“Stubborn, foolish boy,” her grandmother whispered, her eyes dark and distant once more. “There will be no changing his mind though.”
“No, there won’t,” Devon and Chris agreed simultaneously. They shot each other an amused look before Chris’s attention was once more diverted by food.
Her grandmother’s eyes snapped back to blue as she pinned Devon with her intent gaze. “If you continue to hang out with our kind, I am sure that you will find that some of them will feel the same way. Though, there are so few left I doubt you will meet many more. It’s a miracle that they even moved into the same town as us. Imagine the odds.”
“They move frequently, it was probably only a matter of time before they stumbled upon Cape Cod,” Luther said softly. “But yes, the odds are astronomical. I do wonder what the brother is capable of, considering the power that his sister possesses.”
Cassie sat back, trying hard not to contemplate what that angry, hate filled man could do. Though she felt that if it was anything as destructive as Dani’s ability, he would have used it today, wouldn’t he? Her glance darted worriedly to Devon, he was exceptionally powerful, but Dani’s power had left him vulnerable and wounded. What if it happened again, but this time they weren’t there to keep him safe from someone that wanted to hurt him?
“What happened today won’t happen again,” he told her. Cassie frowned fiercely at him as he grinned at her. “I don’t have to be able to read minds to know what you’re thinking, you wear your thoughts. Dani’s power knocked me and Julian out today because neither of us expected it. I was not prepared to defend myself against her, and neither was he. If I run into her or her brother again, I will be better prepared. She won’t knock me out next time, she may give me a good blow, but she won’t knock me out.”
Cassie sighed in relief. “I don’t think Dani meant to hurt you.”
“No, she didn’t,” Chris said emphatically. “She felt pretty bad about it. Her brother though, he wanted to hurt you. All of us actually.”
Devon bristled, striding forward he sat beside Cassie, taking hold of her hand. “They’ll leave,” Luther said. “Probably already packing their things now. What a waste,” he mumbled sorely disappointed that he was not going to have the opportunity to train Dani.
“I feel bad for her,” Cassie said softly. “She wanted so badly to stay, to be a part of something.”
“Maybe we’ll run into her someday in the future, but for now, she is not a part of this group and we must come to that sad realization.” Her grandmother rose to her feet, smoothing her pants as she looked them over. “This is a pretty powerful group here though.”
“Yes it is,” Luther agreed. “And I suppose it’s time that we finally have that conversation.”
Cassie and Chris exchanged sullen frowns. “Just let me get dinner out of the oven first,” her grandmother announced, breezing easily out of the room.
“I’ll help you,” Cassie offered.
Her grandmother waved her back, shaking her head firmly. “Sit, you need a break. I’ve got it.”
Cassie leaned back in the loveseat, resting her head on Devon’s shoulder. No one spoke as they listened to the noises coming from the kitchen. Silverware clinked, cabinets opened and closed as her grandmother hurried around. She reappeared in the doorway, carrying two big plates of steaming, delicious looking food. Chris and Melissa eagerly accepted their plates, Chris nearly salivating at the mound of meat and potatoes on his. Melissa had a big slice of vegetable lasagna on her plate.
“You drop any of that on my carpet and you’re going into the dining room,” her grandmother scolded Chris.
Chris nodded, but he didn’t respond as he dropped the plate to the table and began to wolf it down. “Could you at least eat like a human being?” Melissa asked quietly.
“I’m hungry,” he retorted.
Melissa rolled her eyes, refraining from eating until everyone else had been served. Chris finally caught sight of this and slowed his onward rush to choke himself to death. Her grandmother reappeared with two more plates, handing them out to Luther and Cassie. “Thank you,” Cassie murmured.
She dug into her dinner, savoring in the wonderful taste, the eager rumbling in her stomach quieted with every bite. Devon was studying her with shrewd, questioning eyes. “You haven’t eaten today,” he said, the quiet tone of his voice not reaching beyond her.
Cassie shook her head, her gaze darting briefly around the room, but no one was paying attention to them. “No, I had a headache.”
She was surprised to realize that the headache was gone, apparently having disappeared when fear for her life had taken over. “That is no reason not to take care of yourself.”
She couldn’t meet his fierce gaze again. Protectiveness and need radiated from him. She suddenly realized that it took more than just him staying well fed, and under tight rein, to be around her. She also needed to take care of herself, and try to stay out of trouble. These things triggered his protective urges and rattled his control. If she wasn’t going to take care of herself, then he would do it for her. He would keep her out of harm’s way by making sure that she couldn’t be hurt anymore. Ever.
Grasping hold of his arm, Cassie met his stern, unsettled gaze. “I promise it won’t happen again.”
Though he relaxed slightly, tension still hummed through him, causing a muscle in his cheek to jump. He turned slowly away from her. Cassie’s heart ached for him. It took everything he had to be around her, every ounce of self restraint he had to be with her every day. It was so very apparent that he wanted more, needed more than she could give him right now, if ever.
A tight knot formed in her throat as tears burned her eyes; her appetite vanished even though she had barely taken a bite. She loved him so very much, but it was not enough. It would never be enough, because she could not give him everything that he needed from her. For the first time she fully realized the finality of their love. Deep down she had still been holding out hope that they would somehow get through all of this without losing too much, and with her still being human.
She realized now that that was not going to be possible. She either joined him, or they ended this. At the moment she didn’t know which was worse.
Devon turned back to her, his eyebrows drawing questioningly together, his gaze darting to her barely touched food. Cassie swallowed heavily, dropping her head quickly before he could see the hopelessness engulfing her. Though she was no longer hungry, she forced herself to eat, not wanting to upset him more. She could not give him everything he wanted and needed, but she would give him as much as possible.