Ashes (Book 2 The Kindred Series) (19 page)

“Excuse me?” Dani asked in
surprise.

“Your things. You cannot stay on your
own, and we have an extra room here you can use.”

Cassie couldn’t stop herself from
smiling as Dani stared at her grandmother in disbelief. “Really?”
she croaked, her voice breaking for the first time.

“Of course,” her grandmother replied
with a bright smile.

CHAPTER
12

Cassie moved slowly down the hall,
trying to stay strong against the new barrage of whispered comments
that followed her every move. Her chase of Dani the other night had
set off a new wave of gossip and innuendo. Sighing softly, she
clutched her books tighter to her chest as she reached her locker,
spun the dial, and flung it open.

“Who knew she was such a freak,” Jess
whispered.

Cassie glanced over her shoulder; her
hand on the locker tightened as she took in the group of girls
gathered fifteen feet away. They glanced discreetly at her, looking
quickly away when they found her staring at them. Kara, Jess, and
Marcy were gathered close together, obviously savoring in her
downfall.

Heart hammering, anger flared hotly
through her. She had once considered all of them her friends. She
had held sleepovers with them, gone to their pool parties, partied
on the beach with them. They had talked of boys, and shared their
hopes and dreams as they discussed their futures with eager
reverence. Though they had grown apart when Cassie had discovered
her heritage, she had never once stopped thinking of them as
friends.

And they had turned so easily against
her. Cassie slammed her locker shut, her pride and anger not
allowing her to just walk away again. Throwing her shoulders back,
Cassie made her way straight over to them, not hesitating at all.
They grew silent; their eyes weary as they watched her
approach.

“Hello everyone,” she said with a
forced, bright grin. “How are you this morning?”

They glanced at each other before
turning slowly back to her. “Fine,” Marcy answered, anger gleaming
in her eyes. It was anger so fierce that Cassie could feel it
radiating against her. “What do you want Cassandra?”

Cassie reached into her notebook,
pulling out the notes she had made a long time ago on the
homecoming dance. It was a poor excuse, but she didn’t care, she
was tired of hiding from these girls, tired of slinking through the
halls like a leper. She handed the notes to Marcy, meeting her gaze
head on.

“You asked me for these.”

Marcy took them from her, barely
glancing at them. “That was a long time ago, things have changed
since then.”

Cassie forced herself to smile at the
small girl, trying hard to keep her temper in check. “I am well
aware of that Marcy, but I am still on the homecoming
committee.”

Marcy’s mouth parted, her eyes widened
in fear as she glanced rapidly at the other girls. “Well uh, you
know Cass…” Kara started awkwardly.

“You haven’t been to any meetings in
the past two weeks,” Marcy interrupted hotly.

“I’ve been busy, but I’ll make sure to
attend the next one. It’s today right?”

“You can’t be serious!” Marcy exploded,
her leaf colored eyes narrowing fiercely.

“Oh, I’m very serious. You said
yourself Marcy that I do have the best ideas, and we do want our
senior year to be the very best dance that it can be.”

Marcy gaped at her like she had
sprouted another head. “But…”

“It will be fun; we can catch up on all
the gossip. It’s been so long, I can’t wait to find out what’s new
and exciting in your lives.”

They shifted uncomfortably; everyone
except for Marcy appeared slightly ashamed. Marcy looked like the
top of her head was going to blow off. Her face had turned magenta,
her eyes were narrowed fiercely. If they hadn’t been standing in
the midst of a crowded hallway, Cassie was certain that Marcy would
have launched at her.

Cassie grinned back at her, savoring in
her anger. It was nice to have the tables finally turn, if even a
little. She would never regain her social standing in the school,
nor did she want too, but she was damn tired of skulking around.
And she was damn tired of all the whispering.

Maybe if she confronted them head on
they would back off. Yeah right, and pigs would fly, she thought
with a sigh. But at least she was making a stand; she was sticking
up for herself in some way. It was a small jab, but it was a
jab.

