Inferno (Book 4 The Kindred Series) (8 page)

Devon came at her, his lips pulled back
to reveal his fully extended fangs. Cassie’s heartbeat picked up,
but it was not fear that sent her blood pumping. It was excitement
and desire. It had been so long since he had taken her blood, so
long since they had bonded in such a way. And she found that she
needed, and wanted him desperately to do it. She needed this
reconnection, needed to feel him inside of her again, enjoying her,
and loving her.

His hand wrapped around her neck,
entangling in her hair as he pulled her forward, tilting her head
roughly to the side. For a moment his eyes flashed their brilliant
emerald green, and she knew that the man was present once again.
Not present enough to stop him from taking her blood. It was too
late for that, he would not be stopped, but he was there enough so
that she could see the person she loved so dearly once more. Tears
bloomed in her eyes at the sight of that beautiful, much loved
color. He would not kill her, she knew that. He pulled her forward,
much more gently than she had expected. His other arm locked around
her waist, dragging her forcefully against his body.

She remained immobile in his arms, her
eyes closing as anticipation thrummed through her body. “It’s ok,”
she whispered again, not wanting him to hate himself for what he
was about to do. “It’s ok love.”

He struck suddenly and with the speed
of a rattlesnake. Cassie’s body jerked slightly as his teeth sank
deep. Though the piercing pain was intense and sharp, it was also
brief and fleeting and swiftly replaced by the euphoria that this
experience always arose in her. She wrapped her arms around his
back, clinging tighter to him as he bit deeper, and drank deeper
than he ever had before.

His fear, confusion, rage, and undying
love engulfed her. She could feel his mind mingling with hers, feel
it touching upon hers as they blended together, slowly becoming
one. Just as her mind was touching upon his. Just as he could now
see so many things she had wanted to keep from him. For a frantic
moment, Cassie wanted to pull away, wanted to get free of him. She
didn’t want him to see what they had done to her in there. She
didn’t want him to see her weakness, her fear, or her pain, and
there had been so much of it in there, far too much of
it.

She didn’t want him to see her
conflicting feelings about Julian either, didn’t want him to be
hurt anymore than he already had been.

She didn’t want him to experience what
she had gone through; didn’t want him to know what had been done to
her at all. She knew that she could not keep it hidden from him
though. If she tried to do so, it would only cause him more
distress and doubt over her feelings for Julian. She could sense
that he already felt shut out, that he was threatened and confused
by her relationship with Julian, and it was making him even more
volatile and unstable. She could not continue to let that happen,
it would only result in more devastation, and next time she might
not be able to stop him.

Slumping against him, Cassie gave
herself over to his questing mind. All of her barriers slid away as
she allowed him in, letting him see it all. She knew she risked his
rage again, but she couldn’t hurt him anymore. She needed him far
too much, and loved him far too much to keep anything from him. Let
alone something as important as this. He cradled her gently, his
hands entwining in her hair, holding her tight to him as her
memories, and her terror, enveloped them both. She could feel his
shock, his horror, his sorrow as he cradled her tighter, seeking to
comfort and soothe her, seeking to try and take her pain from her.
His love enveloped her, wrapping around her, easing the torture of
her soul as only he could do.

She could also feel his pain, the
constant struggle he had been going through since she had been
taken. She could feel the battle he had waged to keep himself under
control enough to find her again. For if he had lost control, he
would have destroyed everything in his path. He would have become
much like the mindless monsters stalking this town. She could feel
the agony that her loss had caused him, the torment that had
plagued him endlessly. She could feel his fear about her
relationship with Julian, a fear that was eased by the taking of
her vein.

He withdrew from her, his head dropping
into the hollow of her neck as she held him tight. His lips were
warm against her neck; his body trembled as he held her close to
him. He licked her wounds gently, closing them with the healing
agent in his saliva. She shuddered at the feel of him against her
skin, at the wonderful touch of his tongue against her.

“I’ve warned you repeatedly not to put
yourself in my way,” he whispered, nuzzling her ear gently with his
nose and lips.

Her fingers curled tighter into his
back as her knees began to tremble. “I’ll always put myself in your
way,” she whispered. “I’ll always be here for you.”

His lips moved to her cheek, brushing
gentle kisses across her face, her nose, her lips and then back
again. “My Cassie,” he breathed in her ear. “It’s not your fault
what they did to you in there, you did not deserve it. And you
aren’t in love with him. You were just confused, lost, wounded, and
you were brutalized both physically and psychologically. You care
for him and he kept you alive and sane, and you love him, but you
are not in love with him.”

She burst into tears; her knees gave
out as she fell against him. She hadn’t realized until then just
how much she had needed his forgiveness, his love, his
understanding. She hadn’t realized just how much she had feared her
strange feelings for Julian, her sudden, binding connection to him.
But Devon had seen it all, and he had understood it all. And
because of his unconditional love, and understanding, she was now
able to understand it better too.

She also hadn’t realized just how much
she had blamed herself for what had happened in there. She had gone
against her own kind by loving Devon, and she was abnormal,
different from the rest of her kind. She was an abomination,
lacking and dangerous in ways that none of the rest of them were.
But his forgiveness, his words, helped to ease the torment and self
hatred that had lingered in her soul, eating her alive from the
inside out.

He bent down, sweeping her into his
arms as she clung to him, tears streaming down her cheeks. She
burrowed her face into the hollow of his neck, unable to face the
others at the moment. “I’m sorry,” he said briskly to Liam. “We’re
going out back. Will you be ok for a little while?”

She assumed this question was directed
at Luther as he was the one that answered yes in a slightly
strangled voice.

