CHAPTER 15
Cassie was still groggy from the deep, dreamless sleep that had claimed her as she gradually woke the next morning. Memories of the night assailed her when she realized Devon was still beside her, his arm draped over her waist, and his body melded against her back. Her toes curled against his jeans as she took pleasure in the feel of his body pressed so close to hers.
His kiss had been everything she'd known it would be. It had filled her entire being, warming and melting places she'd thought frozen and dead. He was everything she needed, and she would willingly die to keep him safe from the evil within their town. His hand clenched upon her waist as she nestled closer to him. "Don't move."
The words were groaned through his teeth against her ear. She held her breath as he became rigid against her. She didn't know what was wrong with him, but it had almost sounded as if he were in pain. He moved so suddenly, and quickly, she didn't have time to blink before he'd rolled away from her, and was on his feet.
Cassie pulled the blankets against her chest as she sat up. He was standing by the window, his gaze focused on the rising sun. His hands were clenched at his sides, the muscles of his forearms bulged with the tension coursing through him.
"Are you ok?" she asked.
He turned his head toward her; his emerald eyes were dark in the early morning light. His hair was tussled from sleep, giving him a boyish appeal that melted her heart. "Fine."
Some of the stress seemed to be easing out of him as he offered her a small smile. Music suddenly blasted into the room, Cassie jumped in surprise, and her heart leapt in her chest. It took her a few seconds to pinpoint the source of the racket. Turning over, she hit the off button on her alarm clock. Dismay filled her as she realized the world was intruding upon the blissful peace she'd found in his arms throughout the night.
"I have to go." She turned back to him. His stance wasn't as rigid and his hands had unclenched at his sides. "I'll see you at school."
She nodded, not knowing what to say. He took a deep breath, seeming to brace himself before striding back over to her. Bending down, he dropped a tender kiss upon the tip of her nose that caused her to smile. The corded muscles of his arm flexed beneath her hand. She marveled at the feel of his skin and the dark hair sprinkled over it. She could have stayed in bed, touching and feeling him all day.
He hesitated for a moment, and then pulled quickly away. Slipping his sneakers back on, he moved with startling grace and speed to the window. Casting a quick glance over his shoulder, he smiled at her before disappearing outside. Cassie gaped for a moment before tossing her blankets aside and springing to her feet. She hurried to the window, surprised to find he’d already disappeared from view.
Frowning, Cassie became aware she hadn't heard his car start. Had he walked over here last night? The sudden realization hit her that she didn't even know where he lived. It was more than a little disturbing. She was falling helplessly in love with him, seemingly bound to him in a way she'd never wanted to be bound to anyone, and had never thought possible. Yet, she knew nothing about him. Leaning her head against the window, Cassie took a deep breath in order to try and calm the disquieting thoughts racing through her.
Sliding the window shut, she threw the lock and hurried to the bathroom to get ready for the day. She tried not to dwell on her upsetting realization about Devon as she went through her morning ritual. But try as she might, she couldn't keep the endless questions from running through her mind.
Hurrying downstairs, she braced herself for the conversation she was going to have to have now. Her grandmother was already at the stove, humming as she danced around the kitchen to Toby Keith singing about America. Her strawberry blonde hair had been pulled into a ponytail that bounced against her shoulders. She was a small woman, barely five feet, but she was slender with an athletic, fluid grace Cassie associated with a ballet dancer.
She turned to Cassie, her beautiful face lit up as her sky blue eyes landed on her. The lines around her eyes crinkled merrily as she slid a bowl of oatmeal to Cassie. "Brown sugar and cream, the way you like it."
"Thanks Grandma." Cassie took the bowl, but couldn't bring herself to start eating. This was a conversation she was certain would turn into a battle, but it was inevitable. Her grandmother returned to her humming as Montgomery Gentry came over the radio. "Grandma, we have to talk."
The merry smile slipped from her face as she turned back to Cassie. Her eyebrows drew together over the bridge of her delicate nose. Her eyes darkened, going from sky blue to deep brown in an instant. Cassie wasn't unnerved by the sudden change. Though some people thought it was a genetic flaw, it was actually what happened when her grandmother began to commune with her spirit friends.
Cassie plopped onto the stool. Sometimes her grandma would talk to the spirits for extended periods of time, regardless if others were present or not. The three spirits who visited her grandma had become her grandma's friends over the years, but she hadn't known them in life. Sometimes through her three "friends", her grandma was able to communicate with other people's loved ones, but never her own.
Cassie found it a cruel twist of fate for her grandmother to have her husband, and her daughter ripped away from her, but never be able to speak with them again using her special gift. Grandma didn’t agree with Cassie's opinion on that particular matter. She'd once told Cassie it would have been far more painful for her if she'd been able to speak with her loved ones after they'd passed on.
"Something evil has come to town," she said.