Even before Marcy’s gaze darted behind
her, and her eyes widened as lust blazed forth in them, Cassie knew
that Devon had arrived. Her body had become so attuned to his, so
in sync that she would know him anywhere, find him anywhere. She
could feel the anger radiating from him, the protective urge that
encompassed him as he moved across the hall. His hand landed on her
shoulder, seeking to give her comfort.

“What’s going on?” he asked quietly,
his voice nearly a growl.

“We were just discussing plans for the
homecoming dance.”

Devon’s eyebrows drew sharply together
as he glanced questioningly around the group. “Really?”

“Yes, there’s a meeting today, and
since I haven’t gone to one in awhile I thought it would be a good
idea to attend.”

He stared at her in disbelief.
“Really?”

Cassie smiled at him, pressing closer
to his side. Confusion radiated from him, but he didn’t say
anything more. “So I will see you later,” Cassie said softly,
keeping her false grin plastered to her face.

It was obvious that Marcy wanted to
argue this point, but with Devon present she wasn’t going to say a
word. Turning to Devon, Cassie slipped her hand into his, keeping
her smile plastered on as she pulled him gently away. “What are you
doing?” he asked quietly.

She waited till they turned the corner
before her shoulders slumped and she relaxed against him. “I don’t
know,” she admitted, confused as to what she had just done. She
should have remained slinking through the hallways, trying to stay
hidden, though it was impossible. Now she was afraid she may have
just poked the bear. “I really don’t know.”

He heaved a sigh as he slid his arm
around her shoulders, pulling her against him. “Are you really
going to this thing?”

Taking a deep breath, she nodded as she
bit nervously on her bottom lip. Though she had jumped before
looking, she was committed now, and she intended to stay that way.
Turning another corner Dani, Melissa, and Chris came into view by
the cafeteria doors. “I am. It will be ok,” she
muttered.

Devon quirked an eyebrow, a small smile
twitched at his lips, but his eyes were still clouded with worry.
“I suppose.”

***

Devon stood outside the door, leaning
casually against the wall as he studied the slowly ticking clock.
Though Cassie had told him to stay away, that she wanted to do this
on her own, he was not going far from her. He couldn’t bring
himself to; even through the thick double doors he could feel her
distress and anxiety. He didn’t know why she had insisted upon
this, but she was determined to go through with it, and there was
no stopping her.

Shifting slightly he shot a look at the
group of freshmen boys that scurried past, eyeing him wearily. He
quirked an eyebrow, but paid them little attention otherwise. Chris
came strolling around the corner, a towel tossed over his shoulder,
his hair still wet from his shower. He was whistling as he walked,
but tension hummed through him.

“How was practice?”

His whistling died off as he shrugged,
pulling the towel from his shoulder. “Be glad when the football
season’s over.”

Devon nodded, his attention turned back
to the closed doors when Cassie’s anxiety clicked up a notch. He
desperately wanted to go in there and pull her out. She would be
infuriated with him though, and she was having a rough enough time
without him adding to it. Chris studied the closed doors behind him
as Devon shifted, his agitation growing. He was growing to hate the
bitchy, cruel girls in this school. And he was not too fond of the
lust filled, envious boys either that were annoyed she hadn’t
chosen them.

“Not going well?” Chris rested his hand
against the wall as he studied the closed doors.

“No.”

“I can’t believe she insisted on
this.”

“I can.”

Chris snorted softly. “True. They
almost done in their superears?”

Devon shot him a disgruntled look that
Chris easily ignored. He turned his attention back to the room,
trying to ignore the waves of distress pouring from Cassie. He
couldn’t concentrate on what was being said if he didn’t block her
emotions out. They were talking about decorations, debating whether
or not to go with the crystal disco ball. Devon was hoping they
decided against the ball, as Marcy declared that it was a
necessity.

“I don’t know,” he answered Chris.
“They’re discussing disco balls right now.”

