She just wasn’t certain how she was going to deal with it. Swallowing heavily, she tried hard to rid her throat of the fierce lump that had lodged itself there. Taking a deep breath, she gathered all of her courage, and whatever strength she had left, to lift her head. Her eyes instantly found him at the front of the classroom. Her heart leapt like a trapped bird in her ribcage at the sight of his powerful body that seemed so out of place in the classroom.
Her classroom!
It took her a moment to truly comprehend that he was really there, that she had not fallen asleep, and that she was not dreaming about him. She had to be awake though, for she could never dream anything so wonderful, or so frightening. She also never would have dreamed that he was a high school student. He seemed far older than her, or any of her other classmates. He exuded a raw power and confidence that none of them possessed. Yet he was standing there as if he truly belonged; standing there as if he didn’t look as out of place as a platypus would.
Even Mrs. Mann looked slightly flabbergasted as he spoke softly with her, and extended a slip of paper to her. Cassie stared at the paper as she struggled to get her wildly spinning mind focused upon something other than the snapping of her body, and his startling presence in her normally calm day.
With a bolt of certainty she knew that she was never going to have another calm day again.
He turned slowly away from Mrs. Mann, his bright emerald eyes instantly latching upon her. Cassie inhaled sharply, tears once again flooding her eyes as a sense of peace and rightness stole through her. She wanted to cry, wanted to sob with the joy that suffused her entire being. She wanted nothing more than to go to him and bury herself within his embrace.
His gaze did not leave hers; his eyes were bright and fierce. He did not look at anyone else in the class as Mrs. Mann cleared her throat to get everyone’s attention. But everyone’s interest was focused upon the stranger in their midst. Few new students ever moved to their small town, let alone one that was as strangely fascinating, and magnificent, as he was. He would be the center of attention for the rest of the year.
“Class, I would like to introduce you to Devon Knight.”
Something flickered in his eyes; a small smile curved his full mouth as he finally turned his gaze to the rest of the students. That strange sense of loss suffused her again as his gaze left hers, but she found herself finally able to inhale once more. With the connection broken, panic set in as a crushing sense of being trapped descended upon her. She could not be stuck here with him; she could not be forced into a destiny that she did not want again.
And she did not want this, whatever it was, she told herself fiercely. Even though she secretly feared that she did.
“You are lucky Devon; we have plenty of people in this class who would be more than happy to show you around.” Cassie slid further down in her desk, trying hard to become invisible as Mrs. Mann’s gaze scanned the classroom. The last thing she wanted was to be chosen for this task. “Melissa, would you be willing to show Devon around?”
Relief and disappointment crashed through Cassie in fierce waves that left her shaken and unsettled. Melissa stiffened slightly, her shoulders tightened in front of Cassie. “Of course,” she replied pleasantly.
The bell rang, but nobody leapt to their feet as they all remained focused upon him. “Have a good day everyone,” Mrs. Mann announced loudly.
The enrapt trance seemed to snap as everyone moved into action. Melissa turned to Cassie, a strange gleam in her onyx eyes. “Would you like to join us?”
Cassie opened her mouth to answer, but no words would come out. She snapped it closed, and shook her head fiercely. She lurched to her feet, knocking her chair back. Both Chris and Melissa studied her in surprise as she scooped up her bag, and flung it over her shoulder. “Cassie…”
“I have to go, I’ll see you later,” she interrupted abruptly.
Her gaze darted back to the front of the class, where he was standing patiently, his eyes still focused on her. Cassie bent her head, afraid to stare at him much longer in case she got sucked in by him again. If she did, she knew she would never escape. Keeping her head down, she joined the crush of students pushing into the crowded hallway.
She hurried down the hall, barely acknowledging the greetings she received. Pushing her way into the bathroom she ignored the girls huddled by the window smoking cigarettes. They didn’t acknowledge her presence either. Turning the faucet on, Cassie eagerly splashed her face with cold water. She was trying hard not to spill the tears that burned fiercely against the backs of her eyes.
