Kindled (Book 3 The Kindred Series) (8 page)

   Biting into his lower lip, Devon fought back his frustration and anger. He hated being so impotent and useless, especially
now,
when she needed him most. If he could just reach her, if
any
of them could just reach her. “There has to be something we can do,” he whispered.

   Chris lifted his eyebro
ws
. “Doing the best we can.
Nothing
help
s
. And with Luther leaving....”

   Chris’s voice trailed off, Devon turned toward him, feigning surprise. He knew that Luther had left, but Chris, Melissa, and Dani
still
did not know that he and Luther had been talking, researching
about Cassie
, and coming up against a solid wall of nothing. There was nothing
about
any
of the Hunter’s like Cassie
in the multitude
of
books that Luther possessed. It was the most frustrating, boring experience
of
Devon’
s
long
life
.
Though
they had been unable to find it
they knew t
here had to be something o
ut there about the other Hunter’
s that had been like Cassie
,
and Luther was determined to find it
, even if it meant leaving at a very bad time.

   “Luther left?” he inquired
innocently
.

  
“Yeah.”
Chris ran a hand through his already disheveled
hair. “He got
a lead on some Hunter in Texas
or something. Said he needed to go, but the timing is awful. Cassie needs all the help she can get
right now
.”

   Devon nodded, knowing that it was a lie. Luther was not in Texas, but it was as good a cover story as any. Chris didn’t know that Luther was trying to help Cassie,
or
that Luther may come back with the
only
way to help Cassie.
“That’s too bad.”

   “Yeah Melissa’s been staying with her, as you know.”
   Chris grinned at him; Devon couldn’t help but return the smile.
“What is this, a meeting of the minds?”

   They turned as Melissa strolled up to them, her black hair neatly pulled back in a braid, her onyx eyes gleam
ed
questioningly
. “Yeah, you could say that,”
Chris replied
.

   She glanced at the gym doors, scowling as she rolled her eyes. “You know if Cassie sees the two of you out here…”

   “Three of us,” Chris corrected. “And she’s already in the locker room.”

   Melissa nodded
as she
shift
ed
her backpack.
“Good. I’m going to go in, make sure she’s ok.”

   Devon grabbed hold of
Melissa’s
arm, stopping her before she could disappear into the locker room. “How is she to live with?”

   Melissa cocked a
n
eye
brow. “She’s just peachy,” she mumbled, her gaze dart
ed
swiftly to the doors as if afraid she would get caught doing something wrong
. “She’s the same there as she is here.
Distant, unreadable, angry.”

   “Have you had any visions?”

   Melissa frowned at him, her fine
eye
brow
s
furrowed
.
“No, not about anything important anyway.
Don’t worry; I’ll let you know if I do.”

   Devon nodded
as he
releas
ed
her arm. “Thank you.”
  
Melissa stood for a moment, her gaze darting between the gym doors and the two of them. With a soft sigh, she dropped her bag off her sh
oulder and turned to face them.
“In all honesty I think she’s nearing her snapping point.”

   Devon frowned at
her.
He could sense
Melissa’s
reticence to talk about Cassie, but this seemed to be something that she needed to get off her mind.
“What do you mean?” he demanded
glancing sharply at Chris, who looked just as confused as Devon felt.

  
Melissa shrugged
as she
toss
ed
her long braid off of her shoulder. “I just don’t think she can keep going like this for much longer. She’s going to snap and either
hunt
those two down on her own and get herself killed
,
or she’s going to have a breakdown. She can’t keep shoving all of her
grief and sorrow aside; it’s going to break free one way or another. We need to be prepared for that.”

  
“What makes you think that?” Chris asked softly.

   Melissa shrugged again as she reclaimed her bag.
“Simple reason.
She’s been living like this for the past two weeks. She can’t keep going, one way or another everything that is eating at her is going to come out. I just hope that she survives the aftermath
, even if she doesn’t want to
.”

   Though she said it in a flat monotone, tears shimmered in her dark eyes. Her fear for Cassie was palpable. “This can’t go on anymore,” he said firmly, though there was a tremor inside him. “I don’t care if I have to lock her away somewhere, but this can’t go on anymore.”
   “You can’t do that!” Melissa gasped. “She’d hate you forever!”

    Devon glanced s
harply at her, his hands fisted
at his sides. “She already hates me,” he growled. “But I will make sure that she lives, I
will
make sure that she doesn
’
t do anything to get herself killed!
I will not allow
her conti
nue to waste away.
She can hate me for the rest of her life, but at least it will be a long one.”

   Chris and Melissa exchanged worried glances. “Devon…”

   “No,” he interrupted Chris sharply. “If something doesn’t change soon, or if she even tries to go after them, I will take her from here and there is nothing that either of you can do to stop me.”

