“And those are?” Braith inquired.

“Exchange of blood, sex,” Ashby continued. Aria’s face burned, it was all she could do to keep standing before them. “But those are vampire interactions. With this, I’m assuming that the change will also be necessary.”

“And if she doesn’t survive it?” Melinda asked.

“Then I doubt any of us will,” Ashby muttered.

Aria finally managed to lift her head to stare at them. “I’m not going to die,” she told them.

Ashby and Melinda leveled her with identical looks of hopelessness. “Most do not survive the change. The human body is too frail; it simply cannot take it. If you stay human it is certain that one day you will die. And Braith will go crazy from it.”

“And that’s only if you are willing to become a vampire,” Melinda elaborated.

Braith turned toward her, she could feel the full force of his gaze upon her, but she couldn’t find the words to answer his unspoken question. Was she willing to become a vampire? Was she willing to live in that world? Was she willing to die? Willing to drink blood and feed from her people? She lifted her gaze to Braith, she could feel the tears burning in her eyes, but they did not slip free. He was so strong, so powerful, and wise. He was ancient compared to her, a near God in his world. She was a fighter, and she was strong, but he could snap her bones with a flick of his wrist. And yet, as he looked upon her, she could see the weakness in his gaze, the uncertainty and need that blazed from him, and made him just as weak as she was.

She did that to him, she was doing it to him, and she hated herself for it. She touched his face lightly, loving the feel of his hardness beneath her hand, loving the stroke of his stubble against her fingertips. He awed her, and inspired her in so many ways. “You humble me also,” she whispered.

A low groan escaped him; he lifted her as if she weighed no more than a feather, pulling her tight against him. His hands were in her hair, his lips against her cheek and ear. “It will not be so Arianna,” he whispered. She pulled slightly back to stare at him questioningly. “I will not take the risk of killing you. I will not be the one that kills you.”

Aria frowned at him; she bent her forehead to his. “I will survive it.”

“There is no guarantee. I will not risk it.”

“But I will die no matter what!”

He managed a wan, halfhearted smile. “Then I will just have to make sure it is not for a very long time.”

“I will grow old.”

“You will grow even more beautiful. And when you are gone, I will follow you.”

Tears spilled down her cheeks. She was far more accepting of her own death than she was of his. But then again, she had expected to die every day since she was old enough to realize what death was. “No Braith. No. I see the way you are now, what you said earlier…”

“I was wrong,” he said firmly. “It was a moment of weakness, it won’t happen again. I will not do that to you.”

His eyes were beautiful, bright as he watched her, smiled at her, and loved her. He kissed her lightly, his mouth warm and hard against hers. For a moment Aria allowed herself to forget there were other people in the room. For a moment there was only the two of them, and none of the pressure. For a moment, just a small fraction of a second, there was total joy, total happiness, and true wonder in a world that often lacked such things.

And then Braith was pulling away and the world was once again intruding upon them. Aria wrapped her arms around his neck, dropping her head to his shoulder she buried her face in his neck, wanting to keep the world at bay for a little longer. He continued to hold her tight, but she knew his attention was not solely focused upon her anymore. As prince, as the future ruler of his world, and hers, he had other matters to attend to. But for right now she just wanted to hold him, just wanted to feel safe, and loved.

Chapter 15

Arianna was finally asleep, but it had only been a matter of time before exhaustion won out over her stubborn nature. She had fought against it for a long time before succumbing to the needs of her body. She was curled up on the couch, her head in his lap, her hand curled around his thigh. Achingly sweet, she appeared exceptionally young to him. Then again, she was exceptionally young compared to him.

He trailed his hand across her silken hair, running it lightly through his fingers. Melinda was watching him with interest, but she did not protest the fact that Braith still refused to untie Ashby. She may be his sister, but he was not going to be outnumbered by them. Not when Arianna’s life was on the line.

Ashby sat beside her, his arm wrapped around her shoulders. Though there was tension in his eyes, his posture remained casual, and he retained his mischievous air. “I never suspected anything between you two,” Braith said softly.

“There was a lot going on at the time.” Melinda’s gaze drifted toward Arianna. “I never suspected anything between the two of you either, but then I never thought you were capable of love. Especially not with a human, especially not with your blood slave. Though I was curious as to why you had finally taken one. Now I know why.”

Braith didn’t take offense to her words. He hadn’t thought he was capable of love either. He cared for his brother Jericho; he even cared for Melinda, though he had never known her as well as Caleb or Natasha. Even when Melinda had returned to the palace, she had remained mostly distant from her other siblings, aloof. However, she hadn’t really known them, as she’d spent her first twenty seven out of thirty years in exile, with their mother.

The war had been raging in full force by the time Melinda returned, Braith had only seen Melinda a handful of times before his vision was lost. Though she had continued to mature over time, most of her growing had been completed before he was blinded; she had not changed much since then. Even after he had lost his sight, he had only come into contact with her once a month, if even. He’d assumed that she did the same things as Natasha. That she wandered about the palace, enjoying the luxuries, and thriving on the blood.

Apparently she had actually been escaping into the wilderness to nourish and spend time with her lover. Melinda had always seemed so sweet and young to him. Apparently her picturesque face and quiet demeanor hid a far stronger personality than he had ever suspected.

“Why did you keep returning to the palace? Why didn’t you just stay here?”

“Someone had to bring back the slaves. Someone had to keep the locals around here quiet. Someone had to make sure they did not send out new guards, and when they did, we had to be prepared to take care of them. Someone had to spy, to see if there would ever be a chance that we could escape together and finally be free.”

