Twilight's Eternal Embrace (34 page)

Chapter Forty-One

Bram would not let
the guards
take his beloved unclothed and used. He washed Adryanna with care, cleaning away the remnants of blood at her throat and between her legs. He dressed her in her wedding gown and laid her body upon the furs with her hair fanning around her face. She was so pale, so fragile
,
and so beautiful even in death. He would never forget her sacrifice. He would not let her death be in vain. He would pay for his sins every day for his heart belonged to her and now she was gone. But he would do as she asked of him. No other Lathe Sith would die at his clans
'
hands. They would find a way to make the transition without sacrificing another female.

The doors to his chamber opened and Loreto stalked in first. His gaze slid over Bram and his lips curved at the sight of him.
"
I believe you are wider in the chest than I, dear brother. The Lathe Sith
'
s blood must have been potent.
"

Bram flew at his brother before he could
control
the anger
. H
e had not completely adjusted to the changes his body had endured
and h
is mo
vem
ents were clumsy
. H
is brother pushed him aside as if he were no more than a pesky fly. He hit the wall
with a thud
and fell to his knees.

"
Take the body and burn it,
"
his brother ordered the
guards
behind him.

The men strode toward Adryanna, but halted at Bram
'
s demand.

"
No. You will not touch her.
"
Bram stood.
"
I will take care of her. She is mine.
"

The
guards
looked to Loreto for guidance.

Loreto lifted a shoulder with indifference.
"
Let him have the corpse. Perhaps he still wishes to use the body for a more perverse pleasure.
"

The men chuckled at Loreto
'
s sick joke
, but
Bram seethed with fury and lunged at his brother, slamming his fists into his face. His brother fought back, pounding him again and again, drawing blood.

Bram
c
ouldn
'
t stop
, t
he rage inside
of him
t
aking
over
and eliminating
any common sense. His brother kicked him, sending him sliding across the floor where he landed beside Adryanna
,
where she lay upon the furs.

He crawled to his knees
to catch his breath
.
He stared at Adryanna, her skin porcelain smooth, not even in death did her beauty fade. A
drop
of blood
trickled down his face from where Loreto had punched him and broken the skin. The droplet
fell, marring Adryanna
'
s lips dark red. His hand
reached
to wipe the blood
away
, but
he paused, his hand hovering over her face. F
or a
split
second
,
he thought Adryanna
'
s lips moved. He wiped the sweat from his eyes.

He block
ed
out his brother
'
s curses. Obviously, he had gotten a few punches in and now his brother nursed his wounds. Bram didn
'
t care. He
continued to star
e
at
Adryanna, willing her to move her lips again. There… They twitched. She took in his blood as if she craved the nourishment. His brows furrowed. Was she not dead then?

"
Leave him be
!"
Gareth
's
voice boomed at the doorway and the room fell silent.
"
Out, the lot of you,
"
he ordered.

Loreto did not protest and his men followed close behind him.

Once the door to the chambers was closed, Gareth hurried over to where Adryanna lay. He leaned his ear on her chest before
leveling his gaze on
Bram.
"
It is faint, but her heart still beats. Hurry, you must give her your blood.
"

Bram
eyed
Gareth
with suspicion
. Why would he care if Adryanna lived or died? Then it dawned on him. Gareth
performed
his own experiments, did he not? He had a vile creature he kept in a cage as proof. He shook his head.
"
She is dead. Look at her. Her skin is pale as the moon and her chest no longer rises and falls. I will not let Adryanna suffer what you have done to the female in your keep. It is best she die now.
"

"
Foolish lad. I am trying to save Adryanna.
"
It was the first time his brother had used her name.
"
And for your information, I loved the creature you think vile. I wanted Mia to be my life mate. She wanted it too, but I was arrogant in thinking I had all the answers to bring her back to life. She did not drink my blood before the ritual. I did not take hers until that fateful day. I drained her. I waited until her heart stopped before I forced my blood down her throat. I am sure it is why the transformation failed.
"

Gareth
glanced at Adryanna, his hard eyes softened as he gazed upon her.
"
She still has a chance if you hurry. She has your blood already in her. She will not reject it now. Her body was already changing before you took her to your bed. I could smell the change in her on the ride from Coomkeen
to here
. I just did not know what it meant until now.
"
Gareth looked him in the eyes, beseeching him to believe he spoke the truth.
"
But you must act before her heart stops completely.
"

"
And if you are still wrong in your assumptions?
"

"
I will end her life mercifully,
"
Gareth said
,
"as
I should have done for Mia. You have my word.
"
Sadness surrounded his brother
;
he wore
the
misery upon his shoulders like a cloak. He spoke the truth. He loved the creature…Mia.

