“You don’t know?”
Dani shook her head; her skin grew paler as she began to sweat. “I don’t think I can take this smell.”
Julian glared fiercely at her, his eyes briefly flashed red. “Too bad. You helped create it, now you have to deal with it,” Cassie frowned over his harsh words, but didn’t protest them. “Now, where do we go?”
Dani stared at him for a moment, trembling slightly as sweat continued to pour down her face. Finally, she lifted a shaking arm to point straight down the hall. Julian turned quickly away, striding rapidly away. They followed silently behind, hurrying to keep up as Dani pointed him down another hall.
Cassie kept expecting to come across the source of the smell, but the halls remained clear of any blood, or human remains. But then again, they had been clear during their escape also. She knew they would not remain that way though, the horrible stench told her that much. They made another right; Cassie became painfully aware of where they were within the compound now.
Her step faltered slightly, her hand tightened upon Devon’s over her nose. Memories roared to life, threatening to swamp her within their painful depths as stared silently into the room that she had been held captive in. Across the way she could see the window that she and Julian had spoken through, the window that had helped to keep her alive.
She looked to Julian, hating the helpless feeling that swamped her once more. His eyes were hard as he stared into the room, his jaw locked tight. He turned slowly toward her, the force of his gaze burning into her, the struggle for control evident in the hard lines of his face. She could see his memories and hatred for this place burning fiercely in his eyes.
Devon moved closer to her, pressing his hand tighter to her as he leaned over her to look into the room. He stepped slightly into the doorway, glancing rapidly around before turning his attention back to her. She lowered her gaze from his, unable to meet it as unreasonable shame and terror flooded her. Though she tried hard to fight against it, memories of her and Julian’s torment assaulted her. Pulling her against him, Devon wrapped his arms tighter around her, his hand wrapped through her hair as he cradled her head. Cassie burrowed against him, trying hard to keep a firm hold on herself as she stared into the tiny cell that had been her home.
Chris was watching her intently, a sad look in his caring eyes. Cassie hugged Devon harder, closing her eyes as she savored in his hard strength. He kissed her forehead roughly, pressing his lips against her for a long moment. A shudder ran through him, his hands tightened upon her. Cassie could sense the unraveling control and anger suffusing him.
“You will never know anything like this again,” he vowed in a harsh whisper.
She nodded as she took a deep breath. Gathering her courage, she hugged him again and stepped away. They had to get out of here before she unraveled completely, or before any remaining creature’s lurking within this place discovered their presence. Devon placed his hand gently over her mouth again, holding her firmly as they moved further down the hall.
***
Devon’s senses were on high alert as they continued to make their way rapidly along, searching for any hint of danger. He would not allow anything bad to happen to Cassie again while they were down here. He would not allow anything bad to happen to her ever again, he would die first. Anger coursed through him as he recalled that sterile little cell she had been held captive in, imprisoned in, tortured in. He didn’t want to think about the misery these people had caused her. That Dani had caused her.
He glanced sharply at the small girl, fighting the urge to rip her traitorous throat out as they turned another corner. He knew that it was not entirely Dani that had his killer instincts so aroused, or what had been done to Cassie, but also the harsh scent of death in the air. It was both enticing and repulsive. The demon in him was thrilled and excited by the mayhem and destruction that had gone on here. The man was completely repulsed by it.
He pulled Cassie closer, savoring in her sweet scent as he nuzzled her hair gently. He drew on the strength that she always brought to him as he tried to suppress the thrumming bloodlust inside him. He could still smell something off in her blood, and knew now that it was more than just the drugs they had pumped into her, but also Julian’s blood inside of her. Devon shuddered at the reminder, trying to keep himself under control as he searched past the strange scent inside of her to find her own wonderfully sweet smell thrumming just beneath the surface. Her heart was swiftly beginning to filter out the awful remnants lingering within her.
Julian stopped suddenly, his eyes widened, and his hands fisted as he glared into another room. Devon was certain they had come across Julian’s cell, but when Cassie began to tremble too he knew that it was something more. Chris’s eyes widened, his mouth dropped as he gaped into the darkness. The color drained from his face as he turned slowly back to Cassie, horror, sympathy, disgust, and pain was etched onto his youthful features.
Devon’s chest clenched; whatever they had come across had to be totally awful judging by the look on Chris’s face. Devon stepped slowly forward, trying to block Cassie’s view of the room as he peered into the darkness. He noticed the table first, the straps hanging off the bottom, side, and top of it. Straps that would be used to hold down a person’s feet, wrists, and head. Straps that were extremely thick and painful looking, straps that he knew had been used to keep Julian and Cassie pinned to that table.
Then he noticed the thing hanging from the ceiling like some twisted electronic snake. There were electrodes dangling from a thick metal rod. Devon had never seen anything like it before, but it was apparent that it was an electrical conductor of some sort. A conductor designed to send a vast amount of electricity into a person, or vampire. Designed to send a vast amount of electricity into Cassie.
When he had fed from her, he had glimpsed part of what she had gone through in here, seen some of her pain and suffering, and fear and loss. He had understood the depth and purity of her feelings for Julian, understood her trust and love of him, even though she hadn’t. He had seen so many things, but he had never truly seen the full amount of torture that they had put her through. Never fully glimpsed the torment she had suffered at the hands of these monsters.
And he would kill them for it. Rage burned hotly through him, searing his veins, it throbbed painfully in his skin. He would destroy every one of the people that had harmed her in here. He turned slowly toward Dani, his rage escalating higher as he glared fiercely at the girl, wanting nothing more than to rip her to shreds with his bare hands.