Ashes (Book 2 The Kindred Series) (26 page)

“Later lover,” Isla
whispered.

Julian and Isla slipped easily down the
hall, disappearing into the shadows before a group of four girls
turned the corner. Marcy was in the lead. They froze as they
spotted the carnage of the hall, and the blood stained floor.
Cassie inhaled sharply. Feeling tired, beaten, and worn, Devon took
a step forward, turning to confront the group before
them.

Marcy looked at him, shock and horror
widening her eyes as she took in his bloodied shirt and wounds.
“Devon! Are you ok?”

Her gaze darted accusingly to Cassie
before focusing on him once more. Taking a deep breath, he drew on
his strength as he marshaled his powers. Reaching out, he shoved
his mind forward, wrapping into theirs as he seized hold of their
will. Their eyes became dull, glazed, their mouths parted
slightly.

“You saw nothing here, and no one. Go
back to the dance, there is nothing going on here.” He kept hold of
their minds as he twisted their memories. In their minds the doors
and lockers were still intact, the hall was empty.

Slowly, they nodded and turned around
before moving stiffly away. Slumping, feeling slightly drained, it
took all he had to keep himself standing upright. The use of his
ability on so many people, on top of his blood loss, was tiring.
The three of them stared at him in silent awe, amazed by the power
he had never shown them. Cassie grabbed hold of his arm, her wide
violet blue eyes worriedly searching his face.

“Devon?”

He turned away from her, the scent of
her blood overwhelming him in his weakened condition. Tremors shook
him as he fought against his need and desire. He could not be near
her right now. “Chris,” he muttered.

Chris hurried to his side, shooting
Cassie an apologetic glance as he took hold of Devon’s arm,
wrapping it around his shoulders. Devon released her reluctantly;
hurt bloomed in her eyes as she stepped back. He hated to see that
hurt, didn’t want to be the cause of it, but he did not trust
himself to be near her now. She was far too tempting, and he was
far too weak. She had been hurt enough tonight without having to
endure more wounds from him.

“We need to get out of here,” Melissa
said hurriedly. “Before other people come.”

“I need to grab my purse and shoes, my
ID is inside,” Cassie whispered.

Devon growled as she disappeared from
sight. Forgetting his injuries, he drug Chris into the bathroom
after her. He froze, anger and horror filling him as he took in the
wreckage that littered the floor. The soap dispenser lay in the
middle of the room, its liquid scattered across the floor, sinks,
and broken glass. One of the stall doors had been ripped free and
tossed aside. But it was not the wreckage that left him immobile;
it was the blood staining the linoleum, sink, floor, and the tops
of the stall doors. Her blood.

Cassie emerged from one of the ruined
stalls, her stained purse clutched tightly in her trembling hands.
Her gaze darted around the room, her breath came more rapidly. She
looked so lost, so childlike and wounded that it broke his heart.
His anger evaporated as he took in the room once more. All he could
do was be thankful that she was still alive, that she had somehow
managed to survive Julian’s attack when no one else would have. At
least no human would have, and probably no other Hunter.

She may not have the special abilities
that Melissa and Chris possessed, but Devon was beginning to
suspect that there was far more to her than any of them had even
begun to imagine.

He removed his arm from Chris’s
shoulder, a fresh well of strength infusing him. She needed him
even more than he needed blood right now. Opening his arms to her,
she hesitated for a moment as fear and worry flashed across her
beautiful face. When he made no move to pull away from her, no move
to turn her away, she ran forward. Throwing her arms around his
waist, she buried her face in his chest. He held her tight as her
shoulders began to shake and heart wrenching sobs escaped
her.

Burying his face in her hair, he tried
to focus on the sweet scent of fruit and spices she emitted, and
not the luring scent of her powerful blood. Her fear, and her need
for him, was a great motivator for this. Careful of the wounds
along her side, he lifted her gently. She wrapped her arms around
him, pressing her tear stained face into his neck.

