Inferno (Book 4 The Kindred Series) (2 page)

“Look!” Melissa leaned eagerly forward,
thrusting a finger at the woods. “There! I know I saw something.
There!”

Devon strained to see through the woods
on his left, and then he saw it. The headlights highlighted a flash
of red eyes as one of the Halflings darted into some thick
underbrush. He watched as it scurried out of sight once more. It
was coming at the car in a zigzagging pattern that helped to keep
it hidden behind the trees. “It’s coming for us,” Annabelle said
softly, a small hitch in her voice.

“Yes,” Devon agreed in a low growl, his
hands twisted on the wheel as he fought the urge to go after the
Halfling. He was spoiling for a fight, spoiling to get rid of some
of the rage and confusion boiling through him. But there was no
time for it right now. Not when they were this close to finally
getting some answers.

He reached down to shift back into
drive when a flurry of motion about a hundred feet up, and to the
right, caught his attention. He turned toward it as three figures
burst out of the woods. They stumbled up an embankment before
staggering onto the road. Devon’s mouth dropped, his chest
constricted painfully as they turned toward the vehicle.

The lights played over them,
highlighting their figures against the dark night. Cassie’s golden
hair shimmered in the bright glow; it glimmered as brightly and
beautifully as the sun. It was the balm that he had needed, the
wonder he had been searching for, the sight of her instantly calmed
the furious monster raging inside of him. It brought back to him
the warmth and joy that he had been missing for the past couple of
weeks.

Though she was dirty, and bedraggled,
her delicate features were the most amazingly wonderful thing he
had ever seen. The scrubs she wore were torn, bloodied, and wet
from the snow covered branches of the forest. Her bare feet were
bloodied and raw looking.

She stared at them for a moment longer,
her red eyes bright in the pallor of her face. It was those red
eyes that terrified him most, that left him stunned and horrified.
Had he lost her? Was she gone? Was she one of the things that had
devastated this town? And just what was she doing with Julian and
Dani? Her mouth parted in surprise, her eyes widened in horror as
she stared at the vehicle for a long moment.

Julian was the first to react as he
began to pull her rapidly toward the other side of the road.
Devon’s eyes latched onto their hands, tightly entwined as Cassie
scurried after Julian, Dani close behind. It was the sight of those
hands that drove him into action. He would not lose her like this,
he would not lose her to Julian, and he sure as hell was not going
to let her disappear again.

He couldn’t survive if he lost her
again.

Throwing the door of the SUV open he
plunged into the cold. “Cassie!” he bellowed as they slipped down
the hillside of the road and back into the woods.

Cassie froze instantly, stumbling
slightly as Julian briefly pulled her onward. Her head whipped
toward him, her hair billowed around her as the wind caught hold of
it. Her eyes met his, widening even more as tears bloomed instantly
within the bright ruby depths. Even from their distance, and above
the howl of the wind, he heard her gasp his name.

“
Devon!” she tugged her hand
free of Julian’s. Using her hands, she pulled herself back up the
embankment, scrambling through the shifting rocks that skittered
under her feet. “Devon!”

He remained frozen as she reached the
road, still too stunned by her sudden arrival, and her reaction to
him, to move. Her reddened eyes suggested that she was something
different, someone else, but her reaction to him was what he would
have expected from his Cassie. The one that had loved him
wholeheartedly, the one that never would have been holding hands
with Julian. Her voice rang with pure joy, her face lit with the
radiance of love as she reached the road.

He didn’t know what was going on, and
at that moment, he didn’t care. Releasing the car door, he raced
toward her, needing to hold her, needing to feel her, and touch her
once more. “Cassie look out!”

It was Julian’s shout that alerted him
to the danger he had forgotten about in his shock at seeing her, in
his rush to hold her. The blur moved swiftly from the woods,
emerging just feet from her as it raced across the road toward her.
It was hunched over, using its hands and feet like an ape as it
bolted across the asphalt.

