Kindled

Cassie blinked at him in surprise, her gaze darted to Melissa and Chris who looked just as confused as she was. “Dangerous?” she inquired.



Devon nodded briskly. “The Commission, if they know you exist they will come for you. They will destroy you Cassie.”



“No they won’t!” she and Chris protested simultaneously.



Melissa’s eyes widened, her mouth parted slowly as she took a sharp step forward. Dani finally turned away from the window, her arms folded over her chest as she surveyed them. “That’s why no other Hunter’s like Cassie were recorded, not after Gertrude anyway,” Melissa whispered, disgust and understanding evident in her voice. “The Commission destroyed them.”



Cassie glanced wildly between them; bile rose swiftly up her throat. “Why?” she breathed. “Why would they do that?”



Luther took a deep breath, but it was Devon that answered her. “Because they could not, and would not, allow a fault in the bloodlines. They could not take the chance that one of their creations might turn against them, and become even more destructive then the monsters they had been created to destroy.”



Cassie gaped at him as Chris cursed fiercely. Chris turned on his heel, pacing the room restlessly as he tugged at his hair. Melissa slumped against the wall, her head bowed. Cassie was surprised by the single tear that slid down her face. Melissa didn’t cry. She was stoic, proud, a rock. Dani stared at them with wide eyes, her mouth slightly parted as she glanced rapidly around the room.



“I know you don’t want to, but I think that it’s a very good idea that you leave this town now. Luther tried to be discreet, but if they put two and two together, they will come for you.”



Cassie’s eyes snapped back to Devon, her jaw dropped. “You can’t be serious! They wouldn’t do such a thing!”



“Yes Cassie, I believe that they would,” Luther said softly.



Her legs finally gave out. Cassie slumped to the floor, her muscles felt like Jell-O. Hadn’t she already given up enough? Hadn’t she already suffered enough? What more could life take from her? What more could it throw at her? Now she had to worry about her own kind coming after her, and there was a very distinct possibility that she could not join Devon without becoming a complete monstrosity.



Devon was instantly in front of her, his strong hands enveloped hers. His solid strength seeped into her, enveloping her with his comforting presence. “We will get through this,” he said forcefully, his beautiful emerald eyes blazing into hers. “We will get through this, we will get it all sorted out, and we will be together Cassie. No matter what it takes, we will be together. But first we need to think about your safety, all of you need to go somewhere safe.”



Cassie’s hand clenched tighter upon his. She tried to be reassured by his words, tried to believe in them but she couldn’t quench all of her doubts. How could she, when everything had already been so hard for the two of them? She swallowed heavily and nodded firmly. She had to believe him; otherwise she would not be able to keep on going, to keep on fighting. There had to be a light at the end of this dark tunnel, or she was going to succumb to the darkness inside her. She knew she would.



“You’re right, we will be,” she said softly, managing a wan smile for him. His hands tightened around hers, a small twinkle lit his eyes. He helped lift her to her feet, wrapping his arm around her waist as he pulled her close to him, kissing the top of her head gently. “But why would they come for all of us, I thought it was only me they wanted?”



“It may be more than The Commission that comes here now Cassie.”



“Excuse me?” Chris demanded sharply.



Cassie’s hand tightened in Devon’s shirt as she gazed up at him with wide eyes. “What do you mean?” she asked softly.



Devon sighed, his hand encircled hers. “Isla is dead Cassie; you are the Hunter, and only one, that killed her. That is a feat that would have been thought impossible, before today. Isla was a Grounder, she was nearly an Elder, and far stronger than any other vampire you have defeated. When word of that spreads, others will come, others will want to take their chance at you. They will want the power that is in you. Julian will not fight alone, he knows that he cannot win, but he will not leave either. It is far too much of a challenge for him to quit now. They will not only come for you Cass, but all of you, now that they know you are here.”



Chris exploded in a flurry of curses; Cassie merely gaped at Devon, her legs buckling once more. He held her up, his gaze burned into hers. “You cannot stay.”



Weird sputtering noises came from her; she could hardly catch her breath. A loud crash snapped her head around. Chris was staring bashfully at them, holding his dust covered hand tightly. Behind him there was a hole in the wall from where he had punched it. “Sorry,” he mumbled.



“That solved things,” Melissa muttered, shaking her head. “I’ll get you some ice.”



“Are you ok?” Dani asked softly as Melissa hurried from the room.



Chris nodded; color heated his face as he kept his gaze diverted. Melissa returned to the room with a towel wrapped in ice. Gently, she wrapped Chris’s hand in it, shaking her head at him. “Next time don’t blame it on the wall.”



He gave her a small smile, nodding as he took the towel from her. “So what do we do?” Melissa inquired as she returned to her place by the mantle.



“I’ve made some phone calls; I have a safe place for the five of you to go.”



“The five of us, what about you?” Cassie demanded sharply.



He shook his head. “Someone needs to stay here. They will come here for you, but they won’t stay here long if you’re gone. But they will stay for a bit, and they will cause some damage. Someone needs to be here to stop them.”



“Absolutely not!” Cassie declared forcefully. “I will not leave you here alone to fight against them. You may be strong Devon, but you are not that strong!”



“Cassie…”



“No! No, I have lost so much. I cannot lose you too, it would destroy me!” The very thought of it caused something to twist and turn inside her. She wanted to curl up into a ball at the same time that she wanted to destroy everything in sight. It was a feeling that she realized was very dangerous to her, to all of them now. “We are not leaving Devon.”



