The Chosen Ones (21 page)

“What were the howls?” I asked,
trying to keep my mind off more unpleasant subjects.

“What howls?”

I sighed. Was he intentionally
being evasive? “On the mainland, right before we jumped I heard the howls. You
said they weren’t wolves. What were they?”

He didn’t respond, just
continued his trek through the woods.

“I heard them before, you know.”

“They’re dhampir.”

I frowned, confused. “What do
you mean?”

He lifted a branch and we ducked
under. “Do you remember when I told you only female vampires can give birth?”

I hesitated, wondering where he
was going with this. “Yes.”

“It wasn’t entirely true. There
have been a few female vampires who have survived a human female birth. But
they aren’t quite normal.”

I laughed as we scrambled over a
pile of rocks. “Are any of us normal?”

He shrugged. “They’re more
animalistic. Wild. They don’t think, they prey on anything they can get.”

I shivered, suddenly thankful
that I was on this island and not on the mainland. “Do they look like you?”

“No. Slightly more terrifying.”

My stomach grumbled, momentarily
distracting me. The apple had done little to stave off my appetite. I could
ignore the blister, but I couldn’t ignore my hunger much longer. It had been
almost two days since I’d had a real meal and my body was growing weak. “I need
food, Thane.”

“I know.” He paused, sighing. “There
are rabbits and deer, but we can’t have a fire yet.”

Eating raw meat wasn’t a
possibility, at least not for me. I’d have to wait. He reached into his satchel
and pulled out another wrinkled apple, handing it to me.

Grateful, I took the fruit and
we started forward once more. “Why not find the Raven? Head inland and announce
ourselves?”

He didn’t reply but continued to
walk. Frowning, I bit into the apple. What was his plan? He knew where the
man’s cottage was located. We had to eventually contact him. What was Thane
waiting for? Obviously there was something he wasn’t telling me.

“Soon,” he said as we started toward
a patch of fir trees.

Waiting could only mean one
thing…he didn’t trust this Raven. I lunged forward and latched onto his arm before
he got too far away. “Thane, what are we doing?”
 

He looked back at me. “Hunting.”

Warily, I released my hold. “Hunting
what?”

“Not
what
, but
who
.”

A shiver of unease raised the
fine hairs on the back of my neck. “Raven.”

He nodded.

My appetite gone, the apple fell
from my hand and bounced into the underbrush. I searched the dark woods,
looking for indication of the elusive man. The branches wavered under the
breeze, shadows shifting eerily across the deer trails. Where was he?

Frustrated, I raked my hands
through my hair. “We don’t even know if anyone is on the island.”

“He’s here. I can sense him.”

Startled, I looked up at Thane.
Was he serious?
 

“Trail,” he said softly,
stepping onto the dirt path that wove up into the dark forest.

I followed him, heading uphill,
attempting to decipher person from shadows. Only a few birds chirped in the
trees above, but for the most part the forest was quiet. Too quiet. “If you
know he’s here why don’t we go to him?”

He paused and turned to face me,
so suddenly that I had to draw up short, yet still found myself only a breath away.
“Because I can’t be sure he’s the man we’re looking for, and I can’t be sure I
can trust him.”

Exactly what I’d thought but it
certainly surprised me that Thane was admitting as much. He spun back around
and found the trail once more. The wind picked up, rattling the branches above
and sending a few new leaves fluttering to the ground. Rain would be next. We
needed to find shelter. I dropped my gaze from the canopy of trees above to
Thane’s broad shoulders. Although I hadn’t a clue where we were going, and
although he said I shouldn’t trust him, I couldn’t deny that I felt safe with
Thane. I’d known him over a month now, and yeah, I trusted him. Yet I still
didn’t feel like I truly knew him.

“I guess I should say thanks.”

He didn’t respond, merely walking
the winding path, surging through weeds that grew alongside, as if nothing
could hold him back. I tried to follow, attempting to dodge the thorny vines,
but they clung to my clothing, piercing the material and scratching my arms
like vicious claws.

“For, you know, forcing me to
jump,” I added. “I don’t think I would have.”

