Cassie (The Coven's Grove Chronicles #3) (12 page)

Voices invaded the darkness that surrounded Cassie. They were deep and smooth, putting her mind at ease. She rolled over in the soft sheets, stretching the stiffness out of her muscles. That’s the way it always was after she’d taken a beating; soreness, but no bruises or broken bones. The yawn that escaped her was rather long and noisy. Definitely not something a “proper lady” would be caught doing.

Cassie could make out the soft outlines of two windows in the darkness, but that was about it, except for the beam of light coming from under the door. She focused on the voices that came from the other room. They were muffled, with an occasional bout of laughter. She sat up and stretched again. Bones popped this time, but in a good way. She was thankful to find herself dressed in a t-shirt, and a pair of boxer shorts. The last few moments of the confrontation with the demon and his master flashed before her eyes. She’d been stark naked, except for the chains.
That was messed up
. She rubbed her ankles subconsciously, finding them free of bonds.

More laughter came from the other room.

She slipped out of bed, and crept to the door to listen.

“So, how’s the job front going?” Caleb asked, “You rich yet?”

“Obviously not,” said someone Cassie didn’t recognize. “Otherwise I’d be ‘working’ on my own place. But I got a decent gig here locally. It’s actually pretty cool, an old craftsman style home. I say home, but it’s more like a mansion. The owner wants to use it as a bed and breakfast.”

“Huh, that’s different,” Caleb replied.

“It’s got a lot of its original woodwork inside,” the stranger said. His voice quickened in pace as he continued. “I’m just restoring some of the bits that have been damaged on the main house. But I’m doing full builds on the cottages spread throughout the grounds. You should see this place, man. It’s like the Garden of Eden and the Lost World, wrapped into one kickass resort.”

It sounded like this mystery guy was a contractor or carpenter of some kind, and was apparently working in paradise.
If only...
Cassie thought, leaning against the door.

“I’d love to man, but I’m not sure how long we can stay,” Caleb said.

“Stay as long as you need.”

“Thanks, Brody. You’re doing me a real solid here,” Caleb replied. “I can’t tell you how much I appreciate what you’ve done.”

“Not a problem. It’s been too long, man. We need to stay connected this time.”

“About that,” Caleb said, lowering his tone. “I’m not sure if I should have stopped by in the first place. I’ve got some real trouble following me, and I may have already put you in danger...”

“Whatever it is, we’ll handle it.”

“You said you told him!” Cassie blurted, as she jerked the door open. “You said he knew the risk!” She stomped into the living room, and was shocked to find Caleb sitting with a stunning, dark haired man. “You’re not Brody.”

The handsome stranger’s brows rose, revealing powdery blue eyes, filled with curiosity. He looked from her to Caleb. “Oh? Who am I then, exactly?”

Caleb chuckled, as he shook his head. “I told her you were ugly and fat.”

Brody busted out laughing, “That afraid of the competition, huh?”

Cassie glared at Caleb, and then looked more softly at Brody. “Has he always been a pathological liar, or is this a new thing?”

Brody grinned, “Always.”

“Hey!” Caleb cried.

“Shut up, you!” Cassie barked. “Brody’s looks may be something to laugh about but—”

“Hey!” Brody interrupted.

“I didn’t mean it that way!” Cassie rolled her eyes, and held up her hands to silence the both of them. “What I mean is, what’s following ‘me’ is no laughing matter. It’s almost killed me twice and Caleb once, and I don’t want to put anyone else in danger if I can help it.”

Brody scratched his beard, as he looked at Cassie. It wasn’t a full beard, just thick enough to cast a nice shadow on his chiseled features. “He told me you were wanted by the law, and that someone was chasing you.” He glanced at Caleb. “He didn’t say they were assassins.”

Caleb ran a hand through his sandy-blonde hair. “Sorry, man. I was building up to it. We were desperate to touch down somewhere, but now that we’re here, I’m thinking it might have been a mistake.”

