Aria nodded as she smiled fleetingly at him. Turning to face the new wave of guards coming at him, he braced himself for their impending attack. An arrow whistled past his ear, Daniel and Max leapt into the fray beside him as they attacked the soldiers with spears and arrows. Xavier hung back, protecting William as others poured forth to try and get at the injured human. Keegan raced around the guards, barking and snarling as he forced them back from Xavier and William. A shrill yelp escaped the wolf as a guard managed to deliver a solid kick to his ribs that knocked him back a good five feet. The guard went after Keegan but William had managed to retrieve a bow and fired an arrow through the guard’s heart.
They were putting up a good fight, but Braith knew they would eventually be beaten down by the multitude swarming around them. Using his shoulder, Braith rammed back three more guards and dodged three arrows aimed at him. One clipped across his bicep but it was only a flesh wound that would heal quickly. He managed to rip a spear and some arrows free from one of the men and threw the extra arrows up to Aria. She knelt down and snagged them out of the air.
Braith speared three more guards, and released a series of punches on one of them that left his face battered beyond recognition. He ripped the spear free, falling back as more guards pressed against the five of them. Aria suddenly leapt to her feet, her eyes were riveted upon the front of the room as she turned to face the throne. Braith continued to fend off the guards, as he fell back toward the table in order to try and see what held her so enraptured, and what had caused her to look like she’d seen a ghost.
Her eyes clashed with his as she gestured toward the front of the room. Braith leapt onto the top of the table in a solid bound. Staring over the raucous filled room, he watched in disbelief as Caleb, using the distraction of the battle had circled behind the king and was now closing in on him. Braith took a step toward the dais as his brother sprang forward and shoved a spear through the king’s back and straight into his heart. Blood pooled at the corners of the king’s parted mouth as his eyes widened. His hands clawed at the spear, a strange guttural sound escaped him as his knees began to buckle. Caleb grinned at their father as he turned slowly toward the son that had just committed patricide, with seemingly no remorse.
‘It may be harder to take Caleb down now that he realizes he is the heir apparent.’ The words, spoken so long ago by Melinda, hauntingly floated back across his mind.
As Braith watched his father fall he realized that even in his death, his father was actually proudest of the offspring that had just destroyed him than any of the other children he’d created.
Caleb ripped the spear from his father’s chest and stepped forward to take his place before the throne he had just claimed as his own. He bent and pulled the royal ring from his father’s lifeless hand and unhurriedly slid it onto his index finger. His eyes gleamed with pride; a malicious smile curved his mouth as he held his hand out before him and wiggled his fingers admiringly. Braith had no love for his father, would have taken him down himself if it meant protecting Aria, but even so loathing and vengeance flashed hotly through his belly. He would have slain his father, but he would have taken the man head on, he wouldn’t have been as cowardly as Caleb had just been.
Caleb continued to bask in his moment as he lifted his head to survey the room that was now his. He smoothed the front of his black shirt and idly surveyed the motionless crowd. “Kill them.” The command, almost nonchalant and flippant didn’t immediately get the stunned soldiers moving again. Their king had just fallen, and a new king, one even more ruthless and sadistic, had just stepped forward to take his place. Even if they had been trained their entire lives to one day follow Braith, Caleb’s slaughter of their ruler had just earned him the throne. “Except the girl, keep her alive if you can.” Caleb lifted his head to survey Aria. “I have some truly magnificent plans for her.”
A chill crept down Braith’s spine as he met Aria’s gaze. Her face was pale, her eyes shadowed and haunted as she stared back at him. He knew that she would never allow herself to be taken alive again. No matter what it took, he had to keep them all alive until Jack could get here, if Jack could get here, with the reinforcements.
The room erupted into violence again as the soldiers lurched forward to obey their new king’s command.
CHAPTER 14
Aria forced herself to remain calm, to take a deep breath and steady her shaking hands as she pulled an arrow from the quiver. He’d just murdered his own father, Caleb had just killed the man that had helped to create him, that had raised him, and that had molded him in his image. She shouldn’t be surprised, she’d spent a fair amount of time in their company these past few days, she knew there wasn’t anything they weren’t capable of, but she couldn’t shake the revulsion and horror that ensnared her.
