CHAPTER 18
Braith found her with her brother; their heads were bent close together, their shoulders touching as they sat on the bench before the fountain in the garden. Their hair, identical in color, was a shimmering deep auburn in the radiance of the sun. Their words were hushed, their arms in front of them as they seemed to be pulling and pushing at each other. It wasn’t until he was closer that he realized they were holding hands, and attempting to pin each other’s thumbs down as they tugged at each other. Though they were playing a game, they were also talking about their father, reminiscing in a way that made them both laugh. Heartache had weighed heavily on them and they wore it similarly in their thinner frames, and halfhearted smiles.
William pinned her thumb down and grinned at her. “You’re slipping sis.”
“You cheated,” she accused laughingly as she pulled her thumb free and they began to battle again.
He was captivated by her, entranced by the laughter that finally radiated from her again. How had he ever thought that she wasn’t beautiful? She may not be perfection in the classical sense, but her spirit was glorious and it shone from her like the sun. He’d sensed her spirit even before he could actually see it.
And he had no idea what was to become of her, of him, of them.
He took a step back, intending to return to the palace. She had so few moments of peace and tranquility, he wasn’t about to intrude upon this time with her brother. She turned suddenly, her head tilting to the side as she spotted him. Her smile grew as her cheeks colored beautifully. William frowned at her for a moment before turning toward him. Their hands remained joined, but the game was forgotten as they stared at him questioningly.
Even from here he could hear the increased beat of her heart, feel the joy that suffused her, along with the shy hesitance that she’d experienced briefly this morning when they’d awoken. He’d hoped it would be gone by now, but he had a feeling it had more to do with her brother, than being around him as she glanced nervously at William. Her brother looked between them; heat rose in his face as he released her and rose to his feet.
“You don’t have to go,” Braith informed him, hating to break them up, especially for the reasons that he had come for.
“Yes.” William glanced back at Aria who offered him a small smile and nodded briefly. Braith sensed there was more behind their look, but William was already turning back to him. “I do.”
William squeezed Aria’s shoulder briefly before moving around the bench and leaving the gardens. Braith walked around the bench and sat beside her. “Do you remember the first time you brought me here?” she inquired.
He stared at the fountain, clearly recalling that day. He hadn’t known what to make of her then, hadn’t known what to make of anything that was happening to him. She’d thrown him off balance, rattled him; confused him in a way that he’d never been confused before. She still did. He didn’t think he would ever get used to her, the way she made him feel; the way she could melt him, infuriate him, and drive him nearly to his knees all in the same moment.
“I do.”
“I was so uncertain of you before then.”
“You sure didn’t act like it,” he muttered.
She released a velvety laugh as she leaned against his side. He loved the way she looked at him like that, from under lowered lashes, playful and joyful. It almost made him believe that she wasn’t still aching inside, but even through the smile he saw the persistent torment in her eyes. It would be there for a long time to come. He took hold of her hand, pressing it gently between his as he placed it in his lap. “Well I couldn’t let you know I was a little scared of you, you’d take advantage of me then.”
He couldn’t stop the snort of laughter that escaped him. “Oh, I’m sure, as you’re just so easy to take advantage of,” he retorted dryly.
“Only with you.” Her cheeks colored even more, and he couldn’t help the increase of his laughter. It was so rare and fleeting to see her embarrassed or shy about anything.
“Even then you’re like a thorn.”
A burst of astonished laughter escaped her; she leaned over to press a brief kiss to his lips. He knew she’d only meant it to be chaste, a small show of affection, but the minute her lips touched his heat flashed through his body. He grabbed hold of her shoulders, holding her in place as memories of the night and morning burst hotly through him. He was shaken, for a brief moment he was unable to control the powerful wave of desire that swamped him. He’d most certainly never loved another woman before, but he’d also never been this enthralled or rattled by one either. He’d thought that possessing her would ease the need somewhat, he’d been wrong. It had only increased.
