Kindred (Book 1 The Kindred Series) (40 page)

   “Maybe,” Cassie muttered, still not completely convinced.

  “
I don’t understand where you’re going with this,” Melissa said gently. “What do you think he is?”

   Cassie threw her hands impatiently up as she resumed anxiously pacing once more.
“I don’t know!” she exclaimed in exasperation.

  
“You don’t think there is something wrong with him, do you?”

   Cassie frowned,
biting her bottom lip gently. “I… no… I don’t know,” she finished lamely.

   They inhaled sharply, their
foreheads
furrowed with doubt and confusion. “No Cassie, I would have seen that,” Melissa said, though her voice was hesitant and not quite as confident as normal.

   “And the way that he feels about you.” Chris shook his head, stepping away from the tree. “
No
.
N
o one
c
an
feel that strongly about someone
if there
i
s something wrong with them
.
What he feels is very
pure and it’s… well
I have never felt anything like it before
. I know that
I’ve
never
felt that way about
any
one. It’s amazing Cassie, that’s the only way I
can
describe it
, and it’s the only thing that gets through
.”

   Tears burned her eyes again. “Really?” she breathed.

   He gave her a lopsided grin, his shaggy hair falling into one of his
sapphire
eyes. “Would I lie to you?”

   She managed a wan smile. Though they had managed to ease some of her fears
, she could not shake the
doubts
that clung
stubbornly
to her.
There were just so many things that she didn
’
t know. Though
,
she
did
know that all she really wanted was for him to come to her room again tonight. Maybe if she talked to him she would feel better about this whole situation.

   A flash of movement amongst the trees caught her attention. Her head snapped
to the left, her eyes narrowed
as she searched the shadowed woods. Though Luther had not wanted them to come out here tonight, they had insisted upon it. Some of the stories in the paper had led Luther to believe that there was an Elder out there; today’s news had led them all to believe that there was also a young vampire on the Cape
again
. Two bodies had been found, mauled with little or no blood left in their system. It had taken a lot of persuasion, but Luther had finally conceded to let them
come to the cemetery in the hopes that it would wander this way. The monster needed to be put down befo
re it did anymore harm
.
  

  
“It’s out there,” she whispered.

   Luther straightened, his eyes narrowing sharply as he scanned the woods.
“Is it
T
he Elder?” he demanded sharply.

   Cassie shook her head as Chris answered him. “No.”

   Another flash turned Cassie to the left. She braced her legs, setting her shoulders as she prepared for the imminent attack. It did not matter that they outnumbered the creature; it would
still come for them.
It
would wrongly think that they were easy targets
,
and a buffet that it would
want to partake in.

   The woods exploded in a flurry of violent motion. Leaves exploded outward, scattering across the grass of the cemetery. The creature rushed them in a blur of motion that would have been imperceptible to the human eye, but Cassie picked up on
it
instantly. She
braced herself, clenching tight
er
to her stake as she bounced on her heels in preparation.

   Though her thoughts had been focused upon Devon during training, she found all of her doubts, worries, and concerns melt
ing
away. Years of breeding and training took over as adrenaline
coursed through her
,
and anticipation f
or
the fight consumed her. The monster went for Chris first, running in a headlong charge. Chris braced himself, turning slightly
to dodge out of the way
as the monster reached him.

   Swinging out, Chris
caught hold of him as he s
lammed
a fist into the things shoulder. The young vampire, a man, grunted loudly as he staggered forward beneath the force of Chris’s blow. Though he was off balance, and caught by surprise, he was still hungry, and volatile. His reddened eyes latched upon Cassie, his lips pulled back in a snarl as he caught scent of what he thought would be the easier prey.

   Cassie grinned at him invitingly, welcoming the fight, needing to rid herself of her pent up, frustrated energy. It snarled as it lunged at her, its hands curled into claws as it aimed for her neck. A small chuckle escaped her; the thing was stupid that was for sure. It did not stop to think that it might be outnumbered and
that
a retreat
should be considered. Instead, all it could think about was blood and feeding, and destroying life.

   It launched itself at her, leaping into the air, its hands outstretched as it looked to
devour
her.
Thrusting
her hand up, she used the palm of her hand to smash upward. His h
ead
snapped back,
his blood red eyes rolled back in his head as his teeth bit
in
to his chin. Blood sp
illed down his face
, but he did not completely slow in his rush. He seized hold of her arms, his hands tightening in a painful grip as he dr
a
g
ged
her eagerly forward.

