Twilight's Eternal Embrace (27 page)

Sheerin inhaled deeply, his nostrils flaring as if losing patience.
"
Remember, Cousin, you came to me. Not the other way around. You drank from the Lathe Sith
,
and without encouragement from me. You began the process. I am trying to help you. I am trying to make sure Adryanna does not fall victim to the same curse as the bloodling in the cell or the creature Gareth brought home.
"

What Sheerin claimed was true. He had done those very things with nary a concern of what it would mean or how it would affect Adryanna. He ran a hand over his face
,
worried beyond belief. He thought his cousin a monster, but he alone had put Adryanna in harm
'
s way.

"
Adryanna has show
n
no signs of changing
,"
Sheerin
'
s words were spoken in quiet certainty.
"
She still has free will. She has taken your blood. In time, her body may take on some of our attributes. If one drink on the brink of death made that creature in there change, perhaps if we started sooner, he would have changed gracefully.
"

"
But you do not know
for certain,"
Bram hissed, the anger twisting his gut once more, for what he did and for Sheerin keeping the truth hidden.
"
We hold Adryanna
'
s fate in our hands. She trusted me, but I have deceived her.
"

He turned toward the door bent on leaving this hellish den with a creature meant for the darkest bowels of hell. Sheerin
did not
stop him. On his cousin
'
s part
,
it proved the wisest
action
. In his
frame of mind
, his predator instincts were at a high. His fangs ached to draw blood and if Sheerin made one wrong move it would be his cousin
'
s throat he ripped out.

Your time is soon. The change is upon you.
He thought in his mind already knowing it was true. He could feel his body changing. He claimed he wanted to stop this, let Adryanna go, but he knew in his heart it was too late for either of them.

Chapter Thirty-Three

Adryanna waited anxiously for the sun to set. Her chores seemed endless and her mother
'
s attempts to draw her closer irked her. She loved her mother. She truly did, but they would never have an easy camaraderie, at least not like how her mother and Fianait had. Her mother wanted her to be like her good-natured sister. As much as she
'
d like to appease her mother and find peace between them, she could not sacrifice herself to live a lie.

When
Twilight
finally greeted the day, she feigned a headache and took to her room. Her father
surveyed
her with suspicion. She knew he would question her every move now that he insisted she marry Fergus. His meeting with Fergus was to take place tomorrow. Her father demanded she be presentable and welcome Fergus into their home.

She would be cordial; it was not Fergus
'
fault her father insisted she play out this farce. She didn
'
t know how she would avoid this marriage with Fergus if her father insisted, but she would have to stall it as long as possible, until Bram and she could find a way to be together as husband and wife.

As soon as the low murmurs from her parents
'
room silenced into a lull of sleep, she secreted away from her room with her bow and arrow. If her father questioned her, she
'
d tell him she set out to find dinner for tomorrow
'
s table. In truth, she did need to hunt.

Bram met her at the edge of the forest. His eyes landed on her weaponry and his brow lifted.
"
Are you expecting trouble?
"

She opened her mouth to tell him her ploy in case her father questioned her, but another more interesting prospect entered her mind.
"
I would like to hunt with you. You need to feed and I need to bring food to our table.
"
Most nights, Bram had already fed or he would leave her side to hunt before he returned to Dungannon.

He shook his head.
"
I do not think it wise for you to witness such an act.
"

"
Aye, I do.
"
She placed a hand on his arm.
"
Hunting down prey and feeding off their blood is a part of you, a part of being a
n
Oiche Sith. I should know what to expect.
"
Thoughts of what she witnessed with Loreto and his friends crept into her mind. They ravished their prey, but she did not think Bram did the same.

"
It is not a pleasant act
," he told her.
"
Death rarely is. I take down an animal with my hands…and teeth.
"

"
I am a hunter, Bram. My arrow is my kiss of death. I do not enjoy seeing the life ebb out of the animal
'
s eyes, but it is a necessity to sustain life, is it not?
"

He lowered his eyelids. His thick lashes lay against his skin, a dark contrast to his pale
flesh
. When he opened his eyes again, he gave a slight nod.
"
We will hunt, but you must stay away from me once I am ready to take down my prey. I do not want to hurt you
,
or worse. It is difficult to shut down the hunting aspect of my existence. Do you understand?
"

She knew he would never hurt her intentionally, but she was not foolish enough to believe it wasn
'
t possible. He was much like the males of her clan, but there was also a predatory strength
which
radiated from him
,
like heat from a fire.
"
I understand.
"

His gaze shifted to her arrows
,
peeking out of her quiver.
"
If I lose control
,
do not hesitate to use your
weapon
to keep me away from you.
A
im for my heart
. I
t will not kill me, but it will immobilize my attempts to go after you.
"

She nodded, knowing he would not agree to this hunt any other way.

