And even though the troops had invaded the cave, he gave her one last, lingering kiss.
***
“Did you ever, in a million years think that we would be sitting in one of our cave systems surrounded by vampires?”
Aria cocked her head as she turned to look at her brother. The firelight played over his features, harder and more masculine than hers, but similar all the same. “No,” she admitted with a low laugh.
“Do you think they’ll eat us?”
“It’s a possibility,” she joked.
William chuckled, but she sensed the tension beneath the laughter. He still wasn’t entirely certain about this situation, or the vampires and humans surrounding them. “We’ve come a long way sis.”
“We have,” she agreed. William’s hand was suddenly holding hers. She looked at him in surprise. They were closer than most siblings, always had been, but it had been years since they had held hands. It appeared he was as troubled as she was. She squeezed his hand with both of hers and relaxed against his shoulder.
They stood at the edge of the circle that had been formed around the fire within the center of the cave. It was still summer above, but down here it was cool and damp.
She watched as Braith stood with his head bowed while he conferred with the other faction leaders. The firelight played off of his hair, highlighting his handsome features and broad shoulders. He was nodding as Gideon spoke in quick, hushed whispers that were accentuated by the constant flutter of his hands. Braith’s arms folded over his chest, he leaned briefly back on his heels and though she couldn’t see it, she felt it when his eyes landed on her.
Her hand constricted around William’s. “I’m afraid.” It was the first time she had said the words out loud, the first time she had admitted it, even to herself.
“I know. So am I.”
Tears bloomed in her eyes as she turned to her twin. She’d never expected such an admission from him. “Not of dying,” she whispered.
“No shit,” he retorted.
She couldn’t help but laugh as their hands began to swing back and forth like they had as children. “You’re not either.”
“Never have been.”
“Then what is it we’re so afraid of?” She was asking because she didn’t know. She knew she was scared of losing Braith, of losing this war, of losing any member of her family, but those were worries she’d always had, or that she’d learned to deal with since meeting Braith. This was something different, it was in the pit of her stomach, it was buried in the back of her mind at all times, festering like an infected lesion.
William was thoughtful before he answered. “The unknown…”
The hesitation in his words made it clear he wasn’t entirely certain about his answer, but the minute she heard it Aria knew he was right. They had struggled with death and loss; starvation and thirst; dirt and homelessness their entire lives, but they had always had some sense of knowing. They’d had their father, Daniel, the other rebels, the caves, the woods, and the knowledge that vampires were the enemy to be fought and destroyed. Now they were on their own, surrounded by what had once been the enemy, in a cave system Aria had grown to hate, and filled with nothing but uncertainty.
“Yes,” she agreed. “The unknown.”
“It’s not the same now.”
“And it never will be again.”
“Do you want it to be?” he asked.
“Sometimes.”
“And other times?”
“I wouldn’t change a thing,” she admitted. “Not one thing.”
“Because of him?”
“Yes, but also because of the hope that the unknown brings us now, because of the promise of something better for everyone. No matter how much we knew before, the outcome was always the same. If we were lucky we would grow older, if we weren’t then we died young.”
“Or became blood slaves.”
“Yes.” She did not shy away from it anymore. “You’re not still angry at him because of that, are you?”
William hesitated for a moment before he shook his head. “No. If it hadn’t happened then we wouldn’t be here.”
“Afraid?”
His smile was small and fleeting. “Afraid, and full of hope,” he responded with a twinkle in his bright blue eyes.
Aria’s gaze locked on Braith as she recalled their encounter in the hallway of that dilapidated house. She had one more thing to fear, what would become of them? Of her?
She knew Braith planned to leave when this was over, knew that the vampires would not accept her if she stayed. But he couldn’t leave. They had voted him in for a reason, and even if he didn’t see it, or refused to see it, it was obvious to everyone else that he was a born leader. He’d done some things he was not proud of, he’d hurt innocents, and he’d been a monster for a brief time, but at heart he was good, and he would do right by as many people and vampires as he could.
He may not intend to be the leader, but he already was, even if he didn’t see that, she did and so did everyone else in this room.
Their hands stopped swinging as Braith beckoned them forward. William squeezed her hand before releasing her. “How long do you think it will be before you can find your father?” Braith inquired.
“Aria can usually track him within a few days,” William answered.
“I don’t know how far into the forest he has gone though and if there are a bunch of us…”
“There will not be,” Braith inserted briskly.