He had been sadly mistaken. Though Devon only had eight years on Robert as a vampire, he was inherently stronger, faster, and far more cruel and vicious than Robert had ever fathomed. Robert had tracked Devon down in order to abuse him; he had not expected to be the one getting beaten. He had not expected to find his weak younger brother far stronger than he was.
And his hated for Devon grew even more after the encounter. He hated Devon for possessing a strength and confidence that Robert would never know.
And when Julian entered the picture, Robert became even more infuriated and volatile. There had been no stopping Julian and Devon together, there was no way that Robert could get to Devon. No way to destroy his younger brother like he had always wanted to do.
Until now.
And now, Robert knew that the one way to destroy his brother was to destroy Cassie, and he would do everything in his power to make sure that was done.
Cassie pulled away from Devon, gasping in a breath of air as the pulsation of memories pounding against her ceased. Gasping in air as she tried to breathe around the tight constriction in her chest. Tears burned her eyes, her heart ached for Devon. Ached for the innocent boy he had once been, for the man that boy had been turned into, for the monster the man had become, and for the man who lay beneath her now, terrified that he was going to lose her.
“Devon.”
He brushed the tears from her cheeks, wiped his blood from her mouth. “I won’t let him hurt you.”
“I know,” she whispered. “But why does he hate you so much? He’s your brother, he should have protected you. He should have helped to defend you. You were a helpless child.”
Devon was silent for a long moment, his eyes dark and distant. “Robert was always twisted, like my father. I didn’t see it as a child because I couldn’t see anything past my father, but Robert was always cruel too. It was a long time later that I thought back on those days with a different eye and suddenly realized the things I had missed. The servants were afraid of Robert. At the time I thought it was because he was going to be the future master, but now I know that it was more than that. He terrorized them. He hit them when they messed up, beat them if he saw fit, took the women whenever he wanted, as my father did. But I never saw the joy, the absolute ecstasy that he took in it, not until after.
“My mother was also afraid of him. She tried to protect me, to shelter me from them, but I recall times when she would tremble in their presence. Tremble in the presence of her own child. She wanted nothing more than to get me out of that house and as far from them as possible. Unfortunately, once I was free I ran wild with it. I should have taken more time for her, should have opened my eyes sooner to what was going on in that house, but I could see nothing past my own pain and terror. It was a long time before I finally did, and by then it was too late for my mother. She withered swiftly away once I was gone; I think her fear just ate at her until she finally died.”
Cassie choked back a sob as she shook her head. “That’s not your fault. You couldn’t have stopped it, you couldn’t have stayed there. If you had…”
“They would have killed me,” he said when she could not finish. Cassie recoiled from his words, hating the truth in them, hating that he’d had to suffer so badly. No child should have to go through what he had. No wonder he had wanted to keep the truth about his brother hidden from her, no wonder he had tried to keep her as shut out of his past as possible.
“I’m glad that you did, but you didn’t have to show me,” she managed to choke out.
He played idly with a strand of her hair, twirling it around his finger. “Yes, I did. You need to know Cassie, that no matter what they say, we cannot trust them. Especially Robert.”
She was silent for a moment, her fingers lightly stroking his solid, bare chest. “I know.”
“If they had truly come in peace, and for the reasons they say, they would not have brought Robert with them.”
The thought of Devon’s brother was enough to make her blood boil. She wanted to kill him herself, and if she got the chance she knew that she would. Just as Robert would do the same to her. “The change, what is it like?”
Devon’s hand stilled on her hair. “Cassie…”
“It has to be done Devon, whether they force it or we chose it, it must be done. I think I should be prepared for it.”
He was silent for a moment before nodding. “The pain is very intense, but hopefully I will be able to take some of yours onto myself by keeping hold of a piece of your mind.” Cassie shook her head in protest, not wanting him to do any such thing. “Yes Cassie that is going to happen no matter what you say. It doesn’t last long; the longest I’ve seen is an hour. Mine was only twenty minutes.”
