Broken (The Captive #5.5)(3)

"And who are you?" Atticus inquired of the dark haired girl as he held up a hand to halt Merle. His cousin stopped just behind him, he was so close that Atticus could feel the heat of his body against his shoulder.

"Who are you?" the woman retorted.

"Genny," Camille hissed disapprovingly.

Genny shot her sister a displeased look before focusing on him again. "I am Atticus," he said with a small bow and a wave of his arm. Camille giggled but Genny remained stoic and immobile, even when he flashed her a grin that had caused many women to trip over themselves to get at him. She was a tough shell to crack, but he found himself fascinated enough by her to try and crack it. Maybe England wasn't going to be so boring this time around after all. "This is my cousin Merle, and I take it you are Genny."

"Genevieve," she murmured but her face remained impassive as her eyes flickered between him and Merle.

"It's a pleasure to meet you Genevieve."

She didn't look like it was at all a pleasure to meet him as she watched him as carefully as she would watch a bear. "We truly mean you no harm."

"That's yet to be seen."

"Do you often find trouble in these woods?" he asked in a teasing tone of voice.

She didn't melt to him at all as her forehead furrowed. "No, but that's why we come here."

He couldn't help but chuckle at her retort as her black eyes continued to burn into his. "You come here often then?" he asked with a smile.

"When we can," Camille answered when Genevieve remained mute.

"We should probably be going," Genevieve said. "It's getting late." She pushed her sister back a step and gave them a small curtsy. "It was a pleasure to meet you both."

Atticus made a move to stop her but his hand fell back to his side when she stepped away from him. Genevieve glanced back at him before disappearing into the woods. Merle slapped him on his shoulder. "I didn't think I'd ever see the day, but that woman wanted nothing to do with you cousin."

"Hmm," Atticus murmured while he stared at the place where she had been standing. "We'll see."

Merle laughed as he turned away and mounted his horse again. "It seems you may have found something else to hunt in the coming weeks."

"It seems I may have," he replied and swung easily into his saddle. "Or perhaps a distraction."

"I'd take one of those in this land; perhaps I'll hunt the pretty one." Atticus didn't think he and Merle had the same idea about who the pretty one was. "Though I think she may be a little too young for my liking."

"I think so too," Atticus said as they rode deeper into the forest. His enthusiasm for hunting animals was all but gone.





CHAPTER 2


"You were a little rude," Camille scolded as they made their way back through the woods towards town.

"You were a little too friendly," Genny retorted.

Camille shook her head and pulled her braid over her shoulder to fiddle with the loose ends of it. "He seemed interested in you."

"That's exactly what I need," Genny grumbled aloud but secretly she was thrilled at her sister's words.

His eyes haunted every step that she took further away from the two men. She could close her eyes and recall them clearly for they were not the kind of eyes easily forgotten, nor was the face of the man in which those eyes were set.

"The other one was exceptionally handsome too," Camille murmured thoughtfully.

"He was a little too old for you."

"Perhaps but he was still attractive and wealthy too."

"You sound like Marie."

Camille's mouth dropped, she sputtered in indignation at the comparison to their mother. "Take that back!" She stomped her foot and tossed her braid aside.

"I'm sorry," Genny apologized. "I just don't want you to get hurt. They were aristocrats Camille."

"That's better than Marie has ever done."

Genny shook her head. "Well you're prettier than Marie ever was."

"You really think so?" Camille asked eagerly.

"Vanity is a sin," Genny reminded her.

"You just sounded like one of those pious humans," Camille retorted with an inelegant snort before bumping Genny's hip playfully. "Besides I know you're right, I'm just teasing. Men aren't in the plans, especially not noble ones; they're as trustworthy as a snake. But even you can't deny that they were both exceedingly handsome."

Genny laughed as she placed her hands on a downed log currently blocking their path. Climbing over the toppled tree, she wiped her hands clean of the bark that clung to her palms before continuing toward the vampire village with her sister. She glanced toward the darkening sky and picked up her pace as dusk began to descend. "We have to hurry," she urged Camille.

"I know," her sister said and scrambled to catch up with her.

Though she was only four years younger, at eighteen Camille was still too young to have fully matured. Genny believed it was coming soon though. She herself had stopped aging earlier than most, at nineteen, and Camille had always been mature for her age, but then they'd had no choice but to grow up fast. Genny didn't know who her father was, but she could vaguely recall a vampire with auburn colored hair whom she thought might be Camille's father. There had been so many different men in Marie's life over the years, but when Camille asked about her father, Genny liked to tell her about the nicest one she could remember, who would have been around at about the same time Camille was conceived.