They used the back doors as they made
their way outside while Chris retrieved the coats. Devon adjusted
Cassie, flinging open the passenger side door as Melissa scurried
inside. He placed her gently into the passenger seat, kneeling
beside her to stroke her hair back from her face. Turning her hands
over, he noted the jagged gashes on her delicate palms. Anger
flared through him as he pulled a piece of glass free and tossed it
aside.

“Are you going to be ok?” he asked
softly.

She managed a small nod, closing her
eyes briefly. Picking her arm up, he surveyed the gashes on her
side, fighting back the hunger that crashed through him in rising
waves. She winced, jerking away from him slightly. “Sorry love,” he
whispered, his eyebrows drawing tightly together as he realized
that the wounds were already beginning to heal.

The blood had stopped flowing; the
gashes were already becoming smaller. The rate in which she was
mending was stunning. He recalled the hospital when she said she
healed fast, but this fast? She was not healing at his rate, for he
could already feel the muscle reattaching itself to his bone; feel
his skin rejoining once more. No, she did not heal at his rate, but
it was at a rate that far exceeded anything she should be capable
of. Even as a Hunter.

Doubts blazed forth in his mind, little
pieces of a puzzle suddenly scattered across a table before him.
They were pieces that he didn’t understand, and couldn’t quite put
together, but they worried him nonetheless. He could not make sense
of what he was looking at, could not understand the mystery that
was her, and he realized that it would take far more than him to
make sense of this. He just didn’t know who to turn to for help
with this puzzle.

“Don’t worry about it, I heal fast
remember,” she said softly.

“I can see that,” he muttered, unable
to tear his attention away from the now shallow wounds.

Her finger was gentle under his chin as
she lifted his face. “You need to feed.”

His frown intensified in confusion.
Then, ever so gently, her thumb brushed over his extended fangs,
sending desire and want blasting through him. He trembled at her
touch, fighting the urge for so much more. He hadn’t even known
that his fangs had extended, he had been too caught up in his
amazement of her to realize that his intense need was so very
obvious. At her touch, hunger sprang forth in a burning wave that
seared his veins.

Recoiling from her touch, he moved out
of her reach, knowing that he could not tempt himself anymore. He
was rapidly spiraling out of control. Her hand fell away, but there
was no hurt in her gaze, only deep worry. Chris jogged up to the
car, their coats draped over his arm. “Go,” Cassie urged softly.
“I’ll be fine, I’ve suffered through worse.”

Her gentle reassurances, and the
growing anguish in his body, made up his mind for him. He could not
stay with her; if he did, he ran the risk of hurting her. She would
be in good hands, and once she was home, she would be safe. Digging
into his pocket, Devon pulled out his keys and tossed them to
Chris. Fumbling with the coats, Chris managed to keep hold of them
as he caught the keys.

“Drive slow, I’ll follow you
home.”

Chris gaped at him, his mouth dropping
as he looked at the keys, and then the car. “You ok?” he
stammered.

“Yes, just make sure that you take care
of her.” They both knew that he was not talking about the car. He
turned his attention back to Cassie. “I’ll see you in a little
bit.”

She managed a nod, but he saw the fear
and anxiety in her gaze. Feeling like the worst kind of ass he
gently shut the door, he didn’t trust himself to get close to her
again. “I’m sorry about almost attacking you earlier.”

Chris managed a wan smile. “I
understand where you’re coming from, just don’t let it happen
again.”

Chris was trying to sound light but his
voice was tight. Devon nodded, closing his eyes as another tremor
of hunger ripped through him. Shaking, desperately thirsty, he took
a step back. He watched as Chris pulled out of the parking lot with
the only person that could completely satisfy the arid torture
blazing through his veins.

Turning, he fled into the woods,
keeping pace with the car as it made its way down the side
streets.

CHAPTER
17

“What happened?”

Cassie dropped her coat tiredly on the
banister. Dani had come barreling down the stairs; freezing three
steps from the foyer as her mouth dropped and her eyes damn near
bulged out of her head. “Where’s my grandma?” Cassie asked
quietly.

