Twilight's Eternal Embrace (26 page)

The more Bram heard about his brother
'
s adventures abroad, the more he wanted to turn away, but he could not bring himself to do so. If he was ever to learn to control the bloodlust, he must know what drove these clans to madness because he could not think of another word for what Gareth described.

"
I heard of a rumor,
"
Gareth
'
s voice lowered, stilling the tongues to silence once more,
"
that we could change a daywalker, a Lathe Sith
,
to be like us.
"

Again the room burst with conversation, questions, snorts of disbelief
,
and curses.

Bram glanced toward Sheerin. His cousin had stopped scribbling
and met his stare with an unvoiced understanding. It was obvious they both had come to the same conclusion
.
Gareth
could possibly
h
o
ld the answers they needed after all.

"
Silence!
"
Bram
'
s father stood.
"
Let Gareth tell us what he knows.
"

Gareth
'
s features were strained, his
e
motions changing with each blink of an eye, but Bram could not discern what that meant.
"
There was one Lathe Sith that lived through the transition, but she is not right in the head,
"
his brother confessed.
"
She is vicious and bloodthirsty, more animal than not. Aye, her blood would be compatible to ours, but you would suffer her bite as well.
"
Gareth turned toward the guards behind him. He snapped his fingers and the two males wheeled
forth
a large box covered with a black cloth.

Bram had not noticed the box hidden in the shadows before now. His scalp prickled with dread as if he already knew that whatever was concealed beneath the cloth would be better off not existing. In the next second, his premonition proved correct.

Gareth pulled the cloth away and a creature screeched and banged against the bars that kept it trapped. Its long tangled hair flew like a whip around its face.

"
Dear Heaven above,
"
Camden cursed beside him.

"
This is the Lathe Sith that was turned. She was once a beautiful woman.
"
Gareth
'
s hand motioned toward the creature. The
thing
…the female settled down for the moment, her chest rising a
nd
falling in rapid succession as
she
crouched, ready to leap.

Bram could not believe the claim that this creature was once beautiful. The female
'
s pasty face was dirt stained
,
or perhaps dried blood marred her cheeks. Her eyes were pinpricks of red. She leapt at the bars, banging against them as if she had not given up hope of escape. Her fangs lengthened as if she
'
d like to sink her teeth into Gareth. She clawed to reach him.

"
As you can see,
"
Gareth continued as if he discussed the evening
'
s weather.
"
The change has considerable drawbacks.
"

Drawbacks?
Bram thought.
This
i
s monstrous.
The female was like a rabid animal. Out of pity, she should have been put down.

"
Is there no way to tame her?
"
Loreto stepped forward and the female lunged against the bars, rattling the metal
,
and hissing her displeasure.

"
Perhaps you would like to try?
"
Gareth chuckled and stepped aside.

Loreto seemed to consider it for a moment, but when the female lunged again, he took a startled jump back.

Gareth chuckled.
"
She
'
d tear you apart, brother.
"
He
focused his gaze on
the woman again and murmured beneath his breath
words only the female could hear
. The female stilled and met his gaze.

Gareth was using some kind of mind control. Bram was sure of it now. Something like what he had felt Gareth do to him.

The female blinked in confusion, but she no longer banged against the bars.
"
Come near,
"
Gareth ordered the female and she complied.
"
Give me your wrist.
"
Again the creature did as she was told. Gareth took her hand turned it over and sunk his teeth into her flesh. The female who hissed and spit a few moments ago stood still and let Gareth drink from her vein.

Bram could not watch this; he edged his way toward the exit. No one seemed to care. Matter of fact, they seemed pleased that they could move closer to Gareth and the creature. Every fiber in Bram
'
s being told him this was wrong and if his clan partook in such a ritual
,
their souls were doomed. Were they each supposed to keep a caged creature in their rooms to satisfy their blood lust?

Once outside the castle, he took deep gulps of air and exhaled again as if he needed to rid his lungs of something foul.

"
You should go back inside.
"

Bram turned and leveled his eyes on Sheerin, who leaned against the wall watching him.
"
He has spelled the creature in some way. She is a prisoner.
"
He swallowed back the nasty taste it left in his mouth.
"
Is this what will happen to Adryanna? Is she damned because she drank my blood?
"

Sheerin shook his head.
"
No.
"
He came forward and gripped his arm.
"
We will prevent it.
"

Bram
'
s brows furrowed. His cousin did not seem surprised by Gareth
'
s creature.
"
Did you know this was a possibility?
"

Sheerin gave him a curt nod and Bram cursed under his breath.

