Inferno

by Erica Stevens

  “Devon!”

  Agony tore through him as he pulled his wrist away from her mouth. She blinked up at him, her gorgeous eyes dazed and wounded at the loss of contact, at the loss of the bond that she had been thoroughly enjoying. His blood marred her full mouth, it stained her lips an even deeper shade of red. He groaned, shaking, barely in control of himself. It was too hard, and it was far too much, the monster inside of him was so very close to the surface. Hell, if he was honest with himself, he would admit that it was already on the surface, already in control. And that it had been for awhile now. If he was completely honest with himself, he would admit that the man had not been in control in a long time.

  Julian was right, he was losing it, and he was going to hurt her if he did.

  He spun suddenly, issuing a startled cry from Cassie as he thrust her at Julian. Surprised by the sudden movement, Julian just barely managed to catch her. It killed him to hand her over to another man, especially Julian, but Julian may very well be the only one that could keep her safe from him. Or at least he would try to anyway. “Take her,” Devon barked, struggling against the urge to rip her back from Julian. Struggling against the urge to destroy Julian so that no one could stop him from doing everything he wanted to her.

  “Devon?” Cassie scrambled to escape Julian’s arms, her eyes were frantic.

  She managed to get back onto her feet, but Julian grabbed hold of her waist, pulling her swiftly back, pinning her against his chest. His ice eyes were hard and unwavering as he stared hard at Devon. Though he would defend Cassie to the death, he was waiting, hoping that Devon continued to make the right choices on his own. Devon growled, reaching for her, wanting to draw her back to him, hold her. Wanting to finish what he had started, and end the torment that suffused them both. He stopped, his hand falling back to his side as the man managed to briefly regain some control of the monster. He couldn’t do this to her, he couldn’t risk losing her, couldn’t risk what the change might do to her. He couldn’t hurt her in this way. He turned swiftly away, moving before he no longer could.

  Desperation urged him faster. Grasping hold of the shattered window frame, he heaved himself over the windowsill and into the dark, cold night. He needed to get away, but he could not go far. He could not leave her alone, could not leave her with the monsters hunting this town. No, he could not go far, but he also could not be near her right now. As long as she remained human, he may not ever be able to be near her again.

  “Devon!” her terrified scream followed him. The torment in her voice caused his non-beating heart to shatter into a thousand pieces, but he did not slow as he raced further into the night.

  ***

  Cassie stood in the shadows, her arms folded over her chest as she continued to glare at everyone every once in awhile. Julian remained rigid by the door, his hand resting upon it, his ice colored eyes focused upon her. The windows had been boarded back up, the bodies tossed into the basement, and the trapdoor blocked by a heap of shelves piled on top of it. No one was sleeping in the backroom tonight; they had all joined her and Julian in the front room.

  Though she hadn’t thought that they would sleep, and knew that she would not, soft snores filled the room. Chris stood by the other window, his head bowed, his arms folded over his chest as he leaned against the window. Though he almost looked like he was asleep, Cassie knew that he was not. Neither was Liam, who was sitting in a chair, his feet propped up on one of the counters, the back of his chair leaning against the wall.

  They were babysitting her, and she resented them all for it because the minute that they weren’t looking, she was going after Devon. Come hell or high water, she was going out there and she was going to find him. And once she did, she did not care what happened, she would do whatever she could to make him happy, and to bring him back here where he would be at least a little safer. And where she knew where the hell he was!

  She did not kid herself, and neither did anyone else, into thinking that they were safe here. The creatures knew that they were here. They simply had nowhere else to go right now. No place could be completely barricaded, and nowhere would have the supplies that the store had. And there was no way that Cassie was going to leave this store without Devon. She had been separated from him for too long when she had been held prisoner, she was not going to take the chance of losing him again.

  A small moan snapped her attention toward Melissa as she turned slowly over. Though she continued to sleep, her face twisted in pain as she turned onto her side. Melissa healed fast, and Annabelle had used her powers to help heal the wounds in Melissa’s side, but they were still deep and painful. Every time she moved, she moaned in pain. Cassie’s heart went out to her. She hated to see her friend in such discomfort. Melissa settled back down, her mouth going slack as sleep reclaimed her.

