Kindled

  “Not counting on Devon to rescue you anymore?”

  Cassie was silent as she pondered his question. She had no doubt that Devon was tearing the earth apart in search of her, but it was unreasonable of her to expect him to find her. She had been here for so long, if he was able to find her, he would have by now. “He won’t stop until he finds me, but it may not be in time. We need to find a way to get ourselves out.”

  “My thoughts exactly princess.”

  She rolled her eyes, shooting him a cross look. “Stop calling me princess,” she grumbled. He grinned back at her, pressing his palm tighter to the window. “Didn’t you believe in Annabelle and Liam’s love?”

  He frowned for a moment before shaking his head. “I didn’t know much about Annabelle and Liam. Devon kept me away from her, she was his own private project, and I let him have her because I thought it would be fun to watch the show. Thought it would be fun for him. I never thought that what happened between them would happen. I never thought that Devon could change. At the time I would have interfered if I had known what was coming.”

  “But not now?”

  He sighed heavily, his amazing eyes darkened to an almost sea shade of blue. “No. No matter how much I resent Devon for turning against his own kind, his very nature, and me, I am glad that he brought you into our lives.”

  Cassie’s head snapped up, her fatigue was forgotten in the face of his words. Her heart thumped loudly, her breath was labored as she tried to think of some way to comfort him, some way to sort through the tumult of emotions tearing through her. He turned toward her slowly, the vulnerable expression on his face caused tears to bloom in her eyes once more.

  “Julian…”

  He shook his head; his blond hair fell across his forehead as he offered a tremulous smile. “It is ok princess, I understand.”

  She was glad that he understood, because she didn’t anymore. She dropped her head to the window, taking comfort when he rested his head against hers once more. Tears rolled silently down her face, she bit on her bottom lip to contain her sobs. She loved Devon, she knew that, but the idea of causing Julian pain was tearing her to shreds inside. He was her savior, her friend, and she was growing to love and need him more and more with every passing moment.

  ***

  “Where the hell are we?” Chris inquired, stifling a yawn as he slowly roused from the backseat.

  Devon glanced down at the GPS. “Cedarville.”

  “And where is Cedarville?”

  “Upstate New York.”

  Chris was silent for a moment as he studied the dark woods surrounding them. Moonlight filtered over the skeletal trees, it cast light across the snow covered hills and mountains. They had been steadily rising in elevation for the past twenty minutes. “So we’re in the boonies,” Chris said softly.

  “Yeah,” Devon muttered, glancing toward the woods at his side. He hadn’t seen Annabelle and Liam in awhile, but he knew they were out there somewhere, keeping pace with the slow moving vehicle. Liam was hunting for any animal that may have seen something, and still remembered it. They had been searching New York for over a day now, and Devon was trying hard not to give up hope that they would find her. That the trail had not grown completely cold. But since crossing the border yesterday, they had found no new leads.

  He shuddered at the thought, his hands gripped tight to the steering wheel as he fought not to rip it free. “Have you heard from them?” Chris asked quietly, climbing over the middle to slide into the passenger seat. Melissa and Luther were still sleeping in the far back of the Escalade.

  “No.”

  Chris sat silently, his gaze focused on the dark forest, his eyebrows furrowed tightly together. Devon could tell he was trying to pick up Cassie’s presence, and having no luck at it. “Maybe the trail ends here because she’s somewhere near here,” Chris muttered after a few moments.

  Devon wished it was that simple, but he didn’t believe so. In his heart he feared that they had lost her for good. Pulling out his phone, he checked the screen but there were no new messages. He slid it back into his pocket before he could snap it in half. “Pull over Devon,” Chris said softly.

  His head snapped toward him. “You sense something?”

  Chris shook his head. “I have to piss.”

  “Oh.”

  Devon pulled over to the side of the road for him. He waited impatiently, his hands tapping against the steering wheel as Chris disappeared into the night. Devon frowned as he studied the oddly silent woods, nothing stirred within them. It was too quiet out there, something was not right. Chris appeared by the passenger door again, his eyes troubled.