She would not cry, she could not cry. If she did she knew she would never stop. Turning the water off, she placed her hands on the edge of the sink, gasping in air as she struggled to keep control of her wildly swaying emotions. She wanted to sob over the events that kept throwing her life into a fierce tailspin. That kept knocking her off balance and taking things from her. She wanted to sob for the joy and electricity that still sizzled through her, making her feel whole and alive in a way that she never had before. She wanted to sob in order to purify her spirit of the turmoil that plagued it.
She did not know what was going on, but she wanted it to stop. She wanted it to end and for him to go away so that she could feel normal again. “Are you ok?”
She glanced up at one of the smoking girls now hovering by her elbow, worry marred her delicate forehead. Her hazel eyes were flecked with streaks of gold, and surprisingly caring for a stranger. “I’m fine,” Cassie answered shakily.
The girl gave her a worried frown as she handed her a wad of paper towels. “Are you sure?”
Cassie’s hands shook as she took the towels from the younger girl, slightly ashamed to realize that she didn’t know her name. “Yes. I’m Cassie.”
“I know.” The girl smiled as she nodded swiftly. Her short brown hair, streaked with shades of green, bobbed around her shoulders. “Danielle, but my friends call me Dani.”
Smiling tremulously, Cassie’s hands tightened briefly around the crumpled towels. “Nice to meet you Dani, thank you.”
A small smile flitted across the girl’s pretty face before she retreated back to her hazy corner. Drying her face slowly, Cassie glanced only briefly at her reflection. She already knew that she was a mess, but her frantic, bloodshot eyes were a bit of a shock. She looked half crazed, and it was not a good look on her. There was nothing she could do about her eyes though, she had no eye drops, and she wasn’t even sure they would help right now. She didn’t think anything could help her now.
Taking a deep breath, she retrieved the backpack she had dumped hastily on the floor. The hall was almost deserted when she poked her head out of the bathroom. She was still shaky and distraught, but at least she didn’t feel like she was on the brink of tears anymore. Making her way slowly down the hall, she slipped quietly into her history class. People shot her questioning looks as she made her way to her desk, but thankfully no one stopped her.
Sitting at her desk, Cassie dropped her head in her hands. She forced herself to remain seated and not to get up and leave class, and school. Though it was a tempting thought, she knew she could not run forever, and apparently he was going to be in her life from now on. Or at least in her school. She would have to find another way to deal with the situation other than running.
She felt that avoidance would be best.
***
Devon searched the cafeteria as he made his way swiftly through the thick crowd, Melissa led the way. “No matter what, bring your own lunch on Thursdays, the spaghetti is awful,” she was telling him in between the vast amount of hello’s she received, and returned. “I just bring my own lunch anyway as they have nothing healthy here, except for apples.”
He turned his attention back to her as she stopped before him, her dark eyes searching his face. She was a nice girl, but the intense way she studied him was more than a little unsettling. He had the strange feeling that she saw more of him than he wanted her to. Her head tilted, her exo
tically slanted eyes narrowed as a small smile flitted over her full mouth.
“Thanks for the warning.”
She grinned as she shrugged a dainty shoulder, and made her way back through the crowd. “The seniors sit in the back of the cafeteria, when it’s not nice enough to sit outside.”
Devon hardly paid attention to her as his eyes returned to the mob of students. He could sense her somewhere amongst the crowd; smell the wonderful aroma she emitted. He had not seen Cassie since this morning, when she had fled the classroom in an obvious panic. It was not the reaction he had hoped for from her, but at least he knew that she was feeling something too. He just wasn’t sure what.
The crowd suddenly parted, opening to reveal her. She was sitting at a table, an apple held casually in her hand as she stared up at the boy standing at her side. The boy was tall and muscular, his brown hair curled at the collar of his shirt as he leaned forward, resting his hands on the table. She shook her head at him, placing the apple down as her face hardened slightly. Devon did not like the aggravation that emanated from her; it was more than apparent that she was annoyed by the boy.
