The Chosen Ones

Chapter Eight

Chapter 8

"You sure you wouldn't rather go to your home compound where you were born?" Kelly whispered as she lay beside me in the vegetation. "You have a sister and brothers there, right?"

Home? I had never felt at home there behind those walls.

A gnat swarmed my face, but I didn't dare reach out to slap it away for fear the movement would draw unwanted attention from below. "No. We need Tom on our side, and his compound is closer. It just makes sense."

I'd told her about my family one sleepless night, but was surprised she remembered. She'd had an older sister who had been killed before her, so she probably didn't understand why I wouldn't want to save my family first. But Tom was my family; I was closer to him than I'd been to anyone else. Besides, I had a bad feeling this wasn't going to work.

Below, Tom's compound lay nestled between two hills. We could see into the fenced area, the people milling about, doing their jobs. They were ants down there, just waiting to be crushed by the beautiful ones. So completely clueless. They had no idea what was to come. We were far enough away that none of them would notice us, but for the dhampir standing guard with their super human senses. It had been almost a month since I'd seen Tom, but it seemed like years and years ago. A dream.

"This is a damn suicide," Tony muttered next to Kelly.

Part of me agreed with him.

"We're tired of sitting around waiting to be killed," Will snapped back. Things had been tense since their argument the other night and I couldn't help but feel responsible. "It's time to act."

Will had been short-tempered and nervous on our day-long hike, making me wonder if he'd second-guessed his decision. Did he really want to do this? But now that I was here and Tom was down there somewhere, I couldn't seem to voice my concerns. I took my lower lip between my teeth. Yes, I was being selfish, but I needed to see him.

The dhampir patrolled the area, casually strolling back and forth in front of the gate. They held no weapons; they didn't need them. Their arrogance, I hoped, would be their downfall.

"Would they help us?" I asked. "The dhampir?"

"No." Will didn't even bother to glance my way—he was too busy studying the scenery as if he expected to be attacked at any moment. I wondered if he'd ever been this close to a compound before. "We already tried. In the end, Thane had to kill the guy so he wouldn't squeal."

I slid Thane a glance. He lay on the other side of Will, quiet, unconcerned. Sunlight pierced the leaves above, highlighting the hard planes of his face and that pale scar. As if sensing my attention, he turned his head and caught my gaze. I flushed, looking away. Of course he'd killed him. Why did every story to do with Thane end with him murdering someone?

"We need to act," Will whispered. "Might as well be now."

I curled my fingers into the dirt, eager to go. There, amongst the throng of people somewhere, was Tom. I tried to decipher his red hair from the light and dark brown, but couldn't tell if any men were him at that distance. The urge to race down there was overwhelming, but I knew I had to be patient.

"Once you do this," Will whispered, glancing at Thane. "There's no going back. You will be a traitor, and they'll most likely find out what you've done."

In other words, he would not be rescuing anyone else. I stared at the dirt I lay upon, watching an ant weave its way around grass and pebbles. Never before had I wished to be an inconsequential insect as much as I did at that moment. Thane wouldn't be able to save anyone else, and if Tony was right, it would be my fault.