The Chosen Ones Read Online Free PDF

I slept. Had he been enemy or friend?
    Lantern light suddenly flashed
across my face, momentarily blinding me and bringing me back into reality.   “You okay?” Will asked, kneeling in front of
me.
    I nodded, although I wasn’t sure.
Physically, yes, I supposed I was well enough, although my throat hurt.
Emotionally, I wasn’t sure I’d ever be okay again. I swallowed hard, daring to
look at the two bodies, still unmoving. So much blood. Thanatos was a beautiful
one, he belonged with them, yet he had saved me, hadn’t he? I wasn’t sure
anymore. The entire time at the castle was a blur.
    “Jane?” Will watched me with a critical
eye, as if he searched for something, yet wasn’t quite sure what he looked for.
“You saved them.”
    I didn’t respond. There was a
question to this statement, although what he asked I didn’t know, nor did I
care. My gaze dropped to the two bodies near my feet; they were beings who had
been breathing only moments before. I had killed one. I had taken a life.
Oddly, I felt numb about the whole thing. There was no sense of vengeance or
relief, only nothingness.
    “Kelly and the children…you
saved them. I saw you.”
    “Yeah,” I whispered, my throat
painfully sore. I swore I could still feel his fingers around my neck. I
crossed my arms, hoping Will didn’t noticed how much I trembled. “I couldn’t
let them die. Not like that.”
    He nodded like he understood.
And he did. Will had saved me. He’d saved hundreds in this never-ending battle.
“They’re dead, the few blood drinkers who found our lair. But we have to leave
the city. It’s been compromised.”
    I didn’t protest. There was
nothing here for me. I belonged nowhere. He reached out his hand. I hesitated, staring
at his strong fingers and thinking of the beautiful one who had tried to choke
me. But Will wasn’t a vampire. He was human, like me. Steeling my nerves, I slipped
my hand into his. He pulled me easily to my feet but didn’t release my hand.
    “Are you back now?” he asked,
his breath warm across my face.
    I wanted to shrink away. “I
don’t know.” I wasn’t sure. “Maybe.”
    “Good.”
    “They’re here!” Kelly called out,
her voice echoing down the hall, followed by the thunder of footsteps. I’d
never been so happy to see her.
    I pulled my hand from Will’s
just as she came running up to the desk, Tony behind her.
    Her wide gaze followed the
pattern of blood covering my clothing, then jumped up to my face. “Are you
okay?”
    I nodded, watching them warily
as they climbed over the desk. Being this close, having them stare…it was all
too intimate.
    “Did you…” She looked down at
the mess of blood and body parts littering the ground. I knew what she was
asking. Funny, how only two weeks ago death, destruction, and blood had sent me
into a tailspin. Now I could look at it without flinching.  
    “I only killed one,” I replied,
feeling slightly uncomfortable under their intense scrutiny. They were looking
at me differently. Shocked, yes, but something else…as if they expected more
from me now. I wasn’t sure I could offer more.
    “Just one?” Kelly laughed and
wrapped her arm around my shoulders, pulling me close for a hug, despite my
bloody clothing. I remained stiff, counting down the seconds until she finally released
me and I could breathe again. “Just one?”
    “Holy crap, she killed a
beautiful one?” Tony said, looking at Will for confirmation.
    I didn’t bother to explain that
my killing had been more about luck than strength or cunning. Will picked up my
sword, swiped the blood off with his shirt, and then handed it to me. “Well
done. It’s yours now.”
    I took the weapon, the weight
reassuring in some way. When my sister was little she’d made herself a doll out
of wheat stalks and a dried apple. She’d kept that doll with her until it had
fallen apart. She said it made her feel better, safe. Holding the sword, I
finally understood.  
    “We have to