Blood Twist (The Erris Coven Series) (13 page)

Looking up at him, Liz’s eyes flashed so
mething other than just fatigue, but she masked it quickly
. “No one can be trusted.
I learned that a long time ago.
Get some rest. We
need to get the
cure home to Ruby.”
With that, she closed the door, leaving him alone with
nothing but
Riley
’s laughter
to listen to
.

Turning around, Braden glared at his brother.

Riley leaned against the wall grinning.
“Trouble in paradise?”

“How do I know that you or one of those leaches won’t rip her apart as soon as I
turn my back?”

“I’m wounded Brother. How could you think so little of me?” Holding his hands to his chest, Riley pretended to stagger. “Trust me; Liz is in no danger of me. As far as the others,
Garrick told them you’re both off limits. If they disobey him, they’ll face a fate worse than death.”

“Like?”

“Like being chained to a lawn chair at sunrise like the last bastard who crossed him. Garrick waited until Woody ignited and then pulled him back inside and locked him
in a cell while he regenerated
, refusing
to let
him feed, so the healing took longer and hurt like hell. The next morning, Garrick made him do it again and again.
Woody lasted like that for a week unt
il he was finally allowed to
die.”

“What crime warranted that?”

“He grabbed Maze’s ass – or so she said.”

Braden studied the vampire. Riley was in awe of his leader, but
feared him more. The nest required a balance of those two elements. Braden witnessed it all night. There was no sense of family, no taking care of each other. From his perch on the table, Garrick made commands and the draugar at his feet followed his orders.

Survival of the fittest.
Even here.

For some reason, it was not the life he had imagined his brother was living. Braden knew from the legends they lacked
feelings, but somehow imagined something more than what they were.

Glancing out the window, Braden was surprised how close the building was to active city life. How long would they nest here? What would happen to Vancouver if their presence was made known?

The Old Ones in Eire told stories about the draugar annihilating entire
villages
centuries before. Back then, humans believed in demons and did all they could to fight back, but generations had passed and their existence was chalked up to myths created to explain famine and disease.
It was a mistake. The
ir insistence on being ignorant
allowed the creatures to live among them, sleeping and feeding next to their houses and schools. People went missing every day – the
ir
horror worse than anyone could imagine.

The bedsprings in Liz’s room rustled. Her sleepy sigh drifted through the walls. Glancing at the time, Braden was surprised it was three o’clock in the afternoon. She slept like a rock for almost nine hours.
Given the stressful situation, he was surprised she could sleep at all, but her steady even breaths settled in early.
While she dozed, t
he entire building
remained as quiet as
a tomb.

The damphyrs
’
elders taught
that the vampires couldn’t stand the purification of sunlight.
If so,
Braden hoped it meant
he could usher Liz out of the building and back to the airport before any of them awoke. He would return and do what
was
needed to obtain Ruby’s medicine, but
after that all bets were off. While Garrick saunt
ered about with Riley on his hee
ls giving a tour of the downstairs, Braden
noticed where
the kerosene was kept. If he survived until the following morning
, he could light the place up while they slep
t - r
evenging his father in the process.

He said the heaters were the closest thing to the sun they had…

Stepping out into the broad hallway, Braden looked around. Nothing had changed since Riley left him there. Besides the hanging ceiling tiles and a few scattered boxes, there were a couple of wheelchairs parked by an old nurse’s desk and a few IV poles next to the utility closet, but that was about it.
No signs of life…or
the
undead.

He was still confused as
to why his brother was waiting to kill him
. For years, he pictur
ed his death
quick and brutal, but Riley’s motives continued to evade him.
Instead, he carried on
like Braden was there on a friendly visit.

That’s all it is, an act. He’s waiting for me to trust him,

Braden knocked lightly on Liz’s door.
Even now, he could smell her fragrance.
The floor they were on wreaked of
black mold and urine, but her scent masked it all for him.
Closing his eyes, he reveled in its sweetness and the way it made his body respond.
From behind the door, her soft footsteps padded across the floor.
She was light on her feet, but
he bet she could run like a deer
.
He still recalled the ease
in which she manhandl
ed the jerk at the airport. The sock in the ribs she delivered must have hurt like hell.

“Braden,” Liz whis
pered,
“
t
hat you?”

“Yeah,” he replied. A scraping sound echoed down the hallway right before her door opened. If any of the draugar were light sleepers, they were fully awake now. Raising an eyebrow, he looked curiously into the room.

Liz pointed to the bureau. “You said to block the door. I didn’t have a chair.”

“That works, too. Come on,”
he said, m
otioning for her to take his hand.
“We need to get
you
out of here.”

Taking his hand, Liz followed him down the hall. Even with daylight in full force, the area wasn’t well lit. Most doors were closed and only a large window at the end of one hall faced directly outside.

Once in the stairwell, Braden slowed down. Although his eyesight was accustomed to seeing in the dark, he knew Liz
couldn’t. He didn’t want her to lose her footing or come across a sleeping draugr.

“Did you get the cure? What was it?” she asked.

“Not yet, but I’m hoping Riley will give it to me tonight.”

