"Lauren?" The small blond rose to her feet, a bright smile lit her pretty features.

"Yes Your Highness?" Hope sprang over the girls pretty features as she looked eagerly at him.

Leaning against the doorway, he studied the girl as he fought against the antipathy surging through him. Other than the few times she had arrived to tend to Arianna, he had seen her only a handful of times before. He may have fed off of her in the past, he didn't recall doing so, but her reaction to Arianna's presence here led him to believe that he had. "I'd like to know why you think you have the right to lay your hands on my blood slave, for anything other than to help her in the way that I told you to?"

She looked confused as she frowned at him, but Braith had not missed the alarm that flashed through her eyes. "I don't know what you mean."

"Don't play with me," he growled, losing patience with the girl. "I will not hesitate to kill you." She took an instinctive step back as her fight or flight instinct kicked into gear. "Now tell me, why did you feel you had the right to damage her?"

Her mouth opened and closed for a moment, he could almost see the wheels in her mind spinning as she tried to think of answer. "Your Highness, I uh... I uh..."

"Have we encountered each other before you were summoned here?"

Tears bloomed in her eyes as her lower lip began to tremble. Her reaction gave him the answer to his question. He didn't feel bad about the fact that the encounter obviously meant more to her than it had to him. What he did feel bad about was the fact that Arianna had suffered abuse because of his forgetfulness, and extreme lack of caring about the girl before him.

Her head fell back as he moved to stand before her. Fear radiated from her, but beneath it all he could sense the distress his obvious disregard of her had caused. "And you felt that gave you the right to treat my property poorly?" he grated.

A single tear slid down her face, her lip began to tremble even more. He was indifferent to her obvious distress, her race meant little to him, and she meant even less. "I am sorry," she whispered.

"Yes, you are. You are not to return here." He grabbed hold of her chin, drawing her attention sharply back to him as her gaze darted to the doorway behind him. He knew that Arianna had entered the room; her presence caused it to brighten considerably. "Don't look at her," he commanded. Apprehension radiated from Lauren as she began to shake within his grasp. "You are to leave here and never return, if you step foot in this palace again you forfeit your life."

The color drained from her already pale face as she swayed unsteadily. Being barred from the palace was a social punishment that would haunt her for the rest of her life. Not only that, but she had just lost the wages and prestige that this job had awarded her. "Do you understand me?" She managed a small nod as she battled back the tears that swarmed her eyes. He released her, disgusted by the feel of her skin beneath his hand. "Get out."

The girl scurried away, shooting only a brief hate filled glance at Arianna before she fled the room. Braith turned toward her, surprised by the severe frown marring her features, and the dark hostility simmering in her eyes. Was this the same girl that he'd woken up to find half sprawled over him, and her hair spread across him? The awkward position had made it difficult to extricate himself without waking her. He'd been half afraid that if she'd woken he wouldn't have been able to stop himself from easing the frustration her body pressed against his had aroused.

She'd been so peaceful and trusting in her sleep that he'd almost forgotten she could be as prickly as a cactus. It was impossible to forget it now. "You didn't have to be so cruel to her."

"Are you defending the girl?" He had to fight to keep the disbelief from his voice.

Arianna tilted her head. The radiance streaming through the windows accentuated the deep red of her hair. She was still wearing the nightgown, but in the sunlight he could see through some areas of it. He didn't think she was aware of the effect the light had upon it, if she had been he was certain she wouldn't be wearing it right now.

Something new began to curdle through him, rising up out of the hopeless pit that had been his soul for so long. Something that had nothing to do with his unfulfilled desire from this morning, or his increasing craving for her blood. He didn't know what was going on with this strange girl, why she affected him like she did, but for the first time he admitted to himself that whatever she did to him was deep and profound. It was something that he had never experienced before.

He knew that she was special, that she caused a strange reaction within him, but for the first time he admitted that he was not going to let her go. He had been keeping her here, under the delusional assumption that he would one day trade her off. He realized now that he never would. He may not be using her in the way that a blood slave was supposed to be used, but he wasn't ever going to allow someone else to use her in that way either.

"I'm not defending her," she responded quietly. "But you didn't have to be so mean to her. You were the one that forgot about her, and then you brought her here to take care of what she mistook as her replacement. That's an awful thing, you hurt her."

