Her eyes widened, betrayal jolted through her. For a moment anger flared inside her, but she somehow managed to push it back down before it consumed her again. She knew how awful Chris’s home life was, knew how miserable it was for him to be at home. Her grandmother had taken care of him more than his own mother had. Chris had spent most of his nights sleeping on Cassie’s floor, but he wouldn’t have wanted to be here after her grandmother had died. It would have been hard on him, and Cassie understood that, but she could not shake the shock that kept her gaping at them. She had never even been to Devon’s apartment, and Chris was apparently staying there.
Just how close had they gotten over the past two weeks?
“I see,” she said softly.
“Cassie…”
“No, it’s fine. I’m fine, really.” She cut Chris off, forcing a reassuring smile. “Really.”
Devon massaged her shoulders gently. “I’m sorry I didn’t tell you,” Chris said, his gaze momentarily darting to the window. “I just… I just needed a break.”
“A break?”
His smile was wan as he ducked his head. “Your emotions, and Devon’s, weren’t exactly easy to deal with, and I couldn’t keep them shut out.”
“Oh,” Cassie said dully. And if Devon was here watching over her, then Chris would be bombarded with both of their emotions, even when Chris was at his own house. She glanced back at Devon, noting the stiff set of his jaw, and the arms now folded firmly over his chest. He didn’t look comfortable with the issue of his emotions being spoken about so freely. “Sorry.”
Chris grinned at her. “It’s quite alright, the giant plasma TV more than made up for not being able to stay at my own crappy house.”
Cassie blinked in surprise then glanced questioningly at Devon. “Not mine,” he said with a casual shrug. She quirked an eyebrow but refrained from saying anymore. “I have to go, but I’ll be back in a little bit.”
He bent to drop a quick, soft kiss on her cheek. Cassie’s hand lingered on his face, gently stroking over its much loved contours. She had a bad feeling about him leaving, her worry still lingered, but she did not want to seem like a needy, clingy girlfriend. Even if she desperately did need him. “Be safe.”
A soft grin teased the corners of his mouth. “Stay inside.”
“Oh you can count on that,” Melissa said softly, shivering slightly. “Damn weather.”
Devon kissed her again, squeezing her hand gently before leaving the room. Cassie turned back to the window, watching as he hurried to his car. He was huddled deep into his jacket, his hands shoved into his pockets against the cold. She instantly missed him; an ache bloomed in her chest. Shaking her head, she turned away from the window. She was being ridiculous; he would only be gone for a little while.
But they had spent too much time apart, and she had only recently gotten him back in her life. She wasn’t ready to be separated from him now, even if it was for a short period of time. Cassie rubbed the bridge of her nose as she stepped away from the counter, trying to ease the tension inside her. Chris tapped the stool beside him, gesturing for her to sit down.
“I’ll deal you in.”
“Sounds good,” she mumbled.
***
Devon pulled his car into Luther’s driveway and turned off the headlights. He sat for a moment, not ready to know what Luther had learned, if anything. Luther’s text had simply said that he needed to speak with him as soon as possible. That didn’t mean that Luther had learned something, he may simply want to speak with Devon when no one else was around. Luther didn’t know that Cassie was with him again. That she was doing better now.
And all of that might be about to change.
Sighing heavily, Devon shoved his car door open. It couldn’t be avoided; he had to know what had happened while Luther was gone. Trudging through the snow, he huddled into his coat, dreading every step he took. He was almost to the door when Luther opened it.
Luther’s normally neat hair was in disarray. The fine lines around his mouth and eyes were drawn tight and pinched. His glasses were already in hand. One look at him told Devon that he was not going to like what the man had to say.
It was not the cold of the night that was causing the chill in him now. “You learned something,” he said flatly.
Luther slid his glasses back on, nodding briskly. “I did. You had better come in.”
