“I’d say three on the roof,” Thane said. “Seven out front.”
Grandfather nodded, pulling a rifle out from underneath the counter. Perhaps he had some magical beans under there as well. He could build a beanstalk and climb out of this mess. The ridiculous story was preferable to what I knew would happen.
“What do you want me to do with the serum?” I wasn’t a doctor, I wasn’t a scientist, I didn’t know what I was doing and I certainly couldn’t save the world like he wanted me to. Yet, here he was, entrusting me with the vaccine that would save the human race.
Grandfather gripped my shoulders and pulled me close, the cold rifle between us. “Go now. You have to go. I can’t make it, and I’ll only hold you back and we’ll all be caught. You are young, you can escape.”
“We can’t leave you!”
“Yes, you can,” he snapped gruffly. “It’s the only way. Don’t be stupid. There is no room in this world for weakness, and caring too much is a weakness.”
If he meant to hurt my feelings, it didn’t work.
“I’ll hold them off,” he insisted. “The guns might not kill them, but they’ll keep them back while you escape.”
Thane took my hand, the sack of supplies he carried slung over his shoulder. “We have to leave now.”
Grandfather pointed his rifle out the window toward the pier, the smoke billowing up in the background practically consumed him. If the vampires didn’t get him, I realized the smoke would. He couldn’t stay inside with the fire. Where would he go?
“Out the back,” he demanded. “Take the boat and go.”
My eyes watered as I stood there. I told myself I wasn’t crying, I didn’t cry anymore. No, the tears were from the smoke. Thane jerked open the back door and pulled me outside. I didn’t even have time to say goodbye. And suddenly we were gone. I didn’t dare look back at the window. The gunshots that went off told me he still lived.
“Keep going,” Thane demanded, shoving me in front of him. “Don’t stop.”
We raced down the pier, our feet thundering against the floorboards, the sack Grandfather had given me thumping against my back. It seemed to take forever to reach that small rowboat, and all the while I was completely aware of how important it was to get that serum to the mainland.
“Untie the boat,” Thane said.
It was only after I’d taken a few steps that I realized he wasn’t following. I paused, turning to find him. Thane stood in the middle of the pier, gun raised. A vampire jumped from the roof and at the same time Thane fired his weapon. The bullet hit the animal in the head. He cried out, falling to the shore.
“Go!” Thane snapped, tossing me his bag of supplies. “Untie the boat!”
Juggling both bags, I raced the last few steps to the boat and dropped to my knees. With frantic, trembling fingers, I somehow managed to untie the rope while Thane shot another vampire. My grandfather’s bullets still peppered the air, each blast making my heart jump into my throat. But I craved the sound as much as it frightened me. Each blast meant he still lived.
Suddenly, Thane was at my side, tossing the gun to the bottom of the boat. “Empty.” He grabbed my gun. “Go! Get in.”
He picked up the bag with the serums and handed it to me. It was as I was catching the second bag that I saw the blur of a body. I didn’t have time to cry out a warning before Thane was hit. They fell to the pier so hard that even the water around it trembled.
“Go, Jane!” Thane cried out as they rolled across the wooden planks. Frantic, I grabbed for the paddles and tried to surge away from the dock.
The vampire’s hands were around Thane’s neck and I could see another blood drinker jumping from the roof.
“Thane!” I cried out in warning.
Somehow Thane managed to point my gun and shoot the vampire coming at him, while the other still pinned him to the dock. The vampire stumbled to the ground, blood spreading across his chest.
“Start rowing!” Thane gasped.
He wanted me to leave him behind. Damn him. Didn’t he understand I couldn’t survive this world without him? He swung his arm upward, his fist connecting with the vampires chin. His head snapped back, and he fell to his side, dangerously close to the water and my boat.
“Leave!” Thane demanded.
“Fine!” I snapped back. “But if you die, it’s your fault!” I gripped the oars and tried to row, but the pain in my shoulder was almost unbearable. The boat turned, hitting the pier with a thud. Thane and the vampire he was fighting lost their balance, toppled over, and hit the water.
