Chosen (The Chosen Few Trilogy #1) (28 page)

“
You mean what
’
s yours?
”
Lysette fingered the dainty gold necklace that hung around her neck. No matter what time of day, or where she was, this woman cried
wealth
!

“
I would never mock you,
”
something old and hidden and best left alone shifted behind her eyes.

“
So,
”
I sighed.
“
What
’
s Lucy done now?
”

“
You shouldn
’
t be so negative about her.
”
 

“
I know
.
It
’
s just
hard.
It gets better, and then it fucks up again. Every damn day.
”

“
Well, you need to hear this.
”
Lysette glance
d
around.
“
But not here.
Let
’
s
walk in the garden.
”

We rose. We walked down the corridor, through the kitchen and out into the garden. The air was cold out here, but the night was completely still. Not a breath of wind stirred the immaculate hedges, nor shifted through the high trees. I steered Lysette off to the left, following a hand-laid path. From experience I knew if we followed it to its end we would complete one circuit of the garden.

I said,
“
Okay, Lysette, let
’
s hear it.
”

Lysette cleared her throat lightly.
“
I
’
m guilty, Logan,
”
she said, taking me aback.
“
My gift is sometimes wonderful, more often a curse.
”

“
A curse? How
’
s that?
”

Lysette sighed.
“
I
’
ll tell you a story. Don
’
t
worry;
it will be the abbreviated version. But, before I tell you what I know about Lucy, you need to know
why
I know.
”

“
Okay.
”

“
Once upon a time there was a married woman,
”
she said without emotion.
“
This woman lived in a little house with a nasty little man who kept her so downtrodden she began to forget who she really was. Not only that, she forgot to
care
who she really was.
”

As Lysette paused for breath
I thought
of Holly. This sounded like her story, too.

“
Anyway, the little man got angry and the woman got wise, but only because she found something like a blessing from God rattling around inside her head. Was it a gift from God? A boon from some Angel who cares for abused women? No matter. It saved her life. But an inner Joker then questioned the power inside her, whispering his dark magic, and for ever after when the woman would meet someone new she dealt the loaded deck of cards in her mind and used her ace. Or rather, her
‘
so-called
’
ace. She can read minds, this lucky woman. Can you imagine her horror, Logan? Imagine being able to discern everyone
’
s innermost thoughts and feelings.
”

I didn
’
t even try to pretend otherwise. I simply said,
“
Yes.
”

“
Isolation,
”
Lyset
te said, keeping her eyes
on the meandering path.
“
That
’
s the worst of it. Knowing that everyone, everywhere, has some dark secret. The nicest woman. The loveliest groom. And knowing that if I don
’
t check
- say
,
this
person,” she waved a well-manicured hand. “That person…I could be befriending a mass murderer. And knowing that if I
do
check-
”

“
Even a truly wonderful person sometimes dances with darkness,
”
I finished for her.

“
Exactly,
”
she stopped to stare at me.
“
Where
’
d that line come from?
”

I shrugged.
“
Dunno. Maybe it
’
s the setting.
”

We continued to walk and I let Lysette think. I guessed we were coming to what she really wanted to say. Ironically, we were walking past the part of the garden that Lucy
’
s window
over
looked.

“
I read Lucy,
”
Lysette said, and I sensed the weight of that responsibility
crush
ing her.
“
Against a
ll my vows, I pushed
. You have to understand-
”
she turned to me, eyes pleading.
“
I did it only to be helpful. When that evil man, Jondal, hurt her I wanted to help. Lucy was terrified. I thought if I knew the source of her terror
…”

“
It
’
s
okay, Lysette,
”
I said
.
“
You wanted to help.
”

“
Your Lucy,
”
Lysette said.
“
She is a
lovely person, but she has known
hurt
m
ore times t
han a fifteen-
year
-
old should.
”

I heard a noise
ahead. A grunt. I stopped, listened, but the gardens were blanched silver, and silent.

“
Her mother practically tore us apart when she vanished. You talk about that Joker dealing you a loaded deck. Well, he
’
s in my dreams too. He
’
s in my house at night. He keeps Ray
chel’s memory alive there
. He never bloody leaves.
”

“
Lucy
toys with the idea of becoming a shade.
”

“
A shade? What, as in a
vampire’s
shade?
”

“She sees the chance of eternal love. Romance. Passion. Security…”

“She’s
really
considering this?”

