Gideon offered a sympathetic smile as he nodded. “Exactly. If it wasn’t for our aversion to having children our numbers would be even stronger, but some things don’t change.”
“Your aversion?” Aria asked in surprise.
“Most vampires don’t like the thought of having children,” Braith explained.
“It’s not that we dislike them,” Gideon continued. “In fact I tolerate them well enough; I simply do not have the patience or the time to take care of them. It’s too much work and not enough play. Nor do we want a vast group of immortals running around the planet; it would only be a matter of time before we outnumbered humans. That would be a nightmare for everyone involved so we’ve always kept our numbers in check. Braith’s father is one of the few that had more children after a son was born.”
“To make it look as if he cared for my mother,” Braith told her.
“I think he was also hoping that he would have a built in, powerful unit of protection. Though he did get two junior psycho’s out of the five of you. Luckily the rest of you were born with a conscious,” Gideon continued. “Most of us accept that offspring will be required of us at some point in time, but we are also aware of the fact that if we are lucky enough to beget a son on the first try, we can consider ourselves successful.”
Aria scowled at him as she folded her arms over her chest. “I can assure you that a woman is a success too!” she snapped.
Gideon grinned at her as he raised his goblet in a salute. “I’m sure, but they do us little good for continuing our line.”
“You’re an ass.”
Gideon shrugged, not at all offended by her words. “Simply the truth, our heritage and our ways have been like this for thousands of years. Though we have adapted and changed greatly over those years, there are some things that simply don’t change. Perhaps if I cared for the woman it would be different, but I know the hag I was supposed to be saddled with despised me as much as I despised her. Believe me, a son would have been a miracle for both of us. I didn’t mourn her even a little when she was killed during the war.”
Aria seethed as she continued to glare at him. Screams erupted in the night, pulling her attention away from Gideon as she searched for the source. A chill swept down Aria’s spine as more shouts pierced the air. On the street, people began to run; their heads were barely visible through the glass as they bolted forward.
Both Braith and Gideon leapt to their feet. “Stay here,” Braith commanded.
Aria sat for a bewildered moment, disoriented by what was going on, confused by the sudden eruption of chaos into this peaceful setting. She remained still for only a moment before she jumped to her feet and followed swiftly behind the two vampires. They had to push and shove their way through the confused and frightened crowd packing the building. Being smaller, she was far more adept at moving in and out and around the people and things.
They were stepping onto the street when she arrived at the door. Standing behind the glass, she watched as more people fled past, some were bleeding, others were carrying their children and still more were stumbling around and disoriented. Aria was nearly taken out as two people slammed into the door, shoving it open as they tumbled inside in a breathless heap.
She grasped hold of the man’s arm and helped him to his feet. “What’s going on?” she demanded.
His eyes were wild, rolling in his head. Blood trickled from his forehead and into one of his eyes. “The Forsaken Ones,” he gasped.
Dread trickled down her back as one ran past the building. It appeared more grub-like than man-like with its nearly translucent skin, hairless body, and nondescript features. It was in much worse condition than the ones they had encountered in the desert. Is this what happened to the vampires after years of banishment and starvation? A shudder rippled through her, nausea twisted in her stomach at the thought.
More of the creatures appeared, their heads swiveled slowly back and forth, their nostrils flared as they scented blood in the air. They were twisted and demented in a way that not even Caleb had been. And they were heading straight toward Braith.
Her breath exploded out of her. She released the young man as she leapt over some broken dishes on the floor and shoved through the door. The chilly air hit her but it didn’t rob her of her breath anymore. Braith was about fifty feet away, his head swiveled toward her, and his jaw clenched as he came back at her.
“Get back inside Aria!” he shouted.
“You need my help!”
“You don’t even have your bow, get back inside! We’ll be fine!”
“I’ll get it!”
“What?”
Lifting the hem of her dress, she tucked the ends of it into the attached belt. Braith, seeming to sense her intent, started for her. She didn’t have much time. Running, she bolted up a set of stairs next to the building, jumped onto the railing and leapt at the top of the wall. Her fingers scrambled, and nearly lost purchase. By sheer luck and pure determination, she was able to keep her hold and pull herself up. Panting for breath, she knelt on the roof and peered over the side.
Braith was standing on the street below, fury radiated from him as he stared up at her with clenched fists. She was going to get an earful later, but she didn’t care. “I’ll be right back!” she called to him as she rose to her feet and raced across the roof of the building. She jumped onto the wall and leapt across the space between the buildings. They weren’t the same as her trees, but she was able to navigate them with relative ease as she raced back to Gideon’s house.