"
I would sooner sever my head than to let something like that happen to Adryanna. This ends now.
"
He turned to leave, but Sheerin
'
s hand snaked out, gripping his arm.
"
Unhand me,
"
Bram
hissed, baring his fangs.

Sheerin lifted his hand in surrender, but it didn
'
t stop him from speaking his mind.
"
It is too late to go back. Adryanna has tasted your blood. To stop now is to condemn her.
"

Bram fisted his hands. His eyes burned with tears of frustration, but he would not shed them in front of Sheerin.
"
I swear.
"
He grabbed Sheerin by his shirt.
"
I swear if anything happens to her, I will stake you and let the sun
'
s rays burn your flesh away.
"

Sheerin didn
'
t flinch or back away.
"
Then let us make sure Adryanna does not fall prey to the same fate as the creature inside. I will question Gareth further and find out how the change came about. We do not know his method. It is like…
"
H
is words trailed off
and
h
is eyes narrowed as he shook his head.

"
What is it like?
" Bram insisted.

Sheerin
held his gaze for a heartbeat more before he gave him a resigned nod
.
"
Follow me. I wish to show you something. A secret the elders keep hidden.
"
They went back inside the castle, but did not take the steps to the great hall. Sheerin
'
s strides took them to a stairway that led down to the dungeon.

Dread pitted like a bad seed in Bram
'
s stomach. Whatever Sheerin wanted to show him, it could not bode well if it was secreted away in the bowels of the castle.

His cousin secured a torch from the wall in front of the door that would lead to the cells below. Bram
'
s brows rose in surprise that Sheerin possessed a key. Stale air and something unpleasant hit his nostrils when the wooden door was pushed open. His hand went to his nose and mouth, a defensive response to keep him from being ill.
"
What is that?
"

"
It is best you see for yourself,
"
Sheerin told him.

Moisture hung in the air, causing the walls to weep like tears of grief. When they reached the first cell, Sheerin opened the door, revealing the small room meant for prisoners. Growls penetrated the silence
,
alerting them of the danger. Sheerin raised his torch illuminating the dark walls and casting light on a creature chained to the wall. Wails of pain emerged from it.

"
What is it?
"

"
One of the bloodlings.
"

Bram could not keep his eyes off the deformed figure. The bloodling was hunched over trying to protect its eyes, but it didn
'
t hide the fact that the bloodling
'
s body had changed
,
and not for the good. His arms were longer, his legs thicker, but his face was hideous.

His gaze riveted to his cousin
'
s.
"
What happened? What was done to him?
"

"
One of the blooded drank from him, I believe too much. The Lathe Sith should have slipped away like the others often do, but this one lashed out on his last breath, biting the Oiche Sith
'
s arm. He drew blood, drank plenty before the Oiche Sith managed to snap its neck.
"

Bram returned his gaze to the creature.
"
I do not understand. He should be dead then
,
if his neck was broken. The Lathe Sith cannot survive such an injury.
"

"
Aye, but when he was placed on the death pier, he rose up before the fire took hold. He went through a transformation, not unlike we do when we are blooded. I believe it is because he drank our blood before he died.
"

Bram couldn
'
t believe the horror h
is gaze beheld
. He felt pity for the creature that would remain chained to the walls until death claimed it.
"
You should have ended its life a second time.
"

"
How? Cut off its head? Let it burn in the sun?
"

Bram frowned.
"
Surely, he is not like us in that way?
"

"
No? Look at him. Aye, he is a grotesque version of what we are, but he is like us. He drinks blood for nourishment.
"
Sheerin stepped closer, lighting the room with the torch. Bram noticed the rat carcasses littering the ground.
"
The Lathe Sith
'
s can be changed to be more like us. We just have to find out how to do it correctly.
"

Bram backed away, shaking his head.
"
You tricked me. You made me believe I could protect Adryanna, but you wanted a test subject. You did not care if she lived or became one of your pets.
"
He pointed to the creature.

"
No
, t
hat is not what I wanted. I want this to succeed as much as you do. What Gareth brought home is not our solution for survival
,
nor is this bloodling. We need companionship and love, not a caged food source.
"

Bram harrumphed.

"
You think I jest? The Oiche Sith are passionate, but without love, we will be animals. We will take what we want and not care of the devastation we leave behind. We will be what you call
a
creature
.
"
He nodded toward the cell.

Fury settled in the corners of his heart as he thought how his cousin betrayed him.
"
So you sacrifice a few Lathe Sith here and there to accomplish your dream.
"