The Chosen Ones (29 page)

“You think you are going to get
away with this, dhampir?” the last vampire alive lay on the ground, his glowing
gaze pinned to Thane. His hatred was almost palpable. “There’s a bounty on your
head, Thanatos. And we will hunt you down, just as we do the humans.”

Startled, I glanced at Thane,
trying to read the truth in his eyes. Thane lifted his bow and shot. So, they
had known each other. Thane didn’t seem in the least bit upset that he’d just
killed an acquaintance. But then I expected nothing less. Still his lack of
emotion worried me at times. Was it normal?

The girl whimpered, drawing my
attention back to her.

“It’s over,” I promised.

For now. Until the next attack.

But apparently I didn’t offer
the comfort she needed for she ignored me, and stumbled to her feet just as
Thane arrived, bow in hand. For a brief moment I thought he’d frightened her.
But no, she launched herself at him and wrapped her arms tightly around his
neck.

“Thank you!” Her sobs came out
pretty and delicate, just like her. “Thank you.”

Shocked, I merely stood there
staring at them. Anger and annoyance fought for control, a feeling I’d never
experienced before. I found it odd that a woman who had been attacked by a
group of beautiful ones would so willingly give herself over to Thane, someone
half vampire. Yes, I trusted him to protect me from the beautiful ones, but
that didn’t mean I had at first. Perhaps she’d been brought up in the castle. Maybe
she was much more trusting than myself.

Or perhaps, just perhaps,
something was incredibly wrong here.

Chapter 16

“I’m not sure how much longer I
can walk.” Susan, the woman we had saved, stumbled down the hill, her face pale
with exhaustion.

Susan
. A simple name for a woman who was anything but simple. She
was beautiful. Much prettier than any human I’d ever seen. Elegant, flirtatious,
needy…I hated her.

As she stumbled for the second
time Thane was there, sliding his arm around her waist and pulling her close. I
paused as they paused, trailing behind as I had been for the hours we’d been
hiking.

Three days of hiking with Susan had
me desperately wishing we hadn’t saved her. She whined. A lot. She hung on Thane.
A lot. He, though, didn’t seem to find her annoying. He merely helped her
along, being much more patient and kinder to her than he’d ever been with me. If
this was how he’d been around his girlfriend, it wasn’t surprising that she had
fallen for him.

I didn’t know this charming,
blatantly caring Thane. In fact, he made me downright uncomfortable. And I
wasn’t jealous…at least that’s what I told myself. But the burning pit of
hatred I felt in my chest every time she batted her lashes up at him wasn’t
indigestion.

“Can we stop, please?” She gazed
up at him in adoration, flickering her lashes like she had something caught in
her eye. No, I wasn’t jealous. I merely found the way she acted odd. I’d seen
women do it before when they were attracted to a man. Did she liked Thane? But
how? Why? She barely knew him.

I watched them as he led her
toward a large rock along the creek we were following. “Sit, rest.”

He’d never been that gentle with
me. I frowned. Annoyed, and yes, maybe jealous…I wasn’t sure. Dropping my pack
to the ground, I plopped down next to a tree. If Thane wanted to baby her, fine.
It would only get her killed later on. Whatever happened to the tough love Will
had shown me? Apparently Thane didn’t believe in that. I pulled my dagger from
its sheath and picked up a stick, carving at the end until I made a little
spear. And then I started on another one merely to keep busy.

“Let me see the hem of your
dress.” Without her permission, Thane picked up the skirt of Susan’s gown and
pulled out his dagger. Carefully, he cut around the edge, shortening the
material. “Should be easier to walk.”

How sweet of him. I glared at
them from under my lashes. Utterly ridiculous. What was wrong with him? Why was
he acting this way? And if she looked at him with that stupid grin one more
time I just might be forced to use one of the spears I’d carved.

A sharp pain sliced through the
tip of my finger. Gasping, I jerked the knife away. Sure enough, I’d cut my
finger. “Damn,” I hissed.

Thane looked my way. So, I had
to injure myself to get his attention. I didn’t bother to mention the cut, he’d
probably smell the blood anyway. Instead, I tore my gaze from him and searched
the satchel for a strip of cloth. I, unlike Susan, could take care of myself.
Well, most of the time.
 

