Luther stood silently for a moment, disbelief and something akin to pain bloomed in his eyes. “I understand your desire to stay, and I commend it, but I cannot allow that to happen. There are not enough Hunter’s left to risk your lives. I must keep you safe. You cannot stay here.”
“I will not allow innocent people to die because of us!” Cassie retorted fiercely.
“They die every day. Your lives are more valuable, you do far more good alive than you do dead.” Cassie stared at him in surprised disbelief, she felt as if she had been slapped. She could not believe that he had just said that. “I’m sorry to sound cruel, but it’s true. If you are killed, then even more innocent people will die, you must weigh everything before coming to this decision. Sometimes we have to do things that we do not want to in life.”
Cassie took a step toward him as fury blazed through her. “I am already doing something that I don’t want to do every single day! I did not ask for this, but I will not run from it! Not now. I am staying, if you wish to flee then do so, but I will not!”
Pain and anger flared through Luther’s gray eyes, making them even brighter behind his glasses. “I do not wish to flee! It is the best for you. My only charge in life is to see that you are prepared to fight, and to keep you safe.”
Cassie’s anger melted in the face of his anguish and hurt. “You cannot keep us safe forever, it’s not possible. You have done your best to train us Luther; you have to have faith in that.”
He glanced at their determined faces. His eyes were troubled and wide behind his glasses, his hands fisted tightly at his sides. Heaving a sigh, his set shoulders slumped in defeat. “Fine, but you cannot go hunting alone anymore. The three of you must stick together, and you must wait for me to go with you. No more running off on your own. Also, I want to know every time you have the same feeling that you had tonight.” He turned to Melissa, his eyes intense and fierce. “Have you had any premonitions about this?”
She glanced over them quickly, her dark eyes sad and distant. “No.”
“Have you had any lately?”
She shook her head. “Nothing to do with vampires. I knew we would win the game tonight, and I know that tomorrow, at lunch, Marcy is going to announce the nominee’s for homecoming queen. Congratulations by the way,” she added with a wary smile at Cassie.
Cassie lifted her eyebrows, but refrained from commenting. The last thing she cared about was homecoming, or being queen. Maybe at one time she would have, but no longer. Her entire life had become focused upon her friends, her survival, and Devon. Her heart gave a mighty thump as her attention returned to him once more. They had left him at the side of the woods, within close proximity of that thing!
Panic tore through her as she whipped out her cell phone, sliding it open she frantically dialed his number. She turned her back on them, pacing swiftly away as she listened to the endless ringing. It clicked over to his voicemail; she did not leave a message. Sliding the phone shut, her hand shook with the terror suffusing her. Taking a deep breath she tried to calm herself as she texted him quickly, asking him to call her as soon as possible.
Turning slowly back to them, she knew she was unable to keep the horror from her face. “What is it?” Melissa asked softly.
“We left Devon standing there, and he’s not answering his phone,” she answered tremulously.
Worry flitted over their faces as they quickly exchanged looks. “He’s fine,” Melissa assured her gently. “I’m sure of it.”
“How can you be so sure?” Cassie demanded. Panic tore through her, nearly choking her as she struggled to remain somewhat calm. “If that thing is stalking us, wouldn’t it go after him if he saw us together?”
“It’s ok Cassie.” Chris grasped her arm gently; his touch only slightly soothed her tumultuous emotions.
She turned from him, pacing rapidly back and forth, her fingers still clenched around her phone. She had left him there, she had involved him in this, and she had left him there. She had been too selfish to set him free, and now she may have cost him his life. Pain and anguish tore through her nearly crushing her with the ferocity of it.
She didn’t think she could survive without him. In such a short time he had become a part of her, she needed him even more than she needed her own extremities. She couldn’t lose him; she would lose the best piece of herself if she did. She would hunt that thing down and destroy it if it hurt him, even if it meant destroying herself in the process.
Her phone went off; the ringing jarred her as she jumped in surprise. Relief flowed through her at the sight of his name and number. Opening her phone, she walked swiftly away from them. “Is everything ok?” he demanded immediately.
Cassie took a deep breath, fighting the tears of relief that burned her eyes. “Yes, yes I... uh I just wanted to say hi,” she lied badly, feeling like a complete idiot as her face flamed red.
He didn’t speak for a moment, and she could hear the wind rushing past his car as he drove. “Are you sure?” his voice was still fierce, the tension in it unmistakable.
“Yes, I’m sure.”
“Are you still with Melissa and her father?”
“Yes.”
“How are you getting home?”
“Chris will take me.”
“I could pick you up.”
Cassie licked her lips nervously, she glanced briefly at everyone but they were engrossed in their own conversation. She desperately wanted to see him again, to make sure that he was safe and that he stayed that way, but this was going to be a long night, and it would be better if he went home. Where he would be safe until morning.
She sighed heavily. “No, that’s ok; we’re going to be here awhile.”
There was another long stretch of silence. “Ok, let me know when you get home safely.”
She frowned at the command, surprised to hear him so worried about her safety again. She suddenly recalled his strange reaction earlier, the tension in his body as he had turned toward the woods. She recalled him still watching the forest intently after she had walked away. With a sudden jolt of surprise, she realized that he had sensed it to, that he had felt the evil and hatred that had permeated the air around them.
Her hand tightened around the phone. She knew, of course, that there were humans with their own special gifts. There were those with ESP, telekinesis, telepathy, and many other strange abilities that manifested in them. She suspected that perhaps Devon was one of them. She didn’t know exactly what his ability was, but it seemed to be somewhere along the lines of Chris’s talent.