Ashes

by Erica Stevens

  The breath wheezed forcefully out of Cassie, the beat of her heart stopped for a frantic moment as uncertainty and hurt tore through her in equal measures. If his hands hadn’t been clenched upon her, she would have fallen down. Lover? Her gaze darted between them, pain snapped through her with the force of lightning bolts.

  She had known that there were women in his past, there had to be. But this woman, this woman! Cassie trembled slightly as she looked back at the stunning doll before her. This woman was something Cassie had never even remotely fathomed. She was exceedingly beautiful and radiated a raw sexuality and poise that Cassie could never possess. How could she possibly compete with her? Her confidence shaken, her world a crumbling mess, Cassie simply tried to breathe through the tight constriction in her chest.

  Struggling to stay composed, she met Isla’s feral gold eyes once more. From the gleam in those eyes Cassie knew she had already let too much of her emotions slip.

  CHAPTER 16

  Devon felt the tremor that rocked through Cassie, the anguish that tore through her body. His hands tightened around her as he cradled her head tighter against him. He wished that he could take her away from all of this. Take her somewhere that she would be sheltered from the hurts and cruelty of the world. Somewhere she would be sheltered from the mistakes and wrongs of his past.

  But there was no escaping this, and it seemed as if his past had come to a head with his future, in of all places, the hallway of a freaking high school. Hatred blazed through him as he met Isla’s malicious golden gaze. Merriment and fury radiated from Isla as her small smile widened and she tilted her head slightly to the side.

  “You were right Julian, she is delicious,” Isla purred, licking her lips. Devon stiffened, a small growl escaped him. “Such a little innocent though, how could she possibly satisfy your twisted needs Devon?”

  Self hatred and fury tore through him as Cassie trembled again, her fingers dug briefly into his back. He had done this to her, he was causing her this pain. Isla took a step closer; hunger throbbed out of her in rolling waves. Chris and Melissa instinctively moved closer, their eyes darting briefly, frantically toward him. Devon kept his gaze focused upon Isla, but with his mind he monitored Julian’s movements, which were still none. He had been injured, but Devon was not fooled into thinking that he was incapable of fighting.

  Devon didn’t know why Julian was not rushing into the fray, or why he had been studying Cassie so intently. There had been no desire in his gaze, no bloodlust as he had watched her keenly, apparently trying to decipher something about her. What that something could be Devon didn’t know, but Julian’s hesitance and scrutiny were unsettling. Just what was Julian’s plan, and why was Isla here?

  “What are you doing here Isla?” he demanded coldly.

  She shrugged an elegant shoulder, tossing her long hair over her shoulder with a flick of her blood red nails. “When Julian called I just had to come and see if what he was saying was true.” She glanced briefly at Chris, Melissa and Cassie. “I had to see for myself that The Hunter line had survived, that they were here, and that they were thriving. How could I turn down the offer of so much power? Such a tempting treat?”

  She licked her lips again. Melissa moved even closer, her shoulder brushed up against Cassie’s. “I also had to see her.” The deep purr left Isla’s voice as her gaze once more locked upon Cassie with an intense hatred that infuriated him. He would have attacked her, destroyed her, but he could not bring himself to release Cassie when she was so shaken.

  Devon’s hands tightened upon her, pulling her as close as he could to him. The worst thing that he could have done was show Isla how much Cassie meant to him, but it was already too late for that. All he could hope for now was to keep Cassie safe, and to convey his fierce love for her with his touch. Cassie’s hurt, and the danger she was in, was his fault and he would deal with it later. For now, he had to get her out of here alive.

  He could not go on without her.

  “What’s the matter Julian can’t fight your own battles?” Devon hissed, glancing briefly at him. Julian had moved slightly away from the lockers. His face was twisted in pain, and his skin was far paler than normal. He would not die from his injuries, but it would take him a little while to completely recover.

  Julian’s lip twisted in a sneer. “Oh, but why would I deny Isla the pleasure of this?” he inquired softly.

  “Coward.”