“Great.” With my feet, I reached out and pushed away from the pier sending the boat back, away from the dock.
I used the momentum to push with the oars. They cut through the water slowly, resisting and tugging at my arm muscles. The need to get the serum to the mainland fought with my desire to find Thane. But I knew Thane wouldn’t want me to stay, and he sure as heck wouldn’t put me above the safety of thousands. I gritted my teeth and kept pulling on the oars, using the strength and weight of my body. But the entire time I crept into the open ocean, I kept my eyes on that rippling water where Thane and the vampire had disappeared. Where was he?
“Come on, come on…”
Suddenly, Thane burst through the surface of the water, gasping for air only a few feet from the boat. Startled, I cried out. But my surprise quickly gave way to elation. Somehow he’d survived once again.
“Keep going!” He gripped the side and pulled himself up, making the boat tip dangerously toward the water’s surface.
Soaking wet, he fell into the bottom of the boat. As he lay there for that brief moment, breathing heavily, I noticed the blood soaking his gray shirt. He’d been injured.
“You’re hurt.” I started to reach for him but he shoved me away.
“We don’t have time.” He took my seat, and grabbed the oars.
I shuffled out of his way and settled at the back of the boat. With one pull of the oars, Thane sent us skidding through the water at a speed that would get us to the mainland within minutes. Water splashed against the sides, soaking my clothing, but I barely cared.
I turned, watching the cottage as it burst into flames. It was only then that I realized the gunshots had stopped. My heart fell to my feet, my body heavy. “I’ll never see him again, will I?”
He pulled at the oars over and over, a continuous movement that sent us practically flying across the water’s surface. “He knew what he was doing when he sent us away.”
The sadness I felt was unexpected and crippling. I drew my knees closer and stared at that burning house where my grandfather had lived for so many years safe and protected. Perhaps if we hadn’t arrived, the beautiful ones wouldn’t have come after us. And perhaps if I hadn’t been so eager to save the others in the compound, Jimmy wouldn’t be dead.
“Why did he do it?” I whispered.
“To save your kind, to save the world.”
I turned away from the house and faced the mainland. It was getting closer, but still too far away to see detail. More beautiful ones could be waiting there for us. Would we ever be safe?
I took in a deep, trembling breath. Grandfather was gone, but we still had a job to do. “He wants us to take the vaccines to Will?”
He laughed. “Will is just an insignificant player in all of this.”
I glanced back at the cottage once more. As the fog from the ocean covered the island and only the eerie dark smog of smoke could be seen, I still stared. Even though Grandfather had left us to rot in that compound I still hoped he had died quickly, as painlessly as possible. “Then who do we take the vaccines to?”
“Raven.”
“But…” I jerked my gaze toward him. His face was all stoic seriousness as he continued to row. “My grandfather…”
Thane shook his head. “He’s not the real Raven.”
For some reason it was easy to accept. Although the truth surprised me, the more I thought about it, the more it made sense. The real
Raven was a leader, not some old man who hid out on an island. “So who is Raven?”
Thane met my gaze, water trailing from his hair and down the harsh planes of his face. “Good question.”
Chapter 15
We didn’t pause when we reached shore. We didn’t pause after hiking all night inland. We didn’t even pause for food, although it had been hours since we’d eaten. We only stopped late in the afternoon the next day when the storm started, a giant clap of thunder that shook the ground and rattled the tree branches above.
“Maybe it’s just passing,” I muttered to myself.
Suddenly huge drops fell from the sky, pounding against the top of my head and soaking me instantly. I bit back my grimace. The healing blisters on my feet had ripped open that morning, and my shoulder wound throbbed. The pain and exhaustion were finally winning and my steps had slowed, leaving me trailing far behind Thane. At times I lost sight of him, but was too tired to care.
“Up ahead,” Thane called out over the patter of rain.
I swiped the water from my face and used what little strength I had left to trudge uphill. Thane stood near a dark opening that burrowed under a rocky ledge and into the ground. Although the thought of crawling into that cave, where there were most likely spiders and mice and other things I’d rather not befriend, horrified me, it was shelter and that’s what we needed at the moment.
