“Yes. I’m sorry for the way I’ve acted,” her gaze darted to Dani and Melissa. “To all of you.”

Melissa was grinning from ear to ear as she hurried over to hug Cassie. “It’s ok, we understand. I’m just so happy you’re back.”

Tears shimmered in Cassie’s eyes as Melissa took a step away and Dani embraced her. “Are you hungry?” Chris asked anxiously. “Melissa made baked ziti, and I have to admit it’s not half bad.”

Melissa pushed him lightly. “Not half bad? You’re on your third helping.”

He grinned back at her, turning on his heel as he hurried across the kitchen, eagerly grabbing a plate. Cassie took hold of Devon’s hand again, her smile wonderfully beautiful as she made her way slowly to the island everyone had gathered around. Chris slapped an overflowing plate of food in front of her, causing her eyebrows to rise in surprise. “You’ve got a lot of catching up to do,” he explained.

Cassie laughed softly, picking up her fork she dug in. Devon watched her carefully, relieved to have her back, relived to see her eating with such gusto, relieved to see that he had not hurt her. He had wanted to give her a little of his blood, not enough to change her, but just enough to give her some strength after the blood loss she had experienced.

However, he had decided against it almost immediately. He wanted her to have his blood inside her, wanted to know what it would be like to have her feeding from him. But he could not take the risk that something might happen to her if he did give her his blood. Not when he and Luther still had no idea exactly what Cassie was.

***

“Apparently they weren’t being indifferent to me because of my grandmother’s death, but because I was no longer dating you.”

Cassie glanced up at Devon. He stood stiffly behind her in the lunch line, refusing to leave her for even a moment, even if he didn’t eat lunch. His hand tightened on her waist, his emerald eyes disdainfully scanned the cafeteria. The buzz about her, which had died down after her grandmother’s death, had now returned tenfold. The nasty whispers were flying rapidly around again. The angry glares and waves of hatred were once more pounding against her.

Cassie pressed tighter to Devon; her hand clenched his as the line moved slowly forward. Though she had tried to become accustomed to the hatred of the students, she still did not like it, nor did she understand it. She knew that the girls wanted Devon, but so much hatred because of jealousy was something that she would never understand.

He bent low to her, his mouth warm as he nuzzled her neck gently through the material of her dark green turtleneck. Cassie shuddered pressing tighter to him as her toes curled instantly. He nudged her gently forward as the line moved. She grabbed hold of a tray, grateful that Devon was with her. The whispers were not so bad when he was near. None of the girls wanted to appear catty or cruel in front of him, and after Devon had lifted Mark with one hand and slammed him into a wall, none of the boys were willing to risk having his anger and strength turned on them. His presence also helped to keep her stable and grounded, helped to ease the pain that the cruel comments caused.

Reaching the front of the line, Cassie grabbed her food, paid for it, and hurried free of the confining lunch line. Dani and Chris were already at the table, talking softly. Cassie slumped into her chair, taking a deep breath of relief. “How’s it going?” Chris asked softly.

“Just peachy,” she replied, managing a wry smile.

Chris’s eyes were troubled as he turned away, swiftly scanning the cafeteria. “Bunch of jerks,” he mumbled.

“I’m used to it by now.”

Devon’s arm tightened on the back of her chair. Melissa dropped her lunch bag on the table, sliding into her chair she dug out an apple, biting into it. “What an awful day,” she muttered.

“I second that,” Chris agreed.

Cassie shrugged, her gaze falling on Devon. He was back in her life now, so no matter how awful the day was it could never be as awful as the past couple of weeks. Her fingers darted up to her neck, joy suffused her as she pressed against the small wounds there. Though she was a fast healer, the marks were still barely visible upon her skin. Touching them now, she was once more swept away by the rush of love that had encompassed her when he had been feeding upon her.

He glanced at her, his eyebrows drawing sharply together as he studied her worriedly. She smiled reassuringly up at him, dropping her hand from her neck. Pressing a gentle kiss to her cheek, he lightly stroked her face. Cassie didn’t realize she had stopped breathing until he sat back. The effect he had on her was startling and intense. It didn’t ease either, but grew everyday that she was around him.

“Eat,” he whispered.

She managed a small nod, picking her pizza up numbly as she began to slowly pick at her food. “When is Luther coming back?” Chris inquired.

Melissa shrugged, eyeing her sandwich with distaste. “I don’t know, I haven’t heard from him in a couple of days.” Devon shifted beside her, his hand idly stroking the back of her neck. Though he appeared nonchalant she could sense a sudden tension humming through him. “Probably be back soon.”

Cassie continued to pick at her lunch, forcing herself to swallow the soggy pizza. “You know we should probably go out hunting tonight.”

Devon stiffened beside her, his hand momentarily tightened on the back of her neck. “Cassie…”

“We have to go back out,” she insisted. “They’re still out there. They are going to start killing people again. I just wish I knew where they’ve been.”

That was the worst of it, she knew they were out there, but they had been hiding low for so long that she was becoming truly petrified about what they were planning. It had to be something awful. Devon began to caress her again when she shuddered with dread. She turned toward him, her eyes questioning.

“Do you know where they are?”

Devon shook his head, his dark hair falling across his forehead. “No Cassie.”

“But they are planning something big.”

His forehead furrowed. “I don’t know what they’re planning Cass, but I don’t think it’s a good idea for you to go back out there right now.”

Her eyes narrowed sharply. “I am much better now.”