He paused, so I paused. “Because
of Will?”

I wasn’t sure exactly why he was
asking. Did he actually care? The dream of Thane kissing me rushed back to mind.
Unwillingly I touched my lips, grateful his back was to me. Just a dream, I had
to remind myself when a heated blush raced to my cheeks. I shoved the memory
aside. We had more important things to worry about. “Because of Will. Because
of Kelly and Tony. All of them. I felt guilty. I still feel guilty, and I don’t
understand…why me? They could have died, but you and Will decided to save me
only. Why? Because I’m weak?”

He turned to face me. “Maybe
because Will’s in love with you.”

“That wasn’t funny the first
time you said it.” That blush returned full-force. Was he mocking me? He didn’t
look like it, he didn’t really have any sort of emotion on his face, as if he
was merely stating the facts. “Besides, Will cares about everyone.”

He released a wry laugh. “Right.”

Did Will like me? We had kissed,
but I’d been getting ready to jump off a cliff, and let’s face it, he probably
thought I wouldn’t survive. I certainly hadn’t thought I would.

“I assume because you were in
your little compound, shut off from the world, you don’t quite get how
relationships work.” He started up the trail again, leaving me to scramble
after him. He seemed annoyed and I wondered why. “You go about your life,
believing everything the vampires tell you. And why? Because they are
beautiful, because they dress in fine clothing and bring you gifts. Of course
they couldn’t be lying. Of course they have only your best interests at heart.”

“Not me.” I glared at his back
as I clambered after him, wondering why he was trying to rile me up. “You know
I didn’t trust them, so don’t lump me in with everyone back at the compounds.”

I swear I thought I heard him laugh.
My fingers curled as I resisted the urge to grab a nearby branch and hurl it at
his head. Then again, his skull was so thick it probably wouldn’t do much
damage. How had this gone from me thanking him, to Thane mocking me?

“And you’re so experienced with
love?” I snapped.

I realized my mistake almost
immediately.

He spun around to face me. I
froze. The hardness in his gaze would have sent me stumbling back a month ago.
“I have known love unlike you can ever imagine. While you’ve been stuck in your
little world blind to what is really out there…”

He paused, as if attempting to hold
himself back, trying to regain control. Harsh. But he was right. What did I
know of love? Really? I thought I had loved Tom and I did, but not the way he
had wanted. And I wasn’t even sure if he had loved me. Tom was gone now. I’d
most likely never see him again.

“Did you think you loved that
red-haired boy in your compound?” He laughed, a hard, brittle sound. “You
didn’t love him. He didn’t really love you. He was bored and you were the most
interesting person there.”

It wasn’t the first time it felt
as if he’d read my mind and I didn’t like it one bit, even if he was right. “You
don’t know anything.”

He smirked. “Can you tell me you
loved him?”

I flushed. “No. I didn’t. But I
never said I did.”

He wouldn’t relent. “And do you
honestly think he loved you?”

I shrugged, uncomfortable. I
thought he had. But if he had loved me, why hadn’t he trusted me? “How would I
know?”

Thane shook his head, as if
disgusted. “Well let me enlighten you. When you’re in love you don’t replace
the person within a month’s time. You don’t ignore their warnings. You trust
them completely.”

Deflated, my shoulders slumped. “Okay,
he wasn’t in love with me. And no, I wasn’t in love with him.” I gave him a
tight smile. “I suppose I don’t know real love. Are you happy now?”

He didn’t respond, just turned
and followed the trail again. Frowning, I went after him. The guy didn’t seem
to like what I said no matter how I replied. What, exactly, did he want from
me?

“Watch the thorns. Your blood
will draw attention if there are any beautiful ones nearby.”

Gripping my forearms, I frowned.
He couldn’t have possibly seen the marks through my long-sleeves, which meant
he smelled the scratches. The tiny lines I’d gotten while hiking this morning,
miniscule drops of blood… I shivered, uncomfortable with the thought.

“Will the beautiful ones who
attacked on the mainland come after us?” I asked, hoping to change the subject
to something we could agree upon…a common enemy.

“Doubtful.”