The worst part was now that hideous spawn of the devil was the new king.
Struggling to keep her composure, her wounded middle finger gave a twinge that she ignored as she placed the arrow against her bow and fired at a soldier narrowing in on William. She didn’t think about William’s suffering, she couldn’t right now. Not when their death order had just been handed down. The arrow pierced through the vampire’s back, driving straight through his heart as the man fell forward.
Max charged forward with a loud bellow and threw his shoulder into one of the soldiers closing in on William. Xavier grabbed hold of the spear that was knocked free and used it to batter back three guards trying to get at Daniel as he hurriedly tended to William’s wound. Keegan, seeming to sense William’s extra need for protection, stayed close to William’s side.
Aria rapidly released a flurry of arrows on the soldiers focused on her brothers. She wished she could offer cover for Braith too, but he seemed to be handling the soldiers trying to get at him fairly well from his elevated position on the table. Her brothers were unprotected, vulnerable, even with Max and Xavier trying to battle back the men bent on destroying them. Aria fired two more arrows, there were only five left in the quiver Braith had tossed her.
Her gaze ran rapidly over the hall, she had to find something else to use. A loud shout jerked her attention back to the battle below. Blood seeped from a deep cut on Max’s cheek; his shirt had been torn open to reveal his firm chest and the blood that welled from his flesh. Aria clenched her jaw and fired an arrow at the vamp closing in on him. The guard jerked forward before keeling over from the fatal blow.
Max nodded a brief thanks to her before turning his attention back to helping Xavier. Braith was surrounded by five soldiers, she managed to take one of them out but he was quickly replaced by another one. Terror tore through her, there were too many of them, it was only a matter of time before they were overwhelmed.
Caleb stepped casually over the body of his father as he climbed down the steps of the dais. Taking a steadying breath, the world around her went strangely silent as she focused her entire being on Caleb and fired an arrow straight at his already cold and deadened heart. At the last second one of the guards dove forward and threw themselves in between Caleb and the arrow.
Caleb’s head tilted back, a wicked grin curved his mouth as his lips pulled back to reveal his elongated fangs. Aria met his gaze, refusing to back down, refusing to cower from the twisted perversion within his eyes. Then, ever so deliberately, he tilted his head and nodded toward where she had last seen Braith.
Braith was being pushed back by the wave of soldiers pressing against him. She fired three more arrows in rapid succession, killing two guards and knocking another one away from Braith. There were only two arrows left; she’d have to make them count.
Adrenaline pounded through her as Braith was maneuvered toward where Max and Xavier stood before Daniel and William. They were going to die. She was about to watch the people she loved most be slaughtered right in front of her. Caleb passed beneath her beam as a grunt of pain escaped from Braith. Heart hammering, panic drove her as she scurried across the beams toward a flag hanging above the king’s throne.
r /> She knelt on the beam and stretched out as her fingers fumbled to catch the tip of the flagpole. She nearly tumbled from the beam as she lurched forward, but managed to catch herself by locking her ankles around the solid wood at the last second. Her hand snagged hold of the pole and she jerked it free of the wall. She barely glimpsed the king’s coat of arms, with a red dragon on it, as she fell forward, spinning around the beam to dangle by her ankles for a heart stopping moment.
Taking a deep breath, she used the pole to help shimmy herself back around. The wooden flag handle was solid and reassuring in her grasp. She longed to sit for a moment in order to steady the shaking in her muscles, but there was no time for that. Her legs trembled as she pushed herself back to her feet and began to hop her way back toward the fray that had gathered around Braith and the others.
Soldiers parted from around Caleb, stepping back to allow him access to the people they had herded into the back corner of the room.
