Ashes (Book 2 The Kindred Series) (21 page)

Cassie winced as she shaded her eyes,
trying to block out the sparkling light. At the back of the large
gymnasium the band was playing. She recognized John Parks and Lyle
White playing bass and drums. They had graduated last year, and
their band was one of the few in town that was actually decent. The
slow song they were playing switched, and one of their own, heavier
songs blasted from the large speakers set up beside the
stage.

Cassie winced again as the noise
pounded into her ears. She had forgotten how uncomfortable dances
could be for her. Forgotten about the noise and the lights, or at
least she had wanted to forget anyway. Digging into the black
clutch purse she had brought, she pulled out her sunglasses.
Slipping them on, she was able to ease at least one of the
annoyances, grateful for the dark glasses that placed the room into
mellower shades and hues.

Devon was studying her with concern,
but she shook her head as she smiled reassuringly at him. With the
pain in her eyes eased, she was able to take in more of the
students milling around, greeting their friends as they talked
eagerly. Dresses sparkled in an array of colors in the light of the
ball. Everyone looked beautiful, happy, and bright.

Cassie couldn’t help but smile. These
people may not like her anymore, but she had grown up with them,
had once been a big part of their worlds, and she was happy that
they had been given this night. Happy that she had helped to give
them this night, even if it hadn’t been all that much help. Devon’s
hand on her elbow was gentle as he led her over to one of the
tables tucked against the back wall. Relief filled her; it was one
of the tables farthest from the disco ball, and
speakers.

Though the gym was packed, he parted
the crowd easily. Either that or they parted away from her. Pulling
a chair out, he waited till she was seated before pushing it in.
Bending low, he kissed her cheek gently, sending a shiver through
her. Cassie smiled up at him, slipping her glasses off as the table
was far enough away for the light not to hurt as much
anymore.

“It looks nice in here Cass,” Chris
said, his eyes raking over the decorations.

“I didn’t have much to do with
it.”

He shrugged absently, his attention
mostly on the crowd. “Damn, I was hoping there would be some new
girls here,” he muttered.

Cassie lifted an eyebrow. “If there
were any, they would probably be here with their
boyfriends.”

He grinned at her as he shrugged again.
“Like they’d be any competition,” he replied with a cocky
smile.

Cassie laughed softly, shaking her head
at him in disbelief. “There are other girls here.”

“Yeah but they’re all from our school,
and I’m not that fond of them anymore.”

His eyes were hard as they met hers,
his jaw clenched. Cassie ducked her head, knowing that his dislike
was because of the way they treated her now. She wanted to
apologize, wishing that she could change things, but knowing that
he would not appreciate her apology, or want it.

Melissa appeared at his side, shaking
her head as she dropped three drinks on the table. The sleek black
dress she wore highlighted her caramel colored skin and onyx eyes.
It clung to her slender body, showing off her curves. Her black
hair had been pulled into a twist at the nape of her neck; her long
hair flowed from it in curls. She looked stunning.

“To bad the people weren’t as nice as
the décor,” she muttered.

“No kidding.” Chris grabbed one of the
drinks, sipping it as he continued to survey the crowd. Cassie
settled back in her seat, leaning into the arm that Devon had
draped around the back of her chair. He rubbed her shoulder gently,
his touch soothing the aching tension that had settled inside of
her.

They sat for an hour, watching the
people milling about, mingling and dancing. Melissa and Chris
strayed away once in awhile, but for the most part they stayed
close. Though they were not as disliked as Cassie, their close
association with her had definitely lessened their popularity.
Devon leaned close to her, his nose brushing against her cheek as
he gently caressed the nape of her neck.

She studied him with wide eyes, he
studied her as if he were about to devour her. Shivering in
delight, she leaned closer to him. “Want to dance?” he asked
quietly.