Cassie dropped her spoon as she focused on her grandma's once more blue eyes. This time however there was no humor in them, but rather a grave sadness. Though she spoke often with her "friends" they were never able to tell her anything specific that might impact the course of her or Cassie's fate. Telling her grandmother something had come to town was their roundabout way of trying to warn her of the very real danger now lurking nearby.
"Yes." Cassie slid off her stool and rested her hand on the countertop. "Luther believes there's an Elder here."
Terror flashed across her grandmother's delicate features. She took a small step forward before leaning back against the counter. Cassie grabbed for her, afraid she was going to collapse. Then, she straightened her delicate shoulders and stepped away from the counter. "Does it know you’re here?"
"We don't know anything for certain, but it looks that way," Cassie answered honestly.
"You cannot stay here. You must leave. All three of you have to get somewhere safe."
Cassie had been dreading this, but she hadn't changed her mind. After last night, she was more convinced than ever she couldn't run. She wouldn't leave the town unprotected, and she could never leave Devon to fend for himself. Taking a deep breath, Cassie braced herself for battle.
"No Grandma, we aren't going anywhere."
Her grandmother's mouth dropped open. "What do you mean you aren't going anywhere?" she demanded.
"We can't abandon this town, we can't leave everyone to face this thing alone and unprotected. The Hunter's exist to protect innocent people; it's what we were created for. We can't run because this may be a difficult time."
"May be difficult? May be difficult?" Cassie winced at the raw panic in her grandmother's voice. "Cassie, if this thing finds you, if it figures out what you are, it will kill you!"
"Grandma…"
"Don't you Grandma me. You get up those stairs and get your bags packed, now! I have lost my husband, my daughter, and my son-in-law to these monsters! I will not lose my granddaughter!"
Cassie's heart ached for her and the losses she'd experienced, but she couldn't back down. "You wouldn't leave if it were you Grandma. Think of all of the innocent people who will lose their lives if we do."
Her grandmother's eyes flashed brown for a brief moment before she focused her full attention on Cassie again. "I left with you. I left innocents behind then."
A knife twisted in Cassie's chest. She couldn't argue with that. She had given up everything for C
assie, and now, when her grandmother desperately wanted her to, Cassie wouldn't return the favor.
"I'm only telling you about this so you're aware of the danger, and you can stay safe."
"Cassandra…"
Before she could finish the sentence, Cassie stepped forward and embraced her. Tears slid down her face as she clung to her grandmother's slender frame. "I'm sorry Grandma, you know I would do anything for you, but I can't do this. You know this is the right thing to do; you know we can't just leave them. I know you're scared for me, I'm scared for myself, but we have to stay."
Her grandmother shuddered as her head dropped to Cassie's shoulder. "You will be more aware out there."
"Always," Cassie vowed.
Her grandmother squeezed her then pulled away. Her vivid eyes shimmered with tears as she met Cassie's gaze again. "My brave girl, just like your mom."
A cold chill slid down her spine. She'd been told she was just like her mother her entire life. She looked like her mother, she moved like her mother, and she acted like her mother. The only difference was Cassie wasn't gifted and her mother had possessed the powerful ability to move objects with her mind. She didn't mind the comparisons, but she didn't want to die young like her mother had.
Yet her life seemed to be traveling the same path. Only she would be seven years younger than her mother's twenty-four years when she died.
Cassie fought the bone wracking shudder tearing though her, she desperately craved those seven years. They may not seem like much, but they would be precious, and she had a bad feeling she was going to be cheated of them. "There are times I wish Luther had never found you."
Cassie tried to push aside the cold dread firmly embedded in her belly. "There are times I wish that too," she admitted.
Chris's mother, and her grandmother, had decided to keep the truth hidden from them and raise them as normally as possible. Until Luther arrived, Chris's power had been passed off as a psychic ability some normal people may have possessed. At the time, Cassie's grandmother believed they were the last of The Hunter line, and no one would come looking for them.
She'd been wrong.
"You will be safe, right?" Cassie asked worriedly.
Her grandmother smiled, but it didn't reach her eyes. "Don't fret about me dear, don't you ever fret about me. You don't get to be my ripe old age without knowing how to take care of yourself."
Cassie nodded, but she wasn't completely convinced. She knew her grandmother; she wasn't one to sit idly by, especially if she thought she would be keeping Cassie safe. She could only hope she didn't do something crazy.
"Eat your breakfast dear, Chris is on his way over."
Cassie glanced back at her bowl of oatmeal, but she had no appetite anymore. "I'll see you tonight Grandma, I love you."
She dropped a quick kiss on her cheek as she grabbed hold of her bag and slung it over her shoulder. "Love you too dear. Have a good day."
Cassie glanced back at her, but she was still staring out the window with a distant look on her pretty features. A chill of apprehension slid down Cassie's spine.