Kindled (Book 3 The Kindred Series) (15 page)

   Reaching the front of the line, Cassie grabbed her food, paid for it
,
and hurried free of the confining lunch
line. Dani and Chris were already at the table, talking softly. Cassie slumped into her chair, taking a deep breath of relief. “How’s it going?” Chris asked softly.

   “Just peachy,” she replied, managing a wry smile.

   Chris’s
eyes were troubled as he turned away, swiftly scanning the cafeteria. “Bunch of jerks,” he mumbled.

   “I’m used to it by now.”

   Devon’s arm tightened on the back of her chair
.
Melissa dropped her lunch bag on the table, sliding into her chair she d
ug out an apple, biting into it. “What an awful day,” she muttered.

   “I second that,” Chris agreed.

   Cassie shrugged, her gaze falling on Devon. He was back in her life
now
,
so no matter how awful the day was it could
n
ever
be
as awful as the past couple of weeks
. Her fingers dart
ed up to her neck, joy suffused
her as she pressed against the
small
wounds
there
.
Though she was a fast healer,
the marks were still barely visible upon her skin. Touching them now, she was once more
swept
away
by the rush
of love that had encompassed her when he had been feeding upon her.

   He glanced at her, his
eye
brows drawing sharply together as he studied her worriedly. She smiled reassuringly up at him
, dropping her hand from her neck. Pressing a gentle kiss to her cheek
, he lightly stroked her face. Cassie didn’t realize she had stopped breathing until he sat back. The effect he had on her was startling and intense. It
didn’t ease either, but grew everyday that she was around him.

   “Eat,” he whispered.

  
She managed a small nod, picking her
pizza
up
numbly
as
she began to slowly pick at her food. “When is Luther
coming back?” Chris inquired.

   Melissa shrugged, eyeing her sandwich with distaste. “I don’t know
,
I haven’t heard from him in a couple of days.” Devon shifted beside her, his hand idly stroking the back of her neck. Though he appeared nonchalant she could sense a sudden tension humming through him.
“Probably be back soon.”

   Cassie continued to pick at her lunch, forcing herself to swallow
the soggy pizza.
“You know we should
probably
go
out
hunting
tonight.”

   Devon stiffened beside her,
his hand momentarily tightened
on the back of her neck. “Cassie…”

   “We
have
to go back out,” she insisted. “They’re still out t
here.
They are going to star
t
kill
ing people again. I just wish I knew where they
’
ve been.
”

  
That was the worst of it, she knew they were out there, but they had been hiding low for so long that she was becoming truly petrified
about
what they were planning. It had to be something awful. Devon began to caress her again when she shuddered with dread.
She turned toward him, her eyes questioning.

   “Do you know where they are?”

   Devon shook his head, his dark hair falling across his forehead. “No Cassie.”

   “But they are planning something big.”

   His
forehead
furrowed. “I don’t know what they’re planning Cass, but I don’t think it’s a good idea for you to go back out there right now.”

   Her eyes narrow
ed
sharply. “I am much better now.”
   “But you’re still angry and…”

   “Of course I’m angry,” she interrupted hotly
, her hands clenching tightly. Taking a deep breath she forced herself to remain calm. Being flustered and fierce would get her nowhere. “But something has to be done before they destroy more families.”

   Devo
n sighed softly, his head bowed
slightly.
“I know how you feel Cassie, but why don’t you wait until Luther comes back.”

   “Why
? We’ve gone out since he
left
.
”

   “
I know that
,
but
I think it would be best
if you waited
. Give you
rself
a little more time to regroup, and Luther is your Guardian.”

   She bristled slightly, hating his logic, hating the confines placed against her. She glanced around the cafeteria
, taking in all the people that had turned against her. Though they hated her
now, the last thing she wanted was for one of them to get hurt, for one of them to experience the heart wrenching loss that clung to her. They may hate her, but she was the only protection they had against the monsters haunting their town
,
and she was going to do everything she could to keep them safe.

   Her gaze darted to the large cafeteria windows, squinting past the slowly
swirling flakes of snow. “Why have they been so quite?” she whispered thoughtfully. Out of the corner of her eye she caught the fleeting glances they all exchanged. Something bristled inside her, causing her to shift uncomfortably in her chair. “What’s with the look?”

   Melissa bowed her head, placing her tomato sandwich down as she leaned back in her chair. Her onyx eyes gleamed in the harsh light of the cafeteria. “They haven’t,” she answered softly, glancing nervously at the others.

   “Excuse me?” Cassie asked sharply.

   “They haven’t been quiet,” Chris said more forcefully. “They are out there.”

   “I don’t understand what you’re saying; no murders have been reported…”

   “Cassie, when was the last time you read the paper
or watched the news
?”

   Her hands fisted, her eyes darted briefly to Devon who was watching
her intently, concern radiated
from him. Swallowing heavily, she tur
ned her attention back to Chris
who looked extremely uncomfortable. “I… I don’t know,” she admitted reluctantly.

