CHAPTER 16
On the way down Aria had been terrified that the meeting would be held in the throne room. It was the king’s room after all and the largest room in the palace. Braith’s room now, she reminded herself, still marveling over the fact that they had won, and that the man walking so proudly at her side now presided over them. He was the man that would lead them into a new time, a new rule, a new form of government, and if anyone could make it work it would be Braith, she was certain of that.
She was relieved when Braith guided her in the opposite direction of the throne room though, and into a private solar off the main hall. Thankfully not the one her father had been kept in either. It was nowhere near as big, or as elaborate as the throne room, but it was more than enough for what they required, and didn’t house anything threatening or cruel. It fit Braith far better than his father’s monstrosity of a throne room would have.
Everyone had already gathered in the room, they rose as Braith entered, but she was well aware of the fact that their eyes tracked her as she moved through the room. Daniel stood at the side of the table with William and Max behind him. They all smiled at her, but she sensed their surprise over her presence. William was still on crutches, his impaired leg propped out before him as he gave her a thumbs up.
The massive chair at the head of the table was obviously Braith’s, but as he strode toward it he snagged another chair with one hand. He shoved the larger chair to the side and placed the smaller one next to it. He held it out for her, a look of defiance on his face as he raked the table with his steely gaze.
It was only then that she realized he hadn’t worn his glasses in awhile. She studied his magnificent profile, and the short black hair that fell about his forehead in waves. Holding his gaze, she had to fight back the tears of love and pride that filled her eyes. He’d been born for this, he excelled at it, and he desired for her to be at his side.
Even if she couldn’t be.
Swallowing heavily Aria slid into the chair. She’d expected some condemnation, some irritation, or some form of protest against her sitting beside Braith, but she saw only curiosity and some sadness as she looked around the table at “The Council” as they had dubbed themselves. They’d officially relinquished the aristocratic titles they’d held in the past in favor of starting fresh and new.
“We are sorry about your father, he was a good fighter.”
This statement from Calista caused another kind of lump to form in her throat. For a moment she struggled against the tears that burned her eyes at the reminder of her father. She was taken aback by the kind words from a woman who had seemed nothing but distant before, and who had ruthlessly slaughtered Braith’s sister. “Thank you,” Aria managed to respond.
She started in surprise when Braith seized hold of her hand. For a moment she tried to tug it free but he held on, his jaw locked as he gazed at her. She knew there was no denying their relationship now, but she was still apprehensive to be so blatant about it. Then, she realized, that she didn’t care. There was no hiding this anymore and she didn’t want to.
Aria watched as ten men and two women were led into the room, they were dirty and disheveled but they didn’t appear overly mistreated. They certainly weren’t as mistreated as she had been. Resentment filled her as she recognized one of the women as the vampire that had owned Max. Which meant the other one, the beautiful doll like brunette staring hatefully back at her, was probably Gwendolyn. Though she knew Braith had never cared for the woman, she couldn’t help the bolt of jealousy that shot through her. Braith held her hand steady as he stared at her, and she realized that jealousy had no place here.
Besides, there was someone in this room reliving far worse memories than her. Max’s chin was raised, his gaze unwavering as he met the other vampire woman’s hostile stare. Aria had to fight the urge to jump up and throttle the hideous woman for everything she had done to Max. She remained unmoving though as everyone around her decided what would become of the women and their cohorts.
A lump formed in her throat as Max’s eyes met hers. She had a better idea now of what had been done to him, for what he had endured while in captivity, but she would never be able to understand the full depth of brutality that woman had put him through.
Aria listened as their fates were discussed by those at the table. These vampires had been the most treacherous and cruel of their kind. They had been the king’s body, had helped him to keep power, and had relished in the decisions the king had made and the sadistic world he’d created. Aria hoped every one of them fried, but it wasn’t her decision to make. Braith also remained silent as he listened to them debate for a few moments before coming to a unanimous decision that they were all to be executed.
“It’s agreed then?” questioned Braith.
“Yes,” Gideon stated.
“Wait! You can’t do this Braith! We were to be married!” Braith’s hand tightened around hers as Gwendolyn’s pleas fell on deaf ears and she was forcefully removed from the room.
