Ashby’s gaze came slowly back to him. “Is the king’s son actually begging? For a girl, for a human girl no less?”
Fury spurted through him; he struggled to keep it under control. “Why are you taunting him when you know you are going to give me back?” Arianna asked softly.
“And how do you know that?” Ashby inquired.
“Because you would have killed me already if you weren’t, and you said it yourself, all you want from life is fun and pleasure. You may like your women and blood, but you do not like death. And if you do kill me your life is over anyway.”
Ashby was silent for a long moment; his finger stroked her face briefly as he studied her. “You are a strange girl,” he informed her.
She managed a small smile. “So I’ve been told.”
Ashby actually snorted with laughter. “Oh, I am sure you have.”
Though they seemed to be enjoying themselves, Braith was not. “Are you two done!?” he snapped.
“Let me go,” Arianna told him.
Ashby hesitated for a moment, and then he nodded and released her. Braith lurched forward, seizing hold of her as he ripped her away. He realized that he was handling her worse than Ashby had, but he couldn’t seem to control himself. He was shaking as he enveloped her, wrapping his arms around her, holding her tight against him. He wanted to crush her to him, wanted to drag her from here and shelter her from everyone and everything. If it weren’t for the fact that he knew they could not run forever, he would do just that, but there would be no escape. There would only ever be the fight if things were not changed; he was beginning to realize that now.
“You can only see around her.” Braith lifted his head from Arianna’s neck, trying to ignore the fierce beat of her blood as it pumped through her veins. Trying to ignore the sweet smell that rose out of her, ensnaring him in its delicious depths. Ashby was watching them in disbelief, his eyes wide and amazed. “I didn’t see the signs when you first arrived, but I see it now.”
“See what signs?” Braith growled curious as to how Ashby had guessed at the source of his vision. “How do you know anything about what is between us?”
Ashby leaned back in his bonds, his attention turned slowly back to Arianna, there was a gleam of admiration in his bright gaze. “She’s your bloodlink.”
“She’s what?” Braith snarled.
Arianna looked completely confused; her eyes were stormy and lost. “I thought it was something that only happened between vampires, but apparently I was wrong. I’ve never heard of it happening with a human before though. Very strange.”
Ashby’s voice was filled with awe; he seemed completely stunned by his revelation. Whatever that revelation was. Braith was just as lost as Arianna appeared to be. “What are you talking about?” Arianna demanded.
“Well of course you wouldn’t know, but Braith…” Ashby’s voice trailed off, his eyebrows drew sharply together. “No, you wouldn’t know either, would you?”
“Ashby I swear I’ll rip out your throat just because you’re annoying me,” Braith snarled, swiftly losing his patience.
But Ashby was too busy laughing and shaking his head to take Braith’s threat as seriously as he should. “Oh Braith you are in even worse trouble then I’d suspected. It’s not just your family you need to protect her from, it’s also you.”
“What the hell do you mean!?” he all but roared at the infuriating man.
“He means that the royal offspring is royally screwed.” Braith froze as the new voice drifted quietly through the house. A voice that was hauntingly familiar. He cradled Arianna’s head gently against him as he turned slowly toward the woman standing in the doorway. He had not heard her arrive, did not know how long she had been standing there for, or even where she had come from. He cursed himself for such a blunder.
He blamed his rapidly unraveling control on this fact, but he hated himself for it. Arianna could have been hurt, she could have been killed. And all because he had let his guard down.
His shock at seeing her appear in the doorway was swiftly replaced with his disbelief that she was even here. What the hell was going on? “Melinda.”
She smiled softly, her gaze lingering over Arianna for a long moment before turning slowly back to him. “Hello brother.”
Chapter 14
Aria couldn’t help it; she felt her mouth drop in shock and disbelief. Her fingers curled into Braith’s hard back. He pulled her back, pushing her toward the main door. The door the woman had not appeared in. In fact the strange woman, Braith’s sister, had appeared at the door to the other rooms. The ones that Aria knew there was no other entrance into, or at least she had thought there was no other entrance into them.
Apparently she had been greatly mistaken.
Aria couldn’t take her eyes off of the beautiful woman across from them. She was watching them intently, her stunning grey eyes bright in the light of the room. Her golden hair tumbled about her shoulders, spilling down to her knees. Though she didn’t seem to resemble any of her brothers, Melinda did resemble the sister that Aria had met in the palace, Natasha, Ashby’s wife.
“I’m not going to hurt her Braith.”
“What the hell are you doing here Melinda?” Braith snarled.
Melinda moved slowly into the room. Her gaze darted briefly to Ashby. Braith may be confused by his sister’s presence here, but Arianna knew what had brought her. Or who. Braith released her suddenly, pushing her behind him. “Come on Braith, who do you think killed the guards? Who do you think found out the password to relay to the palace? Did you really believe that Ashby was able to do that all by himself?”
“I am very talented,” Ashby replied smiling as the beautiful blond stopped beside him.
She quirked a dark eyebrow, her eyes sparkled merrily up at him. “Not that talented love,” she assured him.
“Where have you been minx?”
“Well, in case you haven’t heard, there’s been a huge upset amongst the palace walls. No one seems to know where the prince has gone. Our father is in the process of tearing the town, and the woods, apart in the search for his missing son. The one who mysteriously disappeared from the forest. It seems he is blaming the rebels for this affront.”
Aria gasped, her hand flew to her mouth as nausea rushed swiftly up her throat as she took a swift step forward. “No,” she breathed.
Those people. Her friends, her family, they were all being punished because of her and Braith. She didn’t want to think about what was being done to them, but she couldn’t get her mind off of the consuming knowledge that they were suffering because of her. Braith squeezed her arm gently, but it did nothing to soothe her.