Narrowing her eyes, she scanned the dark night. The roads winding through the center of town were empty of all but a few souls mingling outside of the bars, smoking or talking loudly. Cassie watched them for a moment, knowing that they would be prime targets for Julian, though she suspected that he wanted to do more damage than they would offer. Julian wanted to attack Cassie, Chris, Melissa, and Devon. Going after high school students would be the best way to do that.
A shiver ran down Cassie’s spine, the hair on the nape of her neck stood on end as her thoughts returned once more to Dani. Turning in the other direction she studied the darkened sidewalk that led to the outskirts of town, the cemetery, and the woods. Her eyes narrowed as she strained to see as much as possible through the thick night.
Her vision blurred slightly from the pounding in her head, then suddenly snapped into sharp focus. At the far end of the sidewalk, moving slowly along, she could just barely make out the form of someone taking a right into the dark woods. A perfect target for Julian. Cassie’s heart leapt into her throat, her chest constricted as panic tore through her.
Spinning back to the restaurant, she was not surprised to see Melissa lurking by the door, trying to look preoccupied with the gumball machine. It was a machine Melissa hit up every time they left B’s and S’s, but they weren’t ready to leave. In fact, Cassie was willing to bet their food hadn’t even arrived yet. However, she could not find the energy to be annoyed. She was far too relieved to see Melissa for that.
She banged swiftly on the glass, gaining more attention than she wanted. Melissa’s eyes darted to her, widening slightly and then narrowing sharply. Cassie pointed toward the sidewalk, but didn’t wait to tell Melissa more. Turning, she sprinted past the group gathered by the picnic tables, heading swiftly toward the road.
“Hey, stay away from her you freak!” one of the boys yelled after her.
Cassie fought back a bitter laugh, they weren’t worried enough about Dani to stop her from walking home on her own, but they were worried that Cassie would bother her. She reached the sidewalk; she skidded around a corner as her sneakers briefly lost traction on the dew dampened surface.
Regaining her balance, Cassie kept her eyes locked on the woods, trying to pinpoint the exact spot where Dani had entered. A small path made its way into the forest; a few freshly broken branches snagged her attention. Bolting into the forest, Cassie tore down the path, shoving branches out of her way as she easily avoided obstacles.
A chill of apprehension raced down her spine causing goose bumps to break out on her flesh. She had placed herself in danger, she knew that, but she needed to get to Dani. She had to find the girl, she had to protect her. She had to make sure that Dani was safe before Julian arrived.
And he would arrive, she was certain of that.
***
Devon sat stiffly in the booth, agitated that he could no longer see Cassie. Melissa had volunteered to keep an eye on her, citing that her favorite gumballs were by the front door so it might not look as obvious if she went. Chris had added that Cassie would be angered and upset if she felt she was being babysat. Devon hadn’t wanted to care about that fact, her safety did come first after all, but he found himself unwilling to upset her in anyway.
So in the end he had relented, but he was not happy about it. They had sent Melissa up with two dollars and seventy five cents worth of quarters, plenty to keep her occupied for a little while. Slipping her first quarter in, Devon watched as the red ball made its way through a series of ramps, dips, traps, and holes in the intricate machine. He had to admit it was interesting to watch and he could see why Melissa liked it.
If it had been at any other point in time, he wouldn’t have minded watching the thing for awhile. But right now all he wanted was Cassie back at his side, where he knew that she was safe. He shifted uncomfortably, his gaze darting briefly to the window at his side, but he couldn’t see her from this angle. He could see a group of teenagers gathered around two tables. They were dressed in dark clothes; their hair was dyed different colors, and they had an array of piercings covering them.
The group glanced back toward the doorway, confirming that Cassie was still there as they bent close to each other, whispering softly before glancing at her again. Devon sighed heavily, running a hand through his hair as he fought the urge to stand up and storm out after her. If she wanted to be outside, fine, but he wanted her within eyesight, and where he was within arm’s reach of her.
“She’ll be fine,” Chris said softly.
Devon shot him a look, not relieved by his reassurances. He knew Cassie, she didn’t think before she acted. She just reacted. It had almost gotten her killed a couple of days ago, and he was not willing to take that chance again. Chris chuckled softly, drawing Devon’s ire and agitation back to him. “What?” he asked irritably.
Chris lifted a dark blond brow, his sapphire eyes twinkled with amusement. “It’s a relief to have someone else helping to watch over her, and to share in my frustration. I’ve been watching over her for the past seventeen years and it hasn’t been fun.”
Devon scowled at him as Chris grinned merrily (annoyingly) back. “She is stubborn,” he mumbled.
“Ha!” Chris barked loudly, chuckling softly. “That’s the understatement of the century!”
Devon found himself grinning back at the boy, amused by his easy going nature and cheer. He liked Chris, but since his vampirism had been revealed, there had remained a fierce tension between them. Mainly from Chris, as he tried to figure out if Devon could be trusted. Now it seemed as if Chris had decided to throw caution to the wind, either that, or he was going to rely on Cassie’s instincts.
“Hey guys.” Devon and Chris’s smiles faded, they exchanged a pointed look as Marcy appeared at their side. Smiling brightly, she tossed back her long, coffee colored hair. She had made a full, speedy recovery from Julian’s attack. “How are you tonight?”
Stony silence followed her question, and then Chris heaved a soft sigh. “We’re good Marcy, you?”
Marcy shrugged a dainty shoulder, her leaf green eyes scanning them. Desire radiated from her as she leaned closer. “I’m feeling better after that attack, but it was still the scariest thing ever.” She shuddered, wrapping her arms around herself. “Someone should kill that animal.”
Before they had left the hospital, Devon had altered Marcy’s memory of the attack, leaving her with a foggy recollection of a wild coyote rather than Julian. “Yes, they should,” Devon agreed his attention fully focusing on Melissa again. He really did not want to encourage more conversation with Marcy, but she was right, someone should destroy that animal. And he was going to be the one to do it.