Twilight's Eternal Embrace (25 page)

"
And where are they now?
"

Sheerin didn
'
t shy away as he answered.
"
Both dead.
"

"
From the same experiment you want Adryanna and I to conduct?
"

He shook his head.
"
Not exactly.
"
His gaze met Bram's with
pain and frustration shadow
ing
the depths of his eyes.

It was the first time Bram considered that his cousin did not take pleasure in his failed experiments. He truly hoped for success.

"
Teague was fully blooded,
" Sheerin said.
"H
is bride was the first of many that the Lathe Sith sacrificed to us. His bride
'
s sister was Nella. Teague felt inclined to tell the family personally what had happened to their daughter on their wedding night, grieving with them. Teague continued to see the family, enjoying their company. As it would
happen,
he enjoyed Nella
'
s company more.
"

Bram
digested the information Sheerin gave him, coming to his own conclusions.
"
Teague
,
being fully blooded, could not control his blood lust.
"

"
Aye,
"
Sheerin confirmed.
"
Nella would not deny him. One evening Teague could not control his hunger. He took too much of her blood, leaving her too weak to survive. We tried giving her his blood, but she could not keep it down. She faded away as the Lathe Sith do
;
there was naught I could do to save her. I am hoping because you are not yet blooded, we will have time to ready Adryanna.
"

"
What are you readying her for
,
exactly?
"
he asked, his temper rising by the minute. He would have the truth before they continued this experiment, but before Sheerin could answer him, his cousin raised his hand to caution him to be silent. In the next beat of his heart, Bram heard the footfalls approach, too.

Sheerin opened the door on the second knock. Loreto filled the doorway, but came up short when he spotted Bram in the room. Loreto
'
s dark brows furrowed and his eyes narrowed as if discerning what plots Sheerin and Bram were conspiring to do.
"
What brings you two together?
"
Loreto
'
s voice held a note of
re
proach.

"
Can I not visit our cousin?
"
Bram threw back at him.
"
What brings
you
here?
"

Loreto snorted, but let the matter drop at least for now.
"
It saves me trouble that I found you both.
We are wanted in the hall. It is a grand day
;
Gareth has returned from his travels.
"

Gareth had left Dungannon in search of others of their kind with hopes of finding women who would be willing to travel back to Dungannon. Had his older brother succeeded in his quest?

Bram met Sheerin
'
s gaze, wondering if his cousin
'
s experiment would cease to matter if Gareth brought good news, but he could not read his cousin
'
s expression. He would have to question him later when Loreto was not in earshot.

Sheerin stepped into the hall. Bram would have followed, but Loreto blocked the doorway, holding him back.
"
You have been spending much time with the recluse.
"

"
Why do you worry overmuch what I do? Do you not have duties you need to tend to without following me around?
"

"
You will be blooded next year. You will be my responsibility to train and guide. I like to know what the males under my command do with their free time.
"

"
There lies the problem, brother. I am not blooded
,
s
o you need not worry about with whom I converse. Now, are we going to the hall or will father have to send someone in search of us?
"

His brother
'
s nostrils flared, his eyes blazing red, but he moved aside and let him by.

As soon as Loreto headed down the spiral stairs, Sheerin rolled his eyes and let out a long drawn out breath, no doubt due to Loreto
'
s boorish attitude. Sheerin locked his door.

Bram was sure his cousin wished he
'
d done so earlier to prevent him from finding the journals.
"
Sheerin?
"

His cousin leveled his eyes on him in question.

"
I… I am sorry for going through your things.
"

Sheerin nodded. He placed a hand on his shoulder with a firm grip.
"
You are worried about Adryanna. I cannot fault you for that.
"

"
If Gareth brings good tidings and there are women willing to join our clan, will your experiments cease?
"

Sheerin rubbed his neck as if the muscles there had tensed.
"
It depends on you. Will you see the experiment through?
"

Bram wanted to give him an answer. He wanted to say he
'
d do whatever it took to be with Adryanna, but...
"
Honestly, I do not know.
"

Sheerin nodded, accepting his answer for now.
"
Let us find out what news Gareth brings us and we
wi
ll go from there.
"

They headed for the grand hall, neither speaking of experiments or of Gareth
'
s return. They would know soon enough what future they had to look forward to.

Bram parted company
with Sheerin
when he caught sight of Camden. Everyone was anxious to hear what Gareth learned on his journey. The murmurs of voices sounded like
the
low rumble of an approaching storm.