Devon braced himself, fighting back the dread that rolled through him. Stepping inside, he waited as Luther closed the door behind him, shutting out the storm beyond. Devon followed as Luther moved into the living room. Neither of them sat as Luther began to pace. “Is it what I feared?” Devon asked quietly.
Luther pulled his glasses off again, squeezing his nose with his fingers. “I think it may be worse,” he replied tightly.
Devon felt as if someone had socked him in the stomach. Terror filled him as his jaw clenched tight and his hands fisted at his sides. He was prepared to fight for Cassie, prepared to die for her, but he could not defend her from herself. And that was who he feared she would need the most protection from.
***
“What was that?”
Cassie lowered her cards, frowning as she strained to see or hear whatever it was that had caught Dani’s attention. The small girl was standing by the backdoor, the light on as she watched the swirling snow. “What was what?” Chris asked around his mouthful of chips.
“I thought I saw something.”
A shiver raced down Cassie’s back, foreboding crept into her stomach, knotting firmly. She glanced at Chris and Melissa, who were as frozen as she was. Dani took a small step back from the door, glancing fearfully at them. “I know I saw something,” she whispered.
The lights flickered out. Cassie jumped, nearly knocking her water over as she bumped the table. She righted it quickly as the lights flared back on and then flickered out again. Cassie rose swiftly, striding purposely to the back door. “Cassie,” Chris said warningly.
“I’m not going out there,” she replied sharply.
Dani stepped beside her, she pointed toward the thick copse of oak trees at the edge of the backyard, just beyond her old tire swing. Narrowing her eyes, Cassie focused all of her attention on that area. Then she saw it, a flash of moment to the right that snapped her head in that direction. Dani jumped in surprise, bumping into Cassie as she took a frightened step back. Chris and Melissa were already on their feet; their eyes were wide with worry and fear as they edged closer.
“Go,” Cassie urged Dani, pushing her away from the threshold, nudging her back toward the house.
She had a very bad feeling she already knew who was out there, and she didn’t want Dani anywhere near them. Glancing back, she froze, horror curdled through her stomach as ice crept through her veins. Her hand tightened on Dani’s shoulder, unintentionally holding her in place as her legs became blocks of cement. Isla had appeared in the backyard, her auburn hair was coated with flakes of falling snow. The low cut black dress she wore floated about her in the wind; the wet material clung to her curvaceous figure.
But it was not the haunting beauty of the woman, or her sudden appearance that made Cassie freeze instantly. No, it was the person by her side. The boys brunette hair stood out in sharp contrast to the snow as it tumbled around him in wet straggles. Snow was beginning to coat his hair, turning it a grayish brown color. Nausea curdled in Cassie’s stomach, a lump of terror lodged in her throat. Dani took a step closer to her, pressing against Cassie’s side.
Cassie didn’t know what to say, what to do. Chris and Melissa moved closer, huddling tight against them. Isla flashed a smile at them, flicking the snow off of her as she shook back her long dark hair. With a crooked finger she beckoned tauntingly for them to come outside. “What do we do?” Dani asked softly.
Isla bent swiftly; lifting the boy from the ground she forced him to his feet as she held the back of his shirt. Blood trickled down his neck, staining the thin shirt he wore. Melissa gasped sharply, while Dani
moaned. The boy was young, no more than twelve or thirteen. “We go out there,” Cassie said softly.
“Cassie…”
“We have to Melissa. We have to.”
Melissa sighed softly, nodding slowly. “I know that, but I think we need to prepare a little first.”
Cassie bit nervously on her bottom lip as she studied the swirling snow. Aside from Isla the scene was blessedly, deceivingly tranquil. The beauty of the snow was so out of place and wrong with the monster standing amidst it. It should be a fiery scene from hell out there, or at least thunder and lightning instead of the silent wonderland surrounding her.
But no matter how surreal it all was, Cassie knew that they had to go out there and face it. That she had to go out there and face it. “Get the supplies, meet me out there,” she said softly.