She was breathing rapidly, her face flushed with a different kind of heat when he regained enough control of himself to finally separate from her. Her eyes were wide with awe, her lips parted and swollen from the force of his kiss. He craved nothing more than to take her back upstairs and forget about everything as he lost himself to her, but there were things that had to be done. Things they had to settle between them. There was only so long they could push reality away, and though he would have liked a few more days, he knew it would only make things more difficult in the end.
“There is something I have to tell you Aria.”
Reality crashed over her as she straightened her shoulders and thrust her chin out. “There is something I have to tell you too.”
“Does it have to do with what has been between you and Jack recently?”
She paled visibly as she leaned away from him. “You knew?”
“I suspected something, I’m not a fool. You haven’t been the same since The Swamplands. I’m aware you were trying to put some distance between us; I suspected it was because you were nervous that one of us wouldn’t survive, but I’ve come to believe it was more than that, wasn’t it?”
“You’re going to be mad.”
He shifted uneasily, but he’d known that he would be. “I don’t doubt it for a minute.”
“Just please try and control your temper.”
His jaw clenched. “I’d never harm you.”
“I know that!” she cried. “But I do enjoy this garden, and that fountain, and I’d like to keep it all in one piece.”
He quirked an eyebrow at her. “It’s that bad?”
She shrugged, but there was no casualness to the gesture. “Depends on your point of view.”
“From my point of view?”
“You’re probably going to feel like breaking something, but for me, please don’t.”
He didn’t like the sound of that. “For you Aria, I can do just about anything.” He wasn’t going to promise her though, not when he didn’t know exactly what it was that she was going to tell him. He didn’t believe for even a moment that anything romantic had passed between her and his brother, but there were other things that might set his temper off.
She took a deep breath and blurted her words so fast that in the beginning he had a tough time trying to follow what she was saying. The faster she spoke though, and the more she spoke, the more anger and dread began to curl within his belly, through his chest, and into his outer extremities. He was struggling not to shake, trying hard not to clench down on the hand he held.
He’d suspected they were plotting something, he’d even suspected that it might have been something like this, but it did nothing to ease the acid he felt churning through his stomach. Nothing to ease the sense of betrayal he felt building through him. “I never meant to upset you Braith.”
“And leaving me again wouldn’t upset me?” he grated through clenched teeth.
She looked as if he’d slapped her as she recoiled from him. “It’s not what I wanted to do,” she whispered.
He released her hand and rose abruptly. His muscles trembled as he struggled against the urge to lift the bench on the other side and smash it into the ground. He fought for control, grappled to keep himself together in order to keep his half promise to her. “Jesus Aria.”
“I’m sorry, I truly am. But no matter how much I love you, and believe me I do love you more than I ever thought possible, my happiness, our happiness is not as important as the thousands upon thousands of lives that depend on you. Because of that I was willing to forfeit my happiness, my life…” She broke off abruptly, wincing as she seemed to realize she’d said too much.
“Your what!?” he barked. “Jack was going to… No, not Jack. Jack wouldn’t have the heart and neither would Ashby. Gideon,” he stated with dawning realization.
She wouldn’t look at him; her gaze was focused on something else within the garden. “They didn’t know. Jack and Ashby didn’t know, and Gideon, well I went to Gideon, he didn’t come to me.”
He wanted to scream at her, to shout and bellow and tear the garden apart. He had the urge to shake her until he rattled some sense into that thick skull of hers, but even as all of those urges slammed through him, he also felt a deflating of his spirit. He’d driven her to this; he’d driven them all to this. He’d been so determined to believe that he could walk away, that he wouldn’t be necessary here, and that he could bend the world and everyone in it to his will. He hadn’t stopped to think of anyone other than himself, and her. He’d only aspired to keep her safe and protected, he’d been insistent that he would leave with her as soon as the war was over, but by doing so he’d pushed her and the others into trying to find a way to make him stay.
