Cassie was humming cheerfully under her breath as she breezed into the kitchen and grabbed an apple from a bowl on the center island. Her grandmother froze in the act of beating some scrambled eggs. Her delicate eyebrows drew together as her azure eyes tracked Cassie's every movement. Reaching over, her grandma turned down the country song drifting from the radio.

"You seem much happier today," her grandmother said.

Cassie stopped to drop a kiss on her grandmother's smooth cheek. Though she was in her late fifties, she barely looked a day over thirty. Only soft laugh lines marred the corners of her eyes and mouth. Her shoulder length, strawberry blond hair, was pulled into a loose ponytail that bounced against her neck.

"A little," Cassie agreed.

"Did you finally get some sleep?"

Cassie nodded, a sly smile flitted over her mouth as she recalled the night of sleep she'd had. Last night had only been a dream, and could only ever be a dream, but it had still left her feeling warm, alive and strangely loved this morning. Her gaze shot to the window where she could see Chris just walking out of his house.

"Yes," Cassie answered absently.

She’d woken up strangely revived and optimistic, the sight of Chris's slumped shoulders reminded her their life wasn't some oddly realistic dream. This was her life, and in her life, there was no room for hope and optimism. There was no room to have feelings for someone, because in the end she would have to give them up. She reminded herself of these things, but she couldn't stop the excitement filling her at the thought of seeing Devon today. She was playing with fire, and bound to get burned, but at this moment she couldn't put the matches down.

"Luther is working you all too hard," her grandmother muttered before returning to her eggs.

"We're fine, grandma."

She glanced sharply back up at Cassie. "You haven't been fine for the past week."

Cassie shrugged as she shoved the apple into her bag. She couldn't meet her grandmother's eyes; she knew how observant she was. "I was just a little stressed over school."

"Hmm," she grunted. "You're too young for such responsibilities."

Cassie heaved her backpack onto her shoulder. Chris was already parked on the street, waiting for her. He usually came inside in the morning, either to say hi to her grandma, or to steal some food. The fact he wasn't coming in led Cassie to believe he'd had a rough night.

"You were younger than me when you learned what you were," Cassie reminded her. "And you had the same responsibilities."

Her grandmother turned toward her. "I always knew what I was Cassie. It wasn't staggering to me, and at the time we never could have imagined such a thing as The Slaughter would occur. You shouldn't have had to know either."

"Grandma…"

She waved her hand impatiently. "I know Luther had to find you. It was part of your destiny after all. It just would have been nice to have been able to keep you sheltered from it."

Cassie hurried to her side and hugged her tenderly. "I know grandma, but there are things in life we can't predict or avoid."

Cassie thought over her words and was startled to realize they could apply to her situation with Devon. She couldn't have predicted his arrival, and she was beginning to feel it would be easier to stop a locomotive than to continue to fight her strong attraction to him. She trembled with anticipation at the same time her mouth went dry with dread. If she did this, there would be no turning back, and she found she almost welcomed the change.

"When did you get so smart dear?"

Cassie blinked as she was brought back to the present. "A wise person raised me."

Her grandmother's face lit up with her smile. "And don't you forget it. Now hurry up, get going, Chris had a rough night."

"Yeah, he did."

Cassie kissed her cheek again, squeezed her hand, and hurried out of the house. The day was bright and warm, the chill of fall hadn't settled in completely, but the leaves were beginning to change. Cassie glanced up at the clear sky and eagerly inhaled the fresh air as she tried to steady her tingling nerves and pounding heart. She was convinced there would be no turning back after today.

* * *

Cassie's shoulders throbbed from the ramrod position she was maintaining. It was impossible to relax though, not with him only mere feet away. She was pretty sure she would never relax again when he was near, not after that dream. Unwillingly, she pressed her fingers to her mouth. She could still recall the heat of his lips against hers, the unyielding stroke of his tongue, and the press of his solid arms encircling her. He'd made her feel so safe, protected, and whole. It had been the strangest most realistic dream ever, and she was desperate to know what the real life experience would be like.

