Aria

After a week, Aria still couldn’t get her eyes to return to normal, but at least no one questioned her about the ever-present sunglasses she wore, or her short periods of sleep. The only time she slept was when exhaustion took over and her body gave her no other choice but to rest. Often times that happened when she was sitting in a chair, but then her chin would hit her chest and she’d jerk awake again.

She hated sleeping for any length of time as she always dreamed, and all of her dreams were of Braith and what they had once shared. Most times, she woke crying from the dreams of Braith holding her.

Either from lack of sleep, or because she so badly wanted him back, she would often think she saw him somewhere too. When she turned to look, he would be gone and she would once again be left with her emptiness. Sometimes, she would smell him and the scent would be so vivid she could almost believe he was there. Then the smell would fade away to be replaced with whatever surrounded her.

Madness threatened to consume her in those moments when reality became almost too much to bear. It took a concentrated effort for her to wrap her mind around her mission to destroy Sabine.

Now, she stood within another one of the safe houses, talking with the humans who had been brought in to hear what was going on and what they should prepare for. This was the fourth safe house they’d been to, the next one would be the last one, and the one closest to the palace. Those gathered within listened raptly as she outlined the new threat they faced. Many of the faces paled, but all of them assumed a resolute expression. They would fight; there had never been any doubt in Aria’s mind about it.

“Do you plan for all of us to go to the palace now?” a man inquired.

“No,” Aria replied. “Weapons must be gathered or forged first.”

“We already have many weapons stored away, Your Highness,” a woman said to her.

“Please just call me Aria,” she said for what felt like the thousandth time. “I am simply Aria.” Now. But she always kept that word to herself. “We also need time to recruit more fighters for our cause, and to learn more about this woman and her troops. We have to be careful about gathering so many in one place right now. We can’t take the risk of our forces being slaughtered because we don’t fully know what we’re up against yet.”

They nodded enthusiastically as they looked around the room at each other. Aria pulled on the collar of her shirt as sweat slid down her back. Despite the cool dirt pressing against the walls, the heat of so many bodies within made it nearly unbearable to stand in here. Not to mention all of those annoyingly alluring heartbeats and the blood pulsing through their little blue veins.

Saliva rushed into her mouth, her fangs tingled with the need to sink them into someone and ease this turmoil inside her. Blood, it would center her, it would make her forget if only for a minute everything her world had become.

Atticus killed, and when he did, it eased the agony.

She craved a second of peace from her reality, and often wondered how long she could hold out for. How long could she keep going when the only thing driving her was death and vengeance?

For as long as it takes! I will not harm another!

Before, she’d only fed from Braith. Now she fed from animals, but the lure of human blood was becoming more and more enticing with each passing day.

Though it was tempting, she couldn’t retreat further into the shadows of the room in order to put some distance between her and the heartbeats calling out to her. She had to be strong, had to present an impeccable façade of leadership and stability no matter how volatile she felt.

William glanced over at her as she rubbed her forehead. She was keeping it together, but she feared her brother sensed her unraveling. Of course he did. She would sense it in him as well, even if he acted as if nothing was wrong.

“How will we know when it is time to gather and move?” another man inquired.

“We will be sending runners out to the safe houses when it is time to move,” William answered. “Most likely it will be in seven days.”

“Plenty of time for us to recruit more to the fight,” a woman said and everyone in the room gave a brisk, decisive nod.

“I know of some vampires we can bring in,” a man near the back of the room declared. “Ones who can be trusted.”

“I don’t expect you to bring them here, but I would like to speak with them,” Aria said. “Soon.”

The rebels at the other safe houses had been willing to bring vampires in too, but none had offered to divulge their newest locations. Aria didn’t blame them for keeping the safe houses a secret. If she hadn’t once been human, the daughter of the fallen rebel leader and the sister of their representative on The Council, they most likely wouldn’t have revealed the locations to her either. The title of queen didn’t matter to these humans; it hadn’t mattered to her either.

“I will get them and bring them to the waterfall in an hour,” the man replied.

“We can bring you there,” a young woman at the front offered.

“Thank you,” Aria replied and the man left the room.

“What if something happens before the week is over? If this woman attacks the palace or the nearby towns?” a man at the back of the room asked.

“There is nothing we can do about that,” Aria replied. “The palace will be able to fend off any attackers for a time, and I’m sure the towns closest to it have either been evacuated or informed of the risk to them.”

“If this woman has more vampires on her side, how will we ever be able to defeat them?” the woman before her inquired.

Don’t look at her neck. Don’t look at her neck.