  Cassie turned back to the window, wishing that she could see through the board that covered it. Her skin crawled, her body ached, she itched to jump through that window and flee into the night in search of Devon. She wanted to see him, needed to see him. Where was he out there? Why had he left her?

  A knot formed in her throat, she found it difficult to breathe. She knew why he had left her, but she just wished that he had talked to her about it first. That he had given her a chance to talk to him. Shuddering, Cassie wrapped her arms around herself, trying hard not to completely unravel. She would join him; she would give him anything he wanted, even her life. She didn’t care what the consequences of those actions would be anymore, as long as it made him happy, and she could be with him again.

  “You’re not going out there.”

  Cassie’s gaze darted to Julian as he growled the command in a gravelly, irritated voice. Her eyes narrowed, her hands tightened upon her arms. “I didn’t say I was.”

  He lifted his head, his eerie eyes oddly bright in the small amount of light filtering into the room. His handsome face was hard; lines of pain etched his mouth. He had not been hurt in the battle, Cassie knew those lines of pain were because of her. Guilt and anguish for him filled her. She truly did love him, not like he loved her, but she desperately wanted him to be happy. And unfortunately she could not make him happy, no matter how much she wished she could. He had a piece of her heart, along with most people in this room, but Devon owned her soul, her body, and her mind. She could only hope that eventually Julian would find someone that could return his love, someone that could give him everything that he wanted and so desperately needed.

  He quirked an eyebrow at her. “I know you,” he grumbled.

  Cassie turned away from him; she couldn’t meet his gaze again. He did know her, not only had he touched her, and seen many of the details of her life, but he knew who she was, and what she thought. He knew her strengths and most of all he knew all of her many weaknesses. He knew that she battled with her self-control, not as bad as Julian, and nowhere near as bad Devon, but there was something inside of her too. Something dark, and dangerous, and lethal.

  “I don’t understand why he left,” she whispered.

  “Yes, you do.”

  Cassie shuddered as she bit on her bottom lip nervously. Yes she did, but if he had just given her a chance, she would have agreed to give him everything that he wanted. “But he doesn’t have to fight it anymore,” she whispered.

  Julian shifted; there was a ripple of muscles that reminded her of a sleek panther hunting its prey. She frowned at him, her forehead furrowing as anger spurted through her. She could sense his displeasure, his disapproval. “Yes, he does.”

  Cassie opened her mouth to protest, but he swiftly cut her off. “You may have chosen him over me princess, but I’m going to make damn sure that you stay alive. You know, as well as I, that there is no way to know what could happen to you, and that is not a chance I am willing to take.”

  She stared hopelessly back at him, she knew that he realized how much this meant to her, how much she wanted this. But, like Devon, her safety would always be his priority and there would be no changing hi
s mind on that. But she needed him to understand her on this one. “I am,” she whispered.

  “Really?” he demanded sharply. “Are you really? You may not care what happens to you, but I’m pretty damn sure that you care about what happens to Chris, Melissa, Luther, and everyone else in this room.”

  She recoiled slightly, stunned by his words and the vehemence behind them. “Of course I do!” she retorted.

  “Well if something goes wrong you could quite possibly kill them all. And if you go wrong, then Devon is going to go wrong, so there is a good possibility that everyone in this room will end up dead. Including me. I love you princess, and I’ve lived a long life, but I am not ready to give it up yet. Neither am I willing to lose you.”

  Tears bloomed in her eyes; she swallowed back the lump in her throat. “Julian…”

  “He’s not going to change you, not right now anyway. None of us can take the chance of losing you.”

  Tears slipped silently down her face, she turned back to the window, despising the board covering it. “What about Devon?” she whispered.