They
ventured
deeper in
to
the forest. She had not hunted in this area before
,
where the trees were thick and close together. The sound of water bubbling over rocks reached her ears and she knew they neared a river.

Bram slowed his pace, allowing her to keep up with him, but still they moved quickly as they avoided bramble and tree limbs in their path. She gripped her bow
,
never forgetting she kept pace with a predator and could easily become the prey.

When Bram slowed his pace and turned with his forefinger against his lips, she knew he sensed an animal was near. The tree leaves whispered above their heads and the wind kissed her hair, sending it flowing behind her back.

The snap of a twig to the left of her told her where the
s
tag would appear from the foliage. As the thought entered her mind, the animal came into view—large and magnificent, wearing its antlers like a royal crown. She watched as Bram
'
s body tensed, his eyes turned red and his fangs lengthened. Every muscle seemed to ripple beneath his skin as he readied to leap into action.

The stag sniffed the air then stiffened in response. His large brown eyes widened as
he
realized danger lurked nearby. The animal bolted and so did Bram, taking the
s
tag
'
s movement as an invitation for a chase.

Adryanna went after them. She was no match for their speed and agility, but she could track them easily enough. The chase lasted only minutes before Bram took the beast down. Her feet halted as she came upon them. Bram held the stag down, the beast kicking and bleating as it tried to break free from Bram
'
s hold. Bram
's
gaze rivet
ed
to her
s
, his eyes red and glowing in the moonlight. He hissed at her, a warning sound to stay away. She did. She did not move or speak a word. Bram lost interest in her and returned his attention to the stag. The beast
'
s ribcage rose and fell
,
i
ts breathing labored.

Bram
'
s muscles rippled with strength as he held down his prey. She held her breath
,
fearing Bram would tear into the stag
'
s neck with brutal intensity, and yet she could not force herself to turn away. She wanted to be included in all of his life
,
not shielded from it.

Bram did not attack the stag. He made a low guttural growl in his throat and clicking sound
s,
as if he communicated with the stag in a language known to beasts. Curious, she inched closer. Again Bram hiss
ed at her
.

"
It is all right,
"
she told him.
"
I will not interfere. I say a prayer of thanks for the sacrifice the animal gives. Are you doing the same?
"

Bram gave a curt nod. His hands smoothed over the stag and the beast calmed further, giving into its fate seconds before Bram sunk his fangs into its neck. The stag jerked at first, but then settled. The stag
'
s breathing slowed as Bram drank the life force from its body. With one last shudder, the beast no longer lived.

Bram pulled away. Still crouched down beside the stag, he lifted his gaze to her. His eyes glowed as red as the blood staining his lips.

"
Are you horror stricken now?
"
he asked her. The steely sound of his voice was probably meant to frighten her, but she
had
come to know him too well. His guarded words covered his vulnerability. He thought she would reject him
;
but with him allowing her into his world, it only drew her closer to him.

She took a step toward him.
"
On the contrary, my dear Oiche Sith.
"
Adryanna
stood in front of him now. Her hands cupped his face, forcing him to
meet her gaze
. The restless desire in his eyes had her heart racing. She knew he heard it too when his breath quickened a notch.
"
I love you,
"
she told him as she leaned down and kissed his blood
stained lips.

He rose to his feet, dragging her against his body. He kissed her as if he hungered for her. No ordinary hunger, but a gut-wrenching necessity to have her, to claim her. She
'
d willingly succumbed to his demands, but then he pulled away.

She swayed forward, dizzy from the sudden lack of his caress.
Bram stared at her with pain-filled eyes.
Her brows furrowed.
"
What is troubling you?
"

His fingers threaded through her hair.
"
I never meant to hurt you.
"

"
Hurt me? You have not.
"

"
That is the wors
t
of it. You do not know.
"

She rested her hand on his forearm.
"
Then tell me.
"
She could see it in his features that he truly believed he harmed her in some way.

"
Gareth, my older brother has returned. Remember I mentioned him to you.
"
He went on to refresh her memory.
"
He set out on a journey in search of other blood drinkers. He wanted to know if they were inflicted with the same curse as we were.
"

She knew he spoke of his clan
'
s inability to have children.
"
I take it he did not return with good news.
"

He closed his eyes as if in physical pain.

Fear clutched her heart. Had Gareth discovered the
af
fliction would harm the males of the clan in some way, too?
"
What happened? What did he find on his travels?
"

H
is gaze locked with hers
again.
"
There are more clans like us and they all suffer from the same
af
fliction, but this is not what disturbs me. It is what my brother thought our solution should be and it
troubles
me. He brought home a…hybrid…for lack of another name. He changed a female
."