The Chosen Ones (19 page)

I stood there for a moment,
letting his words sink into my muddled mind. Was Thane actually trying to
apologize? Oh, how I wished Kelly was here to witness the rare incident. I
doubted she would ever believe me if I retold the story.

He placed his hands on his slim
hips. “Now, clothes off.”

My amusement fled. “What? No!”

“Seriously? You’re going to
worry about something as asinine as being naked when your life is at stake?” He
spun around and stomped toward the trunk. “You’re freezing, and I promised Will
I’d make sure to keep your sorry ass alive until we saw him again.”

I wondered briefly when they’d
had this talk. What else had they planned while I was unaware? But then his
words truly hit me: Thane believed we would see Will again. Maybe he’d said it
to make me, or himself, feel better, but I’d take it.

I rolled off my wet socks. “I
have nothing to wear.”

He stood from the trunk and
tossed me some folded garments.

I caught the clothes, holding
them close to my sodden shirt. So, this Raven was always prepared. Did he live
in this small home? “I won’t undress with you here.”

“You’re lips are blue. Stop
being stupid. Undress.”

I tilted my chin stubbornly
high. “When you leave.”

He started toward me, the look on
his face sending me scurrying toward the far corner of the small room. “I’ll do
it on my own!”

Without pause, he pulled his
shirt over his head. “Hurry then.”

My throat went tight. Stunned, I
merely stood there staring at his naked chest. I hadn’t realized, silly of me,
that he would undress as well. I couldn’t help but notice the dips and valleys of
muscle that rolled down his stomach. Not an ounce of fat. He was stunning, pure
and simple. He was also covered in scars.

They resembled the scar on his
face, which meant someone had taken a knife to his beautiful body. Disconcerted,
I set my dry clothes on the cot. With fingers numb from cold, I somehow managed
to undo the button on my trousers. While Thane was busy undressing, I rolled
the damp trousers from my chilled legs. I could admit to myself he was right; I
needed to get warm and fast. I’d been this cold before, once when I’d been
caught in the pasture during a storm. So cold that my head pounded and my
stomach clenched.

“Here.” He’d picked up the
clothes and held them out. “Dress.”

We worked in silence, keeping to
our own sides of the room. Not that I wasn’t completely and utterly aware of
him the entire time. I watched from beneath my lashes, too curious not to. But
as he reached for the button on the waistband of his trousers, my fascination gave
way to embarrassment.

I’d seen men half-dressed. At camp
people were very free, finding no shame as they dressed and washed in front of
each other. But it wasn’t something I was used to. And for some reason it was
different with Thane.

Instead of focusing on the fact
that he was probably naked, I made quick work of dressing. He was right, the
cold could kill me. There was no time for embarrassment. The shirt and trousers
might have been large on me, but they were dry and warm and that was all that
mattered.

Hugging myself tightly,
attempting to warm my chilled skin, I turned to face him. Thane’s back was to
me and I could study the scars without him noticing. His body was long and
lean, muscled, but it wasn’t perfect after all. Horrified and saddened, I could
merely stand there and stare. I counted at least ten cuts on his arms, back and
chest before his shirt fell into place.

“What happened?” I whispered
before I thought better of it.

He glanced over his shoulder,
wariness in his ice-blue gaze. “What?”

I flushed, realizing how rude it
was of me to bring up his marks, but I couldn’t take it back now. “The scars.”

He shrugged and looked away, as
if they weren’t in the least bit important. “In my early years I didn’t quite
conform to the rules the beautiful ones enforced.”

So, they’d punished him with a
knife to the face for merely being born, and later in life again for not
thinking the way they wanted him to. Was it any wonder he was cold and distant?
I would be as well if I’d gone through what he had. I bit my lower lip, feeling
myself soften toward him and not liking it in the least.

“Lay down on the cot,” he
demanded, as he finished dressing in nondescript gray clothing similar to mine.
“We need to get warm.”

“We?” I walked to the cot,
grimacing as my body protested the movement. It wasn’t just a lack of sleep
that was getting to me; I’d been pushing myself too hard the last couple weeks.
I lay on my side on the cot and tucked my cold hands under my head, watching
Thane.

