Unbound (The Captive #7)(82)

When he turned away from the tree, all of them were staring at him with the same mixture of fear and awe that he’d often seen on those who had been in the presence of his father.

That realization rattled him more than his accelerated healing ability.

“I will not be like him,” he vowed. “I will destroy Sabine. I will make her pay, but I will not become my father.”

When their eyes lifted to his, he saw the uncertainty in their gazes. Unable to stand the sight of that uncertainty, he turned away from them. He blinked and wiped the rain away from his eyes when, through the trees, he spotted figures slipping through the woods. He took an abrupt step forward, his lips curling away from his fangs as he watched those figures closing in on them.

“We’re not alone,” he said over his shoulder to the others.

Jack came to stand beside him, his brow furrowing as he searched the woods. “I don’t see anyone.”

“They’re there, and they’re coming,” Braith replied. “They’re wearing brown cloaks, not white though.”

“Those could be Sabine’s followers,” Max said from behind him. “They gave up their white cloaks when the snow melted, but many of the rebels also wear brown cloaks in order to blend in.”

“Then we’ll make sure that they deserve to die before they do,” Braith replied. Bloodlust surged through him, and he nearly licked his lips at the possibility of a fight. It would take more time to kill them all than he wanted to spend right now, but he’d gladly tear into the throat of any who dared to stand against him, or who could be a threat to Aria.

Another flicker of motion drew his eyes to the right as a woman ducked low in the brush. “No heartbeats,” he said.

“They could still be on our side,” Daniel said. “We have vampires working with us too.”

“If they come at us, we’re going to fight.”

“How many are there?” Timber inquired.

“A dozen or so,” Braith replied when he spotted more of them within the trees.

The vision that had once been taken from him had become sharper during the time when he had been dead. His eyes were more than making up for the time they hadn’t seen anything by picking out every minute detail within the woods. Right down to the vamp nearly buried in mud behind the oak tree to his right.

“Be prepared,” he said to them as the first one moved to the edge of the clearing. The tip of an arrowhead swung toward them. “Not on our side,” he hissed.

Malicious joy filled him as he realized he would get a chance to unleash the savagery building within him.

The vampire didn’t have a chance to fire the arrow before Braith swooped down on him like a hawk on its prey. Braith yanked the vampire out from behind the tree and had his heart in his hand before he even realized he’d covered the distance between them with such rapid speed.

A grim smile spread across his mouth as the coppery tang of blood filled his nose and for a second the clawing sensation in his chest eased. As he turned to take on the next vampire stalking them, death became all he craved.

***

Jack

Braith moved so fast through the woods that he became a blur as he uncovered and slaughtered vampires Jack hadn’t even known were there. Some of the vamps turned to flee from him, but they were nowhere near fast enough to escape the wrath descending on them.

Jack swallowed as his hand tightened on the stake he’d pulled free, but he realized he wouldn’t be using it. He wouldn’t get the chance to. Beside him, Daniel lowered his bow and returned his arrow to his quiver.

As Braith disappeared behind a tree, a startled yelp abruptly cut off and then a head came rolling out to rest against Max’s feet. Max took a step away from the head, but he didn’t truly seem to see it as his gaze remained riveted on the macabre scene unfolding before them.

In all of his many years, Jack had never seen anything like the savagery Braith unleashed. He was like a ghost, disappearing in and out of the trees. Despite the pounding rain washing away the smells of the forest, the scent of blood permeated the air. The screams of the dying were briefly heard over the howling wind and the clacking of the tree branches.

Beside him, Hannah began to shake and she moved closer to press her body against his. “What have we done, Jack?” she whispered. “What did we help to unleash? Who did we unleash on this world?”

“It’s Braith,” he said.

“Is it?” Daniel inquired.

He’d been in many fights with Daniel over the years, but never had he seen the stark terror on his friend’s face that was there now. He had no idea how to answer that question. He wanted to insist it was his brother, that beneath the increased power, speed, and healing ability it was still Braith with them, but was it?

Braith had always been ruthless when he needed to be and stronger than most other vampires. He’d seen Braith kill without remorse before, but he’d never seen the eager gleam in his brother’s eyes that had been there before Braith had gone after his prey. And he knew that Braith had thought of these vampires as nothing more than prey before he’d attacked.

Still, he wasn’t ready to give up on his brother. He wouldn’t give up on him.

“Yes, it’s Braith,” he said.

“But is it the Braith we all knew, or is it someone else entirely?” Max asked and brushed back the hair sticking wetly to his forehead.