by C.M. Owens
Though she had no special gifts, no abilities like Chris and Melissa, she knew instantly that her life would never be the same again. She knew that the presence of this strange man marked a significant change in her life.
Acute panic tore through her.
CHAPTER 2
"Bout time for what?" Chris sucked at his chocolate shake as he lifted a dark blond eyebrow quizzically at Melissa.
"Oh, uh, it's about time to go," Melissa answered absently. She neatly wiped her hands before tossing her napkin aside.
Cassie spun in her seat. She had to get as far away from here, and him, as possible. "Yes it is," she eagerly agreed.
Leaping to her feet, she ignored the surprised looks that both Melissa and Chris shot her. She hastily grabbed her tray and tossed the plates haphazardly onto it. "Hey!" Chris cried as she grabbed his few remaining fries and threw them onto the heap.
"It's late, we have to go." Her voice trembled and to her utter surprise, and horror, so did her hands.
What was the matter with her? She didn't know this man; she didn't know that he meant anything to her. She simply knew that he affected her on a physical level, so why was she acting like a loon? Why was she so certain that he was going to drastically change her life?
She had no way of knowing for sure, but something inside of her, something instinctual and primal was screaming at her that he would, and that was something she wasn't about to allow to happen.
Her life had already been turned upside down once; she couldn't go through it again, she didn't think she was strong enough to survive it a second time. Just four short years ago she had been a perfectly happy thirteen year old girl. Now she was a Hunter, spending far too much time in cemeteries, and killing vampires. Vampires for crying out loud! They were something she had once thought of as a myth, something made up for movies and books in order to entertain people, or scare them.
No, she absolutely did not want her life to change again. She had just gotten it straightened out, just gotten it to the point where she could accept her heritage, even if she didn't like it. She had craved a change, something different, but not this, not this big, and not him.
"Cassie…"
"I'm tired," she interrupted Melissa sharply. "I want to go home."
Melissa's questioning onyx eyes gleamed, but she bit into her lower lip as she refrained from saying anything more. Cassie's heart beat a staccato as she hurried to the trashcan. "My fries," Chris mourned morosely.
"I'll buy you two orders next time!" she shouted, immediately feeling guilty for her cross retort. Chris's eyes widened but he didn't say anything more. Apparently he'd decided that sacrificing his fries was far better than arguing with her further. It was a good decision as she felt half crazed at the moment.
Though Cassie tried to ignore it, she could feel the stranger's eyes burning into her with every step she took. Her hands were shaking; her heart pounded loudly in her ears, and her throat was so dry that she could barely swallow.
She couldn't deal with this, not right now. The strange sensations pounding through her were causing her composure to unravel. Something was going to happen, and he was going to be the cause of it. She didn't know if that something was going to be good or bad though, she couldn't sort through her thoughts, not with all these different emotions rioting through her.
"What put you in a pissy mood all of a sudden?" Chris mumbled.
Cassie shot him a dark look as she started to push him in the opposite direction of the man. She didn't trust herself to look back and see if he was still standing there or not. She was fearful that she would stand, frozen like a deer in the headlights, if she looked at him again. "I just want to go home."
"Well, you're going in the wrong direction!" Chris protested as he tried to twist away from her shoving hands.
Cassie looked helplessly at Melissa, hoping for some assistance, but Melissa wasn't looking at her. In fact, her attention was riveted upon the spot where Cassie had last seen the man. Melissa glanced back at Cassie, her eyes narrowed as she took in Cassie's frantic expression.
Chris was shaking his head in disgust when he pulled away from her. "Women," he muttered. "I'll never understand them."
Cassie helplessly stared after him as he stalked a few feet away, heading in the direction of the man still half hidden in the shadows of the building. Chris turned back to them and tapped his foot impatiently as he folded his arms over his broad chest. "Are you coming or not?" he demanded irritably, obviously still aggravated with her for being so snippy and throwing away his fries.
Cassie glanced pleadingly at Melissa but her attention was still focused on the strange man. Cassie wanted to hide behind her, but she found herself unable to move. She could still feel his heavy gaze, pinning her to the spot where she stood, burning into her soul. Melissa turned back to her; a half smile curved her full mouth.
"Come on Cassie, it's getting late," she said, her voice irritatingly cheerful.
Cassie stared helplessly at her. She desperately wished she could go back in time and insist they'd never come to B's and S's tonight. She wished for many, many things, but none of them were going to come true within the next minute. Even if they did come true, she had the unsettling feeling that he still would have found her. That he still would have walked into her life.
That realization did nothing to ease the knot of anxiety crushing her chest.
No matter how much she didn't care to, she had to face this. Whatever this was. She had never run from anything before and she wasn't about to start now. No, she was not a coward, but she was shaking like a leaf.
Taking a deep breath, she straightened her shoulders, and faked a bravery she didn't feel as she fell into step beside Melissa. Melissa's gaze was steady upon her, but she didn't ask any questions. Chris moved beside them, a dark look in his eyes as he continued to shoot Cassie disgruntled looks. For someone that was so good at reading people, he was being frustratingly insensitive to her emotions right now. Clenching her hands into fists, her nails dug into her palms as they moved toward the corner of the building.
