He grasped hold of her hands and pulled them away from him. "I'm fine," he assured her. She peered up at him from under lowered lashes. "Really."
"What was that?" she asked.
He stroked her face as he bent his head to kiss her. His full lips brushed hers as his fingers stilled upon her cheek. She lost herself to him, and the wonderful feeling of warmth and love that he gave to her. He reluctantly pulled away, his forehead resting against hers as he stared down at her. "I don't know."
Her hands clenched on the edges of his frayed shirt. "Are we staying here now?" she asked.
"No." They both turned toward Melissa. She stood by one of the shelves; a jar labeled dragon's blood was in her hands. "No, this woman is dead. I'm not staying in a dead woman's house, amongst her things." Melissa placed the jar back on the shelf, her fingers trailed lightly over the bottles beside it. "We should go to the hotel."
"You didn't like the idea of staying at the hotel."
Melissa thoughtfully chewed on her bottom lip as she picked up a red candle in a silver holder. "I would rather stay there than in someone's home, amongst their things, surrounded by their hopes and dreams. It's even worse than being at that hotel, and we have to find somewhere to stay, to shower, to regroup and feel at least a little normal again."
"How do you know she's dead?" Cassie asked.
Melissa's dark eyes met hers as she placed the candlestick on the shelf. "Because you and Devon are inside of her home."
It took her a second to understand what Melissa was saying. They hadn't been invited in. Even if the woman wasn't home, they couldn't enter her home, not if she were still alive. A chill slid down her spine as she realized something else, she wasn't welcome in people's homes anymore. "Oh," she breathed. "Can we go now?"
"Not until the sun sets."
Her eyes drifted toward the curtained windows, then the blankets lying on the floor. She hadn't imagined the feeling of smoke coming from her. The inside of the blanket was slightly charred from the heat that had been coming off of her body. If Devon hadn't thrown himself on top of her, she would be a pile of ashes right now.
Though she didn't want to stay in this house anymore, she didn't want to go back out there either. "The others?"
"Will be fine until we can get back to them," Devon assured her.
She didn't argue with him, her desire to escape this house was even less than her apprehension of going back outside. "She could still be alive though, she may have just abandoned this place."
Melissa's gaze drifted behind Cassie and she nodded. Cassie's confusion mounted as she stared at the picture on the wall. It showed a pretty woman, in her thirties, holding a young child of about four. A man stood beside her, smiling at the camera as he hefted his string of fish proudly. For a moment Cassie didn't understand what Melissa was talking about, but then her eyes narrowed on the woman.
Cassie had seen her before, somewhere. Her mind tripped along until suddenly the memory clicked into place. Of course she'd seen the woman before; she'd broken her neck outside. The Halflings hadn't followed them here, this had been the woman's house and she had simply been trying to come home. A strangled sound escaped her as she spun away from the picture. She couldn't stare at the face of that smiling innocent little girl when the guilt over helping to kill her mother was nearly choking her.
She shook Devon's hands away when he sought to comfort her. She didn't deserve any comfort, not right now. "You didn't kill her Cass," Chris said.
"I didn't help with it either," she mumbled.
"You didn't turn her into what she was."
Cassie didn't respond, she couldn't. She knew that he was right, but she couldn't shake the remorse clawing at her insides. She turned on her heel and strode back into the kitchen. She didn't go for the backdoor though, she may prefer to be out of here, but she wasn't suicidal. Instead, she turned to the left and made her way down the basement stairs and into the cool depths of the cellar.
She felt at home amongst the shadows as they enfolded her body. Her eyes quickly adjusted to pick up the details of the boxes and furniture stored within. She dodged obstacles as she made her way through the clutter. She didn't know where she was going or what she was doing. She simply had to move, to be somewhere other than the house with all of its reminders of the happy inhabitants that had once lived there.
She walked to the end of the room and rested her fingers against the wall. The rocks were cool and comforting against her burnt hand. She didn't have to turn to know that Devon was behind her, watching her. "We have to find her child," Cassie whispered.
