Kindled (Book 3 The Kindred Series) (14 page)

  
H
e knew what she was to him,
knew
that she was his mate
.
It
was a rare thing for a vampire to find, but once
mates were
discovered
they could never be separated
.
If she had continued to rebuff him, he would have let her be, but eventually
it
would have destroyed him
.
A
nd he could not be certain that he would not have eventually snapped and come back for her anyway, taking her by force.
Something he knew would be a very bad thing, especially with his growing fear for her safety residing inside of him. Not to mention his growing fear over what Cassie might truly be, and what might happen to her.

   Devon
knew what he needed from her
;
the only problem was that he was beginning to fear that he may never be able to change her.

  
He didn
’
t w
ant
to tell her
about mates
, for he
worried
that she would agree to change simply for him. He wanted her to change because she wished too, because she wanted to be with him for eternity
, and because it would be safe
r
for her
.
Not because she felt obligated in order to keep him stable and happy. And he knew that she would do it too.

   Her head snapped toward him
as he emerged
, her shoulders slump
ed
in relief.
A blanket w
as wrapped around her shoulders;
her golden hair cascad
ed
around her in disheveled curls. Her face had been pale
,
but color flooded into it the minute that she saw him. “Are you hungry?” he asked softly, glancing at the clock. It was almost eight; she had slept most of the day away, something he was sure she greatly needed.
 
 

   She s
miled at him; her eyes twinkled
brightly in the dim light of the room. “Famished,” she admitted softly.

  
He smiled as he moved toward her. “Well then
,
let’s get you some food.”

  
Taking hold of her hand, he helped her to her feet. He searched her face, looking for any sign that he had hurt her in some way
by
tak
ing
her blood
. He had taken more than he should have, more than he had intended, but she had tasted so good, and been so willing that he had become lost in
her
,
and the pleasure that she gave him
.
Her love had enfolded him, ensnaring him in a web that he had
feared
he would not be
able to break free from. But he had controlled himself far better than he had thought he
c
ould.
Though, he was beginning to
realize that when it came to her, he was able to do anything.

   “Are you feeling ok?”

   She nodded, glancing up at him from under her long
dark
lashes. “I feel perfectly fine.
Stop worrying so much.
”
Pulling the blanket from her shoulders she dropped it back on the bed. “Is everyone else downstairs?”

   “Yes.” She
nodded; a troubled look crossed
her delicate features. “What’s wrong?”

   She shook her head, flashing him a fleeting grin. “
I just hope they’re not mad at me.”

   “Of course they’re not.”

   “I treated them badly.”

  “They understand Cassie.”

   “I hope so.”

 
She moved slowly past him, gathering clothes before disappearing into the bathroom. W
aiting
patiently
he sat on the edge of the bed until she retu
rned. The black turtleneck she wore highlighted her creamy complexion and golden hair, while clinging to her lithe
figure.
Even with the weight she had lost, she was still curvaceous.
He hiked an eyebrow
marveling at her beauty
as she moved gracefully across the room
to
grab hold of her hair brush.

   She was amazing. He rose slowly, coming up behind her as she finished brushing her hair. Her eyes caught his
in the mirror, a small smile play
ed
across her
full
mouth. He pulled down the collar of her turtleneck, his body tighten
ed
at the sight of the two marks
on her neck.
His
marks.

   A thrill of possession raced through him.
She was his completely
,
and always
, even if he could not change her
.
He touched the
marks
lightly
,
resting his fingertips
gently
against them. She winced slightly, the wounds still fresh
and sore
. “I can get rid of those for you,” he said softly.

   He should have done it to begin with. Should have closed the wounds immediately, but he had liked the idea of her bearing his mark.
He h
ad wanted her
to have them for a little longer. But
now that she was going back into the world, it would be safer for all of them if he closed the wounds.

   Cassie smiled at
him
, her hand rested
lightly over his. “That’s o
k, I like knowing they’re there, and they probably won’t be there long. I heal…
”

   “Fast,” he finished for her, hating the reminder of the special, frightening abilities she did possess.
  
She smiled innocently at him in the mirror; she had no idea the direction his thoughts had taken.
His fingers tighten
ed
slightly on her delicate neck.
He shuddered, fighting the consuming urge to pull her against him and never leave this room. She turned into him, wrapping her arms around his waist, resting her head against his chest
as she sensed his desperate need
,
and
the
fierce battle with
in
him
. His fingers entangled in her silken hair as he cradled her lightly against him.

   All of the pain and agony he had been living with for the past
couple
weeks was gone. She soothed
every ragged piece of his soul. She was everything he had ever wanted
,
and more. The rumbling of her stomach brought him back to reality.
She was hungry, and he needed to take care of her.

