”

  
“Wait father,” Caleb protested as two of the king’s men came forward. They clasped hold of her arms and lifted her roughly to her feet.

   “You can play with her later
Caleb. There are things we must discuss now.”

  
She found no relief at this short reprieve; in fact she found she’d prefer to just get it over with rather than having it go on endlessly. The guards hauled her from the room and down a set of steep, winding steps. She struggled to keep up with them but her feet wouldn’t cooperate with her mind. She tripped, fell, and was dragged briefly before she was able to gain her feet once more. It did little good as she was unable to stay on her feet by the time they arrived at the stairs to the dungeon.

   Her toes
agonizingly bounced off of the steps and her teeth clattered as she was propelled downward. They arrived at the bottom and were pulling her forward when something caught her attention. Fresh life streamed into her; a strangled cry escaped as she found the strength to jerk back from the guards. One guard’s hold momentarily slipped from her as she lunged forward and seized hold of the bars of a cell.

   “You bitch!” she spat
. Lauren cowered further into the back of the cell as she watched Aria like a mouse watched a cat. “Was it worth it!?” Aria demanded. “Was it!?” The guards were grabbing at her, but she clung to the bars. “You better hope I get a chance to kill you before Braith does!”

   The guards
finally succeeded in prying her free, one of them chuckled as he hauled her past the rest of the cells. “Those are some pretty idle threats little girl, considering you’re in here too.”

   “Maybe we can set up a fight
between them,” the other one pondered.

   Their eyes lit with
the possibility. “I think Caleb would be tempted by the notion.”

   Aria jerked her arm free when they walked her into her cell. She glared at them as they slammed the door into place. “My money’s on that one, she seems a little feral.”

   “Aren’t they all feral in the woods?”

   “Go to hell!
” Aria snapped at them.

   “B
londie wouldn’t have a shot.”

   They were both laughing as they made their way back out of the dungeon, taking the only source of
illumination with them as they went. Aria turned before the light was completely gone, and using her blood, marked the wall. She’d been here for three days now, or at least as far as she knew it had only been three days. She may have lost a day somewhere between the pain and blood loss, but she knew for certain that she’d been conscious for at least three days in this cell.

   Darkness descended over the dungeon. She rested her hands against the back wall
and inhaled small, shuddery breaths. Now that the astonishment over seeing Lauren here was starting to wear off, the weakness and fright was creeping back in. She couldn’t let herself think about being trapped within this tiny cell. She was afraid she would lose her mind if she did, afraid she would become the shriveling, begging mess that the king was trying to turn her into if she focused on the walls surrounding her.

  
She had survived three days already; she’d be able to survive for as long as it took Braith to come for her. He would come; she knew it, just as she knew that he wouldn’t be the same as he was when she saw him last.

   The Braith that was out there now was not the
Braith that she’d left in this palace months ago. He was more in control, more aware, just as she’d hoped he would be without her. Even though he hadn’t come charging in here like a crazed demon, she didn’t doubt his love for a moment. Being in here, tortured, and tormented wasn’t going to change her belief in him. She knew that he was going crazy without her, that he was beating himself up over what had happened, and was probably impossible to be around, but he’d finally accepted the fact that she couldn’t always be first to him.

   He would lead
after the war, he wouldn’t turn away from it anymore; she knew that now. She may still have to leave him, but she wouldn’t do it behind his back, not again.

  
She wished that there was a way for her to escape, to get free of here before she became a liability. She paced restlessly around the cell, she’d spent three days here, she knew every square inch of it, but still she searched for something she might have missed.

   After an hour of searching through the darkness she came up with nothing, like she always did. Frustration filled her
as her hands fisted. When they removed her from here, two guards would take her to be scrubbed clean before taking her to the king. Though the guards didn’t watch as she was cleaned, there were two vampire women that stayed with her while the servants cleaned her. From the washroom, she was taken straight to the king.

   It wasn’t a lot to work with, there weren’t many opportunities to escape, but if she bided her time, played meek, maybe they would present an opportunity for her to break free. The meek and helpless act hadn’t worked on Braith, but she had a feeling his father thought a lot less of her than
Braith did, and that would be the king’s downfall.

   Braith would come for her, but she’d give him a hand in helping to free her, she was certain of that. First chance she had, she was going to fight for her freedom.

   Her forehead fell against the cool wall. For a moment, when she closed her eyes, she could almost feel the outside, almost smell the woods, and almost taste fresh air within her lungs.
She could almost feel
him
. The gentle caress of his fingers against her face, the strength of his body when it enveloped her, the sweet taste of his blood when it filled her were all right there, almost within her grasp. She trembled with the need for him that enveloped her.

   She just hoped she’d get the chance to see him again, to feel and kiss him again. That they both weren’t killed before it happened.