Braith

The sharp, ozone scent of her power permeated the crisp air as the woman’s gaze landed on Braith.

“She’s powerful,” William had said to him. “And old. She felt as powerful as you, perhaps more so.”

Definitely old and powerful. More so than him? Maybe. Where had she come from?

It didn’t matter; he’d destroyed other vampires that were more powerful than him before, he would do so again. This woman may be older and stronger than him—for the life of him he couldn’t figure out how that was possible when he was supposed to be the oldest vampire in existence. One thing was for certain, she didn’t have a bloodlink to strengthen her like Aria strengthened him. This woman had no idea who she was messing with, but she soon would.

Aria’s head tilted back to look up at him. Her rounded cheeks somehow appeared more hollow as she bit on her full bottom lip. The freckles on the bridge of her nose stood out starkly as she gazed at him.

“Braith—”

“It will be okay, love,” he whispered.

She stared at him for a minute more before giving a brisk nod. A small tremor went through her and into him. He lifted his gaze to take in the woman across from him once more. His horse released an uneasy snort, a plume of air coiling up from its nostrils as the sun dipped behind the trees. The woman continued to stare at him as another vampire emerged from between the pines behind her.

If not for his red cloak, the man would have blended in with the snow around him with his white blond hair, pale skin, and eyes so light a blue they were almost white. His bushy white eyebrows nearly touched. He had a prominent roman nose, thin lips, and a rail-thin frame that made him look deceptively frail despite his six-three height and the aura of strength he emitted, though one not nearly as intense as that of the woman he stopped beside. The ruby rings on all the fingers of his right hand cast sparkling red flashes of color across the snow.

“Goran,” William whispered.

William had mentioned this man before, said he might be the false queen’s second-in-command, but Braith had never heard of him, and neither had Xavier despite his extensive knowledge of vampire history and lineage. Braith exchanged a look with Xavier who gave a subtle shake of his head. He still had no idea who either of them were either.

Braith turned his attention back to the woman. “I’m only going to tell you once to leave here, now.”

The woman lifted an elegant black brow and tossed back a strand of her midnight hair with her pointed, blood-red nails. Her air of superiority was one he’d encountered before, from the many royal vampires he’d known throughout his life. Aristocrat, without a doubt, but how did they not know of her?

“Awfully arrogant for someone who is completely surrounded,” the woman replied. The laughter in her surprisingly girlish voice rankled his nerves.

Aria shifted before him. His hand dug deeper into Aria’s flesh when the woman’s eyes were drawn to her. The woman’s lips skimmed back to reveal her fangs as loathing washed off her in waves. Braith nearly leapt from the saddle to attack the woman, but he couldn’t leave Aria exposed in such a way. They would kill her immediately if he did.

“We’ve faced far worse odds, yet we’re still standing,” Braith grated through his teeth at the woman. “Do you wish to add your name to the list of those who have fallen?”

Her head canted to the side in such a way that Braith saw a flash of something or someone in her features. Who was this woman? A tremor went through Aria; he felt her trying to take a hitching breath, something she used to do when she was first turned, but had stopped doing as of late.

Did she somehow know who this woman was? He didn’t see how that was possible when he didn’t even know her, but something about Aria’s demeanor led him to believe it was more than terror over their current situation rattling her right now.

When the woman smiled smugly at them, Braith managed to restrain his temper enough to keep from going after her. Something he suspected she was trying to provoke him into doing. Why was this woman not attacking? She couldn’t possibly plan to keep him alive and kill Aria? Did she think he would make her his queen if Aria died?

The woman had no concept of bloodlinks, or his deep bond to Arianna, if she believed that could ever happen. If she ever hurt Aria, he’d leisurely pull every hair from her head before working on removing every other piece of her body.

Did she intend to try to capture them and then… do what? Use Aria to bend him to her will? That would be a much more likely scenario than this woman becoming his queen, but he would never allow Aria to go through the hell of imprisonment again, and he would never fall into line with anyone who sought to use her in such a way.

