Phoenix Rising (Book 5 The Kindred Series) (24 page)

Cassie inhaled and took a staggering step back as the walls of the garage descended around her again. "Cassie! Cassie!"

She blinked as Devon seized hold of her cheeks and cradled them within his grasp. Gabriel was shaking in her arms; his tiny hands were fisted in her shirt as tears slid down his face. She'd been able to bring Gabriel into her dream, had she somehow managed to bring him into her vision?

She had her answer a few seconds later when Gabriel spoke, "He's come for your soul."

The color drained from Devon's face, his hands trembled briefly before his eyes turned to lava. "They're here," Cassie said, though she was only confirming what he already knew.

"Get in the cars!" Luther commanded.

"It's too late for that," Cassie told him. Devon's jaw clenched, his hands slid from her face as he straightened away from her. She took another moment to gather strength from the sight of Devon before she spun on her heel and hurried toward the group gathered in the corner. "Do you know where the room in the basement is?" she asked the oldest teen, a boy who appeared to be about sixteen.

He took a step back as he shook his head. "We're not going in there."

"You have to. They're coming for you too, and what they will do to The Hunter's amongst you is far worse than death. If they somehow manage to get through us that is the safest place for you and the others to be," she insisted.

She was half worried the kid might throw up on her sneakers but he took a shaky breath and managed a small nod. "We'll come for you, I promise," Cassie said. "We won't leave you in there."

Gabriel's fingers fisted more firmly in her collar, he refused to let go when the teen tried to take him. Cassie was struggling not to cry as she grabbed hold of his tiny hand and attempted to pry it free. "You have to go with them," she told him.

Devon stepped forward to help her. "Angel," Gabriel murmured before allowing Devon to pull him from her arms. Cassie felt empty without him but she stepped away as Devon gave the child a brief hug and handed him over to the teenage boy.

"If they somehow manage to get past us you must know that Zane can walk about in the day, but the others cannot. He will take hold of your mind if he has the chance to change you and he won't let go. He can astral project but the only way to kill him is to kill the original version of him."

The teen became increasingly more ghostlike but he nodded agreement to everything that Devon had to say. "Don't come out unless it's one of us," Julian commanded.

Cassie turned toward Luther; she had to force her next words out of her mouth. "I think you should go with them."

"Absolutely not," he protested immediately.

"I know that we're your priority Luther, we always have been, but you've already raised us, trained us, and been the father figure we were all missing." She glanced toward the doe eyed children and the tiny Barnacle sucking on his thumb. "But they've had no one. If something happens to us they'll require someone to protect them, to guide them and lead them. They need you more than we do now."

The last thing she desired was to upset Luther but they couldn't leave these children alone and vulnerable if they were all destroyed. Luther wouldn't be much against the remaining Elders but he would be something, and he would defend the children with his life.

Luther stared at her before turning toward the children, his eyes flickered, she could feel the torment radiating out of him but she also felt the acceptance of her words. "You're right, but if they get past you..."

"There is some way out of that prison down there, maybe more than one, that's how Anne got into the pantry. It may take you awhile but you'll be able to find an exit. If they do get past us, they won't do so without losing a few of their own, if not most of their own. We'll impair them enough to buy you some time to hopefully get away with the children."

Cassie grabbed hold of his arm when he went to turn away and embraced him. She was able to keep her face impassive as his emotions slid over her skin. This was the hardest thing he'd ever agreed to do. "They'll need you to make them as strong as you've made us. They'll need your love, most of them have never had any," she whispered to him. "I love you."

He pat her back awkwardly. "I'll keep them safe," he vowed.

Cassie stepped away from him and braced herself for what was about to come next as she turned toward her friend. "I think you should go with him." She held up her hand to forestall Melissa's protest. "You're still hurt and they should have a Hunter with them."

