Renegade (The Captive Series Book 2) (22 page)

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.

“Well imagine that,” Ashby said
darkly.

Melinda’s smile faded, she reached out
to stroke Ashby’s face. “Did he hurt you?”

Ashby shrugged, but there was nothing
carefree about his demeanor now. “Just my pride. You going to untie
me?”

Melinda planted her hands on her hips
as she surveyed him with interest. “I think I might like you this
way.”

“You would.”

Though Aria was lost in dismay, she
could feel the heat creeping rapidly up her face as their
conversation and looks turned sexual. “Don’t,” Braith warned when
Melinda reached for the ropes restraining Ashby.

“Braith,” Melinda said plaintively, her
demeanor changing rapidly as pure despair blazed from
her.

“Do not untie him Melinda,” Braith
replied forcefully.

“He won’t hurt her.”

“No, apparently you were always the
true traitor amongst us. If you make one more move to untie him,
believe me it won’t be Arianna that will have to worry about
getting hurt.”

Ashby straightened, his eyes flashed
briefly red as his lips curled in a snarl at the threat. He did not
lunge against the ropes, did not make a move though as he eyed
Braith for the first time with anger. Melinda touched Ashby’s arm
briefly before folding her hands before her. Though she appeared
demure, Arianna knew that it was only an act. She had often used
the same conduct in the palace when she was trying to appear far
more docile than she was. It hadn’t fooled Braith then, it would
not fool him now.

“You don’t understand,” Melinda said
softly.

“That you and Ashby conspired to
overthrow father, and blinded me in the process. Yes Melinda, I
realize that now, and I do understand it. Even if I don’t
understand the motive behind it.”

For the first time Melinda looked truly
desperate and frightened as she glanced anxiously at Arianna. “If
it was her…”

“You don’t know her!” Braith
snarled.

Melinda tilted her chin up, her jaw
clenched tight as her eyes narrowed in fury. “You are right I don’t
know her, but I do know that if she was in danger then you would do
whatever it took to save her.”

“Neither of you were ever in danger
inside the palace.”

Melinda glanced longingly at Ashby; her
heart was in her eyes as she gazed at him. “I was married to
Natasha, Braith,” Ashby said softly. “We were in
danger.”

“So you were having an affair and
feared for your lives?” Braith’s body was fairly vibrating with the
anger rattling through him. Aria wanted to soothe him, wanted to
ease his betrayal and hurt, but she didn’t think there was much she
could do in this situation. If it was her, and William or Daniel
had betrayed her in such a way, she didn’t think she would ever be
able to get over that.

“No, there was no affair. From the
moment that we met, there was no longer a Natasha. There was no
longer any other woman. It was just us, and if anyone else had
known that, if your family had known that, they would have done
everything they could to destroy what was between us.”

Braith appeared doubtful as he raked
them both with scathing glances. Melinda’s eyes were fervent,
desperate as she looked briefly at Aria before focusing her full
attention on her brother once more. “Do you really think you could
have married Lilith?” she whispered forlornly. “And even if you did
manage to force yourself to marry her, do you think you could have
lain with her, exchanged blood with her?” Aria hadn’t known who
Lilith was until that description. At those words her stomach
twisted, and Braith looked nearly as repulsed as she
felt.

“I didn’t think so. If you could, then
you would still be in the palace, still be preparing for your
wedding. In fact, I’ve noticed that for the past week you didn’t
return to your parade of blood slaves, and women. I didn’t put two
and two together until you disappeared into the forest. But then,
how was I to know that you had found your escaped little blood
slave again, and that you were once again using her to nourish
you?”

“I’m not a blood slave!” Aria retorted
sharply, growing highly annoyed by the fact that she was still
thought of as piece of property.

Melinda raised a haughty eyebrow at
her, but there was a gleam of admiration in her eyes. “She’s a
feisty one,” Ashby said softly.

Melinda managed a wan smile as she
folded her arms over her chest. “I see that.”

“I don’t use her,” Braith
grated.

“You feed from her, do you
not?”

“That is not using her,” he
snarled.

Melinda rolled her eyes; she tapped her
foot impatiently on the ground. “I understand that she is willing,
or I assume she is.”

“Of course I am,” Aria told
her.

“Why?”

“Excuse me?” Aria asked in surprise,
startled by the question.

“Why are you willing? You are a human;
you are a rebel, why would you give yourself to my brother like
that? Why did you give yourself over to what I am certain you
considered your greatest enemy when you brought into that
palace?”

Aria looked up at Braith, captivated by
his masculine beauty, and the tender soul that he only revealed to
her. She thought of him on his knees before her, humbled by her,
his heart and soul bared for her to take, or to turn away. She
thought of all of his gentleness, the care and protection he had
always offered to her, even when he had owned her. He was
wonderful, he was everything, and he was hers.

