Chris’s hands fisted, a muscle twitched in his cheek as he clenched his jaw tight. “He’s right,” Cassie’s grandmother said, probably hoping to ward off a fight. “You must stay safe; Devon can help protect you from him.”

“The three of us…”

“Are no match.” The older woman unraveled her legs and climbed gracefully to her feet. “Until this is taken care of, you will be safe, and you will stick by Devon. And there will be no arguments on the matter.”

He was not surprised when they remained silent, sullen, but silent. Cassie’s grandmother was small, but she bore an air of authority that brooked no room for argument. He wouldn’t even argue with her, and because of that, he was glad she was on his side. “Now, I think that it’s time for Cassie to rest.”

“I’m fine grandma.”

Her sky blue eyes narrowed slightly, her hands went to her hips. “You are going to rest.”

Devon fought back a smile. “I’ll help you upstairs.”

Cassie frowned fiercely at him as she shook her head. “I am perfectly capable of walking upstairs on my own.”

“Let him help you Cassandra,” her grandmother interjected.

Cassie’s teeth locked tight, but she didn’t argue further. Releasing her cushion, she went to rise, but he moved swiftly forward, sweeping her easily up. She gasped softly, her fingers curling into the nape of his neck. Her look of irritation swiftly vanished as a small smile played across her full mouth. Playing with the hair at the nape of his neck, she curled tight against him. Her lithe body fit perfectly against his, her soft curves pressing tight to him. Her head rested against his shoulder, the heady scent of her filled his nostrils.

His hands tightened around her, he cradled her gently as he swiftly left the room. He was suddenly desperate to escape for a bit. He needed to hunt, needed to fill himself with blood, and he needed to regain complete control of himself. Though he was loath to do it, he needed to separate from her until he was sure that she would be safe around him.

He maneuvered her gently in his arms to open the door to her room. He knew her room well now, but it still surprised him that it was not decorated with posters, and pictures, like most teenagers rooms. The only picture in the room was that of her parents, she had never told him that was who the picture was of, but she looked a lot like the blond woman in it. The room was also completely spotless, everything neatly put in its place. He suspected that the chaos of her life outside of this room made her want to keep everything within it neatly ordered and meticulous. This room was one of the few things that she could control.

He placed her gently on the bed, hating to part with her for even a second, but knowing that he had to. If he stayed much longer he would become a danger to her. He kissed her forehead lightly, savoring in her sweet scent. “I have to go for a little bit.”

Fear flashed through her eyes, her hand briefly tightened upon him. He hated the vulnerability and alarm that suffused her, but her encounter with Julian had left her shaken, and rattled. From what he had seen of her, she didn’t fear anything. In fact, she was recklessly fearless, far too much so for his liking. Then, she buried the fear, jutted her chin out and nodded briskly.

His mouth curved in a smile as the brave woman he knew reappeared. “I’ll leave the window open for you.”

“It wouldn’t stop me anyway.”

She grinned at him; her hands gently cradling his face as she pressed a chaste kiss on his lips. Heat flooded through him. He wanted more, so much more.

He pulled quickly away, before he couldn’t. It would be so easy to get lost in her, but there was too much to take care of right now. “I’ll see you soon,” he whispered.

She nodded, gently stroking his face for a moment more before she released him. Devon turned on his heel, frustration boiling through him; he was hungry for so much more than blood. His gaze fell upon Chris and Melissa standing in the doorway. Melissa was smiling softly; Chris was still wound tight as a bow string as he stared hard at Devon.

CHAPTER 5

Cassie gathered her books from her locker, resisting the urge to slam it shut. Ever since she had become the social leper of the school, she had received more whispered comments and nasty asides then she had ever thought to hear in her life. She tried hard not to let them affect her, but it had been a long day, and her defenses were wearing thin.

Straightening her shoulders, she held her chin high as she turned back to the whispers and stares. Ignoring it all, she made her way down the hall, wishing that she couldn’t hear the things they were saying. They had all heard about the attack in the woods, but for the most part, they were not relieved that she had survived. The bitter anger that surrounded them, and the hate directed at her was beating her down. They were especially angry about the fact that she was here, while Marcy was still in the hospital, and probably would not be getting out until tomorrow.

“Cassie.”

She braced herself, her hands tightened upon her books as she turned toward the sound of the soft voice. The girl standing behind her was staring up at her with wide hazel eyes. They were heavily outlined with eyeliner and mascara that brought out the gold flecks within them. Her short hair had been dyed a blood red color that stood out at spiky angles around her pretty, heart shaped face.

The girl looked vaguely familiar, but Cassie was too tired, and too drained, to place her. “Danielle,” the girl said, taking obvious pity on her. “We met in the bathroom a couple weeks ago.”

Her overwrought mind finally recognized the girl. Dani had been kind enough to give Cassie some towels when she had freaked out over Devon’s arrival at school. It was hard to believe that she had ever fought against the bond that connected them, that at one time she had fled from the changes she knew he would bring to her life.

Changes that she now relished in, but had been petrified of before.

“Oh, hi Dani, I’m sorry I just… well I’ve just been out of it lately.”

Dani’s smile was knowing and sad as she glanced around the hall. Students went out of their way to avoid walking near Cassie, and none of them did a good job at muffling the “sluts” and “freaks” that they dropped as they moved past. Cassie fought the urge to start punching them all, or just walk out, but she would not give them the satisfaction of seeing her snap.

“I understand. I heard about what happened in the forest, I’m glad to see that you’re ok.”

