Twilight's Eternal Embrace (15 page)

Loreto gasped in surprised, but he stilled. He fell back. The wound would not kill his brother, but it would paralyze him. Only severing the head from the body would truly kill an Oiche Sith. The thought crossed
h
is mind, but he had witnesses. He
'
d have to kill Niven and Fergal. He let the burning desire to murder seep out of him. Too much was at risk. He had to save Adryanna.

"
What have you done?
"
Niven
'
s voice held a note of disbelief and shock.

He swung around and met Niven
'
s gaze.

"
I had no choice.
"
He stood to his full height.
"
Loreto was out of control and was about to sanction a war between the Lathe Sith clan and us. He cannot kill one of them and especially not a female. You know this.
"

"
Aye.
"
Niven nodded grudgingly.

"
It grows light. I suggest you get my brother back to the keep before then. I will go after Fergal.
"
He didn
'
t wait to see if Niven followed his orders. At this point, he didn
'
t care if Niven left his brother there to fry in the morning
'
s light.

The trees were a blur of green as he moved to catch up with Fergal
,
before it was too late.

Chapter Twenty-One

Ad
r
yanna kept one arm wrapped around Talia
'
s waist as she raced her mount toward home. What had Talia been doing out in the woods? Fear clutched her stomach, making it ache. Talia would be dead now if Bram hadn
'
t intervened and whisked her away from the Oiche S
it
h
'
s grasps.

Bram
'
s last words came back to tease her. One of the Oiche Sith had been his brother. She knew it had to be the larger one of the three, the one
who
held Talia with the intent to drink from her. He was the only one who had gone through the change. The other two had not. Bram
had told her
his brother had been through the blooding ritual.

She knew she hadn
'
t killed Bram
'
s brother, but the male felt her sting. A chill slid down her spine as she recalled how the Oiche Sith
'
s eyes blazed with hatred. She had a hunch the Oiche Sith wouldn
'
t let the matter go. He would want retribution for such an attack.

A sound to the right of her drew her attention. Her eyes widened as she saw a flash of color before something large and unyielding slammed into Talia and her. They flew from the mount
'
s back, landing hard on the ground. Pain radiated through her limbs and the air was knocked out of her from the crushing blow.

"
You are nothing but a female,
"
the male hissed
as he crouched low, ready to spring
.

She recognized the Oiche Sith, but it seemed in his blood rage he did not recall her. The male had cornered her with a friend outside the gates of Dungannon on the day she'd first met Bram.

Again Bram had halted her attempt to teach this male a lesson. She was an excellent marksmen and her arrow would have left a mark. It was too late now to
regret the folly. She rolled to the side and tried to
scramble
away. She spotted Talia sprawled on the ground like a discarded rag
,
either unconscious or dead.

"
Nay, you are not going anywhere.
"
The male grabbed her hair, yanking her onto her back. He straddled her and held her hands above her head easily with one hand.
"
How about you and I have a little fun before I kill you?
"
With a hiss, he plunged his teeth into her neck.

She screamed, the pain a burning sensation she remembered all too well
from
when she suffered the bite from the Draugr. She struggled to be free, but it was no use. He was too strong. Any attempts to move only egged the male on, drawing more of her life essence with every pull of his lips. She could feel herself weakening. Her gaze wavered to the side where a shadow moved with
the
practice
d
grace of a cat.

"
Bram,
"
she murmured, believing she imagined him there, but then the Oiche Sith at her neck was yanked away. Her hand fluttered to her wound, blood seeping through her fingers.

Her eyes tried to focus on the fight, but the blurs of color were all she saw whipping around her. Growls and hisses sent fear skittering through her veins. Fear for Bram
'
s life.
"
Let him be all right.
"

A sickening crack and a thud, indicated the fight was over. Her vision blurred and wavered as she tried to make out which Oiche Sith remained standing.

Light
eyes met hers
as
Bram knelt down beside her. He tore at his wrist, drawing blood. He removed her hand and placed his wrist to her wound, their blood mixing together. Warmth spread through her veins. His blood worked faster, better than his saliva, the pain already lessening.

His hands cupped her face.
"
Are you all right?
"

"
Better, now that you are here.
"
She gave him a whisper of a smile.
"
Talia
?"
She
glanc
ed toward the female who had yet to move.

Bram flitted over to her.
"
She still draws breath. She must have bumped her head.
"

Adryanna came to her feet, feeling steadier than she thought possible. Bram
'
s blood was potent.