  Julian’s eyes flashed red, but he made no move to come at them. He knew that he would not survive it. “I think he might like this girl even more than the last one,” Isla taunted. Cassie’s nails dug painfully into his skin. “What was her name again?”

  “Annabelle, beautiful, tempting, Annabelle,” Julian answered amusement apparent in his voice.

  Devon stiffened at the name, silently cursing himself as he felt the fresh wave of pain slam through Cassie. He had wanted to keep her sheltered from his past, wanted to keep it buried. He had simply wanted to focus on the here and now, and her. He had wanted to forget about the mistakes, and atrocities, that he had committed. He realized that he had been so very wrong to try and bury it. If he had simply told her the truth, she may have been upset and wounded by it, but she would not be experiencing the distress she was now. He wanted desperately to reassure her, but there was nothing he could now. Not here anyway, but later, later he would ease her doubts as he tried to take away her pain.

  “Ah yes, Annabelle, she was a pretty little thing.” Isla shifted slightly, tapping a nail against her lip as she pretended to think.

  Devon braced himself, knowing that Isla was already well aware of what she wanted to say, but one thing she had always loved was drama, and torturing her victims. Unfortunately, her victim this time was Cassie. He was going to rip Isla’s throat out for this, when he got his hands on her, he was going to make sure that she could never speak to Cassie again.

  “You gave up human blood for your love of Annabelle, and now you’ve crawled into bed with the enemy. You will do anything to get into the pants of a pretty little thing won’t you Devon?”

  Cassie gasped softly, she went rigid against him. “You bitch!” Devon spat.

  Isla grinned at him as Cassie’s hands slipped off his back. Devon fought back his panic. He needed to get them out of here before Isla succeeded in tearing Cassie away from him for good. “Did you not tell her about Annabelle?” Isla taunted. “Oh honey, believe me, you aren’t the only girl he’s lost his head over. Is she Devon?”

  “First there was Elizabeth, then there was me…”

  “There was never you,” Devon growled. Isla’s eyes flashed, narrowing slightly. “I never loved you.”

  A soft, cold laugh escaped her, but there was no amusement in her tone. “And you love this one?”

  Devon’s nostrils flared, loathing poured through him. He had allowed his anger to get the best of him; he had walked right into Isla’s trap by doing so. She would do anything in her power to destroy their love, to destroy him. “This is not the place Isla. There are too many humans here.”

  “I don’t see any humans; all I see are three little treats. You know you want to try one too. I bet its killing you not to taste that one.” She flipped a hand idly at Cassie, her grin widening. “I can smell her power from here, and I know that you were never one to deny yourself anything. You always took what you wanted, when you wanted it. That’s why you were always so exciting to be with. You were a vampire of worth, one who matched my appetite in every way.” Her gaze fixed pointedly on Cassie as she licked her lips hungrily once more. “Every way,” she emphasized again.

  Devon cradled Cassie’s head gently, wanting desperately to block Isla’s words from her as she trembled again, a soft gasp escaping her. She was too innocent, too good for this. She deserved far more than what his life had to offer her. The best thing he could have done for her was left her alone, the best thing he could have done for her was to never have inserted himself into her life.

  If he had thou
ght that it would help, he would leave tomorrow, he would set her free to live the life she deserved. A life that was filled with light instead of darkness. However, he knew that it was too late now. He may be able to separate himself from her, if it was in her best interest, but he knew what she was to him now, and he knew that he would not survive the loss of her life. He also knew that Julian and Isla would not leave, not until the Hunter’s in this town were destroyed. They were far too tempting for that to happen. And he could not leave Cassie unprotected to face them alone.

  Forgive me, he prayed silently to her. Please forgive me.

  “There are three Hunters here, and me. Do you think you can win this battle?”

  Isla grinned, sashaying her hips as she took a step closer. “Oh honey, I did win the battle.” Her gaze darted briefly toward Cassie. A grim smirk of satisfaction spread across her mouth. “And I will win the war.”

  Abhorrence rose up in him, a small snarl escaped. “I’ll kill you for this,” he vowed.