"We will."
She turned toward him, marveling at the dazzling emerald color of his eyes in the dark. The shadows hugged his lithe body making him barely discernible from the blackness surrounding him. He held his arms out to her and enveloped her in his embrace as she moved into him. She savored in his scent of spices and power as she allowed herself to simply be here in this moment. No matter how bad everything was, he could always make her feel better.
His hand entwined within her hair and pulled her head back, his mouth was firm yet yielding as it seized hold of hers. Cassie lost herself to the touch and feel of him as he was able to make her almost forget about the awful events surrounding them, almost make her feel normal again. He lifted her off the ground and held her against him as he ravished her mouth with a ferocity that left her shaken and limp. She wasn't the only one that needed this with a desperation that bordered on insanity.
His fangs nipped at her lip, causing her to gasp in pleasure as her own fangs sprang forth in response. A whimper of delight and remorse escaped her as she cut into his lip and caused his blood to fill her mouth. It was as sweet as a peach and as tempting as the apple had been to Eve. Though she'd tasted it as a human, tasting it as a vampire was a heady experience that left her reeling with desire and thirst. She strained against the rising thirst surging through her and wiggled against him as she sought to break free.
His hand tightened in her hair as he pulled back from her. Though it was completely dark, Cassie could see blood glistening on his bottom lip. Her toes curled as her gaze latched onto that single, quivering drop. "Cassie," he breathed.
His eyes were dark and questioning, but they were also ravenous. Before he could pull away from her, she lifted her mouth to his and licked the blood from his lip. He shuddered against her, the muscles in his arms bulged as he tried to restrain himself. Then, his mouth yielded beneath the pressure of hers.
Cassie moaned as he pressed her against the wall. He pulled away, but didn't release her as he rained kisses across her throat and collarbone. There was a sudden, vibrant urgency pounding from him that left her shaking and barely able to support herself. His hands grasped hold of her face as he pulled her forward and buried her head in the hollow of his neck and shoulder. "Feed," he commanded in a harsh, ragged voice.
Cassie shuddered as longing and urgency filled her. She didn't know what she was doing though, didn't know how this worked and she was frightened she would injure him. That she would flounder and completely mess this up. She kissed him as she ran her teeth across the tender skin of his neck. He was immobile against her, as rigid and unyielding as a boulder.
Cassie paused; her fangs hovered above the vein in his neck. Instinct and yearning took over, she suddenly knew what to do, how to do it, and exactly what it was that he craved from her. Twining her fingers through his hair, she pulled him closer as she bit deep.
He groaned; his body bucked against hers as his tantalizing blood streamed into her mouth. It was the most magnificent, precious, fulfilling moment she'd ever experienced as his mind coalesced and blended with hers. His unconditional love for her poured from him, his satisfaction in her feeding from him was almost more than she could take as everything within him flowed into her. The bond between them had been special and unique when she'd still been a Hunter, but now, now it was a marvel that nearly shattered her.
There was nothing outside of this basement, nothing outside of them. The entire world ceased to exist as he ensnared her in a web of unadulterated love and awe.
***
"What happened to you?" Julian demanded.
Devon glanced down at his burnt jacket and the tattered remains of the front of his shirt. The burns on his skin had already healed. His hand tensed around Cassie's as she ducked her head and picked nervously at the front of her coat. "Sunlight," Cassie muttered.
Julian swore as he rolled his eyes. "Princess, sometimes I think you have a death wish."
Cassie frowned at him. Devon was trying not to smile at the consternation on her face, and the spark of fire that filled her eyes. "There were Halflings," she retorted.
"So you had to save the day by jumping into the sun to do what? Catch on fire and choke them with your ashes?"
Her frown deepened but she didn't respond to Julian's sarcastic inquiry. "Is everyone ok?" Luther asked quietly.
"Yes," Devon answered.
In fact he was better than ok. Her blood, her
new
more powerful blood coursed through him in pulsating waves that made him feel as if he could take on the world, including the remaining Halflings and Elders. "How many of them were there?" Liam asked.
