Refugee (The Captive Series Book 3) (22 page)

They didn’t try to stop her as she
slipped away in search of a place that would offer her at least a
little privacy. She found a spot behind a drooping willow with its
branches dangling into the water of the swamp. She cleaned the muck
from her filthy pants before slipping her other pants back on.
Remaining blessedly barefoot she made her way back to the camp with
water to boil.

Gideon and Ashby were sitting by the
pine; Gideon was leaning tiredly against it as he watched her from
under hooded eyes. Ashby looked haggard, even when he had been
exiled to a life of solitude and deprivation he’d never had to
endure this kind of hardship. He was not prepared for it, and it
was more than apparent that he didn’t like it. Making a small fire,
she heated the water and retreated back to the willow to wash her
body the best she could before returning.

Aria settled onto the blanket. She
didn’t think she’d ever been this bone weary and exhausted. She
meant to stay awake until Braith returned but when she laid down on
the blanket, exhaustion won out. It was dark when she woke again.
Braith’s arms tensed around her as she attempted to sit
up.

A sigh of relief escaped her as she
rolled onto her back. She didn’t know when he’d returned but he was
nestled against her, his broad chest pressed against her side, his
arms wrapped around her. The numerous stars were bright in the vast
night sky. She’d never seen anything like it before. The trees
blocked the stars in the forest, the light reflected them in the
palace, and she hadn’t bothered to take the time to look while in
the desert.

Now she stared up at them, awed and
fascinated by the seemingly endless sky. “Shouldn’t you be
asleep?”

“It’s beautiful,” she
breathed.

He remained unmoving for a long moment
before turning onto his back also. His fingers found hers,
entwining firmly as he pulled her against him. “It is.”

She rested her head on his chest,
unable to take her eyes from the sky as the moon began to poke its
head over the horizon. It was nearly full and the color of blood.
Aria shuddered; it seemed a bad omen to her. Braith ran his hand
nimbly up and down her spine, causing goose bumps to appear on her
skin as he pushed the edge of her shirt up and his fingers found
bare skin.

Her eyes drifted closed as pleasure
swamped her. She pushed at the edge of his shirt, eager to feel his
own bare skin beneath her touch as she melded against him. Her hand
splayed against his firm stomach and she was suddenly consumed with
the need to feel more as she stroked over the solid flesh of his
chest.

His mouth was soft, tender against her
cheek, then her ear, and finally her lips. Heat spread through her,
she couldn’t hear anything over the rush of blood in her ears. He
pushed her back, leveling himself slowly over her as he pressed her
into the spongy ground. He clasped hold of her face as he kissed
her with a reverence that left her breathless.

She couldn’t think straight. He
encompassed all of her senses as his hand enclosed her breast. A
gasp escaped, something inside of her seemed to snap as her fingers
dug into his firm back and she pressed closer to him. She was lost
in a sea of need. He was so strong and powerful and yet he touched
her with a tenderness that was humbling and shook her to her very
core.

His arm wrapped around her waist, he
lifted her as he pulled her against him, and leveled himself more
firmly between her legs. The buttons of her shirt had come undone;
he bent to press tender kisses against her chest. His dark hair
blended in with the night surrounding them, but the light of the
moon highlighted the planes of his face. She couldn’t get enough of
watching him as he moved over her. She dimly thought that perhaps
she should stop this, they’d never gone this far, but then she
realized she didn’t want to. She wanted this; she wanted him, more
than she had ever wanted anything in her life.

He was back over her, his mouth
claiming hers as she shook and trembled, and clung to him as
pleasure swamped her. Heat flooded her; she was unfamiliar with the
sensations coursing through her body as she grasped his solid
biceps and tried to keep from completely falling apart. Everything
was right in his arms. Right now, in this moment, there was no fear
but only the love they shared.

And then Gideon released a snort.
Braith froze above her, his mouth stilled upon hers as his head
slowly came up. His bright gray eyes latched onto hers, burning
with excitement and frustration. She was torn between longing to
continue, and the reality that they were not alone.

In the end, it was Braith that made the
decision. His hands trembled as he buttoned her pants and shirt
back into place. A sense of loss filled her as he slowly moved off
of her. A muscle ticked in his cheek as he pulled her against his
side, pressing a gentle kiss to her temple as he lay next to
her.

“I lost my head; I shouldn’t have let
it go so far. I tend to lose myself in you.”

She thrilled at the admission. “I wish
it had gone farther,” she confessed.

He chuckled as he nuzzled her hair. “Do
you know the constellations?” She shook her head as she turned her
attention to the brilliant sky above them. She struggled to ignore
the yearning that still thrummed through her body, but a deep ache
remained. “That one, with the three stars at the end, and the four
grouped together like a cup is the Big Dipper.” Aria settled
against him, comforted by the deep timbre of his voice as he
pointed out the different constellations.

***

“Dad!” Aria squealed in delight as she
raced across the clearing to the man standing in the middle of it.
David’s face came alive with pleasure; his smile lit his features
as he braced himself for the impact of her body. He grasped hold of
his daughter, laughing happily as he enfolded her in a big hug and
spun her around.

Braith warily eyed the people
surrounding them as he made his way forward. He wanted to grab Aria
from her father, pull her back, nestle her at his side where she
belonged, but he fought the urge as her father placed her down and
cradled her cheeks with the palm of his hands. The humans studied
him, shifting uncomfortably as they whispered among themselves.
These were not the humans of The Barrens. These humans had been
abused and terrorized by vampires. They knew only fear toward his
kind.

“Are you ok?” Aria’s father
demanded.

“I’m fine,” she replied with a
brilliant grin that eased the knot in Braith’s chest. He wanted her
back, but her happiness was far more important at the
moment.

