Jack became completely still as the groaning became louder. He had no idea what to expect, he was half certain that a mass of soldiers would burst forth to overpower them. The gates, bent and battered from the repeated blows they had sustained, moved agonizingly slow as they were pushed open.
Ashby was grinning from ear to ear as he stepped forward. His arm was wrapped possessively around Melinda who was tucked against his side. Ashby’s gaze skipped over the group before settling upon Jack. “Well come on you lazy bastard, there’s still more of them in here to play with!” he announced jovially.
Jack grasped hold of his sister and kissed her forcefully on the cheek. “Good to see you sis.”
“You too.” Though she was smiling sadness resonated within her eyes.
“Where’s Braith?”
Gideon’s face was drawn and tired as he stepped forward. He was coated in blood but didn’t seem to be relishing in the battle, instead he seemed far more reserved than Jack had expected. “He took a few soldiers with him and went after your father, and Aria.”
Jack swallowed the hard lump that formed in his throat as he turned to inspect the group surrounding him. He was acutely aware of the few people that were missing from it and so was David as he inhaled sharply. They were all damaged and tired, but there was still far more that they had to accomplish. “We need to get to them,” David said forcefully.
“Yes,” Gideon agreed. “Before they’re all killed.”
Gideon didn’t sound anymore convinced that it was possible than Jack felt.
***
Aria had no idea where she was within the convoluted mess of passageways that made up the inner workings of the vast palace. Her shoulders and legs brushed against the walls as she hesitatingly felt her way forward. She longed to move faster but she was worried about running face first into an unseen wall.
Her fingers brushed over the solid walls surrounding her as she fumbled to find an escape. Caleb must have originally tracked her into the other tunnel before realizing that she’d fooled him as she didn’t hear his cheery humming anymore, and he didn’t taunt her with calls of ‘here kitty.’ She could sense he was behind her again though, back on the right trail, and like a dog on the scent he was honing in on her.
She stopped as her fingers suddenly brushed over a wall in front of her. She was unable to understand why it was there; unable to grasp that she was now trapped between a wall and Caleb. “I smell fear on the kitty,” Caleb ridiculed.
She really just wanted to punch that guy. Taking a deep breath Aria forced herself to calm down; if she didn’t stay calm she would never get out of here. There had to be a way out, she was sure of it. She recalled Jack finding the secret lever that had revealed the hidden passage in the room she’d slept in as a blood slave, and she knew well the intricate traps and hidden releases that Daniel designed in the caves. Just as there was always a way out of those places, there was a way out of here; she just had to find it.
She had to bite back a scream of frustration as her fingers frantically skimmed over the smooth walls surrounding her as she searched for a lever or switch. It wouldn’t be so hidden that the servants couldn’t find it, so why couldn’t she find the damn thing?
Then her fingers caught on the small lever set at chest height; she pulled down on it and took a step back as the door swung inward. Light descended upon her, for a moment she couldn’t see again, but her eyes were quicker at adjusting to this sudden influx of light than they had been after being in the dungeon for so long. She was about to step forward when she saw what the open door had revealed.
Her mouth was suddenly as dry as The Barrens had been; her heart lumbered as she stared at the atrocious throne room the king cherished so much. With sinking dismay she realized she’d leapt out of the frying pan and right into the fire. “Boo.”
A cry escaped her as she jumped. She’d been too startled by the realization of where she was to hear Caleb’s approach. His word, whispered near her ear, sent a fresh flood of adrenaline crashing through her and with her hands fisted, she spun to face him. He was better prepared for her this time, but even so she was able to get in a glancing blow to his chin. He danced back for a moment before coming at her again.
With an infuriated cry, she kicked him in the knee with enough force to knock his leg back and pushed herself off of him as hard as she could. She was fast, she knew it, but she wasn’t faster than a vampire. She was just hoping to give herself a little bit of a head start as she turned and bolted out of the passageway. The king had to be somewhere nearby; she had a feeling that he spent most of his time in this throne/trophy/monstrosity room he had created for himself.
