Jack remained unmoving as Calvin turned on his heel and glided with ease toward the door. The rest of his men filed out behind him. Jack watched them retreat down the stairs and toward Calvin's house before closing the door. "What just happened?" William asked.
"Nothing good," Jack said. "Nothing good at all."
Hannah was paler than normal as he turned toward her. "He'll be back," she whispered.
"He will," Jack agreed. "But we'll be prepared for him."
Though he knew he should stay away, he couldn't stand the frightened look on her face. He walked over to her and enveloped her in a hug. "I will keep you safe," he vowed.
"Ellen, Lucas, Uncle Abe, the other residents of this town," she whispered.
"All of you, I will make sure you all stay safe."
William's eyes were troubled as he met his friend's gaze over Hannah's shoulder.
***
"What are you doing Jack?"
Though he'd known William was going to confront him eventually, he'd really hoped to have some time to figure it all out for himself before having to discuss it with him. He rose from the edge of the lake and turned to face William. He'd hated leaving Hannah behind in the tavern, but there were others there to protect her, and he was a mess from his earlier battle with the soldiers. He hadn't felt like taking the time to have a bath brought up to his room in order to clean up.
"Washing up," he answered.
"That's not what I meant and you know it. What are you doing with Hannah?"
"I'm keeping her safe."
"You're putting her in danger. I'm not entirely sure what happened today but it raised the tension to a whole new level. That much is clear."
"Nothing is going to happen to her," Jack grated through clenched teeth.
William folded his arms over his chest and gave him a disapproving look. "She's a good girl Jack and she doesn't deserve to be hurt. You have no intention of staying in this town, you have no intention of staying anywhere for more than a couple of weeks at a time."
"Neither do you."
"I'm not the one rocking the boat. No, screw that, you've flipped this boat right over."
"If we hadn't come here she would have been forced into a life that would have destroyed her. I didn't flip the boat William."
"You're going to hurt her." Jack found himself unable to meet William's gaze again. "She deserves better than Calvin, but she also deserves better than being left behind once all of this is settled. So what are you doing Jack?"
As William asked the question again, a memory tickled at the edges of his mind. He'd once asked Braith that same exact question, when he'd discovered Braith with Aria in their mother's cabin. At the time he'd mistakenly thought their relationship had been over and done with. When he'd asked his brother that question, Braith hadn't been able to tell him why he couldn't stay away from Aria. Couldn't tell him why he'd been driven nearly mad after Jack had gone into the palace and taken Aria from him, but they'd all gotten their answer later on from Ashby and Melinda.
A cold chill slid down Jack's spine, he abruptly sat down on the ground as his mind spun with the implications of the realization creeping over him. He'd drank her blood, not because he was hungry but because something inside him had driven him to taste her, to mark her as his, to always know where she was and to always be able to find her whenever he chose too.
A low curse escaped him, his head bowed as he tried to deny the knowledge taking him over, but he was failing miserably. There were few people and vampires he'd ever cared about and he'd never expected to enlarge that circle. He liked his life, he enjoyed being free and he didn't want to be tied down but if the trepidation, and feeling of rightness, that accompanied his realization was any indication, he wasn't going to have a choice.
He lifted his head and stared out at the serene lake as William sat beside him. "I don't know what I'm doing," he admitted.
"That makes two of us," William said. "Is this like Braith and Aria?"
"I don't know, I think it could be."
William sighed and shook his head. "Great so you're going to turn into a giant mush on me too."
"I'm sure Braith would just love to hear you calling him a giant mush."
"I was talking about Aria."
The feeling of release that the burst of laughter gave him felt good. "I definitely wouldn't tell her that."
"Hell no," William retorted. "I'm in no mood to have my nuts kicked into my throat."
Jack almost choked on his laughter. "No man is."
William's laughter trailed off, his face became serious once more. "Just don't break Hannah's heart Jack."
Jack nodded as his thoughts turned back to Hannah. "If I have anything to say or do about it, she won't be hurt."
"Good." William turned his attention to the lake. "Do you ever think about going back?"
Jack pulled at the grass beneath him as he pondered the question. "Not often, but I know we'll return eventually."
"I suppose," William muttered.
"You don't think so?"
William shrugged and wiped his hands on his knees. "No, I know we'll go back. I think Aria would hunt us down if we didn't, but will it be to stay?"
"I don't know," Jack admitted. The sun was dipping below the horizon when he rose to his feet. "We should head back."
William nodded and stood beside him. Jack grabbed his shirt from the ground and walked back to the tavern with William at his side.
CHAPTER 17
Over the next week Jack spent his time alternating between watching Calvin's home and the tavern. He hadn't gotten this little amount of sleep since they'd been preparing to go to war against his father. He tugged at his disordered hair as he slipped from the woods and approached the back of the tavern.