Aria’s heart ached at the reminder, but she managed to keep her face impassive as Daniel’s and William’s heads shot toward her. “Bring the soldiers in,” Braith commanded.
Aria braced herself, this was why she’d come. She understood that the aristocrats had to be eliminated, but this was an entirely different matter. All the wind went out of her argument as Jack led Lauren into the room last.
Her mouth dropped open, the breath rushed out of her as she glanced at Braith. He’d told her that she would be here, but Aria hadn’t expected her to be grouped in with the soldiers. His eyes were unrelenting, his jaw locked as he stared back at her. She grasped hold of his thigh and held tight to it as he soothingly massaged the back of her hand with his thumb.
She barely heard the talk going around the table but this discussion was a lot more heated than the last one. Daniel and Ashby were for leniency, Calista, Frank, and Saul were completely against it; Adam, Gideon and Xavier remained mute as they listened to the arguments of the others.
Aria realized she had to speak up when it seemed like Ashby was starting to sway toward Calista, Frank, and Saul. “Can I say something?”
They all turned toward her, their faces twisted in various expressions of displeasure. Though she sensed their annoyance was due more to the fact that they couldn’t arrive at an agreement, than with her interruption. “Please do,” Saul remarked dryly.
Aria felt somewhat uncomfortable as they all focused on her. She glanced briefly at Daniel before taking a deep breath and plunging onward. “I understand the other deaths are necessary, if given a chance they would start a rebellion, and the pattern would never end. However, these men were simply doing what they were ordered to do. For years, death, torture and intimidation ruled here, don’t start this new government out the same way. If you slaughter them all, it will only show the people that nothing has changed, and that mercy is impossible. If these vampires before you swear fealty to you, and perhaps are even monitored for awhile, I don’t think they should be executed.”
She couldn’t believe those words had actually left her mouth. Just a few months ago she would have said kill them all simply because they were vampires. She would have said to kill Braith, and Ashby, Jack, and Melinda too for that matter, but she would have been wrong. They weren’t all monsters, they were simply different, and had different needs, but for the most part they were good and kind, protective and loving. She knew now there were bad apples among both human and vampire alike.
There was a moment of silence and then they burst into conversation again. Xavier entered the debate for the first time on the side of Daniel, while Gideon and Adam continued to watch and listen. Braith finally ended the argument by calling for a vote. Aria was unmoving as she waited breathlessly to see what they would decide. They had established a more civilized and kinder rule in The Barrens, and she hoped that would prevail here.
“I think we agree that if the soldiers are willing to swear fealty to us, and consent to be monitored for whatever period of time we see fit, they may be allowed to live. If not, their lives are forfeit,” Calista declared. Saul and Frank didn’t look overly pleased with this decision, but they didn’t protest it either.
The shoulders of most of the soldiers slumped, some nodded enthusiastically, but there were a few that didn’t look at all pleased. Aria wondered if they would choose death over their new regime. If so, that was their choice to make, and she wouldn’t interfere with it.
“And the girl?” Aria turned at Ashby’s question.
“I think that should be Arianna’s decision.” She sensed some kind of test behind Gideon’s words as she met his gaze. “It is you that has been harmed by her the most.”
Aria focused on Lauren, but the girl wouldn’t meet her gaze as she stared at the wall behind Braith’s head. Braith’s thumb stroked over the back of her hand. Whatever she decided he would abide by it, they all would. Resentment twisted through her, she would like for Lauren to just look at her, to give her some sign that she regretted even a little of what she’d done. There was nothing.
“Let her go.” As much as she wanted to she couldn’t exact revenge upon Lauren. Though there had been a time after her first capture that her father had wrongfully wanted revenge for her, for the most part he hadn’t believed in it and had insisted that everything they did was not for revenge, but to try and create a better world. She couldn’t throw that aside now, she couldn’t let her father down because of her desire to punish Lauren. A small smile tugged at Gideon’s mouth as he gave a brief bow of his head and sat back. She realized that he’d been trying to discern if she would ask for leniency for others, but punish those that had wronged her. “She isn’t a threat to us.”