I glanced back, but the water
was barely visible through the forest. We’d moved further inland than I’d
thought. I switched my gaze to the tree tops. The thick clouds had covered the
sun, making the woods dark and mysterious. My stomach grumbled. I pressed my
hands to my belly, forcing myself not to think of food. “How can you know for
sure they won’t follow?”

“I lied.”

I shook my head, confused. “Lied
about what?”
 

“The beautiful ones hadn’t
arrived. They were in no danger.”

Shocked, I froze. He continued
walking as if the words he’d just said were no big deal. I raced after him.
“Why? Why would you do that?”

“They were in the area, but far
back enough for them to escape.” He lifted a branch and ducked under. “I needed
to get you away from the group.”

Annoyed and frustrated, I shoved
the branch aside just as it was coming back down to whack me in the face. “Again,
why?”

“Because someone in the group is
a traitor.”

I quickened my steps, all the
while shaking my head. “No. They can’t…”

My steps slowed. Could they?

He shrugged. “All I know is that
somehow Bacchus knew where we were located, and when we would be gone.”

Where the trail split I paused,
the realization washing over me. Jimmy had died because of a traitor. Someone
who had known the boy, had given up our location, realizing the others would be
murdered. Knees suddenly weak, I sank back against a tree.

“Why didn’t you tell Will?” I whispered.

He stopped and sighed, but
didn’t respond. Although there was no expression upon his perfect face, I knew
the truth. I thought, maybe, just maybe, I was actually starting to understand
Thane.
 

“Because you don’t trust Will.”

The realization shocked me. How
could he not trust Will? He didn’t respond, but I didn’t expect him to. Will was
the only one I believed had my best interest at heart. “I thought you were
friends.”

“This isn’t one of your little books,
Jane. No one is friends here.”

He was utterly serious. Did Will
and Kelly feel the same way? Were we mere acquaintances, using each other for
survival? “I can’t live that way.” I shook my head, feeling suddenly lost and
desperate. “I can’t live in a world where you can’t trust anyone.”

“Then good luck,” he said and started
left. The man had absolutely no compassion or empathy for anyone. And that was
where he differed from Will. I surged after him, my anger propelling me
forward. He might not understand the idea of friendship, but then he also might
be more monster than human.

“You don’t understand…”

He held up his hand, indicating
for me to be quiet. I parted my lips, intending to tell him exactly what I
thought about him when he stepped in front of me. It was instantly apparent
what he was doing…becoming a protective shield, the same thing Will had done
more than once. And once again I was struck by the fact that they seemed to
take extra care with me. It didn’t make sense. I knew deep down this had
nothing to do with Will’s feelings for me. And it sure as heck didn’t have
anything to do with Thane caring about whether I lived or died. His
indifference was proof enough. So why?

“Beautiful ones?” I whispered.

He shook his head.

I might not have trusted him,
but I trusted his instincts. I pressed my hand against my thigh where the
dagger rested in its sheath. If it wasn’t a beautiful one I might actually have
a chance.

“Be ready.”

He didn’t have to tell me twice.
We moved through the trees. Thane was of course quiet, while I managed to step
on two branches, sending a loud snap through the woods. And while his feet
somehow left no prints, I trudged through the forest like a wild boar. We
walked for a few minutes before Thane finally paused.
 

Hidden behind a pine tree, he
looked at me. “He’s straight ahead, across that clearing.”

“Raven?”

He refocused on the clearing.
“We can only hope.”

Great. He wasn’t sure. I took in
a deep, trembling breath, then followed as Thane moved from tree to tree. Instinctively,
I reached for my dagger and pulled it free. I thought about Will. I thought
about Kelly. Mostly, I thought about Jim. If we needed to find the Raven to
destroy the beautiful ones, if I had to put myself in danger, so be it.

Thane heard the sound before I
did, a sudden blast followed by a swoosh as a piece of bark chipped away from the
tree next to me. I didn’t have time to understand. Suddenly, Thane tackled me
to the ground. My heart seized. For one long moment we merely lay there, his
hard body pinning me in place as we waited…waited.

“What was that?” I finally
asked.