In fact, he thought that Caleb was right, that Jericho did feel more for Arianna than just friendship and loyalty, why else would he have taken her like he had? Braith had never revealed to Caleb, or his father, Arianna’s true history. There was no point in doing so, she was gone now, and there was no way to use her against her family anymore.
“There was a different man with her.”
Braith’s eyebrows lifted sharply, his mouth curved in a sneer. “Was there,” he said sardonically. How many damn men that the little bitch have? He wondered angrily. First the blood slave, Max, then his brother, and now some other mystery man. His fingers twitched into a fist, he struggled against the fierce surge of bloodlust that tore through him. He needed to bury his fangs in something in order to try and forget the anger raging through him.
“Yes. They have no idea who it was, but it wasn’t Jericho and it wasn’t the other blood slave.”
A muscle in his cheek began to twitch in aggravation; he felt his temper beginning to unravel. He had thought Arianna a sweet innocent who had brought light back into his life. He was beginning to learn that nothing could be farther from the truth.
“I see.” But he didn’t see, and he wondered why he didn’t go after her and drag her back here kicking and screaming. Why he didn’t go after her, destroy her family, smash her rebel cause, and hunt down his treacherous brother and make them all pay. Braith paced away, shooing away the tailor that tried to follow him. He tore the jacket off, suddenly feeling claustrophobic within the material. The tailor made a strangled sound of despair as the material ripped, but Braith did not care. “Have they brought any blood slaves back?” he demanded.
“Yes, they are leading them onto the stage now.”
Braith nodded, he grabbed his cane and hefted it into his hands. Keegan, his ever faithful wolf and seeing dog, yawned before rising to his feet. His claws clicked against the wood floor as he walked beside Braith. “Let’s go.”
Caleb hesitated for only moment before falling into step beside him. Braith was used to the darkness, used to navigating it; he needed no assistance as he wound his way through the hallways of the palace. The cane clicked off the floor, but it was Keegan that always alerted him to any new obstacle that may have been placed in the way. With a subtle pressure against his leg Keegan could steer him easily one way or the other.
Braith made his way swiftly down to the stage that held the future blood slaves. He looked it slowly over, but he saw nothing. There was no glowing light upon it, no redheaded girl staring in horror and fear at the crowd. He had been shocked into immobility at the sight of Arianna, unable to move, unable to believe that he could actually see anything again, let alone the frightened, dirty, bedraggled girl that was everything he had ever disliked about a woman.
She was not round, she was not voluptuous, she smelled far from decent, and yet he had seen her. She was the first thing he had witnesses in over a hundred years. And slowly, over the time he spent with her, she had become infinitely beautiful to him. Yes she was defiant, harsh, far too skinny for his taste, and not beautiful in the classical sense but she was also strong, sweet, innocent, and unbelievably wonderful. He had come to care greatly for her, until he had realized that it was all a lie. That she was in fact none of those things, and was instead a cunning, manipulative shrew.
He looked over the stage once more, but still nothing popped out at him. No other women appeared to him, no one else gave him sight again. “Is there anyone up there that could be her family?”
Caleb was silent for a few moments. “Not that I can see. I’m going to grab a few of them, I’m sure they’ll eventually tell us more. And if they don’t,” Braith heard Caleb’s shrug of indifference. “I will enjoy trying to make them talk.”
Braith stood silently, listening as blood slaves were brought forth and auctioned off. Caleb claimed four of them. Braith briefly contemplated taking a few more of his own, but decided against it. He had enough for now.
He turned away, if there was anything to learn, Caleb would do it. He made his way back toward the palace, wondering where Jericho had been during the raid, wondering who it was that she had been with. Another man? Just how many damn men did she have in her life? He tried to tell himself that he didn’t care about the answer to that question, but he knew he did. He could not deny it. The bitch had betrayed him, and now she was running free, wrapping even more men around her devious finger in order to get them to do whatever she wanted them to. He hated her for making him one of those men.
He made his way easily through the crowd, his mind churning; anger simmered hotly inside of him. He needed a new plan. He couldn’t simply sit here and allow her to get away with everything that she had done. He could not allow his brother, the youngest, to be sitting amongst the humans, laughing about how he had managed to deceive his eldest brother, and his family.
Braith had made the decision to let them be, he was now beginning to rethink that decision. They should pay for what they had done, and he could make them do that. They may be able to avoid his men, but they could not avoid him.
Especially not her.
***
Rain dripped softly onto the makeshift tent. The piece of canvas offered little protection against the elements, but Aria didn’t care. The air smelled wonderful, it was freeing after all the time in the caves. It helped to ease the sense of claustrophobia that still clung to her, but it did little to wash away the lingering screams that had woken her every night for the past week.
She could retreat to the shelter and warmth of the caves, but she knew that she would not. She couldn’t bring herself to go back in them now, if ever. So instead she sat in silence, listening to the plop of the water upon the tent. Max and William sat beside her; they had been her constant companions since the night of the raid. William would wander out once in awhile to gather food but Max would not leave her be, and she wasn’t sure that she wanted him too. He moved closer to her, dropping a blanket around her shoulders. His hands lingered upon her for a moment, and she didn’t shrug him away. She found she needed his comfort, his loyalty, his unwavering love right now.
She leaned into him, resting against his legs. “You need to get some sleep,” he told her.
“I will.” They both knew she lied, but he didn’t argue with her.
When she shivered, he wrapped his arms around her, pulling her against his chest and cradling her gently. Though her heart did not thump with excitement, as it had when the prince touched her, his strong embrace was wonderful. She felt safe in his arms, cherished. No, he did not affect her as the prince had, but he was a good man, he loved her, and he would do anything for her.