Though Xavier and Ashby hesitated, Braith strode rapidly forward. His displeasure was evident, his tension high as his arm wrapped around her waist. “How many more of these traps are there?” Xavier inquired as he and Ashby picked their way carefully through the stakes.
“Ten.”
“Crap,” Ashby muttered.
“I can dismantle them all, don’t worry.”
Xavier’s dark eyes were intense as he studied her. “You helped the man that designed these?”
“I had a hand in some of it, but for the most part he created them.”
“Is this Daniel someone in your family?”
Aria wasn’t surprised by Xavier’s acute insight but she still didn’t like it. “Yes, my brother.”
He nodded for a brief moment; his eyes darted over the cave walls. “That little talent will come in handy.”
“It will,” Braith agreed. “How far until the next one?”
“Thirty feet.”
“Lead the way.”
Aria sighed in relief as he remained resigned to let her do what was necessary.
CHAPTER 12
It took almost two painstaking hours but eventually Aria was able to dismantle all of the traps. She was exhausted and on edge by the time they finally made their way into another large cavern that was entirely bat free; a fact that Ashby commented happily upon. The torchlight played over the dark recesses as Aria made her way around, gathering other torches from their sconces in the wall.
“This tunnel will lead back into the main exit.” She took hold of Braith’s hand, running it over the wall until she found the switch. “This will open the gate when pressed.”
Xavier and Ashby pressed closer, they murmured between each other as Ashby held the torch high to inspect the area she had just shown Braith. Aria left the three of them to marvel over the intricacies within the caves.
Her throat was dry and her clothes stuck to her as she made her way to the supply room at the end of another tunnel. There was another gate here but the key for it hung beside the door. There was no need to keep humans from taking what they might require. Grasping the key she lifted the light, frowning as she realized that the gate was unlocked. They never left the supply rooms open just in case an animal managed to get this far.
She grasped hold of the iron bars and pulled the gate open as she lifted the torch high. A set of wild and crazed pale blue eyes blazed out at her. A startled gasp escaped as she took a swift step back. It was a man, of that much she was certain, but she wasn’t sure exactly what kind of a man it was anymore. His skin was abnormally pale; he seemed unaccustomed to light as he blinked rapidly against the flame of the torch.
Revulsion filled her as his lips skimmed back to reveal a mouth riddled by missing gaps and rotten teeth. The torch slipped from her suddenly numbed fingers as the man leapt from the bags of stored grain. He seemed more animal than human as he rushed at her. Stunned, it took Aria a moment to realize that she was in jeopardy, that this person, this thing had every intention of attacking her.
A startled cry escaped her, she grasped hold of the gate and heaved it with every ounce of strength she had. It was too late though. The man slammed into the gate, ripping it from her grasp as he shoved it back open. Aria swung her fist up, connecting forcefully with his jaw, snapping his head to the side as he launched at her. Hands skimmed down her body, grasping and pulling as he tried to secure his hold on her.
She realized her mistake too late. So attuned to having to defend her throat, her blood, her life, Aria had not been prepared for a different sort of hunger. It wasn’t until the frenzied man ripped her shirt open that she realized she was in a situation unlike any she’d ever been in before.
Taken aback by the ferocity of the attack, and his intentions, Aria was momentarily unable to defend herself. Then his hands were on her, over her, pushing and pulling at the skin exposed by her torn shirt. Reason returned as adrenaline doused her terror. She shoved at the man, turning her face away from the putrid smell of his breath. A scream built in her chest, surged up her throat, and erupted in a squeak that was cut off as the man succeeded in pressing his mouth to hers.
Bile surged up her throat; she almost vomited as his thick tongue shoved against her compressed lips. With a fresh surge of strength, she lifted her knee and drove it into his balls. The man squealed, his grip on her momentarily relaxed enough that she was able to throw herself to the side, nearly succeeding in ripping free of his grasp. It was the sharp right hook she delivered to his cheek that finally knocked his hold upon her loose. She staggered back, trying to keep her balance as she spun around and started to run.
She was almost to the end of the tunnel when his arms encircled her waist. The air rushed out of her as they fell to the ground in a tumbled heap that knocked the wind from her and skinned her knees and elbows. He was clawing his way up her back when the air rushed back into her lungs. Flipping beneath him, she swung at him again, shattering his nose.
He squealed, falling back as blood spurted forth. Aria crab crawled backward, trying to regain her feet as the man leveled her with a glare that was not only lustful but also murderous. A roar of fury suddenly reverberated throughout the massive cavern.
The man’s head snapped up, his eyes widened. Aria hadn’t been sure there was much reason left to him, but apparently his survival instinct was still intact as he reeled backward. She was well aware of just how terrifying Braith could be, just how deadly and inhuman, and all of that was being honed in on the man before her. The man leapt up, a wild cry escaping him as he raced down the tunnel.