“I’m sorry Marcy, but there is something that I must do. I’m sure one of your other friends could give you a ride.” It was not a lie; he did need to find a place to stay. He was tired of hotel rooms and floating about. He hadn’t had any intention of remaining when he first arrived in this town, now he had no intention of leaving.
Marcy’s eyes narrowed slightly, anger sparked through them. She turned briefly, her gaze darting toward the Mustang that was now at the front of the line. “I saw you speaking with Cassie.”
Devon stiffened, his hand slid away from the door handle. Even if he had been human, he never could have missed the hostility in her tone, or her gaze. “Yes.”
She chose to ignore the warning in his tone as her gaze slid slowly back to him. “It would probably be best if you stayed away from her.”
“And why is that?” he grated through clenched teeth.
Marcy shrugged as she plastered a falsely sweet smile on her face. “You could do better.”
“Like you?”
She blinked in surprise, than her smile widened. “Well, you never know,” she responded, lowering her eyelashes flirtatiously. “If you play your cards right.”
Devon stepped closer to her, bending down to make sure that his words were not overheard by the group surrounding them. He knew he had to nip this in the bud now, but he did not wish to humiliate the girl. “That is never going to happen Marcy. I’m sorry, but I have no interest in you.”
She gazed up at him, her eyes wide with surprise before they narrowed furiously. He decided that was his cue to leave, before she lost her composure completely. Swinging his car door open, he slipped swiftly inside.
CHAPTER 10
Cassie moved slowly beside Chris, her feet dragged along the sidewalk. It used to be after a night of training that she would feel invigorated and pumped. Tonight, she felt bone weary and beaten. Though the night off had been needed, she was still unable to concentrate on any moves, could not throw a stake, or even defend the blows that Chris and Melissa had thrown at her. She had been the best of the three of them in training and fighting, but now she looked like a floundering newbie. She was just grateful it had not been a real fight, or she would be dead right now.
Luther was still frustrated with her lack of concentration, and ability, but his irritation was nothing compared to hers. Her entire body ached, but not from the beaten she had taken tonight. She ached for him. She ached to see him, and to touch him again. It was a physical itch that had gone deeper than her skin; it had imbedded itself into the marrow of her bones and taken hold of her soul.
She would never be free of him again.
Confusion, fear, and distress tore through her at the thought, and the certainty that accompanied it. For the past four years she had tried to keep things as simple as possible, but they were not simple anymore. She had spent the past years concentrating on four things, and four things only. And those things had been family, school, training, and hunting. Those four things were all that had gotten her through the years. Her focus upon them had not allowed her time to think about anything else, they had especially kept her from thinking about the future she could never have. She had no dreams of college, did not even plan to attend, and she had stopped daydreaming long ago of marriage, a family, and children.
Now though, she could not stop thinking about the future she couldn’t have, the future that had been stolen from her four years ago. She could not stop thinking of Devon, and could not stop her mind from wandering and dreaming. She did not think of marriage and children, she would never allow herself to dream that far. But today her mind had wandered to dates, and dances, and even tomorrow. She was actually looking forward to tomorrow, simply because she was looking forward to seeing him again.
Before Devon, she had never thought of tomorrow. She had simply lived day to day, moment to moment, for she never knew when that moment could be her last. But he had made her forget all of that, and it had shaken her entire world. To hope could be dangerous; she had learned that long ago. Hope only led to disappointment and hurt. She was tired of being hurt; it was much easier to stay safely walled away from the world, safely protected from emotional pain.
But somehow he had managed to tear that wall away. She didn’t understand how it had happened, but she knew that she could not keep him out. That he had officially wedged himself into her existence.
For now anyway.
She could not allow herself to hope to far into the future, not past tomorrow at least, for that was already a huge leap. It would be too painful when she lost it all. And she would lose him, just as she had lost so many things that mattered to her.
There were already plans for the three of them, and Luther, to leave after graduation. Though Cape Cod received its fair share of vampires, thanks to tourist season, there were many other places that had a much higher concentration. Areas where they were needed more. On average they only killed ten vampires a year, most in the summer. Though last year it had been fifteen, and this year they were on track to beat that record.
Luther believed that after graduation they would be trained well enough to go where they were needed more, to offer their help and protection somewhere else. Cassie didn’t think much about it, she wanted to make it to graduation, she would like to graduate, but she did not plan for it. Neither did she panic at the thought of leaving the only town, and the only life she had ever known; for she didn’t know if she would ever live to see it happen. She would worry about it if the day came, not a minute sooner.
But today, for one brief moment, she had found herself hoping, and dreaming, and planning for tomorrow. Then, she had gone to training tonight and was forced to remember why she had kept herself so shut off in the first place. She was still completely distracted and uncoordinated. If she had been in the field, she would have been killed. And she would have put Chris and Melissa in danger also.
Devon was a distraction that was risky to her, and her friends. Yet she knew she was not going to let him go. Devon was the only selfish thing she had done since Luther had disrupted her ordinary childhood, and she could not bring herself to give him up. Not yet anyway. If she couldn’t find a way to balance her life with him in it, then she would let him go. She would have to.
But she was determined not to let that happen.
She needed the little bit of happiness, and the little bit of hope, that he brought into her life. She had known all along that she was unhappy and lost, but she had not realized just how much until he had arrived. She didn’t know if she could stand to retreat behind her wall again. She was greatly afraid that it might destroy her, maybe not physically, but spiritually.