Read Online Chosen (The Chosen Few Trilogy #1) by David Leadbeater - Free Book Online Page B

life and the lives of those closest to me. I blamed myself for Raychel’s vanishing act. I had fail ed her, and I had failed Lucy , and I had thrown away my career. Why the Hell would anyone make me one of the Chosen?
    I swallowed a lump of pure guilt as Belinda finally came over, a glass half full of clear liquid in her left hand, my cup of c amomile tea in her right.
    “Shall we toast?” she said.
    I stared questioningly at her.
    “To doing the right thing,” she gave an easy smile.
    “You always drink that much?”
    Belinda grinned in that carefree way of hers. “It’s a ‘Belinda-shot’, sugarcake. Just enough to take you there. ”
    I stared into her eyes, shining with health and wit and wisdom . It was a wisdom she concealed well, and purposely, behind a light exterior.
    I briefly wondered why.
    Then I raised my cup. “To friends,” I said simply, knowing she would understand. “Both old and new.”

 
    1 5
     
    YORK, ENGLAND
     
    I slept poorly for a few hours, my dreams haunted by a beast I could neither name nor remember. I climbed out of bed, then pulled on yesterday ’ s clothes and headed down to the kitchen, following the smell of freshly - brewed coffee
    Belinda was already at the table, a steaming cup in front of her. She looked the opposite of me, fresh, bright-eyed and perky. T oday’s t-shirt read : ‘Innocent’. I almost smiled.
    “Just brewed,” she said, indicating the expensive - looking coffee machine. “It’s Komodo Dragon blend. Myleene brought it back from the States a few weeks ago.”
    I poured a cup , then n early dropp ed it when I noticed a short girl with masses of bouncy hair and a wide, wicked smile stood behind the door.
    “Meet Felicia,” Belinda waved at her. “This here is Dean Logan. One of the Eight. Go easy, poodle, you’re his first Lycan.”
    I stared, feeling rude but unable to stop. Felic ia looked soft and sweet and all things cute. A silver ring sparkled at her navel and two more at her earlobes.
    Felicia gave a pretend growl, showing sharp canines. “Don’t worry,” she said. “I’ve already eaten.”
    I closed my mouth with a clack of teeth and turned my attention back to my coffee. I wasn’t about to poke fun at a werewolf no matter how light-hearted she seemed.
    The coffee was dark and smooth, with a hint of liquorice. Belinda said, “ Like it? I’m a coffee connoisseur. Don’t laugh.”
    “She’s a geek,” Felicia breezed past, heading unerringly for the coffee pot.
    I said nothing, feeling intimidated. It soon became obvious the kitchen was a kind of sounding st age where views were aired and reactions evaluated. More decisions were ground out here, I wagered , than in any official meeting room.
    Felicia seated herself beside me. I noticed her send a wicked grin in response to Belinda’s warning look. “We Lycans are a loose affiliation, Mr. Logan. We like our freedom, so tend n ot to linger in once place for long. We move in groups of three or four, but rarely more. I am the only Lycan within a hundred miles of here, ” she winked.               “ At least , the only one worth knowing.”
    Felicia was about to continue when someone else entered the kitchen. I recognized Myleene, dressed in a black, well-cut business suit.
    “Now there-” Ceriden said approvingly. “Is a woman who knows how to dress.” he turned to me. “What does that look say to you, Logan? Power? Dominance? Some Vivienne Westwood m ixed with a little S and M?”
    Felicia giggled.
    “The meeting,” Myleene cut across us. “Is about to start. Everyone must assemble in the meeting room within five minutes.”
    I heard the tensio n in her voice. It reminded me that these discussions would affect the futu re of our planet. I glanced at the apprehensive faces of all the fantastical beings arrayed around me in the kitchen. It was their expressions that, above all else, drove home the indisputable fact that we were facing the severest situation in