They were going to die; Caleb was going to kill them all. Desperation drove her as she lifted the pole up and smashed it as forcefully as she could against the massive beam. The force jolted her arms and hands but the pole splintered within her grasp. It wasn’t much, but it was far better than nothing. She placed it onto the beam, and drawing out her last two arrows, she fired them with deadly accuracy into the soldier closest to Daniel, and the one nearest Xavier, as they were the two being most threatened right now.
She tossed the useless bow aside as Braith seized hold of one of the guards by the throat. He drew him abruptly in and for horrifying moment Aria thought he was going to lose himself to the darkness again, but he lifted the guard instead and threw him into the soldiers encircling them. Xavier lurched forward, stabbing the spear deep into another soldier and forcefully thrusting him back. Daniel managed to get William onto his feet and had him propped against the wall behind Daniel and Max’s back.
Their shoulders heaved, all of their faces were bruised and battered, their blood and the blood of others coated them, but they still looked prepared to continue the fight as they raised their meager weapons. Aria hefted the broken spear; she rotated it in her hands as she moved to the place where she had climbed onto the beam. Bending low, she was about to leap onto the table when the doors on the other side of the room burst open.
Aria gawked as Natasha burst through the doors with Jack, Aria’s father, and the others hot on her heels. The aching tension in her muscles eased as she rose back up to take in the new melee that had erupted in the room. King’s soldiers and militia converged with a loud clash of metal and shouts of wrath and pain. Aria recoiled from the violence that reverberated through the room, the blood that was so ruthlessly and methodically shed, but she welcomed the hope the new arrival brought with them.
The attention of Caleb’s men was diverted as they were torn between pursuing Braith, and trying to fend off the new threat that had poured into the room. Calista surged to the forefront as Natasha tried to flee the invading army. Calista grabbed hold of the vampire woman and brought her down beneath her. Aria had never liked Natasha but that didn’t mean she wanted to witness her death either.
Aria turned away before Calista delivered the final blow. Daniel, Max, and Xavier leapt forward as the guards encircling them were distracted by the troops flooding the room. She was bracing herself for the leap down when Braith appeared beneath her. His face was bloody, his plain forest clothes were torn and ragged, there was still a hole in his chest and stomach but he appeared to be healing rapidly. Though she sensed violence in his set shoulders, and locked jaw, his eyes were not red as they met hers.
“Stay up there!” he barked.
Aria bristled over his command. He didn’t give her time to protest though as he began to push and fight his way toward Caleb. She was about to ignore him, about to jump down anyway when she froze. If her capture had taught her anything it was that she had to think before acting, and she sensed that this was one of those times when it was best for her to stay out of the way and not plunge into the fray. She would only be a distraction to her family and friends, and especially to Braith. Her rebellious nature struggled against her decision, but she managed to restrain herself.
Through the mob, Aria spotted her father by the doors of the massive throne room. There was a bloody bandage wrapped around his shoulder, but he appeared unhindered by the wound as he fired an arrow and killed a guard that leapt at him. Relief filled her; tears burned her throat as he lifted his head and spotted her across the crowd. They exchanged a brief smile and wave before he was once again swallowed by the crush of people.
Her attention was brought back to Caleb as he attempted to lose himself in the press of bodies while the two sides hacked and stabbed at each other with ruthless intent. Aria wasn’t about to let him get away that easy though. She followed him across the beams as Braith tracked him on the ground. The tide of the fight seemed to be turning in their direction, but it was still far from over as Caleb barked orders while retreating toward the table, and then onto it. Aria realized only too late what he was doing, what he intended. He’d never been retreating, but heading towards something.
“Braith watch out!” she screamed above the incessant din of the room as Caleb seized hold of a bow and arrow and took aim at Braith.
Braith twisted to the side, barely dodging the arrow Caleb shot at him. A loud roar escaped him as he finally broke free of the crush and bolted toward his brother in a blur of motion. Caleb fired another arrow that Braith snatched out of the air and tossed aside. Caleb threw the bow uselessly at Braith and braced himself for the impact.
Aria winced as they collided with a thunderous shout and the loud crack of at least one broken bone, though she didn’t know who had suffered it. She didn’t want to look, but she couldn’t take her eyes away as they fell on top of the table, pummeling and tearing at each other with a ferociousness that rivaled two alpha wolves fighting for dominance.
