She glanced back at the man, taking in his features and build. Her mind spun, running through everything that Devon had ever told her. “What are you doing here?” Devon demanded.

Robert’s gaze darted to her, his eyes lit, his mouth pursed as his eyes raked her. Cassie felt as if her skin had just been flayed from her body, as if she had just been ripped open and exposed to the very marrow of her bones. Her arms wrapped involuntarily around herself as she took a small step back. It was more than apparent that this man wanted her dead. Devon growled in low warning, Julian stepped closer to her.

Her hands trembled, she wanted to reach out to Devon, to touch him, to hold him, but she couldn’t bring herself to move. Her spinning mind had just clicked into place. She suddenly knew instantly who this strange man was. She also knew that Devon had not told her about what he was. That he had purposely kept it from her. Her eyes landed on Devon’s broad back, betrayal spun through her, but she couldn’t bring herself to be angry, just shocked and dismayed. And completely confused and lost.

Why had he not told her about this? What had happened between them to cause such animosity and hatred?

She glanced back at the strange man, but even before he spat the word with such vehemence, she already knew the answer, already knew who he was. “You know why I’m here, brother.”

***

Devon could feel the turmoil rolling off of Cassie, the shock and horror that vibrated from her in waves. He did not feel shock from her though when Robert revealed what they were to each other. So, she had already figured it out, he realized. She knew his worst secret now, the worst part of him, the one thing that he had never been able to bring himself to reveal to her. The one person he had never wanted her to meet.

And now he wanted her the hell out of here before Robert came at her again. Robert would do everything in his power to take her from him. Robert would do everything he could to destroy her, in order to destroy Devon. “Matthew sent you here?” he inquired in a low rumble, barely able to get words out through the constriction of anger and terror tightening his chest.

Roberts grin, and the wicked gleam in his eyes should have warned him, but he was still unprepared for what he said next. “Oh no dear Devon, Matthew escorted me here. I mean imagine our surprise when he revealed that there are Hunter’s still alive, and one of our own fancies himself in love with one of them. Plus, from what I’ve been led to understand, we are standing in what is now a ghost town, with a bunch of miscreants that never should have existed running around. All of our lives are on the line if they escape here; all of our safety is in jeopardy. Do you think that any of us would miss this fun?”

Julian swore loudly, grabbing hold of Cassie, he shoved her roughly in between him and Devon as he stepped firmly behind her. Devon bristled at her startled cry, but he did not protest Julian’s action, nor did he react to Julian’s protective hold upon her. It was where she needed to be, and he was simply grateful for the fact that Julian would protect her with his life also. Something he greatly feared that Julian was going to have to do very soon.

Devon took a step back, pushing her tighter in between them. Her hands curled into his back, her breath was warm even through the layers of clothes he wore. He would not allow her to die, he would not allow her to be killed, but he had no way to get her out of here right now. Not in time anyway.

“I love you,” she whispered, her head briefly dropping to his back.

Devon shuddered; raw emotion swirled up to choke him. She had put her absolute faith and trust in him, and even though he had omitted a big part of his life, she still loved and forgave him. He could not let such a person be destroyed. He could not lose her. He would do everything he could, do whatever it took to make sure that she walked away from this. Even if it meant doing things he had sworn he would never do again.

His gaze fell back to his brother; it was not Robert that he wanted, not Robert that he could use. But where were the others? He knew that they were all out there, somewhere. He glanced toward Chris, who remained standing only a few feet away, his face ashen, his eyes wide with terror. Chris sensed them, sensed their power and intent, and he knew what they were. Chris knew what else had come to this town, knew what else had come to kill them.

Sensing Devon’s gaze, Chris turned slowly toward him, but he simply shook his head in response to Devon’s unasked question. Chris didn’t know where they were either. Devon’s hands clenched, his fingers fisted in frustration. They would do whatever they could to avoid Devon for as long as possible, to hide from him. They thought that if they revealed themselves together they would be able to protect themselves from him.

However, they did not know that he had been feeding on Cassie, a powerful Hunter, who had Julian’s Elder blood inside her also. They could not know the power that she possessed, the strength that had been flowing through her veins and into his. They may have a vague inkling about it, or at least Matthew might have foreseen it, but Devon didn’t think they would be here if they knew it all. No matter what Robert said about the Hunter’s, or the creature’s in this town, those things together would still not be enough of an enticement to bring The Elder’s here if they thought there was any chance they could lose this battle. No matter what, above even risk of exposure, Elder’s valued their own lives far more than they valued anything else. The survival instinct in them was far deeper and fiercer than in younger vampires.

Devon suspected the reasons for that were partly because they had survived so long, and they had seen and caused so much death in their long lives. Because of that, they had a far firmer grip on how tenuous life truly was. Even an immortals life. The Elder’s had a far firmer grip than a younger vampire who suddenly found themselves with a vast amount of power, vitality, and an immortality status they had never imagined could exist, and they believed it never could be revoked. He suspected the other reason was that The Elder’s had been around so long and caused so much destruction that they feared death, and the afterlife they may have to face. For there would be no heaven for them, or for himself even, but a fiery pit of Hell that none of them wanted to experience, but quite possibly could if they were destroyed.

No, The Elder’s had come here fully expecting to win this battle. Which meant that Matthew’s visions had not revealed everything to The Elder’s and that gave them an air of surprise still that The Elder’s would not expect. There was still a chance he could get Cassie out of here. He did not kid himself into thinking that he could get them all out of here. He was not a dreamer, or an optimist, he never had been. He had always been practical, and he knew that when this was over they would not all be standing, but he was determined that Cassie would be.