  She lifted a delicate eyebrow, laughing softly as she shook her head. “I doubt it; it is my bed you always return to after all.”

  Pain did not wash off of Cassie anymore; instead numbness seemed to have descended over her as she remained limp in his arms. “Not in a very long time, and never again Isla, never again.”

  She seemed nonplussed by his response. “When she is dead…”

  “If you finish that sentence I swear I will make your death pure torture!” he snapped. “I will make you beg for mercy Isla; I will make you wish that you had never survived this long. You want the old me back and you will have it if you touch her. If you come near her, I’ll destroy you!”

  Isla shifted, fury radiated from her as her eyes flashed the color of rubies. It seemed as if his words were finally sinking in. Worry filled him, his hands tightened around Cassie. Isla’s gaze found its way to Cassie once more, hatred pulsated from her.

  Cassie seemed to come alive again as she clung to him once more, trying to bury herself against him in an attempt to avoid the loathing directed at her. Until recently she had not been used to people hating her, but the dislike that her schoolmates had for her was nothing compared to the abhorrence that radiated from Isla.

  Chris shifted slightly, his feet taking up a fighting stance. Beside him, Melissa reached into her purse, her hand wrapped around something. It was not only Cassie he had to see safely out of here, but them also. If they did not all survive this, it would destroy Cassie. Devon’s head snapped around. Julian had moved a couple steps closer. Blood had formed at the corners of his mouth, but he seemed to be doing better already.

  He leveled Julian with a fierce glare. “You take one more step and I will rip your throat out!” Julian froze, but his eyes darted about, calculating the odds. “Three Hunters and me,” he reminded Julian coldly.

  “They’re not armed,” Isla purred.

  “We can still fight, and we’re still dangerous,” Cassie said softly, her spine straightening defiantly, her jaw clenching tight. Though he was proud of her for standing up for herself, he was also terrified that her defiance would only enrage Isla further.

  Isla laughed coldly as she tossed her hair over her shoulder. She moved suddenly, blurring as she charged at them. Devon braced himself, turning slightly as Isla barreled past Melissa, shoving her aside before slamming into his back. The force of the blow staggered him, pushing him forward. Cassie cried out as she was shoved against the locker, his body slammed forcefully against hers. He tried to absorb most of the impact, but he knew that Cassie had been hurt by the blow.

  Isla tore at him, her claws raking down his back. Pain radiated through him as his blood spilled forth, but it was not him that Isla was after. Cassie ducked her head, turning away from the raking claws that sought to destroy her. Rage suffused him, turning his vision a murky red. He would rip Isla limb from limb before he ever let her get her hands on Cassie. Bellowing with fury, he swung back hard, his fist and shoulder connecting hard with Isla.

  Isla was flung back, she skid across the floor before hitting the lockers with a loud thud. Releasing Cassie, he spun around, keeping her firmly pinned behind his back. His lips pulled back as a harsh hiss escaped him and his teeth elongated. Isla shook her head, staggering as she got back to her feet. Chris pulled Melissa up, a bruise was already beginning to form on her cheek, but she appeared otherwise unharmed.

  Voices filled the hall, laughter trailed ahead of the students making their way toward them. Isla and Julian moved closer together, communicating silently with their gazes. To expose themselves to a bunch of humans would be reckless, dangerous. They would not be able to kill them all, and to do so would leave a trail of bodies that would only get the authorities involved.

  Vampires preferred to remain hidden by nature; it was something that was bred into them upon their awakening. They did not want the world to know of their existence, it would only bring more people forth to kill them. For fear of the unknown did strange things to humans. They often sought to destroy that which they did not understand, and no vampire could withstand a massive mob of angry, frightened humans on a rampage.

  “Later lover,” Isla whispered.

  Julian and Isla slipped easily down the hall, disappearing into the shadows before a group of four girls turned the corner. Marcy was in the lead. They froze as they spotted the carnage of the hall, and the blood stained floor. Cassie inhaled sharply. Feeling tired, beaten, and worn, Devon took a step forward, turning to confront the group before them.

