Maybe one day she would love him too, even if that day couldn’t be now. Now she just wanted to feel something other than shock and anger and despair. Now she just wanted to sit with her friend, content in his arms as she listened to the rain fall. “It smells good,” she said softly.
Max nodded, nuzzling her hair gently for a moment. “Yes.”
Aria closed her eyes, concentrating on the beat of his heart. The prince had not had a heartbeat; in fact he hadn’t had a heart at all as far as she was concerned. But Max did, and he used it freely. He pulled the blanket tighter around her, the heat of his body, and the soft splatter of the rain slowly lulled her into a fitful sleep.
When she awoke again, the sky was just beginning to lighten; the birds had not even begun to sing yet. She stared silently at the growing dawn against the walls of the tent. Max’s arm was wrapped around her waist. She slipped from beneath his embrace, moving to the edge of the tent to pull the flap aside. It was going to be a warm day; the air was already muggy with heat. She sighed softly, slipping from the tent. She wanted to bathe, and then perhaps do some hunting with Max and William.
She gathered some of her clothes, scooped up her bow and quiver. Max and William were still sleeping; the sun had just poked over the horizon, when she dropped the flap back into place. She moved swiftly through the forest, winding her way toward the river they were camped near. She knew she shouldn’t be doing this on her own, that she should have awakened someone to come with her, but she needed some privacy today. She needed some time alone to try and sort through the multitude of emotions swarming her.
She made her way swiftly to the river. She would have preferred the lake, but after the raid they had moved far from the caves, settling in a new area of the forest. It would be a long time before they went back near the lake again. Reaching the river, she stripped quickly and plunged into the chilly water. Not for the first time she missed the hot water of the palace, and the delightful spray of the shower. The lake had been tolerably warm and comfortable, but the river was fresh water from the mountains, and it did not warm up.
Aria bathed as quickly as she could, her teeth chattering and shivering the whole time. She was glad to escape the frigid water, glad to put some clothes back on so that she could warm up. Grabbing her bow and quiver, she tossed her towel over her shoulder and slung the quiver onto her back. The sun was breaking over the mountains, casting bright rays of light over the forest. She stood for a moment, her head tilted back to allow its warm rays to caress her, to soothe her, if only just a little.
She didn’t know how long she stood there for, but the snap of a twig pulled her away from the healing sunlight to the world around her. Aria frowned, listening as she heard another soft snap. Moving behind a tree, she dropped the towel on the ground, and drew an arrow from her quiver. Kneeling, she slid the arrow easily into the bow. She didn’t have to wait long before a buck wandered out of the woods, heading toward the river. Aria admired him, he was beautiful, but even though he was a gorgeous animal, he would also provide enough meat for the encampment to last a few days. He would feed the hungry children, and herself she realized as her stomach rumbled eagerly.
She was about to let the arrow fly when she felt it. The hair on the back of her neck stood up, a chill crept down her back before seeping through her limbs. She froze, she couldn’t breathe. She didn’t move, because she was afraid that moving would only trigger an attack. She had lived in these woods long enough to know when a predator was near. Lived here long enough to know when an animal was near its end, but this time she was not the hunter and it was her end she feared. She was certain that there was the deadliest kind of predator near her right now.
Slowly, ever so slowly, she turned to face the creature stalking her, watching her. It did not take her long to spot him. Braith stood amongst the trees, his dark hair highlighted by the rising sun. Light reflected of the dark glasses he wore to cover his stunning eyes, but she could feel the heat of his gaze as it raked over her. Her heart knocked against her ribs, it flipped and beat and pounded in a rapid pace that left her stunned, breathless. He was just as magnificent, dark and handsome as she remembered, but seeing him here, in her world, she also realized just how wild and untamed he was. Just how dangerous and lethal he could be.
Excitement strummed through her, for a brief moment all she wanted was to run to him, to throw her arms around him, to bury herself in his strong embrace and shut out all the horrors of the world like only he could make her do. For a brief moment, all of the joy and wonder she had ever experienced with him in the palace flooded rapidly back to her. She had been terrified in that palace, lost and confused, and adrift in a world that she didn’t know and would never understand. But she had also been the happiest she’d ever been in her life. She’d been foolish, and naïve. And she had been in love.
Her arm wavered on the bow, dropping it momentarily lower; she could feel the hot press of tears burning her eyes. He looked wonderful, he looked amazing, and he was here. He had finally come for her. Though she hated to admit it, there had been a part of her that had wanted this. A part that had longed for him to come for her, a part that had wanted him to take her away from all of this fear and pain, and keep her safe. She hated that part of her, tried to deny its existence, but it had always been there, hoping, waiting, praying, and now he was finally here.
But it was obvious that he hadn’t come because he wanted to see her.
She could see that fact in the hard set of his jaw; see it in the tension in his broad shoulders. She could sense it in the anger that radiated from his hard body. He was here, but he hadn’t come for a good reason. Aria swallowed heavily, fear trickled through her as she realized that he was truly furious right now. She could feel the rage thrumming off of him in nearly violent waves. She didn’t know why he was so infuriated, so filled with anger, but she did know that it was directed at her. Well that was good, because she was pretty damn pissed at him too.
She didn’t know why he had finally come after her, but from the look of him it appeared that he wanted to rip her throat out. Narrowing her eyes, she clenched her jaw as she lifted the bow higher once more, leveling it right at the spot of his non-beating heart. Yes, he had finally come for her, but it was obvious that one of them would not be walking away from this encounter.
Chapter 4
Braith studied her for a long moment. He had almost forgotten how wonderful it was to see her, and everything around her. The forest came alive with her in it; the colors were vivid, sharp to eyes so accustomed to darkness. Though the woods were beautiful, they were nothing compared to her.