“It’s about time,” Melissa said softly.
With those three words the world snapped back into frightening, lurching focus. The force of it left Cassie stunned and breathless. Her hand trembled as she wiped away the single tear that had unknowingly slid down her cheek. She was completely shaken by the bizarre encounter, unnerved, and yet completely exhilarated. Though she tried, she could not break eye contact with the stranger. If she looked away it would only reopen the giant hole within her. He didn’t seem to want to look away either, as his eyes never left hers. His piercing gaze kept her pinned to the spot.
Though she had no special gifts, no abilities like Chris and Melissa, she knew instantly that her life would never be the same again. She knew that the presence of this strange man marked a significant change in her life.
Complete and utter panic tore through her.
CHAPTER 2
“Bout time for what?” Chris asked, sucking fiercely at his chocolate shake as he lifted a dark blond eyebrow quizzically at Melissa.
“Oh, uh, it’s about time to go,” Melissa answered absently. She neatly wiped her hands before tossing her napkin aside.
Cassie spun wildly in her seat, desperately needing to flee, needing to run. She had to get as far away from here, and him, as possible. “Yes it is,” she eagerly agreed.
Leaping to her feet, she ignored the surprised looks that both Melissa and Chris shot her. She hastily grabbed her tray and tossed the plates haphazardly onto it. “Hey!” Chris cried as she grabbed his few remaining fries and threw them onto the heap.
“It’s late, we have to go,” she said urgently, her voice trembling slightly. To her utter surprise, and horror, so were her hands.
What was the matter with her? She didn’t know this man; she didn’t know that he meant anything to her. She simply knew that he affected her on a physical level, so why was she acting like a loony? Why was she so certain that he was going to drastically change her life?
She had no way of knowing for sure, but something inside of her, something instinctual and primal was screaming at her that he would. And that was something that she did not want to happen. It was something she could not allow to happen.
Her life had already been turned upside down once; she couldn’t go through it again, she didn’t think she was strong enough to survive it. Just four short years ago she had been a perfectly happy thirteen year old girl. Now she was a Hunter, spending far too much time in cemeteries, and killing vampires. Vampires for crying out loud! They were something she had thought of as a myth, something made up for movies and books in order to entertain people, or scare them. They certainly weren’t anything she had ever considered real. Neither had she ever entertained the notion that she would be expected to kill them, all the while knowing that she would inevitably lose the fight one day.
No, she absolutely did not want her life to change drastically again. She had just gotten it straightened out, just gotten it to the point where she could accept her heritage, even if she didn’t like it. And she knew that this man could completely change her life. She had wanted a change, something different, but not this, not this big, and not him. And she knew that his presence would be a big change.
“Cassie…”
“I’m tired,” she interrupted Melissa sharply. “I want to go home.”
Melissa’s questioning onyx eyes gleamed in the light, but she bit lightly into her lower lip as she refrained from saying anything more. Cassie’s heart beat fiercely as she hurried to the trashcan. “My fries,” Chris mourned morosely.
“I’ll buy you two batches next time!” she snapped, immediately feeling guilty for her angry retort. Chris’s eyes widened slightly but he didn’t say anything more. Apparently he had decided that sacrificing his fries was far better than arguing with her further. It was a good decision as she felt half crazed at the moment.
Though Cassie tried to ignore it, she could feel the stranger’s eyes burning into her with every step she took. Her hands were shaking; her heart pounded loudly in her ears, and her throat was so dry that she could hardly swallow.
She could not deal with this, not right now. The strange sensations pounding through her were causing her composure to unravel. Something was going to happen, and he was going to be the cause of it. She didn’t know if that something was going to be good or bad though, could not sort through it, not with the emotions careening wildly through her. She could not handle losing everything that she had ever known, ever thought, felt, and believed all over again. Yet, deep in the very marrow of her bones she knew that this strange man could do all of those things, and more, if she allowed him to.
She was not about to let him though.
“What put you in a pissy mood all of a sudden?” Chris mumbled.
Cassie shot him a dark look as she started to push him in the opposite direction of the man. She didn’t trust herself to look back and see if he was still standing there. She was afraid that she would stand, frozen like a deer in the headlights, if she looked at him again. She was afraid she would be lost to the startling force of the stranger’s magnetic gaze once more. “I just want to go home.”
“Well, you’re going in the wrong direction!” Chris protested, trying to twist away from her shoving hands.
Cassie looked helplessly at Melissa, needing some assistance from somewhere, but Melissa was not looking at her. In fact, her attention was riveted upon the spot where Cassie had last seen the man. Melissa glanced sharply back at Cassie, her eyes narrowed slightly as she took in Cassie’s frantic expression.
Chris pulled away from her, shaking his head in disgust. “Women,” he muttered. “I’ll never understand them.”
Cassie stared after him as he stalked a few feet away, heading toward the man still half hidden in the shadows of the building. Chris turned back to them, tapping his foot impatiently as he folded his arms over his broad chest. “Are you coming or not?” he demanded irritably, obviously still aggravated with her for being snippy, and throwing away his fries.
Cassie glanced pleadingly at Melissa but her attention was still focused upon the strange man. Cassie wanted to reach out to her, to hide behind her, to seek protection from her, but she found herself unable to move. She could still feel his gaze upon her, pinning her to the spot, burning into her soul. Melissa turned slowly back to her; a half smile curved her full mouth.
“Come on Cassie, it’s getting late,” she said, her voice irritatingly bright.