Cassie nodded; she could handle the pain, no matter what she would not allow Devon to take it on for her. “Ok, that’s not bad.”
She managed a wan smile for him. Though she was looking forward to joining him completely, to being with him forever, she did not relish the thought of dying. He was thoughtful as he watched her. “I will make it as painless as possible for you.”
“I’ll be fine,” she replied.
He simply nodded, though she knew that he was not giving into her wishes. He kissed her softly, drawing her closer against him once more.
CHAPTER 19
Cassie sat silently, trying to peak out from behind Devon, but he stood firmly in front of her and had no intention of moving even a little bit. She bit back a sigh of impatience. The testosterone level in the room was running high, tension was pulsating, and she was greatly afraid that one of the strong, super powerful men in this room was going to snap.
And she was afraid that it was going to be Devon, as Robert had already managed to nearly send him into a rage the minute that he had walked into the room. He had taken one look at Cassie and his eyes had lit with maliciousness. “Well don’t you smell interesting. Looks like someone is a woman now, does that finally make you a man Devon?” he had inquired softly.
Cassie’s face had flooded with color; her body had burned with the heat of embarrassment that had flooded it. She had been unable to meet any of the startled gazes directed her way. Julian had grabbed hold of Devon, holding him back when he had been about to pounce on his brother. Cassie was certain that Devon would have killed Robert if he had gotten his hands on him.
Devon had held back from destroying Robert all these years because Robert was his brother, and to Devon that still meant something, but Cassie realized that it didn’t matter anymore. Not if it meant her safety, and her life. Nothing mattered more to him than that. Robert was now fair game, and it seemed Robert had finally realized that fact as he had remained silent ever since those first few comments.
“How do we draw them out?” Zane inquired softly.
“They’ll come to us,” Devon answered, thrusting his arm behind him when Cassie tried to move to get a better view. She frowned fiercely at his back, but he didn’t bother to look at her in order to get the full force of her displeasure.
“They’ll lay a trap if we allow them too.”
“Outside will be better,” Luther said. “In the open where we can see them coming, and where they will have less of a chance to divide us.”
Zane was silent, his gaze moved slowly toward the boarded windows, then around the store. “Yes, perhaps you are right. There is no room for movement in here. We draw them out into the open and with all of us…”
“They will not be a part of this. There is no need for them to be,” Devon interrupted.
Anger spurted through her as Chris, Melissa, Dani, and Luther spun on him. “You can’t leave us behind again!” Cassie interjected sharply. Devon turned slowly toward her, his emerald eyes blazing with intensity and anger. His jaw was clenched tight, his nostrils flared slightly. “Not after last time, and you will need us.”
“I’ll make sure that you are kept somewhere safer…”
“Like hell!” Chris interrupted Devon sharply.
“There
is no need to discuss this. They will be involved,” Zane said forcefully.
“Zane!” Devon hissed.
Zane shook his head, causing his golden hair to fall across his forehead. “I want to see what they can do, what they are capable of.” Zane’s honey eyes landed upon her, a spark of amusement filled them. “I especially want to know what your little sweetheart is capable of.”
Cassie glared at him as she folded her arms over her chest. Devon was trembling with anger, his hands fisted, and the corded muscles in his arms stood out sharply. “I do not want them involved in this!”
“It doesn’t matter what you want. We had an agreement, and this is going to be part of it. No matter what happens these creatures must be destroyed, and I will take all the help that we can get on this. Also, I need to know what she is capable of, how strong she is. She killed Isla; we have to know if she is capable of killing us too.”
Devon glanced sharply back at her, fear evident in his gaze. Cassie stared silently up at him, wide eyed and terrified. He had told her that they could not trust them, but she had still been holding out hope that everything would work out, until now. Julian bristled beside Devon, his ice eyes troubled and hooded as he glanced briefly back at her.