“The vampires may be stronger than humans,” Aria said as her fingers dug into her palms. “But we rebels survived in these woods for a century. We are lethal, fast, and best of all, we know these woods better than they do. She, and many of the vampires following her, underestimate humans, and we’re going to show them how wrong they are to do so.”

An excited murmur ran through the crowd. “Damn right we will,” the woman beside her said.

Despite her every intention not to look, Aria’s gaze fell to the woman’s neck. Thump. Thump. Thump. Every beat of the woman’s heart pulsed within her vein.

She had to get out of this place, soon.

“We will gather many others,” another man said, “and be ready to go within a week. The peace will be protected.”

“Thank you,” Aria said.

They all came forward, taking hold of her hands as they spoke to her. She couldn’t move as each one of them squeezed her outstretched hands. If she moved, she’d break, but she couldn’t turn them away right now.

Every single one of them would fight. She knew they were doing it to give themselves and their children better lives. However, they were also doing it because she and William would be leading them into battle, and because they had loved her father.

It was nearly an hour before the last one filed out the door, leaving her unmoving at the edge of the room as she worked to calm herself.

“Are you okay?” William inquired.

“I need a minute before we go to meet with the vampires,” she replied.

He walked over to lead Mary and John from the room. She hadn’t wanted the two of them to come with them to the other safe houses, but Mary had insisted she be the one to lead them and introduce them to the rebels at each one.

Four safe houses down, one more to go. Then she would find Sabine and learn everything she could about her.

The sound of someone entering the room caused her to turn toward the doorway. William gave her a questioning look from the doorway, but didn’t say a word.

“I’m ready,” she told him and pushed her braid over her shoulder.

She shifted her bow on her back and followed him into one of the narrow hallways to the door at the end. Tempest stood by the doorway with Mary and John. Tempest dropped her hand away from her mouth when they approached. Aria’s gaze fell to Tempest’s fingers; she’d bitten one of her nails low enough to draw blood.

William took hold of Tempest’s hand and wiped away the blood beading there. “Everything will be okay,” he said.

“I know,” Tempest replied. “Habit.”

Aria turned away when Mary opened the door. She drew her cloak tighter around her before striding forward to climb the stairs that ascended a good twenty feet to the earth above. The other three safe houses had all been hidden beneath a different entrance.

The first one they’d visited had been in the floor of an old home. The door had been intricately carved to blend in seamlessly with the wood around it. The second was behind a boulder in the forest floor. The third had been in an old, abandoned church on the outskirts of a rebel town. This one though, had been the most carefully hidden, and she couldn’t help but think of how much Daniel would appreciate it as she stopped at the top of the stairs and looked out the tiny peephole to the forest beyond.

Her gaze scanned over the woods, and she scented the air as a pair of squirrels raced through the tree across the way. She checked the other small peepholes surrounding her before pushing the button to release the lock keeping the door secured. The door swung open and she stepped from the center of the hollowed out tree.

Turning, she stared up at the towering maple. The tree’s thick branches showed no signs of rot as they stretched high into the sky. Carving a hole into its foundation, in order to hide the entrance to the safe house, might eventually kill the tree, but then again, it might be strong enough to withstand the injury. So far, she was surviving having had a piece of her carved away, just like this tree.

Aria rubbed at her cheeks while she inspected the woods around her. Even with knowing where some of the air vents were located for the safe house, they were so cleverly hidden within the forest, she could barely detect them amongst the trees and forest floor.

The sun filtered through the empty branches surrounding her to dance across the fallen leaves and dead branches littering the forest floor. February had given way to March a few days ago and already signs of spring were becoming evident. The sun was in the sky longer, the animals were more active, the snow that had lined most of the forest floor had melted.

She turned toward where she’d left Braith and the others. For a second, an image of Braith shimmered within the trees before her. His gray eyes surveyed her, and a smile curved the edges of his full lips as he extended a hand to her.

In her chest, her deadened heart lurched and she took an involuntary step toward the mirage before it vanished. A scream welled in her throat. If there hadn’t been humans nearby waiting to take her to the waterfall, she would have bellowed her despair to the sky before sinking to her knees and sobbing out her misery.

Instead, she remained completely still. If she moved at all, what thin control she had of her shredding sanity and composure would crumble around her. She could return to the cave, to check on them, but she didn’t think she’d be able to leave Braith, not again.

If Braith came back, he would find her.