“Who is that with your friend?” Devon inquired, trying to sound as casual as possible.
Melissa glanced toward the table, her eyes narrowed. “Mark Young. He’s been chasing Cassie since middle school; unfortunately he doesn’t take a hint.”
Devon stiffened, his eyes narrowed as Cassie shook her head more fiercely at Mark. He already had enough competition in the form of Cassie’s boyfriend for her attention; he did not need, or want, anymore. “And her boyfriend doesn’t do anything about it?” Though he tried, he was unable to keep the aggravation from his voice.
Melissa frowned at him; her dark eyebrows drew tightly together over her petite nose. “Cassie doesn’t have a boyfriend.”
Devon’s eyes widened in surprise, his gaze darted back to the table as the tall blond he had seen with her last night appeared. He nodded briefly to Mark before sliding into the seat next to Cassie. Leaning toward her, he grabbed a handful of fries from her plate. Devon would have sworn the two of them were together. Hell, the boy had crawled through her bedroom window last night. And he had not come back out.
A surprising jolt of anger and jealousy twisted his gut. He had never experienced jealousy before. It was an emotion that had been utterly foreign to him, until now. For most of his existence he had always taken what he wanted, when he wanted it. He did not like the feeling of helplessness that filled him, and anger was an emotion that he could not allow himself to experience. It was an emotion that he had learned to keep tightly under wraps. Anger made him volatile, and when he was unstable, innocent people were hurt.
Devon took a deep breath as he tried to steady the pendulum of emotions that swung through him. He was beginning to realize that this was a giant mistake. He never should have come here; he should not have placed himself in closer proximity to her. She helped to salve the ache and hurt in his soul, but she also served to unhinge all of the hard work he had done to keep himself under tight restraint.
Being around Cassie unbalanced him. He could not allow that to happen, he could not risk losing control of himself and hurting someone, possibly even her. Shockingly, that thought was completely intolerable to him. He would rather destroy himself than see her hurt in anyway, least of all by his own hand.
Though he knew that he should leave, he could not bring himself to move. He was completely captivated by her as a small smile spread over her full lips and she shoved playfully against the blond sitting beside her. Their ease, and obvious affection for each other, made it hard to believe they weren’t together.
“Then who is that boy beside her?” he asked quietly, his voice tight with the tension that pulsed through him.
Melissa glanced toward the table; a bright smile lit her exotic face. “Oh, that’s just Chris.” He glanced at her in confusion. “They’ve been best friends since they were born, more like siblings actually.”
An immense, startling sense of relief flooded him as he glanced back at the table. Their blond heads were bent close together as they talked. Mark, completely forgotten, shook his head and turned away. “Come on, let’s get you some lunch.”
He glanced back at Melissa, not surprised to see her shrewd eyes narrowed upon him. He shook his head, not at all interested in the mounds of human food. He only had one interest, only one thing that he wanted to taste in this cafeteria. “I’m not hungry.”
She nodded and led him over to the table. Chris looked up at him first, his sapphire colored eyes widened slightly as he stopped speaking. Cassie‘s shoulders stiffened, her back straightened as she seemed to brace herself. Very slowly, she turned toward him, her eyes clashing with his.
The full force of her gaze rattled him, shaking him to the very marrow of his bones as he once again felt an odd little skip in the deadened area of his heart. She had the most beautiful eyes he had ever seen. They were a bright azure blue with flecks of pure, deep purple speckled throughout. The most pure amethyst could not match the beautiful purple streaks that highlighted her irises. In all of his many years, he had never seen eyes the like.
“Cassie, Chris, this is Devon.”
“We were in homeroom too Melissa,” Chris reminded her gently. “Nice to meet you.”
