Renegade (The Captive Series Book 2) (15 page)

“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.

She shook her head, biting on her lip
as her gaze darted wildly around the cave. Terror shimmered in her
eyes, her fingers clenched tighter upon him. “I don’t like it in
here; I don’t want to be here.”

Of course she hated it in here. He had
known that she would. “I’ll take you out then.”

“No,” Jack inserted sharply as the
other two men took a swift step forward. “She needs to stay with
us, and she needs to be somewhere safe. It is not safe above ground
right now.”

“I’ll be safe in the trees,” she told
him.

“No Aria, absolutely not. We have to
meet up with your father.”

Arianna was shaking her head; her
tremors were growing stronger again. “No, no, no. I am not going
deeper; you can’t keep forcing me to!”

Braith ran his hands over her hair,
trying to soothe her, but failing as she continued to shake like a
leaf against him. “He forced you down here?” Braith
snarled.

“Braith…”

“Back off Jack or I’ll rip your damn
throat out if you take one more step toward her, if you touch her
one more time!”

“No,” Arianna said softly. “You can’t
fight, not here, not now. Please.”

Braith’s hands tightened on her
shoulders, he was trying to keep her behind him, but she kept
insisting on trying to get in front of him. “Who the hell do you
think you are?” Max snarled.

“Don’t push me!” Braith hissed at him,
fighting the rising tides of anger surging through him. They had
forced her down here, forced her into this place that was obviously
terrifying her. Jack pulled Max back a step, but the other man
remained immobile as he watched them intently.

“Don’t push you!” Max snapped back,
fighting against Jack’s restraining hand. “You’re lucky I don’t
kill you!”

“You could try, but you will not
succeed.”

Rage flashed across Max’s face. Jack
pushed him back as he tried to lunge forward. Max struggled against
him, but Jack was successful in keeping the smaller man pinned
against the cave wall. “Stop it!” Arianna commanded loudly.
“Stop!”

Her shaking was growing stronger by the
moment, but he could also sense her anger growing beneath her
terror. Max’s gaze raked scathingly over her, glaring at her from
head to toe. Braith bristled beside her, pulling her further back
from the infuriated boy. He didn’t trust Max. He knew that Max
would kill him in a heartbeat, but he was beginning to fear that he
might also hurt Arianna in his rage and hatred.

The other boy stepped forward, shooting
Max a dark look as he placed himself in between them. “I’ll go up
with her.”

“No William,” Arianna said softly,
shaking back her dark hair. Braith took note of the striking
similarities between Arianna and this boy. They had the same eyes,
the same hair color, and the same lean build. He remembered Arianna
telling him about her twin, remembered Jack talking about the
similar hair color; it was more than obvious that this was him.
“It’s safer for you to stay here.”

“I’m not letting you go up there
alone.” His sapphire eyes were intense as they turned toward
Braith. He studied him for a long moment, his gaze not trusting,
but not hate filled either. Not like Max’s.

“I won’t be alone,” she said
softly.

“Aria…”

“I’ll be ok William,
really.”

William remained hesitant. “No Aria
that is not going to happen.”

“I can keep her safe, I can’t promise
that for you,” Braith told him.

William nodded. “That’s
fine.”

“No,” Jack said forcefully. “I can’t
risk the two of you being captured, especially with Daniel gone.
That is too much leverage over your father should something go
wrong.”

“I will keep her safe,” Braith growled.
“And you don’t have an option here Jack; I’m taking her out of here
no matter what you want.”

Arianna’s fingers curled tighter in his
shirt, she pressed closer against him, her forehead resting briefly
upon his chest. “You’re being foolish Braith. I know you don’t want
to see her upset, but would rather see her dead? Damn Braith, be
logical about this, she is safest down here!” Jack
protested.

“I am being logical about this, and I
am telling you what is going to happen. I will keep her safe. When
you return above ground, you know where we’ll be.”

“You can’t take her to mother’s house.
Caleb will go there.”

“I’m not taking her to the
house.”

Jack was silent for a moment, and then
realization finally filled his gaze. His mouth parted slightly, his
fingers twitched at his sides. For a moment, his grip on Max eased.
“You know what that means Braith.”

“I do. Find us when you are able to.”
He turned his attention back to William. “You stay here. She will
be fine, but I can’t protect you both.”

“No.” William was shaking his head
forcefully. “Absolutely not. She may trust you, but I
can’t.”

“You have to,” Jack said softly. “You
can’t go with them William.”

“You can’t seriously be considering
letting them leave here! Of letting this monster take her back!”
Max exploded his face florid with rage. “Have you lost your
mind?”

“Go,” Jack said softly.

“No way!” William was coming at them,
his jaw locked in determination. Jack grabbed hold of his arm and
pulled him back.

“He isn’t going to leave here without
her,” Jack’s gaze was steady, yet sad as he stared at the two of
them. “He isn’t going to be separated from her again, and he’ll
kill you if you try to stop him. You cannot go William. This has to
happen,” Jack said forcefully.

“We should kill him!” Max
snarled.

Jack was pulling a struggling William
back, pushing him toward Max as he fought to keep them away. “That
will not be possible,” Jack muttered, his frustration
growing.

“I knew it, you are a traitorous
bastard. You are on their side, not ours. You’re giving her to
him!”

“No Max,” Arianna said softly, her
fingers digging into Braith’s shirt and skin. “I gave myself to
him, long ago.”

Max went limp, his mouth dropped as his
eyes bugged out of his head. “Aria,” William breathed.

She bowed her head for a moment before
lifting it to gaze at her brother and friend again. “I’m sorry, I
know you didn’t want to believe it but I tried to tell you.” She
broke off a single tear slipping down her cheek as she swallowed
heavily. “Neither of us wanted this, but it’s happened, and I
can’t… I can’t let him go.”

