"Aria, be good." David stepped forward and rested his hand on her bony shoulder. "You don't want to scare him off before he gets to know everyone else."
She shrugged but love radiated in her gaze as she tilted her head to look up at David. "William is the one that scares everyone off."
"Sure he is. Go on now, William is looking for you. He's going on a hunting trip with Max."
"Ok dad." She squeezed David's hand before darting away with the grace of a cat. Jack frowned as David watched her go with a look of adoration that he'd never seen on his father's face, and never would. David turned back to him. "The twins are a handful but they mean well."
Jack nodded and adjusted his grip on the new clothes in his arms. He hadn't been living in the lap of luxury these past two years, but he'd at least had a roof over his head and a cot to lie on. Looking through the trees he spotted scattered beds made out of leaves, worn blankets, and rolled up clothes being used for pillows. He caught a glimpse of Aria making her way through the woods with a redhead that he assumed was her brother William, and a slender blond boy that must be Max.
"I'm sure they do," Jack assured him.
"Maybe one day, if we're successful, I'll be able to give my children a better life. The life that they deserve." Jack didn't know how to respond to that so he remained silent. "We have even less here than what you're used to, but there are nearby caves that we also use for shelter. In the spring and fall we tend to spend more time outside, but a lot of our supplies are stashed within the caves. I'll show them to you at some point. Daniel has a talent for designing traps and latches that is ingenious, and keeps our supplies protected."
Jack's ears pricked at the mention of the caves and supplies stashed within them, but even as he thought of those supplies his gaze landed upon the people gathered by a small river trickling through the encampment. They had so little and yet they were laughing as they washed their clothes and hung them from the tree branches.
"There are no fires above ground; we can't attract the attention of the troops that patrol the woods. All the cooking is done within the caves too," David continued.
Daniel was waiting for them by a cluster of trees. He spoke as he turned to walk through the woods. "There's an area back here that's not as crowded, but if you would prefer something else I'm sure we could find it for you."
Daniel pointed to a pile that had been created out of leaves and blankets. Jack stared at it as he finally realized that this was where he was supposed to sleep from now on. There was no privacy, no roof. There was nothing but the trees above for protection from the elements.
What have I gotten myself into? He thought.
But even as the thought crossed his mind, he felt as if a weight had been lifted from his shoulders. There was nothing here, there were no expectations, there was no one to hate him and try to destroy him mentally now that he was too old for fists. There was no Caleb or Braith to live in the shadow of. There was simply him and he could be anything he aspired to be here. He could almost even be one of these rebels, for now. He'd have to return to the palace one day, but it would be his choice when he went back and as he stood there he realized it wasn't going to be anytime soon.
There was still much to learn about the rebel forces after all, or at least that was what he told himself, and what he would tell his father when he returned.
"This will be fine," he assured Daniel.
"Unless you become known with the king's soldiers you can still move in and out with the outer rebel units, you can also return to the homes whenever you would like," David told him. "If you're ever spotted or recognized though, you can't return to the outer units. We have a few people here that are unable to move back and forth because they'll be recognized. If you're careful it shouldn't be a problem. Even I am still able to move through the outer towns and I've been doing this my entire life."
"I understand," Jack assured him.
"We'll let you get settled and take a look around the camp."
Jack nodded and watched the father and son walk away with their heads bent close together before turning his attention to his new surroundings. He could see his fingers through the flimsy brown material as he ran them under the inside of the cloth. He'd never owned clothes so thin and so poorly constructed before, but he had earned these clothes. They were the first things in his life that he'd ever truly merited and he was strangely proud of that fact as he placed them on his crudely constructed bed. For the first time in years, he was actually happy as he looked around the woods.
The material slipped from Jack's hand as the sound of a bell ringing pulled him from the memory. He blinked at the shadowy interior of the store, briefly disoriented by his surroundings. Recognition and clarity filled him when the smell of apple blossoms penetrated through the scents of cloth, molasses, oat, and the coppery tang of human blood to catch his attention. Stepping away from the rack of clothes, he found her instantly within the dark store. She was an enticing beacon of light that drew him as surely as the apple blossom scent that she emitted.
There were those that had seen ghosts that didn't look as startled as she did to see him. The small gasp that escaped her drew his attention to her full mouth. An entirely kissable mouth, he decided as a possessive urge he'd never felt before swelled like the rising tide within him. His fangs pricked as her aroma became even more heightened in the air.
CHAPTER 6
Hannah knew how a lamb felt when confronted with a mountain lion. Though she tried, she couldn't force her gaze away from his as he observed her from the shadows. There seemed to be some sort of inner glow within the pewter colored eyes focused upon her. For the first time in her life she found herself thinking that she should have worn a better dress or done something with her hair other than brushing it. She fought against the urge to play with the high collar of the plain blue dress. She was uncomfortably aware of the fact that a few areas on the lower part of her skirt had become nearly see through over the years.