“Oh my.” She actually blushed.
“I’ve never shown my ankles before.”

I rolled my eyes as I wrapped
the material around my finger.
Oh my,
I’ve never shown my ankles before.

Nausea had me gagging. No one
was that needy, were they? I paused. Good god, had I been that bad? The thought
had me jerking my gaze toward them.

“You’ll get used to it.” Thane smiled.
A kind, warm smile that he’d certainly never used on me. Who was this man? “I’ll
get you something to drink.”

He took the tin cup from his bag
and headed toward the creek. All the while she watched him go, her gaze not
daring to leave his back. “He’s beautiful. I wasn’t expecting him to be so
stunning.”

Wow, wait. Expecting him? What did that mean?

“What compound did you say you
were from?” I asked, trying to sound casual.

“Do they have names?” She
frowned, shaking her pretty blonde head. “This is all so new to me.”

Maybe Thane didn’t like dark hair
and eyes. Maybe he only found women with blonde hair to be attractive. Had his
girlfriend had blonde hair? “Yet, you’re handling it all very well.”

She shrugged, blinking her eyes
innocently at me. “We must be strong.”

“Right.” Her comment annoyed me
more than I wanted to admit because I knew very well I hadn’t been strong. No,
I’d lost it. Shame and confusion had me standing and following Thane. As he knelt
by the creek, so did I, pretending I was merely scooping up water in my hand to
splash at my sweaty face. “I don’t trust her.”

Thane didn’t bother to look at
me, merely drank the water, and then dipped the cup, rinsing it. “Why?”

I fumbled, trying to come up
with a reason other than
I don’t like the
way she looks at you.
“She…she’s too…too clingy.”

He slid me a glance. Was that
amusement in his eyes? “Clingy?”

Frustrated, I surged to my feet.
“We don’t know where she came from. Don’t know how she got here.”

“They released her, obviously.” He
shrugged and stood. “From what she told me she worked in the kitchens, serving
the king because she’s beautiful. If there’s one thing Dionysus likes, it’s a
pretty face.”

Wait a minute…he thought she was
beautiful?

“They released her because it
was sport for them. According to her, they let her out just so they could hunt.”

I shivered at the thought. Still,
it didn’t make my thoughts toward the woman any sweeter. “Okay, but why is she
so clingy toward you?”

He quirked a brow and faced me
fully. “What are you implying, Jane?”

I’d always liked the way he said
my name. Whispered, breathless, like a word he didn’t quite understand. “Nothing.”
I peeked over my shoulder. She was watching us, pouting, as if annoyed we were
taking so long. Was she thirsty, or merely wanted Thane back within her grasp? “It’s
just that when I first met you….” I focused on his cool, hard gaze and
swallowed over the lump of nervousness clogging my throat. There was no backing
out now. “When I met you, I didn’t exactly trust you because I thought you were
one of them.”

“And so she must think it too,”
he said dryly.

“Anyone would, right?” I
shrugged, hoping I hadn’t offended him. “I just think we should be careful.
Remember what my grandfather said? He thought I was a pawn, you were using me
to draw him out. And we were.”

He lowered and dipped the cup into
the stream. “Or maybe you’re just jealous.”

I released a harsh laugh, even
as I felt the flush of embarrassment race to my cheeks. “Excuse me?”

He stood more slowly this time. “Jealous.
She needs me. And you don’t like that.”

“What?” I whispered, stepping
closer to make sure she didn’t overhear. “Are you serious?”

He shrugged and walked away, but
not before I saw the laughter in his eyes. Stunned, I could only stand there
and watch as he knelt and handed her the cup. She took it, smiling gratefully up
at him. I wanted to shove him away. I wanted to push her in the creek. Maybe I
was jealous. But maybe, just maybe I had a reason to be. After all, he had
kissed me, hadn’t he? And now some whimpering female showed up and suddenly I
was day-old bread?

A sharp whistle pierced the sky,
startling us. I spun around, turning toward the sound, hope blooming within my
chest. I knew that call well. “Will?”

I raced up the hill just as
Will, Kelly and Tony crested the peak.

