“Cassie,” he breathed reverently.
Wrapping his arms around her, he pulled her against him, wonder filling him as his hand tightened in her tangled hair. She felt so wonderful, so warm, and alive, and solid. And in his arms again, where she belonged, where she would always belong. He fought back the tears of relief that threatened to fall. More tears escaped her; she clung tighter to him, her small fingers digging into his back. She was the most magnificent thing he had ever felt, the most wonderful thing he had ever hoped to feel. Closing his eyes, he pulled her tighter against him, burying his face in her silky hair.
“Cassie,” he groaned, clinging tighter to her as her sobs increased and she tried even harder to get closer to him.
“I was beginning to fear I would never see you again!” she moaned, her slender frame shaking with the force of her tears. “I was afraid I’d lost you!”
He pulled slightly back from her, wanting only to look at her again, but the moment he saw her cherished face he knew he couldn’t stop himself. He cupped her face tightly, gently wiping the tears from her cheeks as he bent his head to hers. She gasped slightly, and then a small moan of pleasure escaped her as he seized hold of her mouth, taking fierce possession of it.
Her arms wrapped around his neck, her fingers entangled in his hair as she held him tight. He had never forgotten how wonderful and right she felt, but the memories of their last touch paled in comparison to actually holding her again. She eagerly met his kiss, her tongue entwining with his, her body melding to his. He lifted her up, crushing her against him as he cradled the back of her head gently, savoring in everything about her.
He wanted more of her, needed more of her. He had nearly lost her; he had been without her for so long that he was on the brink of losing complete control now that he had her again. He was closer to completely snapping and changing her than he ever had been before. If he changed her, he would never have to lose her again; never have to part from her again. He would be able to find her anywhere, and she would be immortal, safe from death, and far stronger than she was now. He pulled away from her, his head dropping into the hollow of her neck as he struggled to keep his wildly swaying emotions, and body, under control.
He didn’t care that they were standing in a road, in the middle of nowhere. He didn’t care that at his back was the man who had once been his best friend, but was now his greatest enemy. He didn’t even care that there was an unknown amount of monsters in the woods around them. All he cared about was holding her, touching her, possessing her. All he cared about was having her with him again. All he wanted was to taste her again, to savor in her blood to join with her, and to feel her in every possible way.
Her hands cradled his face gently as she pulled slowly away from him. Her fingers stroked over his cheeks as she gently kissed him once more, her soft lips lingering on his as she tried to ease the tension within him. She had always known him so well, always known when the beast inside was on the verge of taking control, always known how to soothe him and comfort him, and she did so now. “I love you,” she whispered, her mouth brushing lightly against his. “So very much.”
He kissed her again, cradling her neck softly as he struggled to control the monster inside of him. “I love you.”
His body pulsed with excitement as she opened her eyes to his. They were the spectacular violet blue color that he remembered and loved so dearly. “Your eyes aren’t red anymore,” he whispered, surprised and baffled by the sudden change.
She grinned up at him as he wiped a few streaks of blood from her delicate cheeks. Even dirty and bedraggled she was the most exquisite thing he had ever seen. “Neither are yours.”
Devon blinked in surprise. It had been almost two weeks since his eyes had been normal. Two long weeks since he’d had enough control over himself to keep the demon inside him securely locked away. It had been weeks since he had not seen the bright red eyes of a monster staring back at him whenever he caught a glimpse of his reflection. Her presence alone made him more of a man, and less of a monster. She made the man in him stronger, and more stable, than the demon that constantly lurked beneath his surface always wanting to break free.
He wondered if his presence helped to do the same thing for her. But why would her eyes be red when she was still in complete control of herself? Why would her eyes be red if her body wasn’t trying to turn into something else? What had been done to her? Where had she been? He wondered fearfully as he continued to stroke her face, savoring in the delicious feel of her. It had been far too long since he had been able to touch her, hold her; smell her. He just hoped that she had not been gone from him for too long, that she had not been changed beyond repair; that she was the same Cassie he had lost.
Though, he knew that he could not expect her to be the same. He didn’t know what had been done to her, but from the looks of her now, she had been through hell and back. He inhaled deeply, anger spiking through him as he caught the scent of her blood. It was not the same sweet scent that he remembered. There was something different about it. Something tangy and wrong. And beneath it all, he could smell Julian.
He tried to control his emotions, tried to keep them hidden from her, but jealousy and rage were beginning to fill him once more. What the hell had they done to her in there? What had they given her to cause her blood to smell so off, and her eyes to change without her losing control of herself? Why did he smell Julian on her? Was it because they had been together, or had something more been done?
He glanced at Julian, his eyes narrowing slightly as he studied him. Julian remained impassive; his face a mask of indifference, but Devon could sense the underlying tension and pain running through him. Julian was trying to be stoic, but it was obvious that whatever had happened with them, Julian had also been changed by it.
Cassie’s fingers stroked lightly over his cheeks, drawing his attention back to her. She smiled at him so beautifully that he forgot all about the strange scent clinging to her, and his worry over Julian. All he could think about now was her, and how wonderful it was to have her again, to hold her again. All he could do was hope that he could ease whatever torment she had been through, and that she could forgive him for losing her in the first place.
“We should probably get off the street,” she said softly.
He couldn’t help but grin at her as he pulled her close, kissing her nose gently. “Yes.”
He wrapped his arms around her before stooping to pick her swiftly up. She didn’t make a sound as she entwined her arms around his neck, snuggling closer. Her breath was warm against his skin, her body fit perfectly against his as she buried her face against him.