Kindled

  Cassie yawned again as she rested her head against the glass, dimly aware of the fact that their heads would have been touching if there was no glass between them. “Yes, he did. But why would you want him to know about it?”

  Julian was silent for a moment and then he heaved a large sigh. “Because he had to know. If Isla couldn’t beat you, and there is a chance that I may not be able to take you, then he had to know that if he changed you, like I know he wanted too, then there was a good possibility that no one could beat you if it went wrong. That you could very well destroy us all, including your friends. And although it would have destroyed Devon to watch you become a monster, which would have made me very happy, I could not allow such a thing to happen. I enjoy my existence too much for something like that. I don’t need you scouring the earth trying to destroy us all.”

  Cassie managed to shoot him another fierce glare, but there was no anger, no hatred in his gaze. Instead, there was an odd sense of compassion. Cassie shivered, disarmed and disoriented by this strange new Julian. “I may not become a monster,” she retorted.

  “No, but there is no way to know that. And either way, you may still become more powerful than the rest of us.”

  Cassie sighed softly, fighting against closing her eyes again. “These people must realize that,” she whispered. “So why wouldn’t they just destroy me?”

  “I don’t know. Just as I don’t know why they are keeping me alive. What they plan on doing with the two of us is not something I want to contemplate. They’ve left me alone, but now that you’re here…”

  Cassie lifted her head slowly as his voice trailed off. He was still awake however, his strange eyes distant as he stared at the far wall. “This is going to be awful.”

  He focused on her again, his lids drooping slightly. The lazy look he gave her was sympathetic as well as hard. “I believe so.”

  Cassie shuddered; she rapidly blinked back the tears that burned her eyes. “They’ll come for us if we go to sleep, won’t they?”

  He hesitated for a moment, and she could tell that he wanted to sugarcoat it, but in the end he didn’t. “Yes.”

  CHAPTER 16

  “Where the hell could he be?” Devon snarled.

  He was well aware of the fact that Chris took a swift step away from him; his eyes darted rapidly over the woods before finally settling on Devon again. “Devon, I don’t think he’s in this area anymore,” Annabelle said softly, nervously. “You haven’t been able to find him, Chris can’t sense him, and Melissa has had no premonitions. We need to come up with another plan.”

  He rounded on her, his hands fisting as his nostrils flared. Anger and panic tore through him. He was such a wildly swinging pendulum of emotions lately that even he was surprised that he had not snapped. It had been three days; she had been missing for three days! Three days in which they could have done anything they wanted to her.

  He shuddered, struggling hard not to lose his temper again. As he had yesterday. He tried not to think about the rampage he had gone on yesterday, the destruction he had done to the trees that had been in his way. If he had gotten his hands on something alive, he would have ripped it to shreds whether it had been animal or human. It had been a dangerous state to be in and he had been lucky that no one had been around him.

  “What though?” he grated.

  Annabelle stared helplessly back at him, her eyes watery and lost. Liam and Luther had made their way into Vermont, but they were not having much luck either. Though he had not said it, Devon knew that Liam feared the trail was growing cold. “I don’t know,” she whispered.

  Devon nearly bellowed in rage as he slammed his fist into a large oak. The tree shuddered, its empty branches creaked loudly as it swayed slightly. He could feel the demon in him wanting to take over again, wanting to bury the man. He was greatly afraid that he was going to lose the battle shortly, and lose himself in the process. He couldn’t do that; if he did, he would never find Cassie. He would never be able to rescue her from whatever form of torture they had devised for her.

  “What do we do?” he asked hopelessly, trying to regain control of his wildly unstable emotions. He had to find her, and he had to do so before he completely lost himself.

  “We find another way, maybe there is another one like Julian out there,” Melissa said softly, her gaze wearily focused on the oak he had just punched.

  “How do we find them?” Chris asked quietly.

  “Luther will know,” Annabelle replied. “There may even be a Hunter out there that has Julian’s ability.”

