CHAPTER 20
“Where are we going?” she demanded laughingly.
“I told you, it’s a surprise. Keep your eyes closed.”
It was impossible to see anything anyway. Braith didn’t seem to trust her not to peek as he’d placed his hands over her eyes to ensure her blindness. They were in the woods, and though she couldn’t see the leaves, she knew they were beginning to turn as the smell of them hung heavily in the crisp air. Keegan pressed close to her side for a moment, she felt the goodbye in the gesture before he slipped away. She knew they would see the wolf again, but for now he was returning home to his family.
Braith adjusted his hands to slip one away from her eyes as he pushed back a limb. He stopped suddenly, pulling her back against his chest as he held her. The hum of anticipation raced through her as she practically bounced on her toes. “Are you ready?”
His lips brushed against her ear as he bent close to her. Her heart pulsed with excitement but she wasn’t sure if it was for the surprise, or for him. “Yes.”
He slipped his hands away from her eyes. For a moment she stared around the darkening forest in confusion as she saw only the flickering fireflies and a fox hiding amongst the trees. Braith reached around her, his chest pressed against her back, and his cheek briefly brushed against hers as he pointed upward. Aria’s head tilted back, her mouth dropped as shock and incredulity swamped her.
There, nestled in the trees, was a home that had been spread throughout five large maples and oaks. The light wood of the building gleamed in the moonlight that reflected in the two front windows. A winding walkway started from the far edge of the woods and curled up toward the large porch. Her hand fluttered to her heart, she couldn’t breathe through the love that engulfed her. It was far smaller than Ashby’s rambling creation had been, but it was stunning.
“I know you’re not at home in the palace. I know that this is where you’re happiest, that this is who you are. I told you I’d bring you to the woods as often as I could, but you’ll require a place to stay when you come here, somewhere safe, a home.”
“Home,” she breathed. Tears shimmered in her eyes as she turned slowly toward him. “How? When?”
His fingers caressed her cheek. “I started it after Caleb took you in the hopes that it would help to keep me somewhat calmer. It didn’t work very well but it kept me a little preoccupied and from going insane. Jack, Ashby and Daniel have been working on it lately, and I’m told that William hobbled around giving orders.”
Aria laughed as she shook her head. She turned back to the tree house; she could barely breathe as she tried to take it all in. She was loved, so unbelievably loved. That love was in every nail, in every piece of wood, in every drop of sweat that it had taken to put it all together. It was amazing, she loved it, but she knew one thing above all else...
“Wherever you are will always be my home.”
His arms wrapped around her and turned her within them. He kissed her briefly before lowering himself to one knee and holding out a small black box to her. She could only gape in astonishment as he opened the box to reveal a small emerald ring inside. “Will you marry me Arianna?”
For a moment she couldn’t find her voice, she could only open and close her mouth like a fish as her heart raced and tears of joy burned her eyes. “I thought you didn’t have to ask.”
Oh how she loved that grin, loved to see it on such a regular basis now, loved how it lit his eyes, and revealed that dimple in his cheek. “Is that a yes?”
She nodded eagerly and burst into joyous laughter as he leapt to his feet and wrapped her in a massive hug and kissed her soundly. She wiggled her fingers as he slid the ring on, it was a little big but she didn’t care. “I thought an emerald suited you better than a diamond.”
“I love it.”
He cradled her face as he kissed her again. She melted against him as his tongue swept in to take possession of her mouth. Her legs encircled his waist as he lifted her up and held her against him. She barely felt him moving as he carried her up the walkway and into their home.
***
Aria hadn’t taken the time to explore the night before, or at least Braith hadn’t given her the time to do anything but explore him, but now she relished in every square inch of the rooms. There was far more detail than she would have thought to put into a home in the trees. Daniel must have helped with the details as some of the intricate carvings in the doorframes and cabinets were a work of art.
She smiled as she ran her fingers over the cabinets within the kitchen. She closed the door on some bread and as her stomach rumbled at the sight of it, she wondered how much longer she would feel hunger for something other than blood. She wasn’t certain if she would be leaving here a human, wasn’t certain if she would even be leaving here at all. It seemed like a perfect time to make the change, to throw caution to the wind and have eternity, but she was terrified of losing this bit of bliss they had just discovered together.
Her whole life had been nothing but arduous and now that it was going so well, she was contemplating her own death, and no matter how she looked at it Braith was right about one thing, she was going to die.
The delicate carvings in the cabinets were ivy leaves she realized as her fingers lingered on them. That had to have been William’s suggestion; he knew how much she loved the way the ivy grew through the trees in some areas of the forest. Thoughts of Max and her brothers saddened her. They had already lost her father, she didn’t know how they would survive her loss too, especially William, if she decided to do this and didn’t survive.