Excitement blazed forth as she nodded
eagerly. She couldn’t imagine anything better than being wrapped in
his arms, held tight against him. Helping her from her chair, he
led her out to the dance floor, ignoring the whispered comments
that followed. Reaching the edge of the dance space, Cassie kicked
off her heels, allowing her toes to dig into the fresh
sand.

Wrapping his arms around her, Devon
lifted her briefly off the ground as he pulled her close. Cassie
forgot all about the decorations and the catty whispers as she lost
herself to the wonderful feel of him. Resting her hands against his
chest, she traced lightly over the hard muscles beneath the thin
cotton shirt he wore. His eyes sparked with desire, his nostrils
flared slightly.

Cassie’s breath escaped her; she was
unable to look away from the burning intensity of his emerald gaze
as he moved her slowly. Even the lights of the ball did not bother
her as every ounce of her was focused upon him. She could see
nothing else, feel nothing else. Slowly, tantalizingly he bent his
head, his lips gently brushed over hers. Cassie’s hands clenched on
his shirt, she stood on tiptoe as she met his butterfly caress
eagerly.

Heat flared through her, her toes
curled as her eyes closed. Bliss spread over her, heat pooled
through her whole body. His hand wrapped around the back of her
neck, pulling her tighter, the kiss deepened as his tongue
flickered lightly against her lips. Opening her mouth, Cassie
eagerly accepted his invasion; the fierce need burning through her
built rapidly as his tongue ravaged her mouth.

She wanted more of him, she wanted all
of him, and for the moment she didn’t care what had to happen in
order to have him. Pulling her tighter against him, she gasped in
delighted surprise as their bodies were pushed firmly against each
other, fitting as seamlessly as two puzzle pieces. Her fingers dug
into his skin, fighting the urge to rip his shirt from him, and
ridding him of the annoying hindrance of clothes that separated
them.

He pulled away suddenly, his smoky gaze
dark and stunned. Loss consumed her, she wanted more than his
kisses, she needed more. She needed all of him, forever. Ducking
her head, she knew that there was only one way that could happen,
but for the first time the idea of it did not petrify her. It did
not disgust her, and it did not make her want to flee
screaming.

Devon was not a monster; she did not
have to be one either. She would have to drink blood, which was
repulsive to her, but she was sure that she could eventually get
over that. And maybe, after a few centuries, she would even be able
to go out in the sun again. Sighing softly, she rested her head
against his chest.

For the first time she realized that
she would give up anything for him, rather than lose him. Even her
mortality. But was it such a bad thing to lose?

Suddenly a floodgate opened inside her.
Hopes and dreams bubbled rapidly forth, shooting out like a geyser
erupting. No, they were not normal dreams as there would be no
college, and no children. Or at least she didn’t think there would
be children; she wasn’t entirely sure how that worked. But she and
Devon would be a family; she would be loved and cherished, for
eternity.

They could share so much together, and
though she would have to lose some things, she would be gaining so
much more. Besides she hadn’t had any dreams of college, and a home
or a family, for the past four years. She had given them up when
she’d learned about her Hunter heritage. But Devon was returning
some of her other dreams to her, giving her more than she had ever
dared to hope for.

A lump formed in her throat, tears
burned her eyes. His hand wrapped gently around the back of her
neck, cradling her softly as his thumb stroked her skin. Desire did
not pool through her this time. Instead, she was enshrouded in a
cocoon of love and warmth. A glow spread throughout, her world
became one of peaceful bliss as all of her worries, insecurities,
and doubts were brushed away by his tender touch.

His lips were gentle as they brushed
over her hair, touched her cheek, before lightly caressing her
neck. Her hands tightened on the hard muscle of his arms, curling
into his skin. She could stay like this forever. She knew it in
every one of her cells. She could be with him forever. She had no
fear that their love would dissipate. In fact, she knew that it
would grow stronger every day, every minute.