  “And we’re supposed to trust them to help us?” Chris retorted.

  “Chris,” Melissa warned.

  Chris shook his head at her, his eyes narrowed as he studied the night surrounding them. An owl hooted in the distance, its mournful sound set Devon’s teeth on edge. He paced restlessly away from the tree, tugging anxiously at his hair. He couldn’t take much more of this, his insides felt like something was clawing them to shreds, his skin was on fire, every muscle of his body was twisted and pain filled.

  There was only one thing, one person, that could help to soothe the agony in him, and he had no idea where she was, or how to find her. He had sent her away to keep her safe, and instead he had put her right in the path of danger. He never should have left her side; he never should have let her out of his sight. This was his fault, and Cassie was the one paying for it.

  When he found her, if he found her, he would never make that mistake again. He looked helplessly back at the rest of them, needing their help. He could no longer think straight, he needed them to do it for him. The owl hooted again. Melissa’s head snapped up, her gaze narrowed on the distant woods.

  “Are you still unable to reach out with your mind?” Annabelle asked softly.

  Devon shuddered, tugging at his hair. At one time he had always known where Cassie was, always been able to brush against her mind with his. Hell, he had even invaded her dream once before. But now, well now she was too far away. He was unable to locate her, unable to feel her, or find her. “The distance is too great, and I… I am…”

  “Too unstable,” Annabelle finished when he could not.

  Fresh anger spurted through him. Anger at her for her observation, anger at himself for not being able to control the beast inside of him better. “Yes,” he growled.

  She sighed softly, pacing slowly amongst the trees as she tried to work things out. She appeared diminutive and sweet, but Annabelle had a spine of steel and a razor sharp mind. “I think we should join Liam and Luther. We may be able to help them; Melissa may even have a premonition. Hopefully,” she added softly. “And Chris may be able to sense something. Maybe if we all join together again we can find her, and if we get close enough to her, you may be able to connect with her again.”

  Devon remained silent, staring intently at the three of them. Melissa and Annabelle stood proudly, defiantly. Chris looked completely lost and helpless. Devon felt his insides twist even more, agony surged through his gut. Fire burned his veins. It wasn’t much of a plan, they all knew that, but it was all they had left. He couldn’t admit defeat, because if he did it would be over for him, and for Cassie. He could quite possibly destroy every one of these people, his friends, if he didn’t find her. He would definitely find a way to destroy himself, even if it meant staying in the sun for days on end until his body could no longer take it, and he finally burned. Even if it meant staking himself.

  “Let’s go.”

  Devon turned and disappeared into the words, running rapidly toward Cassie’s house. He didn’t wait for the others, he needed to move, needed to try and burn off some of his excess energy and rage. He raced swiftly through the trees, easily dodging the branches and bushes that threatened to catch hold of him.

  He broke free of the woods, darting across Cassie’s backyard he pounded up the back steps. Pulling out his phone, he hit Luther’s number as he slammed into the kitchen. “Anything?” he demanded the minute Luther picked up.


  The man sighed softly. Devon could hear the regret and aggravation in that single breath. “No,” Luther reluctantly admitted.

  Devon glanced up as Annabelle came through the back door, stomping her boots off, she blew on her hands. Her eyes were worried as she gazed sympathetically at him. Devon’s lip curled in a sneer, he hated the pity he felt radiating from her. The pity that they all felt for him now. Turning away, his hand tightened on the phone as he pressed it tighter to his ear.

  “We’re coming to join you.”

  “Excuse me?” Luther asked in surprise.

  “We’re coming to join you. We’re leaving as soon as possible; meet you in Vermont by morning.”

  Luther was silent for a moment. “All of you?” he asked quietly.

  “Yes.”

  Devon heard the rustle of his glasses as Luther slid them off. “We can’t leave the town unprotected.”

