Kindred

  Sighing softly, Cassie closed her eyes. She rubbed her temple as confusion and angst tore through her. This was one more thing that she simply could not deal with at the moment. There was already too much on her plate to even attempt to put the pieces of this puzzle together right now.

  Pushing aside all questions and doubts, she focused upon her conversation with him once more. “I will,” she promised softly.

  He was silent for a moment more, and she could almost feel the tension radiating from him through the phone. “Good night Cassandra.”

  He purred her name, making her shiver in delight as she closed her eyes, savoring in the sound of his voice. “Goodnight Devon.”

  She reluctantly hung up, hating the loss of connection between them. Slipping her phone into her pocket, she turned slowly back to the others. She had no intention of telling them what she had just discovered about Devon. They had more than enough to deal with right now. Besides, she wasn’t one hundred percent certain that she was right, and she didn’t want to divulge something about him that he probably preferred to keep private. Maybe he wasn’t even sure that he had such a gift.

  “He’s fine.”

  “Good,” Chris said briskly. “Now, do you think we should tell your grandma and my mother about this?”

  Cassie sighed heavily as she was drug back into the harsh reality of her world.

  CHAPTER 14

  Devon stepped around the back of the tree, folding his arms over his chest as he watched Cassie disappear safely inside. He breathed a sigh of relief as the door closed behind her, the click of the lock reached him even at his distance of two hundred feet. Crossing his legs, he leaned against the tree, prepared to stay there for the entire night.

  He was not going to leave her unprotected until he knew who it was that had been in the woods tonight. He knew what it was, as he had recognized one of his kind immediately. He also knew that they were angry, hungry, powerful, and power thirsty. It wanted blood, and Devon had felt its fierce interest in Cassie. He had also felt the intense desire the creature directed at her. For that reason, he was more inclined to believe that it was a male.

  Anger bristled through him as he shifted slightly. He did not want anyone else looking at her, or wanting her in such a way. Let alone someone that wanted to hurt her. As soon as he found who was out there, he was going to destroy them. They could not be allowed to run free, not in this town, and not with Cassie present. They would go for her, and he could not have that. No one was going to touch her, no one was going to hurt her, and absolutely no one was going to taste her blood, or turn her.

  She was his, she belonged to him, and as long as he was alive he would keep her safe from any harm. Including himself.

  Hunger sparked in his veins, burning through him. His canines pricked, feeling heavier and sharper as his thoughts turned briefly to feeding. He’d had no time to hunt tonight, not food anyway, as he had been too busy trying to find the creature that was stalking the town. Now, with thoughts of Cassie on his mind, the hunger sparked to life with a vengeance. He ran his tongue over his teeth, surprised to find that they had lengthened on their own. He usually had control over such a thing, unless he had gone to long between feedings and was extremely hungry, or primed for the kill. He was neither of those things now. It was simply thoughts of her that excited him so.

  Heaving a large sigh, he ran his hand absently through his hair. It was going to be a long night, as he had no intention of leaving in order to satiate his hunger. The light in her room flicked on. He waited, anticipation clutching at him as she moved in front of the window, her lithe body was outlined by the curtains. She peered out for a moment, her gaze scanning the woods. Though he knew that she could not see him, he slid into the shadows, hiding behind the large oak once more.

  When he came back around, she had disappeared from view. He leaned against the tree, trying not to think about the fact that this was what he was doing at the moment. In all his seven hundred and fifty two years, he had never thought that he would be standing outside of a girl’s room, watching her, keeping her safe. Humans were only good to feed off of, to hunt, to stalk, and he hadn’t done that in over a hundred years so he had simply taken to avoiding temptation.

  His gaze drifted back to the window. She was no longer in sight, but the knowledge that she was there soothed the aching loneliness in him. She was all that he needed to get through the endless days and nights of his solitary existence.

  His thoughts turned to Luther. It was the first time he had seen the strange man that Cassie had spoken of in her dream. Confusion twisted through him as he recalled the strange, thin man, standing in the shadows of the restaurant. Why did Luther have such a pull over her, such an effect on her, on all of them?

  Devon’s hands clenched on his arms as he recalled the confusion and slight fear that had eclipsed her in their dream, recalled the hesitance that had filled her when she had spoken of Melissa’s father. And tonight, the minute the man had appeared they had all swiftly disappeared to follow him back to his house. A house they all spent a fair amount of time at, a strange amount of time at.

  What the hell was going on with them?

  He dropped his head into his hand, he rubbed the bridge of his nose as he thought over all of the strange things that seemed to circle around the three, no four, of them. A strange niggling began to take hold of him. It was all oddly familiar, and yet strangely unfamiliar. Frustration filled him; he was so close to putting a finger on it, yet the answer continued to elude him.

  He lifted his head, frowning as the light in her room went out, though the flicker of the TV could still be seen. Glancing over at Chris’s house, he was surprised to find that he appeared to have no intention of leaving for the night. After a few minutes the light in his room also went out. Devon waited, leaning against the tree, but Chris did not emerge.