“Cassie.” Chris grabbed hold of her arm, halting her progress. “Melissa and I are coming with you. Dani, in the living room there’s a trunk…”
“I know where it is,” Dani interrupted her voice bordering on hysteria.
“Grab some supplies out of it and meet us outside, I have a feeling we’re going to need your ability the most.”
“Julian would have warned Isla about that,” Cassie said softly, fighting the urge to ring her hands nervously.
“Is Julian out there?” Melissa asked sharply, her eyes intent on Chris.
Chris’s gaze became distant, his body stiff. He was silent for a moment and then he shook his head. “I don’t feel him out there, but that doesn’t mean he isn’t. He was able to keep himself cloaked from me before. Unless he wants us to know he’s there, we won’t.”
Fear curdled through Cassie but she abruptly pushed it aside. There was no room for fear here, there never had been. There never would be. “Go Dani,” Melissa urged gently.
She turned to hurry away, but Cassie grabbed hold of her arm, and slipped her cell phone into Dani’s hand. “Call Devon,” she said softly, hoping that Isla could not hear her over the rising crescendo of the wind, and the door.
Dani stared fearfully up at her, her eyes watering with tears. She nodded abruptly and fled the room. “Come on,” Chris urged.
He reached forward and pulled the door open. Cassie winced slightly as the sharp sting of the icy wind hit her. The sneakers she slipped on did little to barricade her feet against the cold snow. It trickled down inside of them, freezing against her sockless skin. She wanted to hug herself against the cold, but she didn’t dare keep her hands occupied with anything at the moment. She would need them to defend herself soon enough.
Isla smiled at them as she released the young boy. He fell back into the snow, barely lifting his head before letting it drop again. Cassie took a step toward him, wanting to go to the boy, to save him, but Chris halted her. “Where’s your friend?” he inquired coldly, raising his voice to be heard across the distance.
Isla shrugged a dainty, bared shoulder. She had to be freezing, but she showed no signs of it. “I wanted this to just be the two of us; Julian graciously agreed to it.”
The two of us? Cassie’s gaze darted worriedly to Chris and Melissa, terror filled her. The two of us would not include them. She was certain of that. And they would not leave her, so what exactly could Isla have planned that would get rid of them?
***
“That was the most I could find on any of the other Hunter’s with Cassie’s ability, or lack thereof.”
Devon stared out the window as Luther finished speaking. His hands clenched and unclenched, his mind raced at a hundred miles an hour. He didn’t know what to think about what Luther had just told him. “But you found records of the one Hunter like Cassie dying in a strange manner? Of her acting differently than the others?” he asked softly.
“Yes, strange behavior was recorded about her before she died, or The Commission killed her.”
Devon turned sharply, anger boiled through him. “Killed her?” he demanded sharply.
Luther nodded as he rubbed at his temples. “Yes, The Commission would not want to admit that there was a mistake somewhere in the bloodline of The Hunters, and they wouldn’t want anyone else to know about that mistake. They would want to make sure they buried it, even if it meant destroying the only piece of evidence there was. The girl herself.”
Disgust curdled through Devon’s stomach at the thought of the cold hearted bastards that ran The Guardian’s and The Hunter’s. At one point The Commission had consisted of the twelve oldest Guardians, and they had dictated where every Hunter and Guardian would go. Devon had no idea how many of them were left, if any, after The Slaughter. After hearing Luther’s words, he hoped that they were all dead, because if they weren’t…
If they weren’t, they would come for Cassie.
Fury tore through him at the thought. He shook as he tried to control his rage, his hands fisted at his sides as he fought the urge to smash the walls. “They destroyed the girl,” he growled.
Luther’s eyes were broken, lost, as he met Devon’s gaze wearily. “I believe they did. It was only pure luck that I ran across a book with notes from that particular Hunter’s Guardian in it. He didn’t want her death covered up, he wanted what happened to her to be known, but unfortunately he didn’t have a choice.”
“The Commission made him cover it up?” Devon inquired.