“Dude, what the hell are you involved in?” Brody’s nonchalant attitude evaporated like water drops on a hotplate. “I’m assuming the authorities aren’t going to be of any help…or are they part of the problem?”

“No, they aren’t part of the problem, but they definitely aren’t going to be of any help,” Caleb replied.

“Look,” she interjected. “We should leave, and you should leave town for a while.”

“That’s Cassie by the way,” Caleb said.

“Got that part, thanks,” Brody said. “But I can’t take off right now. I’m in the middle of a huge project. I do have bills to pay.”

“Then we’ll stay for a little while, until we get a plan together,” Caleb replied, giving Cassie a “we-need-to-talk” glare.

She clamped her mouth shut, and crossed her arms in silence.

“Like I said,” Brody reiterated. “Stay as long as you need to, but I would like to know what we’re facing here.”

Caleb nodded. “Can Cassie and I discuss a few things first?”

“Not a problem.” Brody stood. He was shorter than Caleb by several inches, but was still pretty tall. “I’ve got to run a few errands and need to pick up dinner. We can talk when I get back.” He grabbed a jacket and keys. “You want me to pick up something for you guys while I’m out?”

“Food would be great,” Caleb answered. “Whatever you’re picking up is fine.”

Brody nodded. “Help yourselves to whatever’s in the house. There’s beer in the fridge in the garage.” He looked at Cassie. “It was good to meet you.”

“You too,” she said. “Sorry for the trouble.”

Brody grinned, as he pointed at Caleb. “The only trouble is sitting right there.”

“See ya later, buddy,” Caleb replied dryly.

With that, Brody was out the door.

“Are you nuts?!” She turned on Caleb. “We can’t stay here after what happened—”

Before she could finish Caleb was on his feet, kissing her. She struggled against him at first, but he continued to press his lips against hers, pulling her close. His touch was enthralling, and made her remember how alone she’d felt without it. She kissed him back, deeply, and filled with passion.

After what seemed like far too short of a moment, Caleb pulled away. “Thank God you’re alright. I almost took you to the hospital, but you begged me not to. You said you’d heal on your own.” He looked her up and down. “Looks like you weren’t babbling nonsense in a state of shock.”

Cassie couldn’t remember anything after Caleb had put her in the truck, but his account seemed about right. “It’ll take more than a demon to get me away from you.”

Caleb raised his brow, “Oh, really?”

Heat blazed in her cheeks, and she looked away.

His fingers touched her chin, easing her head back around to face him. “I feel the same.” He kissed her again. This time soft and gentle.

Cassie let herself be swept up in the ecstasy of him. She breathed Caleb in, enjoying every ounce of his essence. His touch carried her away to a place that no demon, or monstrous man, could reach. After the kiss faded, they stood in silence, holding each other.

“I’m not sure if Brody can handle the truth,” Caleb finally said. “Hell, I’m not sure I’ve got a handle on it myself.”

She smiled. “Me either. But we can’t leave him open to what might be coming.”

“I know, I just...maybe we tell him it’s gangster related. The whole demon thing isn’t really believable.”

She laughed, “And organized crime is gonna be believable, huh?”

“Considering our other option is a demon? Yeah, I think so.”

As much as she wanted to tell Brody the truth, she knew it wouldn’t go over well. Caleb was right, there was no other way they could convey the amount of danger they had placed his friend in. “Okay, mobsters it is.”

They settled on the couch with a couple of beers, and turned on the TV. Channel surfing was the activity for about an hour before they turned to the news. Cassie slowly lost interest in the weather reports, so she peered around at the house. It was an older place, 80’s maybe, but the custom updates Brody had done were gorgeous. The mantle was hand carved with images of trees and Celtic filigree. Custom oak shelving, adorned with similar artwork, covered the cozy walls. The most amazing feature, however, was the ceiling. Exposed beams coffered the surface, but not in the blocky, square patterns she had seen in books. The angles created a seven-pointed star. How long it had taken Brody to cut all of those angles, Cassie couldn’t fathom.