  Devon shoved aside all of his doubts and questions as a fierce desire claimed possession of him. He slid from the shadows, moving swiftly across her open yard. Not fully understanding what drove him, he grasped hold of the tree he had watched Chris climb before. He made his way quickly up the branches, climbing with the agility and grace that only one of his kind could possess. He paused outside her window, not sure what he had been thinking, not sure what to do. He just knew that he wanted to see her again. He had to see her again.

  There was something out there that wanted her with a ferocious hunger. Something that wanted to take her away from him, and he could not have that. That knowledge spurred him into action; he couldn’t be separated from her for a moment longer. Not pausing to think about it, he reached out and rapped lightly on the window.

  His breath caught when she appeared before him, a beautiful angel silhouetted against the dark night. Her golden hair tumbled around her shoulders in thick waves that framed her exquisite face. The long blue t-shirt she wore fell to mid thigh, baring her creamy skin. His baser instincts leapt to life, his mouth watered as his hands clenched the tree branch. This was quite possibly the biggest mistake he had ever made, but he couldn’t bring himself to care. Not when he got to look at her like this.

  Her stunning eyes widened when she caught sight of him, her rosebud mouth parted slightly as she stared in astonished silence. Then, she was moving swiftly, unlocking the window, sliding it up as she leaned toward him. Her sweet scent of strawberries and spices assailed him, the beat of her heart pounded in his ears, instantly arousing the hunger that was ever present whenever she was near.

  “Devon,” she breathed, her husky voice causing a small shiver to run down his spine.

  Her eyes raked over him, the desire radiating from her caused his own to intensify tenfold. He had felt her want for him before, but it was stronger tonight, deeper and more urgent. He didn’t know where it had come from, what had caused it, but he wasn’t sure he could resist it. His hand tightened around the branch, he had to stop himself from tearing it from the tree as he fought the fierce urge to seize hold of her and ease the burn
ing hunger raging through him.

  This had been a mistake; he never should have come here, not as tumultuous and unsettled as he was. He could hurt her; he would hurt her if he lost control. Though he knew that he should go, he did not move. He couldn’t leave her.

  She took a small step back, turning slightly to allow him access to her room. He hesitated, knowing that if he went through that window there would be no turning back. If he entered that room, he knew he would never be able to separate from her again. And he did not care. He did not care about anything but holding her, feeling her, being with her.

  Hunger and need burned through him, but he could control it. He would control it. He could deny himself anything to be near her, to be with her, to keep her safe.

  He moved swiftly through the window, rising slowly to his full height before her. She gazed up at him with wide eyes that gleamed in the glow of the television. The light played over her perfect features, robbing him of all reason as he simply gazed at her, unable to move. He sensed a strange vulnerability about her tonight, a wealth of sadness and fear that he had never seen before. He did not know what had happened with Luther, but it was obvious that it had troubled her greatly.

  “What are you doing here?” she asked, slightly breathless.

  He didn’t know what he was doing here; he just knew that this was where he was supposed to be. Where he was always supposed to be. “I had to see you,” he said honestly.

  Her eyes widened even more, tears filled their bright depths. Those tears broke his paralysis. Reaching out, he wrapped his hand gently around the back of her head. The feel of her instantly soothed the raging beast, instantly calmed the fierce urges clamoring loudly inside him. He pulled her against him, relief filling him as her body melded against his, fitting perfectly, completing him.

  Though no air came out, he breathed a sigh of relief, his fingers stroked through her silken hair as he caressed the back of her head. He had to remember to be careful around her, remember to pretend to breathe, and to keep her away from his nonexistent heartbeat. He had to remember to be gentle, to keep his strength restrained so as not to hurt her. But he found it difficult to concentrate on such things whenever he was around her.

  “Cassie,” he murmured, dropping his head into her hair, nuzzling her softly.

  A fiery ache for her spread through his whole body. His grip on her tightened, his body hardened as he held her. Her arms wrapped around him, clinging to him as her fingers dug into his back. He did not know how long he held her, simply taking pleasure in the feel of her. The rightness of her body against his robbed him of all sense and reason. Time had no meaning in heaven, and he knew that this was as close to heaven as he was ever going to get. This was the only bit of heaven he would ever know in his world of death and destruction.

  The flow of light from the moon drew his attention to the fact that it was getting late. He did not want to leave her, but he could not keep her up all night. She needed her rest, needed her sleep. She was far more fragile than he. She was a breakable, mortal human. The thought seized hold of him, sending a fierce bolt of bloodlust surging through him.

  His fangs sprang free. Shaking, unnerved, he struggled to keep hold of himself. He fought fiercely to keep the demon inside, though it was bursting to get free of its cage. It was bursting to sink its teeth into her, bursting to drain the sweet, pure blood that pounded deliciously through her veins. It clamored to deplete her, and change her, and make her his forever. It clamored to make her immortal, and strong, and safe from the world of imminent death she resided in.

  A tremor wracked through him, his grip tightened upon her. “Devon,” she said softly.

  He realized that his hold upon her had become painful. She did not strain against him though, did not complain. He fought to regain control, fought not to think about the appealing blood he could hear pumping through her veins. He knew she would be wonderful, a powerful rush unlike any he’d ever known. Then he would turn her, make her his forever, and keep her safe from the ultimate finality of her fragile life.

