Twilight's Eternal Embrace (5 page)

"
Aye,
"
he said slowly, wondering why she asked.

Her eyes narrowed.
"
Then why can you not heal the ones you take to your bed for the transition?
"

He sighed heavily. He had wondered himself many times.
"
I do not know. I have not gone through the change. I have only heard the others talk about losing control. With you, right now, it was difficult for me to stop. Your blood tastes pure and sweet, like nothing I have ever tasted. And I have not gone through the blooding ritual that triggers the change.
"

Adryanna
pondered his words. An Oiche Sith
'
s body went through a traumatic change overnight. She
'
d seen the difference on more than one occasion. They went into the castle slight of buil
d
and emerged taller and bulkier
,
with muscles of a warrior.
"What you are saying is t
he male cannot stop drinking from the vein.
"

"
I fear he cannot.
"
He moved away and she immediately missed the warmth of his touch. She sat up and scooted
near
him.

"
Were you and your sister the only children born to your parents?
"
he
inquired
.

"
Aye.
"

H
is expression of uneasy worry shifted to one of relief.
"
Good. The elders will not choose you. They will not leave your parents without a child.
"

She frowned as she realized Bram would go through the change and he would take another from her clan to his bed. He would kiss that woman…and do other things. She swallowed back the lump in her throat. The thought of his lips and teeth on another seemed wrong.

His fingers lightly caressed her cheek.
"
You are angry with me.
"

"
No.
"
She shook her head and smoothed her features the best she could.
"
It is just…
"
She let the words trail off.

"
What is it? Tell me.
"

She met his gaze. His eyes were the shade of deep blue again. Her thoughts were crazy. Going to his bed when he changed was to insure her death. But he hadn
'
t lost control a few moments ago. He knew when to stop.

"
Adryanna, are you well?
"

"
I am fine.
"
She smiled to reassure him.
"
Do not laugh.
"

"
Why would I laugh?
"

He would think her daft, but it didn
'
t stop her from revealing her wish.
"
When your time comes, I do not want you to take another Lathe Sith
'
s blood. I want you to take mine.
"

Stormy tension filled his gaze before flashing with anger.
He flew to his feet.
"
I must take you home.
Now
.
"

She stood and retrieved the dagger she had all but forgotten.
"
I am sorry. I have
ang
ered you
.
"

"
I am not
.
I am
furious
with myself. I have taken too much of your blood and now you are delirious.
"

Her blood boiled in her veins at his words.
"
I am not delirious. Do you not feel it? Do you not sense the bond between us?
"

"
You will remove those thoughts from your head. I command you.
"

Her callous laugh left no doubt her temper had risen
.
"
You command me? You do not own me, Bram.
"

He harrumphed.
"
We will never be together. Do you hear me? I felt nothing more than wanting your blood.
"

"
I felt your desire.
"
Her gaze drifted to his lower extremities.

"
I am a man.
"
His harsh chuckle only angered her more.
"
You are a comely lass. Of course I would want to be between your thighs.
"

She flinched as if he slapped her. His words hurt more than she thought possible.

"
Come, I will see you home. We will never see each other again
,
this I promise.
"
He offered his hand, but she refused to take it.

"
I do not need your help to walk.
"

Chapter Eight

Bram knew he was
a
fool. How could he have let Adryanna talk him into sampling her blood? She claimed she didn
'
t want him to take another to his bed when the time came for his change. Well, he did not want another either. He wanted her and only her, but he refused to let his tender thoughts for her take charge. If he took her, she would die. He could not go on with the knowledge he ended her life. It was better she hated him. She would soon forget her folly and move on. She was the only surviving child
of her family
. She would not be chosen to be with one of his clansmen. She would be safe from him, too.

She followed close behind, making no move to walk beside him.
Twilight
had long since darkened into night. With the trees blocking out the sky, her eyesight would be hampered. He didn
'
t rush,
but
she miss
ed
a step
anyway and
stumbled
. A
stream of curses followed. He halted his movements
and she
slammed into him
, but
he righted her before she fell.

"
Why did you stop?
"
Her
tone all but accused him of having a sinister motive
.

"
If you will allow me, we can make the journey faster and…safer.
"

Her brows furrowed.
"
I do not understand.
"

He knew she wouldn
'
t.
"
Let me show you.
"
He lifted her with ease
and h
er arms went around his neck in surprise.
"
Hold on.
"
Before she could protest, he flitted at the speed his kind was accustomed to.

