Ashes (Book 2 The Kindred Series) (8 page)

“Could have told me,” Chris
mumbled.

“I didn’t know what he was,” Melissa
reminded him.

“Yeah, I guess.”

Cassie rolled her eyes, shaking her
head at the two of them. “So what do we do about Julian?” she
asked, though she tried hard, Devon could still hear the
undercurrent of fear in her voice. His free hand clenched tight at
the reminder of the brutality she had experienced last night. A
brutality inflicted upon her by a monster he had helped to create,
and would destroy.

“We don’t do anything. If you insist
upon staying then there is nothing that I can do about that, but
you are to stay away from him.” Anger flashed through her violet
blue eyes, she opened her mouth to protest, but he cut her swiftly
off. “You cannot defeat him Cassie, he will kill you, and I cannot
allow that to happen. I cannot lose you.”

Her lush mouth parted slightly, the
anger faded from her eyes. Biting her lower lip, she managed a
small nod as she turned away from him. “The three of you are to
stay by me from now on.”

All of their eyes snapped to him again,
he could feel the anger and defiance radiating from them. “What?”
Chris barked.

Devon met his hostile gaze, impressed
by the courage the kid possessed. He hadn’t backed down once.
“Julian will come after you, hard. If he catches you alone, or
without me, you won’t have a shot of surviving.”

Chris’s hands fisted, a muscle twitched
in his cheek as he clenched his jaw tight. “He’s right,” Cassie’s
grandmother said, probably hoping to ward off a fight. “You must
stay safe; Devon can help protect you from him.”

“The three of us…”

“Are no match.” The older woman
unraveled her legs and climbed gracefully to her feet. “Until this
is taken care of, you will be safe, and you will stick by Devon.
And there will be no arguments on the matter.”

He was not surprised when they remained
silent, sullen, but silent. Cassie’s grandmother was small, but she
bore an air of authority that brooked no room for argument. He
wouldn’t even argue with her, and because of that, he was glad she
was on his side. “Now, I think that it’s time for Cassie to
rest.”

“I’m fine grandma.”

Her sky blue eyes narrowed slightly,
her hands went to her hips. “You are going to rest.”

Devon fought back a smile. “I’ll help
you upstairs.”

Cassie frowned fiercely at him as she
shook her head. “I am perfectly capable of walking upstairs on my
own.”

“Let him help you Cassandra,” her
grandmother interjected.

Cassie’s teeth locked tight, but she
didn’t argue further. Releasing her cushion, she went to rise, but
he moved swiftly forward, sweeping her easily up. She gasped
softly, her fingers curling into the nape of his neck. Her look of
irritation swiftly vanished as a small smile played across her full
mouth. Playing with the hair at the nape of his neck, she curled
tight against him. Her lithe body fit perfectly against his, her
soft curves pressing tight to him. Her head rested against his
shoulder, the heady scent of her filled his nostrils.

His hands tightened around her, he
cradled her gently as he swiftly left the room. He was suddenly
desperate to escape for a bit. He needed to hunt, needed to fill
himself with blood, and he needed to regain complete control of
himself. Though he was loath to do it, he needed to separate from
her until he was sure that she would be safe around him.

He maneuvered her gently in his arms to
open the door to her room. He knew her room well now, but it still
surprised him that it was not decorated with posters, and pictures,
like most teenagers rooms. The only picture in the room was that of
her parents, she had never told him that was who the picture was
of, but she looked a lot like the blond woman in it. The room was
also completely spotless, everything neatly put in its place. He
suspected that the chaos of her life outside of this room made her
want to keep everything within it neatly ordered and meticulous.
This room was one of the few things that she could
control.

He placed her gently on the bed, hating
to part with her for even a second, but knowing that he had to. If
he stayed much longer he would become a danger to her. He kissed
her forehead lightly, savoring in her sweet scent. “I have to go
for a little bit.”