“Because I love him,” she whispered. “I
always will.”

“How sweet,” the girl vampire drawled,
drawing fierce looks from everyone else in the room. She glowered
at them but remained wisely silent.

Melinda was silent, her grey eyes as
cold as steel. “Can you believe it?” Ashby inquired
softly.

“No,” Melinda responded.

“I don’t care what you believe! It’s
the truth!” Arianna snapped at her.

Melinda’s mouth twisted into a smile,
Ashby chuckled annoyingly. Aria took a frustrated step forward, but
Braith pushed her swiftly back. “Stay back,” he growled in
warning.

“I believe you love him, I truly do,”
Melinda soothed. “I just can’t believe that it has happened to
Braith, of all vampires. Mr. Duty, Mr. Responsibility, Mr. Walk A
Straight Line has succumbed to the darkest side of
himself.”

“Like hell,” Braith grated. Aria was
surprised to realize that his fangs had extended. His anger and
frustration was rapidly unraveling the firm control, and restraint
he exhibited over himself around others.

Melinda quirked an eyebrow, she shifted
slightly, her head tipping to the side as she rested a hand on her
hip. “Like hell Braith? Like hell? Are you forgetting that I live
in that damned palace too? Are you forgetting that I was there
after she escaped with Jericho? It was a bloodbath Braith; you were
a one vampire destroyer, one that made even Caleb and father proud.
They thought you were finally becoming like them, and in all
honesty Braith, so did I. I never suspected that you might actually
care for the girl. I thought you were reacting in such a way
because your pride had been wounded. If I had known the truth I
would have tried to explain it to you, but I don’t think you would
have listened to me anyway. Especially not while you were immersed
in the gluttony of blood and death you had engrossed yourself
in.”

Aria swallowed heavily, her fingers
curled around Braith’s massive arm, digging into the hard muscles
cording it. He was trembling; his self-loathing evident as he
glared hard at his sister. Melinda painted a vivid picture of what
he had been like after she’d fled, and though Aria knew it all, she
still hated to hear it.

“I’m not like that,” Braith
hissed.

“Maybe not normally, and most
definitely not before you met her.” Melinda took a small step
forward, her gaze pinning Braith sharply. Even Aria was surprised
by the force of that steely stare. “I’m fairly certain that if I
even made one threatening move toward her, you would kill me,
sister or not.”

Aria waited for Braith to protest that
statement; of course he wouldn’t kill his own sister. But Aria
found herself waiting until she finally turned her attention back
to him. “Braith?” She finally inquired, stunned by the fact that he
had not responded yet.

He seemed hesitant to answer, and then
when he did, he didn’t sound all that convincing. “I wouldn’t kill
you.”

“You would if you had to. You would if
it became necessary to ensure her survival.”

“No, he wouldn’t,” Aria
insisted.

“Is that true Braith, you wouldn’t?”
Melinda demanded, her eyes narrowed, her jaw tight. “Are you going
to stand here and lie in front of her, to her?”

He was silent for a long moment, Aria’s
heart pumped laboriously. Her soul ached with hurt for him, for
her, for the sister staring so fiercely at her brother. “I won’t
lie to her,” Braith grated. “Yes, I would kill you if it meant her
life.”

Aria inhaled sharply, she could hardly
breathe through the shock rocking her. “Braith?”

“Don’t be so shocked,” Melinda told
her. “I would try to kill him too, if it came to Ashby. We can’t
help it, you are his bloodlink; Ashby is mine. We don’t have a
choice, if you were a vampire you would understand the need, the
driving force that propels us to make sure that they are safe, and
kept with us. You would also understand the fact that your humanity
tests every boundary of his control. I saw what happened in that
palace, what he did. You were still alive then, if you were to
die…” Her eyes grew briefly distant, she shuddered slightly. “If
you were to die then it would be as if hell itself had unleashed
its fury upon this earth. No one would be safe.”

Braith was trembling with barely
leashed power. Aria rubbed his arm lightly, trying to soothe him,
but she wasn’t getting through. It wasn’t his sister’s words so
much that were upsetting him; it was the fact that she had
mentioned Aria’s death. “Braith…”

“She’s not going to die,” he said
simply, lost to the haze of emotions clouding him.

“Not for a long time,” Aria assured
him.

“Ever,” he growled.

The room was silent, stunned by the low
spoken word. Aria’s heart hammered, she knew that he wanted her to
change, but to do so… To do so would be to become everything she
had ever feared, hated, and fought against. To do so would be turn
against her own kind, her own family. Her chest ached, tears burned
her eyes.