Devon would have preferred to have Luther’s full attention, but it was more than obvious that the man was disconcerted and out of sorts at the moment. Besides, he didn’t think it would be long before he did have Luther’s undivided attention. He began to speak, telling Luther about all the bits and pieces that he had picked up about Cassie. The better than normal hearing, the above average eyesight, her exceptional healing ability. The immense speed and strength she possessed that far surpassed that of Chris and Melissa, or any other Hunter Devon had ever seen.
All of which had been explained by the fact that she didn’t possess special abilities, like most Hunter’s. Whereas most Hunter’s powers had been filtered into extrasensory powers, Cassie’s abilities were more centered upon fighting and killing. It was a fact she hated, but could not deny. And though the others were also above human in their strength, speed, and healing, they were not nearly as strong as Cassie’s. In fact, Cassie’s abilities were so acute, they almost bordered on being as finely honed as his. Something that should not have been possible considering that she was very much alive, and he was not.
And then, finally, there was the red he had seen in her eyes at the morgue, the red that had brought him here. It was a flash of red that never should have been present in her amazing eyes. Not unless she was a vampire, or unless there was something else going on within her. Something that none of them knew about, maybe even something that had never occurred in the history of Hunter’s before.
And the thought of that scared the hell out of him, even more so than living without her for an eternity. He could keep her safe from the dangers of the outside world, but he was greatly afraid that there may be something he could not keep her safe from.
And that was herself.
“What are you saying?”
Luther had slid onto the corner of his desk, one of the few spots not covered in books. Clutched loosely in his hand, seemingly forgotten, a book dangled from his fingertips. Devon had been right; he did have Luther’s full attention now. “What happened to the other Hunter’s like Cassie, the ones that didn’t have any abilities?”
Luther frowned as he slipped off his glasses and rubbed the bridge of his nose wearily. “I don’t know. There were only a handful of them over the years. I suppose, like all Hunter’s, they met their end while fighting. Do you suspect something different?”
Devon ran his hand through his hair as he began to pace restlessly. There was far too much pent up energy inside of him, he didn’t know what to do with it all. The more he paced the more restless and caged he felt. “I suspect that somewhere along the way something did happen to at least one of them.”
Luther sat silently for a moment, unmoving on the edge of the desk. “Like what?”
“Her eyes were red Luther.”
“The lights maybe.”
“I know what I saw,” Devon growled. “Something is not right; she’s not like the others.”
“No, she’s not, but that doesn’t mean…”
“None of the others,” he interrupted harshly. “I’ve come across many Hunter’s in my time, but none like her. You need to find out what happened to the others that didn’t possess any abilities. I think the extra power that should have gone into developing an ability like Chris, Melissa, and Dani’s has gone somewhere else.”
Luther gaped at him for a moment before sliding his glasses on. His eyes were wide behind the lenses as he blinked rapidly at Devon. “You think it’s manifested in a different way?”
“Yes.”
Luther dropped the book on the desk, leaning slightly forward as he pinched the bridge of his nose tightly in thought. “I think you may be right.”
Devon stopped pacing, turning sharply toward him. Shock coursed through him, he had wanted Luther to believe him, but he now realized that he had fully expected to be turned away. “You do?”
Luther nodded. “Yes, the power inside of Cassie is far stronger than the others. It’s much stronger than even she realizes. I’ve feared for awhile that it may be too much for her to handle, though it never occurred to me that it might manifest in the way that you are suggesting. But we can’t be positive that your theory is correct either. Not until we find out about the others like her, and then we’ll go from there.”
“You want my help in this?” Devon asked, unable to keep the shock from his voice.
Luther managed a wry grin. “Well I doubt that you’re going anywhere until Isla and Julian have been taken care of.”
“No,” Devon answered firmly.
“Good. She may not want to admit it right now, but Cassie needs you, and hopefully by the time this is all settled she will come to her senses about that.”
Devon frowned, folding his arms over his chest as he studied the smaller man. “You don’t blame me for bringing Julian and Isla here?”
“No.” Luther slid off the desk, pulling his glasses off to clean them again. “I don’t blame you; the three of them would have come up against monsters such as these eventually. The only difference is that they would be dead without you. This wasn’t your fault, Cassie will realize that soon.”
Though Luther said the words, he did not sound convinced of them and neither was Devon. They both knew that she was stubborn, and right now she was also lost and angry and devastated. “Until that happens, I have a feeling that you will need something to keep you busy.” Luther gestured around the room. “We’ll start here; I know a fair amount of these books, but certainly not all of them. If the answers aren’t here, then we’ll look elsewhere. I don’t want the others to know about this though. There’s no need to worry them when we’re not certain if there’s even anything to find.”
“I understand.”
Devon glanced at all of the books; they would definitely keep him preoccupied. Even if they didn’t keep his mind completely off of Cassie, at least he would have a mission, something to do, something to accomplish. He needed answers soon, he had a feeling that it wouldn’t be long before they ran out of time and the answer slapped them all in the face. Hard.
CHAPTER 23
Chris sat stiffly in the chair, his head slightly bowed, his hands clasped firmly before him. His knuckles were white, he wasn’t even sure he could open his fingers he had been holding them tight for so long. But he was greatly afraid that if he unclasped them, he just might fall apart. His head was killing, throbbing with the pulsating emotions pounding against him.