She had to force herself not to look at him, not to cast surreptitious glances his way and relive every moment of pleasure he'd given to her last night. It was impossible. She clenched her hands. Her nails dug into her palms, her knuckles ached from the force of it. Her pen was clasped so tight she feared it would crack. Her pulse pounded in her ears, as her heart beat rapidly.

She hadn't heard a word Mr. Maddox had said since class started. Unwillingly, her gaze drifted over to Devon. He was sitting casually in his desk, his legs stretched before him as he stared straight ahead. Those hands that had touched her so reverently last night were splayed before him; the long fingers were flat upon the desk. His posture was relaxed, but she sensed a current of tension and power just beneath his smooth surface. The power running through him seemed completely out of place for a normal teenage boy in history class.

Seeming to sense her focus, he slowly turned toward her. She knew she should look away, she should be embarrassed to have been caught staring, but she couldn't. It took everything she had not to stretch across the space between them as her fingers twitched with the urge to touch him.

He didn't look away from her as he leaned forward and shifted with an easy grace. His emerald eyes burned with intensity and a passion that left her breathless. The ripple of his muscles made her mouth go dry as her body erupted with tingles of electricity. She felt like a volcano bubbling beneath the surface, ready to explode in a torrent of molten lava that would certainly destroy her. She was certain she’d enjoy being buried beneath the heat.

Somehow, she didn't know how, but her pen was no longer in her hand, her hand wasn't clenched, and it wasn't on her desk. Her hand was now in the middle of the aisle, reaching toward him.

She blinked, snapping out of the brief trance. Her face flamed red, heat burned down the back of her neck as the realization of what she had been doing crashed over her. He didn't look at all appalled by her strange behavior as he leaned closer.

She was tempted to reach toward him again, but she couldn't bring herself to make such a forward gesture once more. She couldn't believe she'd done it in the first place. It wasn't within her to make the first move, especially not with someone she didn't know, and who now probably thought she was crazy. The few boys she had dated had always approached her first.

The loud ringing of the bell caused her to jump in surprise, and she knocked her forgotten pen to the ground. Cassie groaned, disgusted with herself and the entire situation. She had to get her act together before she completely lost it. She couldn't continue to let some guy wreak havoc on her life in such a way.

She shoved her book into her bag and bent over to retrieve her lost pen. But it wasn't where it had fallen on the ground. Instead, it was held in a long fingered, strong hand that she recognized instantly. Her gaze traveled deliberately from the hand, to the man now kneeling before her. His clear eyes clashed with hers and caused her toes to curl. There would be no going back after this.

A small smile curved the corner of his firm mouth as his eyes seemed to taunt her. Annoyance filled her in the face of his unspoken challenge, he was daring her to take the pen back. She had never backed down from someone before. Taking a deep breath, Cassie steeled herself. She was probably overreacting anyway, nothing was going to happen.

Though she knew she was lying to herself, she also knew she couldn't simply leave this room, and him, without her pen.

Her heart hammered as her fingers curled around the top of the pen, mere centimeters from where his fingers stopped. Though they were not touching, a current shot through her and left her breathless and shaken. Vivid images of the dream sizzled through her. He didn't move as the smile slipped from his face and his eyes burned with the consuming need she had seen in him before.

Then he moved.

His fingers slid up the pen to breach the small gap between them. Cassie inhaled loudly, something inside of her locked into place, it froze her muscles and kept her immobile. The world disappeared as everything in it became him, became them. They were joining, their molecules blending and twining together in a sensuous dance that was soothing and beautiful. Everything suddenly made sense; everything became right as his touch became the balm that soothed her soul.

The dream last night had been very realistic, but the true reality was far better than anything she could have imagined. She knew she’d found her home in him. This was where she belonged, where she would always belong. Her life would never be the same, but she wasn't frightened by the realization anymore, but rather, exhilarated by it. Everything would be ok now, he was a part of her.

