Ashes (Book 2 The Kindred Series) (14 page)

Melissa turned back to her, rushing to
her side. “Take him,” Cassie urged.

Melissa’s dark eyes scanned her
worriedly, but she did not refuse as she slid easily into Cassie’s
place. Cassie was reluctant to release Devon, but she needed to be
ready to fight. She was the strongest of them; she had to be free
when Julian came back. Though, she was not fooled into thinking
that she was strong enough to defeat Julian. She quickly tried to
bury that thought; fear would do her no good here, not now
anyway.

“Keep going.”

“We’re not leaving you here!” Chris
said forcefully.

“Go!” Cassie snapped. The hair on the
back of her neck stood on end, goose bumps broke out on her arms.
Julian was coming. She turned, bracing herself for the attack,
resting on the tips of her toes as she bounced slightly up and
down. “Get him to safety,” she urged. “Please Chris, he’s the only
hope we have of destroying Julian.”

Chris swore vehemently. “I’ll take
him,” Dani whispered.

Cassie did not look back as more
rustling ensued. Chris appeared at her side, his sapphire eyes dark
as he briefly met her gaze. “Go,” she urged, not willing to lose
her best friend.

“No,” he said simply.

Cassie didn’t argue further, there was
no need. It would do no good. They began to back slowly down the
path together, keeping an eye out for any sign of movement. She
glanced over her shoulder relieved to see that Dani and Melissa had
disappeared around a bend with Devon. “Run,” she
whispered.

They turned and fled down the path,
their feet moving swiftly over the ground as they raced forward.
The hairs on her neck stood up, she could almost feel Julian
breathing down her neck. His fury pushed her harder and faster than
she had ever run before. Reaching out, she grabbed hold of Chris’s
arm as he started to lag behind. A surge of strength, she had never
known she could possess, swept through her as she dragged him along
with her, refusing to lose him to the monster chasing
them.

She pushed Chris in front of her,
urging him faster, pushing him with her hands. They rounded another
corner, Dani and Melissa came back into sight, Devon was still
dragging between them. Panic spurted through her. “Go!” she
screamed, her voice raw with terror and urgency.

Something brushed against the back of
her neck; an involuntary cry of distress tore from her as ice
filled her veins. They weren’t going to outrun him, it was
impossible. He was too strong, too determined to destroy them.
Turning another corner the woods suddenly gave way to a large, dark
field. The bright moon bounced off the tall, wild grass that filled
it.

Julian was right on top of her, playing
with her as his breath brushed over her once more. She could almost
feel his laughter; she could feel the enjoyment he took in
tormenting her, playing with her like a cat with a mouse. Fury
spurted through her; she hated to be played with. Cassie decided to
meet him head on; she would not run from him anymore, she would not
give him the satisfaction of tormenting her.

Cassie spun and planted her feet as she
braced herself for the attack. There was nothing behind her, but
cool air and dark night. But she knew that he was there, she could
feel his eyes upon her, feel his glee over the moment. He would be
coming for her, soon. The soft breeze tickled her hair, blowing it
gently across her face. It was the only thing that moved in the
still night.

“Cassie!” Chris bellowed.

The woods exploded with movement.
Leaves and branches shredded from the trees, billowing outward as a
blur raced toward her. Cassie’s eyes widened, she could feel the
fury and hunger pounding against her. She became hollow and empty
inside, her veins filled with ice as the blue eyes of death rushed
at her, a merry twinkle in their cold depths.

A startled cry escaped her as arms
suddenly ensnared her from behind, pulling her tight in a strong
embrace. “Down,” a voice hissed in her ear.

She ducked down as Devon bent over her,
using his body to shield her from the blow that swiftly followed. A
grunt of pain escaped him as he was knocked forward, pushing her to
her knees as he remained folded perfectly over her. Cassie
shuddered, shaking with fear as she waited for the attack to come
again.