“It will protect us,” he said, as if sensing my reservations.
I had my doubts. But whatever animals might be lurking within the darkness would have to share. I dropped to my knees and crawled into the dirt tunnel. The sides scraped against my pack, but it opened into a larger room only a few feet inside. Depleted, I set the bag on the ground and settled with my back against the wall, watching Thane as he moved into the cave. He looked pensive, tired, and I’d never seen him that way. It made him seem more human, instead of the beautiful one I always thought of when I looked at him.
“This will do for now.” He settled with his back against the opposite wall and tossed me the bag. “Food inside.”
Thank God. With trembling fingers, I managed to pry open the sack. More wrinkly apples, and some sort of oats. But it was the container of stew I smelled that had me trembling with need. I opened the lid of the metal box. It was cold, and the fat had congealed atop the stew, but I didn’t care. I took the spoon from the bag and ate, savoring each chill bite until half the container was gone. I tried not to think about the variety of warm meals I used to eat at the compound, but with each cold spoonful the memories came flooding back. My appetite waned. Unable to take another cold bite, I handed the container to Thane.
“Keep it,” he said.
“No, you have to eat—”
“Jane, I can last much, much longer without eating than you. Besides, your human food does little to nourish me.”
I shivered, pulling back and clutching the container to my chest. Was he asking for blood? My blood? I closed the lid on the stew and set it back in the bag. “I’ll save it for later.”
“I’m not going to attack you for your blood, Jane, if that’s what you’re worried about.”
I must have looked unsure, for he continued, “When you see a deer and you’re hungry, do you ever think of jumping on it and ripping its flesh from its bones with your teeth?”
“Ugh, no.”
“Exactly.”
“But then I’ve never gone as long as you have without food.” I must have hit a point, for we grew silent again. Outside the rain continued to fall, the patter lulling me into a dream-like state where I only wanted to sink into sleep for a day or two. “How do you do that?”
He was still, always so still, never one to fidget. Every move was deliberate and needed. He didn’t waste his energy. “What?”
“How do you always know what I’m thinking and feeling?”
He shrugged and studied the opening of the cave. “We are more empathetic than most.”
My frown deepened. I wasn’t quite sure if I should be angry or not. Was this another one of his mind tricks or something he just couldn’t help? For a long while we merely sat there listening to the rain fall outside. He stared outside, while I stared at him.
“Did you know all a long he wasn’t Raven?” I asked.
“No. I didn’t.” He held out his hand. “Come here.”
“Why?”
He quirked a brow. “Must you always question everything? Do you not trust me?”
He was mocking my obvious wariness. Frowning, I crawled across the cave to his side. He placed his arms around my waist and drew me into him. With my back to his chest, he wrapped his arms around me.
“What are you doing?” I asked, feeling slightly breathless. He smelled good, so very good.
“You’re cold.”
I was, and he was warm. Forcing myself to relax, I sank into his body and closed my eyes. Thane rested his chin on the top of my head. I tried not to think about the intimacy of the moment. He was merely attempting to keep me warm, nothing else.
“I started to have my suspicions that first day on the island,” he said. “Your grandfather was incredibly intelligent but he wasn’t a leader. I confronted him only last night and he admitted the truth.” I liked the way his voice rumbled through his chest, almost like a cat purring. “Jane, we have the serum, but you must consider the fact that your grandfather, although I’m sure you have feelings for him, wasn’t exactly right in his mind. Living alone…it does things to a person. I’m not sure how much of what he’s told us we can believe.”
A cold breeze swept into the cave on the scent of rain and mildew, making me shiver. Thane tightened his arms around me. I didn’t complain. “You’re saying he was crazy?”
“Maybe a little.”
“Well, he’s dead now. He’s…nothing.”
He didn’t respond and the only noise was the patter of rain outside and soft thump of his heart against my back. I squeezed my eyes shut, hoping the old man had died quickly. He might have been insane, but he didn’t deserve to be torn apart, tortured.
