Kindred (Book 1 The Kindred Series)

by Erica Stevens

  ***

  Cassie squinted against the daylight and longed for stronger sunglasses. Her eyes were killing her; she was exhausted, twitchy, and extremely agitated. Her skin felt two sizes too small, and the sun was making it prickle like she'd just brushed against a stinging nettle.

  It was going to be a miserable day and she hadn't even made it into the school yet. Rubbing the back of her neck, she eased further into the shadows of the giant oak overhanging Chris's Mustang. "Are you ok?" She glanced over at Melissa and nodded as she hugged her books to her chest. "Cassie…"

  Melissa's voice trailed off as a hush settled over the student body. The tingling sensation of her skin increased tenfold, the hair on the back of her neck stood on end. She turned and her eyes instantly latched onto the sleek black Challenger driving past. Her heart turned over and her mouth went dry. She knew instantly who was behind the wheel, though the tinted windows were too dark to get a glimpse of the driver.

  "Wow." Chris's eyes were so large Cassie was certain they were about to pop out of his head.

  Cassie pressed her back against the oak tree, trying to make herself invisible. Memories of her dreams from last night suddenly assaulted her, flooding her body with heat. Though the dreams had just been bits and pieces of him standing by B's and S's watching her, they had left her aching for more.

  She watched breathlessly, her heart hammering loudly in her chest as the car slid into a parking spot and Devon climbed out. Though he wore dark sunglasses, she knew the moment when his gaze locked onto hers. Her legs went weak and her body turned to rubber, as she felt his gaze burning into her. Cassie was unable to move as she stared back at him. She felt like a fool for being caught staring, no gaping at him, but she couldn't bring herself to care.

  His gaze was torn from her as Marcy and Susan eagerly hurried over to him. Cassie slumped against the tree as she fought to catch her breath and ease the pounding of her heart. She was shaking, trembling like a leaf as the effects of his gaze took its toll. Chris was staring at her questioningly, an eyebrow lifted in surprise.

  "What's wrong with you?"

  Cassie shook her head as she tried not to completely fall apart. "Nothing."

  He continued to stare at her, but thankfully Jason and Kara picked then to arrive and distract him from her present state. The game was discussed, plans were made, but Cassie barely heard any of it. Unwillingly, her gaze returned to Devon. He was still standing by the car, but he now had a large group of female admirers surrounding him.

  Cassie's heart lurched as jealousy filled her. There was some strange connection between them (or at least she believed so), but it was more than apparent he could have his choice of any of the girls, and none of them were avoiding him as much as she was. Her annoyance mounted as Marcy touched his arm, grinning cheerfully as her hand lingered far longer than Cassie liked. All she craved was to know what he felt like, and now Marcy did.

  "He is wicked hot," Kara gushed from beside her.

  Cassie started in surprise; she’d been so focused on Devon she hadn't realized Kara had moved to stand beside her. "Who?" she managed to croak out, knowing full well who Kara was talking about.

  Kara grinned at her. "The new guy, the one you're staring at."

  Cassie shifted uncomfortably. She didn’t know she’d been so overt in her ogling. "Um yeah, he's ok," she hedged.

  Kara laughed as she flung her backpack higher on her shoulder, and Melissa moved over to join them. "Would you like to go over there with me?" Kara inquired.

  Cassie fervently shook her head. "No."

  Kara shrugged. "Suit yourself."

  Kara slipped away to join the growing group of eager girls throwing themselves at Devon. "You ok?" Melissa asked softly.

  Cassie nodded, though she knew it was a lie. "I'm going to head inside."

  "I'll go with you."

  Cassie moved away from the tree and winced as she stepped into the harsh rays of the sun. She could almost feel her skin burning, her eyes watered as she squinted against the bright light. She gave Devon a wide berth, but she could feel his eyes following her as she hurried toward the shelter of the school.

  It was going to be another tiresome day and she wasn't at all prepared for it.