"
Can you walk?
"
He asked her as he scooped up Talia.

"
Aye.
"
She nodded.
"
What about him?
"
She
gestured with her head toward
the Oiche Sith lying still, his neck stretched at an odd angle.
"
Is he dead?
"

"
No. I snapped his neck. It will be a while before his body repair
s
the damage. I will see you home and then come back for him.
"

Her gaze wavered to the sky
with unease
.
"
You will never make it back before sunrise.
"

Bram
's eyes darted to t
he sky
that showed lighter
shades of blue
,
proving
dawn
hovered near
. He lay Talia down
and headed
over to the Oiche Sith
. He
dragged him toward the trees
that were
cluster
ed
closer
together.
"
I will cover him with leaves
," he told her.
"
He should be safe as long as he stays
put until nightfall
.
"

Once
Fergal's
body was covered, Bram picked up Talia again, cradling her like a precious bundle. With all his warrior strength, he still had a gentle heart.

They broke through the trees
,
overlooking Coomkeen as the sky turned yet a shade lighter and a yellow glow warmed the horizon.

Talia moaned and her eyes fluttered open. She struggled to be free and Bram placed her on her feet. Adryanna moved forward to make sure she didn
'
t fall.

"A
nother one of them
,"
Talia pointed with one hand and held onto Adryanna
'
s arm with the other.

"
It
'
s okay,
"
she soothed.
"
He will not harm you. He saved us.
"

Talia
's eyes surveyed
Bram
with suspicion
, but she didn't bolt
.

"
Why were you out in the woods, Talia?
"
Adryanna questioned her, drawing her attention.

"
I…
"
she glanced at Bram then back to Adr
y
anna again.
"
I could not sleep and saw you leave on your mount.
"
She folded her arms over her chest.
"
I do not know what I was thinking. I followed you, knowing I could track your movements. I wanted to know where you were going. Where you go every night. I have seen you leave your dwelling when all else sleeps.
"
She glanced at Bram again as if she realized then her mistake. The Oiche Sith did not sleep when the sun set in the sky. It was obvious Talia had her suspicions of where Adryanna went and who she met in the forest, but the female didn
'
t voice them.

"
An unwise move,
"
Bram spoke up.
"
For both of yo
u," he added."
His gaze shifted to Adryanna for a moment before settling on Talia again.
"
The Oiche Sith often hunt at night. Once the blood lust sets in, it is difficult for my kind to suppress it. You were prey to them.
"

Talia shuddered and rubbed her arm.
"
I want to go home.
"

Bram nodded.
"
Go
then
.
"

Talia whirled around and hurried along the path,
glanc
ing back only once to see if
Bram
followed.

Bram waited until Talia was a good distance away before
he spoke again
.
"
I must hurry also,
"
he told
Adryanna
gently.

She gripped his arm.
"
There is no way you will make it back to Dungannon in time. Stay with me.
"

His brows lifted and he shook his head.
"
It is too dangerous.
"

"
It is unsafe for you to set out for home. You only have to look at the sky to know I speak the truth.
"

His gaze shifted to the horizon where yellow
burned
brighter as the seconds ticked by.

"
You can hide in my room,
"
she hurried to say.
"
My window has wood closures to keep out the light. Please, do not attempt to make it back to your village. You are fast, but not fast enough to outrun the sun
'
s rays.
"

He closed his eyes and inhaled deeply.
"
Aye.
"
He met her gaze, his blue eyes mimicking the color of the deepest blue of the sky.
"
Let us hurry before your village awakes and sees us.
"

Chapter Twenty-Two

Bram paced Adryanna
'
s room. He felt trapped within the four walls as the sun blazed the land with light.
She
and her mother left hours ago to pick berries. The walls were not thick and he could hear the conversation between mother and daughter. Adryanna
'
s father had ventured out to take care of the animals before he set out for the shop. She told him her father was a carpenter, a fine one by the looks of it. Adryanna
'
s bed was wood carved with an intricate design of spirals and interchanging angles. Her father possessed a steady hand.

He sat down on her bed, his hand smoothed over the furs. This was her bed meant to be shared with her betroth
ed
, not an Oiche Sith, who didn
'
t have the decency to leave her untouched. As much as he wanted to be with her, he feared his association with her would cause her reputation harm, but that was the least of
her
trouble
s
.