Refugee (The Captive #3)(65)

She rose swiftly and bent to roll the legs of her pants above her knees. Her eyes widened and her mouth watered as Braith’s shirt fell on top of hers. She lifted her head slowly, marveling at the broad expanse of his shoulders, and the rigid muscles etched into his chest and abdomen. Her breath wheezed out, heat flared up her cheeks, not from embarrassment but rather from her intense need for this man standing so close but at the same time so far away.

She had always desired him, there was never any doubt of that, but it had never been this relentless. She almost said “screw it all” to the world and launched herself at him but she managed to hold herself back. She’d never been quite as completely rattled and utterly undone as she was right at this moment.

Confusion flickered over his features, she was well aware her thoughts were written all over her face. She turned away from him, running hard, pumping her arms and legs as fast as she could in order to escape him. She had to put some distance between them before she completely caved. She didn’t hesitate as she grabbed the bottom branch of a large oak, swung her leg onto it and pulled herself up. She leapt up to the next branch, then the one above it as she raced out to the end and launched herself heedlessly outward, not caring how deep the water was as she dove into it.

She kicked hard beneath the surface, pushing herself deeper and deeper into the lake. She swam into the cooler depths as the world under the water became darker and further removed from sunlight. Her lungs began to burn, her eyes were raw from straining to see, but she continued onward, heedless of the pain starting to seize hold of her body.

Strong hands grabbed hold of her, dragging her from the depths of the cool water, pulling her back toward a world that she didn’t want to face. Bursting free of the surface, she wheezed in a deep breath as her lungs eagerly inhaled the precious air.

“What are you doing?” Braith demanded, shaking her a little.She shoved the mass of tangled wet hair from her eyes, forcing a smile as she met his annoyed gaze. “Just seeing if I could touch the bottom.”

His scowl deepened. “You didn’t even know if it was deep enough when you dove off that branch!”

“I’ve jumped into more than a few lakes in my lifetime.”

He stared at her for a long moment. “Always so reckless,” he muttered.

His hands on her were enough to make her toes curl and heat spread through her body despite the chill of the water. She squeezed his bare arms, savoring in the firm flesh and fine hairs that bristled over it before she reluctantly released him. She moved onto her back, floating lazily through the water as Braith’s fingers slid into hers.

***





Frustration boiled through him, his fingers twitched as his irritation mounted. He couldn’t stand to watch as Aria labored through the swamp with her brother and the rest of the humans. It wasn’t like it was easy for him and the other vampires, but their greater power and strength made it less difficult to move through the water and mud that clasped at them like quicksand with each step. She looked exhausted but continued onward, her head bowed, her face scrunched in aggravation as she worked at pulling one foot out at a time.

He froze, fury tore through him as Max seized hold of her arm, helping to keep her upright as she stumbled. That was it. “Braith!” Jack hissed as he grabbed hold of his arm.

“Get your hand off of me!”

“They can’t know.”

“They already know Jack.”

He jerked his arm away from his brother, ignoring Gideon, Ashby and Xavier as he waded through the muck and mire. Max released her instantly, he tried to move swiftly to the side but the swamp hindered his movements. “Braith wait.” He didn’t listen to her as he lifted her from the mud with a loud sucking noise. Her feet kicked for a moment before he slid her onto his back. She faltered, and then her knees locked against his sides and her arms wrapped around his neck.

“You shouldn’t have done that,” she whispered in his ear.

“They’re humans Aria, they won’t hurt us.” Her displeasure was evident in the stiffness of her body. She didn’t lean against him, didn’t relax as she had on their first trip through the swamps, but he’d be damned if he’d allow her to struggle, and double damned before he allowed Max to be the one to help her. “It will be fine,” he muttered as he kept walking.

Her head dropped against his back, her forehead rested against his neck for a brief moment before she pulled away. He ignored the questioning stares directed at them, Aria kept her head down as he rejoined Jack, Gideon, Ashby and Xavier. Jack and Gideon looked as if their heads were going to explode, Xavier turned silently away. It was Ashby that held his attention though. He had paled considerably; his lips were clamped and nearly bloodless as he studied them.

By mid afternoon most of the humans were starting to waiver, the heat of the day and the exertion to continue onward was wearing them down. Aria had managed to squiggle from his arms over an hour ago but he kept her close to his side, helping to lift her when she became mired by the mud. Her sweaty hair stuck to her skin, her face was florid from her effort, but it was her eyes that bothered him most.

He’d become acutely aware of the fact that there was a distance in them that hadn’t been there just days ago. There was a resignation to them, wariness, and a sense of loss that he didn’t understand. She smiled at him, she held his hand, but he felt a wall in her that had never existed before. He knew better than to believe it was due to her apprehension over the upcoming war. She may be afraid, but she had never allowed it to rule her before.