Fear flashed through her eyes, her hand
briefly tightened upon him. He hated the vulnerability and alarm
that suffused her, but her encounter with Julian had left her
shaken, and rattled. From what he had seen of her, she didn’t fear
anything. In fact, she was recklessly fearless, far too much so for
his liking. Then, she buried the fear, jutted her chin out and
nodded briskly.

His mouth curved in a smile as the
brave woman he knew reappeared. “I’ll leave the window open for
you.”

“It wouldn’t stop me
anyway.”

She grinned at him; her hands gently
cradling his face as she pressed a chaste kiss on his lips. Heat
flooded through him. He wanted more, so much more.

He pulled quickly away, before he
couldn’t. It would be so easy to get lost in her, but there was too
much to take care of right now. “I’ll see you soon,” he
whispered.

She nodded, gently stroking his face
for a moment more before she released him. Devon turned on his
heel, frustration boiling through him; he was hungry for so much
more than blood. His gaze fell upon Chris and Melissa standing in
the doorway. Melissa was smiling softly; Chris was still wound
tight as a bow string as he stared hard at Devon.

CHAPTER
5

Cassie gathered her books from her
locker, resisting the urge to slam it shut. Ever since she had
become the social leper of the school, she had received more
whispered comments and nasty asides then she had ever thought to
hear in her life. She tried hard not to let them affect her, but it
had been a long day, and her defenses were wearing thin.

Straightening her shoulders, she held
her chin high as she turned back to the whispers and stares.
Ignoring it all, she made her way down the hall, wishing that she
couldn’t hear the things they were saying. They had all heard about
the attack in the woods, but for the most part, they were not
relieved that she had survived. The bitter anger that surrounded
them, and the hate directed at her was beating her down. They were
especially angry about the fact that she was here, while Marcy was
still in the hospital, and probably would not be getting out until
tomorrow.

“Cassie.”

She braced herself, her hands tightened
upon her books as she turned toward the sound of the soft voice.
The girl standing behind her was staring up at her with wide hazel
eyes. They were heavily outlined with eyeliner and mascara that
brought out the gold flecks within them. Her short hair had been
dyed a blood red color that stood out at spiky angles around her
pretty, heart shaped face.

The girl looked vaguely familiar, but
Cassie was too tired, and too drained, to place her. “Danielle,”
the girl said, taking obvious pity on her. “We met in the bathroom
a couple weeks ago.”

Her overwrought mind finally recognized
the girl. Dani had been kind enough to give Cassie some towels when
she had freaked out over Devon’s arrival at school. It was hard to
believe that she had ever fought against the bond that connected
them, that at one time she had fled from the changes she knew he
would bring to her life.

Changes that she now relished in, but
had been petrified of before.

“Oh, hi Dani, I’m sorry I just… well
I’ve just been out of it lately.”

Dani’s smile was knowing and sad as she
glanced around the hall. Students went out of their way to avoid
walking near Cassie, and none of them did a good job at muffling
the “sluts” and “freaks” that they dropped as they moved past.
Cassie fought the urge to start punching them all, or just walk
out, but she would not give them the satisfaction of seeing her
snap.

“I understand. I heard about what
happened in the forest, I’m glad to see that you’re ok.”

Cassie’s eyes widened in shock. No one,
other than the teachers, had bothered to ask her if she was ok. No
one had cared enough to, and she was fairly certain that most of
the female student body wished that she had died so that they could
have a crack at Devon. She would like to think their hatred of her
was because of the strong appeal Devon had told them about
yesterday, but Cassie knew that it had always been there, bubbling
just beneath the surface. The girls had been looking for any excuse
to turn against her. And the boys of the school hated her for
turning them all down, but accepting Devon. Especially since Devon
made them all feel a little awkward, uncomfortable, and self
conscious.

“Thank you Dani.” Dani smiled knowingly
at her, reaching out to touch Cassie’s hand gently. Cassie glanced
nervously around the hall, noting the attention that their
interaction received. “You might not want to be seen with me
though,” she said softly, knowing that the girl would receive some
backlash for speaking to her.