Aria hadn’t expected to see relief nor had she expected to see gratitude, so she wasn’t surprised by the hatred that continued to blaze from Lauren’s eyes. Braith’s jaw clenched, Aria was certain he would have preferred Lauren dead, and he would have been the one to do it. “You may leave, but you’re not to stay within these palace walls, the bailey, or the town beyond. I don’t care where you go, but if I see you again I can promise that you will not be spared next time. If I were you I would get as far from here as you possibly can, as fast as you can,” he grated and for the first time fright trickled over Lauren’s features. “Max, would you please escort her to the palace gates.”
“With pleasure,” Max responded with a tight smile as he strode toward the doors and pulled one open. He made a sweeping bow to Lauren who remained pale and slack mouthed as she stared at him.
“That isn’t the choice I would have made,” Braith said so quietly that only Aria could hear him.
“I know.”
“If I see her again, I will kill her, and I will enjoy it.”
She turned toward him, not at all intimidated by the darkness simmering beneath his smooth exterior. “I know. She won’t come back again Braith, but if she does I won’t interfere.”
He shook his head as he leaned closer to her. Stubble shadowed his square jaw; he hadn’t had time to shave in the past few days between the new demands placed upon him, and staying by her side every free moment he had. Love swelled within her heart, there was such darkness inside of him, and yet such good and understanding. He released her hand, his arm wrapped around her waist as he pulled her closer to his side.
“Sometimes you are too forgiving,” he whispered against her ear.
“And sometimes you’re that same stubborn prince I first met; only now you’re a king.”
Something flickered in his gaze as sadness filtered across his features. He didn’t have to tell her, she already knew that he would stay king. It wasn’t what he would have chosen, he’d done nothing but fight against it, but he’d finally come to realize that this was where he was supposed to be. The only problem was, she didn’t know what would become of her, and neither did he.
“I’m tired, if you don’t mind I’d like to return to the room.”
His fingers gently stroked over her cheek. “I’ll take you.”
“Stay. I know my way back.”
“Are you sure?”
“Yes.” Though she still felt strange being so open about their relationship, she leaned forward and pressed a feathery kiss upon his hard mouth. She had meant for it to be quick, but she lost herself to the pleasure and taste of his lips. For a brief moment there was no despair, there was no war or uncertainty. There was only the two of them as the warmth of his lips heated her all the way to the tips of her toes.
She forced herself to pull away and smiled as she met his dazed gaze. “Get going,” he said gruffly.
She pecked his cheek before rising to her feet. “Excuse me everyone.” She gave a brief bow of her head before she hurried from the room.
Stepping into the hall she was relieved to find it deserted. She hurried toward the stairs, but before she began her ascent she found her gaze inescapably drawn to the closed doors of the throne room. She stood, her hand resting on the newel post as she studied the doors with a mixture of dread and morbid curiosity.
Moving away from the staircase she slowly approached the room. Her hand shook as she turned the handle and pushed one of the doors open. She braced herself, steeling her courage for what she knew lay within. She peered inside as the door swung open but she hadn’t been expecting what was inside. Everything was spotless and bare, the massive table, chairs, and throne were gone. Even the hideous trophies of people and vampires the king had so proudly displayed had been removed. The blood had been scrubbed clean and the gray marble floors gleamed in the light filtering through the upper windows.
Her gaze ran over the beautiful fixtures that graced the room as she stepped in further. The room was stunning but it would never be anything but cold and hideous to her. Her eyes lingered on the beam she had been perched upon and finally the spot where her father’s body had laid. There was nothing to mark the place, but she knew exactly where it was.
Tears burned her eyes; she hastily wiped them away as she felt the presence of someone else in the room. She knew it wasn’t Braith even before Jack stepped beside her. “I wish I could have done more to save him.”
“I know.” She was unable to stop the tear that slid down her face. “But there was nothing more you could have done Jack. We all entered this battle knowing there would be losses.” The words were true, but they didn’t give her any comfort. She rubbed her chest but it did nothing to ease the knot in her heart.
He rested his hand on her shoulder. “It doesn’t make it better.”
“No, it doesn’t. I’m not going to leave him Jack.” The words were blunter than she’d intended, but they had to have it out. There couldn’t be any more subterfuge and plans between them.