  The front door opened and closed, Melissa and Chris eyed him wearily as they moved slowly toward the kitchen. “It won’t be unprotected; I don’t think Julian is here any longer. I don’t know why he moved on, but he has. The Commission will not come here; they already have what they want. If other vampire’s do arrive here, they will move on once they realize that there are no Hunter’s here anymore, and there is no power or challenge. We’re coming up there. Now.”

  “Wait Devon, slow down.” Luther said quickly. “Are you sure that Julian is no longer there, or is he just in hiding?”

  “I’m sure,” Devon growled.

  “The town…”

  “Will be fine,” Devon interrupted sharply. “This is the only hope we have. We need to find her. Are there Hunter’s out there that possess Julian’s ability?”

  “I wouldn’t even know where to start looking,” Luther admitted. “The few Hunter’s that are left, and that are accounted for, do not have the same ability as Julian. If there are others out there, I don’t know where they are.”

  Devon slammed his hand into the wall, shaking the bracings behind the plastering. He sneered at Chris and Melissa as they took a swift step away from him. “Then this is the only hope we have. I’ll call you to find out where you are when we hit the border.”

  Devon hung up before Luther could say anymore. Rage was racing through him, bursting up and down his spine as it shook him. No one moved for a moment, and then Annabelle strode forward and grasped hold of his arm. “Devon, if this doesn’t work then we need to talk about what will happen.”

  He turned away from her, his gaze landing on his reflection in the window. His eyes were vibrant red, the same murderous color they had been since Melissa’s vision. A color he knew would not vanish until he had Cassie in his arms again. A color he knew meant he was standing on a very thin precipice, one that was about to give out.

  “I know what will happen,” he told her.

  “And what is that?” she asked quietly.

  “I’ll die, and you will have to help make sure that it happens.”

  Annabelle gaped at him, her sea green eyes swam with tears. He had never understood how she could forgive him for what he had done to her, but she had, and she actually cared for him. He hated himself even more because of that. It would have been better if she had hated him for his cruelty, and selfishness. He would only hurt her again if he lost complete control. He touched her hand gently, wanting to offer her some comfort, but knowing that it was very little.

  “It’s ok,” he assured her. “It’s what I will want.”

  Tears slid down her face as she nodded slowly. “I understand.”

  Devon slid his arm away from Annabelle; turning on his heel he swiftly left the room.

  CHAPTER 17

  Cassie couldn’t help it; a scream finally ripped from her. The brutality of it tore the inside of her throat apart; the length of it left her breathless and gasping for air. She shook with the force of the scream, struggling desperately not to shed the tears that filled her eyes. Sweat poured down her as she struggled to break free, her wrists and shoulders ached painfully as she fought against the straps holding her down. Gasping for breath, she fell back against the table.

  The hours had all blurred into one, she had no concept of time, or days. For all she knew, she had been here only a day; it could have been a month. She had no thought for time anymore, she barely had thought for consciousness. More often than not, it was the pain that held her captive, dragging her deep into the realm of unconsciousness until the pain woke her again.

  A fresh bolt of electricity caused her to jump off the table; her feet, hand, and head restraints were the only things keeping her bound to it. She bit down hard on her mouth guard, fighting fiercely against the urge to scream again. She didn’t want to give them the satisfaction of breaking her once more. She didn’t want them to enjoy her torment, though she knew that they were enjoying it no matter what. However, her screams would only enhance their pleasure.

  She didn’t know why they kept pumping her full of electricity, but after a number of jolts they would come back in, take her blood pressure, and pull more blood. She suspected they may be doing the same thing to Julian, but she had not seen him since she had woken up on this table today, yesterday, or whenever it was.

  She collapsed upon the table again, her head lolled to the side. She could feel blood in her mouth from where she had bit her tongue through the guard, but she couldn’t bring herself to care. She watched through half open eyes as they came back into the room. One of them was the cold older man that had been with Joey the first day, the other she didn’t know. They moved silently, not speaking as they produced more needles.

