“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?”