Renegade (The Captive Series Book 2) (21 page)

“I know my family Ashby,” Braith
hissed.

Ashby shook his head. For the first
time, true fear flickered through his bright green eyes. “You have
no idea of the stain that rests on their souls,” Ashby said softly.
“Of their cruelty and immorality.”

“And you do?” Braith
inquired.

Ashby was silent for a long moment. He
turned slowly toward Arianna. “We didn’t turn against your family
because mine was hoping to take over, because we wanted the power,
or because we cared about the humans.” Arianna glared at Ashby. “We
wanted nothing of power Braith, you know that. We were an easy
going lot, all of us. Power was never our goal; fun was all that we
ever wanted, freedom, no restraints. It was not power we sought
Braith, it was not to save the human race.”

Braith folded his arms firmly over his
chest, leaning back on his heels as he studied his brother-in-law
with disdain. “Then what did you want?” he demanded.

“Peace Braith, we simply sought peace.
Things were well enough before the war. So what if vampires did not
wander about in public. Who cared that we had to keep our
identities secret? Not me, not my family, not you. It’s not as if
we didn’t have fun, not as if we didn’t take whatever we wanted,
whenever we wanted it anyway. Why upset the balance? Why take a
chance that it could all go wrong? That it could be even worse
afterward?

“And it was worse afterward. For
everyone. We were relegated to these positions that none of us
wanted. You had always been the prince amongst our people, but you
know you never wanted it, and until the war you never thought
seriously about what it meant. Do you think I wanted to marry that
bitch sister of yours? Natasha could suck the fun and life out of
the happiest fellow. Which, I was until that time.”

Braith was not surprised to find
Arianna enrapt by what Ashby was saying. She was leaning slightly
forward, her hands clasped tightly before her, her mouth parted as
she listened intently. He wanted very much to remove her from this
room, and Ashby’s poison, but he knew that she would not go.
Besides, Ashby was right; Natasha was cold, hateful, and almost as
twisted as Caleb himself. And though Ashby was fun loving, and more
than enjoyed his share of blood, he had never relished in the death
as so many members of Braith’s family did. As Braith himself
had.

“We did not want power Braith, we only
wanted to be free. I only wanted to be free. Apparently you have
decided the same or else you wouldn’t be here.”

Braith did want the same thing, but he
wanted Arianna to be free even more. He wanted her to experience a
world that she had ever known, one that was safe and secure. One
where she did not have to fear his father and brother, one where
she did not have to fear him. “Will they be coming here Braith?”
Ashby asked softly.

“I don’t know,” he admitted.

Ashby jerked against his ties, lurching
slightly forward. “You cannot leave me here if they do! I am sorry
for what was done to you, I always did like you; you know that. You
were an unwanted casualty Braith; you were not the intended victim.
Your father was.”

“That is supposed to make things
better?” Braith growled.

“You care nothing for the man either,”
Ashby snarled. “I lived within those walls, I knew you from a young
age; I know what that bastard did to you! I know what you endured
at his hands!”

Arianna turned slowly toward him, she
was still abnormally pale, and there was an emptiness in her eyes
that shook him. Though he had not completely kept the abuse he had
taken from his father from her, he had not elaborated upon it
either. She did not need to know about that horror on top of all of
the others she had endured. “Braith?”

He shook his head; he was not going to
go into details about it, not now. “They are going to come here?”
the vampire girl croaked. When no one answered, she lurched
forward, a terrified scream erupting from her. She ripped and
jerked against her bonds, her head whipping back and forth as she
continued to scream wildly. Arianna recoiled in horror, the woman
was wild, crazed, her fangs had extended, and her eyes were a
violent shade of red.

The woman could very well get free if
she continued on this way, and she was going to go after Arianna if
she did. “Don’t!” Arianna cried launching to her feet as Braith
strode toward the crazed vampire. She stumbled forward, unnaturally
clumsy as her foot got caught up on the corner of the table before
her. Ashby launched at her, pulling her back as the girl took a
swipe that missed her by inches.