He rarely took casual strolls. Today had been a first in years. He had enjoyed his time with her, but now they must put an end to it. The sooner the better, dragging it out would not make parting with her any easier.

She felt soft and warm against him. Her scent filled his nostrils and he knew he would not be able to forget her sweet fragrance. He
'
d tasted her essence. He would not soon forget how her blood had warmed him either. She offered it to him out of curiosity, but he would cherish the gift.

When he came to a halt, they were standing at the edge of the forest where Coomkeen lay before them. She clung to him and he held her close until her heart rate slowed to normal beats. Not accustomed to moving so swiftly, she would be dizzy. He didn
'
t want to place her on her feet until he knew she could stand without falling.

Her beautiful face, flushed by the wind, broke into a smile. "
It is like flying.
"

He chuckled at her childish delight.
"
I suppose to you
,
it would feel as if we took flight.
"
He let her body slide
down
his until her feet were planted on the earth. His hand caressed her cheek with longing for what could never be.

Her hand came up to hold his forearm as she leaned into his palm.
"
I do not wish our last words to be in anger.
"

"
Nor I.
"
He gave her a sad smile.

"
I wish you well, Bram.
"

"
As I do for you.
"
He wanted to kiss her one last time. It would prove a mistake, but this night had been full of lapses of good judgment. H
is hands cupped her face
as he
pressed his lips to hers
. Her fingers curled into his vest, tugging him closer for more
.
Forbidden fruit could not have tasted any sweeter than
his
beautiful Adryanna.

Their long caress clouded his mind and it took all his strength to
end the kiss and
back away. He didn
'
t wait for her to speak, but flitted
into the night
before his resolve to leave her was a forgotten promise.

Adryanna
'
s
melodious
voice drifted
on the breeze
.
"
Liar. You do want me.
"

His lips curved. Aye, he had fooled no one with his claim of not wanting her
and if there had been doubts, he erased them with his
kiss
goodbye
.

Aye
,
he was a liar, but he had left her well and alive at her village. His honor remained intact for at least this night.

Chapter Nine

Adryanna avoided her parents when she awoke. She donned her dark colored braccae for hunting and left without a word. She didn
'
t want them asking her questions of where she
'
d been last night. She
'
d missed the evening meal and had not returned before they had gone to bed. They could interrogate her later after she returned with food for the table. However, hours away did not make it any easier to face them, but face them she must.

Her father waved to her from the barn and she returned the gesture. He was kind and easy going.
"
Edryd, you are far too lenient
,"
her mother scolded him often enough.

Adryanna felt her mother
'
s eyes on her as she entered the house with two rabbits slung over her shoulder for the evening meal. She took on the chore of hunting for
their
food
after h
er father broke his foot last year and the bone didn
'
t heal properly. He made too much noise when approaching the prey and he could not run to keep pace with it if the need arose. 

Her mother eyed her with suspicio
n, but h
opefully
she
would
not question her
. She couldn
'
t tell her she spent the evening with an Oiche Sith.
Oh, and by the way, I let him
sample
my blood.
It was better she kept that information to herself. She placed the rabbits on the cutting board.

Their dwelling was spacious, the kitchen being the largest room in the house. The stone fireplace kept them warm during the winter months. During the summer
,
it could be stifling if they did not open the windows and let the fresh breeze through. 

She reached for the carving knife. Her sleeve moved up her arm, exposing the area where Bram drank. Two pinpricks and some redness around the wounds
were
the only evidence that marred her flesh, but she hastily pulled her sleeve down to hide them. She wore her hair down to hide her neck. There the pinpricks were bluish in color, more like tiny bruises. They were barely noticeable, but she did not want to take the chance her parents would see them.

Her mother and she worked in silence as she kneaded dough for the evening meal. Her mind kept returning to Bram and the way he held and kissed her. The sensation was nothing she had ever experienced. She would have shared the experience with Fianait, but her sister was gone. A tinge of sadness
invaded
her thoughts. Her eyes watered, but she would not cry. She prayed Camden gave her sister as much joy as Bram had given her.

"
I did not hear you return last night,
"
her mother said as she chopped the vegetables.