Twilight's Eternal Embrace (8 page)

Adryanna touched the side of her neck and grimaced. The flesh was bruised but the wound was closed thanks to Bram. He healed her when he didn
'
t have to. He probably shouldn
'
t have. She
'
d never heard of an Oiche Sith healing the wounded of her clan.

As she strode toward the barn, she glanced at the sky wishing
Twilight
upon them. Bram may have fled after he kissed her, but she knew he was still near enough to hear her when she asked him to meet her at the cliffs. She hoped he would act upon the request and join her.

Her lips curved. She had watched him fight, saw him take down a Draugr before he came to her. He was a wonder to watch. His movements were like a lethal dance as his muscles obeyed his command.

"
You smile
,
daughter
.
W
here have your thoughts taken you so I may have a glimpse at happiness, too?
"
Her father stood at the door of the barn.

"
I smile because we live, Father. The Oiche Sith clan protected us. I did not die at the hands of a Draugr and I thought I would.
"

Edryd nodded. Her father
'
s hair was light in color like hers, but gray had made the reddish strands
appear
faded.
"
We are blessed, but I worry about you, Adryanna. You cursed the Oiche Sith when you knew your sister was chosen for the blooding ritual. Now you give praises to the clan. What has changed?
"

She lifted her shoulders in a nonchalant shrug.
"
I have grown wiser and see the importance of such a clan.
"
She strode past him into the barn.
"
Do not get me wrong. I still miss Fianait, but I cannot change her fate. She went willingly
,
and I must accept it.
"

She could feel her father
'
s
concerned
gaze, but she didn
'
t turn around as she saddled one of the horses. She paused when her father
'
s large hand touched her shoulder.

"
I know your moods
,
daughter. You are hiding something and I fear it is a dangerous secret.
"

She glanced at him with a smile.
"
I am not hiding anything. Truly Father, you let your imagination run away with you.
"

Edryd
'
s gaze shifted to her neck and she pulled her shawl closer about her.

"
Your wound is nearly healed from last night. I have seen the damage the blood drinker
'
s bite can do. The Draugr are not known to take time out to heal the wounds they inflict. Their bite is meant to kill.
"

"
The Draugr who attacked me was young. Mayhap he forgot he was sent to ravish and not
to
take prisoners.
"
She
turn
ed away
un
able to meet her father
'
s eyes with the lie. She pulled herself onto the back of the mount she had saddled, a brown palfrey with gentle eyes.

"
You have always been like one of the faerie folk with your fanciful dreams and free spirit.
"

Her gaze met her father
'
s. He wasn
'
t condemning her. His eyes were shadowed with worry for her safety.
"
I pray that whoever you fancy treats you with respect.
"

She wanted to tell him about Bram, confess her love for him
,
and share her joy, but the less her father knew about her
Twilight
trysts the better. She would not endanger her father. If Bram and she were caught
,
those who knew of their friendship would be punished. She couldn
'
t reveal her involvement with Bram, but she could let her father know his worries were for naught.
"
I am happy, Father.
"

Chapter Fourteen

The Oiche Sith did not need much sleep. Only a few hours were needed to regain their full strength. Bram found sleep evaded him though. The sun shone bright this day and he could not venture outside. He counted the minutes until he could escape the confines of the castle and meet Adryanna.

With the shores once again safe from the Draugr clan and with only a few of their own injured, the Oiche Sith celebrated their victory in the grand hall until the morning light pushed them to find comfort in their beds. Bram was indeed grateful, but his happiness was for a lovely lass with hair the color of a blazing sun.

His steps took him downstairs to the lower level where the dogs and horses were kept. Since
Twilight
was still hours away, he didn
'
t expect to run into another one of his clan, but Camden stood in the shadows, leaning against the stone wall for support. His friend revealed himself as he entered.

"
You could not sleep?
"
Camden spoke the obvious.

"
As I see you cannot
either
.
"

Camden smiled.
"
Aye. I have not slept well in days.
"

Bram noticed Camden held something in his hands. On closer inspection, he realized it was Fianait
'
s ribbon.