“Will!” I didn’t pause, but threw
my arms around his neck, hugging him. He smelled like warmth and earth and
comfort. When I pulled back, he was grinning. I’d been gone for almost two weeks,
and I swore he looked different in some way, although I couldn’t quite put my
finger on what.

He brushed his knuckles down the
side of my face. “You survived.”

I grinned back. “Barely.” I
turned my attention to Kelly. “How did you guys get away?”

She reached out and I hugged
her, holding her close. In that moment I knew she wasn’t the traitor. Call me
delusional, but I swore I could sense it. I knew Kelly and she would never
betray anyone. Especially not Jimmy.

“It wasn’t an attack.” Tony glared
at me, as if knowing full well I lied. “Thane made a mistake.”

“Really?” I said, feigning
shock.

I heard the crunch of vegetation
as Thane and Susan appeared. Good, let him deal with Tony’s suspicion. No
surprise, Susan was clinging to his side like a tick on a rabbit. Had her
bodice always hung that low? I frowned, looking away from her cleavage in
disgust.
 

 
“Will.” Thane nodded in greeting. He didn’t
bother to say hello to Kelly or Tony, but then he rarely had. Oddly enough,
they didn’t seem offended.
 

“Thane.” Will’s gaze flickered
to Susan. “Who is this?”

The weariness I saw there put me
at ease and validated my own feelings. Will, at least, would understand my
reservations. “She’s a chosen one. We found her being hunted in the woods.”

“Please,” Susan whispered,
stumbling toward Will, her skirts bunched in her arms, showing much more than
her ankles, although she didn’t seem shy now about exposing her body. “Please
don’t make me go back there.”

She fell into him with a sob and
I knew Thane wasn’t the only one she was trying to manipulate. And by the
softening on Will’s face, he too, was falling for her charms.

I must have grimaced for Kelly
caught my gaze and frowned. When she nodded toward the woman in silent
question, I realized she was thinking the same thing as me. Who was this girl
and why was she being so forward? I shook my head. I’d find her later and explain.

Will stood there awkwardly, but
eventually brought his arms up and patted her on the back. And there it
was….the look in his eyes told me he had fallen for her as well. “Of course we
won’t make you leave.”

Kelly inched her way closer.
“Who is she?”

“Susan.” I frowned as Will led her
up the hill, his arm still around her, Thane and Tony following. Tony would be
next, no doubt, and then she’d have them all within her greedy grasp.

“And do we like her?”

I flushed, embarrassed. Was I
that obvious? “Why do they do that?”

She slid her arm through mine
and we started up the hill. Although she didn’t trust the woman either, I
didn’t miss the amusement in her dark gaze. She, too, thought I was jealous. “Do
what?”

“Just…let her fall all over them
like that. Those first two weeks Will told me to get off my ass and fight more
than once.”

“Not at first,” she said fairly.
“He babied you that first week.”

I brushed aside a low-hanging
branch, annoyed because she was right. They had set up a small camp at the top
of the hill, a mere clearing with their packs settled in a circle. Almost two
months ago had I been just like Susan? The thought made me ill. Maybe, just
maybe, I didn’t like Susan not because she was clingy, but because she
represented all that I had been. Pathetic. Weak.
 
 
 

“Will and Thane…they can’t
resist a girl in need,” Kelly added as we watched them help Susan to a spot
near a fallen log. “Their lives revolve around saving people.”

Her words left me cold. Would
Will set me aside for Susan? I no longer needed him. He had a new pet. Perhaps
that’s why most of the girls had been so cold toward me when I’d first arrived almost
two months ago. I hesitated on the outskirts of the camp, my mind spinning. Surely
he wasn’t that shallow. But as I watched him hand her some dried fruit, not
once glancing my way, I wondered if maybe I had misjudged him.

“We were worried,” Kelly said,
forcing my attention back to her. “I’m so glad you’ve returned.”

I gave her a tight smile. “Me
too.”

I tried to stay focused on Kelly
but all too soon my attention was riveted back on the camp. I watched as Will
settled Susan on some bedding and Thane brought her more water. Tony had
disappeared to the creek but Will and Thane were focused completely on Susan. I
certainly hadn’t expected this when I’d dreamt of our reunion.

Kelly slid her arm around my
waist and gave me a sympathetic squeeze. “It will be okay.”