She bolted into the room, nearly tripping over her own feet as the king’s soldiers spun toward her. She froze, her eyes widened, her mouth dropped as the king turned to look at her. There was a malicious smile on his face as he leered at her with far too much amusement for her liking. Then over the sea of heads, across the massive hall, she saw him.
Her heart leapt into her throat, tears burned her eyes as her gaze clashed with Braith’s. The soldiers lifted their spears and moved to block him as he took a step toward her. Braith’s vivid gray eyes became the color of glistening rubies as his long fangs extended past his lower lip. Though there were far more soldiers than him, judging by the look on his face he might actually be able to plow his way through them to get to her.
Arms wrapped around her waist and lifted her up before flinging her to the floor. A strangled cry escaped as her body bounced off the marble and her teeth clamped down on the inside of her bottom lip. She had completely forgotten about Caleb in her astonishment and delight over seeing Braith, but he hadn’t forgotten about her.
She scrambled back, trying to regain her feet as Caleb came at her. Braith’s ferocious bellow ripped across the room as Caleb seized hold of her arms and yanked her to her feet.
CHAPTER 11
Jack led the way through the streets, fighting off the soldiers that came at them while trying to avoid the unsuspecting souls that scrambled to get out of the way. The only ones he truly cared about not killing were the children. Though some of the king’s noblemen resided within the palace itself, most had residences within the large town and bailey outside of it. It was those residences that Jack targeted now. He was sure most of the nobles had fled toward the palace when the attack started, but some would have stubbornly remained in their homes.
Wood cracked and popped as flames licked at the stores and homes. The stage where the slaves were auctioned was already fully engulfed. Screams echoed over the cobblestone and down the roads of the town as vampires and humans attempted to flee the devastation. He wanted to be repulsed by the death, but a part of him was thrilled by the brutality of it. He was surprised that most of their vampire’s were doing so well, especially the starving masses from the outlying towns. There were few here that wanted to win more than the broken masses the king had created though.
Drops of David’s blood dripped onto the streets as he fought close at Jack’s side. Though Jack had his baser instincts under control, the past few days had been a trying time and David’s blood seemed more distinct than the human’s around him. Jack realized he’d never smelled it before, in all of their adventures and trials together David’s blood had never been spilled before tonight. The man was too quick for that most of the time.
David lifted his bow and fired at a soldier that emerged from the smoke and fire. The arrow pierced deep into the soldier’s heart and knocked him back as he kicked and groaned in the final moments of his life. Though David’s jaw was locked, and determination radiated from his eyes, his arm trembled as he dropped it slowly back to his side.
“It is essential you take care of that wound,” Jack informed him.
“I’m fine.”
“You’re not fine.” David shot him a look as he lifted his bow and fired another arrow into a cluster of soldiers. Jack ignored the furious look his friend gave him as he seized the bow from D
avid. “Do something about it before you bleed to death,” he commanded gruffly. “Your children will kick my ass if something happens to you.”
David glowered at Jack as he reached out and grabbed Jack’s shirt. Jack wasn’t expecting it when David brandished a knife and cut a large piece of cloth from the last shirt Jack had that was still in one piece. Clothing was hard to come by in the woods, and over the years Jack had become accustomed to the lightweight tunics and baggy pants that were woven out of flax for the summer, and the heavy woolen articles that were created for the winter.
David’s eyes sparkled as he deftly tied the shirt around his injury and used his teeth to pull the knot tight. “I liked this shirt,” Jack grumbled as he handed the bow back.
“It was nice,” David agreed.
Jack’s attention was diverted from the blood soaking through his friends bandage as a shout of victory rang throughout the street. He turned to discover that Victor, one of his father’s right hand men, and one of the cruelest vampires Jack had ever had the displeasure of meeting, had been taken prisoner. The man was beaten and bloody as he was pulled down the street by a group of soldiers that were led by Saul and Barnaby. Saul stepped back and pointed toward one of the growing fires and the soldiers pushed Victor into the inferno. Jack didn’t feel an ounce of remorse as Victor’s agonized shrieks pierced the night.