Braith cradled her cheek for a moment,
seeking to give her comfort in this tumultuous situation. “We must
go,” he said softly.

“Wait.” Arianna broke away from him.
Braith tried to catch hold of her, but she had already moved
swiftly out of his reach. Jack caught hold of her, grasping her
arms, holding her back as she tried to shove past him. She glared
fiercely at Jack as she struggled to get free of his grasp. Braith
reclaimed her, taking her gently from Jack’s grasp. “I want to say
goodbye to my brother!” she protested angrily.

Braith glanced at her brother, he was
afraid that William would not let her go. However, Jack had been
right about one thing, Braith hated to see Arianna unhappy, and she
would be miserable if he did not allow her to do this. He nodded
briskly at Jack, who stepped aside to let William come swiftly
forward. The siblings embraced tightly well Max glowered silently
at them both.

CHAPTER 10

Aria clung tightly to Braith, burying
her head against his back as he carried her swiftly through the
forest. She was exhausted, her feet hurt, and all she wanted was to
curl up and go to sleep, but Braith insisted that they keep moving,
that they get as far from the caves, and that area of the woods, as
possible. The moon was bright; it left a trail across the forest
floor as it crept steadily higher into the night sky.

Though she tried, she was unable to
suppress a yawn as she fought against the pull of sleep. She hadn’t
slept well since she had last seen him, and now that she was with
him again, she knew that she would sleep peacefully and soundly,
and she could not wait for it. He stopped suddenly, tilting his
head back as he studied the night sky. Ever so slowly, he let her
down, dropping her onto her feet.

“You need some rest,” he said
softly.

She nodded, pushing back the thick
waves of hair that fell across her face. He pulled off his coat,
laying it upon the ground. “I wish I could do something
more.”

Aria managed a small smile for him.
“I’m used to sleeping on the ground. Don’t worry.”

He studied her for a long moment,
before coming back to her. His hand stroked over her face, cradling
her gently as he bent to place a light kiss on the tip of her nose.
“Hopefully not for much longer.”

“I like the woods. It’s where I
belong.”

He grinned at her, kissing her again
before slowly pulling away. “Yes, it is. But you also like
beds.”

“I do,” she agreed. “And I love
showers.” He laughed softly, shaking his head as he stepped away
from her again. “Where are we going Braith?”

He knelt beside the coat as he held his
hand out to her. She took it, slipping down beside him. “There’s a
place I know where we should be safe.”

“And where is this place?”

“About fifty miles from here. I will
get us there tomorrow.”

She stared at him in wide eyed
surprise. “And Jack will know where we are?”

“Yes.”

She sat silently, watching him as he
rose to his feet and began to move around the woods. “What is going
to happen Braith?”

“I don’t know,” he answered
honestly.

“Are you going to return to the
palace?”

He stopped walking as he turned back
toward her. “I will not be able to return again
Arianna.”

She froze, her hands clenching tight
upon her legs as she stared at him in wide eyed disbelief. “It is
your family Braith, your heritage.”

He was immobile, his jaw locked tight
as he watched the woods behind her for a long moment. Then, ever so
slowly, his gaze came back to her. “You are my family now Arianna,”
he said forcefully. “And I intend to make sure you stay
safe.”

Her mouth parted slightly, tears sprang
to her eyes. “Braith,” she breathed.

He was back before her in a heartbeat;
his hand entwined in her hair, his mouth soft and firm against
hers. Her toes curled as his kiss sent waves of heat and desire
crashing through her body. She was trembling, shaking as she clung
to him. She lost herself to his wonderful touch, scent, and feel.
His presence was overwhelming, and yet so blissfully soothing. His
hands were caressing as he stroked over her, pushing aside her
clothes to caress her skin.

Aria’s trembling increased; she was
inundated with swirling emotions. Her mind and body were spinning
as he pushed her gently back onto the coat, his hard body pressing
against hers as he came down on top of her. Aria clung to him,
needing something solid in this spiraling, out of control world.
The muscles in his arms were shaking as he enveloped her in his
tight embrace. She could feel his fangs against her mouth, pressing
against her as his excitement grew.

Her fingers entwined in his hair, she
held him tighter, fighting back the tears of love and joy that
burned her eyes. He pulled slightly back from her, his fingers
caressing her cheeks ever so gently. “Arianna…”

“I love you,” she whispered, lightly
stroking over his extended fangs.

His eyes sparked brightly, hunger
blazed within his gaze. He bent, his mouth pressed against hers
again, but the driving hunger had left his kiss to be replaced with
a gentleness that left her breathless. She stroked him, guiding his
head toward what he needed most right now. Her blood.

His lips skinned over her briefly,
before biting down. Aria’s hands clenched upon his arms, a soft
sigh escaped her as she felt the soft pull of her blood being drawn
from her. She closed her eyes, savoring in the delightful feel of
him feeding from her, taking nutrition from her body. She drifted
in the bliss that rushed over her, consuming her within its
wonderful cocoon of happiness and awe.

He pulled back from her, his breath
warm against her skin, his fingers gentle as he stroked lightly
over her. She was half asleep, drifting in a world of bliss and
happiness when he offered her his wrist, allowing her to feed from
him. Allowing her to take wonderful nourishment from his body
also.

***

Aria stared at the small town, her gaze
darting rapidly over the buildings as Braith led her down the
broken streets. It was a poor town; that much was obvious by the
rundown buildings, lack of vehicles, and the overly thin animals
lurking within the shadows. Braith held tight to her hand as he led
her swiftly forward. From behind some of the windows she could see
people peering out at them, but no one came forth, and the curtains
were swiftly dropped back into place when she glanced their
way.