Kindled

Chris sighed heavily, shifting his feet. “I believe that she believes it, but I think it’s just another way for her to try and hide herself away.”



Devon nodded thoughtfully; though he suspected that hiding herself was part of the reason he knew that it was not all of it. “She’s still not eating.”



“No, not much anyway. Probably just enough to keep her going.”



Biting into his lower lip, Devon fought back his frustration and anger. He hated being so impotent and useless, especially now, when she needed him most. If he could just reach her, if any of them could just reach her. “There has to be something we can do,” he whispered.



Chris lifted his eyebrows. “Doing the best we can. Nothing helps. And with Luther leaving....”



Chris’s voice trailed off, Devon turned toward him, feigning surprise. He knew that Luther had left, but Chris, Melissa, and Dani still did not know that he and Luther had been talking, researching about Cassie, and coming up against a solid wall of nothing. There was nothing about any of the Hunter’s like Cassie in the multitude of books that Luther possessed. It was the most frustrating, boring experience of Devon’s long life. Though they had been unable to find it they knew there had to be something out there about the other Hunter’s that had been like Cassie, and Luther was determined to find it, even if it meant leaving at a very bad time.



“Luther left?” he inquired innocently.



“Yeah.” Chris ran a hand through his already disheveled hair. “He got a lead on some Hunter in Texas or something. Said he needed to go, but the timing is awful. Cassie needs all the help she can get right now.”



Devon nodded, knowing that it was a lie. Luther was not in Texas, but it was as good a cover story as any. Chris didn’t know that Luther was trying to help Cassie, or that Luther may come back with the only way to help Cassie. “That’s too bad.”



“Yeah Melissa’s been staying with her, as you know.”



Chris grinned at him; Devon couldn’t help but return the smile. “What is this, a meeting of the minds?”



They turned as Melissa strolled up to them, her black hair neatly pulled back in a braid, her onyx eyes gleamed questioningly. “Yeah, you could say that,” Chris replied.



She glanced at the gym doors, scowling as she rolled her eyes. “You know if Cassie sees the two of you out here…”



“Three of us,” Chris corrected. “And she’s already in the locker room.”



Melissa nodded as she shifted her backpack. “Good. I’m going to go in, make sure she’s ok.”



Devon grabbed hold of Melissa’s arm, stopping her before she could disappear into the locker room. “How is she to live with?”



Melissa cocked an eyebrow. “She’s just peachy,” she mumbled, her gaze darted swiftly to the doors as if afraid she would get caught doing something wrong. “She’s the same there as she is here. Distant, unreadable, angry.”



“Have you had any visions?”



Melissa frowned at him, her fine eyebrows furrowed. “No, not about anything important anyway. Don’t worry; I’ll let you know if I do.”



Devon nodded as he released her arm. “Thank you.”



Melissa stood for a moment, her gaze darting between the gym doors and the two of them. With a soft sigh, she dropped her bag off her shoulder and turned to face them. “In all honesty I think she’s nearing her snapping point.”



Devon frowned at her. He could sense Melissa’s reticence to talk about Cassie, but this seemed to be something that she needed to get off her mind. “What do you mean?” he demanded glancing sharply at Chris, who looked just as confused as Devon felt.



Melissa shrugged as she tossed her long braid off of her shoulder. “I just don’t think she can keep going like this for much longer. She’s going to snap and either hunt those two down on her own and get herself killed, or she’s going to have a breakdown. She can’t keep shoving all of her grief and sorrow aside; it’s going to break free one way or another. We need to be prepared for that.”



“What makes you think that?” Chris asked softly.



Melissa shrugged again as she reclaimed her bag. “Simple reason. She’s been living like this for the past two weeks. She can’t keep going, one way or another everything that is eating at her is going to come out. I just hope that she survives the aftermath, even if she doesn’t want to.”



Though she said it in a flat monotone, tears shimmered in her dark eyes. Her fear for Cassie was palpable. “This can’t go on anymore,” he said firmly, though there was a tremor inside him. “I don’t care if I have to lock her away somewhere, but this can’t go on anymore.”



“You can’t do that!” Melissa gasped. “She’d hate you forever!”



Devon glanced sharply at her, his hands fisted at his sides. “She already hates me,” he growled. “But I will make sure that she lives, I will make sure that she doesn’t do anything to get herself killed! I will not allow her continue to waste away. She can hate me for the rest of her life, but at least it will be a long one.”



Chris and Melissa exchanged worried glances. “Devon…”



“No,” he interrupted Chris sharply. “If something doesn’t change soon, or if she even tries to go after them, I will take her from here and there is nothing that either of you can do to stop me.”



Their eyes were wide and turbulent but they didn’t argue with him. Even if they did, he would not change his mind. She had to survive. He could not live through the loss of her life; he could not keep his sanity if such a thing happened. If Cassie died then he was as good as dead also. But his life meant little to him, compared to hers. He would gladly die if she was killed.



“I think you’re right,” Chris said softly, turning slightly away from him as he folded his large arms over his chest. Though he did not look happy about the decision, he would not argue it.



“Chris!” Melissa hissed.



He shook his head briskly. “No, he’s right. She’s on a downward spiral that will only end with death. We can’t let that happen to her. She needs to deal with her emotions, she needs to come to terms with all of this, and until she does, then we have to be the ones to keep her safe. Even if it means doing something she’ll despise us for.”



“Let’s hope it doesn’t come to that,” Devon muttered.