His eyes narrowed upon the frail slip of a girl. Was she really scolding him? Was she really questioning his way of life, and the things he did? She was a child for crying out loud, a human child. His hands fisted at his side, he fought the urge to go to her, to shake some fear into her because he was beginning to realize that she didn't have a healthy enough dose of it for him.

"Am I supposed to care?" he grated.

She blinked in surprise, her crystalline sapphire eyes darkened in disbelief. Then, she shook her head, her eyes cleared and her face became blank. Her hands folded demurely before her, but he was beginning to realize that it was just an act. There was nothing demure or weak about this girl, she may play the part well, but there were many layers beneath her docile exterior. "I suppose not," she responded, even her voice had taken on that decorous tone.

"She also harmed you."

Arianna shifted subtly; though she remained outwardly meek he sensed the raw loathing that spiked through her. "That doesn't make what you just did right. You took her job, and her pride, away from her. Two wrongs don't make a right, or at least that's what my dad always told my brothers and me."

Despite his frustration with her, and his growing urge to shake her, his interest was piqued by her words. It was the most she had talked about her family since arriving. "How many brothers?"

Her fingers nervously played with the sleeves of the nightgown. Her gaze was sad and distant as her thoughts turned toward her family. It was the first time she hadn't looked cross or frustrated with him this morning. He found he preferred the animosity to the sorrow that engulfed her now. "Two. Anyway you didn't have to frighten her. She was simply jealous because she thought that I was a threat to her when it came to you."

"And why would she think that?"

She rolled her eyes at him as she folded her arms over her chest. He didn't miss the subtle wince of soreness the action caused her. "I don't know. She was wrong of course; I mean I am most certainly not a threat to her or anyone else. Especially when you were feeding from her..."

"I was what?" he interrupted her rush of words sharply.

Arianna began to fiddle with her nightgown sleeves again, obviously uncomfortable with this topic. "Feeding from her."

"I don't know where you got your information, but it is wrong."

"Oh," she said faintly, her forehead furrowed in consternation. "Oh, I see. I thought..." her voice trailed off, she shook her head. "I must have misunderstood her, or you. I simply assumed that the bites on her were from you."

"You think I would forget her that quickly." She shrugged, but there was a hint of remorse in the set of her shoulders. "You really think that little of me?"

She observed him with a keen new interest. "I don't know what to make of you," she admitted. "I really don't. This whole situation..." She held her hands out before her, her gaze darted over the room before turning back to him. "I don't know what to make of any of it. It's scary and it's disconcerting, and I'm so far out of my league here that I have no idea what is going on. I don't know if you're playing with me while plotting my death. I don't know if this is just the calm before you drain me dry. I don't know what is going on here and it's tearing me up inside! I've heard the stories, and I've seen the damage your kind can do. I don't know how to play these games; I don't understand the hatred and resentment that festers here! How the hell am I supposed to know what to think, or what to do, when I don't even know how much longer I'll be allowed to live?"

Her voice was ragged and filled with raw emotion by the time she stopped speaking. Her shoulders were heaving; her eyes were earnest and pleading. For the first time her façade completely crumbled and he was able to see the terrified, irate girl beneath the timid exterior. She took a ragged breath as her shoulders bowed again. She folded her hands before her and tried to appear sedate once more, but they both knew she couldn't un-ring that bell.

For the first time he began to understand how she truly felt. She had kept so much of it hidden from him, but in that one brief moment she had laid it all bare. He started to see her in a new light, and though he had known something more lay beneath her docile exterior, he began to truly see the pride and heart of this trapped, cornered girl. He felt the stirrings of a new emotion and was surprised to realize that it was sympathy. He'd never felt sympathy for anyone before, and had never thought he would be able to experience it, or ever care to.

"Well, anyway, she thought more of what transpired between the two of you."

Braith clenched his fists, struggling against the strange feelings stirring within him, feelings that would only make him weak, feelings that he could not allow himself to experience. "I don't care what she thought." The words were sharper than he had intended, but he didn't like the thought that the girl had mentioned such a thing to Arianna, and he didn't like the fact that it bothered him.

Her words also served to remind him of the fact that he was hungry. There were a few different women that he would often visit when the thirst came upon him, but he found that the idea of feeding from them wasn't appealing at the moment; especially not when he had Arianna standing across from him looking unbelievably striking, and smelling tantalizingly delicious.