“It will only be for a little bit, and it is best that you are not here right now. Not until you can get a better grip on what is going on inside of you.”



“And what if it takes over when you’re not there!?” she demanded, trembling with fear and anger, determined not to be forced from this town. They were needed here to protect people, and she could not be separated from Devon. “I can’t come back from it if you’re not there to reach me! And what if you are killed!?” Her voice was nearly hysterical now; full blown panic was beginning to set in.



“Easy Cassie,” he said gently, his voice taking on a soothing tone that only set her teeth on edge more.



“I am not a child!” she snapped. “Don’t talk to me like I am.”



He studied her for a moment, his eyes growing darker. “I know that,” he said softly. “But you have got to keep your emotions under control.”



She scowled up at him, trying to keep her anger, frustration, and terror in check. It aggravated her that he was right, but she refused to act like a child. “You can’t stay here alone.”



He nodded, pulling her close he dropped a hard kiss on her forehead, clinging to her for a long moment. “I have figured something out.”



“Devon…”



“Cassie your safety is the most important thing. All of your safety is.”



“Where do you want us to go?” Chris demanded.



Devon pulled slowly away from her, his hand wrapped around the back of her head as he wound his fingers gently through her hair and held her tight. “You would agree to leave?” he asked softly.



Chris stared hard at Cassie for a moment before nodding slowly. “If The Commission and vampires come for Cassie, we can’t stop them all. We won’t be enough. The last thing that I want to do is leave, the people here…” he shook his head; his gaze darted briefly to the window. “We can’t leave them unprotected. My mother.”



“I’ll make sure they’re safe.”



“And what about your safety?” Cassie demanded, unwilling to concede to his wishes yet, unwilling to leave him here while they were exiled.



“I’ll have help,” he murmured.



“Who?” Melissa inquired. “If we go, who will you have to help you?”



Devon stroked the back of her head, his eyes pleading with her for understanding. Cassie frowned at him, confusion swirled through her. “I called Annabelle and Liam.” Cassie’s eyes widened, her mouth parted slightly as her breath left her on a soft gasp. “They’re on their way.”



“What!?” she gasped.



“Who are Annabelle and Liam?” Melissa asked her delicate brow furrowing in confusion as she glanced swiftly between the two of them.



“Annabelle is a vampire that I created,” Devon said softly, his eyes locked on Cassie’s.



She could see the silent plea in his gaze to be ok with this, to understand. She couldn’t find the words to reassure him though, she didn’t know how to. She didn’t know how she felt about it. He had once thought himself in love with Annabelle, she was the reason that he no longer fed on humans. And though Cassie knew that he was completely in love with her, and had never truly loved Annabelle she still couldn’t help but feel unsettled and confused.



“And they’re coming here?” Dani asked quietly.



“Yes. Liam will stay here with me, you will go with Annabelle.”



Cassie gaped at him, her heart turned over as panic filled her. “Devon…”



“It’s for the best Cassie. They have a place farther up north where you can all stay until this has blown over. Until we can figure out something better.”



“And if I lose control again?” she whispered.



“Annabelle is a healer; she may be able to pull you back.”



“That is a good possibility,” Luther agreed softly.



Cassie wanted to protest, she wanted to cry. She wanted to absolutely refuse to leave his side. But she couldn’t find the words, and she knew that they would only fall upon deaf ears. “When are they coming?” Melissa asked softly.



“They were leaving Pennsylvania at sunset; hopefully they’ll be here by morning.”



“My grandmother’s home, her things…”



“I’ll make sure everything is taken care of Cassie, I promise. Nothing bad will happen to your home.”



Cassie turned away from him; her gaze darted over the living room. This was the only home she had ever known, all of her things were here. All of her grandmother’s things were here. She blinked back the tears burning her eyes, trying hard to keep them from spilling over. She would come back here, one day, she would come back.



“And if my mother wishes to stay behind?” Chris asked softly.



“I will watch over her too,” Devon said briskly.



Cassie instantly began to protest. “But this town, these people…”



“Will be safe. I am an Elder and Liam is a powerful vampire in his own right. If The Commission comes, they will not stay long if they realize that you are gone. They will not be a threat, neither will other vampire’s. Not when they realize that only Liam and I are here.”



Cassie swallowed heavily, her hands clenched and unclenched as she fought the urge to scream in frustration. “And what if The Elder’s decide to come looking for us?” Melissa asked softly.



Cassie’s eyes widened, horror filled her at the thought. Devon’s arm tightened around her as he shook his head. “The Elder’s have been in hiding for almost fifteen years, and before that they had retreated for nearly a hundred years. They will not come out now, not even for this. They hate the world, they have for centuries. They may have orchestrated and participated in The Slaughter but that was to wipe out The Hunter line…”



“And now that they know it isn’t wiped out?” Cassie interrupted sharply.



Devon shook his head. “It’s decimated enough not to worry them overly Cassie. They figure the rest of the vampire’s, with any sense, will eventually be able to take the remaining stragglers out. That is why I must keep you safe now.”



Cassie looked helplessly toward Chris, Melissa, and Dani. She wished that they could come up with some other argument, some brilliant plan that none of them had thought of yet. But they looked just as dumbfounded as she felt.