Red flooded Braith’s vision, fury
ripped through him. He grabbed hold of the girl, shoving her
roughly back against the wall. Terror widened Ashby’s eyes as
Braith charged at him. Using Arianna as a shield, Ashby thrust her
before him. His hand wrapped swiftly around her throat, pulling her
head back as he clamped down on her. A bellow of rage erupted from
Braith, he stalked toward Ashby, determined to destroy the man that
held the only person Braith cared about anymore.

Ashby did not make a move to hurt her,
but he did keep himself planted firmly behind her. Braith could not
get at him without hurting Arianna. Frustration filled him; he
could feel the swelling rise of bloodlust tearing through him. “I’m
not a fool Braith, I’m not going to kill her unless you force me
too,” Ashby said softly, barely poking his head out from behind
Arianna’s back. “I just want to talk reasonably, and you need to
listen.”

Arianna tilted her chin, her eyes
blazed with pride. There was no fear in the firm set of her jaw,
but it was apparent that she was irritated at having been snagged
and used as a shield. She tried to shrug Ashby’s grasp off of her,
but he would not let go. “You don’t have to manhandle me!” she
snapped.

His hand eased its grip on her throat,
for a moment amusement flashed through his bright eyes. But beneath
the amusement, Braith could see his fear. And he had every right to
be afraid; Braith was going to kill him for even daring to touch
her. “Well aren’t you the little spitfire,” Ashby
whispered.

Arianna turned her head to glare at
him, Braith did not miss the fact that her hands fisted at her
sides. “Arianna don’t,” he warned, frightened that she might try
something reckless. It’s who she was after all. Her bright eyes
came back to him, they simmered with anger. “Give her back to me
and we can talk.”

“I know that look in your eyes Braith,”
Ashby said softly. “I know what you’ll do to me if I release her.
Just stay calm and everything will be ok.”

Braith took another step toward them,
Ashby took one back. He pressed against the wall, keeping Arianna
before him. “Ashby…”

“I just want out of this alive Braith.
That is all. I’ve become content with this simple life; it is not a
bad existence. I only want to keep it.”

“If they come here…”

“I don’t intend to stay here Braith,
I’m not an idiot.”

“If that were true then you never would
have touched her.” Ashby’s hand tightened briefly on Arianna,
causing her to jerk slightly as her eyes widened. “Don’t!” Braith
snarled.

Ashby’s grip eased on her. “I just want
your word that you will not hunt me; that you will let me leave
here, alive.”

“You have it.”

Ashby hesitated, his hand shook
slightly. “I’ll need more than you just saying it Braith. Once I
release her…”

“Then what do you want?” Braith
demanded, panic tearing at his insides. His fingers itched to get a
hold of her, itched to get her away from Ashby’s grasp.

“I want her word.”

“Excuse me?” Braith asked in
surprise.

“I won’t let Braith hurt you,” Arianna
breathed. “Is that what you want? Is that what you need to
hear?”

Braith balked at such a thought.
Arianna held more power over him than anyone he had ever met, but
if he truly wanted to do something she could not stop him, could
she? The thought was ridiculous to him, but even more ridiculous
was the stunning realization that it might be true. “You seem like
a nice enough girl, I believe you when you say that, but do you
really think you could stop him?” Ashby asked softly.

“I don’t understand what you expect
from me then,” she retorted, her annoyance surging to the forefront
again.

Ashby poked his head out from around
her again; he turned her face slowly toward him. Braith took
another step forward, terror hammering through him. “Don’t.” He was
stricken by the fear and desperation that rattled through his
voice. If Ashby wanted Arianna dead, she would be dead before
Braith could reach them. He was shaken, the monster inside of him
was clawing to break free, while the man inside of him wanted to
fall to his knees and beg Ashby to give her back to him unharmed.
He had never been this rattled and terrified before. “Just give her
back to me Ashby, I won’t hurt you. Just give her back.”

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.”