***

Daniel

Daniel poked his head out of the cave and examined the forest surrounding him. A week within the musty, gloomy confines of the cave had him blinking against the sun. He inhaled a big breath of fresh air and closed his eyes to savor it. Being within the caves, trapped with the melancholy and death, had worn on his soul more than he’d realized. Now he couldn’t get enough of the warmth of the sun and the cool air brushing over his face.

Xavier rested his hand on his arm, holding him back from stepping out of the cave. Determination was etched onto Xavier’s handsome features as he searched the forest around them and scented at the air.

“I sense no one nearby,” Xavier said after a minute.

“Are you sure you want to do this?” Jack inquired.

Daniel turned toward him. “We have to know what is going on by the palace, and we have to try to find Aria.”

Jack turned to gaze at the woods. “You could return to the palace and the protection of the walls.”

“I’m sure Melinda and Ashby have things covered in there,” Daniel replied. “We’ll be needed outside the walls to report back to you what we find.”

Jack took hold of Hannah’s hand when she stepped into the sunlight. Her head tipped back and her eyes closed as the rays played over her delicate face. Having been denied the sun for most of her life, Daniel hated to think of her locked within the caves again. However, Jack wouldn’t leave here, not until they had their answer about Braith, and Daniel couldn’t stay anymore.

Their injuries were healed well enough for them to move on. He focused on the forest around him once more before stepping from the cave beside Xavier with Timber and Max close on his heels.

“Be careful,” Hannah said from behind them.

“Always,” Max replied and Daniel turned back to wave at the couple before slipping into the trees.

“Where do you think Aria is?” Xavier asked after they had covered a couple of miles and paused to rest beside a lake.

“Most likely near the palace,” Max replied as he rose from the edge of the lake and tossed back his wet hair.

There had been a small water supply in the cave they’d used to wash themselves with, but Daniel had still felt rank and dirty until he’d scrubbed his flesh with the lake water. His relief over finally having washed the scent of mildew and dead animals off his body far outweighed any chill he might have felt from the freezing cold water.

Daniel rose from where he’d knelt beside the lake and flicked away a few of the beads of water still trickling down his face. Xavier had always been a calming presence, a wealth of knowledge Aria loved to question and learn more from. Now, Daniel sensed the stoic vampire was about to explode.

Xavier had been tense and restless for the last week within the cave. The more he healed, the more he paced like a caged tiger. They were finally out and Xavier was more on edge than ever as he stalked through the trees, his gaze constantly searching the shadows.

Daniel couldn’t help but admire the flex and bunch of Xavier’s powerful muscles as he moved, but then it was impossible not to notice how attractive Xavier was. He’d certainly noticed it long ago. Throughout his life, Daniel had always been attracted to those he had a connection with regardless of what sex they were. He enjoyed someone who appreciated beauty and art, and could talk for hours. Someone who didn’t have reservations and judgments of others.

It was a rare combination to find in a man or woman, which was why he spent more time alone than with another. He required an emotional connection to anyone before he climbed into bed with them. He liked Xavier, and couldn’t deny his brown eyes and skin, intelligence, and unwavering loyalty had intrigued him for some time, but Xavier took his role as Aria’s guard seriously and allowed little room for distractions, especially of the romantic sort.

Besides, despite the fact Xavier was one of the wisest and most knowledgeable men Daniel knew, he felt no emotional connection to him, only desire. He’d never been with someone he didn’t have a bond with before, and had never considered a vampire partner as he planned to leave this world the way he’d come into it, human.

However, life was short. Even for an immortal, he realized as he recalled Braith lying dead in that cave. It may be getting a whole lot shorter for more of them, if not all of them, by the time this thing with Sabine was done.

Daniel’s head tilted to the side as he watched Xavier pace from one tree to another. He didn’t kid himself into thinking they would all make it out of this alive. Maybe it was time to start taking what he desired now; there may not be many more tomorrows. Nothing could ever come of the two of them, but nothing had ever come of his past relationships either, as both parties had agreed to go their separate ways, and he did like Xavier after all.

Xavier rubbed at his stubble-lined cheeks as he met Daniel’s gaze and held it. “I’m going to scout ahead,” Xavier said and slipped into the trees.

“What is with your family and vampires. Can’t you guys lust after someone with a heartbeat?” Max inquired of him after Xavier vanished.

Daniel scowled at him. Max may be his best friend, but he was tempted to plant his foot in his ass and shove him into the water. William and Aria would have. Sometimes he hated being the sensible one of the three.

“I’m not lusting after anyone,” Daniel replied.

“Sure, I see you staring after every vamp and human you meet like that,” Max said and knelt at the edge of the lake again. “I don’t remember the last time I saw you staring at anyone with any interest.”

