He skidded on a patch of leaves as he came to an abrupt halt outside of a narrow crevice between the rocks. He would have missed it if he hadn’t been tracking her scent. He slipped into the hole, barely fitting in between the boulders surrounding it. His eyes adjusted swiftly to the blackness, picking up the small bits of light within the enshrouding dark. Her sweet scent became stronger; her terror was nearly palpable within the confines of the cave.
Braith moved swiftly through the winding, tight turns, keeping his senses attuned to other presence’s as he wound through the cave. He needed to get to her, but he had to proceed with caution. He had just placed himself right into the heart of the lion’s den, he was certain of that. He was surrounded by rocks, walls, and his enemies. He was completely silent as he slipped through the narrow tunnels, keeping himself highly attuned to his surroundings. He felt like a rat trapped within a maze as he stalked her scent. He couldn’t believe that they lived down here. That Arianna lived down here.
She hated to be confined, hated being trapped anywhere. She was everything that the woods were, open, wild, and free. It was confounding to him that she could be beneath the earth within these stale confines.
Her scent was enveloping him as he turned another corner. Voices began to reach him, drifting softly through the tunnel. He stopped, his head tilting to the side as he picked up three separate sets of male voices. One of them was Jack, but the other two he didn’t recognize. He crept closer, straining to hear the words.
“What the hell happened?” one of the strange voices demanded.
“I don’t know,” Jack responded. “But we have to get her out of here. We have to get moving, now.”
Braith bristled, he assumed the her was Arianna as her scent was exceptionally strong here, and his vision was nearly perfect again. He lingered within the shadows. “Be careful with her Jack! Watch her head!” the other strange voice snapped out. “Damn it, give her to me.”
“I’ve got her Max.”
“Give me her!” Max snapped back.
“Just give her to him Jack; you’re going to need to keep your hands free if they come in here.”
Braith’s eyes widened, and then narrowed sharply. It was bad enough that his brother was touching her, but he sure as hell did not want that boy holding her. There was a soft rustling, and then Arianna made a soft, disgruntled sound. “Put me down!” she ordered. “Max, put me down!”
“Aria…”
“Let go of me! Let go of me!” her voice was nearly hysterical, it trembled and shook with the fear choking it. “I want out of here!”
“Aria…”
There was the sound of scuffling and then she gasped loudly. “Stop, please.” Her voice was a low moan of pain and anguish. And it was more than he could take; he was going to kill someone.
He stepped around the corner, his eyes narrowing and his hands fisting as he took in the sight before him. Jack was standing toward the back of the small opening, his face hard, and his jaw clenched tight. Arianna was struggling against the boy holding her, Max, as she tried to tug her hand free of his restraining grasp.
“Stop Max, let her go.” The other boy stepped forward, reaching out for Arianna as her struggles to break free became more frantic. “Aria, you have to calm down. Please.”
“Let me go!” she snapped. Tears streaked down her face as her breathing came in rapid pants. Braith had only ever seen her like this once before, and it had been when she’d thought that Max’s life was in danger. Then, she had been terrified for her friend. Now the terror was for herself; something that he had thought impossible until this moment.
“Let her go.”
Their heads snapped toward him, their mouths dropped in surprise. “Braith,” Jack whispered in shock and horror.
A small cry escaped Arianna; she was finally able to tug her hand free of Max’s relaxed grip. She ran at him, flinging herself into his arms. He lifted her, cradling her against his chest as she clung to him, burying herself against him. He wrapped his hand around the back of her head, threading his fingers through her silken hair. She pressed tighter against him, her tears wetting his shirt as she shook within his grasp.
“Shh Arianna, shh,” he soothed gently. “What happened? Did they hurt you?”
“Braith what the hell are you doing here?” Jack demanded.
He bowed his head briefly to hers, pressing his mouth against her soft hair as he eagerly inhaled her sweet scent. She was the best thing that he had ever felt, the best thing he had ever held. Jack moved away from the wall, the shock of Braith’s appearance was swiftly wearing off of the other two. He did not miss the stake that appeared within Max’s grasp. Jack grabbed hold of Max’s arm, holding him back as his sharp eyes narrowed upon Braith.
“You know what I’m doing here,” he said to his brother, adjusting his grasp on Arianna in order to keep his body in between her, and the growing hostility of the men across from him. He grasped hold of her face, gently pulling her out of his chest. Her eyes still swam with tears, but she was no longer openly sobbing and she seemed to have regained some control of herself. “Are you ok?”
She managed a nod, her bright eyes questioning as she studied him. “It’s not safe for you here,” she whispered.
“I know.” He looked back at the others, his eyes resting upon the redhead who was gaping at the two of them in shock. His gaze turned slowly toward Arianna before coming back to Braith. Max looked like he was about to snap, fury radiated from every inch of him as he glared furiously at the two of them. “Did they hurt you?” he growled. He didn’t care if they were her friends and family, he was spoiling for a good fight.
“You shouldn’t be here, you need to leave,” she whispered fervently, her hands clutching at him as her eyes became frantic. “Braith…”
“It’s ok Arianna,” he said softly. “I’ll be fine.”
“She’s right Braith, you need to leave,” Jack insisted. “Where is Caleb?”
“Elsewhere.”
“Braith…”
“He doesn’t know where I am,” he interrupted sharply.
“But he could find you, and by doing so, find the others.”
“He could also find you.” Jack became silent, his eyes hooded as his gaze turned slowly toward Arianna. She was still shaking, but her tremors were less fierce now. “Did they hurt you?” he demanded. He would hate to do it, but he would kill Jack if he had harmed her in anyway.