Luther hesitated, his eyes darted nervously around the room. “I think they killed him.”
Devon’s eyes widened, his hands fisted even harder as his mouth dropped. “What?” he demanded sharply.
“The girls name was Gertrude, her Guardian Henry, died shortly after she was killed. Both of their deaths were recorded as means unknown. After Gertrude there were no more Hunter’s like Cassie. For over three hundred years, every Hunter has had some ability. Cassie is the first Hunter not to have one in a very long time.”
Devon blinked in surprise. The Guardian’s knew how every one of their kind had died, along with their Hunter’s. They kept meticulous notes about it, notes that Devon had tediously helped to sift through. Every one of the Hunters and Guardian’s had been painstakingly accounted for from the moment of their creation, to the moment of their demise. That this particular Hunter, and Guardian, had somehow slipped through the cracks was a giant red flag that something was wrong.
“I see. Does The Commission know you were looking for this information?”
Luther closed his eyes and dropped his head into his hands. “I don’t know. I tried to keep the search as quite as possible, but with everyone as scattered as they are, I did have to reach out to more people than I had wanted to. It was one of these people that helped me locate the book about Gertrude. It had been in his vast collection, buried in his basement, forgotten. I don’t think he even knew he had it when he allowed me access to his collected works.”
“But if he did?”
Luther shook his head, his grey eyes were lost; his hair was in even more wild disarray as he continued to tug anxiously at it. “I don’t consider him close enough to say that I trust him.”
If he still breathed, Devon knew that he would not be able to do so anymore. “Does The Commission still exist?” Devon growled, worry for Cassie’s safety gnawing at him.
Luther sighed heavily. “They are not as powerful as before, but yes, they still exist.” Luther paused for a moment, hesitant as to whether or not to continue. Then, he just plunged on. “Devon, I don’t think Gertrude is an isolated incident. I think The Commission may have killed off all of the others like Cassie, or at least they did after Gertrude.”
Devon froze as shock slammed through him. “What?” he asked softly, his voice choked.
“Before Gertrude there was at least one Hunter every few decades with no abilities. After, there were none. I think The Commission began to kill them off in order to limit the liability that these Hunter’s represented to them.”
Devon’s legs almost buckled, he had to lean against the door jam in order to keep himself upright. “Are you serious?” he croaked out.
Luther sighed softly as he pulled his glasses swiftly off. “I believe in what I do, Devon. I believe that I help in the world, that I am part of a good cause. But I know that The Commission was full of a bunch of very old fashioned, uppity individuals that would not allow any imperfection, and to them these Hunter’s were a liability. They would fear whatever happened to Gertrude, what could happen to Cassie…”
Luther broke off, his unspoken words hung heavily in the air. Devon knew what he had been unwilling to say though. If The Commission somehow did know what Luther had been digging for, and why he had been digging for it, then they might come for Cassie. They would not take any risks with the Hunter bloodline. They would want to cover up any proof that there might be faults within the line, and Cassie was that proof. He needed to get Cassie out of this damn town; there was far too much danger here for her. Unfortunately, it was something that she absolutely refused to do. Cursing violently, Devon spun and began to storm back the other way.
They might try to take her away from him if she stayed in this town, and if they knew where she was. They would not want a living reminder of the genetic abnormality in the Hunter line, and that was all they would see Cassie as. They would see her as dangerous, volatile, and unstable. And although the Hunter and Guardian line had been decimated, she would be considered a liability to them, and The Commission would not want that.
“Cassie is not an imperfection,” Devon growled.
Luther nodded as he slid his glasses on. “I know that,” he said softly. “But to them she would be, and it could not be allowed. If they thought that the other Hunters like her were a danger, or a threat to The Commission in any way, then they would have destroyed them.”
Devon stood in stunned silence for a moment longer, barely able to form a coherent thought. Fury boiled through his veins at the thought of those men sitting back, idly deciding who would live, and who would die. “So, The Slaughter may very well have saved her life,” Devon said softly.