Daniel

Daniel hesitated a few feet away from the main cavern and placed his torch against the wall. The flames danced over the walls and lit the first few feet of the cavern within. Why is it dark in there?

He exchanged a glance with Max and Timber. Max lowered Maeve from his shoulder. The gate was closed. She may know where the other key was to escape, but they would be able to catch her again if it became necessary. Right now, Max needed his hands free in case something came at them.

Daniel and Max pulled their bows forward again and each drew an arrow. Timber stepped behind Maeve and nudged her forward as they cautiously approached the cavern. No noise came from within. Jack had to know they were coming by now; he would give them some indication it was safe to proceed. All Daniel heard was silence.

Too late. We’re too late. What do I tell Aria?

He swallowed at the prospect of having to deliver another devastating blow to his sister, but it may be inevitable. Stopping at the edge of the cavern, he nodded to Max and they both slipped out at the same time. Daniel didn’t have a chance to look around before the bow was wrenched from his hands and a solid blow to his chest knocked him off his feet.

The arrow that had fallen from his hand when he’d been hit spun across the ground, causing Max to swing in his direction and fire his arrow. A savage snarl came from someone or something. The arrow was snatched out of the air and a body was heaved at Max. Darting to the side, Max wasn’t fast enough to avoid Jack being thrown against him.

They both tumbled into the wall, falling over top of one another. Jack scrambled to get back to his feet, but tripped and fell when Max’s legs got caught up in his. Timber stumbled back when his staff was torn away from him and heaved across the room. Hannah scrambled down the last few feet of rocks and snatched the staff from the floor to hold it before her.

A small clicking noise drew Daniel’s attention to the wolf pacing back and forth across from him. Its hackles were raised and its head hung low as it watched them all with a look that said it was waiting for one of them to make a move. He blinked when recognition of the wolf descended over him, but though he’d once known the wolf, he had no doubt Keegan would tear his throat out if he deemed him a threat.

“Where is she?” Bellowed so loudly, the words vibrated the entire cavern.

Daniel turned to scramble away when someone stalked toward him from the shadows, but a hand seized his ankle and dragged him back. His fingernails scraped against the rocks, trying to find purchase on them, but all he left were white gouges on their surface.

He barely had time to process being lifted before he hung upside down. Blood rushed into his head, and his rain-soaked shirt fell about his face. With one swift motion, he was spun right side up and shoved into a wall. Ruby eyes filled his hazy vision.

“Where. Is. She?”

The lethal quiet of the words spoken to him were more frightening than when they’d been bellowed at him. Daniel blinked as he tried to bring his captor into focus. The second his eyes cleared, he wished they hadn’t. He gulped as he found himself face to face with the most vicious, infuriated vampire he’d ever seen before.

In that instant, he knew two things. One, his brother-in-law had risen from the dead. Two, Braith was going to kill him.

***

Max

Max shoved Jack off him and scrambled for his bow again. His hand had almost closed around it when Jack seized hold of his wrist and jerked it back. “What are you doing?” Max hissed.

Jack didn’t reply as he remained kneeling on the cave floor, his mouth ajar. Max followed his gaze to where Daniel was pinned against the wall, his hands encircling the wrist of the man holding him. Max took in the back of the vampire holding Daniel. It had to be a vampire with the flash of those red eyes he’d seen before Jack’s body had hit his.

Gradually, Max’s mind picked out the details of the vamp as the dim torchlight within the cave flickered over the cavern. The shadows seemed to cling to the vamp’s bare, broad back and the black hair curling against his nape. Thick muscles bulged in the vamp’s biceps and forearms as Daniel’s feet kicked against the rocks.

“Easy, Braith,” Jack coaxed.

Max’s jaw dropped. He was sure his stunned expression mirrored Jack’s as realization hit him between the eyes. They’d hoped Braith would rise, they’d been counting on it, but a part of him had been too afraid to believe he would miraculously return from the dead. Yet, there he was, standing before them and looking as if he had every intention of killing Daniel, of killing every one of them.

Max’s gaze went to Maeve, standing beside Timber in the mouth of the cave. She gawked at the spectacle, but showed no sign of running away from what was unfolding before her.

“Where. Is. She?” Braith demanded again, and Daniel’s feet kicked more firmly against the wall as his face turned red.