“I know.”
“I can’t. I mean I could, if I actually thought it would do any good, but…”
“It won’t,” he finished for her when her voice trailed off. “I know that now, so does Gideon. You’re the ying to his yang.”
“The what to his what?” she asked in confusion not sure if she should be insulted by the strange words.
Jack smiled, but it did little to ease the sad resolve in his eyes. “It’s an old saying; you’re the light to his darkness, the good to his bad. You temper each other, and though I believe you can be separated, it won’t make either of you stronger to do so. After what happened they may very well decide to accept you as a human. It will be your choice if you stay or not, even Braith knows that now. This isn’t exactly the life you’ve prepared for Aria, or even one that you ever wanted. For all of its opulence, in some ways it’s more arduous than the one you will be leaving behind if you choose to stay.”
That was for sure. “What will become of us?” she pondered.
“I don’t know.”
“I’m going to tell him you know; what I was going to do.”
Jack glanced at her sideways from under lowered lashes. His resemblance to Braith was more subtle than the king’s had been, but far more appealing. There was a carefree air to Jack that seldom showed in Braith, but on those infrequent occasions when Braith let his guard down, he resembled Jack the most.
“If you feel you must.”
“I don’t know what will become of us, but no matter what, it has to be a fresh, open start. There can’t be any secrets between us.”
“I understand. You may be better off downplaying the part where you and Gideon had a secret agreement about your possible death.”
Aria winced at the harsh tone of Jack’s voice. “He told you?”
“Yes. He also told your brother’s, Max, and your father.”
She couldn’t stop the small tremors that raced through her. “My father, he didn’t think I wanted to die did he?” she managed to croak.
“He understood Aria, believe me, he understood.”
She couldn’t stop the flood of tears that poured from her eyes. “I hope so.”
Jack wrapped his arm around her shoulders and pulled her close to his side. “I know so. He was unbelievably proud of you and your brothers. He didn’t like the course you had chosen but he understood it, just as you must understand that his death wasn’t in vain. He also knew that I wasn’t going to let what you and Gideon agreed to do, happen. I would have taken you away in order to separate the two of you, but there is no way I would have agreed to your death.”
“That’s why I went to Gideon.”
Exasperation flashed over his features, his steel gray eyes narrowed; that was a very Braith look. “It wouldn’t have happened Arianna, it was foolish of you to think it would. It was foolish of Gideon. It was bad enough that I was going to take you away from him again, but ending your life never would have happened.”
She bowed her head and pressed her face to Jack’s chest as she strived to regain some control of her tears. After awhile she was finally able to take a steadying breath and pull away from him. “The trophies,” she choked on the word. “Where are they?”
His eyes hardened. “There are times when death is more merciful.” She blinked in surprise. “There is no saving some souls no matter how much we would like to. They would have been strong allies, it was why they were tormented so, but they were too far gone. These poor souls had been trapped and starved for far more years than those creatures you encountered in The Barrens. Even a vampire cannot recover from that.”
“Oh,” she breathed. Her thoughts turned to the pitiful creature the king had tormented with her blood. “How awful, what he did to them…” She shuddered as she broke off. “Why wasn’t Ashby kept here?”
Jack gestured around the room. “It’s beautiful in here, its rich and fancy and elegant in a way that Ashby appreciates and craves. Ashby was kept in a separate, stronger dungeon for vampires for a few months after the war, but the king thought it was a far worse fate to place him somewhere away from all of the things he loved so much, and Melinda encouraged it. He could have left Ashby in the dungeons, but that wasn’t as much fun for my father.”
She was grateful for that. “Lucky for Ashby. Did Braith send you after me?”
“He’s worried about you.”
“I know, but I’m good.”
Jack smiled wanly. “You always are kid.”
She rolled her eyes. “Ugh.”
He grinned at her as he turned her away from the empty trophy room and led her toward the doors. They slipped back into the hall as Max reappeared. “I personally think we should have taken her into The Barrens and left her there.” Max candidly informed her as he stopped before them.
“That would have been fitting,” Jack agreed.