Cassie’s eyes widened, her mouth
dropped as it barreled toward her. “Cassie!” Devon shouted, terror
tearing through him. The thing was closer to her than he was,
closer than Julian, who had raced out of the woods after her. Devon
was amazed, and startled, by the strange certainty that Julian
would protect her from that thing, that Julian would not hurt
her.

Cassie darted to the side as the thing
launched at her, its clawed hands outstretched with deadly intent.
Twisting slightly, she seized the creature by the collar of the
tattered shirt it still wore, though the thing was clearly nothing
even closely resembling human anymore. She moved swiftly, spinning
to the side as she flung it away from her. Devon blinked in
surprise, startled by the strength and speed she displayed. But his
surprise didn’t slow him down as the creature rebounded to its
feet. It screamed in fury and hunger as it raced back at her,
causing Cassie’s eyes to widen slightly in fear. She was braced for
the attack, ready to face it head on, but Devon raced past her,
seizing hold of the creature before it got to her.

His hand tightened around its throat as
he slammed it onto the roadway, smashing its head off the asphalt.
It howled loudly, squirming beneath Devon’s tight hold, its fingers
clawing at his hand as Devon squeezed down. Disgust curved his
upper lip as he crushed the creature’s windpipe with a sickening
pop.

The squeals and grunts were silenced,
but the monster continued to claw and squirm beneath him. He
glanced up at Cassie, horrified to find her watching as he slowly
decapitated the pathetic thing. Julian arrived at her side, his
eyes narrowed as they met Devon’s. He grasped hold of Cassie’s
shoulders, spinning her swiftly away.

“Julian don’t!” she protested
instantly, trying to wiggle her way out of his grasp. Julian held
her firm though, refusing to let her turn back around, a fact that
Devon was infinitely grateful for. She didn’t need to see this.
“Let me go!”

Julian’s gaze remained focused on
Devon, insolent and cold as he continued to hold her. Fresh rage
tore through Devon as he took note of Julian’s hands resting so
comfortably, possessively, upon her. With a growl of fury, he
twisted the creature’s head to the side, yanking it sharply back.
Its head gave way with a sickening crunch and horrendous tearing
sound.

Devon tossed the head aside as he leapt
to his feet, no longer caring about the Halfling, only caring about
Cassie. Julian stared defiantly back at him for a moment, his chin
tilted proudly, a sneer curving his upper lip. Fury flared through
Devon as he took a step toward them, prepared to kill Julian if it
came down to it. Julian glanced at Cassie, his eyes warming
slightly as he squeezed her shoulder gently, his hand lingered
briefly upon her shoulder before falling reluctantly away. Devon
hesitated for a moment unsure what was going on between them, what
had happened to them both, and why they were together. Unsure how
to take this strange turn of events.

Then, Cassie turned slowly toward him.
She stared silently up at him, her eyes wide and searching, as
tears simmered in her ruby colored eyes. Her lower lip trembled
slightly as she reached shakily toward him, seemingly afraid that
he might disappear. He knew exactly how she felt; this was far too
dreamlike and wonderful to be real. Far too unexpected after the
weeks of uncertainty and terror. He was afraid that if he did touch
her, she would disappear and all of this would prove to be some
sort of torturous dream. He didn’t think he could take that if it
happened.

Yet, he couldn’t stop himself; he
needed to touch her, needed to feel her again. He had to know if
this was real. Had to know if she was real. Unable to take one more
second of their separation, he seized hold of her shaking fingers.
Relief and awe pooled through him, the tight knot in his chest
eased as his hand clenched upon hers, savoring in the silken, solid
feel of her skin. Her fingers clenched tight upon him, her nails
dug into his skin, but he didn’t care. He didn’t care about
anything now that he had found her again, now that he was touching
her again. A small sob escaped her as he pulled her forward a
step.

“Cassie,” he breathed
reverently.