Bram wanted to believe it was possible to bring Adryanna back from the brink of death. He had to believe it. He lifted Adryanna
'
s head with one hand. He tore his flesh from the other and pressed his wrist to her mouth.
"
Drink,
"
he demanded.

She lay so still, but then he felt the feather
-
like movement. Her mouth moved ever so slightly then they pressed tighter against his flesh. She moaned and her hand came up to clasp his arm.
"
She is drinking from me. My blood is reviving her.
"

"
Aye.
"
Gareth
'
s lips curved.

"
Drink,
l
ove
," Bram encouraged her.
"
Take your fill and you will regain your strength.
"

Adryanna
'
s eyes flew open, the gray glowing to red. Bram wondered against all hope if he somehow changed her.

"
Idir an dá shoals
.
She was between the two lights, in between life and death.
"

She moved her mouth away and he helped her to sit up.
"
Do I dream?
"
Her voice was hoarse but steady.

He held onto her.
"
No, love, you are here with me.
"
He kissed her forehead with a silent prayer of thanks.
Her precious breath fanned his face seconds before he captured her lips and welcomed her back. He would have liked to indulge longer, but t
he clamoring of footfalls in the hall drew
his
attention, ending the happy reunion.

Chapter Forty-Two

The scraping of Gareth
'
s sword
,
leaving its scabbard proved the only warning of danger Bram would receive.
"
You must go.
"
His brother
gestured
toward the fireplace.
"
There is a hidden lever just inside to the right. It
i
s a passage way
,
leading out of the castle.
"

Bram frowned.
"
How do you know this?
"

"
I lived here long before you were born
," Gareth said.
"
I helped build this castle. Now go. I will hold them at bay until you make your escape. Sheerin and Fergal will be waiting for you with horses.
"

"
Fergal? No.
"
He shook his head.
"
He cannot be trusted.
"

"
He can,
"
Gareth insisted.
"
Sheerin claimed he owed you a blood oath. His debt will be paid this night.
"

Bram had no time to question his brother further. There was already pounding against the door for entry. His gaze landed on the lock
. Gareth must have
bolted it, but
it
wouldn
'
t hold for long. He scooped Adryanna into his arms. She was still too weak to walk on her own. He strode over to the fireplace and reached for the lever, pulling it down. The stone scraped against the floor as the hidden door slid open. The air blasted in their faces
,
as
anxious to escape as they were. He turned toward Gareth for the last time.
"
How will I ever repay you?
"

Gareth
'
s eyes glowed like fire.
"
You will repay me by never returning here
,
no matter what you hear. There is a rebellion stirring within our clan. Our way of living will change forever this day.
"
H
e
g
estured toward
Adryanna.
"
Keep her safe. Teach her to control her hunger. Do not be fooled by her kind nature that you remember her having. She will experience the bloodlust as we do. She will need your guidance more than ever, but you cannot do it here. The elders will not allow her to live. They like their arrangement with the Lathe Sith. They have their slaves—the bloodlings. Who would serve them if this truth came out?
"

The horror of what Gareth revealed was far worse than he could imagine.
"
But Father—
"

Gareth
'
s harsh laugh froze his words on his lips.
"
Father is one of the elders. He knows.
"

W
ood splintered
and i
n a matter of minutes
,
the
guards
would break through
the door
completely.

Adryanna groaned. She gripped his forearms with strength far greater than a female Lathe Sith should be able to muster.
"
She grows strong,
"
Bram said with a note of amazement.

"
Aye.
"
Gareth nodded.
"
If all goes well, she will be as strong as any of our kind. A hybrid, aye, but one that will prove there are other ways for our clans to exist together. Maybe she will give you children.
"
His large shoulders lifted in a shrug.
"
If not, you could create another kind of family.
"

A portion
of the door gave
way
. There was no more time for talk.
"
Come with us, Gareth,
"
Bram offered.

His brother shook his head.
"
I must stay. I have Mia to take care of.
"
His haunted
expression
told Bram his brother thought of ending Mia
'
s terrible existence. No matter how humane it would be, the act would
surely
leave a scar on Gareth
'
s heart.
"
If I survive, I will meet you in one year
'
s time at the
Hooded Cloak
in Macroom. Now go.
"