Aria sighed as her fingers slipped from the cabinet. She had no idea what to do. It was one thing to die for a cause; it was another thing to risk her life when it wasn’t entirely necessary. At least not yet.
She could wait a few years; maybe even wait till she was twenty five. It was an age she’d never thought she’d hit anyway, it would be nice to see it.
However, if she waited a few years she wasn’t sure she’d have the courage to do it, and what if she accidentally became pregnant? She’d never take the risk of leaving her child behind by doing something that may very well end her life.
She’d thought this decision would be easier, but now she was completely torn. Why did she have to become reasonable and concerned about consequences now? She wished her father were here so she could talk to him and seek his guidance in making this decision.
I have vampire blood inside of me; she clung firmly to that thought. I’m stronger than most, more stubborn. I will survive, I will.
She traced over the swirls within the soft green countertops as she studied the open, airy kitchen. They hadn’t run electricity from the palace and Aria was glad of that, she much preferred the flicker of the lanterns hanging above her. It was warmer, cozier with the mellow radiance that lit the picturesque home.
She felt Braith’s eyes on her before she spotted him leaning against the doorframe. Her toes curled as her mouth went dry. His eyes were still hooded with sleep and his dark hair was tussled across his forehead. He had taken the time to throw on a pair of pants that hung low on his hips, revealing the hair that ran from the waistband and up to his belly button before flaring out slightly at his chest. The hard ridges of his abdomen flexed as he crossed his legs and scanned her with the same hunger she was certain had just been in her gaze.
He was far more delicious looking than cake, she decided firmly. And he was hers. The thought caused her hands to clench as possession shot through her. He would always be hers, no matter what she decided.
“Do you like it?”
“It’s incredible.” There was a sly gleam in his eyes as her gaze raked him from head to toe. His full mouth curved in a predatory smile. “Everything is perfect.”
“I’m glad. You must be hungry.”
Her stomach rumbled eagerly at his words. “Guess I am,” she told him laughingly as she placed a hand against her belly.
“I’ll make you something.”
She nodded as he moved away from the door with the ease of someone that was intrinsically aware of every muscle and cell within their body. He opened and closed cabinets as he retrieved supplies and she settled at the table. “Braith?”
“Hmm,” he murmured as he used the knife to slice bread with startling speed.
“Will I, uh, be able to eat human food again if I become a vampire?”
He stopped slicing and stared at the cabinets for a moment before glancing at her over his shoulder. His eyes flickered; something feral, dark, and hungry crossed his face before he shook it away. “You can, it’s not the same, but I’ve eaten it before. I don’t find it appealing but it might be different for you, you have a taste for it; I never did.”
“Oh.” Her eyebrows drew together as he continued to watch her. “The blood, I’m not so sure about that. I don’t know if I can do that to someone. I know you’ve been drinking the blood that humans willingly provide, but…” She shuddered as she really thought about the one aspect of this whole thing she had been trying not to think about.
Braith turned away, she watched as the muscles in his back and shoulders rippled with the deft slices of the knife. He finished cutting the loaf and carried a plate of bread and fruit over to her. Sitting before her, he leaned forward, his hands clasped as his eyes blazed into hers.
“You have consumed my blood.”
She fiddled with a piece of bread. “That’s because it’s you. But another’s blood, a stranger’s blood, is an entirely different matter.” Her nose wrinkled at the thought, revulsion twisted within her. “And after your father’s blood.” He stiffened at the reminder as a slight snarl curved his lip. “It was awful Braith; I could never describe just how awful it was.”
“I know.”
She leaned closer to him, enjoying the smell of spices and earth that radiated from his body. “Is it that awful for you now, with others? Is that why you don’t like drinking other people’s blood anymore?”
“I don’t think it’s quite as revolting to me. The blood isn’t forced upon me as my father’s was forced upon you, and its blood, it’s always been my staple. I don’t enjoy another’s blood the way that I enjoy yours. It doesn’t fill me in the same way, it’s not as empowering, and it’s nowhere near as pleasant tasting, not anymore.” He shook his head as he leaned back. He was trying to appear casual but the tension in his shoulders and chest didn’t ease. “I don’t like touching them either. It’s not their fault, but the idea of it has become offensive to me. Ashby doesn’t enjoy it either, though he seems more willing than I am when it’s necessary.”
“What will happen if I’m gone?”
“Don’t say that,” he growled.
She opened her mouth to argue, to push it further. She hoped he would move on if she was gone, that he would find someone else even though the idea of it made her want to vomit, but she bit back her words. Rehashing these worries and concern’s wasn’t going to achieve anything except upsetting them both. She forced herself to eat a slice of bread. He wasn’t looking at her anymore; his gaze was focused on the windows behind her. “You don’t have to drink anyone else’s blood afterward though, I can provide for you.”