Gareth stood at the front of the room with their father and mother. The elders took seats nearby. Bram
'
s gazed wavered over his older brother with interest. It had been a long time since he laid eyes on him. Gareth
'
s light hair was pulled back with a leather thong, letting the longer strands hang loose down his back. His skin was pale and his eyes were a bright color, lighter than he remembered, but then he had been a child when Gareth left home. 

"
They say he brought home bloodlings,
"
Camden told him.

Bram gave him a quizzical
glance
.
"
Why would we need more bloodlings? We have our own here.
"

Camden lifted his shoulders in a shrug.
"
It is what I have heard anyway. May
hap
they are Gareth
'
s bloodlings. Think about it: How else would he stay alive while he traveled? He would need blood, a daywalker
'
s blood, not just
from
animals
,
since he was fully blooded when he left Dungannon.
"
Camden gave him a sideways glance.
"
And before you ask, the answer is: Aye. It is the way with me also. Without the Lathe Sith
'
s blood, we would grow weak and perish.
"

Bram nodded. Of course he knew once blooded his diet would consist of the Lathe Sith
'
s blood, too. When there had been enough women, they drank from each other for pleasure as well as nourishment, but until recently he did not realize he would be dependent upon a Lathe Sith
'
s blood for survival.
"
How often must you drink their blood?
"

"
At least once a week. It is still new to me, but if I let it go too long, the bloodlust becomes unbearable. It is the worst kind of pain. You want to crawl out of your skin.
"
Camden shuddered as if he relived the discomfort. Camden glanced at him again.
"
The bloodlings... They make my skin crawl, but once I have a taste of their blood, the feeling lessens.
"
He
turn
ed away
as if ashamed of his confession
.
"
They have dead eyes. They offer their vein, but they do not see anymore. I thought it would be different. I could not wait to be blooded, but now…
"
He let his words drift
away
.

Is this what was in store
for them
?
Would he drink from Adryanna until the light in her eyes dimmed forever?

"
My people,
"
Gareth spoke loud and clear, drawing Bram and Camden
'
s attention.

Thoughts of dead eyes and bloodlings were forgotten for the moment. The room quieted until there was silence.

"
It has been many moons from the last we saw each other.
"
Gareth
'
s eyes shifted over the crowd.
"
Some have grown to manhood. His light eyes found Camden before lingering on Bram.
"
Some are about to take the next step.
"

"
Did you find females of our kind on your journey?
"
Loreto stepped forward. Patience had never been his forte.

"
Loreto, my brother
."
Gareth leveled his attention on the male.
"
I see some things never change.
"
His lips curved, but the smile did not quite reach his eyes.

Bram leaned near Camden.
"
Do you find Gareth
'
s eyes…different? Colder?
"
As he voiced his concern, Gareth
'
s gaze riveted to his. If
Bram were
not standing against the wall, he may have taken a step back, so chilling was
the glare his brother shot at
him. Surely, Gareth could not hear him, not from this distance and with the murmuring of voices around him. Yet, Gareth kept his cold eyes
up
on him for a moment longer, holding him captive with just his
stare
. Truly, he could not move or break the hold.

Bram swallowed back the lump in his throat. A second more he
remained
paralyzed then Gareth released him. There was no other way to put it. It was as if Gareth gripped his face with his hands, forcing him to look at him. Then just as forcibly, he released him.

"
What did you say about Gareth
'
s eyes?
"
Camden asked.

"
Nothing
," Bram murmured.

The clan
's
whispers were
anxious
pleas
to hear the news Gareth
brought them. His brother
did not keep them waiting as he spun his tale.
"
There have been no more births from any of the other blood drinking clans I visited. Like us, there are more men than women.
"
He shook his head.
"
You would not believe what horrors I witnessed. Some of the clans have let the bloodlust take over. They resemble more a creature dredged up from a grave than of a living male of worth. They cannot tolerate any sunlight, not even the lighter skies of
Twilight
. The
i
r skin is bluish in color and their eyes are blood red. They raid the villages and take what they call
warm bloods
,
and
then
drink from the poor souls until they are withered corpses.
"

The room fell silent as Gareth spoke of the horrors he witnessed. As his brother finished, the room burst forth with questions.

Was this what their clan had to look forward to?
Bram thought with revulsion. Were they destined to live in darkness, killing the daywalkers at their leisure for survival? He
glanc
ed toward Sheerin, who scribbled
furiously
on parchment. His fingers were blotched, the ink resembling black blood splattered on flesh.