  The temptation was so fierce, so overwhelming that he dropped his head to the side of her neck. He caught the scent of her blood, fierce and strong. The enchanting smell assailed him, causing uproar inside of him. The bloodlust shook him, the beast screamed to be soothed by her, appeased by her. His lips pulled back. His teeth were painful with their need to be sated, throbbing with their desire to pierce her. They were heavy and sharp and aching to bite down, aching to sink deep into her tender flesh and feast upon her.

  “Devon?”

  A tremor tore through him again, shaking him. He could not be denied, he would not be denied. And then she caressed him. Her delicate fingers stroked over his back, soothing the beast inside of him. He shuddered, burying his head in the side of her neck as he struggled fiercely to regain control of himself. Reason began to return as her gentle touch lulled him, slowly returning the monster to its cage.

  What had he been thinking? He had been about to condemn her to his world. A world of darkness and brutality. He had been about to take the light from her. Had been about to rob her of her purity and goodness, of her innocence, and he had been about to do it against her will. He had to get away from her, stay away from her. She rocked his self restraint, his control, and in his world those were two things that he desperately needed to keep under wraps, or he would kill someone.

  Shuddering, he caressed her hair once more. He would watch over her until the threat was gone, but he could not be near her anymore, could not hold her again. The thought tore through him with a burning rage that seared the inside of him, and left ashes in its wake. Agony blazed hotly in him, he felt the loss acutely, even though he still held her against him.

  She tilted her head up, her bright eyes gleaming in the light. Her beautiful face broke his heart, shaking him completely, leaving him rattled and lost to her forever. In that moment he knew he could leave her, that he could go to the opposite side of the world, but she would be with him for eternity. She would remain burned into his heart, his thoughts, and every fiber of his being. He would never be without her, never be free of her; never escape her.

  And he didn’t want to be. Even if he could not be beside her, he wanted to carry her with him everywhere he went, no matter how far.

  “I should go.” His voice was tight, but he had regained most of his control.

  She simply stared at him, the longing in her eyes almost more than he could stand. “Don’t.”

  He blinked in surprise, not sure what to say, or do. Her long lashes lowered over her eyes, heat flared through her creamy cheeks. A soft groan issued from him. Her eyes came back to his, hesitant and shy. Her sweet simplicity was heart wrenching. She was far too good for him, and everything that he was. He was a monster and a killer, and she was an angel.

  When he did not speak, her face flushed even redder, fire climbed high into her cheekbones. “I uh… I didn’t mean…”

  Her voice trailed off, she ducked her face, hiding it from him. Brushing back her silken hair, he cupped her face gently, feeling the heat of her skin against his palms. Her eyes flitted up to his. “I know,” he said gently, hoping to ease some of her embarrassment. “I know what you meant.”

  He traced his thumb gently over her lip, relishing in the soft fullness of it. He could stay with her, lie beside her, and keep her safe as he held her through the night. He could control himself for that. He could give himself this, and then he would leave tomorrow. Even as he thought it, he knew he lied.

  He was not leaving her. It would never happen. His feelings for her were to strong, to powerful, and he was acutely aware of the fact that he knew what that meant. That he knew what she was to him now, what she would always be, and how this would all end. He just did not want to think about it. Not now, because the ending was something that he didn’t want for her. The ending was something that she would not want for herself, and he hated the fact that he may end up forcing his life upon her.

  Now,
he simply needed to hold her and protect her and keep her safe. Even if he may end up being the most dangerous thing to her.

  He would just have to learn to control himself around her, and he would have to make sure that he was well sated whenever she was near. But he could not leave her; he did not think he could survive if he was unable to touch her, to know that she was safe, and that she was with him. To lose her would destroy him. On some primitive level, he knew that he could not survive without her.

  “Beautiful,” he whispered. Her lashes swept the delicate curve of her cheek as she ducked her face once more. He gently nudged her chin up again. When her eyes met his, he bent slowly, wanting to give her time to deny him. Wanting to give her time to come to her senses and flee while she still could.

  She didn’t move, didn’t even breathe as he bent slowly over her. His lips brushed over hers in a butterfly caress that nearly shattered him as the glorious feel of her suffused him. The touch of her lips healed every broken bit of him. It soothed the loneliness of his life, made him forget the hunger and ruin of his existence. Though she did not make right the many deaths that stained his soul, she greatly eased the pain that resided permanently inside him.

  He deepened the kiss, needing more of her. Light and warmth suffused him. Whiteness embraced his essence, pushing out the black as his hands tightened in her hair. He was trying to go slow, trying not to scare her, but he wanted more. He wanted all of her.

  The fiery hunger tore through him once more. Pulling away, he struggled to regain control as he met her wide, stunned eyes. Slowly, she lifted her fingers to her mouth, gently touching them to her lips in awe. “Are you ok?” he asked worriedly, frightened that he had gone to fast and scared her.

  She smiled tremulously. “Yes.”

  He clutched her tightly to him again, needing her warmth and strength as he struggled to maintain restraint. “It’s late, you should lie down,” he ground out. She gave a small nod, but did not look at him again. “Come on.”