All of their hatred toward each other erupted in a violent battle that shattered the plates, crushed and bent the golden goblets, knocked the candle holders over, and toppled a few of the poor souls trapped within the chairs. They rolled across the table as they punched and kicked and scrambled to stay on top, to remain in control, to destroy the other. The guttural, animalistic noises that came from them were unlike anything she’d ever heard and she hoped to never hear again.
Braith was healing fast but he was still impaired, and Caleb had been feeding better than he had. But even so, it appeared that Braith was winning as he leveled Caleb with a brutal blow that caved his cheekbone in. Caleb howled as he clawed at Braith’s face, trying to tear at his eyes as he fought to escape Braith’s devastating punches.
Nausea twisted in Aria’s stomach. This is war and it’s brutal, she reminded herself. She’d done her fair share of killing today, but what was between them was something more than the war surrounding them. This was a vehemence that had been building for centuries, and was finally being released in a torrent of blood and loathing.
Caleb somehow managed to twist in Braith’s grasp and dodge the next punch. Braith’s fist slammed into the heavy wood table, the harsh sound of cracking bone was distinct even over the raucous of the room.
Braith cursed loudly, he jerked his broken hand back as Caleb thrust his fingers into Braith’s Adam’s apple. Braith was thrown off enough by the switch in attack methods that Caleb was able to get his legs in between them and push Braith off. Braith fell back on the table as Caleb scrambled out from under him. Caleb staggered to his feet, nearly fell over, but somehow managed to keep his balance as he grabbed hold of one of the torches in the sconces above him.
A cry of horror escaped her as Caleb thrust at Braith with the flame. Braith jerked back as the flames caught at the tail end of his shirt. He slapped at the flames, beating them out as Caleb launched at him again. Knocking the torch aside, Braith seized hold of Caleb’s arm and jerked him forward. Caleb managed to dodge Braith’s punch, he slammed his shoulder
into the lower part of Braith’s chest and propelled them both across the table.
They tumbled over, bouncing across the hard surface before spilling onto the floor beneath her feet. Braith seized hold of Caleb’s shirt, lifted him up and smashed him into the floor. Caleb was stunned for a moment, but then he rapidly kicked out at Braith as he was lifted high again. Aria had been so focused on the fight between them that she didn’t notice the soldier that had come up behind Braith until he smashed a club off of Braith’s back.
A cry of distress tore from her as Braith pitched forward beneath the force of the blow. Braith spun as the guard went back at him with the club raised high and a malicious gleam in his eyes. Grabbing hold of the club, he ripped it from the man’s hands and swung it across his face. While he was distracted Caleb threw himself at Braith’s back. The knife he brandished gleamed in the light of the room. Braith knocked his hand aside, blocking Caleb from slitting his throat completely, but Caleb was still able to cut him. Blood spilled forth as Braith’s sliced skin began to bleed profusely, and more guards encircled him.
She had relented and stayed aloft, but there was no way she could stand idly by and watch Braith be murdered in cold blood. Her gaze fell to the piece of broken flag pole she had left behind and she scurried back to it. The ominous feeling that she may already be too late gave her a burst of tremendous speed as she propelled herself back toward Braith.
Braith was struggling against two guards when Aria launched herself off the beam at Caleb. There was a moment when it almost felt as if she were flying, almost felt as if Braith would die while she was suspended like a feather in the air. And then, finally, she was falling.
Caleb staggered beneath her as she crashed onto his back and nearly drove him to his knees. He somehow managed to catch his balance as she wrapped her legs around his waist and clenched her thighs against his sides. With a ferocious cry, she lifted the makeshift stake above her head and plunged it down. Caleb’s skin and bone gave way with a loud crunch beneath the fractured wood as she drove it through with a strength born of terror and love. His legs gave out as the pole broke through his ribcage and pierced the other side. Even before she saw the angle of the pole she knew it hadn’t been a direct blow to his heart.