Chris shifted slightly. He was still not completely relaxed, tension hummed through him, but at least he didn’t look as if he were going to attack anymore. “I can read people.”
“And?” Devon asked quietly.
Chris’s eyes narrowed slightly. “I know what they are when I meet them. Good, bad, indifferent to life. I know what they are inside. I know what they are feeling,” he said defiantly.
Devon chose to ignore his tone, tired of bickering with the kid. It wasn’t getting either of them anywhere, and it was upsetting Cassie. “And what am I inside?” he asked quietly.
Chris shook his head. “I don’t know,” he admitted slowly. “I never really picked anything up from you. There was always a sort of blank surrounding you, except for when it came to Cassie.”
Devon frowned fiercely; his gaze darted back to Cassie. She sat stiffly upon the couch, her hand clenched tightly on the throw pillow she had retrieved; her golden hair shielded most of her delicate features from him. “What did you sense then?” Devon asked softly.
Chris shifted again. It was apparent that he did not want to divulge everything either. Then, with a small shrug, he seemed to decide that it was not all that important anyway. “I could sense how much you cared for her, how much she meant to you.”
Devon’s frown deepened. Bowing his head, he began to rub the bridge of his nose, trying to puzzle through what they were telling him. They shouldn’t have been able to get anything off of him. But where Cassie was involved, they were somehow able to pick things up. She was staring up at him, her astonishing eyes wide and questioning as she studied him.
“What’s wrong?” she asked softly.
He shook his head, dropping his hand to take hold of hers once more. “And what can you do?” he asked softly.
Her frown deepened, a strange flicker passed through her eyes. “Nothing. I have no abilities.”
Shock coursed through him. She possessed the most powerful blood he had ever tasted. From just a few precious drops he was stronger, faster, his senses sharper. He felt like he could conquer the world. She had to possess some abilities, her blood was too impressive and wonderful not to.
It made no sense.
A wounded look crossed her features; he could feel her starting to withdraw from him. “Are you sure about that?” he inquired, unable to believe it was true.
She gave him a dark look. “Yes, I’m sure,” she said flatly.
“Cassie is an outstanding fighter,” Luther interjected quickly. “Maybe the best to ever come out of the Hunter line.”
She quirked an eyebrow as she studied her Guardian. “Being able to kill well is not a gift, or ability.”
Luther’s gaze was sad and sympathetic, but his jaw was set in determination. “It is. It’s just a different one than what Chris and Melissa have.”
“Killing, being fast and strong with enhanced senses is a natural ability of all Hunter’s, not just me.”
Luther sighed softly as he gave a brief nod. “True.”
She turned back to Devon, a strange hopelessness in her usually bright eyes. “I’ve seen what Chris and Melissa go through though. I’m glad I don’t have to deal with the burdens that they do.”
Devon nodded slowly, his mind spinning as he tried to place all the pieces of the puzzle together. She had no abilities but she was powerful, he could feel that, he had tasted it. But no matter the power he could sense pouring out of her now, he had not been able to detect it until her blood had been spilled. Somehow he had been unable to perceive what any of them were until he had been slapped in the face with it.
Though, he suspected that he had been too blinded by his feelings for Cassie to realize that they were Hunter’s. He had not wanted to see the truth, for if he had, he never would have gotten the chance to know her. To love her. The thought was shocking, he had never loved before, and yet the realization was not a surprise.
He had loved her since the first moment he’d seen her, he suspected that he had loved her before he’d even met her. If Melissa had received a premonition of him, then it was quite possible that he had been destined to find her, and although he had never believed in that kind of thing before, it felt right in this situation. It felt right with Cassie.
No, he had not wanted to see the truth about them, even though all the evidence had been laid out before him. It would have been rather easy to put it all together, he had simply chosen not to.
“Why can’t we read you?” Melissa blurted unable to bite her tongue any longer.
Devon couldn’t help but smile as he shook his head at her. “My power, and abilities, keeps you blocked.”
Melissa frowned at him, her eyes narrowing fiercely. She apparently felt that he was not answering her question. “What do you mean?” Cassie asked softly, her delicate eyebrows furrowed in confusion.
He couldn’t help but smile down at her, loving her puzzled expression. “My powers are much stronger than any of the vampires that you have come across. I have learned to keep people blocked out, especially Hunter’s. It’s an ability that has helped to keep me alive for a long time.”
“But I had a premonition of you!” Melissa insisted. “I saw you!”
Devon’s gaze darted to Cassie. “I don’t understand exactly how it all works, but I have a feeling your premonition probably had more to do with Cassie than me.”
“With me?” Cassie inquired.
“When it comes to you, my guard is down more; my humanity is stronger and more intense.” Cassie’s eyes softened, she relaxed slightly as she gazed silently up at him.
“But that vision was two years ago,” Melissa said softly.
Cassie’s mouth dropped, she blinked in surprise as she spun toward Melissa. “Two years!?” she squeaked. “You kept this from me for two years!?”
Melissa nodded absently, drumming her fingers along the mantle, her expression thoughtful and distant. “Yeah, you wouldn’t have wanted to know anyway.” Cassie was still frowning fiercely, but she nodded her agreement as she settled back slightly. “Why would I receive that one two years ago, when you didn’t even know Cassie then?”
Devon shrugged, shaking his head as he met Cassie’s startled gaze. “I don’t have all the answers. Maybe it was fate that I was supposed to meet her, maybe something happened two years ago that allowed a vision to slip through. I simply don’t know.”