“This might not be any better,” she told them.
“It is for her,” Max muttered. “Are you going back to your rooms?”
“Yes.”
“I’ll take you.”
Jack hesitated for a moment, but released her shoulders when she gave him a subtle pinch in the back. Max held his arm out to her, a gallant smile on his face as for the first time she saw actual joy in his eyes again. Aria slipped her arm through his and smiled back at him. These past few days she’d welcomed his presence in the stable with her, and the fact that he knew when she felt like talking, and when she didn’t. She enjoyed the friendship that had become easy between them again.
She hesitated outside the rooms she had once shared with Braith. Max tried to hold her back but she pushed the door open. She gasped as she took in the destruction of the room. Releasing Max’s arm, she stepped carefully over broken bits of furniture, paintings, books, and clothing as she made her way to the room that had once been hers.
“The king must have been in a foul mood after Braith left,” Max said from the doorway.
“That’s not necessary Max; I know it was Braith that did this.”
The room was a mess but there, in the center of the bed, was a nightgown she had worn. It was laid neatly out, set upon the mattress, untouched by the violence that surrounded it. Tears burned her eyes, her throat hurt; she ached over the suffering she sensed here, the anguish he’d felt from her loss. She turned back to Max, needing to escape, needing to flee from the reminder of the things that had transpired here, the events that had led Braith to a breaking point that terrified her. Leaving him again, without telling him, would have been the biggest mistake she ever could have made.
Max held his arm out to her again; she gratefully slid hers through, grasping hold of the lean, corded muscles that stood out against the fabric of his shirt. “Do you feel better now that she is going to die?” Aria inquired.
He didn’t pretend not to know who the she was. “I’d thought I would, but I don’t. I feel better now that this is over, that we are safe Aria, that we now live in a world that none of us ever dreamed possible. I thought revenge was the answer to it all, and I know she has to die, but no, it doesn’t make me feel better. Her death is just a necessary means to the end of a brutal regime that nearly destroyed us all.
“It’s going to be better now Aria, for all of us.”
She smiled at him as she leaned against his side. “It is,” she agreed. And it would be good for all of them. She found that for now that idea was more than enough. Her future had always been uncertain; she supposed it didn’t make a difference that it still was.
“I’m sorry Aria.”
“There’s nothing to be sorry for Max.”
“There is. I didn’t believe you, I didn’t believe in him, and it nearly cost me everything. I was angry, I was foolish, and I was stubbornly holding onto boyish dreams.” She stared at him in surprise as color heated her cheeks. “I should have known to trust your instincts. You were right.”
“I always am,” she teased.
“Yeah well, I wouldn’t go that far.”
Aria laughed as she bumped his hip playfully. “You went through a lot more than I did Max; you had every right to be angry and disbelieving. I probably would have been too if I’d been treated as poorly as you. I didn’t experience what you did, either time,” she assured him.
“Are you still having nightmares?”
Aria couldn’t meet his gaze as she focused on the rug beneath her. She hated the images that plagued her at night, hated the lingering fear of the dark that enshrouded her, but she couldn’t shake them. She supposed it would get better with time, but she was still ashamed of the enduring impact she’d allowed the king and Caleb to have on her.
“Yes.” She didn’t like to admit her weakness, but she wasn’t going to lie to Max about it. Out of everyone, he was the person that understood the most.
“It will get better.”
She nodded as she squeezed his arm and stopped before the apartment that Braith had claimed for them. “I know it will.”
His gaze focused on the door behind her as he released her arm. “Braith is a good man Aria, a better man than I thought he was, but even good men can be driven to do horrific things when they are pushed to it. I know you’re aware of this, but please don’t forget it.”
She hesitated, her hand on the door handle as she turned toward him. “I don’t plan to leave anymore Max.”
“Good. You deserve a happy ending too.”
“There are times when a happy ending just isn’t possible.”
“Be optimistic Aria; look at everything else that has happened.”
He squeezed her arm briefly before she turned and slipped into the rooms. The tray of food was still there, heaped with fruits and breads. She wasn’t sure how safe the cheese and meats were anymore, but as her stomach rumbled she was surprised to realize that her appetite had returned a little.