She froze with a piece of bread halfway to her mouth. Her brow furrowed as she stared at him in confusion. “What?”
His gaze came back to her. “I can provide for you. My blood will be more than enough to sustain you. I will have to consume more, but it won’t be necessary for you to go to another.”
Relief flowed through her. “That’s possible?”
“It is.” His hands seized hold of hers.
“But what about you? Won’t it be draining on you?”
“Not if I stay well supplied.”
“You just said that you dislike the other blood Braith. I know that you’re not feeding as well as you should, you can’t hide it from me. If you lose my blood on top of that…”
“But I won’t be losing your blood.” He brushed the hair back from her neck, his eyes latched onto his fresh marks upon her skin. “I will still have yours, though it won’t be enough to completely sate me, I won’t lose it.”
She swallowed heavily and took a large gulp of juice in order to wet her suddenly parched throat. A few months ago such a proposition would have been revolting. For a reasonable, sane human being it still would be, but he’d helped to make her anything but reasonable and sane. She couldn’t take her gaze from his neck, the muscles that corded it, the tautness of his smooth skin.
“Will you…” she had to take a breath before she asked the question. “Will you feed from other women?”
She couldn’t look at him; she couldn’t breathe as she awaited his answer. She knew it was necessary for him to survive, and possibly her too, but damn if the thought didn’t almost break her. He grasped hold of her cheeks as he turned her face to him, forcing her to look at him as he tilted his head to peer up at her.
“No. I would never turn to a real person again unless it becomes absolutely necessary in order to survive, and even then I would hate it. I don’t mind the other blood as much as long as I don’t have to touch the person. I will use the donor program, and you can feed solely from me if you decide to do this.”
“Yes,” she breathed, relieved and strangely titillated by the thought of such a proposition. “Would I be normal after?”
“What do you mean?”
“What will I be like after? Will I still be me or will I be a little wild? Will I lose control and try and kill someone, or start trying to feed off of everyone?”
He tilted his chair on its front legs towards her. “You think you’ll be a monster.”
“Yes,” she croaked out, horrified by the possibility.
“No. You will be you Aria. I’m sure it will take some time to get used to certain things, but you will be able to control the hunger, and you will not become a bloodthirsty lunatic.”
She couldn’t help but chuckle as she shook her head. “I didn’t think I’d be a lunatic but how can you be so sure?”
The chair clicked against the floor as he leaned back again. “Because we can all control what we do, and because Xavier has assured me that the others he knows of, did not lose their minds. They did not go off their rockers, and were in fact as normal as any other vampire born of a human.”
“What if he’s wrong?”
“There are many things about Xavier that I don’t understand and will never know but I do know that, annoyingly enough, he’s never wrong about the histories that he speaks of.”
“I see,” she muttered slightly more at ease.
He leaned forward, she thought he was going to kiss her, but instead he picked up a piece of apple and handed it to her. “Eat up; you’re going to need your strength. We have a whole week out here together and I have it in mind to tire you out.”
She glared at him, not at all pleased when he chuckled, kissed her forehead and rose to his feet. She bit into the apple though as he grinned at her. “I have to return to the palace for a bit. There are some things I must take care of.”
“Ok.”
“I won’t be gone long, and Jack is here in case you get bored or want to go for a walk.”
“I’ll be fine,” she assured him. He squeezed her hand and turned to walk away. “Braith, I know you never wanted to change me before, but do you want to now that there is a better chance I will survive?”
He froze in the doorway, his hands grasped hold of the frame as he shuddered but didn’t look back at her. “I want to do whatever makes you happy, but yes Aria I want to change you.”
She opened her mouth to tell him that doing this would make her happy but the words froze in her throat. She couldn’t shake the niggling fear that she wouldn’t survive, and though she craved nothing more than an eternity with him, she was terrified of losing the years of happiness they could have if she simply remained human.
He waited for a minute more before his shoulders slumped and he slipped away from the door. Her heart ached for the torment she felt within him. No matter what he’d said in the past, no matter what he said now, she knew that what he wanted most was to make her immortal.
She should eat but she couldn’t bring herself to put one more bite of food in her mouth. The front door opened and closed as he left. She’d never felt more alone in her life. She sat for awhile, idly twirling a piece of bread as she tried to sort out the jumbled mess of her emotions.
Shoving away from the table she rose to her feet. Grabbing the black cloak by the door, she swung it around her shoulders and opened the door. The crisp air hit her, winter would be arriving soon and for the first time in her life she didn’t have to worry about freezing to death.
Jack was already on his way up when she stepped onto the porch. He stopped when he saw her, his head tilted to the side. “I’d like to go for a walk,” she declared.