He didn’t doubt for a minute that she would have sacrificed herself in order to make him lead. He ran his hands through his hair as he dropped onto the bench beside her.
“You’re angry with me,” she whispered.
“I am. I’m also angry with myself.”
“Just know that it was never what I wanted. I always wanted you. My heart.” She pressed a hand to her chest. “Would always have been yours, no matter how far I went, or how long we were apart.”
His head bowed, he folded his hands before him as he listened to the reassuring beat of her heart. “My blood is inside you Aria, Jack knows that means I can track you anywhere.”
“We were hoping that if it was diluted, if someone else’s blood…” He was unable to stop the low groan of anguish that escaped him at that thought. It was a stab to his heart that his father had done such a thing to her. He could no longer taste his father’s blood in her, but if he’d still been alive he would have been able to find her anywhere she went. “Perhaps it would lessen your ability to track me.”
“And if not, Gideon was the backup plan,” he growled.
She managed a small nod as her lower lip began to quiver. “Yes.”
“Aria,” he moaned as regret filled him. Pulling her against him he pressed a firm kiss against her forehead. “I would have found you, you know, diluted blood or not I would have found you. I’ll always find you.”
“I know.” Her fingers curled into his shirt as she pressed her face against his neck. “I think I always knew.”
“Gideon became your entire plan at one point.”
“Yes.”
“You should have come to me,” he broke off as he shook his head. “You couldn’t, I wouldn’t listen. Why did you change your mind? Why have you decided to tell me this?”
She pulled slightly away. “Because I couldn’t be that person anymore. I simply couldn’t leave you like that for a second time. I was trying to do what I felt was right by leaving now, but it was never going to be right, not in the end. It would have destroyed us; even if you found me things never would have been the same. No matter what, you would have brought me back here, and you would have resented me for the rest of my life for betraying you, even if you could have forgiven me. You’ve also come to realize we’re not the most important thing, not anymore. While I was in that dungeon I knew that you’d become the king.”
“I don’t understand.”
“The stubborn, determined, unwilling to bend Braith I knew would have stormed through those gates with no thought to reason and logic…”
“I came as soon as I could.”
She smiled as she rested her forehead against his; her fingers were as delicate as a butterfly’s wing against his face. “I know you did. But you restrained yourself, and you put the greater good ahead of me, and you.”
“I would give my life for yours Aria, never doubt that.”
She tilted her head to study him. “I know that, but you’re a king Braith, so many depend upon you, and I’m…”
“A queen if you agree to be.”
She closed her eyes, her hands stilled on his face. “I know they won’t accept me as a human.”
“They have agreed to.” Her eyes flew open as she leaned back. “They will accept you as a leader, as a human, and as a queen. They will recognize you.”
“Because of Caleb.”
“You may not want it for that reason, but you gained their respect for it, their admiration. I think they would have eventually agreed even if you hadn’t helped to take down Caleb. They are beginning to realize that if things are to be equal this is one of the things that will have to change. They accepted and respected human leaders in The Barrens, they’ll accept them here as well. You make me stronger Aria, and it will help gain the support of the humans if you are by my side. They will recognize you as my queen.”
“You had a meeting about this?”
“Yes.”
“And if we have children?”
His hand fell instinctively to her belly. “I will love our children no matter what, human or vampire. I never thought I’d say those words, never even thought I’d care for any progeny I had, but I will love our children as much as I love you.”
Tears shimmered in her eyes. “I know that Braith, but they will not be accepted if I stay human, will they?”
He swallowed heavily as he shook his head. “They have agreed that our oldest child will have a seat on the council, but if the child is human, he or she will not be accepted as my heir. It will have to be a vampire child of ours, and even if it doesn’t sound like it, that is a huge concession for them. Though, I don’t plan on stepping down for a very long time.”
“Would others accept them?”
He hesitated. “It’s going to be very difficult for awhile Aria. It’s going to be a long time before our society operates the way we want it to.”