Neither could he, but Daniel didn’t exactly feel like talking about his relationships right now.

“You and that one?” Timber stopped scrubbing his arms in the lake and thrust his thumb at the woods where Xavier had disappeared. “Good luck, I was beginning to suspect he may be asexual.”

“He’s not,” Daniel said and Max laughed.

Screw being sensible. Grasping the back of Max’s head, he dunked it into the lake. Max came up sputtering and pushed his streaming hair from his eyes with his hands. “You only get to do that once,” Max said as he wiped the water away from his mouth.

“Once was more than enough,” Daniel replied with a smile, and Timber shook his head.

Max gave him the finger and rose to his feet. “So can we expect the entire family to become vamps?” he inquired.

“No,” Daniel said.

“But if he’s your bloodlink or something—”

“He’s not,” Daniel interrupted.

“How do you know?”

“I just do. It’s not the same as what I see with Jack and Hannah or William and Tempest.” He didn’t say Aria and Braith; he couldn’t. They may never be again. Daniel couldn’t stop his hand from rubbing over his heart at the idea of losing his little sister. Max’s eyes softened as he noted the absence of their names. “He’s attractive, and he’s fascinating, but no more than that,” Daniel finished.

He turned to gaze at the lake as the sun shone over its surface, creating a pathway across the ripples fluttering outward. “I won’t become a vampire. I was born a human and I will die a human. When it is my time to go, I will meet it without hesitation,” he said.

“What if you fall for a vamp?” Max inquired. “Which, with your family’s track record, may be a good possibility.”

Daniel turned away from the lake to face him. “I will die a human. If something happens to me, make sure of that. I don’t want to be a vampire. I don’t hate them anymore; I understand there is good and bad in both humans and vampires, but being a human is my natural course in life. Make sure of it.”

“I will.” Max rubbed at his neck as he turned to face the lake. “Aria and I spent a lot of time here after Jack took us from the palace. Fishing, always with the fishing,” he murmured.

“I remember,” Daniel said.

Aria had been heartbroken over learning Braith had a fiancée and having left him behind in the palace. Max had been so angry, so lost after what he’d endured as a blood slave. At the time, Daniel had believed Aria and Max both lost. He’d expected them to turn to each other for comfort, and they had, but not in the way Max or any of the rest of them had expected. Aria would not move on from Braith and Max hadn’t known what to do about it.

To this day, Max rarely spoke of his time as a blood slave and had never revealed what had been done to him, but Daniel had a good idea about it. Max would never be the same as he was before he became a blood slave, but he’d become better at handling his anger. He seemed to have times when he was truly at peace again, or at least relaxed in a way he hadn’t been for a long time after his capture.

Daniel rested his hand on Max’s shoulder, squeezing it as a deer approached the lake and dipped its head to take a drink. There had been a time, after being a blood slave, Max would have shrugged him off, unwilling to allow many to touch him. Now he stood for a minute before turning to Daniel.

“Where do you think Sabine is?” Max asked.

Daniel studied the mountains surrounding them. Tempest’s town of Badwin had been far to the north, nestled in a remote mountain range, but Sabine had made her way there. “I think she has a lot of knowledge of this country,” Daniel said. “She could be anywhere.”

The subtlest shift in the air around them, not so much a sound but something else, had them all turning toward the woods. Max was the only one of them who had managed to keep his bow and arrows after the attack, and he slipped them from his back to aim at the woods. Daniel rested his hand on Max’s arm, pushing it gently down when he spotted Xavier emerging from the trees.

He really was a magnificent man to behold, Daniel decided as he watched the sun dancing over the tribal tattoos on Xavier’s hands, arms, and neck.

“What makes you think she has knowledge of this country?” Timber asked as he rose to stand beside them.

“If she was able to gather the amount of troops William and Tempest said she had, then she’s been moving around this land undetected for quite some time,” Daniel replied.

“Most likely,” Xavier agreed. “There’s at least three clear miles ahead of us.”

“Let’s go then,” Max said and slid his bow around to his back again. “The sooner this is over, the happier we’ll all be.”

Daniel followed his friend into the forest. It had been over a year since it had been necessary for him to remain hidden within the woods, but his instinctive ways fell easily back over him as he searched for any hint of a change in the woods around them. They moved so noiselessly that the birds roosting above them never took flight.

Until ahead, and no more than fifty feet away, a dozen or more sparrows shot into the air like they’d been shot out of a cannon. Before he heard the crack of a branch, Daniel knew they were no longer alone.