Cassie’s eyes widened in shock. No one, other than the teachers, had bothered to ask her if she was ok. No one had cared enough to, and she was fairly certain that most of the female student body wished that she had died so that they could have a crack at Devon. She would like to think their hatred of her was because of the strong appeal Devon had told them about yesterday, but Cassie knew that it had always been there, bubbling just beneath the surface. The girls had been looking for any excuse to turn against her. And the boys of the school hated her for turning them all down, but accepting Devon. Especially since Devon made them all feel a little awkward, uncomfortable, and self conscious.

“Thank you Dani.” Dani smiled knowingly at her, reaching out to touch Cassie’s hand gently. Cassie glanced nervously around the hall, noting the attention that their interaction received. “You might not want to be seen with me though,” she said softly, knowing that the girl would receive some backlash for speaking to her.

Dani glanced around the hall, nodding as she noted the stares. Dani gave a small wave of her fingers to Julie Jenks who turned quickly away. “I’ve never cared what these people thought of me, and believe me Cassie, being on the outside is better. You don’t have to play by their rules all the time.”

Cassie couldn’t help but smile at the small, eccentric girl. “I suppose you’re right.”

“I’m always right,” Dani declared forcefully.

“Is everything ok here?”

Devon appeared suddenly at her side, his emerald eyes fierce as he stared hard at Dani. The girl colored as she ducked her head shyly. Although Dani was one of the few that did not hate her, apparently she also had a crush on Devon. Cassie quirked an eyebrow in amusement, Devon’s eyes burned questioningly into hers, his body tense as he prepared to defend her. Something he had been doing far too much of lately.

“Everything’s fine,” she assured him. Though he relaxed subtly, he still seemed weary of Dani. “Devon this is Dani, she was just making sure that I was alright.”

He relaxed even more. “It’s nice to meet you.”

Dani’s face was bright red as she thrust her hand out; she kept her head bowed, unable to look Devon in the eye. He shot Cassie an amused look before gently taking hold of her hand. “It’s my pleasure,” Dani muttered.

Dani pulled her hand swiftly away, the heat in her face spread down her neck. Cassie felt sorry for the younger girl; she knew how overwhelming Devon’s presence could be. “I um… I should be going,” Dani stammered. “I’m glad that you’re ok Cassie.”

“Thank you Dani.”

She turned, hurrying swiftly away before disappearing into the thick throng of students. “Where did she come from?” Devon inquired softly.

“I met her a few weeks ago, when you first arrived.”

Devon nodded, his arm slipped easily around her waist as he pulled her tight against his side. She melded against him, loving the feel of his hard body. Warmth erupted in tingling waves that swamped her from head to toe. She pressed tighter to him, her hand resting on his chest as she dropped her head to his shoulder. The strength and comfort he offered pushed aside all the nasty comments and looks of the day. It helped strengthen her, buoying her confidence once more.

Gently nuzzling her hair, he dropped a soft kiss on the top of her head. Cassie sighed in delight. “Let’s get you some lunch.”

She frowned up at him, aggravated at the interruption. She did not want to move. He grinned at her, his green eyes twinkling brightly. She loved it when he smiled. It gave him an air of boyishness that was charming and heart melting. “I can hear your stomach rumbling.”

Blushing slightly, Cassie ducked her head, silently cursing his enhanced hearing. Squeezing her tight once more, he turned her, moving with the flow of students toward the cafeteria. Though she still received looks, the whispered asides were drastically cut back. Mainly because none of the girls wanted Devon to think that they were catty and cruel, and none of the boys wanted to risk his wrath.

Devon’s arm tightened briefly around her, the smile slipping from his mouth as he stared hard around the halls. Apparently they weren’t as discreet as they had thought, at least not around him as he was picking up things that no human would ever hear.

His jaw clenched, his hand locked upon her waist. “It’s ok,” she said softly. “I’m becoming used to it.”

He glanced sharply at her. “You shouldn’t have to,” he growled.

Cassie shrugged and dropped a quick kiss on his cheek. Though there was nothing that he could do about it, she thrilled at his fierce desire to keep her safe in every way. “I’ll meet you at the table.”

His hand tightened upon her as she tried to pull free. “I’m coming with you.”

Quirking an eyebrow, she shook her head at him. “You don’t eat.”

“I don’t care.”

“You can’t follow me everywhere Devon, I can do this myself.” A muscle in his cheek jumped. It was obvious that he didn’t want her to face this alone, but she had to. She had to face a good chunk of her day alone as it was, and if she didn’t start developing a thicker skin now, then it was going to be a very long, very hard year. “I’ll be fine.”

Slowly, reluctantly, he released his hold upon her. Cassie gave him a small, reassuring smile before heading in to swim with the sharks. The buzz instantly grew around her; the murmurs became louder and nastier as she wound her way through the crowd. She did her best to tune them out, but they only got worse the farther from Devon she got.

Her rumbling stomach clenched, her appetite vanished. Instead of all the talk dying down with time, it seemed to be growing in force, becoming angrier. Regretting her decision to leave Devon behind, she almost turned away from the lunch line, but she could not give them the satisfaction of realizing that they were getting to her.

She kept her chin held high as people snickered and whispered behind their hands. Though she didn’t know why they bothered to stay behind their hands, their whispers were as loud as gunshots to her. “Well, look at who it is.”

She didn’t even bother to look up as Mark Young appeared by her side. Mark had followed her around for years, hounding her to go out with him. Having sensed something off about Mark, Chris had cautioned her away from the muscular boy a long time ago, but Cassie would have stayed away even without Chris’s warning. She had never felt anything for Mark, but he had been relentless in his pursuit, and often highly annoying. He had also been one of the first people to turn against her when she began to see Devon, and it had been his actions that had given the rest of the student body an excuse to hate her.