  Julian shifted again, a small ripple of motion that she barely caught, but suddenly he was before her. Gently clasping her chin, he lifted her face to him. His ice eyes burned into hers, the intensity in them left her breathless. “I swear to you that I will do everything I can to help the both of you figure this out. I won’t leave you alone in this, but Devon needs time to himself. He needs to be alone now Cass, before he hurts someone. You have to accept that fact.”

  Her lower lip trembled as he gently wiped the tears from her cheek with his thumb. The intensity in his eyes burned away, it was replaced with a yearning that nearly broke her heart. For a moment Cassie froze, frightened that he would kiss her again. She stared pleadingly back at him, praying that he wouldn’t. With a soft sigh, he dropped his head to hers, cradling her face gently for a moment before kissing her forehead quickly and pulling swiftly away.

  Cassie watched silently as he stalked back across the room, his back as stiff as a board, his body humming with tension. Cassie ducked her head; unable to meet Chris or Liam’s gazes, she turned her attention to the rest of the room and all the people she cared about. Patrick and Joey did not count, but her gaze landed upon them. Joey’s head was bowed as he slept in his chair, but Patrick was awake and watching them intently. The creatures had never gone for them.

  Cassie frowned, her arms folding over her chest as she studied them a new discomfort began to grow inside of her. Why hadn’t the creatures gone for them? The one had targeted her because it had seen her, and recognized her, and hated her. But they would have recognized these two, and no matter how much they may have hated her, their hate for these two would have to be worse. There is no way that it could not be, not with what these two had done to them.

  She took a step toward them, her head tilted to the side, as the wheels in her mind began to spin rapidly. And then, she knew. Her mouth dropped, her eyes widened as she gaped at the two men. “Cassie?” Chris inquired softly.

  She took another step toward them, her heart hammering, and her throat dry. She thought of the creatures that had escaped from here, thought of the ones still lurking within the shadows, and her skin crawled with disgust and horror. The icy tentacles of terror crept steadily up her neck, causing her hair to stand on end. How many of them were still out there, hunting, plotting?

  “Cassie?” Chris asked again, an edge of fear making his voice sharper than normal.

  She turned slowly toward Julian, her heart hammering with terror. “You need to go find him Julian,” she whispered. “Please, you need to go now. He can’t be out there alone, it’s too dangerous. They’re far smarter than we thought, far smarter.”

  Julian stared at her for a moment, his eyes hooded and distant. Frustration filled Cassie, panic clenched at her chest as she thrust a finger at Patrick and Joey. “That one recognized me from in there; he came at me because he recognized me. You think that he, that they didn’t recognize them. That they didn’t want to kill them too! Of course they did, but they didn’t go after them. Why? Because they were tied to the chairs, they were easy targets; they knew that they could take them without a problem. Those creatures knew that they had to come for us first, that they had to take us down in order to get to them. They planned everything, they calculated everything. We already knew that they ambushed us, but we assumed it was the same as wolves hunting a deer. We didn’t realize just how much thought process and intelligence they do still have. Julian you have to go get him, they’re out there and they’re going to come back, or they are going to trap him. He can’t be alone Julian, he can’t! They’ll kill him if he is!”

  Julian simply continued to stare at her a moment longer before his gaze turned slowly toward the two men tied to the chairs. Anger and hatred flitted swiftly over his defined features. “How much reason do they have?” he growled.

  Patrick shifted slightly, wiggling his hands behind his back. His eyes were cold, flat, as he met Julian’s furious gaze. “Far more than we would have liked. It’s why we were destroying them, they were more dangerous than we had realized.”

  Cassie shuddered as disgust and revulsion filled her. He sounded as if he were simply talking about rabid animals and not human beings with families and lives. She found herself wishing that the creatures had killed him when they broke in. “They had realized you were going to destroy them all and they plotted their escape,” Cassie breathed.

  “Bastard!” Julian hissed.

  Patrick showed no signs of remorse as he met Julian’s fierce gaze. “Insanity,” Luther whispered. “Complete insanity.”

  “Julian,” Cassie breathed. He turned slowly toward her. “Julian someone has to warn him, please Julian.”