His eyebrows shot into his hairline, his mouth quirked in a small smile. “Already ordering people around your highness?”
She scowled at him. “You don’t have to come with me.”
“Well thank you for the permission to stay behind.”
She clasped the cloak more firmly around her neck as it dragged across the ground behind her. “I’m sorry.” She was being a jerk, she knew it, but she felt like a tightly coiled spring about ready to explode. “I just need to get out for a bit.”
“I can help with that.” Though he was smiling, it didn’t reach his eyes; eyes that came alive when he was truly happy. She slipped her arm into the one he offered her and walked with him down the ramp.
“The house is beautiful Jack, I love it. Thank you.”
He pat her hand mildly, uncomfortable with her gratitude. “Yeah, well I was bored. After all the excitement of the past couple months, I had to have something to keep me occupied.”
“I’m happy you did.”
They slipped into the woods, moving in companionable silence as they traveled through the trees and deeper into the forest. It wasn’t until they were almost there that she realized where she had been unconsciously leading them the whole time.
“The banquet tree.” She tilted her head back to look into its massive leafy bowers.
There were no apples now and the leaves had already started to turn subtle hues of gold and orange that shimmered in the sunlight. She released Jack’s arm, grabbed hold of the lower limb and lifted herself easily into the branches. She didn’t scurry up the tree as she had as a child, didn’t rush from limb to limb bouncing and hopping amongst the branches. Instead, she took her time, savoring in the feel of the bark and the scent of the tree as it wrapped her in the security of childhood memories. She could almost hear William’s laughter floating to her from below as he ran about trying to catch the apples she plucked and tossed down to him.
It wasn’t until she was near the top that she saw something shining in the tree. She moved faster, climbing rapidly and with purpose now. There was only one other person that would have climbed up there, that would have risked the thinness of the upper branches. She burst upward, desperately seizing hold of the object entwined in the tree. A sob burned her throat, tears streamed down her cheeks as she opened her hand to reveal the delicate, silver horse head brooch that had been her mother’s. It was the same brooch her father had given to Jack upon his return to the palace in search of her, the one that had let her know she could trust him.
Near the brooch, tied around a branch, was what appeared to be some sort of oilskin cloth. She tugged the strings free from the tree and pulled the skin off. She nearly fell over, nearly slipped from the tree in surprise, but managed to catch herself and keep her hold on the thin limbs. It was the drawing that Daniel had made for her; the one of her sitting in Braith’s lap as he read to her by the lake. Daniel had managed to capture every ounce of the love they shared for each other in the fine lines and details.
She opened her hand to study the brooch and the drawing. Her father had known there was a chance he might not survive to speak with her, to guide her, and this had been his way of doing so. She and William had thought they’d kept the location of the tree secret, but of course their father would follow them, of course he would know where they were going. He was their father, their protector, and he’d loved them.
She was unable to stifle the sob that escaped her. He’d known that eventually she would come here, and if he didn’t survive she would find these things and she would know that though he was afraid for her, he supported her, and he trusted Braith.
This was his way of letting her go.
She lifted her head to stare over the treetops at the glittering palace in the distance. She’d looked at it often as a child, and questioned what had driven the humans to such depths as to betray their own kind in favor of a race that had enslaved them. She’d also speculated about that race, and what had driven them to be so cruel and heartless, so brutal and hideous, and she’d hated them with every ounce of her being.
Now, she was going to become one of them.
Rolling the parchment back up, she tucked it into the waistband of her pants and started down. She knew Braith was there before she spotted him below with Jack. His head was tilted back as he watched her descend. She dropped soundlessly from the tree. He looked as if he was going to grab for her, but his hands remained at his sides as his fingers twitched.
She opened her hand to reveal the brooch. Jack’s startled gaze darted back to the top of the tree before returning to her hand. She pulled Daniel’s drawing out and handed it to Braith. His eyes stayed on her as he unrolled it, he finally glanced at the drawing, back at her, and then his eyes shot back to the parchment in his hand. Jack peered over his shoulder at it.
“It’s from the lake.”
“I remember,” Braith murmured his brow furrowed as he studied it.
“Daniel stumbled upon us by accident. He said that was the day he realized what was between us was real, and that it was more than just love. I gave it to William to keep it safe; my father discovered it and kept it. He put it there with the brooch so that I would have it again, so that I would know that he accepted this, accepted me and you. That he supported whatever choice I made.” She tilted her head back to look into the tree again. “You can see the palace from up there; I used to watch it when I was a child, and wonder. I don’t wonder anymore.”
Braith and Jack were both staring at her now. Braith’s hands shook slightly as he held the drawing. She opened the brooch and pinned it at her neck to hold the cloak together. “No more doubts, no more waiting. I’m ready. Today.”