Devon’s strides were long and
purposeful as he carried her past the racks of merchandise and
toward the back area where the feed was kept. She watched him
silently as he placed her down on a feed bag. He walked around,
drawing the blinds and curtains tightly shut, though fragments of
light still filtered through the edges. Lamps and flashlights had
already been gathered and set out in the room. He turned on one of
the lamps, its small beam of light cast shadows about the room.
Grabbing two of the sleeping bags they had stashed back here, he
unrolled one and placed it down. Finally, he placed the rolled one
down as a pillow.

He turned back to her, holding his hand
out for her. Cassie rose slowly, clasping hold of his hand as he
pulled the zipper back to let her in. Cassie climbed inside, her
entire body suddenly aching and tired. Her mind was numb as tears
continued to roll silently down her cheeks. Devon crawled in beside
her; he wrapped his arms around her as he pulled her against
him.

He rested his cheek against hers as he
wiped the tears gently from her face. “I missed this so much,” he
whispered. “I missed you.”

She squeezed his hands tight, pressing
them against her chest. “And I missed you,” she breathed, brushing
a light kiss against his nose, his cheeks, and finally softly
against his full mouth. “Devon, about Julian…”

“I don’t want to talk about it right
now Cassie. I know what happened to you.” For a moment his voice
trailed off, his eyes growing hard and distant. “I know what they
did to you and they will pay for it, and we will talk about it
soon. But for tonight, I just want to hold you. I just want to feel
you against me. I just need to know that you are with me again, and
safe.”

More tears streamed down her face as
she smiled brightly at him. “Yes, I would like that very very
much.”

His grin was the most beloved,
cherished thing she had ever seen. She had missed his smile even
more than her own freedom. His eyes sparkled when he smiled, the
hard planes of his face softened making him younger and more
approachable looking, even with the rough stubble along his
jaw.

“You’re exhausted.”

“Yes,” she agreed softly, stifling a
yawn as she nuzzled closer to him, savoring in the wonderfully
masculine scent of him. It was familiar and comforting and
welcoming. His love enveloped her, wrapping her within a secure
cocoon that lulled her into a much needed, dreamless
sleep.

CHAPTER 5

Cassie awoke sometime later, blinking
against the sleep that still clung to her. Devon’s arm was wrapped
loosely around her waist, his breathing even and slow as he slept
peacefully. She stared at his slackened face, savoring in his
perfect features. She was reaching for him, wanting to wake him
when a small snort behind her caught her attention. She turned
slightly, a smile quirking her mouth as she caught sight of Chris a
few feet away, snoring softly. She had spent many many nights of
her life listening to his snores.

She lay for a few moments, relishing in
the warmth of Devon and the blessed noise of Chris. She watched
Chris, wishing that he didn’t have to be entangled in all of this
with them. She wished that she could have kept him safe from it
all, but knew that she never could have. Birth had trapped them
both here, and the cruelty of crazed men, not her.

The pressure in her bladder was what
eventually got her moving. Wiggling the zipper on the sleeping bag
down, she gently untangled Devon’s arm from her and slid from the
bag. She wrapped him tightly back into it, rising slowly to her
feet. She winced as pain lanced through her bruised and battered
feet, but she hobbled over to the lit lantern, lifting it from the
bags of feed.

She peered around the room, surprised
to note that everyone except Liam and Julian was asleep in the
room, and that the sun had set. Frowning, Cassie tried to figure
out how long she had been asleep, but it was impossible to tell.
Limping away, she made her way back into the main store, heading
for the bathroom they had discovered behind the coolers.

She washed her face and hands, and used
a small towel to sponge down the rest of her. Though she would have
killed for a shower, the simple act of washing herself felt
wonderful. Picking up the small hairbrush someone had left by the
sink, she patiently began to unravel the tight knots matting her
hair. She bit into her bottom lip, wincing as she diligently worked
through the tangles. Finally, the brush flowed freely through her
hair, leaving it shiny and flowing once more. Dark circles still
shadowed her eyes, but some of her color had finally
returned.

Sighing softly, she made her way slowly
back out of the bathroom and toward the front of the store. “Turn
the light down princess,” Julian whispered to her.

She jumped slightly in surprise; she
had not seen him amongst the dark and shadows. Her hand fumbled
with the switch that turned the small electric flame down, leaving
it merely a flicker within its plastic casing. “Where are you?” she
whispered.

“Front window.”

Cassie shuffled wearily forward until
he came into view. He was standing by the window, leaning against
the wall as he watched her from beneath lowered lids. Though he had
gotten no sleep, he did not appear on the verge of exhaustion.
“What time is it?” she inquired softly.

“About nine.”

“Don’t you think you should get some
sleep?”

He shrugged negligently, the lazy smile
she remembered slipped into place. She couldn’t help but return it.
“I’ve become accustomed to someone talking my ear off till I fall
asleep from boredom.”

Cassie couldn’t stop herself from
laughing softly as she crept steadily closer, grinning brightly at
him. “Where is Liam?”

He nodded across the way. Cassie turned
to find Liam sitting in a chair. He was leaning against the wall,
his eyes closed, his head tipped back as he slept soundly. She
quirked an eyebrow in surprise, trying hard not to laugh. “He’s a
good guard.”

“I think he’s mainly supposed to be
guarding me.”

“They don’t trust you yet.”

“No, they don’t. It’s understandable
though.” He shifted slightly, crossing his legs as he peered out
the window again.

“They’ll learn to,” she said softly,
placing the lantern on one of the shelves as she hobbled closer to
him.

“If you say so princess.”

“I do. Has there been anything out
there?”

He glanced back at her, his strange
eyes oddly aglow in the flickering light of the lantern. The white
blue band encircling his irises seemed to glow. The darker,
brighter blue of them shone as he watched her move toward him. “A
few of those things skittered across the road about an hour ago,
but I haven’t seen anything since.”