****
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.
Slowly, I turned my head to study the cabin. Thane was nowhere, the place empty, the door open. But he had been here, I could still smell him.
A dream.
It was merely a dream. So why then did my lips tingle? Why did my body thrum with some odd need I didn’t understand? And why did I taste blood? I touched my lip, pulling my finger back. Not much, but the tiniest bit of red marked my hand.
“No,” I whispered.
My heart hammered madly as I stared at my fingers.
No. He hadn’t kissed me, he wasn’t even here.
Slowly, I swung my legs from the cot and settled my feet on the ground. I must have bit my own lip while dreaming. I rested my head in my hands, trying to make sense of everything. My brain felt fuzzy, my own skin tight. I needed air. Clean, clear air.
It was as I started to stand that I noticed the boots sitting neatly, side by side, next to the bed. Thane had found me new shoes. Even while I slept his thoughts were on me: protecting me, making sure I had all that I needed. But I knew better than to think he cared. Perhaps he did it merely because he had promised Will. I slid my feet into the boots. They were a tad big, but they were dry.
I sighed, raking my knotted hair from my face. How I wished I could remember something of last night. Anything at all. But I had slept deeply, too deeply. Embarrassment fought with resignation. I stood and moved to the door determined to find Thane, face him, and get it over with.
“Just a dream, Jane,” I whispered, reminding myself.
Steeling my resolve, I stepped into the cool morning air. I shivered, but was unsure if it was because of the breeze or Thane sitting at the end of the dock. For a brief moment I merely stood there, taking in the picture he made and I couldn’t stop thinking about that kiss. His sleeves were rolled up, showing sinewy forearms roped with muscle and scars. The early morning fog rolled across the shore, making him appear even more mysterious than he already was. Slowly, I moved down the dock, the wooden boards creaking underfoot. Although he didn’t look my way, I had no doubt he knew I was there. Thane always knew.
“How long did I sleep?”
“All night.” He glanced out at the water. “I’d say it’s six in the morning.”
I paused about five feet away, feeling oddly unsure around him thanks to my unsettling dream. “Thanks. You know…for warming me.” I blushed, realizing how stupid I sounded. “And the boots,” I added quickly. “Thanks for the boots.”
He held out his hand, an apple on his palm. “I found some food.”
My stomach grumbled and I had to resist the urge to snatch it from his palm and devour it in one bite. Although I’d been living in the wilds, I still managed to retain some manners. “Thanks. I’m starving.” I took the apple. A meager meal, but I wasn’t going to complain. “Where’d you find it?”
I bit into the fruit, my teeth sinking into the flesh. Slightly wrinkled and soft, but it was something and I’d take it gratefully.
“Near his cottage.”
I stiffened, surprised. “What? You went to his house?”
“I scouted the area.”
I took another bite, chewing slowly. So, we were at the right place. I admit, I’d had my doubts, and had wondered plenty of times if Raven was someone made up in their minds, desperate for hope. “Was he there?”
“No.”
I lowered to sit next to him, crossing my legs underneath me. “Did we come here for nothing?”
He was busy cutting an apple. “No. He’s on the island, just wasn’t at home.”
I glanced back, taking in the shadows. If not at home, where was he? I bit into my apple, eating as much of the fruit as I could, my body needing nourishment. I knew Thane had a plan, but he didn’t seem intent on sharing. Not surprising, the guy didn’t open easily.
“Are you going to eat?” I asked, swiping the juice from my mouth.
“Already did.”
Slowly, I lowered my apple, my hunger disappearing as quickly as it had come. He’d fed…on what, exactly?
“What is it?” he asked, not lifting his head to meet my gaze, but continuing to slice the apple into pieces. He’d felt my interest. How much could he sense? “What’s wrong?”
How did he know, I wondered, when I was uneasy about something without even looking at me? “Do you…feed off blood?”
“Not this morning, if that’s what you’re worried about.” He set the slices down next to me, another offering. Then he picked up an apple from his meager pile and leaned over, dipping it into the water to clean it. “As I said, I can feed off blood or food.”
But that wasn’t the real answer I was looking for. I tossed my apple core toward the shore. “Which do you crave more?”
He paused for one telling moment, his gaze on the water splashing softly against the dock. “Blood.”
My body went cold. “Oh.”
We didn’t speak, I merely watched as he washed the last apple, then placed all three into a satchel he had found, or stolen. “We should take as much as we can.”
He stood and so I stood as well, without realizing how close we would be. Our gazes met and held. For one brief moment I thought maybe he would actually kiss me as he had in my dream. He lifted his hand, his thumb brushing across my lower lip. Shocked, I froze as a shiver raced over my skin.