  
“They have been out there Cass. There have been murders, or animal attacks, or whatever the police are coming up with to help them sleep at night.
There have been more missing people reported.
”

   “Why didn’t you tell me?”

   They all shifted uncomfortably. Chris leaned across the table, his hands resting lightly upon hers. Devon stiffened slightly beside her, but he didn’t protest.
“Because you couldn’t handle it.”

   “Yes I could have!” she
retorted,
shock and outrage rolling through her.

   “Cassie
,
you could hardly handle crawling out of bed in the morning
.
”
   Tears burned the backs of he
r eyes;
guilt filled her
as she shook her head
.
She tried to deny his words, but she
knew
that they were right.
She was an idiot, she realized with a silent groan. She should have known that Julian and Isla would not go into hiding, especially not after the blow that they had dealt to her.
They would be relishing in their victory over her, and reveling in her inability to stop them. H
er inability to handle her grief and anger had caused even more people to be killed.
Guilt and self hatred swamped her, nearly choking her with its intensity. She had been created for one purpose, to hunt, to destroy, and to keep innocent people safe.

  
She had failed miserably on all accounts.

   “It’s my fault then.”

   “Of course not,” Devon said sharply, shooting Chris an angry look. “You’re human Cassie, you lost a loved one
and
you needed to grieve for that loss. It is Julian and Isla’s fault, not yours.”

   Cassie turned away from them, fighting back waves of grief and anger. It didn’t matter what they said, she was going to blame herself. “
But I’m not human,” she lamented. “
So that’s even more of a reason to get out there
in force
now.”
  
Devon shifted; his hand stroked
her neck again
. “We’ll figure it out Cassie.”

   She frowned at him, but nodde
d just to keep him satisfied.
The snow outside began to pick up, swirling more rapidly as the wind howled against the glass. Cassie shivered in response,
huddling deeper into her turtleneck and sweater.
The sky was dark, an oppressive steel gray that hung heavy in the air.

   Cassie sat up, her eyebrows drawing sharply together as she searched the dark day. She recalled the cloudy day on the beach when they had first felt Julian’s evil, twisted presence. It had been overcast, making it possible for him to move about in the daytime, much like today.
A knot twisted in Cassie’s stomach, a feeling of foreboding rac
ed
down her spine.

   Glancing around the cafeteria, she briefly envied everyone their simple, ignorant lives. They had no idea what lurked out there, what hunted them, what cruelty resided in the world. They knew football games, dances, and parties. It was a simple life, one she should have had, but was glad she didn
’
t.

   For every twist and turn in her life had brought her to Devon. And there was nothing that she wanted to change about that outcome.

   “They’re planning something bad,” she whispered softly.

   “What do you have premonitions now too?” Chris inquired, trying to sound light but failing.

   Cassie forced a smile to her lips.
“No, just a feeling.”

  
Cassie pushed her plate away, giving up on
eating anymore
.
The tight knot in her stomach would not let anymore food through.
Devon
shot her a look but didn’t say anything. Taking hold of her hand he began to gently massage the back of it with his thumb.
Cassie lost herself to the comfort, warmth, and love of his touch.

CHAPTER 8

   The snow
was still falling in lazy spirals, piling up on the lawn, coating the trees. Cassie turned away from the window, happy to be inside, out of the cold. Chris, Dani, and Melissa were gathered around the island,
talking softly as they dealt another hand of cards.
A sharp pain of longing tugged at Cassie’s heart, h
er grandmother had loved to play cards
.
T
hey used to have nights where they would
all
sit and play together.
Unfortunately
,
those nights
had been few and far between
before her grandmother had passed on
.

  
Pouring a cup of coffee she blew on the top of it before taking a sip.
Devon strode into the room. Her heart flipped in her chest, her stomach did a strange turn. His eyes instantly found
hers, a beautiful grin spread over his full lips
. His still damp hair was tussled
across his forehead.
His lean muscles mov
ed
with his fluid grace
beneath the jeans and shirt he wore so easily
. A strange thrill shot through her, h
e was magnificent, and he was hers.

   She smiled back at him, turning her attention swiftly back to her cup of coffee before thoughts of last night intruded, the intimacy of it taking her over. Looking for reassurance she gently touched the marks on her neck, smiling softly as she recalled him there
.
Feeding from her;
gaining strength from her body.

   “Still snowing?” he asked softly, stopping before her. His hard legs brushed against hers as he leaned forward, pushing aside the curtain to look outside. Cassie’s mouth went
dry;
her body instinctively responded to his, pressing closer as need
ensnared her. He was so warm, so stron
g and sure
.

   She tilted her head back to look at him, not at all surprised to find his eyes on her
,
and not the outside world. His smile was gone, his
gaze
dark and
intense
. Leaning closer to her, he rested his hands
u
p
on
the counter on
either side of her. Though she knew that there were other people in the room, she could not bring herself to care as every cell in her being became focused upon him
,
and his touch.