“That wasn’t part of the arrangement,” Julian replied coldly.
“It was an unspoken part,” Zane replied lightly. “And it is a part that will be carried out. Now, where should this battle take place?”
Cassie’s heart thumped loudly, she stared silently at Devon’s back as Zane and the other Elder’s hatched a plan. She was acutely aware of the fact that her side remained completely, and frightfully silent.
“It is settled then.”
Cassie’s head shot up, she peered around Devon’s back as Zane folded his hands before him, a pleased look on his face. Devon remained stiff before her, his back ramrod straight. His gaze was hard upon Robert, who was smiling softly back at him. Julian took a step closer to her, his shoulder brushing briefly against hers. She glanced fearfully up at him. She had thought that he would hate her, or at least not want to be near her after what had happened last night between her and Devon. Instead, he stood loyally beside her, his faith in her absolute.
When he glanced down at her, she saw in his gaze an understanding that left her breathless. Without thinking, she seized hold of his hand, enfolding it tightly in hers. She knew what he might see, knew that images of last night may very well be flooding him and tormenting him further. But she also wanted him to see how much she did care for him, how much she loved and appreciated him, and everything that he had done for her.
His hand tightened around hers. He gave her a brief nod, a small smile played across his mouth. How he understood, and still cared for her, was something that she didn’t understand, but she knew that he did, and that he would not abandon her, or Devon. She turned back to the others, still clinging to Julian.
The Elder’s gazes were fixed upon their joined hands, they were smirks of satisfaction. “This is far more entertaining than even I had imagined,” Robert purred. Anger and hatred boiled through Cassie. Devon glanced briefly back at them, but he showed no signs of a reaction as he spotted their entwined hands. “Maybe we should just allow them to kill each other over her.”
“Now now Robert, what fun would that be? Come along now, we have some disdainful creatures to hunt,” Anastasia said softly, her mouth curved into a cruel smile as she stared hatefully at Cassie.
The Elder’s chuckled softly, exchanging a small smile before they slipped outside to stand by the door. Cassie found herself able to breathe much easier as their disgusting presences were finally gone. Devon turned swiftly toward them, grasping hold of her shoulders. “You are to stay near me. For once in your life, do not do anything foolish. For once in your life, please listen to me Cassie. Please, for me, do this.”
She bit on her bottom lip, fighting back the tears that clogged her eyes and throat. “I will,” she vowed, knowing she would do anything to ease his worries.
Julian squeezed her hand tightly, releasing her to Devon. She stepped into Devon’s arms, burying herself against his chest, savoring in what may very well be their last moments together. She didn’t see Matthew until he was upon them, a tall shadow of a broken man, a wraith that had moved silently away from the others.
Cassie started in surprise as Devon swung her away from the creature, a hiss of fury escaping him as his fangs sprang instantly forth. But Matthew didn’t come at them; instead he seized hold of Julian’s arms. “My son, you should not covet another man’s mate. Though they have not sealed the bond, you know that it is wrong to do so.”
Julian’s eyes widened in surprise, he jerked away from Matthew, throwing up his arms to dislodge the man. Matthew stared silently at him, his hands folded before him; his light brown eyes distant. “I am sorry my son, but you must walk a different path then the one you have chosen.”
“Don’t touch me again you crazy freak,” Julian snarled, his eyes flashing a ruby color.
Matthew bowed his head, as he nodded briefly. “Julian,” Cassie whispered. She reached for Matthew, a man that had been beaten down and broken by the cruelty of his fellow vampires. Julian seized hold of her hand before she could grasp the wraith.
“Don’t touch him!” Julian barked. “You do not want to take the chance of him learning anything about you Cassie.”
Cassie recoiled as Matthew retreated toward the others. Zane’s eyes were narrowed upon him, his gaze intent and questioning, but he said nothing as Matthew rejoined them. Julian watched them go, his eyes troubled and distant. He did not turn back to them though as he moved stiffly toward the door.