Rounding a bend in the road, the palace came fully into view. It loomed over them, ominous and imposing as it stretched high into the night sky. Illumination from the leaping flames of the town shimmered off of the pale palace walls as they approached.
Almost there, they were almost there. He could only hope that his brother hadn’t managed to get himself killed as the massive gold doors of the palace swung open and a new horde of the king’s soldiers spilled out to challenge them.
***
Braith could barely believe what he was seeing as Aria burst free of the servant’s tunnel. Seeming to sense his presence, she turned toward him. Hope and terror radiated from her brilliant blue eyes as she gazed at him. Even filthy, with her hair tangled around her dirt streaked, porcelain skin, she was still the most exquisitely beautiful thing he’d ever seen.
Beneath the dirt he saw the bites, bruises and blood that ran up and down her arms and across the column of her throat toward her neck. He couldn’t bring himself to think about where else she might have bite marks, where else they might have touched her, and what else they might have done to her. All he longed for was to get his hands on her again, and to get her out of here alive.
If at all possible.
She took a step toward him as Caleb emerged from the servant’s quarter’s right behind her. Wrapping his arms around her waist, he lifted her up and threw her to the floor. Braith’s vision became a shade of crimson as a bellow tore from him. He lunged forward, shoving through the guards closest to him as he felt the beast within take over and all his control slip away.
He was consumed with bloodlust as he jerked a man forward and seized the spear from him. Turning it in his grasp, he twisted it under his arm and plunged it into the vampire’s chest. Tearing it free, he drove it into the hearts of two more soldiers closing in on him.
Aria’s frightened cry drove him heedlessly onward. All he cared about was getting to her, and destroying anyone that had dared to touch her. He didn’t feel the spear that pierced his back and tore through his shoulder. He didn’t even know he’d been stabbed until the pointed tip shot out the other end.
He tore the spear free from himself as he spun on the two guards staring at him with huge, frightened eyes. He was about to cross that line again, about to completely relinquish himself to the darkness, and he didn’t care as he seized hold of them both. He killed the one quickly, almost mercifully, as he grabbed hold of him, slammed his fist through his ribcage and tore his heart out. The other was not so lucky as Braith spun him around and used him to deflect the four soldiers rushing at him. The man screamed and howled as he was pierced with multiple spears and arrows. He squirmed within Braith’s grasp but Braith felt no compunction over continuing to use the man as a shield as he battered his way through the crowd.
He lost sight of her as he was engulfed by soldiers. Something else pierced through his calf, driving him briefly to his left knee. Pain lanced through him, but he forced himself back to his feet as the guard he held heaved one final groan and went still in his grasp. Braith used his body to beat back two more soldiers as they lurched at him. He threw the flaccid body of the dead guard at three more of the king’s men and knocked them over.
The soldiers fell back; the crowd parted giving him a brief glimpse of Aria as she tussled against his brother’s hold. He grunted as another arrow tore through flesh and bone, ripped through sinew, and clipped part of his heart. Driven to his knees, Braith felt the rush of blood from the damaged organ as it seeped into his chest. It wasn’t a fatal blow, not at his age, not if he could feed soon, but it would weaken and slow him. The guards approached with far more confidence than they had before, and on top of his other wounds...
“No!” Aria’s scream was frenzied and raw with terror. “Don’t! Stop it, you’re killing him!”
Caleb was trying to grab her again when she savagely spun on him.
CHAPTER 12
Panic tore through Aria as she watched Braith go down on the marble floor. A scream of anguish ripped from her, she’d never seen so much blood. They were killing him, and he kept trying to get up and reach her. It was becoming devastatingly obvious that there were too many of them, he was simply outnumbered by the soldiers swarming him.
