***
Devon put his car into park, and studied the students gathered by what had become his parking spot. They were mostly female, but there were a few boys who had followed the girls. Devon ignored them as he threw the door open and climbed out. He found Cassie instantly among the crowd; her aura was like a homing beacon he couldn't ignore. She radiated a life force that lit her from the inside out, caused her fair skin to glow and her exquisite eyes to gleam in the morning sun.
The tightness constricting his chest since he'd left her, relaxed. In all of his many years, he'd never felt this way about someone before. He understood Annabelle's unwavering devotion better now, understood he never could have been what she'd desired. Understood what it was to need someone as badly as Annabelle had needed Liam and it terrified him.
"Devon, I'm so glad you're here! I wanted to talk to you about your nomination." Marcy's pretty face lit with an eager smile as she stepped in front of him. Though she was as annoying as a gnat, he managed to offer her a smile in return. "I think you're going to win, and since there's a good possibility I’ll be queen, I think we should coordinate our outfits, or maybe go together."
He wasn't at all surprised by her brazenness, or that she wouldn't accept his refusal of her. He'd come across more than a few women like her in his long lifetime. "I don't think so Marcy." He moved to walk around her, but she sidestepped quickly.
"Well why not?" She planted her hands on her hips as her delicate brow furrowed angrily.
"Because I will be taking Cassie to the dance."
"After what happened yesterday?"
His brows knit together as he frowned at her. "What happened yesterday?"
"With Mark Young," she reminded him impatiently. "It was awful. I can't believe she led him on so badly. I always liked Cassandra, but I never realized what an awful person she is. I mean…"
"Enough!" he cut in harshly as he looked toward Cassie. Though she was well out of hearing range, she was frowning and her forehead was creased. He turned his attention back to Marcy as he struggled to control his annoyance at the girl. "Yesterday was not her fault, and I don't want to hear one bad word you have to say about her. Ever!"
He quickly moved around her. Cassie watched him warily as he approached, her smile had vanished. "What was that about?" Melissa nodded toward where Marcy still stood with her mouth agape.
"Nothing."
The last thing he wanted was for Cassie to know anything Marcy had said. Though Melissa didn't look appeased, she didn't press him farther. There was a bruised look in Cassie's eyes as she gazed at him. He glanced back at where Marcy stood, about fifty feet away. A group of girls had gathered around to console her. He could hear what they were saying, and didn't like it, there was no way Cassie could hear them above the noise of the other students or the radios. No human could.
She must have assumed they were talking about her. That had to be it, he decided. Otherwise, if she could hear them, then that would make her something… Well, it would make her something other than human.
Devon studied her carefully, trying to decipher the mystery she suddenly offered. She was most certainly not a vampire, he would have known that instantly, and she wouldn't be here. Not in broad daylight, and not with a bunch of high school students. He was the exception to the rule, on both counts, for the most part. He also would have smelled it on her, would have sensed it in her blood.
No, she was definitely not one of his kind. But then, what was she? She couldn't be a Hunter, he'd heard they'd all been killed off, and he suspected he would have sensed that in her too. But if she'd heard his conversation…
The thought trailed off in the face of her distress. He pulled her close in an attempt to ease her sorrow. She had to be human, that was all she could be. He was making far more of it then he should.
Glancing around the car, he was surprised to realize it was only Chris and Melissa standing with her. Usually there was a crowd gathered around, mostly males, causing a raucous as they humiliated themselves while vying for her attention. Today, there was an exaggerated berth around them as glances and whispers were cast Cassie's way. Even with him over here, the girls didn't approach.
"I have become a pariah," she said as she gave him a wan smile.
He glanced back at the crowds gathered together; he tried hard, but was unable to ignore the whispers directed her way. Somehow, what happened in the cafeteria yesterday had been twisted, and turned against her. He didn't know how it had happened, he wasn't entirely sure how the minds of teenagers worked, but somehow they had cast her into the role of villain, and they were keeping her there. He thought it was partly due to jealousy on behalf of the girls, and resentment on behalf of the boys, but he also knew he played a large role in it.
Due to what he was, he was like a Venus flytrap enticing its prey, moments before snagging it and draining the life from it. Though he didn't kill anymore, the powerful lure was unable to be turned off. His inherent magnetism had pulled in a good amount of the female population in town and caused resentment toward Cassie to fester.
The boys didn't like that she'd rebuked them all, disdaining their advances over and over, and then accepting his. Their pride had been bruised, their ego's bashed, and they were not happy about it. Though many of them had never liked him, they'd also turned on her now. He didn't care what they thought of him, but she didn't deserve their disdain and spite.
He fought the urge to take her from here and shelter her from the inane cruelty of the foolish human race, but he knew he couldn't do that. His life wasn't tied up in these people, and this school, but hers was. She had to live out this part of her life, had to fulfill her dreams and her hopes, and her future.
"Ridiculous," Chris muttered.
Devon glanced over at Chris as he pulled Cassie a step closer to his side. Chris's eyes seemed far older than they had yesterday as he met Devon's gaze over the top of the car. He didn't know what had happened to Chris between yesterday and today to cause such a change, but it had to be something worse than what was going on with the student body surrounding them now.
Cassie shrugged, her fingers curled into his back. "It's alright. Let them believe what they will."
Melissa bent into the car to grab her backpack. "They're a bunch of jealous idiots Cass."
Cassie bit into her bottom lip as she managed a brief nod. "Well, I didn't aspire to be homecoming queen anyway."
"We know."
Cassie and Melissa exchanged a small smile before Cassie turned to look up at him, with a teasing gleam in her eyes. "I won't make you coordinate, but you probably will win king."
Devon started in surprise and his hands tightened around her. He glanced back to where Marcy still stood and tuned his ears in order to hear what they were saying. He had to sort through all of the background noise before pinpointing the exact conversation. It took him only a second to do this, but no human ever could.
She could not have heard that conversation, it was impossible; it was only a coincidence she'd mocked Marcy's statement.
"Marcy always did want it though," Melissa said.
"Yeah," Chris agreed.
"Now she has it. Good for her, she'll do better with it than I would." Cassie uncurled her hand from his waistband as the bell echoed throughout the parking lot. "Time for school."
He gathered her books from the roof of the car and tucked them under his arm as he led her into the large brick building. Students stopped to watch and whisper as they passed. Melissa's shoulders were thrown back proudly as her dark eyes raked over the worst offenders. Many of them shrank from her scathing glare.
Cassie kept her chin thrust forward in defiance. She stared straight ahead, not bothering to look at anyone else. If it weren't for her death grip on his hand, he would have thought none of this affected her at all. But her constricting hold, and the small tremor he felt, told him she was upset by the cold hostility of her classmates.
It took all he had not to destroy every one of them.