The Chosen Ones Read Online Free PDF Page A

fell upon the blade. I could hear the swoosh of the steel going
through his torso and then suddenly he landed atop me, flattening me to the
ground. Shocked, for a long moment I merely lay there under his weight, the
hilt of the sword digging into my gut while his warm blood poured down around
me, soaking my silly ruffled shirt.
    “Roman?” his friend cried out,
followed by the thunder of feet.  
    I used what little strength I
had left to push him off me. He rolled onto his side, my sword still piercing
his torso. With my heart hammering wildly against my rib cage, my body and mind
screaming at me to run, I pressed my feet into his chest and pulled the sword
free. It was as the blade was back in my hands that I heard him groan. I froze
for a split second, realizing he still lived.
    Behead him. Behead him.
    I jumped to my feet. I didn’t
think, merely lifted the weapon and swung. The blade sliced through his neck,
only to come to a stuttering halt as it hit bone.
    “Ahhh!” he cried out, clawing at
the weapon.
    Determined, I shoved my foot
into his chest for momentum, and pulled the blade free.
    “You bitch!” his friend
screamed.
    As the other beautiful one
jumped at me, I swung the sword for a second time, this one harder. The blade
sliced through Roman’s neck, hitting the cement floor with a thud. His head
tumbled away, rolling down the corridor like a ball. It was done. Before I
could lift my weapon again, the other beautiful one was over the desk and on
me. We fell to the ground, my skull slamming against the hard floor. Pain shot
down my spine. A startled cry escaped my lips as the world around me wavered in
and out of focus.
    Weak and stunned, the sword
slipped from my grip, clanging across the floor. In the low lantern light I
could see the hatred in his gaze, the look of pure determination to take my
life. He gripped my neck with his strong fingers. The air around me fled. My
head pounded, my lungs burning.
    Something…I needed something.
Frantic, I swung my arm wide, reaching out… My fingers brushed the cold metal
of my sword. I gripped the blade, not even pausing when it cut into my hand, and
swung it toward his head. The hilt of the sword hit his temple. It wasn’t much,
but it was enough to make him loosen his hold. Wonderful air seeped down my
throat and into my lungs. Gasping, I sucked in as much as I could.
    “You’ll pay, cow.” Hands raised,
he started toward my throat once more.
    Whimpering, I shoved my feet
into the floor, trying to throw him off, but he wouldn’t budge. Those strong
fingers caught my neck again. I clasped his wrists, digging my nails into his
flesh. It did no good. I was going to die after all. The light faded, and my
lungs burned with an intensity that had tears blurring my vision. I shifted my
gaze, refusing to look into his eyes when I died, and that’s when I saw Will
standing on the desk.
    For a brief moment I thought I’d
imagined him…until he jumped. With a cry, he leaped down, swinging his sword in
a great arc like one of the warriors I’d read about. The blade hit the
vampire’s neck. It didn’t pause as mine had, but swiped cleanly through the
animal as Will landed nimbly on his feet beside us.    
    The beautiful one collapsed onto
his side, his head rolling down the hall and into the shadows. I was barely
aware of the blood splattering across my trousers. Because as that head rolled
to a stop against the wall, I was reminded of Thanatos and the way he’d ripped
that man’s head from his body the night he’d saved me. The night I’d realize
just how strong the beautiful ones really were.
    Thanatos.
    I hadn’t thought about him in
days. Suddenly, the entire skyscraper faded. Will, who was checking the bodies
to make sure both beautiful ones were truly dead, no longer mattered. The smoke
curling down the hall wasn’t important. All these days while I’d been
half-dead, the memory of Thanatos had been like a mere dream, something that
tempted me when