   Their eyes were
wide and
turbulent but they didn
’
t argue with him.
Even if they did, he would not change his mind. She
had
to survive. He could not live through the loss of her life; he could not keep his sanity if such a thing happened. If Cassie died then he was as good
as
dead also. But his life meant little to him, compared to hers. He would gladly die if she was killed.

  
“I think you’re right,” Chris said softly, turning slightly away from him as he folded his large arms over his chest.
Though he did not look happy about the decision, he would not argue it.

   “Chris!
” Melissa
hissed
.

   He shook his head briskly. “No, he’s right. She’s on a downward spiral
that will only
end
with
death.
We
can’t
let that happen to her. She needs to deal with her emotions, she needs to come to terms with all of this, and until she does, then
we
have to be the ones to keep her safe. Even if it means doing something she’ll despise us for.”

   “Let’s hop
e it doesn’t come to that,” Devon muttered
.

  
They both looked sharply at him
, their torment and unease evident in their lost gazes. “I don’t think it will,” Melissa said. “I don’t think she’s going to make it
to that point. She can’t keep going like this; it’s only a matter of time…”

   Melissa’s voice trailed off as her eyes darted back toward the gym doors.
“Well, I suppose we should go get our PE on.
I’ll see you in a little bit.
”

  
She turned and hurried swiftly across the hall, disappearing inside the door of the girl
’
s locker room.
Devon glanced sharply at Chris.
“Do you think
Melissa’s
right?”

   Chris shrugged as he stuffed his hands in the pockets of his jeans. “I think sh
e may be.
Cassie’s so angry that it’s the only emotion I pick up from her. It’s hard to tell what is going on with her.
Come on, we had better get going.
”

  
Devon stifled a groan at
the thought of having to go.
As far as he was concerned high school was a waste of time as it was, Gym being the biggest waste of it. He followed Chris into the boys locker room though, wrinkling his nose at the heavy scent of sweat and body odor that filled the large, blue tiled room. He changed swiftly, paying little attention to anyone else in the room.

   Following behind Chris, they made their way swiftly out to the large gymnasium. His gaze
instantly found Cassie leaning
against the far wall.
Her hair had been pulled into a loose ponytail
that enhanced
the angles of
her thinner face. She had changed into a pair of shorts and a loose fitting black t-shirt that hung
limply on her
slender
frame
. The sunglasses were still in place.

   She looked like a lost child, out of place among
st
the laughing, giggling girls gathered in a large group twenty feet away from her.
His heart ached for her, his fingers itched to touch her, comfort her.
Melissa said something, catching her attention for a brief moment. Cassie looked up
,
nodding
once
before ducking her head again.
A shrill whistle pierced the air. Devon turned as the two PE teachers entered the gym carrying bags laden with softball bats and balls.

   His
eye
brow
s
furrowed
as
frustration and anger spurt
ed
through him. He hated being stuck
in this school
, hated being around these people
. He was almost eight hundred years old and
he was
standing in a gym
with a bunch of hormonal teenagers.
His gaze darted back to Cassie, some of the anger melting away. For her, he could do this
.
F
or her
,
he could do anything. Even play softball inside, which was apparently what they
intended to do
.

   They were shuffled around, divided into teams. Somehow he ended up on the same side as Marcy and Chris, well Cassie was relegated to the other side with Melissa and Mark Young. Devon watched
Mark
, waiting for him to make any inappropriate move or comment to Cassie.
Mark
had stayed away from her since their last encounter in the cafeteria,
but
Devon didn
’
t trust him. And though
Cassie
didn
’
t want his help,
Devon
would take any excuse to beat
Mark into a bloody pulp. He had been aching to do it ever since he had first met the
bastard
.

   “Cassandra Fairmont!” everyone turned as the girl’s gym teacher barked Cassie’s name
loudly. Cassie lifted her head;
her
eye
brows dr
e
w sharply together
over top of her sunglasses
. “You know the rules, no jewelry, no loose articles, take off those sunglasses.”
   Cassie hesitated a moment; he could feel her gaze darting swiftly around the gym
in a fleeting moment of panic
. Then, her shoulders slump
ed
with defeat
;
she reached slowly up and pulled the
large glasses from her face.
Cassie
blinked rapidly
before
closing her eyes against the lights that blazed down on her. Devon took a step forward, wanting to go to her, wanting to shelter her. He knew how painful
such exposure could be and he wished to protect her from it.

   Chris grabbed hold of his arm, shaking his head as he held Devon back. “She’ll be fine,” he said softly. “She has to face the world eventually.”
   Devon’s head snapped toward him, anger briefly surg
ed
forward.
Devon tried to remind himself that Chris didn’t know, that he didn’t understand, that he
couldn’t
know
the pain
the
lights
could cause
, but it did little to eas
e the anger wracking through Devon
.
He turned back to Cassie. Her head was bowed, her eyes barely open to the harsh glare that pounded off of the gym floor.