  “Something’s not right in this town.” Devon nodded his agreement as he continued to study the forest. “We actually might be in the right area,” Chris said softly.

  Devon tried not to get his hopes up, tried not to let his heart soar at the thought, but he could not stop the spurt of excitement and need that shot through him. He turned his attention to the night, listening for any sound, but it remained eerily silent. “This quiet usually means vampires,” he said softly. “Get back in the car Chris.”

  “Wait, what?”

  “Get in the car!” Devon ordered sharply. He flung his door open and stepped swiftly into the chilly night. He studied the woods intently, searching for anything out there, but he could only sense Annabelle and Liam moving steadily closer to the vehicle.

  The back window opened and Melissa stuck her head out. “What’s going on?”

  Devon shook his head, moving slowly toward the back of the SUV. He shot Chris a dark look as he appeared on the other end of the vehicle. “I told you to get back inside,” he growled.

  Chris shook his head; his gaze darted over the forest once more. “I don’t sense anything out there,” Chris said softly. “Absolutely nothing.”

  Liam and Annabelle appeared at the edge of the woods, moving swiftly forward. Annabelle’s gaze darted constantly over her surroundings while Liam’s gaze was focused behind them. “What is this place?” Annabelle asked softly.

  “Cedarville,” Chris said flatly.

  Devon glowered at him. “This place is strange. There’s something off about it. We need to leave here,” Annabelle whispered.

  “I don’t sense any other vampires though,” Liam mumbled. “And for the past two miles there have been very few animals. None of them could help us.”

  Devon’s chest clenched at the thought that they had run out of leads. That this could very well be the end of the trail, and there was no Cassie here. He couldn’t concentrate on that thought, he would snap if he did. There was something off about this place, something not right at all, and he had to stay focused on that. He had to keep hold of the hope that whatever was wrong here would somehow lead him to Cassie. “We need to go into town.”

  “For what?” Chris asked in surprise.

  Devon glanced quickly at him. “Because we need to find out what is going on here.”

  “But what about Cassie…” Chris’s voice trailed off as his eyes darted to the forest. “You think she’s here?”

  Devon’s jaw clenched tightly as he managed a brief nod. He didn’t know what to think, but this place was strange, and it was where their trail ended. It was the only hope that they had. The only hope he had. “Are you going to ride with us, or stick to the woods?” Devon asked Annabelle and Liam.

  “I’d like to stay in the woods, see if I can find something,” Liam answered. “There has to be some more wildlife out there. Somewhere.”

  Devon nodded as he hurried toward the front of the vehicle, eager to get into town and see what it had to offer. To see what secrets it could be hiding. “What’s going on?” Luther inquired the moment they were back inside.

  “There’s something strange about this place, we’re going to go into town, maybe find some answers,” Devon answered.

  He pulled swiftly back onto the road, hitting the gas pedal hard in his eagerness to find the center of town. He gl
anced back at the GPS. A hotel had popped up on the screen; it was about five miles away. A gas station was even closer, but there were no other spots popping up. “Small town,” Chris muttered.

  “Do you think there are answers here?” Melissa asked.

  “There is something here,” Chris answered quietly. “And a whole lot of nothing.”

  “I don’t understand,” Melissa replied.

  “There’s nothing out there. No wildlife, no people, just nothing.”

  Melissa leaned forward, her hands grasping hold of the back of Devon’s seat. “Are you saying that this is some kind of strange ghost town?”

  “I don’t know what it is, but it’s not normal.”

  “Do you think Cassie is here somewhere?”

  “I don’t know what to think,” Devon answered when Chris remained silent. “I do know I have never been in a place like this.”

  He turned his blinker on, but ended up driving past the gas station as none of the lights were on. “It is two o’clock in the morning,” Luther reminded him. “We’ll be lucky if we can get a room at the motel.”