“Devon…”
“I know,” he said softly.
They both watched Julian as he slipped out the door, the weary slump to his shoulders revealing the fact that something had just passed between him and Matthew. And whatever it was, Julian didn’t like it.
She glanced over as Chris, Melissa, Dani, and Luther moved to join them. Annabelle and Liam hung back, hugging each other tightly as they whispered softly to one another. “They’re going to turn on us,” Luther said softly.
Devon nodded, his hands tightened on Cassie’s back. “The first chance they get.”
Cassie shuddered, her eyes closed as she clung tighter to Devon, knowing that these may be the last moments she had with him. Her heart was breaking, terror filled her, but she shoved it all fiercely aside. If she started to break now then they would never survive this, and the most important thing right now was to make sure that the creatures in this town were destroyed before they could wreak havoc upon the earth.
“All of you need to be prepared to defend yourselves as soon as this is over. You also need to be prepared to run, to flee when this phase of the battle is over,” Devon told them.
Though Cassie didn’t protest, she had no intention of leaving him behind.
***
Devon kept Cassie behind him and Julian. He knew she bristled at it, knew that she wanted free of the two of them, but he was not about to let such a thing happen. He was going to make damn sure that she survived this night. Beside him he could feel Julian bristling, wanting to reveal what he had glimpsed from Matthew, but unable to do so.
Julian glanced back at Cassie, his eyebrows drawing tightly together as he studied her carefully. She met his gaze, her beautiful eyes troubled as she watched him. “It was about me, wasn’t it?” she breathed, her voice so soft that Devon barely caught her words.
Julian was silent for a moment before he turned away, his hands fisted at his sides in frustration. Cassie reached for Devon, clinging to his hands as she grasped hold of him. Small tremors of fear shook her delicate frame. His own terror matched hers; he needed to know what Julian had seen. He could not take the chance of losing her.
“Julian.” Julian remained still, unmoving. “Julian!”
“Shh,” he responded softly, his gaze flickering toward where the others were gathered not far away.
Frustration filled Devon, he wanted nothing more than to grab hold of Julian, drag him from here, and demand to know what he had learned. But he could not do so. It was obvious that Julian did not want The Elder’s to know about what he had learned. A shadow moved amongst the woods, drawing Devon’s attention sharply that way.
He was not fooled into thinking this would be an easy battle, even with The Elder’s on their side. He was not fooled into thinking that the remaining creatures would all come at once, or that they would not have a plan of their own. Though Devon was fairly certain that Zane’s only true plan was to attempt to lure the creatures out and slaughter them as best he could.
Devon turned suddenly. Dani issued a small cry of surprise as he pulled her roughly forward. Bending close to her, he pressed his lips to her ear. “There isn’t a Grounder amongst them, they might not know what you are, don’t use your power until they are the only ones left standing.”
Dani’s gold flecked eyes were wide as they darted fearfully toward the group of Elders. She nodded mutely. Devon released her abruptly, defiantly meeting Zane’s curious, amused gaze. The head Elder was far too smug for Devon’s liking. Another shadow drifted through the forest, moving rapidly amongst the trees as it hunted them.
He turned his attention to Cassie, who was watching the woods intently. “Remember your promise,” he reminded her.
Her attention remained riveted upon the forest as she nodded. They stood upon the street in front of the mercantile, away from the area that Robert had destroyed in his attempt to kill Cassie. They were out in the open, exposed to the stalkers in the forest. They carried no visible weapons, relying upon their strength and powers to help them get through this.
The first one burst from the woods, drawing their attention toward it as five others suddenly emerged behind it. They raced forward, oddly silent as they barreled down upon The Elder’s who were closest to them. Melissa spun suddenly, turning back toward the building as ten more of the monsters emerged from inside. Devon didn’t know how they had gotten into the building, but he was certain that they had always known how to do so.