Devon stood slowly, pulling her gently
up with him. She clung to his hard body, savoring in the feel of
him awake and alive as she struggled to catch her breath. “Where is
he?” she demanded, lifting her face to study him.

Devon was scanning the dark night, his
face hard and cold. His eyes narrowed ferociously as he stood
protectively against her. “Gone.”

Cassie searched the area, trying to
find any sign of Julian, but he did appear to be gone. Shuddering
again she buried her face in Devon’s chest, trying desperately to
forget all the awful events of the night, knowing that he was the
only one that could keep the horror at bay. His arms wrapped
tightly around her, his hand snaking up her neck as he buried it in
her hair.

“It’s ok now,” he whispered
reassuringly.

Cassie nodded, but she couldn’t stop
the shudders that racked her. So close, they had all come so close
to dying tonight. And if there was one thing she was not ready to
do, it was die. Not now, not anytime soon. Now that Devon was in
her life, she had every intention of staying around for as long as
possible. For as long as they could be together anyway.

The thought sent fresh terror tearing
through her; she buried herself tighter against him, clinging to
him as she savored in his strength, warmth, and comfort. He turned
his face into her hair, inhaling deeply. His grip on her tightened,
his hold going swiftly from one of protection to one of desire and
hunger. Despite her terror and confusion, Cassie reacted to him
instantly as need for him shook her.

His hand tightened on her hair, his
body trembled. She knew that she should pull away, that she was
only rattling his control, but she could not move. She could not
release him and step away. She needed him too much for that right
now; she had nearly lost him tonight, nearly lost her own life. She
could not let him go.

His mouth turned into her neck, his
shaking increased as his lips brushed over her skin. Clinging
tighter to him, her body became limp as he pressed butterfly kisses
against her flesh. Cassie could not stop the gasp that escaped her;
her hands clung tighter to his arms as her knees went completely
limp. His strong arm around her waist kept her on her feet as he
supported her weight.

Grass rustled as footsteps rapidly
approached. Devon pulled away from her, his body tightened at the
sound, tension hummed through him. His hands clenched on her, but
this time it was not with desire but frustration and anger. His
gaze met hers briefly, his eyes flashed between their beautiful
emerald color and a volatile red.

Cassie rested her hand lightly upon his
cheek, hoping to soothe the monster within him as she wiped away
his dried blood. The gashes in his cheek were completely healed,
the small scratches disappearing before her eyes. His healing
ability was startling and amazing. With a soft sigh he dropped his
forehead to hers. “Cassie,” he breathed. “My Cassie.”

“Yes,” she agreed, knowing that it was
so very true. She was his, she would always be his. She was forever
lost to him.

“Are you trying to get yourself
killed?” Cassie shook her head. “I can’t lose you it would destroy
me.”

Her hand tightened on his cheek as
tears burned the backs of her eyes and throat. “I’m sorry,” she
whispered.

Cassie lost herself to the beauty of
his emerald eyes. They burned with a fiery intensity that left her
speechless and frozen. In those eyes she could feel, and see, the
endless depth of his love for her, and just exactly how much he did
need her. She suddenly understood his obsessive and overbearing
desire to keep her protected, because he would not survive her
death. She swallowed back her tears, her heart hammered with an
answering need that left her shaken. In that moment, she gladly
would have given him anything that he wanted from her, and
more.

“Are you ok?” Chris demanded, skidding
to a halt as he burst free of the grass, shattering the web that
had enshrouded the two of them.

“Fine,” Cassie said, stroking Devon’s
face once more before turning to face the three of them. She could
feel Devon’s impatience and aggravation over being interrupted. He
kept his arm firmly around her waist, refusing to release her. “Are
you guys ok?”

“Yes,” Melissa answered. “Where is
he?”

“Gone,” Devon answered
flatly.

“But why would he just leave like that?
He gave up too easily.”