“Probably not in my lifetime though,” she muttered. “The life they will face...” Her voice trailed off as she turned toward the fountain. “We fought to make a better world, but our children will still know hardship and hostility…”
“No.” He grasped her chin easily as he turned her head toward him. “No. Our children will know no such thing.” But even as he said the words he knew that he was trying to force things again, trying to make things bend to his will. “Ok, yes, they may face some obstacles but all children do, and things will be different for them. There will be prejudices, distrust, and hatred for a long time to come, but one day all of this will be just a memory and the hatred will fade.”
“Just as the memories of the world that used to exist have faded, I don’t have that many years though Braith.”
“I know.” This was it; the time had finally come to tell her. He was fairly certain of the choice she would make, he just wasn’t sure he was ready for it. “Aria, there is something you must know.”
She frowned at him. “What is it?”
He braced himself before continuing on. “Xavier knows many things; more than both of us could ever learn, or figure out, or understand over hundreds of years.”
“I know, he’s fascinating.”
“That’s one way to describe him I suppose, most go with peculiar but I guess fascinating works.” The furrow in her brow deepened as she stared at him. “He also sees deeper into people than anyone I’ve ever known, and he understands more about the way they work. He sees things in this world that no one else would, or even could. Before you were captured I noticed that he had taken a particular interest in you.”
“What kind of an interest?”
“That’s what I was curious to know, and I confronted him on it.”
“What did he say?” she prompted when he didn’t speak for an extended moment.
He didn’t want to say the words, as badly as he wanted to blurt them. “He believes that you have vampire blood in your heritage.”
She became as still as stone, even her heart seemed to freeze for an instant before giving a forceful kick against the inside of her ribs. “That’s not possible.”
“I think it is.”
“No.” She shook her head so vehemently that her hair flittered around her face. “No, Braith. I’m human.”
“Yes, you most certainly are human. However I believe that somewhere, over the years, one of your ancestors was the child of a vampire. Listen to me Aria, it makes sense,” he said when she continued to shake her head. “You’re so fast, faster than most humans, and only Daniel and William move with the same sort of soundless grace that you do.” He didn’t add her father in; this was difficult enough without that reminder.
“Max is quick and capable in the woods, but nowhere near as quick or as silent as the three of you. You’re strong; you yourself were amazed when you destroyed that vampire in The Barrens. The first time I ever saw you maneuver through the trees, even I thought the speed and grace with which you moved was extraordinary. I’d never seen anything like it. If I’d been thinking clearly at the time, maybe I would have picked up on it, but I don’t think I’ve thought clearly since I met you.”
“Same here,” she muttered as she stopped shaking her head and frowned at the fountain.
“There’s also the bloodlink.”
“It’s never been with a human before, Ashby and Melinda were so baffled by us.”
“As was Xavier and Gideon. No vampire has found their bloodlink in a human, Xavier is certain of it.”
“That might explain why I unreasonably felt like I could trust you from the beginning, and why I was strangely unafraid of you when I first met you. I was always so reckless and driven to find a piece of me I didn’t know was missing, until you kissed me and I found it. Maybe there is a little bit of vampire DNA in me that recognized something in you.”
He quirked an eyebrow as she frowned at him. “You weren’t fearful of me? I’m terrifying.”
“Nowhere near as afraid of you as I was of that other vamp that tried to claim me.” He would have protested if she wasn’t smiling at him so endearingly. “But what does that mean Braith? What difference does it make if somewhere along the way there was a vampire in my family?”
“It didn’t have to be a vampire; it could have been a human-vampire child banished from the palace, one that fled in order to avoid the abuse they received.”
Dawning realization settled over her features. “My great grandfather left the palace when he was a child. He later started the rebellion.”
“I know, you told me that in The Barrens, but I didn’t think anything of it at the time. When I spoke to your father…”
“My father knew of this? What did he say?” The yearning in her voice tore at his heart.