If she'd had any breath she would be holding it as Melissa helplessly looked at the others. Chris opened his mouth to speak but closed it again and shook his head. He pushed back his shaggy blond hair and shoved his hands into his pockets.

"She's right," Julian inserted. "You'll only be a distraction, and the children need protection."

"
You
should have as much help as you can get," Melissa insisted. "They still have five Elders compared to your two, and no matter what Cassie is capable of we all know there is a reason that Matthew had that vision about her. You
need
me here."

"This is your choice Melissa," Luther said. "Though I believe you will do more good up here than you will with us."

Devon's hand slid into Cassie's and squeezed as they all focused on Melissa. "I'm staying," she said firmly.

Cassie swallowed the heavy lump in her throat. She would have made the same choice but she still wished that Melissa had decided to stay hidden with the children and put herself first. "Well then let's kick some ass." Julian flashed a feral grin that caused his eyes to sparkle. "I'm a little hungry anyway."

Cassie shot him a look as all the children took a step back from him. They couldn't have looked more horrified if Julian had just told them there was no Santa. But then, she wouldn't put that past him either. He just smiled as she shot him a disapproving look. "Hurry," she urged.

She followed them to the door of the basement and stood by as they filtered down the stairs. The boy holding Gabriel paused as the small child held his hands out to her. She leaned forward to press a kiss against his cheek. "We won't let them get to you and Luther will keep you safe," she promised.

The child held his fists against her cheeks before releasing her and relaxing in the teenager's arms. Luther finished hugging Chris and Melissa and stopped before her. "You
can
do this Cassie."

"I know; I had an amazing teacher."

He smiled and squeezed her shoulder. "That you did."

She closed the basement door behind him and leaned her forehead against it as she tried to gain control of her escalating panic. The grain was rough and cool against her forehead; it helped to keep her grounded though she felt as if she were going to splinter apart. She could do this, she could keep control, and she could beat them. She was
not
going to allow any more loss or unhappiness to be inflicted on those children and her friends.

She hurried back to the kitchen to find Chris and Melissa tearing through one of the bags they had just packed. There were a few crossbows and stakes gathered around them. Some of the more high-tech looking weapons The Commission had housed under the school were lying in another pile. Joey was holding one of the flamethrower looking things in his hands. Cassie didn't entirely like the idea of him holding it, but he was probably the only one that knew how to use it, and just what exactly it did.

She took hold of Devon's extended hand; bliss seeped into her as for a fraction of a second she allowed herself to take solace in him. "How much time do you think we have?" Liam inquired.

"Not much, they were already at the pond."

"They're going to come right at us. They're not going to hesitate this time. We may have more on our side, but they are stronger." Julian tossed a crossbow and a few arrows to Melissa.

"We should meet them outside," Liam said.

"What if they circle behind us and get into the house?" Dani demanded.

"There's something they crave even more than the children, and that's me. They'll go wherever I am," Cassie said.

"Cassie..." Devon's voice trailed off, his head lifted as he scented the air. Julian's eyes turned red as the stake in his hand snapped in half.

Cassie took a step forward as the air around her seemed to shift and shimmer. She could smell and feel The Elders power as it pulsated in waves; it reminded her of a rock being thrown into a lake. She had been subconsciously unaware of the animals in the woods until they became still. Liam took a step closer to Annabelle as something began to pelt the windows.

"Robert," Cassie muttered.

"No," Julian growled. "Elspet. She can control water."

"There's no water around here," Chris said.

"Snow
is
water," Melissa reminded him.

"What are they going to do avalanche us in here? Oh crap," he muttered as his shoulders slumped.

"I think it's their way of telling us to come out." Julian rose to his feet and thrust the last of the arrows into Dani's chest. She fumbled awkwardly with them as he strode toward the window behind the sink. He jerked the curtain back with enough force to rip it from the rod. A solid wall of white already coated the cracked glass all the way to the top of the sill. "Son of a bitch. I'm going to kill her."

"They really are going to bury us in an avalanche," Joey said in awe.