“You cut your lip.”
I didn’t respond. I couldn’t.
Just a dream. Just a dream.
He lowered his hand and moved around me. “We should take our clothing. It’s not completely dry, but as you know, they’re hard to find.”
On unsteady legs I followed him back toward the small boathouse. How did he do it? How did he make me feel so unsteady, s
o unlike myself? I shoved aside my confusing feelings. The kiss had been a dream. Thane wasn’t loving and romantic, he was a ruthless killer. “If you drink blood, how are you different from the beautiful ones?”
It was a bold question, but as always he didn’t seem offended. He stepped back into the boat house. “We can survive on regular food, which the beautiful ones can’t. You can see why they are bitter toward us. The fact that they can only live on blood is actually a weakness.”
He tossed me my jacket and I stuffed it into the bag he had placed on the floor. We worked in silence for those few moments, but the entire time my mind was spinning.
“So, they can starve to death?”
“Yes, although it can take months.”
Thinking about Thane and his beautiful blood made me think about the other chosen ones. As much as I wanted to forget, I couldn’t stop yesterday’s events from racing through my mind. Will, Kelly…they could be dead. I should have stayed and fought with them, but I hadn’t had a choice. Will had forced me to go.
“Why?” I finally asked. “Why me?”
Thane glanced warily my way. “What do you mean?”
I lifted the satchel. “There’s something that’s bothered me since we jumped. Will said to protect me. Like I’m important for some reason. Why?”
He took the bag from my hands. “Perhaps he’s in love with you.”
I flushed. If only it was that easy. “Tell me the truth.”
He sighed, looking frustrated and annoyed. “I don’t think you realize how smart you are, Jane.”
I released a harsh laugh and started for the door. “The books? This is all about the books?”
“Yes, it is.” He gripped my wrist, forcing me to stop. “You read for over a year. While you read almost a hundred books, most people read only a few. And while most people tossed them aside when they were finished, you reread them, no doubt memorizing every line, every word.”
I felt uneasy, unsure if he was complimenting me or not. “So what?”
“I heard you talking to your friend Tom and I realized just how much you knew. Hell, you know more than most of the people out here in the real world.”
The realization that he had listened to our private conversations horrified me and brought to life everything I had worried about. Frantic, I searched through my mind, trying to remember what I had said in those private moments. “You spied on me?”
He shrugged, completely unconcerned. “I needed to know who I could trust.”
I wanted to be angry at him, but part of me realized how right he was. It was so hard to know who was enemy and who was a friend out here. “And what else did you hear?”
He slid me a look. “Nothing. You people aren’t very exciting.”
I frowned, unsure if I should be offended or not. “And so from those few conversations, you deduced that I’m a genius?”
He laughed, the corners of his eyes crinkling into half-moons. “Listen to yourself. Deduced?”
I frowned. “What?”
“You do not speak or act like most people, Jane. Just face it.”
I could feel the heat race to my cheeks. I’d been told many times over the years that I didn’t belong. Why can’t you just act like everyone else, Tom had asked me one day. Why can’t you be content? I’d tried, but I hadn’t known why I felt so restless. I still didn’t know why I wanted more while others were content with what they had.
He reached into his bag. “Here.” From his fingers dangled Tom’s rose necklace.
Stunned, I merely looked at it for a few moments, unsure how to feel. I realized it was a peace offering of some sort, but I wasn’t sure I wanted it. “How?”
“When I returned to the castle I found the necklace.” He shrugged. “Do you want it?”
Did I? Tom hadn’t trusted me. We were no longer friends. He could be dead now. But the Tom who had given me the rose had been good, had been my friend. I studied the waves breaking against the shore. Part of me wanted to grab it and toss it into the ocean. I couldn’t.
Instead, I took the necklace, pulling it over my head and letting the rose drop between my breasts as it had those many, many days ago. “Thanks.”
He shrugged and stepped outside onto the dock as if his act meant nothing. Why had he picked it up? More importantly, why had he saved it?
The sun was just beginning to rise, the ocean outside a mirror of red and pink. “Think nothing of it. I was merely getting rid of any evidence.”
Maybe. Or maybe he actually cared. There was so much to this man I didn’t understand, and I wondered if I ever would.
He jumped off the dock onto the rocky shore. “Let’s go.”
I jumped down, scrambling after him. “Thane?”
He didn’t respond, but I knew he heard me.
“I know there’s something you aren’t telling me and until you admit the truth, I can’t trust you.”
“Good,” he muttered, finding a trail and moving into the woods. “You shouldn’t.”
Chapter 12