“She’s safe!” Max blurted. “If you mean Aria, she’s safe!”

For all he knew, Braith meant someone else entirely, or he meant a freaking horse or something. Atticus had been completely demented when he’d risen from the dead. Maybe they all came back broken and twisted, maybe that’s why Sabine was the way she was now. Had they protected Braith and sheltered him only to have him rise from the dead as a monster they would end up having to destroy anyway?

If so, Max didn’t think they had much of a shot at taking Braith down considering he’d just tossed them all around like rag dolls. Max’s breath caught, and he resisted creeping backward when Braith’s head turned toward him. He’d never seen eyes so red before. The savage expression on Braith’s face made his bladder clench as those eyes bore into his.

Had Braith gotten bigger?

He’d always been massive, always been powerful, but now he seemed more so. Had dying not only twisted him in some way, but also strengthened him? They were so screwed if he decided to squash them, and he could. With a simple swing of his hand, he could knock Daniel’s head from his body.

“Where is she?” Braith demanded.

“You can track her, Braith,” Jack said, looking to soothe him, but though Max never would have believed it possible, Braith’s eyes became a more vivid red. “Through your blood in her, you can track her.”

Max’s fingers twitched toward his bow again as Daniel choked and clawed at Braith’s hand when it compressed around his neck.

“There’s nothing there.” Braith’s lips skimmed back to reveal his fangs. The light of the torch glistened off the lethal points. “I feel no connection to her.”

Oh, shit. Max didn’t dare make another move toward his bow. He’d be headless if he did.

“We’ll take you to her. Right now, we’ll leave here and take you to her!” he blurted. “But first you have to let go of Daniel. I won’t take you to her if you hurt him.”

Jack gave him a look that said he clearly believed Max had lost his mind to give such an ultimatum. Max held his breath as he waited to see what Braith would do, and if he’d live to see the next minute. Finally, Braith set Daniel on his feet. He didn’t release his throat, but his grip eased on him.

“Why can’t I feel her?” Braith demanded, and his fingers minutely tightened on Daniel’s throat again, causing him to choke and his eyes to bug out. “Why is there no connection between us?”

Max could feel Jack’s searching gaze on him as he tried to come up with an answer for that.

“I don’t know,” Max finally admitted. “When you died, Aria felt the severing of your bond.” William had told them she’d tried to tear her heart from her chest, that she’d known the instant Braith ceased living. “It will probably remain severed until the two of you can renew it.”

Braith stared at him as if he were the bird the cat was about to swat out of the air. Max gulped, and his eyes fell to his bow once more, but he’d never get to it in time to stop Braith from attacking him.

“When I died?” Braith asked, and beside him, Jack went still as stone.

“Braith, you’ve been dead for nearly two weeks,” Jack said.

***

Jack

His brother continued to stare at Jack as if Braith didn’t know who he was. Jack saw Max’s fingers twitch out of the corner of his eye, but he knew Max wasn’t dumb enough to try to go for the bow. He would never make it in time. Daniel had gone completely limp in Braith’s grip, his eyes riveted to him while he made as little movement as possible.

Atticus had been weakened and rotten when he’d returned from the dead. Braith was stronger, and Jack thought it was more than the blood of the animals he’d supplied fueling his brother now. No, more power radiated from him than ever had before, and Jack realized this was what had caused the waves of power emanating from Sabine; it had been more than her age strengthening her, but also her death.

If Atticus hadn’t returned a half-rotten corpse and out of his mind, what would he have become after feeding well again? It had taken both him and Braith to kill Atticus in the end. He didn’t know what could possibly take down Braith if he lost complete control now.

Braith couldn’t feel the connection to Aria, which was making him unstable. Not to mention the rising from the dead thing. That had to be confusing as hell, and apparently Braith didn’t remember the fight or dying. Max had said Aria felt the severing of their bond when Braith had died. It was possible the link wouldn’t be there until they were reconnected. It was also possible she’d died since Max had last seen her.

Jack shuddered at the idea, his gaze moving to Hannah standing near the bottom of the cavern. She was paler than normal, but she held the staff against her chest and eyed Braith as if she couldn’t decide if she wanted to beat him with it or not. Never had Jack considered his brother would harm her, but Braith wasn’t in control of himself right now.