  Marcy looked at him, shock and horror widening her eyes as she took in his bloodied shirt and wounds. “Devon! Are you ok?”

  Her gaze darted accusingly to Cassie before focusing on him once more. Taking a deep breath, he drew on his strength as he marshaled his powers. Reaching out, he shoved his mind forward, wrapping into theirs as he seized hold of their will. Their eyes became dull, glazed, their mouths parted slightly.

  “You saw nothing here, and no one. Go back to the dance, there is nothing going on here.” He kept hold of their minds as he twisted their memories. In their minds the doors and lockers were still intact, the hall was empty.

  Slowly, they nodded and turned around before moving stiffly away. Slumping, feeling slightly drained, it took all he had to keep himself standing upright. The use of his ability on so many people, on top of his blood loss, was tiring. The three of them stared at him in silent awe, amazed by the power he had never shown them. Cassie grabbed hold of his arm, her wide violet blue eyes worriedly searching his face.

  “Devon?”

  He turned away from her, the scent of her blood overwhelming him in his weakened condition. Tremors shook him as he fought against his need and desire. He could not be near her right now. “Chris,” he muttered.

  Chris hurried to his side, shooting Cassie an apologetic glance as he took hold of Devon’s arm, wrapping it around his shoulders. Devon released her reluctantly; hurt bloomed in her eyes as she stepped back. He hated to see that hurt, didn’t want to be the cause of it, but he did not trust himself to be near her now. She was far too tempting, and he was far too weak. She had been hurt enough tonight without having to endure more wounds from him.

  “We need to get out of here,” Melissa said hurriedly. “Before other people come.”

  “I need to grab my purse and shoes, my ID is inside,” Cassie whispered.

  Devon growled as she disappeared from sight. Forgetting his injuries, he drug Chris into the bathroom after her. He froze, anger and horror filling him as he took in the wreckage that littered the floor. The soap dispenser lay in the middle of the room, its liquid scattered across the floor, sinks, and broken glass. One of the stall doors had been ripped free and tossed aside. But it was not the wreckage that left him immobile; it was the blood staining the linoleum, sink, floor, and the tops of the stall doors. Her blood.

  Cassie emerged from one of the ruined stalls, her stained purse clutched tightly in her trembling hands. Her gaze darted around the room, h
er breath came more rapidly. She looked so lost, so childlike and wounded that it broke his heart. His anger evaporated as he took in the room once more. All he could do was be thankful that she was still alive, that she had somehow managed to survive Julian’s attack when no one else would have. At least no human would have, and probably no other Hunter.

  She may not have the special abilities that Melissa and Chris possessed, but Devon was beginning to suspect that there was far more to her than any of them had even begun to imagine.

  He removed his arm from Chris’s shoulder, a fresh well of strength infusing him. She needed him even more than he needed blood right now. Opening his arms to her, she hesitated for a moment as fear and worry flashed across her beautiful face. When he made no move to pull away from her, no move to turn her away, she ran forward. Throwing her arms around his waist, she buried her face in his chest. He held her tight as her shoulders began to shake and heart wrenching sobs escaped her.

  Burying his face in her hair, he tried to focus on the sweet scent of fruit and spices she emitted, and not the luring scent of her powerful blood. Her fear, and her need for him, was a great motivator for this. Careful of the wounds along her side, he lifted her gently. She wrapped her arms around him, pressing her tear stained face into his neck.

  They used the back doors as they made their way outside while Chris retrieved the coats. Devon adjusted Cassie, flinging open the passenger side door as Melissa scurried inside. He placed her gently into the passenger seat, kneeling beside her to stroke her hair back from her face. Turning her hands over, he noted the jagged gashes on her delicate palms. Anger flared through him as he pulled a piece of glass free and tossed it aside.

  “Are you going to be ok?” he asked softly.

  She managed a small nod, closing her eyes briefly. Picking her arm up, he surveyed the gashes on her side, fighting back the hunger that crashed through him in rising waves. She winced, jerking away from him slightly. “Sorry love,” he whispered, his eyebrows drawing tightly together as he realized that the wounds were already beginning to heal.