  He hesitated for a moment before nodding briskly. “I’ll find him.”

  “You can’t go out there alone.”

  “I’ll be fine.”

  Cassie reached for him as he grabbed hold of the door. Terror flooded her, she wanted Devon safe, but she didn’t want Julian to be hurt in the process. “Take me with you.” He shook his head, his hand clenching hold of hers. “Take someone with you.”

  “I’m not leaving you with even less numbers in here than before. I will be fine princess.”

  Her fingers tightened upon his, clinging to him for a moment longer. “Don’t call me princess,” she whispered.

  He grinned at her before releasing her hand. “Anything you say. You are to stay in here, do you understand me?” Cassie nodded. “I mean it Cass, you stay inside I’m trusting you on this one. I can’t save you both.”

  She managed another small nod. Chris, having risen from the chair, pulled her back a step. She watched in terror as Julian slipped out the door.

  CHAPTER 14

  “Cassie.” She turned briefly away from the small hole she had found in another window. Annabelle stood nervously by her side, her tiny hands clenched tight. “Cassie maybe you should get some sleep, you must be exhausted.”

  Cassie shook her head as she turned away. She was exhausted, her entire body ached from being so stiff and anxious, but she would not rest until Julian and Devon returned to her safely. Besides, she could not go to sleep when they were still so very vulnerable to attack. It was only a matter of time before the creatures regrouped and came back at them in full force, unless they had decided to spread out from the town in search of easier victims. Though, with the cunning and thirst for vengeance the creatures appeared to have, she did not think they would leave this town until they had extracted their revenge.

  Cassie glanced over to where Patrick and Joey remained tied. They would be the main reason that the monsters came back, but they would have to get through all of them in order to kill those two. Cassie wasn’t so sure she wanted to put up a fight in order to protect them. “Cass.” She turned back toward Annabelle, hating the pity and sympathy in her bright sea green eyes. “They’ll be fine.”

  “Yes,” she breathed, not at all convinced.r />
  Annabelle squeezed her hand gently before slipping silently into the shadows. Cassie returned to staring out at the dark night. The moon danced across the snow, casting bright light off of its white surface. Stars twinkled in the sky; they were bright hopeful lights against a curtain of black night. The skeletal branches danced and swayed in the gentle breeze that wafted through them.

  Julian and Devon had to be freezing out there. A shiver raced down her, she rested her fingers against the board on the window. She desperately wanted to go out there, to search for them herself; she hated feeling helpless and alone. She hated feeling this torn and adrift in the world.

  Then she saw it, a darker shadow amongst the night; a figure amidst the woods. Cassie’s heart turned over, thumping with a mighty heave that left her breathless. The darkness caressed his hard body; the moon lit his black hair. Though she could not discern his features, he was the same size and shape as Devon. His hair was the same dark color. Devon would not have gone far from them, she knew that. He would not have left her alone.

  And she was not going to leave him alone.

  Spinning on her heel, she fled toward the door. Chris jumped toward her, trying to block her before she could get her hand on the knob. But she was faster than he was. Throwing the lock, she tossed the door open. “Cassie!”

  The wind hit her, the chill of it blasted against her, but it did not slow her. She plunged into the night, needing to see Devon, to hold him. To ease the ache that burned in her bones and muscles. She plunged across the street; her breath blew out in bursts of steam in the frigid air. She pushed herself faster, harder.

  She was halfway across the street, when he emerged from the shadows. Relief filled her, then confusion and surprise. She sprinted forward a few more steps before true realization sank in. This man was not Devon; he did look oddly like him with his dark hair, and sleek build. Even some of his features resembled Devon’s. His cheekbones were high and defined like Devon’s, his mouth full, but his nose was slightly bigger, and his face thinner. He was slightly shorter, stockier, but the differences were so small that she had not immediately picked up on them. His eyes though, it was his eyes that confused her the most. They were not the same bright emerald color as Devon’s, they were a darker almost forest green, and they were crueler, with an edge of malice that finally slid her to a halt.