Braith nodded, slightly impressed by his sisters cunning, daring, and skill. He was also slightly put off by her manipulation and cold admission about her deceptions. He made a mental note not to trust her, he didn’t think she was inherently cruel, but it was more than obvious she would do anything to keep Ashby safe, and Braith was certain that Ashby would do the same thing for her. Neither of them was going to leave his sight until Jack arrived. It was the only way he would feel marginally better about Arianna’s safety.

Arianna stirred slightly, her hand tightened on his thigh. “You know that you don’t have a prayer of keeping her human,” Ashby said softly.

“I won’t change her.”

“You may not want to change her, you may think that you can keep yourself from doing so, but we all know the truth here Braith. You think you can go the next five, ten, fifty years risking her life, and watching her die?”

“If I have too.”

Ashby shook his head; he leaned back against the wall. The young vampire girl remained silent; she had offered no further protests to her restraints. She was sullen, resigned to remaining tied for a long time. “You’re only in the beginning stages of this Braith.” Ashby folded his hands before him as he stared fiercely at Braith. “Do you think it’s going to get easier as the years go on? It grows and intensifies; the bond between you will become something so intense that it will take everything you have to get through one second without her. You asked me earlier who I was expecting; do you think it was this girl?” He gestured sharply at the young vampire girl.

“No, I thought it was Melinda at the door. Do you know how hard it is to see her go back there? I hate myself every time she leaves here, every time she returns to that depraved hell hole. If there was ever a time she didn’t return from there, I would be there in a heartbeat, killing everyone in my way until they finally took me down. I would welcome the death they would finally deliver to me. She’s human Braith; you will live with her mortality every second of your life together. You won’t be able to handle it, I can promise you that.”

Braith glowered at him. “I’m stronger than you.”

Ashby snorted softly as he sat back. “Bull. You’re physically stronger than all of us, but you are by far the weakest amongst us right now. Your Achilles heel is lying on your lap, and if any of your enemies gets a hold of her, they will control you completely. If they kill her, you are done for. Smarten up Braith. Yes, you are stronger with her in your life, but you are also far weaker. Especially if she stays human.”

“I don’t have much of a choice on that front.”

“Keep her human until you figure out what you want to do. Though, I’m beginning to suspect that might be taking your father down, am I right?”

Melinda’s eyes widened, her delicate mouth parted. “No,” she breathed.

Ashby squeezed her hand tighter as his bright eyes gleamed with an eager light. “Yes love, I believe that Braith has finally realized that there is something more important than duty, honor, and obedience. Right?”

“I will not kill my father,” he grated.

“No, I’m not even sure if you could. At least not by yourself, but you do have the advantage of not being blind anymore, and I’m assuming he doesn’t know.”

“He doesn’t,” Melinda confirmed when Braith didn’t.

Ashby nodded, his fingers twirled idly, Braith could see the gears churning within his devious mind. “You wouldn’t kill Caleb either. But if you could take them down, overthrow their rule, wrest control from them, you would. If you can get enough help to do it. It’s why you came here.”

Braith had forgotten how perceptive Ashby was. It was annoying the hell out of him right now. “You’re hoping that I may still have ties to the rebellious families that fought with mine and somehow managed to avoid capture. You’re hoping that I may know some vampires that might be willing to help you. You wouldn’t be here for any other reason than that, and the only reason you would want to know those things, was if you wanted to oust the king. Am I wrong Braith?”

Braith turned his attention to the window. He would not deny Ashby’s words, nor would he confirm them. He hadn’t left the palace with the intent of ousting his father from power. He hadn’t gone after Arianna in those caverns because he had decided that he was going to fight, he hadn’t pulled her free of there with the intention of one day claiming the throne (he still wasn’t sure he would do that, it depended on Arianna). He had just wanted to get her somewhere safe; to people that might be able to shelter her, and to try and live a life with her. But somewhere along the way he had realized that there was nowhere safe for her, and no one that could protect her, except for him. And if he was going to keep her safe, then his father would have to be removed from rule. A new power, and a new world system, would have to be established.

“This will be interesting, a civil war,” Ashby pondered. “A civil war, within the most powerful regime to ever take control of us. A war between the murderous, vicious father, and the son who hates him. Imagine the consequences of such a thing, imagine the horror.”

Braith stiffened as he turned slowly back to them. Relief radiated from Melinda, hope and desire gleamed in her eyes. “Or imagine the wonder of it,” she whispered. “Imagine the freedom that would come if such a tyrannical, ruthless rule could be broken.”

“Is it your love for Ashby that has so turned you against our father?” Braith inquired.

She tilted her head as she quirked a dark eyebrow at him. In that moment it struck him how very much she looked like their mother. He had never thought much of it; he hadn’t really thought much of his mother, as he had been taken from her at a young age. His father hadn’t wanted him to spend too much time with a woman he was afraid might coddle Braith, and weaken him. The same thing had happened with Caleb and Jericho. He wasn’t sure when Natasha had been taken away, and Melinda had still been a toddler when their mother was banished from the castle.

The woman had done nothing to deserve being banished, she had given the king five children. Though Braith speculated that his mother probably would have been content to just have him, his father had not been. His mother had been banished simply because the king had decided that it would be more convenient for him to no longer have a wife living under the same roof as his mistresses. He cared nothing for the youngest child that would be leaving with the woman.