Though she tried to fight it, her gaze was drawn to him like a magnet to metal. He reminded her of a black panther, hiding in the shadows, stalking her as his prey. Like a black hole, she couldn't help but be pulled into his stare, trapped by his gaze. Slowly, just as before, she could feel the hollowness inside her begin to fill and become whole again.
Suddenly she couldn't remember why she'd fought so hard against this unbelievable need she felt to be near him. For some strange reason she was certain he wouldn't deny her, that in fact, he would eagerly accept her into his arms.
There was just enough light coming from the restaurant to silhouette his striking features. He was magnificent, his face all hard lines and sharp angles. His strong jaw and firm mouth were clenched together, a muscle twitched in his cheek as his emerald eyes blazed into hers. His wavy black hair was wind tossed and disheveled as it fell around his chiseled face. The boyishness of his tussled hair added an almost vulnerable air to him. His muscles flexed beneath his jacket and the body hugging t-shirt he wore.
"Hey," Chris greeted the outsider with a nod, his head slightly tilting to the side as he studied the man curiously, apparently trying to get a read on him.
The man nodded back at Chris, but his gaze never left hers. Cassie had to force herself not to reach out and touch him, or run her fingers through his thick hair. Her body was alive with electricity; the urge to touch this man was almost overwhelming.
For a moment she thought he was going to touch her as he shifted again and moved his body within centimeters of hers. Though the two of them didn't make physical contact, she could still feel the warmth of his skin against hers. Instinctively, she knew that to touch him would be the most exquisite thing she would ever experience.
She had never imagined that she would ever feel like this about someone. She had never thought it was possible to be this lost, and found, all at once. He had found her, and he wasn
't going to let her go. The certainties of her thoughts were frightening.
"Cassie! Cassie!"
The call of her name was like a bucket of ice water thrown onto her as the strange spell shattered around her. Snapping her head around, her gaze focused on Marcy. For the first time, Cassie was actually thankful for Marcy's obsessive, overeager ways. She needed a reprieve from the stranger in order to gather her wits again, and calm the turbulent beat of her heart.
Marcy thrust a piece of paper at her as she came to an abrupt halt in front of Cassie. Her leaf green eyes were enthusiastic as she grinned, her pretty face aglow in the light coming from the restaurant. "My cell number, call me later so that we can go over some ideas."
Cassie stared at the paper, unable to fully form a coherent response. She managed a brief nod as she shoved it into her pocket. "Hey Marcy," Chris greeted.
Marcy turned five shades of red, a bashful smile spread across her lips as she ducked her head. Chris's grin grew as he folded his arms over his chest and rocked back on his heels. Melissa rolled her eyes as she lightly shoved him sideways. "You can flirt some other time," she muttered so that Marcy couldn't hear.
"Tomorrow," Marcy said before hurrying away.
Cassie glanced briefly back at the man, not surprised to find his gaze still focused on her. She thought she should be unnerved, or even a little frightened by his intense scrutiny but she wasn't. She found herself unable to move for a moment, but Chris tugged her forward, his displeasure with her still apparent. The man quirked a dark eyebrow at her, but other than that he remained completely still.
She allowed herself to be pulled away, not because she wished to leave, or flee from this outsider anymore. No, she allowed herself to be pulled forward simply because she didn't know what else to do. She couldn't stand there gaping at the man like a complete idiot all night.
She shot a quick glance back at him, not surprised to find that he had turned to watch them leave. There was a hungry gleam in his emerald eyes that sent a shiver down her spine. He looked like he would like to devour her, and she would willingly be his next meal.
That fact just confused and flustered her even more. She shouldn't yearn for this, but she did.
***
Cassie slid the window open and leaned on the sill as she met Chris's twinkling gaze. "Why don't you just use the door?"
He shrugged as he heaved himself through the window. As big and muscular as he was, he was surprisingly agile and graceful. It was why he was the star of the football team. Well that, and his enhanced speed and strength gave him an advantage. "The window's more fun."
Cassie shook her head as she closed the window again, leaving it cracked to let the cool September air flow through. Chris moved across the room, plopped down on her bed, and crossed his long legs before him. Resting his elbow on his knee, he snatched the remote up and turned on the TV. Though he flipped idly through the channels, his easy demeanor was belied by the tension she sensed running through him.
She walked over to sit beside him. She didn't have to ask what was wrong; she knew it was his mother again. If he decided to talk about it, he would. If not, they would sit quietly until he was ready to go to sleep on the air mattress tucked under the bed just for him.
"Is your grandma home?" he inquired.
His gaze was focused on the TV, but most of his attention was on her. "No, she went to the church social tonight. There's left over lasagna in the fridge for you if you would like some."
He shrugged and set the remote down when he found the Red Sox game. "Someone took my fries," he muttered.
Cassie couldn't help but grin as she shoved playfully at his arm. "There were only a few left."
"The last ones are always the best."
Laughing, she pushed him again. "Do you want me to heat some lasagna for you?" Though she knew that was exactly what he was trying to guilt her into doing.