Wrapping his arm behind him, his fingers entangled with hers. For a brief moment he allowed himself to savor in the wonderful touch of her skin against his, in the wonderful peace that she brought to him. The beast inside him was too focused upon the upcoming battle, and the necessity to keep her alive to allow himself to drift into her too much. The man was terrified that he would lose her, and could barely bring himself to release her hand. His fingertips lingered against hers for a brief moment before he let her go.

He turned back to his brother, bile and hate rising up in crushing waves. They had never gotten along in life; in death it had been even worse. He knew that Robert had come here specifically for Cassie, specifically to take her from him. But it was not Robert that Devon wanted, it was not Robert that he needed. And Robert knew that. As did the others.

And then he saw them, shadows emerging slowly from the woods, but not all of them came forward. It did not matter though; they were close enough now that he could feel the edges of their minds. Close enough to seize them. He drew on Cassie’s blood, drew on his far vaster strength as an Elder. He shoved gently forward with his mind, being careful not to make waves that Adon could pick up on and alert the others to.

Gently, slipping silently within their barriers, slithering as slowly and stealthily as a snake in the grass, he seized hold of two of their minds. Taking control, he twisted them to his will so smoothly that their facial expressions didn’t even flicker, their eyes never even moved. With gentle coercion, he instructed them to remain the same, to continue to act as they normally would.

He did not need them now, but he would need them soon, and when the time came they would have no choice but to join his side and help him protect Cassie. He could take more of them if he wanted, but with just the one mind alone, he could bend the most powerful amongst The Elder’s to his will. He seized the other mind only as a precaution, but it was a precaution that he was not willing to let go of.

With firm control over that one mind, Devon turned toward Zane, the man he had learned a lot from, the man who had been a mentor of sorts to Devon. A mentor from hell that was filled with nothing but hatred, vengeance, and bloodlust, and at one time Devon had savored in it all. Devon had spent a fair amount of time with Zane many years ago, but unlike Julian, they had never grown to like each other. They had never been friends. The two of them had simply respected and learned from each other, simply savored in the ability of the other to one up each other in savagery. Devon had not seen Zane in nearly four hundred years, but his capability for cruelty and torture was still very fresh in Devon’s mind.

Anger and hatred blazed through Devon at the thought of what Zane would do to Cassie if he got his hands on her. He would make her time with Patrick beneath the school look like a vacation. Zane would torture her until there was nothing left of her, bleed her almost to death before bringing her back to do it over and over again. He would make sure that she stayed alive for years in order to continue doing so.

Devon gazed upon Zane, the oldest Elder, and the one that ran the show. The one that mistakenly believed he still possessed more power than Devon. The one that had no way of knowing that Devon already controlled him like a puppet. A small, cruel smile curved Zane’s mouth as he turned his gaze ever slowly from Devon to Cassie.

“Delicious,” Zane purred.

Devon pushed her back a step, squeezing her tight between him and Julian. Between the two of them, Zane would never get at her. Hopefully.

CHAPTER 15

Cassie could barely breathe against the two bodies pressed tight to her. But then she thought she wouldn’t be able to breathe anyway through the shock, horror, and fear rolling through her. She was no dummy; she knew who these people were, knew what they represented. She knew what they had come here for, and what they would do to all of them. Devon and Julian may be Elders, and there may be two other vampires, four Hunter’s, (if they could untie Joey there would be five of them, but she didn’t think they would make it to him in time), and a Guardian present, but she knew that they would not be a match against eight Elders.

They were no match against eight of the monsters that had killed her parents. Hatred and anger tore through her; she trembled with the ferocity of it. Ever since she had learned the truth of what she was, ever since she had learned that The Elder’s had organized a large group of vampires to destroy the Hunter line, she had desperately wanted revenge. And now was finally her chance for revenge, but there were so many of them and they were so powerful. At least they would be able to take a few of them out (of that she was certain, because she would be sure to do so), before they were completely overrun.

“Delicious.”

Cassie’s eyes narrowed on the one that had uttered the word with such reverence. Disgust rolled through her, but so did anger. She studied the man carefully. He radiated power, hunger, and maliciousness even more so than the others. He also sported a bit of a tan. She recalled Devon telling her that he had known one other vampire that could walk about in the sun; this was most definitely that man.

His eyes were light ochre brown, so light in fact that they appeared almost golden in the moonlight, like honey. His dark blond hair was streaked with natural lighter blond highlights. The highlights had been caused by the light of the sun, a light that he never should have known again, that Devon never should have known again, but did. He looked like a Californian golden boy with his wavy hair falling over his forehead and his clean cut good looks.

His dark nature was very evident, as his was his thirst for blood, and it was more than apparent that he was no golden boy. He was not as tall as the other men about him, but he bore an aura of power that made him appear even larger, even stronger. Even more formidable and intimidating.

“Zane,” Devon murmured his beautiful eyes hooded and dark as he stared hard at the other man.

Zane, somehow that name fit the man perfectly. It was wild and untamed, yet strong, deceiving, mischievous and dangerous. Everything she knew that he was. He appeared a little older than Devon, as if he had been turned in his mid to late twenties, maybe even early thirties instead. Not like it mattered when they had been turned, they were all over five hundred years old now, she realized with dismay.