He settled the book more firmly between them. Arianna found herself forgetting everything else, even his fingers lingering upon her waist, as she drew her legs up beneath her. She was eager to absorb what he seemed to want to teach her, and she had been wondering about the contents of this book for nearly a week now.
Leaning against his side she followed along as he slowly began to read through the novel, pronouncing each word carefully as he urged her to read along and sound out the words with him. She was surprised by the smile on his face; it was very rare to see such a thing on him. He was always reserved, professional, and perfunctory, but he seemed to be enjoying the book nearly as much as she was. Aria took great pleasure in his smile, and interjecting with the few words she knew. She found herself smiling along with him as he began to teach her to read.
Chapter 5
Braith studied Arianna as she sat curled within the window seat. Her long legs were drawn up beneath her; her dark hair aglow in the light filtering through the windows. Though the book was in her lap, she was not looking at it. Instead, her hands were pressed against the glass, her nose nearly touching the pane as she stared intently outside.
He could see the longing in her face, the desperate driving need to be free radiated from her. It was only then that he realized what these past two weeks must have truly been like for her. She was used to being free, used to running wild and being outdoors. This was probably the most time she had ever spent indoors, probably the most time she had ever spent with a roof over her head and a steady stream of food on her plate.
Food that was slowly beginning to put weight on her. It was rounding out her pointed edges; her collarbone did not stick out as sharply, her ribs and spine were no longer clearly visible beneath the dresses she wore. Her face had filled out; her cheekbones were not so sharp. She appeared even more youthful now, something he wasn’t entirely sure was a good thing. There was an innocence that clung to her, radiating from the inside out, but when she had been thinner she had appeared more worldly, wiser, and harder. He had found it a little easier to be indifferent to her then; he did not find it so now.
Especially when she was staring out the window with that eager, longing look on her face. He moved slowly behind her, touching her shoulder lightly. She tensed briefly, but did not jump away from him, did not recoil or stiffen as she had when she’d first arrived here. Her eyes were wide, brilliantly blue as she stared questioningly up at him.
He found it hard to believe that he had not found her beautiful when she had first arrived. Yes, she had been dirty, bedraggled, defiant, frightened, smelly, and far too thin, but her spirit had still been there. Her splendid inner glow had always resided within her, it had always been present, and it was one of the most beautiful things he had ever encountered. He had just been too shocked by the sight of her to have noticed it. He could not help but see it now, just as he could not help but see her pain and yearning.
“Would you like to go for a walk in the gardens?”
Hope sprang forth in her eyes, her mouth parted as joy radiated from her. It was such a small thing that he offered her, and yet she reacted as if he had just handed her the world. “Can I?” she asked eagerly.
He nodded, his gaze darting to the brightly colored world beneath the window. It had been so long since he had enjoyed a walk in the gardens himself, he found that he was actually looking forward to it. “Yes, I will take you.”
She jumped to her feet, her full mouth curved into a bright smile that stunned him. She rarely smiled, and it was never such a full blown exquisite one as this. “That would be wonderful.”
He nodded, trying to gather his scattered thoughts as she continued to beam radiantly at him. “Come along then.”
Keegan rose to his feet, yawning softly as he roused from his nap. Braith rested his hand upon the wolf’s head, lightly rubbing his fur. Arianna was fairly skipping as she hurried forward. She would not remain so happy for long, of that he was certain; unfortunately it could not be prevented.
“Arianna, you must wear this.”
Her head tilted to the side, her eyebrows drew questioningly together as he lifted the thin gold rope before her. It hung between them, dangling to the ground in a four foot long pool of gold. She frowned at it, unable to understand what it was that he held before her. “All blood slaves must wear them in public,” he explained, hating the words even as he uttered them.
“I don’t understand, what is it?”
He really didn’t want to do this to her, truly didn’t want to bind such a free spirit. But it was the rules and the rules must be obeyed, especially between them. There were already whispers and rumors about the two of them drifting through the palace. Whispers about the first blood slave he had ever kept, whispers about what went on between them, and why he had decided to take her of all people. They were whispers that he did not intend to answer, but he couldn’t allow them to grow even more by letting her out without the chain. He could not allow her to walk freely in public, the whispers would only grow. The speculation would strengthen. Any feeling, any hint of caring between a master and their blood slave was strictly forbidden. Hell, any hint of caring between a vampire and a human was strictly forbidden. If they even slightly suspected that he might be developing feelings for Arianna they would take her from him, and they would kill her.
That was something that he could not allow to happen. He may not care for her, or have feelings for her, but he also didn’t want to see her destroyed in the brutal way that they would do it. It was not fair to her, and he was unwilling to let the light she brought into his life go. Not yet anyway, not until he knew what it all meant.
“It’s a leash, to keep you bound to me.”
Her eyebrows drew sharply together; she gave a small, confused shake of her head. “I don’t understand, leashes are for…” Her gaze darted to Keegan; understanding widened her eyes before narrowing them sharply. Even Keegan did not wear a leash. “I see,” she grated.
“If you are to go out in public you must wear this, it is a custom.” Her jaw was clenched tight, her chin tilted defiantly as her hands fisted at her sides. Though she radiated anger, beneath it all he could sense her hurt, her feeling of betrayal. Anger washed out of her, frustration burned from her. Slowly, she turned toward the window, her shoulders slumped. He hated the crushing sense of defeat that washed out of her, but it could not be helped. Even if she couldn’t see it now, this was what was best for her. For both of them.