   She did not panic, did not even feel a spurt of fear as his lips pulled back. His fetid breath washed over her, causing her gag reflex to react instantly.
Lifting her leg, she slammed her knee into his groin. He howled as he bent over, the pain finally breaking through his bloodlust as he released her. Fisting her hands, she drove them hard into his back, knocking him to his knees.

   The attack
was
so fast that
Chris, Melissa, and Luther had not had a chance to react. Now they moved swiftly,
converging on the creature that was trying to get off his knees. He stumbled up, but Chris got to him first. Driving the stake deep
into
its
back
, the creature grunted in surprise as Chris twisted it deeper and harder.

   Cassie winced, trying to turn off her guilt as the creature mewled in pain and fear.
Shock coursed through her as it met her
eyes
for a moment
. They were no longer red, but a soft brown.
T
hey
pleaded for mercy, but it was already to
o
late, and no mercy could be given in this situ
ation. Cassie swallowed heavily;
remorse fill
ed
her as the young man
released another low moan before collapsing before them
. She should not feel remorseful; he would have killed her instantly if he’d had the chance. It was survival of the fittest after all, and luckily this time they had been the fittest.

   But
as they moved the body into the woods
she couldn’t stop herself from thinking that before he had become a monster
,
he had been someone’s son, maybe even someone’s brother or husband. She could not stand to think about the hurt that his family had gone through. Could not stand to think about the fear and pain the man had probably suffered before he had been killed
the first time
.

  
Cassie inhaled shakily, trying to rid herself of the lingering remnants of shock and
remorse that clung to her. She had to shake them off, had to lose them. It would eat her alive if she didn’t. She could never allow herself to glimpse the man behind the monster again. She couldn’t do this anymore if she
was unable to
separate the two, and if she didn’t do this than people would die.

   Cassie shuddered,
she
fel
t
hollow and shattered. She
desperately needed to see Devon;
she knew that only he could ease the aching
coldness permeating her bones. Even if he couldn’t know about this aspect of her life, he could help to ease the choking loneliness
and guilt
clinging to her. 
  

  
She
sighed heavily, now that they were done all she wanted was to escape the cemetery and return home as soon as possible.

 
A ch
ill
shot
down her spine
, the hair on the nape of her neck and arms stood on end
.
F
ear and disbelief crossed Chris and Melissa’s faces
as
they turned slowly toward the
area where the
evil
suddenly
seep
ed
from.
Turned toward the area where they had just left the body of the defeated young man.

   Luther stepped closer to them all
. “It’s out there,” Chris whispered.

   “Yes,” Luther agreed. “Let’s go.
We need to get you out of here. Now!
”
he snapped, when none of them moved right away.

   “Why doesn’t it just come after us?” Cassie asked softly.

   “I don’t know, but let’s not tempt it
. Come on, we have to leave
now
,
”
Luther urged fervently
, pushing at Chris and Melissa as his gaze worriedly scanned the forest
.

   Cassie’s eyes narrowed as she stared hard into the shadowy interior. She could make out the different elms, oaks,
tupelos,
and locusts
,
but she could see nothing hidden amongst the trees.
Not even an animal stirred, apparently scared away by the evil in their
midst’s
.
“Do you see anything?” Chris asked softly.

   Cassie shook her head;
frustration caus
ed
her hands to fist.
“We need to go!” Luther hissed.

   Though Cassie did not want to turn tail and run
from the monster in the woods
, she found herself moving swiftly along as they hurried
toward Luther’s Toyota Camry. She slid limply into the backseat
,
her gaze instantly turn
ed
back to the window. She half expected
to see
it standing
at the window
,
its face twisted into a hideous snarl,
ready to pounce, eager to slaughter them all.

  
But t
here was nothing there.

  
S
earch
ing
the night beyond,
she
tri
ed
to pick out as many details as she could.
Cassie’s teeth rattled as
ice encas
ed
her
o
nce more.
Though Luther started the car, they did not move. She felt pinned beneath the wave of hostility and
malevolence
envelop
ing
them.

   “It’s playing with us,” Chris said softly.

   Cassie turned slowly toward him, shocked by the paleness of his
complexion
,
and
the hollow
ness
his cheeks and eyes had taken on.
“Chris?” she asked worriedly.

   His
hand
trembled
as he lifted it toward her.
H
e desperately needed to touch her, to connect with something
other than the evil overwhelming his ability
. He
was
sh
a
k
ing
when he clasped hold of h
er
hand, his fingers d
u
g tightly into hers. His shoulders heaved as he inhaled a sharp breath
. He looked sickly in the glow of the dashboard lights.

 
“Chris
,
what is wrong?” she demanded sharply, fear tightening around her heart. She had never seen him look so awful,
so
shaken.