“Keep moving Arianna,” Braith said softly.

“There has to be something…”

“They are not human.”

Aria’s mouth dropped as she spun toward him, her eyes wide in shock and horror. “What?” she whispered.

“They are vampires.”

Terror spurted through her as she took a step closer to him, pressing against his hard body. Her heart hammered, her breath became labored as she glanced wildly around the decrepit streets. She hadn’t known that there were vampires that lived like this, hadn’t known that there were vampires that had as little as she did within the forest. She had thought that they were all wealthy, that they all enjoyed the luxurious life that the palace had presented. But these vampires had so very little, and they were starving.

And she appeared to be the only morsel of food in this hell hole.

“Are they going to come after us?”

“Not if they want to live.”

A chill crept down Aria’s spine as he growled the words. He pulled her against him, wrapping his arm around her waist as he held her tightly. They turned another corner; the houses became sparser as the woods began to creep in on them again. Aria glanced over her shoulder, dismayed, and not at all surprised to see that they had attracted a small following. “They’re following us,” she breathed in horror.

“I know.” She swallowed nervously, trying hard to keep her panic under control as her heart thumped and pounded with renewed intensity. It was her that they were coming for, but they would kill Braith to get at her. She was shaking with fear now. “It’s why William could not come with us. I could not protect you both.” She managed a small nod as she bit nervously on her bottom lip. “They won’t get anywhere near you Arianna.”

“And you?” she whispered.

He shot her a small, arrogant grin that did not quite reach his eyes. “Impossible.”

Aria wished that she could take solace in his answer, but there were even more of them back there now. She was grateful for the reassuring weight of her arrows on her back, but she wasn’t sure that she had enough in her quiver to make a dent in the growing population behind them. “Keep your eyes forward,” Braith said softly.

She turned back around, her fingers twitching to grasp hold of her bow. She wanted the extra security of its weight in her hands. “Where are we going?”

They rounded another corner, the woods pressed closer to them. “You know that tree thing you can do?” Aria nodded at him. “Why don’t you scurry on up there now.”

“I’m not leaving you down here alone!” she hissed.

“I’ll be fine, Arianna. You need to get up there.”

“Braith…”

“Go Arianna, now!” It was the harshest he had spoken to her in a long time, and it left her stunned. Her heart leapt, her mouth went dry with terror as she glanced back at the growing crowd again. Braith was strong, but there were so many of them back there. “Go,” he urged, his voice a little softer.

Aria swallowed heavily, but she did not refuse him as he nudged her gently forward. “I’ll be fine Arianna, go.”

She scurried forward, grasping hold of the first lower branch she came across. She threw her arms around the limb, swung her legs over, and maneuvered swiftly up the large oak. She glanced back down at Braith; his head was tilted back as he watched her. She hesitated for a moment, loathe to leave him, but she needed a better spot, and a better angle, if she was going to have any hope of taking any of the creatures out with her arrows.

She climbed higher, searching for the branch she could use to reach the next tree. Finding the right one, she ran across the limb. She leapt into the air, feeling a brief moment of elation and delight as the air rushed up around her. Her legs kicked briefly, she seized hold of the other limb. Her arms locked around it as she swung easily back into the leafy branches.

Braith moved swiftly across the ground beneath her, keeping his eyes straight as he walked. Aria glanced back as the crowd of fifteen hit the edge of the forest. She had to get the shaking of her hands under control if she was going to continue to make her way through the trees, and not get killed. She darted swiftly across another limb, leaping easily into another tree, and then another.

Braith kept pace with her, but the others were gaining on them, and she needed to get a little further ahead. She moved easily, running and leaping until she found a notch in a tree that would be a good place to set up. She pulled an arrow free, placing it easily into her bow. She loved the trembling feel of power that vibrated up the bow and into her hands. Braith studied her for a moment, shaking his head as he watched her.

She didn’t have time to fire the arrow as Braith suddenly launched forward, blurring with speed as he raced at their stalkers. Aria’s mouth dropped, her eyes widened as he grasped hold of the first one and slammed him into the ground. She was stunned, momentarily dazed by his display of speed and overwhelming power. A soft squeal escaped his victim, but it was short lived as the victim’s throat was crushed beneath the strength of his hand. Aria watched in horror as three others launched at Braith.

Pushing aside leaves with the tip of her arrow, she took aim at one of the creatures clawing at Braith’s back. The arrow released with a soft twang, it flew straight through the air, striking its intended target in the back.

The vampire fell off of Braith, squealing as it clawed at its back and squirmed and withered upon the ground in agony. Five pairs of red eyes swung her way as she drew their attention to her location within the tree. She had no fear that they would be able to get her out of the tree; they would have to catch her first in order to do so. Her main concern remained centered upon Braith. Aria quickly drew another arrow, notching it in the bow as she took aim at the next creature that had zeroed in on Braith.

She fired again, this time her arrow flew straight into the creature’s heart. It wheeled back, howling as it fell upon the ground, withering in its death throes. Four of the vampire’s ran off, fleeing back toward town. Three others became aroused by the scent of blood. Aria recoiled, horror and nausea twisting through her as they fell upon the one she had killed with delight and maliciousness.

Braith used their distraction to destroy two more of them, tearing their heads from their bodies, before turning his attention to the three now feasting upon their friend. She didn’t know what to do as he stalked toward them, fury evident in the stiff set of his shoulders. Aria turned away, unable to watch as he attacked the creatures. Their cries of fear and pain echoed through the air. She wanted to cry, she wanted to block her ears and flee through the trees, she wanted to escape this horror she found herself trapped in.