His veins thrummed with hunger, his hands fisted at his sides. He recalled her words about having to take anything from her by force, he wondered if she still felt the same, or if maybe, just maybe, she might allow him to feed from her. He didn't think that was very likely, not when she still looked at him with distrust most of the time. And not when she believed that he tossed women, especially human women, aside like they were nothing. Though, if he were to be honest with himself, he usually did.

He had tried to be as temperate with her as possible, but after the events of today he realized it was going to take a lot more to earn her trust, and he was beginning to understand that he wanted her trust even more than he wanted the alluring blood flowing through her veins. The temperature in the room was suddenly stifling as he became focused upon the temptation of her pulse. If he was going to get that blood, then he was going to have to earn her confidence.

It was strange to realize he was going to have to work for this; he was used to getting whatever he wanted, whenever he wanted. He was used to women throwing themselves at him, not ones constantly challenging and refuting him. She wasn't even quite a woman, not yet anyway, she was young, and she had known so little in her short life. Yet she was strong willed, vibrant, and far more willful and captivating than any woman he had ever known.

"How old are you Arianna?"

She was startled for a moment and then her mouth curved into a pleasant smile. "Far younger than you, I'm sure, but I'm seventeen." He was not surprised by the tender age. "How old are you?"

"Nine hundred and fifty two."

Her eyes widened considerably. Her mouth dropped in astonishment. "Wow."

He managed a wan smile. "Yes, wow. I am the oldest of my siblings."

Curiosity lit her features. "How many siblings do you have?"

"Two brothers and two sisters. This is not common knowledge in your world?"

She shook her head. "There is little known about the royal family. It's mostly just rumors and innuendo. We don't give much thought to the vampires that have taken so much from us, other than trying to survive from day to day while trying to remain free of you and your kind."

"I see."

"Do you?"

She met his gaze head on. It was a trait that he admired, even though her stubbornness and inability to look past what he was were beginning to aggravate him. He decided to let it go for now, to continue to bicker with her wouldn't get either of them anything other than frustrated, and irritated.

"Come here; let me take a look at your ribs."

For a moment he thought she was going to defy him, but she seemed to decide against it as she reluctantly came toward him. He tried not to focus on the subtle glimpses of flesh the light revealed, but he found his gaze repeatedly drawn to her. She stopped before him, her hands folded in front of her but at least she didn't pretend to be demure as she gazed haughtily at him. He examined her carefully, admiring the fact that she didn't flinch when he pressed against her broken bone. "They should be good in a few weeks."

"I know."

His hand lingered against her side, holding her gently for a moment. If he gave her some of his blood she would heal quicker, but he knew she wouldn't take it, and though he was drawn to her more than anyone else he had ever met, he wasn't willing to create the bond between them that sharing his blood would produce. He'd never shared his blood before, never mind a human. It was something he never intended to do, with anyone. Most vampires didn't as it was far too intimate and binding.

Her eyes were bright in the glow of the room as they gradually came toward him. She studied him for a long moment, seemingly trying to puzzle him out. He felt an overwhelming urge to kiss her, to know what she would feel like against him, what she would taste like. To solve at least a little bit of the enigma that was her.

Before he knew what he was doing, he moved gradually toward her. He half expected her to tell him to stop, he gave her the time to do so, but she remained unmoving as his lips brushed against hers. She stiffened beneath him, her heart lurched violently, and the rapid upswing of her pulse beat against his eardrums. Excitement tore though him, the thirst for her blood gripped him tight as the delicious scent of it assailed his senses. He struggled to keep control of himself, struggled to keep his teeth from elongating as the tantalizing urge to bite into her, and savor her taste tore through him. He would frighten her if he did such a thing, and that was not what he was looking to do at the moment. No, right now all he wanted was to taste her in a different way.

He pulled slightly away from her. He waited for her to shove him back, to tell him to stop, or to leave her alone. It was the last thing he wanted to have happen, but he didn't want her to think that he was going to force this upon her. She observed him circumspectly as she seemed to try and decide what exactly it was that he expected from her.

