Twilight's Eternal Embrace (20 page)

Movements to the right of him made him take notice. He relaxed when his gaze took in the womanly form coming toward him. Adryanna wore a hooded cloak over her gown of dark green. Her steps were anxious. It had been almost a week since they lay together in the cave. He had thought time and distance would less
e
n the attraction he
felt
for her, but it hadn
'
t. If anything, he wanted her more.

She reached him and let the hood of her cloak fall back. Waves of reddish gold strands cascaded over her shoulder as the wind feathered through them. Her gaze met his with longing and he knew she had missed him too. He wanted to believe her happiness to see him was true, but his cousin put doubts in his mind.

Bram
had tasted
her
blood and felt the connection to her. He healed her wounds with
his
blood. Maybe her attraction was no more than an addiction
,
as Sheerin suggested. But her eyes were clear and focused, nothing like the bloodlings who had been fed upon too long.

She must have sensed his unrest. Her hesitation proved it, as did her gaze when it narrowed in on him.
"
What plagues you, Bram?
"

He opened his mouth to deny there was anything bothering him, but he pledged to himself there would be no more lies, no more secrets. He inhaled deeply and pulled back his shoulders. If he wanted to be with her, if there was even a slim chance of it, he wanted the relationship to be open and forthcoming. He wanted to know her attraction to him was of her own accord.
"
Before we go to my cousin, I must know the truth.
"

Her fine brows puckered, but she nodded.

"
Why do you wish to be with me?
"
He didn
'
t know what he would do if she said she longed for him to take her blood. Her hand rested on his arm. Through his cloak, he could feel her warmth. His body reacted to her closeness with fierce desire, but he held himself in check.

"
I enjoy your company…your wit. I admire your strength and your courage. You are a worthy male. Why would you
believe
I would not want to be with you?
"

"
And the blood? Do
you
yearn for me to drink from you? Is it the source of our relationship?
"

Her hand slipped away from him and he immediately felt the cold.
"
The truth?
"
she asked in all seriousness.

He nodded and swallowed hard.
"
Aye, the truth.
"

"
I know your life depends on blood
,
and
I
will give it freely, but…
"
she didn
'
t meet his gaze as she stared at her hands, wringing them as if she feared what she must tell him. Finally, she took a ragged breath and met his gaze once more.
"
In time, it may become second nature to me, but no, I do not think of it as the main source of our relationship. It is not the sole reason I want to be with you.
"

He could not help it. His lips curved into a
wide
grin as he pulled her toward him. 

She
star
ed at him
, c
onfusion worr
ying
her brow.
"
You are not disappointed?
"

"
No. On the contrary
,
I am most pleased.
"

She pulled away.
"
I do not understand. What am I missing?
"

"
My cousin worried your attraction to me was blood related. The ones at the castle who volunteer to give their blood are…different.
"
After his talk with his cousin, he had sought out the castle lurkers, the bloodlings
,
to have a closer look at them, to see if he was wrong, but he wasn
'
t. Their eyes were glazed. Their movements were sluggish and they could not carry on a conversation longer than a few moments before they inquired if he would like a taste of their blood. The thought of these creatures not having any will power sickened him. How had his kind let this happen?

"
Bram?
"

Her sweet voice drew him back.
"
I worry I will strip you of your strength of mind.
"

She moved closer and slipped her arms under his cloak to wrap them around him in a fierce hug.
"
See
,
this is why I love you. You are a caring man.
"

He
drew back, wanting to see her eyes and know for certain she spoke the truth.
"
You love me?
"

Her blood rushed to her cheeks.
"
Aye. I do.
"

His arms were around her, bringing her against his body as he kissed her.
"
I love you, too.
"

Her arms went around his neck. This time it was her lips doing the devouring.

When they came up for air, her eyes
shone with
longing
that mirrored
his
own wishes
, but they had more important matters to tend to this night.
"
I would like to indulge longer, but we must hurry if we are to meet my cousin and allow me time to see you back home before daylight.

Chapter Twenty-Seven

Adryanna knew Bram didn
'
t like the idea of bringing her to Dungannon, but Sheerin told him it was imperative. He had all his equipment to implement the experiment there.

Bram worried about his brother, but Camden volunteered to keep Loreto occupied by challenging him in a game of chess. Loreto did not like to lose and Camden was an excellent player. The game would last through the night.

They took the path less traveled and made sure to keep to the dark recesses once they arrived at the castle. Adryanna kept the hood of her cloak pulled forward to shadow her face and keep her hair hidden. The less she stood out the better.

