She was wearing William’s cloak now, the hood pulled over her bent head shadowed her features and hid her hair. He felt that simply touching her might help to ease the fire inside him, but he didn’t dare touch her in front of the woman that obviously held some loyalty to Gideon. Gideon may very well have been one of the strongest, and most human rights friendly aristocrats that Braith had known before and during the war. He’d fought adamantly against the enslavement of the humans, but Braith had no idea what a hundred years of living in these Barrens had done to him. He wasn’t entirely certain what to expect from Gideon, but Braith sure as hell wasn’t going to alert Gideon to the fact that Aria was his biggest weakness. Not until he knew if he could trust the once powerful aristocrat.
They rounded the top of another dune and like a beautiful mirage a town came into view. Heat rose from the sand in waves that made everything shift and blur. But the town was there, green and lush for as far as the eye could see. “How is this possible?” Awe laced Aria’s voice as she gazed over the town.
“At one time all of these lands were lush and fertile.” Braith forced the words out. “It was the war itself that left everything so desolate. Gideon must have found a water supply out here, probably deep within the earth.”
“Amazing, simply amazing,” she whispered to herself.
He gazed at her for a moment before turning his attention back to the town before them. There were already vampires lining the streets, waiting for them as they moved down the dune and onto the main thoroughfare.
For a moment he hesitated. He should have fed. It was too soon for Aria, and the thought of feeding off the woman was enough to make his stomach turn, but he was in no condition to fight if that was what this became. Aria went to touch him, but her hand fell limply back to her side. He almost grabbed hold of her hand to make it abundantly clear that she was off limits to everyone in this town. He didn’t want any more talk of someone possibly buying her, or her brother. However, he also had to keep her alive and there was no way to know what they were walking into.
He shouldn’t have brought her here, but in the end there had been no choice. They would need help if they were going to take down the king, and there was no one that hated the king more than the aristocrats that had stood against him during the war. Aristocrats that had power and followers of their own, or at least they used to, and judging by the growing crowd, they still did. The people and vampires all appeared healthy, the buildings were in good repair, and it was obvious that they had established some sort of unbiased system here as human and vampire stood side by side. There was astonishment on some of the faces surrounding them, a couple of which he vaguely recognized from the years before the war.
They were almost to the end of the street when a figure separated themselves from the crowd. Braith’s growing need for blood diminished under the shock of seeing a face he had never thought to see again. Uneasiness twisted through his gut. It took everything he had not to grab hold of Aria and shove her behind him, but though there was no surprise on Gideon’s features, there was also no hostility.
“Braith,” Gideon greeted blandly.
Braith stepped in front of Aria as Gideon’s gaze slid over them. He didn’t miss the flicker in Gideon’s hazel eyes as his attention momentarily focused upon Aria and William before moving swiftly away. His eyes gleamed with amusement as they landed on Ashby, and a disbelieving smile curved his thin lips. He shook back his light brown hair and studied them over his hawkish nose.
“Well, if nothing else, it looks as if I’m in for an interesting story. Come along.”
They followed silently behind as Gideon led them down the streets and into a home that, while it was not opulently furnished, was appointed nicely. Aria pressed closer to him as her horrified gaze slid over the brutal scenes of death and violence depicted on the numerous canvases lining the walls. It was the first time he sensed any true fright from her as she fidgeted nervously with her hands. This was a world she didn’t understand and probably never would.
“Are those human?” William’s eyes were narrowed as he stared at a shelf displaying jars full of teeth.
“Some,” Gideon replied flippantly. “Others are vampire.”
William looked horrified as his head turned slowly toward Gideon. Aria’s lips parted, a small breath escaped her as her hands pressed against her belly. Even though she’d worn a hood throughout most of their journey the sun had still caught her face and reddened her cheeks and nose. At the moment she was deathly pale beneath her sun kissed skin.
“Why?” she breathed.
“Souvenirs,” Gideon answered with a negligent shrug.
Aria took a small step back. She looked ready to bolt as her gaze darted wildly around the room before landing on her brother and the jars. “Don’t look at them,” Braith told her.
She couldn’t seem to stop looking at them though, as her eyes were riveted upon them. “Souvenirs of what?” William demanded more angry than mortified.
“Better times.”
“Gideon,” Braith hissed.
Gideon met his gaze head on. “This is my home Braith, you came here. I won’t put on airs for two humans that you’ve brought along as your food supply.” Braith bristled, his hands fisted at his sides. Aria tugged on his shirtsleeve as she shot him a reproving look. Gideon rested his fingertips on his desk as he pinned Ashby with his unyielding gaze. “Some of us didn’t exactly enjoy the war, or the outcome, right Ash?”
Ashby shook his head, his lip curled in distaste. He hated to be called Ash, he always had, always would. “Whatever you say, Giddy.”