Devon had to force himself to tear his gaze away from Cassie as Chris thrust his hand out. He took hold of it, noting the thick calluses on Chris’s palm as they shook firmly. Chris’s eyes darkened slightly, his hand tightened around Devon’s as his gaze became sharper, more intense. His face hardened for a moment, the smile slipped swiftly away. Melissa stiffened beside him; she took a small step forward as she reached out to grasp Chris’s shoulder.
Chris shook his head; his eyes darted away from Devon to Melissa. Pulling his hand away from Devon’s, Chris turned toward Cassie with a small, worried frown. Devon stared at them in bewildered confusion, unable to understand what had just happened. For a moment, he could have sworn that Chris had looked inside him, had seen something there, and it appeared that he had not liked it.
Chris slid back in his seat, still frowning as he stared at his tray of food. Devon shook his crazy thoughts off, he didn’t care what Chris thought of him. She was the only one that mattered. Cassie was still staring at him, her head tilted slightly to the side as she watched him from slightly wary eyes. She did not extend a hand, did not move as he slid into the seat across from her. Well, he thought wryly, at least she wasn’t bolting like a rabbit again. Melissa dropped her lunch on the table; she dug into the cotton bag as she hummed cheerfully to herself. She seemed happily oblivious to the tension thrumming through them all.
“Are you going to eat that?”
Cassie blinked in surprise, looking away from Devon as Chris leaned over her to point at her brownie. She shook her head, her gaze focused upon the table as she pushed her tray toward him. Devon watched her for a few moments more, oddly fascinated by the way the light played over her delicate features.
She was stunningly beautiful, but it was not desire for her that drew him to her like a moth to a flame. No, it was simply just her. Though he did want her, he wanted even more to be near her, and make sure that she was safe. These protective, tender emotions were new to him, and slightly disconcerting, but he found that he liked them. He wanted them.
More students wandered over to them, they dropped their trays down as their chairs squeaked over the linoleum floors. “Man did you see that game last night?” one of the newer boys asked Chris.
“Yeah,” he mumbled. “Jason, this is Devon.”
Jason was well built, his letterman’s jacket stretched tight over his broad shoulders. Hazel eyes glanced inquisitively at Devon as he gave a brief nod. “Hey,” he greeted absently.
“Hi.”
“And this is Kara, Susan, Billy, and David,” Melissa continued, pointing out the four other new people that had joined them.
The boys nodded to him, the girls stared with open a
dmiration. He could hear the increase of the girl’s heartbeats; sense the excitement that enshrouded them as their blood pulsed more rapidly through their veins. His hunger perked slightly, but drawing on his tight self control, he was able to bury it once more. Though he wasn’t sure how much longer he would be able to keep doing that. Eventually the hunger would take over, and he would need to feed. He hoped he would be able to make it through the rest of this tiring, draining day first.
“Where are you from?” Susan asked eagerly, crossing her hands before her as she leaned forward. Her brown hair had been highlighted with streaks of light blond and twisted into a lose knot. Her light brown eyes were inquisitive and keen.
Devon lifted an eyebrow, fighting a smile. He was from everywhere, but he was sure that they would not appreciate that answer. “New York,” he lied easily.
“Oh really, you don’t have an accent. You must hate having to move to this small, nowhere town after such a big place!”
Melissa and Cassie both sighed heavily, drawing his attention briefly back to them. Cassie’s gaze was still focused on her tray, but he could sense her disquiet. “I was from upstate New York, a town smaller than this one, so it’s actually an improvement.”
“Why did you move here?”
Devon shrugged, he didn’t like to lie, but most of his existence was based on one giant lie. “I needed a change of scenery.”
“I hope you’re not a Yankee’s fan,” Jason muttered.
“I don’t really follow sports.”
Cassie glanced up at him, a small smile curved her full mouth and her eyes twinkled with amusement. He found himself lost to her, unable to think straight as her eyes took him hostage. “That’s great. Maybe I could show you around tonight or something. You know, show you where all the hotspots are,” Susan continued eagerly.
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