“
Yes. It is the foremost thought in her head. And she
will do it,
Logan. Unless you can
help
her.
”

Great choice of words, I thought. Lysette could have said
unless you can
stop
her.
But she
knew Lucy. She knew my daughter’s mind and how she made her choices.

“
Why?
”
I managed, as my world fell away.
“
Why?
”

“
A way out. She sees it as a way to stop the hurt and guarantee eternal love. It is darkly romantic, e
rotic even, and she is changing
, Logan. Changing like you can’t imagine. She may see this as the only way.
”

“
No
.
”

We stopped, and the cool night air raised goose bumps on my arms. I kicked at the stepping-stones, at the grass. I felt my eyes grow shiny as I faced Lysette.

“
I failed her.
”

Lysette grabbed me.
“
No!
Nothing
i
s set in stone. Go to her, Logan. She needs help. Talk it all through. Have that talk about her mother you
’
ve been putting off for so long. Get it out there. You may save her.
”

I was about to say:
may?
But
then
heard
another faint noise
.
A whisper maybe, a groan?

I put a finger to my lips,
and
tried to
bury
the big pile of hurt
. S
lowly I sneaked along the
hedges
, hugging them, with Lysette close behind me.

I parted a bunch of
leaves
and
looked into the clearing beyond.

Shock hit me like a cruise missile. Now I did fall to my knees, and the rest of my world collapsed.

“
Belinda.
”

She was
on her feet
, facing away from a garden bench. Her tight leather trousers were bunched around her ankles. I could see the pale hal
f moon of her flat stomach, a smooth curve of
hips,
and the
thin line of her black thong
stretched over her thighs
. When I spoke she turned her head towards me, and a mess of blonde hair fell across her cheek.

Good ol
’
Ken Hamilton was sitting behind her, getting the lap dance of his life.

“
Dammit
, Logan,
”
Belinda
’
s voice was choked with emotion.

“
It
’
s nothing,
”
she said to my back.

I felt weak. I stared at
Lucy
’
s window. I couldn’t look at Lysette. How much more could I take?

The answer came
immediately.

Th
e house alarms went off.
Hoarse
shouts of warning came from the front and side gardens. Someone in the kitchen shouted out:

“
We
’
re under attack!
”

Fuck.

40

YORK, ENGLAND

“
Move!
”
I said,
and then tried to stem my
panic. One thing was certain- we Chosen had trained together. We
’
d be better off fighting together.

I saw Mai fall through the kitchen door, out into the garden.

I cast around
quickly
.
Lysette stayed
behind me, as she
’
d been taught. Her power wasn
’
t combative. Ken stumbled around, his lack of trousers and guilty expression making him look decidedly un-cool. Belinda tugged the leather trousers over her hips, then buttoned them together over her crotch, before zipping up with a little leap.

“
Lysette, stay back!
”
Sh
e was the leader we needed.
“
Ken, at my side. Logan, behind us. Don
’
t panic, Logan, just focus.
”

I nodded. I hadn
’
t learned to harness my power yet. Inde
ed, I’d barely
had time to adjust to
its existence. I might attack a single
enemy and accidentally knock the house down.

As she passed me, Belinda whispered,
“
We must talk later.
Please.
”

I managed a half-hearted nod. Alfresco lap dance aside, she was still my
possibility.
We walked towards the house. At that moment two ugly looking beasts stepped into the garden, presumably hunting Mai, who lay dazed on the ground.

My jaw dropped.
Demons.

“
Wayclearers,
”
Belinda said without breaking stride.
“
Remember what Eliza told us. They are weak.
”

Weak, I thought, and
bloody ugly. Both demons were about five-five, with stubby cloven hooves that kicked up divots from the garden as they walked, and wicked looking curved claws that ended in scimitar-like nails. Their heads were large in proportion to their chunky bodies, and their faces
twisted
maliciously in the half-dark. Yellow light seeped from slitted eyes and reflected
off racks
of dripping fangs. When one snarled
it tore away half its own
cheek.