Or did this woman simply believe she was too powerful to fall to him and merely played with them now? He felt that was exactly what she was trying to do as her eyes surveyed him with amusement.

Her gaze fell to Aria again, who met the woman’s malicious gaze head-on. “You taint the line with a turned human as your queen,” the woman replied. “An imposter queen.”

“Such words are punishable by death,” Braith replied.

The woman chuckled. “Death is not so frightening for some.” Her gaze slid back and forth between Aria and William, before settling on Braith once more. “This perversion of vampire blood cannot be allowed to continue. It most certainly cannot be allowed to reproduce.”

“Enough!” Braith roared as Aria’s fingers dug into his arm.

“Braith,” Aria whispered warningly.

The woman’s gaze slid to Jack, who pulled Hannah more firmly against his chest. His gray eyes were focused on the woman as a muscle twitched in his cheek. “The younger brother,” the woman murmured before her gaze slid over the group once more. It finally settled on Melinda. “And the youngest child, I’m assuming. You look very much like your mother.”

Xavier shot Braith another questioning look at the revelation this woman had somehow known their mother. Ashby backed his mount further away from the woman with Melinda pressed close against his chest. The others all looked to him, but Braith had no answers for any of them about this woman’s identity.

“Kill them all,” the woman commanded flippantly before pointing a finger at Braith. “But bring me his head.”

“William, fire now!” Braith commanded.

At the last second, William spun his arrow away from the woman and fired at Goran. Goran twisted to the side, but not fast enough to avoid taking the arrow to the center of his chest, centimeters off his heart. William never would have been able to hit the woman with an arrow, but he’d distracted them all by hitting Goran.

Aria sat up before him and pulled another arrow from her quiver as the white-cloaked vampires surged forward. Max fought against the hands grasping at him, but he was torn from his mount. Timber kept his reins in the hand of his injured arm as he swung at the vampires swarming him. Ashby launched a fist at one trying to grab at Melinda and caught him in the jaw, knocking him away. Two other vampires ripped him from his horse. Melinda lurched toward Ashby, but he had vanished from view within the sea of white.

“No!” Aria screamed when Daniel was pulled from his horse.

She plucked three arrows from her quiver and released them in rapid fire, taking out the two who had captured Daniel and the one who had grabbed Max. Ashby remerged from the crush of vamps, swinging and punching his way back toward Melinda. Throwing herself from the saddle, Melinda attacked the vampires who were still trying to drag Ashby beneath them. Ashby remained on his feet as he moved to position Melinda behind him.

More bowstrings twanged from the vampires attacking them, the feathers of the arrows whistled as they soared through the air. Unlike the first wave of arrows, which were meant to corral them into one spot, these arrows had targets. An arrow pierced straight through Xavier’s throat, knocking him back. Braith jerked Aria against his chest when she lurched toward Xavier as he tumbled from his saddle.

“No!” he hissed in her ear. “Stay against me.”

Jack pulled Hannah from their horse when another wave of arrows erupted into the clearing. He hadn’t been fast enough to get clear of the saddle though as an arrow pierced his right thigh. His momentum out of the saddle was the only thing that kept him from being pinned against the horse by the arrow.

Diving backward, William wrapped his arm around Tempest’s waist and pulled her out of the back of the saddle. His body twisted to take the impact on the ground before he rolled over to pin Tempest beneath him. His horse, Achilles, spooked and charged toward a grouping of vampires, knocking them all back.

Kicking his feet free of the stirrups, Braith lifted Aria from the saddle and leapt out at the same time his hand swung down to hit his horse on the rump. The horse charged into the fray, creating more chaos and disorganization amongst the group of attackers. Around them, he saw the rest of the horses taking off into the woods, looking to escape the blood and noise of the unfolding battle.

Reluctantly, he released Aria from his grasp. He couldn’t keep her against him and defend her at the same time. Aria kept her back to his as she spun away and released a new volley of arrows into the hearts of the vampires closing in on them.

“William!” she shouted. “I need your arrows!”