Chris groaned as he rolled his eyes. “I
hate those stupid things, they’re blinding.”

“Tell me about it.”

Chris grinned at him, using his fingers
to bounce himself slightly off the wall. “Yeah they bother Cassie a
lot too, give her headaches. She has to wear sunglasses around them
most of the time.”

Devon frowned, withdrawing almost
completely from the monotonous conversation within. Chris’s words
had his attention far more than what color to use for the
tablecloths. “She does?”

Chris nodded as he continued to bounce.
“Yeah, the bright light hurts her eyes.”

Devon dropped his head, rubbing the
bridge of his nose. There was a nagging feeling in the back of his
mind that he couldn’t shake. “How good is her eyesight?” he asked
softly.

Chris shrugged negligently. “Don’t
really know it’s definitely better than perfect, far better than
anyone I’ve ever met before.” Chris eyed him for a moment, his eyes
narrowed as he tilted his head. “Except maybe for you.”

Devon nodded, but he couldn’t shake the
nagging feeling that something was wrong. That something was not
quite right. That there was something about Cassie they were all
missing. “I see.”

Chris stopped bouncing off the wall.
“What’s wrong?”

Devon shook his head, stepping away
from the wall as the conversation inside turned to dresses.
Cassie’s boredom beat against him; he took that as his leave to
rescue her. “I’ll be back.”

“Want me to come with you; those girls
are like a bunch of leeches with you around.” Devon couldn’t help
but grin at him. The kid had gotten on his nerves for a little
while, but he was truly beginning to grow on him now. “Plus you
might need some help with Cassie, she can’t be mad at both of
us.”

“You would like to think.”

Chris chuckled softly as he wrapped the
towel around the back of his neck, grasping both sides and pulling
on it. “Lead the way.”

Devon pushed the doors open, stepping
into the dimly lit gym. The group of girls was gathered at the far
end, their heads bent close together, a pile of papers scattered
amongst them. Cassie stood off to the side, leaning against the
wall. Her head was bowed; her golden hair cascaded in front of her
in thick waves. She lifted her head slightly when the door opened;
her eyes were bright even in the darkened room. Relief radiated
from her as she took a small step away from the wall.

Soft laughter drifted in the air as
Marcy waved her hands in a wide arch. Bending down, Cassie grabbed
hold of her bag, swinging it easily over her shoulder. The
conversation stopped as their attention turned briefly to her
before their heads snapped toward Devon and Chris. There was a
collective inhalation of breaths.

Devon paid them no mind as he strolled
past, eager to get to Cassie. He craved her touch like a man in the
desert craved water. She reached for him, a sigh of relief and joy
escaping her as his hand slid easily into hers. He saw no anger in
her amused, twinkling gaze. Only love radiated from her as she
stood on tiptoe to kiss him gently.

“I thought you could use a
rescue.”

“I could,” she said softly. “It took
you long enough to get in here.”

He grinned at her, brushing her hair
gently back from her exquisite face. His fingers lingered on her
silken cheek, caressing it gently as she turned into his touch. He
pulled her closer, kissing her forehead lightly as he fought
against all of the urges that sprang forth in him. He wanted to
kiss her deeper, longer, forever. At the same time he wanted to
sink his teeth into her elegant neck and devour her sweet
blood.

He shuddered slightly, his hand
tightening upon her. Though he knew he would never conquer his
fierce need for her, he had hoped that it would not be as intense
all the time. Just once, he would like to hold her, and know what
it was like to savor in the touch and feel of her, without having
to fight with himself.

Sighing softly, he pulled reluctantly
away, gently rubbing the back of her neck. She gazed sadly up at
him from under her thick lashes. Sometimes he wished that she
didn’t understand him as well as she did. He knew that she saw into
his soul, saw his need, and ached for his sadness and unending
hunger. He wished that he could keep it hidden from her; he didn’t
want her to shoulder any of his burdens.