Vengeance (The Captive #6)(95)
William took a deep breath, Braith had taken this well so far, but he knew what he was about to say would infuriate him more than anything else had so far. “She also told me she believes you are imposters, and that Aria especially is the imposter queen.”
Braith’s muscles vibrated with power when he flattened his hand on the table. The gray of his eyes faded away as crimson filled them. “My wife is no imposter,” he grated out.
Aria touched his arm in a soothing gesture. “She’ll say whatever is necessary to gain followers, and there are those who believe I shouldn’t be on the throne.”
“And I will kill every one of them,” Braith vowed.
Now William wasn’t so sure who had more power, Braith or that woman. He could never forget what Braith was like when Aria was threatened, but it had been a long time since he’d seen Braith’s barely leashed savagery. He probably could level the world if it became necessary. A tremor ran through Tempest’s shoulders but she didn’t step away from Braith.
“That’s not going to be possible.” Aria forced a smile as she leaned over to kiss Braith, but her movements were far stiffer than William had ever seen them, and the color had yet to return to her face.
The red faded from Braith’s eyes, but his body remained tensed. “I feel I would have met her if we were of an age.”
“I know what I felt,” William insisted.
“I believe you.” His gaze shifted to Jack and Ashby. “Does she sound familiar to either of you?”
“I think I would remember a black haired beauty who was older than me,” Ashby replied, then grunted when Melinda elbowed him roughly in the ribs. Ashby rubbed at his ribs, before wrapping his arm around her waist and drawing her closer.
Jack glanced at Hannah who was watching him from narrowed eyes. “I don’t recall anyone like that,” he replied.
Braith’s fingers tapped on the table; his gaze shifted to the far wall. “All of the outer towns are to be evacuated and moved toward the palace where they can be better protected, including this one.”
“The sun,” Lucas said as he stepped forward. “Not all of us in this town can travel during the day.”
“Some of us may not be up for the travel,” Abe said. Though a vampire, his genetic defect had made him continue to age until he was sixty-two. He was still spry and active, but there were two other vampires in Chippman who had aged into their nineties before stopping, and they weren’t as agile.
“We’ll have carriages built to carry anyone who needs it and to protect those who require it from the sunlight,” Braith said. “It’s a chance you’ll have to take until whoever this is, is stopped.”
“They’re not leaving survivors,” Tempest murmured.
Braith’s gaze shifted to her, William could almost see the wheels turning in his mind. “We will start building the carriages now. I’ll send word back to the palace; The Council must be warned to be on guard.” Rising to his feet, he adjusted the lapels on his jacket. “I’ll start the evacuations of the towns immediately. We’ll leave for the palace as soon as everyone here is ready to travel.”
Hannah stepped closer to Jack, her uncle Abe slid into one of the chairs and bowed his head. “When will we come back?” Ellen inquired.
“When we know it’s safe,” Braith replied. “Jack and Daniel gather some men to have them start building the carriages. Ashby and William you will come with me to divide the guards and send them out to start rounding up the surrounding towns. We’ll have the guards move on after each town to spread the word of the impending danger. I don’t think this woman planned to do anything until after the winter, but those plans may have changed. What happened in Badwin has probably left her scrambling; that should buy us some time.”
“There are still ten guards out there looking for stragglers from Badwin,” Daniel said.
“Good, we will leave them there until their mission is complete.”
“You should keep the guards with you,” Xavier advised.
Braith’s gaze slid to him. “Those towns, vampires, and humans have to be protected first.” Xavier opened his mouth to protest but clamped it shut. He gave a brief bow of his head. Behind Braith, Aria rose to her feet and threw back her shoulders. Braith held out his hand to take hold of hers. “We should all be prepared to leave as soon as possible.”
“What about those starving and twisted vampires out there, hunting in the snow?” William inquired.
“The guards will put down the ones they come across. After this threat is dealt with, I will send more to hunt them down. They cannot be left to roam free,” Braith replied.
William’s hands tightened on Tempest’s shoulders; he pulled her back a step and hugged her against his chest.
CHAPTER 32
William stepped off the last stair and stared across the empty tavern to where Aria sat. Candlelight flickered over her, illuminating her pale skin and turning her hair a vibrant shade of red. Normally she had a tan; it had faded a little due to her time in the palace, but her skin had still held a golden hue that caused the brush of her freckles to appear fainter. Now her skin could make glue look tan, and her freckles looked as washed out as the rest of her when she lifted her head to look at him.