Camden held it up.
"
She gave this to me on our wedding night.
"

Bram wasn
'
t sure he wanted to hear a confession, but with the sun beating down on the land, he was forced to endure.
"
A strange gift to give a warrior, do you not think?
"

Camden chuckled.
"
I said as much to her.
"
His
eyes
met
Bram's
now.
"
But she told me it was meant as a token of her love.
"

Bram frowned.
"
I do not understand. She only just met you. How could she claim her love for you?
"

Camden didn
'
t answer at first. He inhaled deeply, his nostrils flaring as he squared his shoulders.
"
I met her one time before we were wed—in the woods.
"

It took a moment, but Bram then understood.
"
She came to you willingly.
"

Camden nodded.
"
But I failed her. I swear, I tried not to take too much of her blood. I thought I succeeded. She still lived come the morning light, but she was weak. So very weak.
"
He shook his head.
"
I did not know how to help her. I closed the wounds. I made her drink wine and managed to give her some nourishment, but she still slipped away.
"
He gripped the ribbon in his fist.
"
I am a warrior and I could not save a wee lass.
"

Bram didn
'
t know what to say. He hadn
'
t known his friend cared so deeply for the female chosen for him.
"
I am sorry.
"
The words sounded hollow to his ears.

Camden
'
s eyes didn
'
t waver from him.
"
I tell you this as a warning. Do not take a lass you care about when the change is upon you. I cannot say I loved Fianait, but it would have been easy to
fall
in love with her if I had but the chance. I witnessed the way you looked at the Lathe Sith—Adryanna. You hold her fate in your hands. Do not claim her.
"

He had no intentions of doing so. It would never happen anyway.
"
She will not be chosen. She is the last surviving female of her mother and father.
"

Camden nodded, but something in his gaze told Bram he was still worried.

"
What is it? Why do you
stare
at me with such a forlorn expression?
"

"
You drank her blood. I saw you.
"

"
You are wrong.
"
His heart beat fast in his chest. How did Camden know? Did it somehow show in the way he appeared or was
Camden
only guessing? If anything
,
Camden sensed his fondness to Adryanna.

"
No, I am not wrong
," Camden stated with conviction.
"
You closed her wounds, but her blood would have seeped into your mouth.
"

Bram breathed a sigh of relief
,
though he should not. What he did was still forbidden and having tasted a Lath
e
Sith
'
s blood, he realized why. One taste was not nearly enough. He wanted Adr
y
anna
'
s blood, the sweet taste of wild flowers and sunlight. No other Lath
e
Sith would do.

"
A Lathe Sith
'
s blood is an aphrodisiac to us. Did you know that?
"

It was a rhetorical question and Camden did not expect an answer. Bram waited patiently as his friend gathered his thoughts.

"
One taste
," Camden said,
"a
nd we cannot stop the urge to take more. Why else do you think it is forbidden for us to drink from them until the blood ritual?
"

It was true, he wanted Adryanna, but he could control the urge.
"
I would never harm Adryanna and I would kill anyone who would dare touch her.
"

Camden
'
s ruddy brows rose.
"
It is worse than I thought. You bonded with her.
"

"
Do not be ridiculous.
"
He turned away. He should have bit his tongue and not revealed his affections.

"
No? Why are you down here with the horses? Do you wait for the sun to sink below the horizon so you may go to her?
"

"
I
only wished for
some peace and quiet, but I see that is impossible with you here.
"
He glanced at Camden. The burly male raked a hand through his hair.

"
We are doomed, Bram. Our race is doomed. Our women no longer bare our children and we grow weak with each passing season. Each battle, we lose one or two of our clan. We dwindle in numbers, while the Lathe Sith still have children. The other blood drinkers must be suffering the same fate. Why else would the Draugr clan come for the Lathe Sith? The daywalkers can mate with us. If one should survive the blooding, they might carry a child within their womb to full term.
"

"
But they do not survive,
"
he reminded Camden.

His friend lifted his arm and ran a finger down a long gash that had healed. In time, the scar would no longer exist.
"
Blood heals us.
"

It was true. When they were injured, the strong offered their blood to heal the wounded. It didn
'
t take much and recovery was within hours.
"
This is no secret.
"

"
Aye, but what if the Lathe Sith could be healed with our blood, too
?" Camden's eyes shone bright as he relayed his theory.
"
What if after the blooding, we shared our essence with them?
"

"
They are not blood drinkers.
"

Camden wouldn
'
t let this go. His gaze held his with purpose.
"
If we so choose, we could close the Lathe Sith
'
s wounds with our saliva. Why could we not make them strong with our blood?
"

Bram stood there in stunned silence, the blood pounding in his temples, as he tried to make sense of Camden's speculations.

Camden obviously took his silence as
a
rejection. He
ran a hand over his face and choked back his emotions.
"
Ignore me, Bram. I speak of nonsense. It must be a side effect of the change.
"