“I never did find out who had brought him his supplies from the mainland. It’s obvious someone was visiting him.”
“I don’t know but I have my suspicions it was the real Raven.”
I frowned, intrigued by the idea. “So you truly think he’s out there somewhere and knew my grandfather?”
“I do.”
I was quiet for a few minutes, mulling over the idea.
“Let me see your wound.”
I hesitated for the briefest of moments, but I knew he wouldn’t be denied. With a sigh, I pulled away from him and reached for my shoulder. “Your friends went crazed when they fed. You won’t…”
“What?” His breath was warm against my neck. “Go insane when I see the blood?”
I nodded, ignoring the shiver that swept down my spine. That dream I’d had the first morning on the island almost a week ago rushed back to mind. The memory of Thane’s kiss had been too good to be true. Was too good to be true. I might be attracted to him, but he’d never indicated he liked me that way.
“I think I can manage to control myself,” he said wryly.
I wasn’t quite sure if I should be offended or not. I pulled down the neckline of my shirt, exposing my upper arm. The towel kept the blood from flowing, but it still hurt whenever I moved. He leaned forward and I had to resist the urge to flinch. His face was close to mine, so very close. I wondered for a brief moment if his kiss would be anything like that dream.
“Seems okay. I don’t smell any infection.”
I pulled the shirt back into place, suddenly feeling too warm. “And yours?”
“I’m fine.”
“I saw the blood.”
He leaned back against the cave wall. “It’s healed. We heal faster than normal, which is why you have to kill a beautiful one instantly. If you merely wound them, they’ll live.”
“Good to know.” But I didn’t believe him. He was exactly the sort of man who wou
ld act tough while suffering in silence, and I needed him in shape. “Take off your shirt.”
He quirked a dark brow. “Excuse me?”
“I want to see the injury.”
“I told you—”
“Just do it to appease me.”
Almost as if on a dare, he reached for the hem of his shirt. Slowly, he lifted the material, pulling it over his head. Those muscles and old scars would not deter me; I was intent on seeing only the wound. I scooted closer and peered at his side, but there was only a small line marking the taunt skin.
“How did you get the scars?” I asked.
“One for every ten minutes I denied them,” he whispered.
“What do you mean?”
He paused and I thought for sure he would ignore my question. “I had feelings for a servant a long time ago. A human. When the beautiful ones found out, Bacchus cut me every ten minutes until I swore allegiance.”
At least twenty scars marked his skin. The image of Thane covered in blood came quickly to mind. A terrifying image. I felt for the man much, much more than I wanted to. “Anyone would have given in.”
“The pain didn’t do me in.”
Surprised, I lifted my gaze to him. “What did?”
“They threatened to do the same to her.”
“Oh.” I felt ill. His face was in the shadows, so hard to read. “But Bacchus killed her.”
He shrugged. “Drunken fools, not Bacchus. Death is a constant threat when you serve them.”
We fell silent. I could tell he didn’t want to speak about it any longer. All he’d suffered and she’d died anyway. I pushed aside the depressing thought and focused on the small scar where he’d been wounded.
“Amazing,” I whispered, awed by the way the wound had healed so quickly. Slowly, I reached out, drawing my fingers over his stomach. Just a small scar. I didn’t miss the way his muscles jumped. And it was as his body reacted to my touch that I realized just how intimate our situation was. I jerked my attention upward, meeting his gaze.
Was it my imagination or did his eyes glow slightly?
My hand still rested at his side, his body warm under my touch, and I couldn’t move, couldn’t pull away. The cave seemed suddenly stifling, too hot, too small. I couldn’t breathe. I couldn’t breathe this close to him. Frantic, I shoved away, dug my heels into the ground and fled out of the cave opening. Rain fell, trailing down my face and blinding me as I slipped and stumbled down the hill. But only outside did I calm down. Resting against a tree, I closed my eyes as the cold drops pattered against my face and arms. Relief.
The Chosen Ones Page 20