I assumed the blanket he held
was for me. But when Thane lowered to the cot, lying beside me on the small bed,
I stiffened, my heart leaping into my throat. Completely unconcerned, he
wrapped his arm around my waist and jerked me up against his muscled form.

“What are you doing?” I asked,
the words a breathless whisper. His warm scent swirled around me, curling and
tiptoeing over my body until I was sure I’d never be rid of it.
 
 

“Don’t throw one of your fits.” He
reached for the blanket. “The best way to get warm is body heat.”

I didn’t dare move as he pulled the
blanket over us. Barely breathed as he tucked his arm under his head and closed
his eyes. As the moments ticked by and as I slowly got over the shock of
feeling his body molded to mine, I realized how very warm he was. I slid my
chilled toes toward his feet. He didn’t even flinch when we touched. I glanced
up at him. With his face relaxed, his lips slightly parted, he looked almost…
human.

Emboldened, I shifted closer, sinking
into his warm body, hoping he slept and wondering how much I should push my
courage. When he swallowed hard, this throat working, I realized he wasn’t
sleeping after all. But I was too cold and he was too warm for me to care…much.
 

I closed my eyes, reveling in
his heat. “Do you think the others escaped?”
 

“I don’t know.”

A chill raced through me and I
shivered, whether from the cold or my emotions, I wasn’t sure. “Oh,” I
whispered. The image of Will and Kelly dying flashed to mind. I squeezed my
eyes shut, refusing to dwell on it. They made it, I was sure of it.

Thane’s firm fingers suddenly
gripped my wrists. Startled, I opened my eyes, but he wasn’t paying attention
to me. Instead, he pulled my hands forward and slid them under his shirt,
pressing them against his chest and holding them there. While I…I could merely
lay there, stunned, staring at him.

He apparently understood my
confusion, for he shrugged. “Your hands are freezing.”

I could feel his heart-beat,
slow and steady against my palm, all too human for my liking. “And the cold
doesn’t bother you?”

“Not nearly as much as it does
you.”

He wasn’t completely human and
he wasn’t like me, Will, or Kelly. I would not mistake his kindness for
compassion. He merely wanted me alive…for some reason. “And does Raven know we’re
coming?”

“I doubt he has any idea,” he
replied, his warm breath stirring the hair around my forehead. “But he probably
knows by now.”

Surprised, I pulled my hands
away, preparing to jump from the cot, but Thane’s arm held me tight. “Don’t
worry,” he said softly, his eyes still closed. “I’ll keep watch.”

He didn’t seem like he was
keeping watch. I tried to relax, but it was impossible. Did Raven know? Was he
watching us even now? And why did Thane not seem concerned?

“Tell me about the beautiful
ones,” I asked, desperate to dwell on something other than my own troublesome
thoughts.

“Almost two-hundred years ago,
humans ruled this world.” His arm slid around my waist, his palm flat to my
back, so very warm. “Vampires lived in the shadows, worried that they would be
caught, fearing they’d be destroyed. But then, while the humans were fighting
each other, a blood drinker decided to act. He took control, told the other
blood drinkers that they shouldn’t have to hide. He started a revolution.”

The world around me was fading,
his voice a soft song that lulled me toward slumber. “Are they human?” I
murmured. I wasn’t quite sure why he was telling me this story, but I didn’t
want him to stop. I liked the sound of his voice; it made me feel safe, secure.

“There are some who believe that
vampires and humans shared a common ancestor thousands of years ago. They say it
was a combination of mutant genes and environment that changed us.”

“Their names. They’re Greek or
Roman, right?”

He released a soft laugh. “Yes.
Arrogant, to say the least. They only use the names of gods, of course.”

I snuggled closer, pressing the
side of my face to his shoulder. “And your name?”

“A minor god of death.”

“Death.” Half his words made no
sense, but I liked hearing him talk, the rumble of his chest as he spoke
fascinated me. “And do you think humans will ever regain control?”

He shrugged. “Maybe, with the
right training, and if you can get the dhampir on your side.”

Hadn’t Will said the dhampir
wouldn’t work with us? Confused, I tried to remember, but it was so hard to
think when Thane was slowly moving his hand up and down my spine, stroking my
back. The small building grew quiet. The only sound was the lap of water
against the dock outside.

