Kindled

“Dani should be coming down soon,” Cassie said, surprised to realize that she had not followed them downstairs. “Luther and Melissa went home to pack, but they’ll be back before daybreak. Though I suppose we can’t go anywhere till night anyway.”



“Of course we can,” Annabelle replied airily. “The windows are fully tinted so as long as I stay in the back I’ll be fine. Besides, Julian will not be able to watch us if we depart during the daylight hours.”



Cassie felt the panic set in again as she glanced wildly at Chris, who looked just as surprised as she felt. It was too soon to leave; she had been expecting another full day in her home. At least one more day! Devon stepped closer to her; he wrapped his arms around her waist as he pulled her tight against him. He nuzzled her hair, pressing his lips gently against her ear.



“It will be ok,” he promised.



Cassie managed a small nod, but she couldn’t shake the knot of tension and terror that was wrapping through her chest. Annabelle was watching them closely, surprise and amusement evident in her sea green eyes. She cocked a delicate eyebrow as she turned her attention briefly to Devon.



“I think the sooner the better,” she said softly.



Devon’s arms tightened around Cassie for a moment before he nodded briskly. “You’re right.”



Closing her eyes, Cassie winced slightly. She wasn’t ready to be separated from her home, let alone Devon. Her fingers clutched tighter at him, she buried her head against his chest as she simply struggled to keep on breathing. Whatever amount of time they were apart was going to be pure torture for her.



“Hello.”



Cassie lifted her head as Dani appeared at the bottom of the stairs. Her gold streaked eyes were slightly narrowed as she surveyed Annabelle and Liam. “Hello!” Annabelle said brightly, gliding elegantly over to the tiny girl. Cassie was surprised to realize that even with as small as Dani was, Annabelle was smaller. Annabelle seized hold of Dani’s hands, flashing her radiant, loving smile. “And who are you?”



Dani studied her for a moment, managing a wan smile. “Danielle,” she said softly. “But you can call me Dani.”



“It’s a pleasure to meet you Dani. This is my mate, Liam.”



“Mate?” Cassie couldn’t help but inquire.



Annabelle flashed a bright grin back at Cassie. Liam moved behind Annabelle, resting his hands lightly upon her delicate shoulders. “Yes, my mate. You haven’t explained this to her yet Devon?”



Cassie glanced sharply at him, surprised by the hard clench of his jaw and the fierceness in his eyes as he stared hard at Annabelle. “No,” he grated.



Annabelle’s frown intensified, her eyes became dark and turbulent as she glanced swiftly between the two of them. “I see,” she whispered.



Cassie’s fingers tightened on him, confusion rocked through her. What was it that he hadn’t told her? What could he possibly be keeping from her? “What is a mate?” Chris inquired, confusion marring his forehead as he glanced worriedly between Cassie and Devon.



“It is what a vampire takes, or the bond that they create, when they find the person, or vampire, that they wish to spend eternity with. It is a very profound experience.” Annabelle’s eyebrows were furrowed with worry as she met Devon’s gaze again. “And it is binding.”



“So, it’s like, vampire marriage?” Chris asked in surprise. “Cause that sounds a little strange.”



“And why is that?” Liam inquired in a low, gravelly tone.



Chris shrugged; he ran his hand through his hair as he tugged nervously at it. “I don’t know. I mean you’re dead and all, and you do live forever, seems a little strange that you would want to be with the same person that whole time. Hell, I can barely contemplate thirty years with the same person, never mind an eternity with them.”



“Chris!” Cassie scolded shaking her head at him. What Annabelle was describing seemed like a very intense, private experience. It didn’t sound like something that should be taken lightly, or mocked. And it sounded like something that she desperately wanted to experience with Devon.



“What?” he inquired defensively. “It’s true!”



Annabelle merely grinned at him while Liam shook his head. “When you find the one person you can’t spend the rest of your life without you will understand, and believe me thirty years will seem like a second,” Annabelle replied. “And the taking of a mate is not something that is entered into lightly. As I said it is binding, and unbreakable. You are tied to a mate forever.”



“So both mates have to be vampires then?” Chris inquired continuing to stare at Cassie, and then Devon.



“Well yes,” Annabelle said softly, her forehead furrowed in confusion. “The bond is created through the sharing of blood and sex.”



Cassie felt as if someone had kicked her in the gut as the air rushed out of her. Everyone else remained silent as Annabelle’s words sank in. Cassie turned toward Devon, tilting her head to look up at him. He had taken her blood, but she was acutely aware of the fact that he had not shared his. And neither had they forged a bond through sex. It was not that she was afraid to anymore, not that she still had doubts that she wouldn’t be enough for him, because she knew that she would. She just wanted it to happen when there was no one out there trying to kill them.



Although, she realized now that may be the impossible dream. It was very possible that there would never be a time when someone wasn’t trying to kill them, and she did not want to die without having shared that experience with him. But the sharing of blood, well that was something that they may never be able to experience. She was surprised by how disappointed she was by the realization. She thought she should be repulsed by it, but she wasn’t. Not if it was Devon’s blood. Devon glanced down at her, dropping a quick kiss on her head.



Why hadn’t he told her about this? She wondered, fear beginning to curl through her body. Had he kept it from her because he didn’t feel that she was his mate? Did he not feel the same way about her, as she did about him? A cold chill curdled in her belly, her skin turned to ice as everything in her went numb. But that couldn’t be true, she had felt his emotions, she knew how intensely he felt about her. But why hadn’t he told her about this then?