Rolling over with Tempest, William lifted Tempest to her feet with an arm around her waist. He pushed her down to a crouched position and remained bent over her as he ran toward Aria through the stream of arrows flying across the small clearing. Braith grabbed two vampires closing in on him and bashed their skulls together before tearing the head off one and using the body of the other to beat back a vamp who lunged at Aria.

Knowing that his sister was better with a bow and arrow than he was, William tossed Aria his quiver and pushed Tempest down so she knelt in the center of the three of them. “Make sure they all count,” he said to Aria.

“I always do,” she murmured and took out two more vampires.

“Stay close to me,” Braith commanded them. “We have to move toward the others.”

Tempest rose in the center of them as Braith backed them steadily toward where Jack was trying to defend Hannah. No matter how hard he fought the influx of vamps closing in on him, the vampires were steadily overrunning his brother. Jack released a furious shout when an arrow pierced straight through his right calf and out the other side.

Around them, the men and women of the king’s guard were falling. There were only two left and they’d been separated and surrounded. There would be no getting them out of here, but Braith would get the others to safety if it was the last thing he did. Steadily pushing them back, he kept his body in between theirs and the main influx of white-cloaked vampires encroaching on them.

Reaching where Xavier lay, Braith took hold of his arm and helped him to his feet. The arrow was still embedded straight through his throat, and fire burned in Xavier’s eyes when they met Braith’s.

Through the turmoil surrounding them, Braith spotted the woman once more, smiling as she watched the bloodshed. I’ll enjoy killing her. As soon as they were out of this mess and Aria was somewhere safe, he would hunt this woman down and destroy her.

Aria cried out from behind him, the scent of her blood filled the air. Red shaded his vision as he spun to find her tearing an arrow from her chest. William grabbed for her, but Braith seized her arms first, dragging her toward him.

So close. It had been so close to her heart. Saliva dripped from his fangs as he roared in fury.

“Braith, I’m fine!” Aria blurted.

His head tilted up, his gaze locked on the woman across from him. He hadn’t felt this encompassing, insatiable need to kill since his father and Caleb had dared to hurt her, but it was there now.

He would make that woman pay for this if it was the last thing he did. He dragged Aria against his chest, cradling her there. The flow of her blood wet his shirt before he released her. Spinning at the sound of footsteps, he drove his fist into the chest of the vampire running toward him. He enclosed his hand around the vamp’s heart, tore it from his chest, and discarded it on the ground.

Tempest stomped on the heart as William swung out with his bow and caught the next vampire under the chin with it. The scent of Aria’s blood burning into his nostrils fueled Braith’s wrath. A fresh wave of arrows unleashed, and cries of pain filled the air as more of them found their targets and the last of the king’s guard fell.

Braith dodged to the side and snagged an arrow out of the air that would have pierced through his chest. He handed it to William who set it against his bow and fired to take out a vamp leaping at Xavier. The vamp fell and Xavier tore the arrow in his throat free. Blood pooled from the hole in his throat as another arrow pierced through his shoulder.

“Xavier!” Aria’s hands slid under his armpits to catch him before he crumpled to the ground.

“Arianna!” Braith shouted and lurched toward her when two other vamps ran at her.

Red filled her blue eyes, and she fell back as the vampires grabbed at her arms. Braith grasped the arm of one, placed his foot into the vampire’s chest, and tore back with enough force to rend muscle and bone from the vampire who howled his agony. Braith used the arm to bash in the cheek of the next one, before thrusting his hand into the vamp’s chest and tearing his heart free.

Xavier stumbled to his feet, wrapped his arms around Aria’s waist, and launched them both backward into the snow seconds before the tip of a sword would have sliced her head from her shoulders. Braith thrust his hand out to grip the blade of the sword; he ignored the biting sting of the metal cutting deep into his palm as he jerked it from the vampire’s hands.

Blood reddened the snow around his feet as he whirled the sword around and sliced the vamp’s head from his shoulders. “Braith, look out!” Aria screamed.