He searched her crystalline sapphire eyes before bending down and kissing her again. Her surprise was palpable; he could sense some fright underneath it as she remained unyielding against him for a moment more. He believed that the fear she felt was more from the unknowing of what he intended rather than the actual kiss. Then, to his surprise and delight, her lush mouth yielded and he could feel the heat of her breath against his lips. He cradled her face as he pulled her closer to him, careful not to scare her as he deepened the kiss.

She was one of the most magnificent things he had ever tasted. She was sweet and giving, her body was warm against his as she yielded even more, pressing closer to him. He hadn't expected this from her, actually he had expected some resistance, a fight even, but there was none of that. In fact, she was far more receptive than he had ever imagined she would be, and she felt far better than he had ever thought possible. It felt right to hold her, to touch her. His hand entwined in her loose hair, it was as smooth as silk as it slid between his fingers.

Her hands curled around his forearms, a faint breath escaped her as he ran his tongue against her lips. To his surprise her mouth parted further, granting him access to the sweet dark recesses. He explored her mouth, pleasure overtaking him as her taste seemed to brand itself upon him. He couldn't stop the low groan of satisfaction that escaped him as her tongue hesitantly, and then more boldly, met his.

He almost lifted her up and carried her from this room, but he knew he couldn't move too fast. She may be responding to him now, but she wouldn't continue to do so if he frightened her. And her ribs, he had to remember her ribs. He had to remember that she was injured, but even as he thought it his control began to swiftly unravel and his passion for her escalated sharply.

He pulled away before he couldn't. Pulled away before he lost complete control and either reinjured her or scared her. He'd never felt this out of control, and though he'd never lost control of himself before, he realized that it was a good possibility that it could happen with her. She unraveled him in strange ways, tested his restraint in ways it had never been tested before. She could make him a monster, or perhaps she could simply make him more human. He wasn't sure which thought unsettled him more.

The force of her breaths caused her chest to brush against his. Stroking her cheeks he rested his forehead against hers. He savored in the feel of her as he picked out the brighter flecks of blue within her turbulent eyes. He was trembling, nearly shaking with the effort it took for him not to kiss her again, not to taste the tempting blood coursing through her.

"I didn't expect that." Her voice was shaky as her grip on his arms intensified.

"Neither did I."

The admission rattled him as he brushed the hair gingerly back from her face. What was this girl to him? Why did she affect him so? What was going on here? The questions raced rapidly through his mind, but he couldn't answer any of them. There were no answers for him. He couldn't deny that she was special, that he was supposed to have found her, because he knew both of those things to be true.

He was, however, beginning to doubt that he could keep her safe in his world, or even keep her safe from himself. This was not where she belonged. If anyone even suspected that he might have feelings for her, they would kill her. Blood slaves were used, drained, tortured, and tossed away. They were not treasured, they were not taken care of, and they most certainly were not kept alive for extended periods of time.

What was he going to do with her?

She peered questioningly up at him, her concern and hesitance evident. He forced himself to become expressionless; she had obviously seen something that troubled her on his face. "Prince?"

"Braith."

She blinked at him, her forehead furrowed in confusion. "Excuse me?" she asked in surprise.

"Braith, my name is Braith. You never say it. I want you to use it."

Her mouth quirked in a small smile, her eyes lit with amusement. "Forgive me your majesty; I am not used to being around royalty."

Aggravation spurted through him at her words, until he realized that she was teasing him. He had never been teased before, he wasn't entirely certain that he liked it, but it seemed to make her happy. He had to admit that he did enjoy seeing her happy. "I see. I would prefer if you said my name though," he told her abruptly.

His brisk attitude didn't seem to bother her as she shrugged her shoulders. The lack of fear she showed him was truly amazing, he had never experienced it before. Even other royal vampires were nervous and wary around him. "Braith, why do you always wear those dark glasses?"

His hand darted up to the frames. For the most part he didn't even remember that he was wearing them, they were like another extension of his body. He shrugged, unsure of how to respond, unsure of how much he really would like to reveal to her right now. This situation was strange enough without heaping even more strange onto it.

Thankfully he was saved from responding by a muted knock on the door. He released Arianna and took a small step away before inviting whoever it was to enter. The small brunette he remembered seeing before stepped into the room. Braith bristled, his shoulders straightened as he prepared to take this girl on too.