“Where’s William?” David asked
worriedly when he realized his youngest son was not
present.

“It was too tricky to move everyone
through the forest, immortal or no, they’re unbelievably loud,” she
informed him with a mischievous smile. “William stayed in the caves
with them.” David’s hands tensed briefly on her face. “He’ll be
fine dad, I promise. We’ve been with them for awhile
now.”

Her father’s gaze flickered toward him.
Braith knew David disapproved of their relationship but he didn’t
care. The man was not going to tear them apart. “I see.”

“Hellion!”

She released her father as her brother
Daniel broke free of the crowd. “Daniel!”

She was laughing as she threw herself
into his arms. Braith bristled, his fingers twitched as his jaw
clenched. It was her brother, he reminded himself fiercely. Even
so, it took everything he had not to pull her away from the slender
man hugging her. Unlike his siblings, Daniel’s hair was wheat
colored but while he didn’t share their coloring, he did have the
same bright blue eyes that William and Aria possessed.

“Dear Lord you stink!” Daniel
blurted.

Aria laughed loudly as she took a step
back from him. “We’ve been wandering through swampland for the past
three days.”

“That would do it,” Daniel
agreed.

“I’m sure you’re eager to clean up.”
Though her father said the words to her, his gaze was intent upon
Braith.

“Very much so,” Ashby
agreed.

There was a shifting among the humans,
and then Max stepped forward. Anger surged through Braith. Hope
spread over Aria’s face and lit her eyes as she took a small step
toward him. Max held her gaze for a weighted moment before he
turned and disappeared into the crowd.

Aria’s shoulders slumped as despair
settled over her. No matter how much he didn’t want her near Max,
he hated to see her upset in any way. He would like to shake some
sense into the selfish bastard, wanted to kill Max for making that
crestfallen look appear on her face. Daniel watched him warily as
Braith stepped forward, his arm brushing against hers as he offered
as much comfort as he could right now. Aria turned to him; tears
burned briefly in her eyes before she blinked them back and forced
a smile.

“Perhaps we can go somewhere a little
more private,” Braith suggested.

“Yes, of course,” Daniel said. “This is
one of the few areas in the swamps that aren’t just water and mud.
It’s not very hospitable but there are some homes here and we’ve
erected temporary shelters.”

The crowd parted as Aria’s father led
them down the street of the small town they had taken residence in.
David led them into the ramshackle remains of a small house. Braith
watched Aria carefully as she picked her way over some broken
boards. He was braced to grab her if they happened to give out.
David stopped to speak with a few younger men before leading them
into what remained of the living room.

“Is there a lake around here?” Aria
asked.

“Yes, but I’ve instructed them to heat
water for a bath.” Her face lit, joy spread over her as she looked
eagerly at Braith. “For all of you.” Braith felt almost as excited
as she looked. “I thought you would prefer to talk after you were
clean.”

“I sure would,” Ashby agreed eagerly as
Jack entered the room. “Look at what the cat drug in!”

Jack’s nose wrinkled. “I’d say the cat
mauled you and hauled you through sewage from the smell and look of
the five of you.”

“And feel.”

Jack grinned; he grasped Braith’s hand
firmly as he clapped him on the arm. “Good to see you
brother.”

“You also.” Jack released him; his
smile grew as his gaze raked Gideon’s miserable, filthy form. “Well
now, this is a pleasant treat.”

“Wish I could say the same,” Gideon
retorted.

Jack laughed loudly as he shook
Gideon’s hand and then Xavier’s. “Long time no see.”

Xavier simply bowed his head briefly in
response. Braith stood stiffly, immobile as he watched three young
men carry in five separate wooden tubs. It took almost a half an
hour before enough water was brought in to fill them. Aria remained
by her brother and father, the brilliant smile never left her face
as they talked.

“Go on,” David urged her when the last
of the water was brought in.

Braith was aware of the fact that four
of the tubs had been taken into one room, while the other had been
kept separate. Aria looked at him as he took a step toward her.
“Wait,” David said sharply.

Braith’s hands fisted at his side. He
could control his need to pull her away from them but he wasn’t
going to leave her alone and vulnerable while she bathed. He didn’t
trust most of these people, and he sure as hell didn’t trust Max.
The boy was lurking around here somewhere and he’d almost killed
her once.

“Not alone,” Braith growled.

David looked as if the top of his head
was going to blow off. Braith stepped closer to her, pressing
against her arm. “Its fine dad,” Aria assured him. “It’s not what
you think. He won’t even be in the room.”

“She’s not going in there
alone.”

“Aria is perfectly capable of taking
care of herself!” David snapped.

“I know she is, and she’s also
perfectly capable of getting herself into trouble.” Aria shot
Daniel a dark look as he guffawed loudly. “I don’t trust these
people. I don’t trust Max. Whether you like it or not, she is not
going in there without me to stand guard.”

“Braith!” Aria hissed as her father’s
eyes narrowed in rage.

“Who the hell do you think you are!?”
David demanded.

“Hers.” The simple, startling answer
knocked some of the anger from David. Daniel’s mouth dropped as
Ashby shook his head. Xavier watched intently and Gideon simply
strolled out of the room toward the other tubs. Jack dropped his
head into his hands and began to massage his temples. “And she is
mine.” He touched her arm gently, nudging her toward the backroom.
She hesitated, seemingly torn as she gazed from him to her father
and back again.

David didn’t protest anymore, but his
jaw was clenched in displeasure as his gaze bored into Braith’s
back. The room they had brought the tub into was small with a
single window in the back. Braith closed the shutters, locking them
into place before turning back to her. Steam rose from the tub, a
small sliver of soap had been set on the floor on top of some
towels and clean clothes.

“A little diplomacy goes a long way,”
she murmured.