“What could have happened?”
He grinned down at Cassie, brushing a strand of her golden hair gently off her face. Her eyes melted, warming as they filled with love. Love for him. His hand stilled on her cheek, he was lost to the beauty and wonder of her. It was not only her outer beauty that entranced him, but also the pure wonder of her soul. She was the strongest, most giving, and loving person that he had ever encountered, and he had encountered far more people than he would have liked in his long life. And far too many of them had not been good.
She leaned into his touch, her silken cheek nestling against his cupped palm. Dark lashes curled against her cheeks as she closed her eyes, reveling in the feel of him. Devon had to force himself to recall the other people in the room, for he wanted nothing more than to take her upstairs and curl up with her, holding her tight as he kept her safe. But he could not do that, not now.
“Like I said, I don’t have all the answers. There are many mysteries in life that are never explained.”
Cassie’s eyes fluttered open, her long lashes brushed against the palm of his hand. A shiver of want raced down his spine, leaving his control and restraint shaken. The demon in him wanted nothing more than to drain every drop of her spectacular blood, and the man wanted nothing more than to know her in every possible way.
He shuddered, struggling to retain control of himself. “It’s still very strange,” she said softly, her husky voice washing over him.
“Yes,” he managed to grate out.
“That’s also about the time that Cassie really started to withdraw,” Chris pondered.
“Yes,” Melissa agreed, folding her arms over her chest, her eyebrows drawn tightly together.
“Hey,” Cassie said sharply. “I’m right here.”
Melissa focused on her, her frown intense. “I think I had a vision of Devon because I was afraid that we would lose you. I think I was granted that vision to ease my fears about you, and your future. And it did help.”
“Could have told me,” Chris mumbled.
“I didn’t know what he was,” Melissa reminded him.
“Yeah, I guess.”
Cassie rolled her eyes, shaking her head at the two of them. “So what do we do about Julian?” she asked, though she tried hard, Devon could still hear the undercurrent of fear in her voice. His free hand clenched tight at the reminder of the brutality she had experienced last night. A brutality inflicted upon her by a monster he had helped to create, and would destroy.
“We don’t do anything. If you insist upon staying then there is nothing that I can do about that, but you are to stay away from him.” Anger flashed through her violet blue eyes, she opened her mouth to protest, but he cut her swiftly off. “You cannot defeat him Cassie, he will kill you, and I cannot allow that to happen. I cannot lose you.”
Her lush mouth parted slightly, the anger faded from her eyes. Biting her lower lip, she managed a small nod as she turned away from him. “The three of you are to stay by me from now on.”
All of their eyes snapped to him again, he could feel the anger and defiance radiating from them. “What?” Chris barked.
Devon met his hostile gaze, impressed by the courage the kid possessed. He hadn’t backed down once. “Julian will come after you, hard. If he catches you alone, or without me, you won’t have a shot of surviving.”
Chris’s hands fisted, a muscle twitched in his cheek as he clenched his jaw tight. “He’s right,” Cassie’s grandmother said, probably hoping to ward off a fight. “You must stay safe; Devon can help protect you from him.”
“The three of us…”
“Are no match.” The older woman unraveled her legs and climbed gracefully to her feet. “Until this is taken care of, you will be safe, and you will stick by Devon. And there will be no arguments on the matter.”
He was not surprised when they remained silent, sullen, but silent. Cassie’s grandmother was small, but she bore an air of authority that brooked no room for argument. He wouldn’t even argue with her, and because of that, he was glad she was on his side. “Now, I think that it’s time for Cassie to rest.”
“I’m fine grandma.”
Her sky blue eyes narrowed slightly, her hands went to her hips. “You are going to rest.”
Devon fought back a smile. “I’ll help you upstairs.”
Cassie frowned fiercely at him as she shook her head. “I am perfectly capable of walking upstairs on my own.”
“Let him help you Cassandra,” her grandmother interjected.
Cassie’s teeth locked tight, but she didn’t argue further. Releasing her cushion, she went to rise, but he moved swiftly forward, sweeping her easily up. She gasped softly, her fingers curling into the nape of his neck. Her look of irritation swiftly vanished as a small smile played across her full mouth. Playing with the hair at the nape of his neck, she curled tight against him. Her lithe body fit perfectly against his, her soft curves pressing tight to him. Her head rested against his shoulder, the heady scent of her filled his nostrils.
His hands tightened around her, he cradled her gently as he swiftly left the room. He was suddenly desperate to escape for a bit. He needed to hunt, needed to fill himself with blood, and he needed to regain complete control of himself. Though he was loath to do it, he needed to separate from her until he was sure that she would be safe around him.
He maneuvered her gently in his arms to open the door to her room. He knew her room well now, but it still surprised him that it was not decorated with posters, and pictures, like most teenagers rooms. The only picture in the room was that of her parents, she had never told him that was who the picture was of, but she looked a lot like the blond woman in it. The room was also completely spotless, everything neatly put in its place. He suspected that the chaos of her life outside of this room made her want to keep everything within it neatly ordered and meticulous. This room was one of the few things that she could control.
He placed her gently on the bed, hating to part with her for even a second, but knowing that he had to. If he stayed much longer he would become a danger to her. He kissed her forehead lightly, savoring in her sweet scent. “I have to go for a little bit.”
Fear flashed through her eyes, her hand briefly tightened upon him. He hated the vulnerability and alarm that suffused her, but her encounter with Julian had left her shaken, and rattled. From what he had seen of her, she didn’t fear anything. In fact, she was recklessly fearless, far too much so for his liking. Then, she buried the fear, jutted her chin out and nodded briskly.