Arianna rested her hand on his arm. He glanced at her, surprised by the calming affect such a simple gesture had upon him. "Hi Maggie," she greeted, offering a small smile for the obviously frightened servant girl.

Maggie nodded at her, but her attention was focused upon Arianna's hand on his arm. Braith pulled away from Arianna, he wasn't trying to upset her, but he knew that they had to play it safe. He had to be careful with her. "I was told to come up," Maggie said hesitantly.

"Yes," Braith responded crisply. "Your friend has been dismissed. Permanently." It took a moment for those words to sink in, but the implications of them had an effect upon her as he caught the increased beat of her heart. "The same will happen to you if you step out of line, in anyway. You will take care with her ribs."

The girl looked stunned, and more than a little confused. "Of course, yes your Highness, of course I will," she stammered out.

"Good."

Braith moved past the woman. Grabbing hold of his cane, he left the room with Keegan trailing behind.

***

Aria popped the grape into her mouth. She chewed the sweet fruit eagerly as she picked at the tray of food. She was starving from not having eaten yesterday. She heaped more fruit onto her plate, then some breads and meat. There was so much, and it all looked so good that she didn't know where to start. She tossed a handful of grapes into her mouth as she made her way to the window seat. She hadn't read in over a week, she'd missed it and was eager to continue with the story, but she planned to wait for Braith to come back. She was worried that she would miss something, or would get something confused when she read on her own, even though he'd said she was making good progress, and was doing well on her own.

Truth be told, she simply enjoyed curling up next to him and listening to the deep rumble of his voice as he read with her. She stared out the window, rolling the fruit around in her mouth as she thought over the implications of that admission. Had becoming a blood slave caused her to completely lose her mind?

Was she actually beginning to have feelings for a monster? Did she have feelings for one of the creatures that she had hated and fought against her entire life? That was crazy, it was simply insane. It couldn't be possible, it really couldn't.

But she truly believed that she was, and she didn't understand any of it. She had thought that he'd turned against her. That he had purposely set Lauren on her as punishment, but he hadn't. Not only had he not known that Lauren was abusing her, but once he'd found out about it, he'd been attentive and caring, not to mention fiercely protective and worried about her safety.

And then he had kissed her.

That kiss had almost been her undoing. She thought back to the kiss she'd shared with Max, it had been sweet and kind and it had left her feeling safe and warm. Braith's kiss hadn't left her feeling any of those things. It had left her completely bewildered, on fire, and longing for more. Longing for so much more. She ached for him to hold her, and kiss her, and touch her forever. Yet it wasn't possible, none of it would ever be possible.

She chewed on a piece of cheese as she watched the sunlight play over the gardens. Though she didn't think he was, she knew there was still a possibility that he was playing with her. That he was toying with her emotions only to make her breakdown even more pleasurable in the end. But if that kiss was a sign of anything, she thought it was definitely a sign that he wouldn't purposely be cruel or mean to her.

She just didn't know exactly what he was going to be to her. She was far from certain of anything these days. A few weeks ago she would have been terrified by this realization; she was surprised that she wasn't terrified now. She felt that it was because of him, it was difficult to be frightened when he was watching over her.

Aria frowned as she realized that she had never really been sheltered before. Her family loved her, and always tried to keep her safe, but she'd been on her own far more often than she'd been under their wing. Children within the rebellion couldn't be coddled. Once they were old enough they had to start helping out. Every hand was essential in order to feed the many hungry mouths, and to help keep everyone safe.

Hunger, it was a foreign concept to her at the moment, as she munched on some more cheese and fruit. However, it wasn't a concept that was foreign to her family and friends right now. Guilt tugged at her, for a moment she couldn't swallow the food as it stuck in her throat. She was daydreaming about something that could never happen, a life she could never have with her enemy, and her family and friends were still struggling, still fighting for their lives every moment of every grueling day.

Aria managed to choke down the food, but she dropped her half full plate back on the tray. Her appetite had vanished. Though she'd been given this brief moment, this reprieve from the famine, death, and struggle that had constituted most moments of her life, she knew that it couldn't last. It could never last. His world would never allow it to last. She was a foolish child for even thinking that it might, a foolish child for not realizing the futility of this whole situation.

Aria touched the leather binding of the book, her fingers trailed leisurely over it as she admired the simple beauty of the thing. "Do you require me for anything else?"