“He told us what you just did. His grandfather left the palace at thirteen; he struggled to survive on the streets of the town before retreating into the woods. Once in the woods, he gathered a loyal following that over time became the rebellion. Your father didn’t know much about his time in the palace, only that his grandfather had left after his mother died, and that he had a deep hatred of vampires. David assumed it was because of the abuse he’d sustained while in the palace. He admitted it could have been possible that it was more than just that. He said there were strange rumors about the man when David was a child, but they faded after his death, and were chalked up to having been created to add an aura of mystery and power to the rebel leader.”
“What kind of rumors?” Aria inquired.
“That he was faster than a human, stronger, could see better and hear better than a hawk. Your father never really thought anything of it, and your great grandfather was killed when your father was only ten. He’d never spoken about it with his father as there had been no reason to question any of it, until Xavier.”
“And did my father believe that his grandfather could have been the child of a human and a vampire?”
The world became oddly still, the blue of her eyes became clearer as every sense he had focused upon her. He didn’t miss the fact that her hand was against her belly as she watched him. He rested his hand upon hers, leaning closer as he pressed a kiss on her temple. “He did believe that it was a strong possibility once he thought over everything.”
“I see,” she murmured. “But what difference would it make if he was, if I do have some vampire in me?”
“Xavier believes it will make a difference on your chances for survival.”
Her nostrils flared as she inhaled quickly. “Of the change?”
He didn’t want to desire this, he truly didn’t, but deep inside he did. He had to release her to grasp hold of the bench with both hands. His arms locked; the stone of the bench bit into his palms as he tried to steady his emotions. He didn’t know if he hoped for her to say yes or no, more. “Yes.”
There was a moment of stunned silence before she started to laugh and flung herself at him. He barely felt the force of her slender weight as she wrapped her arms around him and settled in his lap. Anguish and ecstasy swamped him as he hugged her back. “There’s still a chance you won’t survive. Xavier says the only survivors he knows of had vampire heritage of some sort, but we’re still not entirely certain that you do.”
“I’ll survive.”
“Aria…”
“I’ll survive Braith; I’m stronger than all of them and I’d say all the evidence points toward a ‘yes’ about my heritage. I’d never thought I’d be happy to hear that, to know that, but I am. I feel it’s right somehow.”
He almost couldn’t look at her. If she didn’t survive, he would be the one that killed her. He shuddered at the thought, his hands clenched upon her. But if she survived…
An eternity of promise unfurled before him; the hope was almost too much for him to bear. “I don’t want to be the one that kills you.”
“You won’t be.”
“Either way, I will Aria. You can stay human; you can stay with me as a human.” He had to make sure she thought over all her options.
“I will still die. I would love to have those years with you Braith, truly I would, but I’d love to have many many more with you.”
“Perhaps if we wait a few years…”
“We could do all of those things. I could grow old with you and you could watch me die that way. We can live together now for a few years, and then we will come to this same crossroads and it will be even more difficult to make the decision. Especially if there are children involved, I could never take the chance of leaving them. I’m not vain, but I don’t want to push this off year after year until I’m dying from old age and there are no other options.”
“You’d still be beautiful.”
“To you, of course, but it would be weird and you wouldn’t desire me.”
“It would be a little weird, but believe me there have been times when you’ve been the most unkempt and smelly thing I’ve ever come across, and I still desired you. I’d take you anyway I could get you.”
Her eyebrows lifted haughtily, her eyes sparkled with laughter. “You’re depraved.”
“I am what you made me.”
She grinned at him as she wiggled in his lap. He clenched his teeth as he tried to remain focused on the discussion at hand. “The last thing I want to do is die, and we’ve been waiting so long to start our lives together. I’d like to do so with the promise of eternity. I understand if you decide against doing this, I don’t know how I’d handle this if the roles were reversed. I’d be terrified.”
He rested his face in the hollow of her neck. He inhaled her sweet scent, savoring in it as he allowed it to soothe some of the tension in him. He could smell his blood within her, but if he did this, if this was the step they took, his blood would fill her even more. Their blood would be forever mingled.
