“That solved things,” Melissa muttered, shaking her head. “I’ll get you some ice.”
“Are you ok?” Dani asked softly as Melissa hurried from the room.
Chris nodded; color heated his face as he kept his gaze diverted. Melissa returned to the room with a towel wrapped in ice. Gently, she wrapped Chris’s hand in it, shaking her head at him. “Next time don’t blame it on the wall.”
He gave her a small smile, nodding as he took the towel from her. “So what do we do?” Melissa inquired as she returned to her place by the mantle.
“I’ve made some phone calls; I have a safe place for the five of you to go.”
“The five of us, what about you?” Cassie demanded sharply.
He shook his head. “Someone needs to stay here. They will come here for you, but they won’t stay here long if you’re gone. But they will stay for a bit, and they will cause some damage. Someone needs to be here to stop them.”
“Absolutely not!” Cassie declared forcefully. “I will not leave you here alone to fight against them. You may be strong Devon, but you are not that strong!”
“Cassie…”
“No! No, I have lost so much. I cannot lose you too, it would destroy me!” The very thought of it caused something to twist and turn inside her. She wanted to curl up into a ball at the same time that she wanted to destroy everything in sight. It was a feeling that she realized was very dangerous to her, to all of them now. “We are not leaving Devon.”
“It will only be for a little bit, and it is best that you are not here right now. Not until you can get a better grip on what is going on inside of you.”
“And what if it takes over when you’re not there!?” she demanded, trembling with fear and anger, determined not to be forced from this town. They were needed here to protect people, and she could not be separated from Devon. “I can’t come back from it if you’re not there to reach me! And what if you are killed!?” Her voice was nearly hysterical now; full blown panic was beginning to set in.
“Easy Cassie,” he said gently, his voice taking on a soothing tone that only set her teeth on edge more.
“I am not a child!” she snapped. “Don’t talk to me like I am.”
He studied her for a moment, his eyes growing darker. “I know that,” he said softly. “But you have got to keep your emotions under control.”
She scowled up at him, trying to keep her anger, frustration, and terror in check. It aggravated her that he was right, but she refused to act like a child. “You can’t stay here alone.”
He nodded, pulling her close he dropped a hard kiss on her forehead, clinging to her for a long moment. “I have figured something out.”
“Devon…”
“Cassie your safety is the most important thing. All of your safety is.”
“Where do you want us to go?” Chris demanded.
Devon pulled slowly away from her, his hand wrapped around the back of her head as he wound his fingers gently through her hair and held her tight. “You would agree to leave?” he asked softly.
Chris stared hard at Cassie for a moment before nodding slowly. “If The Commission and vampires come for Cassie, we can’t stop them all. We won’t be enough. The last thing that I want to do is leave, the people here…” he shook his head; his gaze darted briefly to the window. “We can’t leave them unprotected. My mother.”
“I’ll make sure they’re safe.”
“And what about your safety?” Cassie demanded, unwilling to concede to his wishes yet, unwilling to leave him here while they were exiled.
“I’ll have help,” he murmured.
“Who?” Melissa inquired. “If we go, who will you have to help you?”
Devon stroked the back of her head, his eyes pleading with her for understanding. Cassie frowned at him, confusion swirled through her. “I called Annabelle and Liam.” Cassie’s eyes widened, her mouth parted slightly as her breath left her on a soft gasp. “They’re on their way.”
“What!?” she gasped.
“Who are Annabelle and Liam?” Melissa asked her delicate brow furrowing in confusion as she glanced swiftly between the two of them.
“Annabelle is a vampire that I created,” Devon said softly, his eyes locked on Cassie’s.
She could see the silent plea in his gaze to be ok with this, to understand. She couldn’t find the words to reassure him though, she didn’t know how to. She didn’t know how she felt about it. He had once thought himself in love with Annabelle, she was the reason that he no longer fed on humans. And though Cassie knew that he was completely in love with her, and had never truly loved Annabelle she still couldn’t help but feel unsettled and confused.
“And they’re coming here?” Dani asked quietly.
“Yes. Liam will stay here with me, you will go with Annabelle.”
Cassie gaped at him, her heart turned over as panic filled her. “Devon…”
“It’s for the best Cassie. They have a place farther up north where you can all stay until this has blown over. Until we can figure out something better.”
“And if I lose control again?” she whispered.
“Annabelle is a healer; she may be able to pull you back.”
“That is a good possibility,” Luther agreed softly.
Cassie wanted to protest, she wanted to cry. She wanted to absolutely refuse to leave his side. But she couldn’t find the words, and she knew that they would only fall upon deaf ears. “When are they coming?” Melissa asked softly.
“They were leaving Pennsylvania at sunset; hopefully they’ll be here by morning.”
“My grandmother’s home, her things…”
“I’ll make sure everything is taken care of Cassie, I promise. Nothing bad will happen to your home.”
Cassie turned away from him; her gaze darted over the living room. This was the only home she had ever known, all of her things were here. All of her grandmother’s things were here. She blinked back the tears burning her eyes, trying hard to keep them from spilling over. She would come back here, one day, she would come back.
“And if my mother wishes to stay behind?” Chris asked softly.
“I will watch over her too,” Devon said briskly.
Cassie instantly began to protest. “But this town, these people…”
“Will be safe. I am an Elder and Liam is a powerful vampire in his own right. If The Commission comes, they will not stay long if they realize that you are gone. They will not be a threat, neither will other vampire’s. Not when they realize that only Liam and I are here.”