   R
eleasing her, he pulled
t
he turtleneck back up, gently covering the wounds. She smiled softly up at h
im, her eyes twinkling brightly. Her fingers slid easily into his, clenching briefly. He followed her out of the room, her nervousness pound
ing
against him as she fidgeted with the collar of her
shirt
.
He leaned down close to her, brushing his lips lightly
against
her cheek. “It will be ok.”
   She shot him a frightened look but nodded swiftly. Soft voices drifted from the kitchen, the scraping of silverware on plates could be heard. Cassie glanced worriedly up at him, her hand
tightened
on his as he stepped through the door, pulling her gently behind him.
She stood half behind him
,
a small tremor working through her.

   Chris, Melissa, and Dani looked up as they entered. Worry flash
ed
briefly across their faces as they glanced from her to Devon. Chris
’s eyes remained locked on
Devon’
s for a moment, his
gaze
was
questioning
before he turned his attention back to Cassie. She managed
a small smile for them, her fingers
fiddled
with her shirt once more.

   “Hi guys,” she said softly.

   “How are you feeling?” Melissa inquired anxiously.

  
“Much better.”

   Chris rose suddenly, striding across the room to her. “It’s good to have you back.”

  
He
e
nfold
ed
her in a tight bear hug
, pulling her close against him
.
Devon felt Cassie’s momentary jolt of surprise before she wrapped her arms around
Chris
. Devon took a step back, fighting the jealousy and possessive urge that surged through him.
Chris was her best friend, he knew that
.
H
ell
,
he was Devon’s best friend now, but he still didn
’
t like other men touching her, holding her.

   Cassie smiled brilliantly up at Chris as he took a step back. “It’s good to be back.”

   “You’re feeling better?
”

   “Yes. I’m sorry for the way I’ve acted,” her gaze darted to Dani and Melissa.
“To all of you.”
   Melissa was grinning from ear to ear as she hurried over to hug Cassie. “It’s ok, we understand. I’m just so happy you’re back.”

   Tears shimmered in Cassie’s e
yes as Melissa took a step away and Dani embraced her. “Are you hungry?” Chris asked anxiously. “Melissa made baked ziti, and I have to admit it’s not half bad.”

   Melissa pushed him lightly.
“Not half bad?
You’re on your third helping.”

   He grinned back at her, turning on his heel as he hurried across the kitchen, eagerly grabbing a plate. Cassie took hold of Devon’s hand again, her smile wonderfully beautiful as she made her way slowly to the island everyone had gathered around. Chris slapped an overflowing plate of food in front of her, causing her eyebrows to rise in surprise. “You’ve got a lot of catching up to do,” he explained.

   Cassie laughed s
oftly, picking up her fork
she dug in.
Devon
watched her carefully, relieved to have her back, relived to see her eating with such gusto, relieved to see that he had no
t hurt her.
He had wanted to give her a litt
le of his blood, not enough to change her, but
just
enough to
give her some strength
after the blood loss she had experienced.

   However, he had decided against it almost immediately. He wanted her to have his blood inside her, wanted to know what it would be like to have her feeding from him
.
B
ut he could not take th
e
risk
that something might happen to her if he did give her his blood
. Not when he and Luther still had no idea exactly what Cassie was.

***

   “
A
pparently they weren’t being indifferent to me because of my grandmother’s death, but because I was no longer dating you.”

   Cassie glanced up at Devon
. He stood stiffly behind her in the lunch line, refusing to leave her for even a moment, even if he didn’t eat lunch. His hand tightened on her waist, his emerald eyes disdainfully scann
ed
the cafeteria. The buzz
about her, which had died down after her
grandmother’s death,
had
now
returned tenfold.
The nasty whispers were flying rapidly around
again
. The angry glares and waves of hatred
were once more
pound
ing
against her.

   Cassie pressed tigh
ter to Devon; her hand clenched
his as the line moved slowly forward. Though she had
tried to
become accustomed to the hatred
of the students
, she still did not like it, nor did she understand it. She knew that the girls wanted Devon, but so much hatred because of jealousy was something
that
she would never understand.

   He bent low to her, his
mouth
warm as he nuzzled her neck gently through the material of her
dark green turtleneck
. Cassie shuddered pressing
tighter to him as her toes curled instantly. He nudged her gently forward as the line moved. She grabbed hold of a tray, grateful that Devon was with her. The whispers were not so bad when he was near. None of the girls wanted to
appear
catty or cruel in front of him, and
a
fter Devon had lifted Mark with one hand and slammed him into
a
wall
, n
one of the
boys
were willing to risk having
his
anger and strength turned on them.
H
is presence
also helped to keep her stable and grounded, helped to ease the pain that the cruel comments caused.