“I’ll agree with whatever you decide Aria, this is your life we’re talking about here.”
“I know. I was never even sure I would live to this age to begin with.” A distant look settled over her face. He could almost see the reality settling over her, the knowledge that she would die from this, and possibly never reawaken. “I wouldn’t mind a few more years with each other, perhaps we could wait. Though there is only one way to guarantee we don’t have children.”
He quirked an eyebrow at her, she smiled playfully in return and shifted mischievously in his lap again. “You’re hilarious.”
“I am.” The smile slid away, her expression became grave once more. “I think I’ll survive Braith but if I don’t what will become of you? What will happen to you?”
“That’s not something you should be concerned about.”
“It is though. I saw your old rooms. I was in that dungeon with the survivor’s, I know what you are capable of when you lose control, and Ashby said that bloodlinks cannot survive without each other.”
“Ashby’s an idiot.”
“Braith…”
“I’ll survive Aria.” His hands splayed across her back. “I promise you that I will survive. I’ll hate myself, and I’ll hate this world if it doesn’t have you in it, but I’ll keep it together, and I’ll go on because of you. It’s the only thing I’ll have left of you, to do what you would expect of me, to do what would make you proud. I won’t destroy any humans; there won’t be any other blood slaves. This is not the same as last time Aria, I felt betrayed then, as did you,” he added quickly when her eyes darkened. “I was out of control, lost, and furious because I didn’t know what was going on with me, with you, or why you had left me so abruptly after claiming to love me. This will not be the same.”
“Our bond is stronger after last night.”
“Our bond was stronger before we slept together.” The words were hard, far harder than he had intended, but he’d seen the look of guilt that had flickered through her eyes. He wasn’t going to let her have any regret over what had happened between them. “Sex was not going to solidify it even more, no matter what Ashby, Gideon or any of those idiots believed. This.” He seized hold of her hand and pressed it over his still heart. “There are times I can almost feel this actually beating for you. You have owned it since the moment I saw you. It may have taken me awhile to come to that realization, but it’s true, and there is nothing, nothing that is going to change that. Not blood and not sex. You were made for me Aria; you’re my bloodlink, my soul mate.
“The bond between us has been stronger for awhile now. When Jack helped you escape from the palace, I lost my vision completely. When you were taken this time, I never lost my vision at all. It wasn’t the best vision, but I could still see, and that was long before last night, understand?”
She closed her eyes as a single tear slid free. “Yes.” He brushed the tear away, his fingers slid over his fresh bite marks again as he ignored the rest of the fading marks on her body. “So your eyes are healing?”
He shrugged. “I think your blood has helped them to heal, you’ve made me stronger than I ever knew I could be.”
“And if I’m gone?”
“I don’t know, it may stay the way it was this time or I may become blind again. I will get through whatever happens though. Don’t concern yourself with that Aria, that isn’t one of the things I want you to worry about.”
“I’d like for you to move on, to find someone else…”
“No,” he interrupted as his fingers stilled. His entire being recoiled at the thought, revulsion twisted like a poisonous snake through his belly. “No.”
“You will require an heir.”
“There is Jack for that, or Ashby and Melinda.”
“Braith…”
“No Aria, no. I can promise you that I’ll keep on living and that I will stay in control of myself and lead justly. Those are promises I know I can keep, but I will not make that one. I will not be able to uphold it and I won’t lie to you.”
“Maybe not now, but you have years ahead of you. You will need love, companionship.”
“No!” he said forcefully. “No. There is no one after you. Five hundred years, another thousand years, hell forever is not going to change that. Don’t push this Aria; the answer will not change no matter how you try to spin it.”
For a moment he thought she was going to argue again but she finally relented. “Ok.” She kissed his nose tenderly, her fingers traced over the faded scars around his eyes. “I’m afraid Braith. I never thought I’d live long, I never thought I’d have this kind of life, and I’m afraid to lose it. I wasn’t afraid to die to be away from you, and I shouldn’t be afraid to die to be with you...”