Liz halted. “Then where are we going?”

“If we hurry, I can get you on a plane back to the states and be here before the sun sets.”

“No,” she said. Pulling her hand free from his, she started back up the steps.

“
You can’t stay. It isn’t safe.” Braden dragged his hands through his hair.
Why did she insist on
being stubborn
? S
he wasn’t going to make this easy.

Turning to face him, her hurt expression caught him off guard. “I understand that you’ve been planning on dumping me back at the airport from the beginning, but I’m not a piece of luggage you can airship home. I came on this trip to save Lexie’s mother. There is no way I’m leaving until we find a way to do that.”

Stepping closer, Braden reached for her.
Trailing a line with his fingers down her jaw, she held completely still.
Just he
r nearness gave him the strangest
of feelings, even the back of his
knees tingled.
The thought of Garrick or the others
touching her was overwhelming. 

“Why? Why can’t you trust me enough to do this without you?” Looking down at her, he knew there was some other reason, something she wasn’t saying. “I know you’re worried about Lexie’s mom. I am too. Whatever the cure is, if it exists, I’ll find it.”

Liz shook her
head, “It’s not that easy
. You weren’t there last year when Ruby’s husband died. His loss devastated that family
and even I played a part in how it all happened. I begged Lexie to come over
that night. I was upset.
Aunt Bev forced me to talk to the Captain on the phone. She wanted me to get him to increase his monthly support. He was such a douche, that I ended up in tears.
” Liz buried her face in her hands, as she
spoke,
her voice was strained from held back tears. “
I called Lexie and insisted she spend the night. On her way over, she got in an accident and Ed died. It’s no different than if I were driving the car myself. I made them come out. If it wasn’t for me, I would have seen Lexie at school the next day and Ed would still be alive. Ruby would never have married
Dragos
and she wouldn’t be sick now.”

“I’m sorry,” he said. “But you can’t blame yourself. If you want to help them, you need to get to safety, so they don’t lose you too.”

“Isn’t that for me to decide?
I’m so tired of everyone making decisions for me. I don’t want you to send me away.”

“I can’t,” he said softly.

“Can’t what?”

Afraid she would take off up the stairs again
,
Braden struggled to explain. He knew she needed to understand, but how could he let her know what he had been carrying inside of him when he had never shared it with another living soul.

Taking a seat
on the landing, he patted the space beside him. Relu
ctantly, Liz sat down
. Even in the dark, her body language showed her disappointment in him. Gone was the comfortable companionship the two had shared the day before.
He
wanted to get her out of there,
but
he needed her to know
how he felt,
that he never intende
d for his actions to hurt her. Brad
e
n
was thankful she made the trip with him. Just being able to c
lose his eyes and imagine how amazing it would have been if the two
were fated was enough to give him strength to make the
necessary arrangements.

“I can’
t let them hurt you,” he said, his voice barely audible. “They’ve taken so much from me already. If they were to take you, I couldn’t stand it.”

Liz sat in silence, waiting for him to continue.

“What I said about my father, it was true. He left, with Riley, to buy property and never returned. When the elders said they both must have died, I believed them. It was a few years later that Riley came to me at school. One look at him and I knew he was different, not damphyr. Still looking no older than eighteen, he said I had to turn myself over or he would come b
ack to Erris and find me
. Although I didn’t get it right away, as I grew older, I put the pieces together. Riley must have gone through the final phase of the change.
The thirst for blood is so intense, it can drive you insane.
My father wouldn’t have been able to restrain him by himself.
Riley gave into the darkness and
fed on a human and killed our dad.
”

“I’m sorry,” Liz whispered. Reaching out, she clutched his hand in hers. “I didn’t realize.”

“None of them know. Not Torin, the elders, or my Mom. I was ten years-old when he first came. I didn’t feel as though I had a choice. I wanted to protect them and you – I never expected Riley to find me. I don’t even know how he did.”

“That isn’t your fault. I made you take me.”

“No, you didn’t,” he answered softly. Squeezing her hand gently, he enjoyed the shiver she gave him in response. “I would be lying if I said I didn’t want you with me. From the moment we met, I’ve wanted to be
near you. I just assumed
you would be safe back in the states before I faced them.”

“
I thought I pushed myself on you too hard,” she said, laying her head against his shoulder. Her arm snaked out and hugged his back. Beneath the
cotton cloth of his
shirt, he could feel her soft hand tracing the lines of his shoulder blades.

“You can push yourself on me anytime you want,” he chuckled. His voice was husky again.

Braden wished he could bury his face in her hair and pull her closer. Her nearness, her touch – she did something to him he had never felt with anyone else.

Turning her face up at him, he could see the slight stain of a blush redden h
er cheeks. With eyes wide, her heart was racing in response to his attempt at flirting. The
truth was
,
he very much wanted her to desire
him.

Leaning closer, he considered kissin
g her. Liz’s
lips were
perfectly shaped and a pleasing
shade of pink. He wanted to taste her and see if she was as sweet as he imagined.
If the warmth he received from her touch would carry through to her kiss.