At the first knock, Sheerin opened the door to his workroom. They hadn
'
t been followed, but they hurried inside and locked the door behind them. Sheerin stared at her with his unsettling light eyes before he leveled his gaze on Bram.
"
I will need to draw blood from her.
"

Adryanna frowned, wondering why Sheerin didn
'
t ask her permission, but when Bram bared his fangs with a hiss, she had her answer.

"
Sorry,
"
Bram apologized, his cheeks actually flushed.
"
The response is in my nature.
"

"
If you did not know this, he has claimed you,
"
Sheerin explained further.
"
I had to ask his permission first or I would have put my life in jeopardy.
"

The Oiche Sith were predatory creatures, possessive in nature—aye, she knew this. She reached for Bram
'
s hand.
"
I understand. It is all right. If we want answers, we must let your cousin do what he must to find them.
"

He gave her hand a squeeze. He kept his eyes on her as he asked Sheerin questions. It was as if he needed to keep her in his view to retain his control and not let the beast inside take over.
"
How will you draw her blood?
"

"
I will cut her wrist. Not a deep
incision
,
"
he hurried to explain. Once I have enough of her blood, you may close the wound.
"

"
And you will not lose control yourself?
"
This time Bram met his cousin
'
s gaze.

His cousin gave him a nervous smile.
"
I have fed well this night. I will not give into the bloodlust.
"

Bram inhaled deeply, his nostril
'
s flaring. Then he released his breath with a nod.
"
Do what you must.
"
H
is eyes sought her then, his gaze holding her prisoner
.
"
If you agree that is.
"

Her lips curved.
Always the gentleman
.
"
I
agree
.
"

Sheerin took a knife from his worktable. She offered her arm and looked away, not wanting to see her flesh cut. As she felt the sting of the blade, she cringed, but did not pull away or cry out.

"
This is good,
"
Sheerin said.
"
I have what I need.
"

Bram took her hand then and brought her wrist to his lips. He didn
'
t drink, but his kiss soothed her flesh. She could feel the warmth, her skin healing.

"
All better.
"
Bram
'
s voice assured her.

She
star
ed at her wrist and ran her hand over her skin. It always surprised her how quickly her wounds healed from Bram
'
s caresses.

Sheerin had instruments
—she could put no name to—
scattered on the surface
of his worktable
. The walls had shelves lined with scrolls and books. Others
shelves displayed
jars filled with liquids or herbs. The light from the sconces gave the room a warm glow, but the scents from the alchemist
'
s concoctions were overwhelming, making her hope the tests would not take too long. She longed for a breath of fresh air. 

Her gaze returned to Sheerin and what he was doing. He had put a small amount of her blood in a glass bowl. Sheerin
glanc
ed at her as if sensing her need for an explanation.
"
This is a looking device I designed.
"
His hand lay on the interesting object
. She'd seen no equal, but it resembled
a spyglass attached to
a base
.
"
It lets me look at objects up close, making them appear larger and more defined
," he told her.
"
I will examine your blood and make note of the differences with Bram
'
s blood.
"

"
Wait a moment,
"
Bram protested.
"
You said nothing about taking my blood.
"

Sheerin chuckled and raised a brow.
"
Surely you do not fear my blade when Adryanna braved it.
"

Bram growled, a low rumble in his chest as he glowered at Sheerin.
"
Just get on with your experiment, will you?
"

Sheerin positioned the bowl then leaned forward to peek through the eyepiece. He scribbled notes in a book
then peered
through the eyepiece
again
. He took more blood from Bram since Oiche Sith
'
s blood dried up faster than Lathe Sith
'
s blood.

Sheerin addressed Bram once he
'
d drawn another vial of blood from him.
"
I would like to run a few more tests before I
share my findings
.
"
He turned to face Adryanna with a bow.
"
Thank you for your cooperation. I hope I shall have good news to share with both of you soon.
"

Adryanna hoped so, too. She wanted to be with Bram, but she knew without a compatible solution their relationship was doomed—one way or another.

Bram urged his mount toward Coomkeen at a leisurely pace. Adryanna
rode in front of Bram, leaning her back against the hard planes of his chest. His nearness kept her warm and safe. They were hours still from dawn, but she knew he would not stay with her any longer than to see her home.

"
I have missed you.
"
She didn
'
t realize she
'
d spoken aloud until
he voiced his thoughts too
.