"Not if I have anything to say about it," Julian assured him. "I hate the cold. Solar girl, why don't you heat something up and clear us a path out of here?"

Cassie glowered at him. "I
really
don't like that one."

Julian grinned at her but it didn't reach his eyes. "They're coming for you, so let's hope your batteries
are
as chargeable as a solar panel."

Cassie could only hope the same thing as she stepped up to the kitchen door. She pulled the kitchen curtain aside and almost shrieked as she jumped back. A pair of vivid red eyes stared back at her. Cassie blinked, the eyes blinked. Something inside of her shifted and slithered, she felt cold and hot, hot and then cold again. Sweat trickled down her back, goose bumps broke out on her flesh as her mouth went dry.

Freaky eyes
, that's what Zane had called them.
They're a little different
, Devon had said. But they were more than a little different, they were most certainly freaky, and they were
hers
. She knew that even before her hand touched the corner of them in the glass across from her. She knew that it was impossible, unless she decided to Oedipus herself, but she wanted them
out
of her head right
now!

How were they all not running and screaming in the opposite direction from her?

Because they had faith in her
, she realized as her hand slid down to her side. They had faith that her eyes weren't a clear indication of the fact that she was a monster, and she was going to live up to that faith no matter what it took. Cassie squared her shoulders and set her jaw as she placed her hands against the glass.

"Can you clear a path through that?" Chris asked.

"We're about to find out."

"Please don't burn the house down around us."

Cassie smiled grimly but refrained from commenting as she focused her attention on the cells she felt vibrating within her body. She drew upon the knowledge that had come with the acquisition of Adon's power. Heat spread out from the center of her chest, seeped into her arms and pooled in her hands. She was reminded of a glass blowing exhibit she'd seen on a field trip as the tips of her fingers started to heat and glow. Glass began to shift and meld beneath her hands, it flexed outward as she continued to focus the heat away from her body.

Beyond the glass she could feel the cold press of the snow as it began to melt. The Elders hadn't buried them in the house with the intention of killing them, but even so Cassie worried about the water beginning to drip around her feet. No, they didn't plan to suffocate them beneath this snow and water, but they were hoping to burn her powers out.

Chris stepped back as more water seeped around the melting window and into the kitchen. Small flames sparked and flickered to life out of the tips of her fingers. She could feel the heat of it but it wasn't painful. In fact, she found the sensation almost pleasurable as it warmed her flesh and danced over her skin. Though Chris had been kidding, she was a little afraid she may set the house on fire.

Devon rested his hand on her shoulder as he pressed closer to her side. "You can do this."

Cassie swallowed heavily as the flames flickered higher and began to encircle her wrist. They seemed to be staying close to her body but a small ember leapt up to catch at the curtain. Devon yanked it off the door and stomped on the small flames. Annabelle pulled a fire extinguisher from underneath the kitchen sink.

"Just in case," she muttered as she aimed the nozzle at Cassie.

That would be the perfect topper
, Cassie thought as she shifted her stance and pressed more firmly against the glass. Incandescent colors twirled and spread through the melding glass as it slid further into the massive snow bank outside. "Water drowns fire," Cassie murmured as water began to seep into her sneakers.

"I'm going to drown Elspet," Julian muttered as he tapped a stake against his palm. "I never did like that girl."

"She used to be so subdued," Devon commented.

"That was a front. Believe me, there's more to that sea monster than meets the eye."

Cassie grit her jaw and narrowed her eyes. She hoped Julian was right, as much as she hated the nickname she hoped she was like a solar panel and that she had enough energy stored to carry them through this battle. "It won't be me," she whispered.

"What won't be you?" Dani inquired.

"What Matthew saw, it won't be me."

Devon pressed a kiss against her temple. "It won't be," he murmured before turning away. "Julian, come with me."

"Where?"

"They won't be able to get in through the windows but they can make it through the front door."