Refugee (The Captive Series Book 3) Read Online Free PDF

heartbeat.
    His head snapped around, she was still
standing in his arms, but her face had gone deathly pale, her lips
were nearly white. The sleeves of her cloak had been shredded; the
cloth hung in tatters. Blood slid down both arms, pooling at the
ends of her fingertips before dripping onto the sand. Her arms were
laid open nearly elbow to wrist.
    Panic tore through him; he grasped hold
of her, spinning her around as she staggered a little. Her normally
bright, crystalline blue eyes were dull, almost
lifeless.
    He bit deep into his wrist, catching
her as her knees buckled. He was shaking as they slid to the
ground. He didn’t even care about the creature still staggering
before them, didn’t look up to see if there were others coming.
“Blood Aria, drink it!” They were the only words he could get out
through the constriction of his chest and throat.
    She closed her eyes for a moment before
they sprang open. It seemed as if she was having difficulty
focusing on him. “I’m fine Braith, the others. There are more of
those things.”
    “I don’t care.”
    He didn’t wait to hear more of her
protests; she was stubborn enough to keep offering them. He shoved
his wrist into her mouth, desperate, praying that this would be
enough to stop the flow of life he felt rapidly seeping from her.
There was a moment of nothing, and then he felt her teeth nipping
at his skin. Despite their circumstances, ecstasy tore through him
at the sensations that suffused him. Her hands clenched around his
arm as she drank deeply.
    He couldn’t stop the low moan of
pleasure that escaped him as he leaned over her, embracing her
against him. “Stay with me,” he breathed into her ear.
    She nodded as her eyes dazedly met his.
The creature was already healing as it staggered back toward them,
its eyes a vibrant red in its hollow face. Its sagging skin had
taken on a yellowish, sickly hue. Lack of food and the sand and sun
had turned this creature into a morbid version of a normal vampire;
one that apparently had no sense of self-preservation
anymore.
    He pulled her against his chest,
cradling her with one arm as he tried to shift himself into a
better fighting position. It wasn’t much use; he couldn’t pull his
arm away from her. If there was any chance for her survival, she
would require his blood.
    The creature was only feet from them
when Ashby rammed the bony thing from behind, flinging it a good
ten feet through the air. Ashby didn’t hesitate as he rushed after
it. William was suddenly before them; his upper lip was cut and
bleeding. One of his eyes had already started to darken, and the
sleeve of his cloak had been ripped, but otherwise he appeared
uninjured.
    Unable to stand the thought of someone
else touching Aria, Braith almost ripped her away from William. He
stopped himself from doing so, but couldn’t stop the low growl that
escaped him. William leaned back as he studied Braith warily. Aria
tried to tug his wrist from her mouth as she squirmed against him
in an attempt to get to her brother.
    “It’s alright,” Braith grated through
clenched teeth. “I won’t harm him. Stop. Please Aria, you need my
blood, he’s safe I swear.”
    Aria relaxed against him but there was
a lingering tension in her body. William continued to watch him
suspiciously as he leaned slowly forward. He pulled Aria’s arms
toward him, finally looking away from Braith as he focused on her.
Braith couldn’t bring himself to look at her damaged and battered
flesh again. The smell of her blood was enticing enough without
seeing it too. Neither he, nor Ashby, had been feeding well; he
shuddered, his fangs elongated instinctively. He closed his eyes as
he fought against his baser, more driving urges.
    “William, wrap her arms,” he managed to
grate out.
    Sand and dust kicked up around Ashby as
he slid to a stop before them. His eyes flared red as the scent of
her blood hit him, something dark flickered over his face. “Get
away Ashby!” Braith