“Great way to put it,” he muttered sardonically.
“But I am,” she continued. “I’m afraid to lose the years we could have if something goes wrong, and though I know I’ll survive, or at least I’m fairly certain I will…”
“I know Aria; you don’t have to explain it to me. I understand.”
He closed his eyes, his fingers slid through her hair before stroking over her shoulders. It was easy enough to jump all over this, to say yes to the promise of eternity, but to be faced with the certainty of death was frightening, and the last thing he wanted was for her to be frightened. He wanted eternity, but he wanted her happiness more.
“It doesn’t have to be now Aria, you don’t have to decide right now. We can wait and discuss it further once you’ve had time to think it over.”
She nodded; her eyes became distant and thoughtful. “Yes, I think that would be for the best.” He was relieved that she was actually going to think this through. Even so he felt the sharp knife of disappointment in his gut. “I’m not ready for children Braith. No matter what happens, if I change soon or if we wait a few years, I’m not ready for children.”
His arms clenched around her waist as he pulled her against his chest. “I want them with you!” she gushed out. “But not right now. We just discovered this world of relative peace and we’re finally able to be together without having to hide our feelings. I’d like the time to enjoy it, and you. Human or vampire, children are a lot of work.”
“That they are,” he murmured.
She peered up at him from under lowered lashes. “I’d like a brood one day though.”
“A brood?”
“Well at least three.”
He laughed as he rested his chin on her head and nestled her closer against him. “I can handle three, but there’s only one way to guarantee we don’t have children right now,” he reminded her.
She shot him a disgruntled look. “Well that’s just not going to happen.”
He laughed as he rocked her a little. “Minx.”
“My birthday’s next week.”
“I didn’t know that.”
She smiled as she shrugged. “William and I don’t really celebrate it; it’s just another day in the woods, and this year… Well this year, with dad being gone, it seems like even less of a reason to celebrate. I never thought I’d make it to eighteen, especially after I was captured.”
“I think we should celebrate it this year.”
“Maybe it would be nice,” she murmured though she didn’t look convinced.
“Are you sure you can live with this life?” She frowned at him as she leaned back. He rose and placed her down as he gestured around the garden. “This isn’t your world Aria; I know that, you know that. I remember how unhappy you were in the palace, how much you missed your woods, your freedom. There will be many demands placed on us, lots of pressure, and even less freedom. Even if you choose to stay human this is not the life you expected.”
“Braith…”
“I mean to make sure you understand that Aria. I won’t force you to stay. If you choose to leave because you won’t be happy here, I won’t make you stay. I’ll abide by your wishes, but I can’t, I simply can’t go right now, maybe not ever.” He choked on the words; it took all he had to get them out. “Sometimes love…”
“Isn’t always enough,” she whispered.
“It’s always enough, but sometimes it’s learning to put someone else’s happiness ahead of your own. It’s learning to let go Aria, if it’s necessary, and I will let you go if you ask me to. I’ll set you free if that is what you require. It will destroy me to lose you, but I will not harm anyone, and I will let you live the rest of your life in peace. I will not take your freedom from you.”
“I know.” She rose to her feet and walked over to him. Her arms encircled his waist, her head tilted back to study him as tears slid down her cheeks. “I know you would let me go but I don’t want you to.”
“You can’t rush into this decision.”
“I’m not rushing into this,” she whispered. “And I can go into the woods once in awhile, can’t I?”
“As often as I can I will take you into the woods,” he vowed.
“Good. I think I can keep my sanity then,” she grinned up at him as she nudged his hip.
Braith groaned as he pulled her tight against him and stared at the sculpted figure of the couple in the fountain. The couple that was forever fated to look but never touch. He never wanted to let go of her, and yet he may be the very one that destroyed her if she decided to choose eternity.