But to live on the streets, struggling to survive, trying to raise a baby was something that she could not even begin to fathom. It must have been horrifying and completely terrifying. Her heart ached for him, and she began to understand why his hatred was so entrenched. “That must have been awful,” she said gently.
Joey’s fierce gaze snapped to her, his eyes narrowed with hatred. Devon shifted, his casual stance forgotten as he stepped away from the doorway. “Awful doesn’t begin to describe it!” Joey snapped, fury radiating from every inch of him. It was that anger that had Devon on the defensive, though there was little he could do since he couldn’t enter the apartment. “You know nothing of what I went through.”
“We all had a hard time of it.” Chris was trying to defuse the situation though he looked almost as agitated as Devon.
Joey snorted in disgust, tugging at his hair as he ran his hand tensely through it once more. “It must have been really hard for you with your homes, and your families.”
“Joey,” Dani said softly, looking embarrassed and discomfited by her brother’s attitude. “They lost their families too.”
“Not all of them!” Joey snapped out, his gaze disdainfully raking Chris before turning on Cassie. A low growl emitted from Devon, his hands fisted at his sides as he glared fiercely at Joey. “I told you, animals,” he sneered in disgust at Devon.
“Cassie come here,” Devon ordered forcefully.
She wanted to bristle at his commanding tone, but he was near his snapping point. Though he could not enter the apartment, she was greatly afraid he would tear the building down if she didn’t go to him. Glancing anxiously back and forth between him and Joey, she was uncertain what she should do. She didn’t want to alienate Joey any further, they would need him, but she didn’t want Devon’s control tested anymore than it already was. Devon was afraid that Joey would hurt her, and it frustrated him that there was nothing he could do if Joey attacked one of them. He hated feeling helpless, and she was the only one that could ease that feeling, and reassure him that she was safe.
Confusion tore through her as she glanced helplessly at Luther, seeking some sort of guidance from the man who had been very much like a father to her. He gave a subtle nod toward Devon, though his eyes did not leave Joey as he continued to pace restlessly. For the first time she noticed that Chris had been moving closer to Melissa and Luther, a distrusting gleam shone in his eyes.
It was Chris’s reaction that upset her most. He didn’t trust Joey.
“Cassie,” Devon growled again.
Joey glared at her as she moved away from the back of the old couch, edging her way toward the door. The moment she was partly past the frame, Devon seized hold of her hand, pulling her sharply outside. She gave him a disgruntled look that he chose to ignore as he pushed her behind him.
“Devon,” she said angrily, not at all liking being relegated to the back.
He didn’t even look at her, nor did he move. Cassie nudged him as she stepped around his back. He put his arm in front of her, slamming it against the doorframe as he shot her a fierce look, his eyes briefly flaring a ruby red. “No!”
Cassie blinked in surprise, she had seen his eyes red before, but it had never been directed at her. Though she knew he would never hurt her, he would hurt someone else if he lost control. Swallowing heavily, Cassie rested a hand on his arm, hoping to ease some of his tension. “I’m not going back in,” she assured him, keeping her voice low so that Joey couldn’t hear her.
He relaxed slightly, his hand falling away from the frame, though he did not allow her to go any further past him. Joey was glaring at her as if she were the worst form of human life, a distasteful thing that he wanted to stomp. Despite her intention to stand her ground, Cassie found herself taking a small step back from the anger and hate blasting against her.
Devon bristled, the corded muscles of his arms stood out sharply as his hands fisted. His back was ramrod straight, the jagged tears in his shirt revealed that though blood still stained his back, the vicious wounds had completely healed. Cassie found herself fascinated by his amazing, shocking, healing abilities. Though, she was slightly unnerved by the sharp reminder that he was anything but human.
“I think you should all leave,” Joey said briskly.
“Joey!” Dani cried her distress obvious as she leapt off the couch. “They’re like us! We’ve found others. That’s what we’ve been searching for, hoping for. You can’t send them away.”
“They are not like us Dani, they’re traitors.”
Dani glanced wildly around the room before her eyes landed pleadingly on her big brother. “No they aren’t! No, Cassie came after me. She came after me to help me. She was frightened for me; she was trying to save me! If they hadn’t come, I would have died. The real monster is still out there!”
He shook his head, his jaw set, and his eyes hard. “I don’t want them here. I want nothing to do with people that have aligned themselves with our enemy.”
Dani seized hold of his arm, frantic to get through to him. “He saved her Joey!” she cried, jabbing a finger at Devon. “He put himself in between her and that thing out there. He put his own life in danger to save her!”
Joey threw her hand off, disgust radiating from him. “I don’t care,” he snarled. “They both should have died.”
“Don’t you ever say anything like that again!” Devon bellowed, taking a fierce step forward, only to be blocked by an invisible wall of air.
Cassie grabbed hold of his arm, squeezing tight as she tried to calm him. His body thrummed with tension, his hands fisted at his sides. Glancing back at her, he seemed to relax slightly but it would not take much for him to snap. “I told you, nothing but animals,” Joey spat.
“No, you’re wrong Joey, you’re wrong.” Tears streamed down Dani’s face as she stared hopelessly at her brother.
Cassie’s heart ached for Dani, the girl was desperate to find acceptance, a family, anything. She was desperate to get through to her brother and make him see her need. Though Cassie wanted to go to her, to comfort her, she knew that it would be the worst thing she could do. Devon would go crazy if she was not near him, and Joey would not react kindly to her presence in his home again.
“That’s enough Dani!” he snapped. “All of you get out of my house.”
“Let’s go,” Luther said softly, gently nudging Melissa toward the door. “I’m sorry that we have upset you. But I want you to know that we are here if you change your mind and wish to join us.”