  “Hmm,” Devon agreed, keeping his eyes focused on the dark woods surrounding them.

  “This place is creepy,” Melissa muttered, sitting back in her seat. “I keep waiting for zombie’s or hill people to come out and attack us.”

  Devon wasn’t going to say that he agreed with her, but he couldn’t shake the thought of such a thing either. They pulled up to the motel, but all the lights were off. Though there were four cars in the parking lot, the place had a deserted air about it. Devon stepped slowly from the vehicle, his senses on high alert as he scanned the parking lot.

  He did not hear people moving around inside the building, could not pick up the faint beat of human hearts. He couldn’t hear them rustling around in their sleep, couldn’t hear their breathing, or snoring. “It’s so quiet,” Melissa breathed.

  “There’s no one in there,” Devon told them.

  Melissa and Chris glanced sharply at him, but Luther had retreated back to the SUV in search of something. “Are you certain?” Chris inquired.

  “Yes.”

  “But the cars,” Melissa argued.

  “This place is empty.”

  “According to this map Cedarville is twenty-two square miles with a population of two hundred and fifty people. This is the only motel on the GPS and it appears that Cedarville mainly consists of dairy farms,” Luther announced as he returned from the SUV with a map book in his hands. “Though they do have a small center of town, and a school.”

  “We need to go in there and see if there are any clues about what happened to these people,” Devon told them.

  “Wait,” Chris said, grabbing hold of his arm. “What if you’re wrong? What if there are people still in there? We can’t just go barging in.”

  Devon stared at him for a moment before pulling his arm free. “There is no one left in there, and even if there was, I would just change their memories.” Chris was still hesitant, his eyes doubtful as he gazed back at the motel. “We’re wasting time, we need to go.”

  Devon didn’t wait for them as he made his way swiftly across the parking lot. Snow crunched under his feet as he moved, the wind whipped around him. He shoved his hands into the pockets of his jacket, barely noting the chill. He needed answers, and he needed them now. Stepping onto the sidewalk that ran down the front of the building, he went for the first room he came across. He tested the door handle, not surprised to find it locked.

  Grasping hold of the door handle, he pulled down hard, ripping it free. “Devon!” Melissa hissed, huddling deeper into her coat as she joined him on the walkway.

  He didn’t give her a second thought as he shoved the door open and flipped on the light switch. The room was in neat order, the bed made. There was no lingering scent of human within, no bags marking this as one of the rooms that had been occupied. He didn’t bother to close the door before moving swiftly onto the next one.

  He went quickly through the next few rooms, finding all of them as deserted as the first. Finally he came across a room that had obviously been occupied. He stepped into the room, glad to be out of the cold air and howling wind. The comforter on the bed had been turned down, a suitcase sat on a chair beside the bed; the top of it was open.

  An old Married With Children episode was running on the TV. Devon barely glanced at the TV; his attention was riveted on the empty room. There was no sign of a struggle, but the room was completely empty, the person seemed to have vanished. He glanced back at the suitcase; it appeared to be all men’s clothes. There were no answers to be found here.

  He moved swiftly back out of the room, hurrying down the walkway. He went rapidly through the rest of the rooms, but there were no answers to be found in any of them either. Another man appeared to have been staying in one of them, and a couple in another. He arrived at the manager’s office, frustration and anger boiling through him as he grabbed hold of the knob.

  “Wait,” Melissa whispered, seizing hold of his arm.

  He turned slowly toward her, surprised by the pallor of her skin, the firm set of her full lips. There was a haunted look about her black eyes that made his blood run cold. He had seen that look on her face before, seen the horrifying knowledge of what was to come. The last time he had seen it he had lost the only thing that mattered to him, the only person he had ever truly cared about.

  “Cassie?” he breathed.

  She shuddered, taking an unsteady breath as she snapped out of the premonition. “No,” she moaned, shaking her head as she took a small step back. “No. That room, it’s awful, just awful.”