She did none of those things as she remained frozen within the tree, shaking with the shock that clung to her. A sharp tug on her foot caught her off guard, nearly ripping her from the tree. She scrambled for purchase; her fingers sought some grip upon the hard tree. Her arm hooked over the branch, saving her from plummeting out of the tree. She was gasping for breath and terrified, but she managed to gather her wits enough to look down at what had nearly caused her freefall.

A vampire stared back at her, its fangs extended, its eyes red with hunger and murderous intent. Aria’s eyes widened in surprise, she had been so upset by the death before her that she had missed this approaching danger. It was foolish, stupid, and she was paying for it now as his hand wrapped tightly around her boot.

Aria turned away from him, swinging her other arm up as she attempted to get into a better position in the tree. It jerked down hard on her again, knocking her newly acquired grasp off of the limb. A small gasp of pain escaped her as her hooked arm took the brunt of the violent jerk. She kicked out, trying to knock the creatures grip upon her free, but it refused to relinquish her as its hand slithered up to her ankle. It was surprisingly strong, even in its emaciated state. Or maybe it was the hunger that drove it to such levels of strength.

Her arm was aching, her armpit was rubbed raw. Her shoulder felt as if it were going to tear as pain began to spread rapidly through it. She was barely clinging on, barely remaining within the branches of the tree. She kicked out again, trying to knock the creature free as it ripped hard on her again. A tortured cry escaped from her, a wrenching agony tore through her shoulder as a loud pop filled the air. She no longer felt her arm as it released its hold upon the limb she had been barely clinging to.

The creature was still holding onto her ankle as she free fell into the air for a few feet. Its grasp kept her in the tree, but it did not keep her from slamming off of another branch. Her back screamed in anguish, the wind was knocked from her. She barely managed to get her good arm up in order to protect her head from the impact of the tree trunk. She was able to twist around, shoving herself off the limb as the vampire scrambled to get a better hold on her by moving up her calf. She kicked out, catching the thing beneath its chin, snapping its head back as it hissed and lunged at her. She kicked out again, knocking it back further. Anger filled her, frustration at her situation surged to the forefront as she swung out with the full force of her rage. Bone splintered, blood splattered over her as its nose shattered with a loud crack.

The creature howled in pain. It instinctively released her as it grasped hold of its twisted nose. A soft cry escaped her as she freefell into nothing. She tried hard to reclaim some hold upon the tree, but it was too late. She tried to keep herself straight, hoping to avoid as many of the branches as possible as she fell, but they slapped and tore painfully at her.

She heard Braith shout her name, but she couldn’t respond to him as she was batted and bounced rapidly back and forth. The branches mercifully gave way, propelling her toward the ground. Arms wrapped tightly around her, sheltering her from hitting the ground as Braith took the impact of her body upon himself. A cry of pain escaped her as he cradled her wounded body gently against his chest.

His hands were upon her face, pushing her tangled hair back from her. His hand was upon her cheek. “Arianna,” he whispered frantically. “Arianna?”

She took a deep breath, wincing as her bruised body protested the movement. She took a moment to assess the damage that had been done to her. She was satisfied that though she was in pain, she would heal eventually. “I’m ok,” she told him, clenching her teeth as even that small movement caused pain to flare through her chest.

“Look at me.”

She inhaled a small breath as she forced her eyes open. She blinked in surprise, uncertain about the emotions that surged through her. His much loved eyes were intense, terrified, and a vibrant angry shade of red. His much loved face was smeared with the blood of his victims. She had never seen his eyes this color, but then, most of the time they were covered by the dark glasses. She didn’t know what to make of this stark reminder of what he was, what he was capable of, even if it was all because of her. His gaze searched her face, running rapidly over her, trying to reassure himself that she was, in fact, alright.

Then, his gaze rose to the tree, and the amount of fury that radiated out of him shook her to the marrow of her bones. She did not look back up at the creature in the tree. He may still be alive right now, but he was as good as dead. Braith’s gaze came slowly back to hers, warming slightly. He placed her gently down, his eyes firing with anger as she winced involuntarily.

He bit hard into his wrist, holding his arm out to her as his blood trickled slowly out of his wounds. “It will help you heal faster,” he said softly.

She hesitated for a brief moment, there had been enough blood today, but she could not refuse him. Not when every part of her hurt and not when he was looking at her with that pleading expression. She took his wrist, pressing it against her mouth as she drank slowly. His blood was sweet, delicious, and healing as it seeped into her system, flowed through her wounded and bruised muscles and dislocated shoulder. After a long moment, he pulled his wrist slowly away from her. His lips were soft upon her forehead as he released her. “Keep your eyes closed Arianna.”

“Braith,” she whispered, fighting the chills and tears that burned her eyes.

“Just keep your eyes closed, it will be over quickly and I don’t want you to see this.”

She closed her eyes, unable to resist obeying him. She did not want to see what he was going to do, and she would not be able to stop him either. She bit on her bottom lip, forcing herself to remain calm as she tried, and failed, to block out the sounds of the ensuing slaughter.

Chapter 11

Arianna curled against his chest, her hand entwined in his shirt as she slept soundly within his grasp. Braith had hoped that they would be at their destination by now, but the fight with the other vampires, and the tending of her wounds, had put them behind schedule. It was night again; she was exhausted, and beaten. His blood would help her to heal faster, but she still moaned every once in awhile, and her face was still scrunched slightly with pain.