Vengeance (The Captive #6)(8)

A muscle jumped in her cheek; her chin jutted out. He knew when she was gearing up for an argument. Turning toward the woods, she didn’t make any motion, didn’t gesture in any way, but Xavier emerged from the shadows. His mocha skin and tribal tattoos blended into the night surrounding him. His full mouth compressed into a flat line; the displeased look on his face made William glance around.

“Where’s Braith?” he demanded.

“Some of the king’s men arrived with a report of the goings on at the palace. He’s meeting with them,” Aria answered.

“Is everything ok?”

She waved her hand dismissively through the air. “I’m sure it’s fine. Gideon likes to send updates. Xavier has agreed to go with you on your journey.”

Xavier folded his heavily muscled arms over his chest and eyed William with an air of annoyance.

Not willingly. “This is something I have to do on my own,” he replied.

Aria’s hands fell to her sides; she took a step toward his horse. “I will come with you.”

“Arianna,” Xavier said in a low, displeased tone.

She didn’t even glance back at him as her sapphire eyes stayed glued to William’s. “Two sets of eyes are always better than one,” she pressed.

William released his reins and leaned forward on his horse’s neck. “You’re the queen, Aria, you cannot come with me.”

“I don’t care who I am; family comes first.”

“Braith will hunt you down, kill me, and drag you back. Or is that what you’re hoping for?”

A small smile quirked the corner of her mouth. “Maybe not the killing you part.”

“That’s good to know.”

Kicking his feet free of the stirrups, he swung his leg over and jumped down. Her head tilted back to look at him when he rested his hands on her shoulders. A couple of years ago they were extremely similar in build. He had always been taller than her, but he’d shot up half a foot over the last few years to stand at six-foot-two. She remained lean in stature, though she’d filled out more now that she was eating better. He had put on a good fifty pounds of muscle and had become broader through his shoulders and back, as he’d gotten older. Neither of them were rail thin rug rats running wild through the forest, evading vampires, and hunting for their food anymore.

“There are some things that have to be done alone; you should be able to understand this,” he told her.

“I do, but…”

“No buts.” Bending, he pressed a kiss against her forehead. Tears shimmered in her eyes when he stepped away from her. “Don’t.” He wiped away the single chilly tear streaking her face. “I’ll come back, Aria, I promise.”

Her hands wrapped around his forearms; he expected her to protest further, but she bowed her head and stepped away. “I can find you,” she whispered. “My blood runs through you. If you don’t send word back at least once every two weeks, I will hunt you down and stab you again.”

He laughed. “I will, I promise.”

He gave her a brief hug and released her. No one was going to deter him from his plans, but he couldn’t stand the sight of his twin in pain. He hated even more he was the one causing it. Turning away, he grabbed hold of his saddle and easily swung his body onto the back of his horse again. He gathered the reins and gave Achilles a nudge in the side.

Riding down the street, he glanced back to discover Braith had joined her. He had her wrapped up in a hug. He could feel all of their eyes on him, but he turned away and spurred Achilles into a trot. The night enveloped him as he left the town, and all of his friends, behind.





CHAPTER 4


Aria shivered, not from the cold but from the hollow feeling growing in the pit of her stomach. She fought the tears burning her eyes as she watched William fade into the snow-covered night. “Come on,” Braith said and gently pulled her away. Her shoulders sagged as she walked with him toward the tavern.

No matter how badly she wanted to, she couldn’t chase after her brother and order him to stay. He would never forgive her if she stood in his way, but at least he would still be alive. Looking over her shoulder, she almost took a step after him. She managed to restrain herself in time. William had let her go when Braith had come for her in the cave. He’d been against it, he’d fought it, but in the end he’d let her go to figure out where she belonged in this world. No matter how much it killed her to do it, she had to return the favor and let him go to find his place now.

She could only hope that one day her brother would come back to her. No matter how he tried to hide it, she was well aware of how much he had changed since he’d made the transition from human to vampire. She had made the choice to become a vampire in order to join Braith. William’s choice had been taken from him when his life had been violently ended by Kane’s blade. His death and resurrection had changed him. What had risen in his place was an often angry and distant man she sometimes didn’t recognize.

“He’s going to get himself killed,” she murmured.

“No, he’s not,” Braith assured her. She glanced back at Xavier, biting on her bottom lip as she met his deep brown eyes. He shook his head when he sensed the direction of her thoughts. Braith’s hand tightened on her waist. “He’ll never forgive you if you send Xavier after him.”