  Luther took hold of her shoulders as she turned away, looking as if she were about to throw up. His eyes were haunted as they met Devon’s briefly. Bracing for whatever it was that Melissa had seen Devon turned the handle, surprised to find it unlocked. Twisting the knob, he shoved the door open; the smell of blood instantly swamped him. For a moment the beast in him reared to fierce life, hunger sprang forth as the sweet scent assailed him.

  He inhaled sharply, closing his eyes against the demon that clamored at his insides. His teeth had elongated instantly at the smell, they bit sharply into his lower lip. “Are you ok?” Chris inquired tremulously.

  Fisting his hands, Devon managed a small nod. It still took him a few moments longer to regain complete control. Taking a deep breath, he ground his teeth tightly together as he flipped on the light switch. His eyes widened, disgust and excitement rolled through him in equal measures.

  He hated the part of himself that was excited by the carnage of the room, but he couldn’t stop it. Hell, he had caused this, and worse, in his long life.

  But even with that knowledge, he was also disgusted by the death and destruction of the room. “My God,” Chris breathed.

  “This has nothing to do with God,” Devon replied crisply.

  He moved slowly into the room, stepping over the broken bits of chair that littered the floor. Papers were scattered about, mixed with the blood that was spattered everywhere. A large smear of blood covered the back wall. It was apparent that the victim had been lifted to the ceiling and then pulled back down to the floor. The customary hotel painting of a serene landscape hung on the wall, it was completely out of place amidst all of the destruction and mayhem.

  Devon stepped around the desk; the feet of the victim came into view. He shuddered, his hands fisted even harder as he fought against the bloodlust threatening to consume him. He stepped completely around the desk, bracing himself for the rest of the mayhem.

  His breath wheezed out of him, his eyes widened at the slaughter before him. The manager’s body was sprawled across the floor, his arms and legs twisted at an odd angle as his back had been broken. His neck was turned to the side, his unseeing brown eyes focused upon the ceiling.

  He had been mauled, his stomach torn open, his intestines were gone, and his throat was nearly ripped out.

  Horror filled Devon, his skin turned
to ice as his gaze darted quickly over the room. There was not enough blood here for the savage wounds. It had not been a human attacker that had done this, but it had not been a vampire either. No vampire would eat the intestines, as had happened here.

  The breath hissed out of him as he took a swift step back. “We need to go!” he ordered sharply.

  “What is it?” Luther demanded.

  Devon’s gaze darted to the back door, the one that more than likely led to the manager’s apartment. He didn’t sense another presence back there, but he wasn’t so sure that he would. “Chris?” he inquired.

  Chris looked at him, then rapidly around the room. Shaking his head he looked back over at Devon. “I don’t sense anyone,” he said softly.

  Devon nodded, but it did not soothe the fierce tension that knotted his stomach. “Come on, we need to get out of here.”

  “What is the matter?” Luther asked sharply.

  “Halfling,” Devon answered, turning swiftly away from the body.

  “Wait! What?” Chris sputtered. “One of those monster things? One of those things that you were scared Cassie might become?”

  “Yes.”

  Luther paled as he took a step back. Devon moved toward them, shoving them out the door. Melissa was still huddled outside, her cheeks red from the cold, her eyes shadowed, dark, and haunted. She didn’t need to go inside to know the horror that lay within.

  Devon studied the dark night, his senses on hyper alert as he watched for any sign of movement. “Come on, we can’t stay here.”

  He hurried them forward, practically shoving Chris toward the car. Throwing open the driver’s side door, he slid swiftly in, and waited until everyone was settled before he locked the doors and pulled out his cell phone. He swiftly dialed Annabelle’s number, keeping his eyes on the night as he waited impatiently for her to answer.

  “Where are you guys?” he demanded when she picked up.

  “Not far from you,” she replied.

  “You need to get here.”

  She was silent for a moment. “What’s wrong?”