  Cassie groaned, unable to bear the thought of another needle being shoved into her arm. She held her breath, hating herself for the single tear that slipped down her face as the needle pierced her raw skin. She waited for the tugging feel of her blood being drawn against her will, but it did not come. Instead, she felt a rush in her arm, something moving through her veins. They brought forth three more needles, inserting all of their contents into her wounded veins.

  Terror coursed through her. This was new; they had never injected her with anything before. She waited breathlessly, wondering if they had decided to just put her out of her misery. She wasn’t so sure she would even mind at the moment. And then she thought of Devon, drawing his image vividly in her mind. His memory was the only thing that had kept her going, the only thing that kept her even remotely sane in this hellish existence of pain and misery into which she had been thrust.

  Sometimes she wondered if she was already dead, and this was Hell. But then she would think of Devon, and that small bit of Heaven in this misery would prove to her that this could not be Hell. For she was sure that nothing in Hell would allow her to feel as good as the thoughts of him did.

  “Release her.”

  Cassie groaned in relief as the tight, agonizing bonds were removed from her. She tried to roll over, tried to stand, but she couldn’t even move. Hands seized hold of her, lifting her roughly up. Nausea swamped her, for a frightening moment she thought she was going to vomit everywhere. A groan escaped her as they hauled her forward, dragging her when her feet would not move.

  Her arm continued to burn, a fire crept through her veins. Her head spun, she tried to regain control of her body but her feet would not cooperate as they simply drug limply behind. If she could regain control, then maybe she could fight them off, but there was no control to be had. There was no fight in her at the moment.

  She listened as doors opened and closed. She was pulled down a long hallway, lights bounced roughly off of the stark linoleum beneath her. She blinked against the harsh glare, her eyes burned from the pain that it caused her sensitive vision. Nausea rolled through her stomach again, but this time she couldn’t hold it back.

  Choking, gagging, she heaved the meager contents of her stomach upon the floor. The foul taste of bile made her wince and gag. The men holding her made noises of disgust, but did not stop as they pulled her through the mess she ha
d left behind. Cassie groaned, hating the taste still in her mouth, hating the awful way she felt.

  Another door opened and she was shoved roughly forward. Stumbling, Cassie tripped and fell, sprawling upon the hard ground of her tiny cell. She remained on her knees, unable to move as she gasped for breath, fighting the urge to vomit again. Her body shook, her muscles hurt, and though the burning in her arm had not intensified, it had not lessened either.

  She tried to push herself to her feet, but her weak and trembling muscles wouldn’t allow her to stand. She collapsed on the floor, curling up in a tight ball as she fought against the fierce shivers that wracked painfully through her body. Clamping her teeth together, it took all she had not to scream again as she was wracked with fierce, bone wrenching spasms. Sweat poured down her body, coating her skin, plastering her clothes to her.

  At some point in time unconsciousness claimed her once more. She awoke again, still curled up in a ball, freezing cold and an aching mass of pain. She uncurled slowly, her cramped muscles screaming in protest at the movement. She was unable to suppress the moan of agony that escaped her as she crawled forward, unable to regain her feet.

  Reaching the bed, she somehow managed to drag herself onto it before passing out once more.

  When she awoke again, her body still ached but every movement was no longer excruciating. There was a plate of food on the floor by the door. She stared at it, unable to decide if she actually wanted to eat it, or if she even wanted to tempt fate by moving again. Eventually the rumbling in her stomach won out.

  Climbing gingerly off the mattress she made her way slowly to the tray, using the wall for support. Creeping away from the wall, she grabbed hold of the tray and made her way cautiously back to the bed. She stared at the darkened mirror of Julian’s room, wondering where he was, or if he was even still alive.

  A hollow feeling filled her at the thought of him being gone. Though he would probably still rip her throat out if given the chance, she thought of him as a strange sort of ally now. Both of them were here against their wills, and both of them were going through hell. Or at least she assumed that Julian was going through the same hell as she was.