Though she had already expected this betrayal, had already known what she would find here, to see it so closely was a knife to the chest that pierced her heart, tearing it wide, and bleeding her dry. The red in his eyes vanished, shock filled them as they widened upon her, the beautiful green of them blazing to fierce life once more. She saw the confusion in his gaze, but also the realization, the dawning knowledge of what she had come here to do.
“Cassie.”
He breathed her name; the wonder in it briefly disarmed her. He sounded so surprised; he looked so surprised. But if he had known who she was all along, and had been toying with them, then shouldn’t he be expecting her to show up to stop him eventually? Wouldn’t he already know exactly what she was, and why she was here? But he seemed completely baffled and astounded to see her in the clearing with him right now. Confusion filled her, for a moment she was disarmed by the wonder in his eyes.
Then her gaze flickered to the body just feet away from him. Marcy lay curled on her side, her coffee hair gleaming in the moonlight. Fury tore through her again as her eyes flew wildly back to his. “You bastard!” she spat. “You murdering bastard!”
She took a step toward him, determined to ignore the guilt and agony slithering through her like a poisonous snake. It was a snake that would only make her slower, only hinder her movements if she acknowledged it for too long. His gaze darted briefly, uncaringly, to Marcy. The negligent look only served to infuriate her more.
“I can explain this. Look out!” he shouted at her.
The terror in his voice rattled and unsettled her; she didn’t understand why it was there. She caught a brief glimpse of Devon lurching forward as she swung toward where he was looking. Her eyes widened in surprise and horror as someone, no something, moved swiftly from behind the ruined tree. She had been so hurt and infuriated with Devon, that she had not taken the time to think about what had caused the shattering of the giant oak. It was now coming at her like a bat out of hell. She had only a brief glimpse of ice cold eyes and white blond hair before it was upon her.
“Delectable.”
The word was hissed softly at her, the pleasure and malevolence behind it caused nausea to twist in her stomach. She was enveloped by evil. The same evil she had felt before at the beach, and then again at B’s and S’s, and the cemetery. The same evil that had been stalking them, toying with them, and hunting their community. With an awful, crushing sensation descending upon her, she realized only too late that she had been completely wrong. Devon may be a vampire, but this was the real monster.
This was the creature that wanted nothing more than to destroy her and her loved ones.
Instinct surged forth, all of her training blazed to life as his face twisted into a vicious snarl. His teeth tore into his bottom lip as they sharpened to deadly, eager points. He would kill her, if he got his hands on her, he would kill her. She was no match for this thing. Not by herself, and not being caught off guard.
She turned at the last second, ducking as he lashed out at her, trying to grasp her. A sharp cry escaped as his fingers snagged hold of her hair, tangling tight as he pulled her backward. Cassie flung herself at him, swinging her head forcefully back. A spurt of satisfaction surged through her as she heard the rewarding crunch of his nose beneath the force of her skull.
Stars blazed momentarily before her eyes, the sharp pain in her head blurred her vision, but his grip loosened. Throwing herself forward, she tore free of his grasp, not caring that she lost a handful of hair in the process. Relief filled her as she fell away from him, tumbling toward the ground in what felt like slow motion. She had a brief glimpse of Devon, charging across the clearing, the look of fury on his face caused her blood to run cold. She could see every detail of the ground; tell almost every color of the leaves beneath her. Her heart pounded, adrenaline pumped through her in mighty, heaving bursts.
It seemed as if she was falling forever, tumbling into an abyss that didn’t seem to have a bottom. She was just inches from the ground, inches from safety, when she felt it.
Horror boiled through her, shock caused her heart to skip a beat. Her entire body stiffened against the pain that exploded through her. The monster had grabbed for her again; he had tried to seize her once more. But this time he missed her hair, as his fingers had swung further down. His nails tore into her, opening her flesh, spilling her blood as they sliced deep into her neck.
She hit the ground, landing painfully upon her hip as she rolled away. Disbelief and terror filled her as she fumbled numbly at the vicious wound in her throat. Blood pooled over her fingers, it coursed swiftly down her arm to fall soundlessly upon the ground. Devon stopped in his charge at the monster, his eyes widened as he skidded to a halt near her. Astonishment filled his eyes as they met hers. He gazed at her for a long moment, dismay and fear blazing from him.
And then, to her complete horror, the beautiful emerald of his eyes became a violent shade of red as hunger blazed to fierce life within their bright depths.
CHAPTER 22
Devon froze, terror filling him as Cassie fell to the ground in a tumbled heap. Her hand shot up in a vain attempt to staunch the flow of blood that poured freely from the horrendous wound in her neck. It was a mortal wound, he knew that at once. If she didn’t get help, she would die.
Then, the scent of her blood hit him, slamming into him with the force of a sledgehammer. It knocked his reason from him, shoving aside all worry and panic over her safety as hunger and bloodlust burst through him. The scent of her blood in the open air was the most enticing thing he had ever come across. He could almost taste the power oozing from her as blood spilled uselessly, and wastefully, onto the forest floor. It was a temptation and treasure unlike any he had ever come across.
And there was so very much power in her; it permeated the air as it ran in tantalizing rivulets across her creamy skin.
Saliva rushed into his mouth, his teeth grew heavier and sharper as the driving urge to bite deep, draining her of all of that wonderful blood, seized hold of him. He took a step toward her, the bloodlust becoming a pounding frenzy inside of him. He knew exactly what she was now, knew the pleasure that her blood would give him, knew the strength that she would give to him. He had not drunk from a human in so very long, and she was more than human.
She was so wonderfully much more than human. There was nothing more delicious and powerful tasting than a Hunter.
He did not pause to think about the fact that the Hunter line was supposed to be extinct. Nor did he pause to wonder how he had not picked up on what she was before. All he could think about was savoring every last drop as he drained her dry. All he wanted was to ease the firestorm of thirst that burned through his veins leaving them pain filled, arid, and throbbing.