The Chosen Ones

Chapter Seven

Chapter 7

The children never arrived.

For two days we'd been sitting near the river, waiting at the specified meeting point, yet no one came. Kelly told me not to worry, that it took longer to travel with a group of kids. I knew the truth. And I could tell, when I looked into her clouded gaze, she was worried as well.

Everyone was on edge, unable to sleep at night, eating little, and me...I had to bite back the comment that I wanted to make. I had known, hadn't I? I had questioned, at least to myself, the idea of separating the children from the group. Even animals knew there was safety in numbers. But I had been weak, I hadn't had a voice in this group, I still didn't.

"Here." Carla strolled toward me and dropped a few daggers into the pile I'd been cleaning. I smiled up at her, but she didn't bother to respond, merely headed back to Sam and started whispering.

It was obvious they were talking about me. Their laughter drifted my way, sending the heat of embarrassment to my face. I forced myself to keep my attention on the daggers I cleaned. According to Kelly, Carla had arrived at the camp only a year ago, yet she had been openly accepted. Which meant they didn't dislike me because I was a newbie, but most likely because of the time I spent with Will.

"Jimmy," Will snapped out as he came strolling into camp. "You know the rules, no fire."

To say I was relieved to have him back would be an understatement. The more friends I had nearby, the better. Will and Tony were supposedly surveying the area, making sure there were no beautiful ones lurking. But we all knew the truth: they were searching for signs of the children. By the drawn look of Will's face it was safe to assume they hadn't found any clues.

"Ah, no!" Jim whined, sticking his hands toward the flames in an attempt to soak up as much heat as possible. "It feels so warm and good!"

I hid my grin as I rubbed the rough cloth against my dagger, trying to remove the rust patches. I'd been given the task of cleaning and sharpening everyone's weapons, a tedious but necessary job. I had a feeling I was being punished for leaving camp, but if I had to clean them until my eyes went bleary, so be it. The pile of flashing blades should have made me feel better, safer, but it didn't. Swords and daggers would do little against the strength of a beautiful one.

"Keep the fire," Thane said, emerging from the dark shadows and into the ring of firelight. "I did patrol and didn't sense any blood drinkers."

I stiffened at his approach, my heartbeat faltering. How did he always know where to find us? He didn't bother to glance my way. In fact, we hadn't had any contact since I'd returned to camp. But then again, he barely paid attention to anyone. Thane kept to himself, sitting along the outskirts when he was here, making only the minimum of conversation with Will. He appeared and disappeared when he wanted, and I never knew when to expect him. It made me feel on edge for some reason.

Last night I'd woken in the middle of the night when everyone slept. Restless, I'd rolled to my side only to find Thane sitting there watching me from across the camp. He merely leaned against a tree, his gaze direct, as if daring me to react. Finally, I'd broken eye contact, turning so my back was to him once more, but unable to sleep the rest of the night.

He strolled to a fallen log on the outskirts of camp. His movements were easy, unhurried, graceful, like the animal he was. He pulled his sword from the sheath on his back and began to clean and polish it, not asking me to do the job. In fact, he never asked for anything. Not water, not food and certainly not help. It had been two days since I'd left camp and returned. Two days wondering when he would collect that second debt. Did he keep me in suspense on purpose? I frowned, picking up another dagger. Of course he did.