Dani glanced around the hall, nodding
as she noted the stares. Dani gave a small wave of her fingers to
Julie Jenks who turned quickly away. “I’ve never cared what these
people thought of me, and believe me Cassie, being on the outside
is better. You don’t have to play by their rules all the
time.”

Cassie couldn’t help but smile at the
small, eccentric girl. “I suppose you’re right.”

“I’m always right,” Dani declared
forcefully.

“Is everything ok here?”

Devon appeared suddenly at her side,
his emerald eyes fierce as he stared hard at Dani. The girl colored
as she ducked her head shyly. Although Dani was one of the few that
did not hate her, apparently she also had a crush on Devon. Cassie
quirked an eyebrow in amusement, Devon’s eyes burned questioningly
into hers, his body tense as he prepared to defend her. Something
he had been doing far too much of lately.

“Everything’s fine,” she assured him.
Though he relaxed subtly, he still seemed weary of Dani. “Devon
this is Dani, she was just making sure that I was
alright.”

He relaxed even more. “It’s nice to
meet you.”

Dani’s face was bright red as she
thrust her hand out; she kept her head bowed, unable to look Devon
in the eye. He shot Cassie an amused look before gently taking hold
of her hand. “It’s my pleasure,” Dani muttered.

Dani pulled her hand swiftly away, the
heat in her face spread down her neck. Cassie felt sorry for the
younger girl; she knew how overwhelming Devon’s presence could be.
“I um… I should be going,” Dani stammered. “I’m glad that you’re ok
Cassie.”

“Thank you Dani.”

She turned, hurrying swiftly away
before disappearing into the thick throng of students. “Where did
she come from?” Devon inquired softly.

“I met her a few weeks ago, when you
first arrived.”

Devon nodded, his arm slipped easily
around her waist as he pulled her tight against his side. She
melded against him, loving the feel of his hard body. Warmth
erupted in tingling waves that swamped her from head to toe. She
pressed tighter to him, her hand resting on his chest as she
dropped her head to his shoulder. The strength and comfort he
offered pushed aside all the nasty comments and looks of the day.
It helped strengthen her, buoying her confidence once
more.

Gently nuzzling her hair, he dropped a
soft kiss on the top of her head. Cassie sighed in delight. “Let’s
get you some lunch.”

She frowned up at him, aggravated at
the interruption. She did not want to move. He grinned at her, his
green eyes twinkling brightly. She loved it when he smiled. It gave
him an air of boyishness that was charming and heart melting. “I
can hear your stomach rumbling.”

Blushing slightly, Cassie ducked her
head, silently cursing his enhanced hearing. Squeezing her tight
once more, he turned her, moving with the flow of students toward
the cafeteria. Though she still received looks, the whispered
asides were drastically cut back. Mainly because none of the girls
wanted Devon to think that they were catty and cruel, and none of
the boys wanted to risk his wrath.

Devon’s arm tightened briefly around
her, the smile slipping from his mouth as he stared hard around the
halls. Apparently they weren’t as discreet as they had thought, at
least not around him as he was picking up things that no human
would ever hear.

His jaw clenched, his hand locked upon
her waist. “It’s ok,” she said softly. “I’m becoming used to
it.”

He glanced sharply at her. “You
shouldn’t have to,” he growled.

Cassie shrugged and dropped a quick
kiss on his cheek. Though there was nothing that he could do about
it, she thrilled at his fierce desire to keep her safe in every
way. “I’ll meet you at the table.”

His hand tightened upon her as she
tried to pull free. “I’m coming with you.”

Quirking an eyebrow, she shook her head
at him. “You don’t eat.”

“I don’t care.”

“You can’t follow me everywhere Devon,
I can do this myself.” A muscle in his cheek jumped. It was obvious
that he didn’t want her to face this alone, but she had to. She had
to face a good chunk of her day alone as it was, and if she didn’t
start developing a thicker skin now, then it was going to be a very
long, very hard year. “I’ll be fine.”