Caleb was grinning maliciously as he grabbed hold of her. Reacting on instinct and rushing adrenaline, she tried to drive her knee into his tender groin region again but he was better prepared this time. He slapped her fist away from its trajectory toward his face as she tried to change tactics. She lunged at him, throwing him a little off balance as she shoved her weight against him.
Every dirty trick her brother’s had taught her sprang to mind as she sought to free herself from him. Caleb was expecting her to go for his groin again, and she made a feigning attempt at it. His hands dropped, leaving his face, and her intended area of attack, exposed. Feeling like a crazed woman, she hooked her fingers and went straight for his eyes.
Caleb howled as she drove her fingers into his eye sockets. She tried not to think about what she felt beneath her fingers, she simply clawed as ferociously as she could until he threw his arms up and knocked her away from him. The jarring impact caused her arms to go numb as she stumbled backward. His hands flew to his face, she had not blinded him, but she’d injured him enough that blood pooled from his battered right eye. Aria was not fooled into thinking it would distract him for long.
She clasped both hands into a fist, and with the full force of her weight she twisted as she swung them upward. She caught him beneath his chin, and knocked his head back with a loud crack that gave her a spurt of satisfaction. Blood exploded from his mouth as he staggered back. It may ruin all of his plans, but he was going to kill her, she was certain of it now. Before this, he would have played with her and tormented her, but now if he got his hands on her again he was going to kill her in the vilest way possible.
She would just have to make sure that he didn’t catch her again.
Aria turned and darted away from him. Her heart hammered as she spotted Braith somehow finding the power to rise to his feet once more and take down two more guards. Pulling one of them forward, he yanked the vampires head back and sank his teeth deep into its neck. No, Aria moaned silently. No, no, no.
She may already be too late, she realized. She may have already lost him to the monster he could become.
She threw herself forward, rolling across the ground as she avoided the searching grasp of one of the guards. Grasping hold of a spear she staggered back to her feet as she ran for Braith; adrenaline and terror gave her a speed and strength she didn’t know she’d possessed until this moment. She didn’t kn
ow if it was the king’s blood, or her driving need to reach Braith, but all of her other injuries and her exhaustion was forgotten as a strength she never knew she could possess surged through her.
Toward the back of the room she spotted her brothers, Max, and Xavier. They had already been taken down; bloodied and beaten they were on their knees, surrounded by guards, close to the elongated tableful of the king’s horrible “guests.” Her chest constricted as she realized she was about to lose almost everyone she loved today.
Keegan raced around Braith, biting and snarling as he forced some of the guards back while dodging the weapons thrust at him. Braith tossed aside the guard as he rose to his feet and lurched toward her. A soldier, that had the misfortune of getting in his way, was easily disposed of as Braith broke his neck and tore out his heart. Aria heaved the spear at another guard, driving it deep into his chest. The man’s eyes bulged as he clutched at the wooden pole protruding from him.
She ripped the spear free as Braith went down again, an arrow protruding from his torso. She was dimly aware of the fact that the soldiers must have orders to take them alive; otherwise they would all be dead by now. Braith was powerful, the floor was littered with the soldiers he’d destroyed, but ultimately he was outnumbered. She was quick, she had caught Caleb off guard, but she was still human.
But then none of it mattered as she was almost there. She could almost feel him again. She barely spotted the guard that stepped in front of her, barely realized he was there even as she heaved the spear at him. It was off the mark as it pierced his throat, but it still knocked him away as he fell back against two of his cohorts.
She fell to her knees; tears burned her throat as she flung herself into Braith’s open arms. A sob tore from her, she’d never felt anything as magnificent as his body molded perfectly against hers. Her fingers clutched at his back as she was immediately enveloped by his love. He bent over her, clasping her tightly as he cradled the base of her head against his chest and buried his face in her hair. She couldn’t get enough of him, simply couldn’t touch him or feel him enough.