They all turned to Devon, their gazes
questioning as they studied him. He lifted an eyebrow in amusement.
“If he stayed he would have had to take on a vampire more powerful
than him, and four Hunters. There wasn’t much thought required in
abandoning his quest, especially with a Grounder
present.”

“A what?” Melissa, Cassie, and Chris
asked in confusion.

He nodded toward Dani. Her head was
bowed, her dark hair falling around her shoulders. Heat crept up
her face as she studied her sneakers. “A Grounder. I am right, am I
not?” Devon inquired softly.

Dani nodded, lifting her head slightly
to look at them. “Yes, you’re right.”

“What the hell is a Grounder?” Chris
inquired sharply.

“Do you want to tell them, or shall I?”
Dani shook her head, turning her attention back to her sneakers. “A
Grounder is a vampire, or Hunter, that can pull energy from the
earth, turning it into an electrical current that they release in a
burst of power. It’s meant to stun the prey, though sometimes it
kills.”

Cassie inhaled sharply; Chris and
Melissa took a swift step away from Dani as their eyes turned weary
and distrustful. Dani glanced up sharply, her eyes revealing her
hurt. “I’ve never killed anyone,” she replied
defensively.

“No, that is rare, and it usually
involves someone with a lot of power. But you are new to yours.
What are you fifteen, sixteen?”

“Fifteen,” Dani whispered.

Devon nodded, shifting his hold on
Cassie. “You’re still young and inexperienced. With time your
emotions won’t control your ability, you will.”

“But she could kill us?” Melissa asked
her jaw set firmly as she studied Dani.

“No, since you are all Hunter’s you are
not affected by her ability. You can withstand it. You cannot
withstand a vampire with the same ability, just as Julian and I
cannot completely withstand Dani. Next time, Julian will be more
prepared for her though. She will not knock either of us out again.
If Dani and a vampire Grounder come up against each other, they can
mostly withstand the attack of the other. Though they will get
banged and singed up.”

“Singed?” Cassie asked
softly.

Devon held up his arms, revealing the
healing burns that marred his skin. Cassie gasped as she gently
seized hold of him, twisting his arms in horror. The burns ran all
the way up to his shoulder, disappearing beneath his shirt, though
she knew that they would also be there. The hair on his arms was
singed and for the first time she noticed the smell of it on
him.

She turned back to Dani, her eyes
narrowing fiercely. “I didn’t know,” Dani whispered. “I didn’t mean
to, I was frightened.”

“It’s ok,” Devon assured her, his hand
stroked soothingly against Cassie’s skin. Though his touch calmed
her, her protective urges were still running high. “Do you guys
know nothing of your heritage? Of your people?”

Cassie shot him a look, Chris scowled
fiercely at him. Melissa was studying the forest, her forehead
furrowed slightly. She knew far more than Cassie and Chris about
their heritage, but apparently this little bit of info had somehow
been left out. Luther’s biggest pet peeve with Chris and Cassie was
that they didn’t want to know their history. They didn’t want to
hear the stories of lore and legend that surrounded their heritage.
Cassie had always been resentful of it; Chris was bored by
it.

Melissa had grown up with Luther
though; he had been teaching her their history since she was a
child. Melissa also believed that because she lived so much in the
future, it was good to know the past in order to stay better
grounded in the present. The study of their history, any history,
helped to pull Melissa free of a world that was comprised mostly of
tomorrows.

“Chris and I don’t know much,” Cassie
admitted reluctantly.

Devon frowned forcefully at her,
looking slightly annoyed by her answer. “Dani?” he
inquired.

She shrugged, looking even more
uncomfortable as she shifted uneasily. “Yes, I know some of it,”
Dani said softly. “My brother has taught me.”

“Your brother?” Cassie inquired, taking
a small step toward her. “Where is he?”

“At home.”

She glanced at Devon, then back at
Dani. “I think we should go meet him, and we need to speak with
Luther.”

“Very good idea,” Devon
agreed.