"Four."
Liam was thoughtful as he glanced out the window. "From what we've learned from Patrick, and the bodies that were collected outside, plus what was killed before last night, there should only be two left."
"How do we find them?" Annabelle asked.
"They're getting desperate, they're starving, they may fall for another trap," Cassie said.
"They may be getting desperate but I don't think we'll be able to trick them again. I think the reason they
have
been more rational than normal Halflings is because they were a part of the Hunter line. They won't fall for anything again, not now that there are only two of them left," Luther said.
Julian folded his arms over his chest and rocked back on his heels. "They may not fall for anything, but there may also be something that they can't resist."
"What? Oh," Chris said as his eyes drifted toward the shadows of the store where Joey and Patrick were still tied to their chairs.
"Wait, we can trust my brother!" Dani gushed.
"I'm not sure I trust
you
." Julian's low growl caused Dani to take a step back and her hazel eyes to widen.
"No matter what, they aren't going to come back here. Did you find a place to stay?" Annabelle asked.
"The motel," Melissa answered.
"But..."
"It's better than the houses," Melissa interrupted Luther. "The homes that aren't empty and sad contain dead people. The motel is
far
better."
"Ok, fine, so the motel." Luther pulled his glasses off and cleaned them on his shirt. "It might actually work better to try and draw the last two out. We should get going though, we have the supplies ready."
It took twenty minutes before the car was loaded down with enough food, blood, water, weapons, and clothing to last them for awhile. No one was coming back here once the Halfling's were taken care of. Devon hung back as the lost box was placed into the cargo area of the SUV.
"How are we going to do this?" Julian asked as he appeared beside him. Julian's mouth was pinched, his eyes as remorseless as the ice they resembled.
"We'll keep pace with the vehicle," Devon answered.
"And Cassie?"
"Will stay with me."
Julian nodded as he gazed at the group huddled around the SUV. Cassie stood to the side, flanked by Luther, Melissa and Chris. Though they didn't understand, and were frightened by what was happening to her, they were her ever faithful friends and they steadfastly showed their support when the others shied away from her.
"She shot fire out of her hands," Devon told him.
"I know, I saw her do it," Julian retorted.
Julian had seen the visions that Cassie had received from Matthew, he knew better than anyone exactly what it was that Cassie could become. "No, she did it again today, when the Halflings attacked."
Julian's dark brows shot all the way into his platinum blond hair. "I thought it was only after she touched a person. That was the way it seemed anyway. That was what
she
thought even. Only after immediate contact with a person did she have the ability to use their powers, and once she touched someone else it was gone. Luther had never heard of such an ability before, but even he was willing to accept it. He was confused and fascinated by it, but this..." he broke off as he glanced back at her. "This Devon, this is different."
"I know."
"This means..."
"I know what it means Julian. I know more than anyone else what
this
means."
"Matthew's words..." Devon hadn't been able to get Matthew's words out of his head since Matthew had uttered them. They smashed constantly around his brain like a ricocheting bullet in a steel room. "I saw what Matthew saw, I saw what Cassie saw. I would like for the vision of goodness to be right. She has always been more light than dark, but there
is
a darkness in her that has been trying to take control for awhile now."
"I know," Devon murmured, resenting the fact that Julian was expressing every one of his worst nightmares.
"And now..."
"The darkness is stronger and there is more of it in her. Now
we
have created a vampire." Devon grit his teeth, his hands fisted as rage briefly boiled through him. He knew it was Julian's blood that had completed the change, but no matter how badly he longed to beat him into a bloody pulp for giving her even
more
of his blood, she wouldn't be here if he hadn't. Julian had also made the choice not to keep her for himself when he could have. All of Devon's remaining doubts about Julian had faded when he'd given Cassie back to him.
"With apparently unlimited power and we both know what
any
vampire is capable of. We both know how much of a battle it is to keep the demon restrained under normal circumstances."