She would tell him tonight that as soon
as school was over, she would join him. Though she had no need for
high school, she felt that she had to finish it. She had come this
far already, and it would mean a lot to her grandmother. She also
needed to stay human until Julian was taken care of. She could not
disappear from town during the day, only to be seen lurking through
the shadows at night. That would open up a lot of trouble for all
of them. Far more trouble than they needed right now.

She hoped that Devon could wait that
long, and that it wouldn’t be too much stress on him. But, maybe
once he knew her decision, things would be easier for him. She
hoped they would anyway. The last thing she wanted was to cause him
anymore distress.

She was so wrapped up in the touch and
feel of him that she hadn’t realized the music had stopped until
the loud tapping of the microphone pierced her lovely haze. Lifting
her head she blinked blearily at the stage. The band was standing
in the background; Mrs. Dickson had taken the
microphone.

“Excuse me everyone, it is time to
announce the homecoming king and queen!”

Cassie groaned inwardly as she rolled
her eyes. She may be a nominee, but she was fairly certain that
they probably wouldn’t even read her name. She had no prayer of
making queen, and no matter how much she told herself she didn’t
care, she did. Especially since Devon had a good chance of being
king, and Marcy queen. The idea of Marcy getting to share even one
dance with Devon was enough to make her blood boil.

Reluctantly pulling away from Devon,
she kept her arm wrapped around his waist as they made their way to
the edge of the dance floor. Wiping her feet on one of the soft
mats at the edge of the sand, she slipped her heels back on. Devon
led her through the crowd, winding their way toward the table as he
kept a firm hold on her.

The buzz about the upcoming election
had quieted the buzz about her, and for the first time people did
not scatter to get out of her way. Chris was still standing by the
table, and off to the left Cassie spotted Melissa’s dark head
coming through the crowd. Chris grinned at her, folding his arms
over his chest as they approached.

“I thought I was going to have to get a
fire extinguisher for you two.”

Cassie’s face flamed red, Devon shot
him a warning glance that only caused Chris’s smile to grow as he
chuckled softly. “Just what I’ve been waiting for all night,”
Melissa muttered sarcastically as she arrived at their
side.

“Do you already know who’s going to
win?” Cassie inquired, unable to stop herself.

Melissa grinned as she shook her head.
“Nope, only had a vision about the nominees, this one is a complete
surprise to me. Well, as much as it could be anyway. I think we all
know who’s going to win.”

Devon frowned at her. “Who?” The three
of them just stared at him until he got the point. “Me?”

“Yes you,” Chris replied, laughing
softly as his tone took on that of the childhood song.

Devon looked even more confused as he
glanced over the three of them. “Humans,” he muttered, causing the
three of them to laugh. “What is this thing anyway?”

“A tradition, I suppose,” Melissa
answered.

“Hmm,” he grunted, clearly still not
getting it. Cassie didn’t try to explain further, for she wasn’t
entirely certain she even understood it. Not anymore
anyway.

The gymnasium grew quiet as Kara made
her way onto the stage, taking the envelopes from Mrs. Dickinson.
Kara grinned brightly as she stepped up to the microphone. “Hi
everyone,” she greeted. “As Vice President of the student body I
have been chosen to announce the winners.” She unfolded a piece of
paper, reading off the names of the male nominees. Chris and Devon
stiffened beside her as their names were called.

“And the winner is…” Kara paused for
dramatic effect as her eyes happily scanned the crowd. Melissa
sighed heavily, rolling her eyes in annoyance. Turning her
attention back to the envelopes, Kara eagerly tore one open. “Devon
Knight!” she announced happily.

Cassie closed her eyes as pain bloomed
in her chest. She had no reason to feel wounded, but she couldn’t
help it. She didn’t want him up there, dancing with some other
girl. “Devon, where are you Devon!?” Kara cried eagerly into the
microphone as a spotlight blazed from the stage.

Cassie blinked as the bright light
flared into her eyes, burning her retinas. She turned swiftly away
from it, blocking it with her hand. Devon stepped in front of her,
his sleek body blocking out the light far better than her hand did.
“Cassie?”