He seemed to sense her distress as he pulled her tighter against him. Annabelle’s eyes were questioning as she studied them. Cassie didn’t like the intense scrutiny she found herself under. “I’ll get my things,” Dani interrupted. She turned and hurried swiftly up the stairs.



“Yes… I uh… I should go get my things too, and say goodbye to my mom.”



“She’s not coming with us?” Cassie blurted out, forgetting all about her terror and confusion in the face of Chris’s statement.



He shook his head sadly, his sapphire eyes distant and lost. “No, she doesn’t want to leave. And I suppose there is no need for her to. She’s not one of us after all.”



Cassie heard the pain in his words, felt the sorrow behind them. He may not have been close with his mother, but he still loved her, and he always would. When they left here though, there was a good possibility that he may never see her again. “Do you want me to come with you?” Cassie asked softly.



He hesitated for a moment before shaking his head. “No, I’d better do this alone.”



Cassie nodded reluctantly. Chris moved swiftly past Liam, throwing the door open to the sun breaking on the horizon. “I’ll put your car in the garage,” Devon said, stepping forward to claim the keys from Liam.



Cassie watched as he hurried outside, leaving her alone with the two strange vampires studying her intently. She swallowed nervously, trying to shove aside her rising turmoil. “I should grab my things too,” she said quickly.



She scooted quickly past Annabelle and Liam, feeling only slightly guilty about leaving them to fend for themselves. She needed a few moments to herself in order to gather her scattered thoughts and wildly swaying emotions. She had packed two suitcases already, but she still needed to gather her toiletries.



Heading into the bathroom, she began tossing things into her small travel case. She tried not to think as she moved, but all of her doubts and insecurities reared back to painful life. Zipping the case closed, she slid down to sit on the edge of the tub, suddenly unable to move. Why hadn’t he told her about the mate thing?



“Cassie.” She lifted her head when Devon appeared in her doorway. His eyes were dark and questioning as he studied her. “What’s wrong?”



She hesitated, unsure of how much to say to him, not wanting to sound needy. But in the end, her curiosity and doubts won out. “Why didn’t you tell me about the mate thing?” she asked softly.



He sighed as he came completely into the room. He was lithe and elegant as he moved, coming forward with purpose. “It’s not the reason that you’re thinking.”



“And how would you know what I’m thinking?” she demanded fiercely.



The grin he gave her only caused her anger to crank up another notch. “Because I know you, love,” he whispered. “You wear your emotions on your face, and I know how you think. I didn’t tell you about it because I didn’t think you were my mate, because I know you are. The reason I didn’t tell you was because it is only one more thing for you to worry about, or to feel guilty about. It’s only one more pressure that you do not need right now. We just need to get through the day, one day at a time right now. I need to keep you safe Cassie. Your safety is the only thing that I can worry about now. It’s also the only thing that you can worry about.”



Cassie stared silently at him as he knelt before her, gently taking hold of her hands. His eyes burned into hers, the need in them nearly broke her heart. “How can you be so sure that I am?” she asked softly.



He gave her a wry grin as he leaned forward on the balls of his feet. “I’ve known since the moment I saw you, I may not have admitted it to myself then, but I knew then. And there was something else…” his voice trailed off, his eyes fell from hers.



“Something else?” she prodded when he didn’t continue.



He rose slowly to his feet, settling himself on the tub beside her. “I’ve never used my ability for mind control over you Cassie, at least not on purpose.”



Cassie’s eyes widened, her mouth dropped. For a moment she couldn’t find her breath. What was he talking about? He had taken control of her mind? Chills of terror and disbelief raced up and down her spine, he wouldn’t even look at her. He had invaded her mind and she hadn’t even known about it! And why would he want to take control of her, what had he done to her? “What do you mean?” she breathed.



His head came slowly up, his eyes finally focused on her again. “There was a night, a time when my ability went beyond my control, while I was sleeping. It reached out to your mind, enveloping it, ensnaring it in a dream…”



Cassie gasped, her hand flew to her mouth as she recalled the dreams she’d had about Devon, and there had been so very many of them before she had accepted him into her life. But out of all the dreams, there had been one that was so vivid, so real that it had haunted her. That it had all but driven her into his arms. “The lake,” she breathed.



He studied her for a moment before nodding slowly. “Yes, the lake.”



“It was so real.” Cassie’s fingers brushed against her lips. It had been the first time she had ever kissed him, and though it had been wonderful, it had been nothing compared to the real thing. “Why?”



Devon took hold of her clasped hands. “I didn’t do it on purpose Cass; I promise you I would never do it on purpose, not to you. If I was ever going to do it on purpose you would have been out of this town months ago, and we never would have been apart for two weeks.” Cassie shifted, hating the reminder of the weeks they had spent apart, and how awful she had been to him. “I think I was growing so frustrated of your continuous rebuttal of me that it seeped out in my sleep.”



He bumped her knee slightly, squeezing her hands gently when she ducked her head, shame washed through her. “The hunt was growing tiresome,” he said lightly, though she could hear the strain in his voice. “I went to sleep that night, and unconsciously my power reached out to you. It did so because even though I didn’t realize it until after I awoke, my subconscious recognized you as my mate, and it needed to connect to you in some way in order to satisfy itself. I didn’t even know I was in your dream until you told me that you had spent your summers as a child there. That’s when I knew.”



Cassie swallowed heavily, her fingers fell away from her mouth. She could only stare at him, barely able to move, barely able to breathe as he turned toward her. His eyes were intense, fierce, his gaze steady and yet fearful. “Knew?”