Dani blinked in surprise, her gaze
darting rapidly between Cassie and the ruined dress she wore. “Her
friend Martha called, they went to Bingo. She thought she would be
home before you, but…” Dani’s eyes darted to the grandfather clock
in the living room. “You’re far earlier than expected.”

“Party kinda got crashed,” Chris
mumbled.

“I can see that,” Dani said softly, one
eyebrow cocked questioningly.

“Glad she’s not home.” The last thing
Cassie wanted was for her grandma to see her like this. The
retelling was going to be bad enough, but to actually see it would
have made matters much worse.

“What the hell happened?”

“You got it, hell happened.” Chris shut
and locked the door behind him.

Dani’s gaze darted wildly over them,
fear radiated from her. Cassie rolled her eyes at Chris, shaking
her head slightly. There was no need to frighten Dani even more.
Chris tried a sheepish, apologetic smile, but it failed miserably
as his face did not seem to want to cooperate with his
intentions.

“Where’s Melissa?” she demanded
sharply, her voice tight with panic.

“Dropped her off already,” Cassie
answered. Dani slumped, her relief palpable. “I need some ice
cream, but first I need out of this dress. Chris, why don’t you
make us some sundaes?”

“Are you ok?” Dani demanded her focus
locked on Cassie’s blood stained side.

“I’ll be fine,” she assured her
gently.

Cassie padded slowly up the stairs,
very aware of every ache and bruise as each movement intensified
the pain. Though she was not looking forward to retelling the
horrifying events of the night, she was grateful for the
distraction that Dani offered. Otherwise, she would be consumed
with her worry for Devon, and her fear of everything that had been
revealed tonight.

How many women were in his past? How
many of them had he loved? And who was Annabelle?

Cassie shuddered; her hands trembled as
she pulled the zipper on her dress down. She didn’t want to think
about those questions, it would only rattle her already shaken
confidence more. Tossing her destroyed dress on top of her bed, she
took a shower, washing the blood from her as she tried to scrub
herself clean of the memories choking her. No matter how hard she
scrubbed though, she could not clean away the events of the
night.

Tears burned the back of her throat
once more, but she refused to shed them again. She hated the
weakness she had allowed to slip through earlier with Devon. She
was a big girl; she had been in life threatening situations before.
She should be able to handle her reaction to them far better than
she had today.

Although, she’d never had an experience
as bad as the one tonight. She really had thought her life was
over, truly felt that she was experiencing the last few horrifying
moments. And she had never been confronted with a beautiful,
psychotic girlfriend from centuries past before. Cassie shuddered,
scrubbing at her skin with renewed vigor.

Though she tried not to think of Isla,
it was all she could think about. How long had they been together?
Had he loved her? She didn’t want to contemplate the things they
had done together, but she couldn’t stop the images that flashed
through her mind, the jealousy and fear that consumed her. She was
nothing like Isla. That woman had experience; she knew what a man
liked, what a man wanted. She knew what Devon liked. She had
satisfied him with her body, and Cassie was certain, with her
blood. She had satisfied him in ways that Cassie had not, and maybe
never could. Revulsion swarmed through her, nearly threatening to
drown her in its thick waves.

Her certainty that she wanted to join
Devon had been shaken, if not destroyed. His was a world that she
didn’t understand, it was a world of cruelty and death and misery.
One that she wasn’t certain she could belong to and she knew she
could never truly fit into it. It was a world that very well might
destroy her.

Despite the hot water, Cassie was
shivering and numb when she climbed out of the shower. She dressed
slowly, feeling hollow and devastated. The night had started out
with so much promise, it was all gone now. Like a log that had been
burnt out, all of her hope had been turned to a pile of ash that
was choking her from the inside out. And no matter how much she
wanted to hope that things would be ok, that Devon would explain
everything, she wasn’t sure that it would ever be right again. She
wasn’t sure that they could ever be the same again.