Twilight's Eternal Embrace (28 page)

"
This is good, is it not?
"
She didn
'
t understand his distress.
W
as
this not
what they were trying to do
?

H
is
hands gripped her shoulders, forcing her to look at him and hear him out.
"
She was not normal. She is more beast than like an Oiche Sith, only thinking of the bloodlust and naught more. Like how I was when I took down the stag, only worse.
"

She shrugged out of his hold, wanting all the details.
"
What happened? What went wrong?
"

"
I do not know. Sheerin is going to question Gareth further with the details. What truly concerns me is that my clan did not flinch from the horror, but seemed to be considering the option. They did not think this an abomination, but a way for the future. They were curious and wanted to know how it was done.
"
His eyes wavered over her face. His beautiful eyes were blue now and filled with sorrow.
"
Please, believe me
,
I never wanted to harm you.
"

Her brows furrowed, her worry stemming from Bram. He dreaded the wors
t
, giving her pause.
"
You fear I am doomed?
"
Since she took his blood, she felt fine, better in fact. Her muscles did not ache after a day of work. She no longer tired after being out all night with him
,
as if her body required less sleep to function. 

"
I do not want what happened to the female to happen to you.
"
His voice lowered with emotion
,
e
ach word drenched in sorrow.

"
Look at me,
"
she said forcefully, drawing his attention.
"
I am well. What we are doing is not harming me. Sheerin would not steer us wrong.
"

He massaged his temples briefly and chuckled
,
though his laugh lacked any mirth.
"
Sheerin wants to find a solution to our clan
'
s dilemma. He is fond of you, I agree, but he loves the clan more. Do you understand?
"

She did. She would expect no less from her own clan. They did not know Bram as she did. They did not love him and if things were reversed, her clan would use Bram to meet their needs. She knew Bram loved her. He would do all in his power to keep her safe. She never doubted this. Sheerin may have his own agenda, but he knew of Bram
'
s feelings for her before they started the experiment. She doubted he would risk Bram
'
s wrath.
"
We have come this far, Bram. We need to see it through. The risk is worth it to me.
"

He was silent for a long breath of time. She could tell by the set of his mouth, he was not completely satisfied by her response.

"
Bram?
"

His eyes met hers.
"
For you to make such a claim, you must see the risk first hand.
"
He did not let her respond, but swept her off her feet and
flitted
.

She did not know where he was taking her until he came to an abrupt stop at the edge of the forest overlooking the castle in Dungannon.
"
Stay here and do not make a sound until I see if it is safe to proceed.
"

Adryanna
nodded. She knew he was going to show her something he thought would make her fear him. Didn
'
t he know her
well enough
by now
,
that she would not be swayed so easily? He wanted to protect her, but if they were to be together, it had to be on equal ground. He could not make decisions for her. She would be brave and face what caused him to doubt they should be together.

He was back in less than a minute.
"
We must move swiftly.
"
He took her in his arms once more and moved with
a
speed she could never accomplish. When he stopped, they were standing before a door and Sheerin stood there waiting for them.

Bram had only been gone
a few
moments
from her side in the forest, but he managed to locate his cousin and arrange this meet. The swiftness of such an action amazed her, but she had no time to dwell on the astounding abilities the Oiche Sith possessed.

Sheerin
'
s words drew her attention.
"
You are making a mistake,
"
Sheerin warned Bram, but he opened the door and stood to the side.

"
It is not your
decision
.
"
Bram grabbed the keys and the torch from Sheerin. He
leveled his determined gaze on
her.
"
Follow close. The steps are slippery.
"

She did as she was told. Her heart pounded
against
her ribcage. She trusted Bram. He would keep her safe, but her heart sped up anyway. She feared the horror he wanted to show her. It had to be the creature Gareth brought back with him. It had to be worse than she could imagine. The stench was foul, like something had died and was left to rot. She folded her arms across her chest as if this would shield her from what was to come.

Bram opened the cell door and shone the light inside. The tormented scream made her skin crawl.

"
He is chained to the wall. He cannot harm you,
"
Bram assured her.

"
He?
I thought you said Gareth brought back a female.
"

"
Aye, he did. His creature is to be feared also. She is lethal and will sooner rip your heart out than anything else. This poor soul,
"
he motioned to the being in the cell,
"
was secreted away by the elders.
"
He relayed the story to her, leaving nothing out and letting her judge the event for herself.

