Refugee (The Captive #3)(9)

He couldn’t stop the low moan of pleasure that escaped him as he leaned over her, embracing her against him. “Stay with me,” he breathed into her ear.

She nodded as her eyes dazedly met his. The creature was already healing as it staggered back toward them, its eyes a vibrant red in its hollow face. Its sagging skin had taken on a yellowish, sickly hue. Lack of food and the sand and sun had turned this creature into a morbid version of a normal vampire; one that apparently had no sense of self-preservation anymore.

He pulled her against his chest, cradling her with one arm as he tried to shift himself into a better fighting position. It wasn’t much use; he couldn’t pull his arm away from her. If there was any chance for her survival, she would require his blood.

The creature was only feet from them when Ashby rammed the bony thing from behind, flinging it a good ten feet through the air. Ashby didn’t hesitate as he rushed after it. William was suddenly before them; his upper lip was cut and bleeding. One of his eyes had already started to darken, and the sleeve of his cloak had been ripped, but otherwise he appeared uninjured.

Unable to stand the thought of someone else touching Aria, Braith almost ripped her away from William. He stopped himself from doing so, but couldn’t stop the low growl that escaped him. William leaned back as he studied Braith warily. Aria tried to tug his wrist from her mouth as she squirmed against him in an attempt to get to her brother.

“It’s alright,” Braith grated through clenched teeth. “I won’t harm him. Stop. Please Aria, you need my blood, he’s safe I swear.”

Aria relaxed against him but there was a lingering tension in her body. William continued to watch him suspiciously as he leaned slowly forward. He pulled Aria’s arms toward him, finally looking away from Braith as he focused on her. Braith couldn’t bring himself to look at her damaged and battered flesh again. The smell of her blood was enticing enough without seeing it too. Neither he, nor Ashby, had been feeding well; he shuddered, his fangs elongated instinctively. He closed his eyes as he fought against his baser, more driving urges.

“William, wrap her arms,” he managed to grate out.

Sand and dust kicked up around Ashby as he slid to a stop before them. His eyes flared red as the scent of her blood hit him, something dark flickered over his face. “Get away Ashby!” Braith snarled. Ashby remained where he was, his shoulders heaving as his fangs sliced into his lower lip. William’s hands had stilled on the cloth he was trying to rip into shreds. Aria was immobile against him, her breath frozen in her lungs. “Now Ashby! Now!”

His brother-in-law shook his head; his fangs retreated as his eyes flickered wildly between red and green. Ashby managed a small nod as he took a step back, and then another before he finally turned away. Relief filtered through Braith; he didn’t want to have to kill Ashby but he would to keep Aria safe. He wanted to try and regain his trust in Ashby. Jack and Melinda trusted him, Aria and William seemed to, but Ashby was the one that had blinded him, and Braith was still uncertain about him.

William shredded the rest of Aria’s ruined sleeves and began to slowly wrap her brutalized arms in the coarse material. She squirmed in his lap; her eyes squeezed shut as her mouth twisted. Braith bent closer to her hair, inhaling her sweet scent as he tried to calm himself. As her pain suffused him, he kept reminding himself that William was helping. Even though Braith told himself this, his emotions were swinging on a precarious pendulum between rage, dread, and famine. He was unstable, deadly if unleashed, and the only thing that helped to soothe him was her. He savored her scent, the feel of her teeth against his skin, the gentle pull of his blood seeping slowly into her system. His blood would heal her, it would be enough. It had to be, there were no other options. She would die if it didn’t.

Aria jerked against him. Braith’s head snapped up, an involuntary snarl escaped him. William flinched but continued to wrap her arms in the cloth. “I’m sorry,” he whispered his gaze worriedly darting to Braith.

William tied the last knot and sat back on his heels as he studied his sister. Aria squeezed William’s arm briefly before slipping lifelessly away. It took Braith a frantic moment to realize that her chest was still rising and falling. Her heart was beating, slowly and far too erratically for his liking, but it was there and it was getting stronger.

Braith was painfully aware of the fact that she had managed to stay conscious long enough for her brother to finish what he was doing.





CHAPTER 3





“You’re awake.”

Was she awake? Aria took stock of her body as she tried to figure out exactly what had happened. She blinked at the ceiling, an actual ceiling; she couldn’t quite remember the last time she had seen a ceiling over her head. Where was she? She turned her head slowly, her muscles throbbed; she felt drained, tired and a little nauseous. William blurred before her, there were two of him at first but the more she blinked the clearer he became.

“I am,” she confirmed.

His shoulders slumped in relief, his hand rested lightly upon her upper arm. “You had me worried.”

Her throat was dry, it was difficult to swallow but she finally managed to form words. “I feel awful,” she admitted.

“That’s because you almost died, and you would have…” William’s voice trailed off, his gaze drifted somewhere behind her.