Turning, he swung out with the sword, separating two more vampires from their heads as more arrows were loosed into the air. Something slammed into his back; the impact knocked him forward a step. Braith gritted his teeth against the pain blooming over his back and spun to face the next vamp charging at him. An arrow struck the vamp through the cheek. Braith turned to see William only feet away, his reddened eyes glaring at the squirming vamp as he lowered his bow.

A break in the line of white-cloaked vamps had appeared behind William. The last thing Braith wanted to do was retreat, but they were vastly outnumbered, badly injured, and he had to get Aria out of here.

Braith took a step toward Aria as she rose to her feet just as a fresh wave of arrows released. He realized this time, they had all marked him as their target. Darting to the side, he dodged the first wave. Three of the arrows pierced through the forearm he flung up to batter the rest away, and one caught him in his chest, just off his heart.

When the arrows stopped flying, he launched toward Aria, determined to get her and the others to safety. Wrapping his arm around her waist, he lifted her off the ground. Ten feet away from them, Jack and Ashby battled back the vampires enclosing them. Jack limped as he moved. Ashby had blood streaking his cheek and a hole in his shirt as he tore the heart from the chest of another vamp. They were vastly outnumbered and steadily losing ground as they sought to protect Melinda and Hannah.

Charging forward, Braith lowered his shoulder and curled his arm protectively around Aria’s head. He barreled into the wave of vamps pushing against Jack and Ashby, flinging them all backward. Jack’s reddened eyes met his before he grabbed Hannah and lifted her off the ground. Melinda flung herself into Ashby’s arms.

Setting Aria down, Braith positioned his body in front of hers before clutching the cloaks of two vamps and plucking them off Daniel and Max. Both their faces were already bruising. They had bite marks on their necks and blood staining their clothes, but the vampires deciding to feed from them before killing them had saved their lives. They would survive, if he could get them out of here.

He tossed aside the two vamps as Timber stumbled toward them and fell into the snow. His shoulders heaved; his shirt was covered in blood, but he wasn’t as badly beaten as the other two. Not yet anyway. Braith spun back to Aria and lifted her into his arms once more. Her mouth pressed against his neck as he held her flush against him.

“This way!” Braith shouted to the others. Lowering his shoulder, he plowed through the vampires enclosing on them, clearing the way toward the break in the line he’d seen before.

They were only five feet from the break when he heard the sound of a fresh wave of arrows unleashing into the air. Bending over, he covered Aria’s body with his. Thuds sounded in his ears, and his body jerked as he took the brunt of the arrows in his back. He clamped his teeth together to keep from making any sound that would alert Aria to what had happened. Aria gasped when one arrow pierced through his side and the tip of it cut across her.

Her voice wavered when she spoke, “Braith—”

“Fine, I’m fine,” he grated in her ear, trying to control his rage over more of her blood spilling.

Rising back up, he ignored the discomfort of the arrows digging into his back and scraping against his ribs with every step he took. One had caught the corner of his heart. It wasn’t a mortal wound, not if he could heal, but warm blood seeped from his chest and dripped down his back.

Keeping his head down, he again charged toward where he’d seen the opening. He drove his shoulder into any vampires who stepped into his way, throwing them aside. He could hear the others following behind him, but he didn’t look back.

“Stop him!” the woman shouted.

He was almost to the opening when another volley of arrows released. They drove into his back, piercing repeatedly through his skin and deep into his body.

This time, he knew, one had not missed.

Cradling Aria closer, he continued forward as the wood of an arrow shifted and bit into the center of his heart. Every step made it feel as if his bones would splinter to pieces. Weakness seeped through his muscles, but he couldn’t stop, not until Aria was safe.

Fresh anguish twisted in his heart, but this had nothing to do with the arrow shredding the organ and everything to do with Aria. He couldn’t die; he refused to die. She’d be alone if he died, and without him, she would also die or go mad. She was his light; he’d been born to love her. He would not be the cause of her destruction.

No matter what it took, he would stay alive, for her.