"I think you owe me."
Cassie climbed to her feet and shook her head at him. "You're lucky I love you."
He flashed his cocky grin with the easy charm that most girls couldn't resist. "You'd better!"
Cassie was still shaking her head as she made her way downstairs. She may have been born an only child, but she still had an annoying, two week older brother. Finding her way easily through the darkened halls she entered the kitchen. She didn't bother with the switch, she could see almost as well with the lights off as she could with them on. She pulled the door of the fridge open and removed the hefty piece of lasagna her grandmother had set aside for Chris. Un-wrapping it, she tossed it into the microwave and hit the buttons.
Leaning against the sink, she stared out at the dark night, her mind not on the street before her, but on the strange man from earlier. She had done nothing but think about him since arriving home. He preoccupied her every thought and she couldn't rid her skin of the strange electricity he had created in her.
Instinctively she knew that if she could just see him again, just touch him, than things would be better. The thought filled her with excitement, but also with a level of apprehension that she couldn't shake. It made no sense to feel this intense of a connection with someone she didn't even know.
She hated to see Chris so lost, and angry with his mother, but she was secretly grateful for the, distraction his company offered her from her strange thoughts and emotions. Now that she was alone again though, the stranger was back on her mind. She was truly afraid that she would never feel normal again until she touched him.
If she saw him again. The thought of never seeing him again sent her heart racing in fear.
Cassie shook her head as she tried to rid herself of her irrational thoughts. She was acting crazy, she was feeling crazy. Maybe everything that had happened to her over the past four years had finally caused her to lose her mind. 'How many people could actually know of the existence of vampire's, and fight them, and not go a little crazy?' she wondered absently.
Not many.
Movement in the shadows outside the kitchen windows caught her attention, drawing her gaze back to the street. The shadows shifted again before settling down once more. Cassie turned her attention to the copse of trees at the edge of the yard. The sudden beep of the microwave caused her to jump and spun her toward the machine. She shook her head, aggravated with herself for allowing someone to affect her this much. She didn't know him, what she felt for him couldn't be real, and he shouldn't be affecting her this way. Hell, she didn't even know his name.
Grabbing the lasagna from the microwave, she cast another glance out the window. Nothing moved amongst the shadows, but Chris's mom had come onto her porch. She held a beer bottle in one hand, a cigarette in the other, as she stared into space. A man emerged behind her and wrapped his arm around her waist. Cassie had never seen him before, but then, she rarely saw any of Mary's men twice in a row.
The man's presence explained why Chris was here tonight.
Shaking her head, she hurried back upstairs, eager to get the food to Chris. She swung into her room, not at all surprised to find the air mattress already set up. "Thanks," he muttered as he took the plate from her.
Cassie nodded and plopped herself onto the bed beside him. This was going to be one of the nights that Chris didn't like to speak; one of the nights when he had no words to convey his unhappiness. That was just fine by her, she wasn't much in the mood for talking either, but there was one thing that she had to know.
"Chris?"
"Hmm," he murmured around a mouthful of lasagna.
Swallowing nervously, Cassie's hands knotted in her lap. "Do you remember that man from earlier?" When he shot her a confused look, she elaborated. "The one standing next to B's and S's?"
He nodded as he took another large bite of lasagna. "What about him?" he inquired when he swallowed.
"Did you um, well did you feel anything from him?" she hedged.
Chris's eyes narrowed on her. She never asked questions about what he or Melissa knew, but this time she couldn't stop
herself from asking. She had to know why she couldn't get the strange guy out of her thoughts, and Chris might be able to help her with that. "No, not really," he answered haltingly. "Why?"
She turned her attention back to the game, hoping that Chris wouldn't notice or pick up on the anxiety and excitement wracking her. "I was just wondering, haven't seen him around before."
It was not a lie, she tried to reassure herself, but she didn't think Chris bought it. Fortunately, he knew her well enough to know not to push her. Without Chris in her life, she had no idea what would have become of her. He kept her sane in a world of madness and confusion.
She dropped her head comfortingly on his shoulder. For the first time all night, she finally began to feel normal again.
CHAPTER 3
Cassie slid her sunglasses onto the top of her head; she surveyed the crowded school parking lot as she stepped away from Chris's beat up Mustang. Though the car looked like junk now, Chris planned to restore it to its former nineteen sixty four glory. Cassie had no doubt that he could do it, the only thing she doubted was that he would ever have the time to devote to it. Just as he hadn't had time for his real job once school started again. Not with hunting vampires, thrown in with school work and football practice.
Melissa slid out of the car beside her; her black hair was pulled into a sleek French braid that hung almost to her waist. "Freaking death trap," she muttered.
"I heard that!" Chris shouted from inside the car as he fiddled with his updated stereo system. Disturbed blasted loudly from the large speakers stuffed in the trunk moments before Chris popped his head above the roof. "I'll have you know that this car is a classic."
"More like an antique," Melissa informed him.
He dropped his hands on the roof as he leaned forward. "And one day it's going to be awesome."
"Well, until that day, it is a death trap," Melissa retorted.