I couldn’t sleep, wouldn’t. He
was finally answering my questions. Yet, I was tired, so very tired. “And
blood…”

“Blood nourishes the body. It is
the life force that keeps us all going, even humans.” I wasn’t sure, but
thought I felt his hand brush against my hair. Everything had grown blessedly
numb and heavy. “But for vampires it’s even more important.”

I took in a deep breath, soaking
in his sweet, musky scent. Decades from now, if I still lived, I swore I would
be able to recognize that scent blindfolded. “Can they eat other things?”

“They can. But it doesn’t keep
them alive. They need blood to live.”

“So…take away the blood and you
take away their survival.”

“I suppose.” He shifted his leg
so that it rested over mine. I didn’t dare protest, he was too warm. “But it’s
impossible to take away blood. You can’t stop it from flowing through your veins.
No living being can. And as you’ll always have blood in your body, you’ll
always be their source of food.”

I forced my lashes to lift,
meeting his gaze. “And you?”

His eyes were open, alert. “I
can survive on regular food, but it makes me weak. Blood gives me strength.”
 

He wasn’t weak now, far from it.
So where was he getting his blood? I licked my suddenly dry lips. Although
exhaustion pulled down on me, begging me to rest, I couldn’t close my eyes. He
might have saved me, but I couldn’t trust Thane. I wouldn’t. I had to stay
alert…somehow.
 

“Sleep,” he said softly. “I’ll
guard you.”

Guard me from whom, I wanted to
ask? The only threat nearby was him. “That’s not really fair, is it? You need
rest too.”

The cabin had grown dark, the
sun had set. But I could just see his lips quirk and knew he smiled. I wanted
him to say more, but I was so very tired. “I don’t need as much sleep as you.”

“Yes, but…”

He lowered his head so that his
lips were a mere breath away, his glowing gaze focused on my eyes, and I was
falling…falling within their depths. “Sleep, Jane. Sleep.”

“Yes.” The heaviness grew,
pressing down on me. My lashes fluttered, my eyes closing. I couldn’t last any
longer. I knew in the deep recesses of my mind that I was going to fall asleep
and I couldn’t stop myself. “Okay.”

With Thane’s lips so close to
mine that I could feel his warm breath, I allowed my body to sink into
temptation, giving into the darkness I so craved.

****

His lips were warm on mine.
Soft, gentle.

I didn’t need to open my eyes to
know it was Thane. I could smell him all around me. That scent of spring,
earth, man, life. As he cupped the sides of my face, I realized this was how a
kiss should have felt. This is what I’d read about, what I’d always wanted.
This is what had been lacking in Will’s embrace.
 

“I dreamt of you,” he whispered
near my ear. “For months now I’ve dreamt of you. I didn’t want to, but you
invaded my dreams.”

Somehow, I managed to open my
eyes. The morning was gray, dim, but his eyes glowed eerily in the low light.
Funny enough, I wasn’t afraid or leery as I usually was with Thane. All I knew was
that it felt so incredibly right for his arms to be wrapped around me, holding
me close. So right to feel the steady beat of his heart against mine.

“I don’t know you,” I murmured,
my mind muddled, confused. “You don’t know me. Why would you dream about me?”

“I know you,” he whispered
against my lips. “I know you so very well, Jane.”

Perhaps he did. It should have
made me uneasy, it didn’t. His lips pressed harder against mine and a shiver of
awareness raced over my body. In that moment I swore I knew him too.

I
felt
again, and it was so welcome, so needed that I wanted to sing
out with joy. His lips pressed to mine once more, this time the kiss was
harder. A kiss I’d never experienced before…demanding and passionate. The sort
of kiss I’d read about in my books.
  

Touching Tom had never felt normal.
Even with Will something had been missing…but this…this was so very right. His
hand cupped the back of my head as he deepened the kiss. With a groan, I
wrapped my arms around him, sliding my hands up his back.

“You make me feel again,” he
whispered as his lips found mine once more.

His words sent a thrill of
excitement through my body. I slid my hands into his hair, the cool strands
curling around my fingers. I held him close to me, needing to touch him. It was
then that I felt the sharp sting across my lips. A sting that jerked me from
slumber. I awoke with a start, my sudden consciousness jarring. Hovering
between fear and need, I stared at the dusty beams above. Good God, just a
dream. Tell that to my heart. I pressed my hand to my chest, feeling the rapid beat.