Aria lifted her head; she'd forgotten that Maggie was here. She'd been working on Aria's dresses; some of them had to be let out as she'd put on weight. "Oh no, thank you though. Would you like something to eat?"

Maggie's mouth curved in a small smile as she shook her head. Though she hadn't commented upon the bruises marring Aria's skin, Aria had seen the distress and dismay in Maggie's tender gaze. Aria had almost told her that the bruises weren't from Braith, that he hadn't done this to her, but the words stuck in her throat. It was probably best if people began to believe he was mistreating her, though Lauren's dismissal might negate that fact. She imagined rumors and gossip were already flying around about Lauren, and she found that she didn't care.

"I have other things I must attend to."

"Oh." Aria felt a twinge of guilt over taking the girl away from her work. "I didn't mean to keep you."

"It's fine," Maggie assured her. "You are my number one priority. The prince has seen to that."

"I see."

"I'll see you later." Maggie was already at the door; her hand was upon the handle when she turned back to Aria. "The prince has never had a blood slave before, did you know that?"

Curiosity trickled through her as she stared at Maggie in disbelief. She recalled her encounter with Braith's sister. The woman had asked what he was doing with her. Aria had thought the question odd at the time, had questioned if she was the first, but she'd never given much credit to the notion. The revelation did little to ease the confusion inside of her though. In fact it made it even worse. "I didn't know that."

Maggie nodded. "It's true."

Aria didn't know what to make of the words, or their implication. Why would he choose one now? And why would he choose her?

Before Aria could ask any of these questions Maggie slipped out the door, leaving her alone with her thoughts. She sighed as she settled onto the window seat, torn and guilt ridden. It was an awful mess that she was in, that they both might be in right now. She didn't know all the rules for a blood slave, but she imagined she wasn't supposed to be treated so kindly. And she was fairly certain that she wasn't supposed to stay alive for long.

That realization turned her thoughts back to Max. He was out there somewhere, probably going through something horrific and possibly on the verge of losing his life already. Sweet, gentle Max, he deserved far better than what he might be enduring right now. Max had vowed to try and rescue her but they had both known that there was only a slim possibility for success. Was there any chance that she might be able to get to him?

Her gaze traveled over the beautiful apartment with all of its magnificent things. She was lucky to be here, she was lucky that Braith had rescued her from that other vile creature, but no matter how lucky she was, how good she had it, and how angry it would make Braith, she knew that she had to break free of this place. She had to get to Max, and she had to get them both to safety before it was too late. Because no matter how safe and secure she felt now, it wouldn't last. It couldn't last.

It was only a matter of time before this all crumpled around her, and she had to do something before that happened. She had to save her friend before they were both doomed. Her gaze slid back to the tray of food. If she was going to plan an escape, and free them both, then it was essential that she had as much energy and strength as she could get but the idea of leaving Braith was enough to make her stomach twist. She couldn't afford to starve herself. She needed the food, but there was no way that she could force it down her throat right now. She was too frightened and lost to even attempt it. Tomorrow she would start taking better care of herself, for now she simply sat in silent misery as she tried to formulate a plan to get out of here.

Though the stake was still tucked firmly between her breasts, she knew she wouldn't be able to bring herself to use it against the prince. She didn't have that in her, not anymore. No matter how much he exasperated and pissed her off, she knew she wouldn't be able to do that to him.

The first thing she had to do was locate Max. It would do her little good if she was able to break free, yet unable to find her friend. If she got out of here, she would have to know where he was so that she could get to him safely. She knew it would be tricky, and she would have to move quickly, but she was fairly certain that she would be able to do it.

She hoped.

Her attention was drawn to the door as Braith returned; his loyal wolf close to his side. She knew immediately that something wasn't right. His shoulders were too stiff and his jaw was clenched. Aria braced herself for whatever it was he had to say.

"Caleb will be here shortly. You must go to my room and stay there until I call for you."

Aria swallowed heavily, she managed a brief nod. "Ok."

"Arianna." She turned back at the low murmur of her name. His knuckles were white as he gripped the head of his cane. "I mean it. Do not come out of there."

Her temper bristled, she almost rebelled against his command but she kept her mouth shut. She didn't particularly care to see his brother again anyway; there was something about the man that frightened her on a primal, instinctive level. She slipped silently from the room.