She whistled, “Wow, just wow. It’s so beautiful.”

“Yeah, Brody’s really gifted,” Caleb said, looking up. “Maybe he can show us more of his work before we leave.”

“That would be cool, but I don’t think we can spare the time.”

Caleb focused on the TV again. “We need to figure out how to kill that thing. There’s gotta be some books out there somewhere that can clue us in.”

“Yeah, books we’ll never find. But you’re right, we need to start looking for a way to kill it, or banish it, or something.” She couldn’t believe she was actually saying that. Even though she’d lived with the supernatural for the past five years, she’d never really thought of her power as something akin to witches and demons. Her assumption had always been that there was a genetic mutation in her family, or that she’d been exposed to some chemical that changed her DNA. Regardless of how she had changed, it was all pretty farfetched and unexplainable, in “real” world terms.

“When Brody gets back, I want to run a few errands,” Caleb said.

“What kind of errands?”

“Just to get some basics. We’re going to need food and a few other things to take with us.”

That’s no lie,
Cassie thought.
Not to mention some new wheels...
“Oh, shit. Your mustang!”

Caleb frowned. “Yeah, that kinda sucked.”

“I’m so sorry. I know that car meant a lot to you.”

“It’s okay. The price of survival.” Caleb got up and went to the kitchen, grabbing some chips, a pen, and a notepad. He sat back down next to Cassie, giving her the bag of crunchy hip expanders.

“What’s the notepad for?” Cassie asked, as she opened the bag.

“I want to get your clothing sizes.”

She gave him a flat look. “Really? You just handed me a bag of chips, and you want to know my sizes?” She dropped the bag on the coffee table, and scoffed. “You guys are so clueless sometimes.”

Caleb started laughing. “Sorry, I’d meant to get you some clothes sooner, but there was too much going on. I just thought you’d like some new stuff since yours were destroyed.”

“Well, I suppose that’s okay,” she said grudgingly. “You’re forgiven.”

He grinned, as he ogled her breasts, holding up the notepad expectantly.

“Stop it,” she laughed while shoving him away. “You have a dirty mind.”

“Yep.”

She sighed. “Fine. Shirts are small. Pants are size four. And these”—she grabbed her boobs—“32Bs.”

Caleb scribbled like mad, and then pointed the pen at her breasts. “What size were those again?”

She smacked his hand, playfully. “You had your chance.”

“Just trying to be thorough. Women tend to lie about that stuff.”

“Whatever, Perv.”

“Can’t help it.”

She smiled. “Flattery will get you everywhere.”

He leaned in toward her. “That was my hope.”

Then the front door opened.

Caleb jumped off the sofa, and struck a Kung Fu pose, while Cassie rolled to the other side, ready to charge.

Brody took a step inside, and then came to a halt. “Easy guys.” He held up four, white plastic bags. “I brought food.”

That was music to Cassie’s ears. She hadn’t thought to ask Caleb how long she’d been out after their escape, but it had to have been quite a while because she was starving. The smell was glorious, as it wafted into the living room.
So much better than a vending machine
. “It smells amazing. What did you bring us?”

Brody kicked the door shut, and set the bags on the coffee table. “Pasta from my favorite place near campus.”

Cassie almost swooned. She looked over at Caleb. “Did you tell him pasta’s my favorite?”

“I might have said something about Italian food.”

Cassie beamed, “You do care.”

Brody laughed. “He can be charming when he wants to be.” He tore the bags open. “I got lasagna rolls, shrimp scampi, and the chicken Parmesan. There’s also garlic bread with cheese, and some stuffed mushroom caps. I like all of these, so I’ll take whatever’s left. You guys pick first.”

Caleb gestured to the food, “Ladies first.”

Cassie took the chicken Parmesan without hesitation.

Caleb glanced at Brody, “You?”