They both looked sharply at him, their torment and unease evident in their lost gazes. “I don’t think it will,” Melissa said. “I don’t think she’s going to make it to that point. She can’t keep going like this; it’s only a matter of time…”



Melissa’s voice trailed off as her eyes darted back toward the gym doors. “Well, I suppose we should go get our PE on. I’ll see you in a little bit.”



She turned and hurried swiftly across the hall, disappearing inside the door of the girl’s locker room. Devon glanced sharply at Chris. “Do you think Melissa’s right?”



Chris shrugged as he stuffed his hands in the pockets of his jeans. “I think she may be. Cassie’s so angry that it’s the only emotion I pick up from her. It’s hard to tell what is going on with her. Come on, we had better get going.”



Devon stifled a groan at the thought of having to go. As far as he was concerned high school was a waste of time as it was, Gym being the biggest waste of it. He followed Chris into the boys locker room though, wrinkling his nose at the heavy scent of sweat and body odor that filled the large, blue tiled room. He changed swiftly, paying little attention to anyone else in the room.



Following behind Chris, they made their way swiftly out to the large gymnasium. His gaze instantly found Cassie leaning against the far wall. Her hair had been pulled into a loose ponytail that enhanced the angles of her thinner face. She had changed into a pair of shorts and a loose fitting black t-shirt that hung limply on her slender frame. The sunglasses were still in place.



She looked like a lost child, out of place amongst the laughing, giggling girls gathered in a large group twenty feet away from her. His heart ached for her, his fingers itched to touch her, comfort her. Melissa said something, catching her attention for a brief moment. Cassie looked up, nodding once before ducking her head again. A shrill whistle pierced the air. Devon turned as the two PE teachers entered the gym carrying bags laden with softball bats and balls.



His eyebrows furrowed as frustration and anger spurted through him. He hated being stuck in this school, hated being around these people. He was almost eight hundred years old and he was standing in a gym with a bunch of hormonal teenagers. His gaze darted back to Cassie, some of the anger melting away. For her, he could do this. For her, he could do anything. Even play softball inside, which was apparently what they intended to do.



They were shuffled around, divided into teams. Somehow he ended up on the same side as Marcy and Chris, well Cassie was relegated to the other side with Melissa and Mark Young. Devon watched Mark, waiting for him to make any inappropriate move or comment to Cassie. Mark had stayed away from her since their last encounter in the cafeteria, but Devon didn’t trust him. And though Cassie didn’t want his help, Devon would take any excuse to beat Mark into a bloody pulp. He had been aching to do it ever since he had first met the bastard.



“Cassandra Fairmont!” everyone turned as the girl’s gym teacher barked Cassie’s name loudly. Cassie lifted her head; her eyebrows drew sharply together over top of her sunglasses. “You know the rules, no jewelry, no loose articles, take off those sunglasses.”



Cassie hesitated a moment; he could feel her gaze darting swiftly around the gym in a fleeting moment of panic. Then, her shoulders slumped with defeat; she reached slowly up and pulled the large glasses from her face. Cassie blinked rapidly before closing her eyes against the lights that blazed down on her. Devon took a step forward, wanting to go to her, wanting to shelter her. He knew how painful such exposure could be and he wished to protect her from it.



Chris grabbed hold of his arm, shaking his head as he held Devon back. “She’ll be fine,” he said softly. “She has to face the world eventually.”



Devon’s head snapped toward him, anger briefly surged forward. Devon tried to remind himself that Chris didn’t know, that he didn’t understand, that he couldn’t know the pain the lights could cause, but it did little to ease the anger wracking through Devon. He turned back to Cassie. Her head was bowed, her eyes barely open to the harsh glare that pounded off of the gym floor.



“Damn it!” he hissed, futility and frustration tearing through him. “Damn it!”



Chris stared questioningly at him as Devon turned away. He grabbed one of the gloves from the bench and stormed into the outfield, to take his position in left. Marcy moved into center, Chris beside her, and Kara on the other side of him. Folding his arms over his chest, Devon waited impatiently for the game to commence.



They moved swiftly through the first inning, and the second. Devon thought his team was winning, but he couldn’t be sure. The only sport he had ever been interested in was hunting, and he had excelled at it.



Switching again, Devon was in the outfield once more as Melissa came up to the plate. The ball cracked off the bat with a resounding thud that echoed throughout. Devon ran for it, pulling up short as Marcy collided with him. Wrapping her arms around his waist, she laughed loudly as she clung to him. Chris retrieved the ball, throwing it in time to stop Melissa at second.



Devon tried to extricate himself from Marcy’s arms, but she was laughing happily, her leaf green eyes twinkling merrily as she grabbed his ass. “I’m sorry,” she said brightly, her arms tightening briefly.



Devon scowled at Marcy, grabbing hold of her petite shoulders he pulled her forcefully away from him. She continued to grin up at him for a moment before turning on her heel and sashaying away. Chris was staring at him with wide eyes. Then, Chris’s shoulders stiffened, his face turned ashen and he turned slowly toward Cassie. She stood at the plate, the bat resting loosely on her shoulders, her eyes narrowed against the light as she focused on Devon.



He could feel the anger radiating from her, the hate. The sense of betrayal. But there was something more. There was a shaking inside of her, a whirl of confusion that shivered through the bond that connected them, that would always connect them. A shattering of spirit radiated from her, leaving Devon motionless. Chris turned deathly white, his mouth parted slightly. A shiver of foreboding crept through Devon; judging by Chris’s reaction to her this was not going to be good. Devon wanted to go to Cassie, to hold her, to feel her. To get her the hell out of there before she exploded, which he was certain she was about to do.