Wrapping his arms around her, he pulled
her against him, wonder filling him as his hand tightened in her
tangled hair. She felt so wonderful, so warm, and alive, and solid.
And in his arms again, where she belonged, where she would always
belong. He fought back the tears of relief that threatened to fall.
More tears escaped her; she clung tighter to him, her small fingers
digging into his back. She was the most magnificent thing he had
ever felt, the most wonderful thing he had ever hoped to feel.
Closing his eyes, he pulled her tighter against him, burying his
face in her silky hair.

“Cassie,” he groaned, clinging tighter
to her as her sobs increased and she tried even harder to get
closer to him.

“I was beginning to fear I would never
see you again!” she moaned, her slender frame shaking with the
force of her tears. “I was afraid I’d lost you!”

He pulled slightly back from her,
wanting only to look at her again, but the moment he saw her
cherished face he knew he couldn’t stop himself. He cupped her face
tightly, gently wiping the tears from her cheeks as he bent his
head to hers. She gasped slightly, and then a small moan of
pleasure escaped her as he seized hold of her mouth, taking fierce
possession of it.

Her arms wrapped around his neck, her
fingers entangled in his hair as she held him tight. He had never
forgotten how wonderful and right she felt, but the memories of
their last touch paled in comparison to actually holding her again.
She eagerly met his kiss, her tongue entwining with his, her body
melding to his. He lifted her up, crushing her against him as he
cradled the back of her head gently, savoring in everything about
her.

He wanted more of her, needed more of
her. He had nearly lost her; he had been without her for so long
that he was on the brink of losing complete control now that he had
her again. He was closer to completely snapping and changing her
than he ever had been before. If he changed her, he would never
have to lose her again; never have to part from her again. He would
be able to find her anywhere, and she would be immortal, safe from
death, and far stronger than she was now. He pulled away from her,
his head dropping into the hollow of her neck as he struggled to
keep his wildly swaying emotions, and body, under
control.

He didn’t care that they were standing
in a road, in the middle of nowhere. He didn’t care that at his
back was the man who had once been his best friend, but was now his
greatest enemy. He didn’t even care that there was an unknown
amount of monsters in the woods around them. All he cared about was
holding her, touching her, possessing her. All he cared about was
having her with him again. All he wanted was to taste her again, to
savor in her blood to join with her, and to feel her in every
possible way.

Her hands cradled his face gently as
she pulled slowly away from him. Her fingers stroked over his
cheeks as she gently kissed him once more, her soft lips lingering
on his as she tried to ease the tension within him. She had always
known him so well, always known when the beast inside was on the
verge of taking control, always known how to soothe him and comfort
him, and she did so now. “I love you,” she whispered, her mouth
brushing lightly against his. “So very much.”

He kissed her again, cradling her neck
softly as he struggled to control the monster inside of him. “I
love you.”

His body pulsed with excitement as she
opened her eyes to his. They were the spectacular violet blue color
that he remembered and loved so dearly. “Your eyes aren’t red
anymore,” he whispered, surprised and baffled by the sudden
change.

She grinned up at him as he wiped a few
streaks of blood from her delicate cheeks. Even dirty and
bedraggled she was the most exquisite thing he had ever seen.
“Neither are yours.”

Devon blinked in surprise. It had been
almost two weeks since his eyes had been normal. Two long weeks
since he’d had enough control over himself to keep the demon inside
him securely locked away. It had been weeks since he had not seen
the bright red eyes of a monster staring back at him whenever he
caught a glimpse of his reflection. Her presence alone made him
more of a man, and less of a monster. She made the man in him
stronger, and more stable, than the demon that constantly lurked
beneath his surface always wanting to break free.

He wondered if his presence helped to
do the same thing for her. But why would her eyes be red when she
was still in complete control of herself? Why would her eyes be red
if her body wasn’t trying to turn into something else? What had
been done to her? Where had she been? He wondered fearfully as he
continued to stroke her face, savoring in the delicious feel of
her. It had been far too long since he had been able to touch her,
hold her; smell her. He just hoped that she had not been gone from
him for too long, that she had not been changed beyond repair; that
she was the same Cassie he had lost.