He pulled away from her, nuzzling her gently, licking the lingering drops of blood from her skin. He had not taken as much as he normally would have. “You need more…”
“I’m fine.”
“Braith, you need to stay strong. You need to take more.”
He cradled her face gently, stroking her cheeks lightly. “It is too soon for you.”
She swallowed heavily, trying to rid herself of the lump forming in her throat. Though the next words were going to kill her, she managed to strangle them out. “Then you must go to someone else.”
His hands stilled on her, he lifted her face to him. She could not stop the tears that spilled down her face, could not hide the pain that such a thought caused her. It would be awful for him to turn to someone else for this, awful for her, but he needed to feed. He needed to stay strong, especially now, and she could not give him all that he needed at the moment. Maybe one day, when there wasn’t so much pressure and strain on him, she could be enough. But that was not today, and it probably wasn’t going to be anytime soon. They both needed to accept the fact that he would have to go somewhere else, to someone else, and there was nothing that either of them could do to stop it from happening.
“That thought does not make you happy.”
She bit her bottom lip, shaking her head at him as he wiped the tears away. “No, of course not. But I would rather you stayed strong than have you get hurt because you were hungry, or weak.”
“I will not be either one of those things.”
“Braith…”
“I will find other ways Arianna. I will substitute what you cannot give me with animals.”
“Is that the same?” she whispered.
He smiled softly at her, kissing her nose lightly. “It may not taste as good, but it is just as nourishing. But then, nothing tastes as good as you.” She shook her head at him as he pushed her hair back. “You’re the most delicious thing I’ve ever encountered.”
Aria shuddered; a chill ran down her spine as delight filtered through her body. “You don’t have to say that,” she breathed.
“It’s true.” His hand was on her neck, his palm pressed over the marks upon her. His marks. “I don’t want anyone but you Arianna. The idea of it is repulsive to me, especially since I know it hurts you.”
“I don’t want you to suffer.”
“I will not suffer and I will not turn to someone else. You are mine Arianna, you will always be mine.” His voice rang with possessiveness, she could feel his tension spiking again. It was the first time she realized that it wasn’t just this entire situation that had him so out of sorts, but also her. It was a frightening and disconcerting realization, she didn’t know how to help him, how to ease the stress thrumming through him. “The thought of you turning to someone else makes me want to destroy this entire place. Makes me want to shred someone limb from limb. I would not inflict such hurt upon you.”
She stared at him in surprise, disturbed by the rapid change she sensed him. Disturbed by the fact that she was a large part of the instability she sensed growing inside of him. “I would never do that,” she promised. He was dark, hard, and distant in a way that he had not been since she had first met him within the palace walls. For a moment it seemed as if he didn’t see her, as if he was trapped in the thought of her with another man. “Braith, I would never turn to someone else. You are the only one that has anything that I want.”
He swallowed heavily, she didn’t think he was aware of the fact that his sudden instability had caused his fangs to sprout forth again. He closed his eyes for a moment, when he opened them again she was relieved to see a softening in his gaze. “I know Arianna. I know you wouldn’t.”
“Never Braith. Never.” She hoped that her insistence would help to get through to him, but she still sensed something dark and turbulent beneath his calm outer surface. His hand was tense upon her neck, his grip almost painful. “The thought is repulsive to me Braith.”
“I know.”
“Then why do you seem so troubled? So angry?”
He looked slightly startled by her observation, his gaze darted to his hand. Horror rolled through his gaze, his hand loosened on her. He shook his head, his eyes filled with a self hatred that rattled her. He pulled his hand away, taking a small step away from her. “I’m sorry Arianna; I did not mean to hurt you.”
“You didn’t,” she assured him quickly, terrified by the strange gap she felt widening between them. A gap she didn’t understand, just as she didn’t understand what was going on with him. She reached for his hand, grabbing it tightly in hers. “Braith you could never hurt me.”
He did not look appeased by her words. He didn’t even look as if he believed them. “We should return.”
“Braith, what is wrong?” she demanded, becoming frightened by the strange air that now encompassed him.
He grabbed hold of her, pulling her against him. A small gasp of surprise escaped her. He fell to his knees before her, wrapping his arms around her waist. He clung to her as he rested his head against her stomach. “You humble me Arianna. I do not deserve you; I did nothing to earn your love, or the gift of light that your presence has brought back to my life.” Arianna was frozen, shocked at the sight of the most powerful creature she had ever known, her prince, on his knees before her, broken by the anguish pouring from him. Anguish she did not understand.
Tears spilled from her, her chest constricted in pain. She buried her hands in his hair as a soft cry escaped her. She bowed over him, cradling him against her, trying hard not to give into the powerful sobs that wanted to escape her. He was humbled by her, he felt that he did not deserve her, and yet if it had not been for him she would still be dead and lost inside. She may well be dead if he hadn’t been there to intervene. If it wasn’t for him, she never would have known the joy of love, the wonder of things that she had never understood and never wanted to, until he walked into her life. If it wasn’t for him, she never would have learned what life was truly about, she would have lost out on so much without his love to save her.
She slid to her knees before him, clinging to him as he enveloped her, rocking her against him, holding her, and touching her so reverently that she could barely breathe through the love swirling and building throughout her. His presence overwhelmed her; it floored her, and rocked her with its intensity and need. His hands were in her hair; his mouth was hard on hers, passionate, burning with a need that left her shaken. For the first time she realized that though he did not pressure her, did not push her toward anything, there was something else that he wanted even more than her blood.