“But you’re still angry and…”

“Of course I’m angry,” she interrupted hotly, her hands clenching tightly. Taking a deep breath she forced herself to remain calm. Being flustered and fierce would get her nowhere. “But something has to be done before they destroy more families.”

Devon sighed softly, his head bowed slightly. “I know how you feel Cassie, but why don’t you wait until Luther comes back.”

“Why? We’ve gone out since he left.”

“I know that, but I think it would be best if you waited. Give yourself a little more time to regroup, and Luther is your Guardian.”

She bristled slightly, hating his logic, hating the confines placed against her. She glanced around the cafeteria, taking in all the people that had turned against her. Though they hated her now, the last thing she wanted was for one of them to get hurt, for one of them to experience the heart wrenching loss that clung to her. They may hate her, but she was the only protection they had against the monsters haunting their town, and she was going to do everything she could to keep them safe.

Her gaze darted to the large cafeteria windows, squinting past the slowly swirling flakes of snow. “Why have they been so quite?” she whispered thoughtfully. Out of the corner of her eye she caught the fleeting glances they all exchanged. Something bristled inside her, causing her to shift uncomfortably in her chair. “What’s with the look?”

Melissa bowed her head, placing her tomato sandwich down as she leaned back in her chair. Her onyx eyes gleamed in the harsh light of the cafeteria. “They haven’t,” she answered softly, glancing nervously at the others.

“Excuse me?” Cassie asked sharply.

“They haven’t been quiet,” Chris said more forcefully. “They are out there.”

“I don’t understand what you’re saying; no murders have been reported…”

“Cassie, when was the last time you read the paper or watched the news?”

Her hands fisted, her eyes darted briefly to Devon who was watching her intently, concern radiated from him. Swallowing heavily, she turned her attention back to Chris who looked extremely uncomfortable. “I… I don’t know,” she admitted reluctantly.

“They have been out there Cass. There have been murders, or animal attacks, or whatever the police are coming up with to help them sleep at night. There have been more missing people reported.”

“Why didn’t you tell me?”

They all shifted uncomfortably. Chris leaned across the table, his hands resting lightly upon hers. Devon stiffened slightly beside her, but he didn’t protest. “Because you couldn’t handle it.”

“Yes I could have!” she retorted, shock and outrage rolling through her.

“Cassie, you could hardly handle crawling out of bed in the morning.”

Tears burned the backs of her eyes; guilt filled her as she shook her head. She tried to deny his words, but she knew that they were right. She was an idiot, she realized with a silent groan. She should have known that Julian and Isla would not go into hiding, especially not after the blow that they had dealt to her. They would be relishing in their victory over her, and reveling in her inability to stop them. Her inability to handle her grief and anger had caused even more people to be killed. Guilt and self hatred swamped her, nearly choking her with its intensity. She had been created for one purpose, to hunt, to destroy, and to keep innocent people safe.

She had failed miserably on all accounts.

“It’s my fault then.”

“Of course not,” Devon said sharply, shooting Chris an angry look. “You’re human Cassie, you lost a loved one and you needed to grieve for that loss. It is Julian and Isla’s fault, not yours.”

Cassie turned away from them, fighting back waves of grief and anger. It didn’t matter what they said, she was going to blame herself. “But I’m not human,” she lamented. “So that’s even more of a reason to get out there in force now.”

Devon shifted; his hand stroked her neck again. “We’ll figure it out Cassie.”

She frowned at him, but nodded just to keep him satisfied. The snow outside began to pick up, swirling more rapidly as the wind howled against the glass. Cassie shivered in response, huddling deeper into her turtleneck and sweater. The sky was dark, an oppressive steel gray that hung heavy in the air.

Cassie sat up, her eyebrows drawing sharply together as she searched the dark day. She recalled the cloudy day on the beach when they had first felt Julian’s evil, twisted presence. It had been overcast, making it possible for him to move about in the daytime, much like today. A knot twisted in Cassie’s stomach, a feeling of foreboding raced down her spine.

Glancing around the cafeteria, she briefly envied everyone their simple, ignorant lives. They had no idea what lurked out there, what hunted them, what cruelty resided in the world. They knew football games, dances, and parties. It was a simple life, one she should have had, but was glad she didn’t.

For every twist and turn in her life had brought her to Devon. And there was nothing that she wanted to change about that outcome.

“They’re planning something bad,” she whispered softly.

“What do you have premonitions now too?” Chris inquired, trying to sound light but failing.

Cassie forced a smile to her lips. “No, just a feeling.”

Cassie pushed her plate away, giving up on eating anymore. The tight knot in her stomach would not let anymore food through. Devon shot her a look but didn’t say anything. Taking hold of her hand he began to gently massage the back of it with his thumb. Cassie lost herself to the comfort, warmth, and love of his touch.

CHAPTER 8

The snow was still falling in lazy spirals, piling up on the lawn, coating the trees. Cassie turned away from the window, happy to be inside, out of the cold. Chris, Dani, and Melissa were gathered around the island, talking softly as they dealt another hand of cards. A sharp pain of longing tugged at Cassie’s heart, her grandmother had loved to play cards. They used to have nights where they would all sit and play together. Unfortunately, those nights had been few and far between before her grandmother had passed on.

Pouring a cup of coffee she blew on the top of it before taking a sip. Devon strode into the room. Her heart flipped in her chest, her stomach did a strange turn. His eyes instantly found hers, a beautiful grin spread over his full lips. His still damp hair was tussled across his forehead. His lean muscles moved with his fluid grace beneath the jeans and shirt he wore so easily. A strange thrill shot through her, he was magnificent, and he was hers.