He understood the rage and anguish his disconnection from Aria would cause, but that didn’t matter, not if Braith went after Hannah. Jack would still try to take him down, if he could, which he was pretty sure he couldn’t. He went to move closer to Hannah, to put himself in between her and Braith, but Braith spoke before he could edge toward her.

“Dead,” Braith muttered.

“Yes,” Jack said.

“How?”

“Arrow through the back,” Jack replied and took a couple of steps toward Hannah. Braith closed his eyes as his head fell into his hand and he briefly rubbed at his forehead. Confusion and distress radiated from him. Jack had to help ease some of that confusion, somehow. “Braith—”

When Braith lifted his head, his face was composed into a mask of stone as he focused on Max, but a muscle near the corner of his eye twitched. Jack froze when he realized the scars that had been etched around Braith’s eyes were gone. Not only had he come back stronger, but he’d come back healed, completely.

“You can see,” Jack whispered. In the beginning of their relationship, Braith had needed to be near Aria in order to see, but as he’d grown stronger and the bond between them had deepened, he’d been able to be further and further away from her. Now Braith didn’t feel their link, yet he could still see. Jack had no idea what to make of this development, but he knew his brother had risen from the dead something more.

What that something more was though, he didn’t know. Would Braith be twisted like Atticus and Sabine now, or would he calm when he understood better what had happened and he was reunited with Aria?

Jack’s fingers twitched on the rock at the possibility his brother would never be the man he had been. That he may be as much of a threat to them as Sabine. The idea of killing his brother had never cross his mind, until now.

“Yes, I can see,” Braith said to him before his attention returned to Max. “Where is she?”

“She’s somewhere safe, about thirty miles from here,” Max answered.

“When did you last see her?”

“Two days ago.”

Braith went completely still before all of his muscles rippled and a snarl erupted from him. He dropped Daniel as if he was nothing more than a sack of grain. Daniel stumbled to the side, his hand on his bruised throat as he watched Braith stalk toward them. Jack tensed, his muscles bunching in preparation of getting Hannah out of harm’s way when Braith stopped before them. He and Max tipped back their heads to take him in.

“So she could be dead and you don’t know it,” Braith grated.

Jack rose to his feet, holding his hands out in a pacifying gesture when he suspected Braith was about to snag hold of Max. He edged closer so that he was somewhat in between them, but Braith didn’t so much as glance at him.

Because he knows I can’t stop him.

“She is in an extremely safe place, Braith. Safer than these caves,” Max replied.

“She could be dead and you don’t know!” Braith roared and Max flinched.

“Yes,” Daniel said from behind him, his voice raw from being choked. Red marks marred his fair skin. Some of them were already starting to darken into bruises. “But she’s not. William and Xavier will make sure she stays safe.”

“Take me to her, now,” Braith commanded.

“It will take us some time to get there and with the storm—” Daniel broke off when Braith swung toward him again. “We’ll go now.”

Braith didn’t acknowledge any of them when he turned away and walked into the tunnel the others had entered through. Timber hastily stepped out of his way. Keegan trotted passed them and down the tunnel behind Braith. A young human Jack had never seen before casually stepped aside to let Braith go by before turning to follow him. The girl had to be nuts if she wanted to be anywhere near him right now.

“Who is that and why is she here?” Jack asked.

“Maeve and she followed us,” Max said as he rose to his feet and gathered his bow. “What do we do if something did happen to Aria after we left?”

Jack stared at the tunnel as Hannah walked over to join him. “Pray. Atticus destroyed much of the world. Braith will level what remains of it.”

“Did he come back stronger?” Timber asked.

“Yes,” Daniel croaked out and rubbed at his throat.

They all took a step back when red eyes blazed at them from the darkness of the tunnel before Braith emerged from the shadows once more. “Now,” he growled at them.

Jack took hold of Hannah’s hand and, keeping her securely behind him, he walked toward the tunnel. A tremor went through her and into him when they slipped passed Braith. Maeve stood by the gate, her arms folded over her chest while she watched them.

“I really hope Aria is still alive,” Maeve whispered to Max when he bent to retrieve the key.

“We all do,” he replied and unlocked the gate.