CHAPTER 8
Jack didn't look up again but he felt it when Hannah strode past the table and across the room. He heard the patrons calling out greetings to her but she disappeared upstairs a few minutes after her arrival. He could feel William's gaze boring into him from across the table as he tapped Millie on the butt and urged her off of his lap. He'd succeeded in trying to appear as uncaring as possible but now he just wanted to get Millie away from him.
"Thanks for being my good luck charm." He flashed a grin that he knew would disarm any exasperation from the woman and it didn't fail to do so now.
"Anytime handsome," she said as she blew him a kiss.
Jack watched her walk away but his thoughts were no longer on her. Anger still festered in his chest as he finally met William's gaze across the table. He hadn't told his friend anything about what had occurred at the donation center but William had been staring questioningly at him ever since he'd returned.
It wasn't often he was in a bad mood but he'd still been seeing red when he'd stormed back into the tavern. Millie's attention had helped to salvage some of his pride, but it hadn't cooled his ire anywhere near as much as he'd thought it would. Instead his foot was beginning to tap, and despite his every intention not to let it happen, he felt his gaze slide toward the stairs.
"Jack." He reluctantly turned back to William. A hundred questions seemed to be reflected in his friend's eyes but he didn't ask any of them. "It's your turn."
He glanced at the full house in his hand and tossed it on the pile of coins in the middle. "I fold."
A muscle twitched in William's cheek but he didn't say anything more as he turned to the other two humans playing with them. It had become quieter inside the bar when Calvin had entered, and like last night the noise didn't return to its higher levels. Ellen retreated to the stage in the corner and lifted the flute to her mouth, but even the mellow music that flowed forth didn't relieve the tension in the room.
It certainly didn't ease his. He knew that Hannah didn't want to be with Calvin, that much was obvious, but he didn't know what had happened to him earlier. The mere thought of the man touching her had been enough to make his blood boil. His normally jovial attitude had vanished in an instant and something almost primal had surged forth to take its place. He'd had to fight the urge to tear Calvin's throat out. That pleasant thought caused his fangs to prick and lengthen even now.
Shit, he thought. What is wrong with me?
He needed a few minutes to gather his thoughts and regain control of himself. His gaze slid back to the stairway but she had yet to reemerge and he didn't think she was going to help calm him down anyway. In fact, he was certain that she was the one thing that might completely unravel him.
Pushing away from the table, he rose to his feet. "I'm going for a walk."
"Want me to join you?" William asked as he pulled his winnings toward him.
"No."
Jack gave Calvin a brief wave before walking out the door.
***
He'd spent more than a few hours swimming in the soothing, cool water before pulling himself onto the sandy shore. Lying by the lake, with his hands behind his head, he studied the stars and moon as they shifted across the sky. The water drying on his skin and the wind tickling over him helped to relax him further. He hadn't lain down and simply studied the night sky since his time in the woods.
The moon drifted further across the sky and though he knew he should get back to see what was going on, to see her, he remained where he was upon the spongy ground. He was reluctant to leave the lake that reminded him of the peace he'd found amongst the rebels in his first years as part of their movement. The chirrup of the crickets and the mellow lapping of the water against the shore lulled him into a fitful sleep.
On his two year anniversary with the rebels in the woods he was given a new quiver of arrows, a flask of whiskey, and a slap on the shoulder. Aria reluctantly handed him the quiver, but her hand remained on the strap as she eyed the newly made arrows with longing.
With a sigh, she released the strap. "If you would prefer for the arrows to go to someone that can put them to good use, I'll be happy to take them off your hands," she said with a teasing gleam in her eyes.
He took a threatening step toward her but she just laughed. "You're as frightening as a teddy bear Jack," she told him as she danced away, somehow managing to snag one of the arrows from his quiver.
He'd never thought he'd see the day that someone compared him to a teddy bear but he found that he liked it. The twins seemed to have decided that he was their favorite person to torment, a fact that David, Daniel, and Max found endlessly amusing. It made him feel as if he really was at home here, as if he actually had a family amongst the rebels. He knew that they thought of him as family, but he was merely the wolf in a herd of sheep. He shook his head and tossed the quiver onto his shoulder before she could somehow manage to pilfer anymore of the finely crafted arrows.
"I'd like to go into town," David told him. "Neil says he's found another candidate for the rebellion, a young man about your age."
"I'll go with you," Jack volunteered immediately. He'd taken to making all of the trips into town with David. He worried his father might decide he was dead, or had failed, and try to send another vampire to infiltrate the rebellion. He didn't know what he would do if such a thing happened, but he did know that he wasn't about to let another vamp into this encampment.
"I thought you would. Max and Daniel will be joining us as well."
Jack glanced over at the two blond men that were looking over their supplies. He'd grown fond of the two of them over the past couple of years. Daniel was a likeable, easy going fellow whose fingers were almost always stained black with the coal that he used for his drawings. Max was one of the most charming people he'd ever encountered, with a smile that melted all of the young girl's hearts. The girls were always fluttering around him as he regaled them with his stories and teased them by tugging on their hair. Jack hadn't missed the fact that Aria had begun to hang on Max's words too, though he doubted anything would come of it. He didn't think Max would risk ruining his friendship with Daniel by messing around with his little sister.