"
He drank blood from the Oiche Sith only once?
"
she questioned.

Bram lifted his shoulder in a shrug.
"
As far as we know.
"

"
Maybe this is where the problem lies.
"
She took a step closer and the creature hissed at her, revealing fangs in his malformed face. She didn
'
t back away.
"
Can Sheerin do nothing to ease his pain?
"

Bram came to stand behind her. His hand gripped her shoulder.
"
You are a rare female.
"
His voice choked and she turned
to face him. "By all rights, you should leave this place and never return, but my sweet Adryanna, you prove not to be a coward.
Do you not understand? I am no
t
good for you
," he pleaded for her to open her eyes and witness the truth
.
"
I will destroy you. I will destroy the tender compassion you hold in your heart, the light in your eyes will die, and all that makes me love you will cease to exist.
"

"
No, it will never happen.
"
She wrapped her arms around him.
"
Like I told you before, what we are doing is worth the risk. And if it fails, I know you will do right by me. You will end my life.
"
He tried to pull away, but she would not let him.
"
Listen to me. I am not a bloodling.
"

"
Gareth
'
s female—
"

"
You do not know how she became the way she is. So how can you compare anything we do to what Gareth did to create the creature he brought back? You have done your best to scare me, but I do not frighten easily. If we want to be together, if you still
desire
me…
"
She let the words hang there, wanting to hear him say it.

"
Of course I want you.
"
His eyes burned violet, the red overlaying the blue with his desire.

"
Then you must be willing to see this through. There is no other way.
"

"
You should marry a male from your own clan and forget about me,
"
he still insisted.

"
Forget about you? Do you believe my love for you is so frivolous? If you send me away, I will do as you bid and not be with you, but know this: I will not marry another even if my father insists that I do.
"

His gaze riveted to hers with suspicion.
"
Has your father insisted you marry?
"

She chewed her lower lip, but nodded.

"
You should listen to him.
"
He whirled away and stood there with his legs apart, a warrior
'
s stance, but she was determined he would not win this battle.

"
I gave my heart to you. I will not play false and take another. It would not be fair to him or to me. You cannot force love. It has to be given freely.
"

I
ndecision flitted in his eyes.
"
Damn the Heavens. You are a stubborn lass.
"

"
Aye, but you keep forgetting the fact.
"

He gave her a half
-
tilted smile.
"
So I do.
"

The creature in the cell inched near them, sniffing the air as if it had caught a scent of interest. Adryanna approached cautiously, but Bram warned her not to step closer.

"
The creature bites.
"

"
What was his name before…before this happened to him?
"

"
I do not know.
"

"
Do you understand me?
"
Adryanna asked the creature.
"
What is your name?
"

T
he creature cocked its head to the side, reminding her of a hawk
'
s keen sense of awareness. She took another step and the creature lunged for her. Bram pushed her to the side with one hand and slammed his fist into the creature
'
s face. The creature hurled back
, crashing
into the wall with a sickening thud.

Bram
'
s gaze riveted to her.
"
Are you all right?
"

She nodded as she
star
ed at the creature sprawled on the ground, unmoving.
"
Is he dead?
"

Bram eyed the creature and shook his head.
"
It would be better if it were.
"

She didn
'
t voice it, but in her heart she agreed. Chained to a wall, scavenging for rats to survive, the creature
'
s life down here was not living. But the male was more animal than human and couldn
'
t be released. There was no telling what it would do, but she could well imagine the horror the creature would inflict. It would not think twice of attacking an Oiche Sith or Lathe Sith. Blood is what it wanted.

"
You are bleeding.
"
Bram was before her in a flash, holding her arm.

She
glanced
at the angry red line at her wrist.
"
It is nothing.
"

"
I must have scratched you when I grabbed your arm.
"

She patted his hand.
"
It does not even hurt. I am fine
"

Bram
'
s brows furrowed
as he stared at her arm.

With a frown of her own, she observed her arm
. The wound was healing, knitting itself back to health as they watched in fascination.

"
I do not understand. Bram?
"

"
You have been drinking my blood. It must be an effect.
"
His gaze shifted uneasily to the creature.