His eyes darkened as a tremor shook his powerful frame, a tremor that melted her heart, and made her ache to touch his cheek. It didn't make her feel better that he seemed just as mystified as she was by all of this. No, it only made her yearn to get closer to him, to ease the torment she sensed deep inside him.

She didn't know where his torment came from, but she suspected it ran even deeper than her own. Somehow she knew she could help him with his pain, just as he helped with hers. She could feel the strength running through him, the control he exerted over himself.

His sudden release left her feeling lost once more, but the feelings of hurt and confusion weren't as consuming or as unbearable as before. He had healed something inside her; somehow his touch had put back some pieces of her broken soul.

He rose with a breathtaking grace. Staring down at her, he stretched out his hand with a hopeful expression on his face that tugged at her heart. She took note of the perfection of his fine boned, strong fingers. Heaving her bag onto her shoulder, she took a deep breath as she decided to throw her life over to fate. There was no stopping it after all. Sliding her hand into his, she clasped hold of it, surprised to note his slightly cooler skin.

Devon would keep her safe, keep her protected from the darkness of the world; she knew that with every fiber of her being. However, given that she wasn't entirely human, she was probably stronger and far more capable of protecting him. Though, with him, she felt entirely human and completely feminine. It was such a welcome change from all the confusion her life brought with it.

"Where to?" His deep voice sent a shiver of delight down her spine and caused goose bumps to break out on her suddenly oversensitive skin.

The last thing she wanted to do was go to another class, but she couldn't just walk out of school with him. Noise finally broke through her turbulent and uncertain thoughts. She was surprised to find the next class already filtering into the classroom. Students glanced questioningly at the two of them as they took their seats. It was past time for them to get to their next classes. "I have Anatomy and Physiology now."

"Lead the way."

Taking a deep breath, she forced herself to start moving. "What class do you have now?"

He frowned as he dug into the pocket of his jeans and pulled out his rumpled schedule. Though he'd been in school for nearly a week, he apparently hadn't learned it yet. "Study hall."

He almost looked confused as his forehead creased and he frowned at the paper. It appeared as if he didn't know what study hall was, but that was impossible, every student knew what study hall was. Didn't they? "It's probably in the library, but some are held in classrooms," she told him.

"Library."

"Would you like me to take you there?" she asked, certain his confused expression was because he didn't know where to go.

The cute smile curving his full mouth melted her heart. He appeared so much younger and more approachable when he smiled like that. She'd thought he was gorgeous before, but when he smiled, he was magnificent. It took all she had not to stroke his face, not to bury herself against him, hold him close and shut out the rest of the world.

"Trying to get rid of me already?" he teased.

Cassie couldn't stop herself from grinning back at him. "No," she answered honestly. "I just don't want you to get lost."

He shoved the schedule back in his pocket. "I've found you, how could I be lost?"

Cassie blinked in surprise. If anyone else had said that to her, she probably would have laughed in their face and blown them off as corny. Coming from him, it was the sweetest thing she'd ever heard, and though it sounded like a pickup line, his tone rang with sincerity. She realized if she had been the one to say it to him, she would have meant it too. His presence alone had helped to fill the holes inside her, and his physical touch was like aloe on sunburn. She had never believed in love at first sight, never believed in soul mates, but maybe, somehow, her body and her spirit had known he was out there and had been waiting for him.

He was staring down at her, his emerald eyes stormy and intense. He was waiting for her to say something, waiting for her reaction. Cassie couldn't find the right words though; she could only manage a reassuring smile.

The tension eased from him. His eyes crinkled with the smile lighting his striking features. Cassie couldn't stop herself from grinning back at him. "I'll be fine; the library was one of the first things Melissa showed me the other day." He easily replied, as if what he had just said to her hadn't left her as shaken as a baby's rattle.

Swallowing heavily, Cassie tried to calm the turmoil racing through her. If it had been just a pick up line, she didn't want him to know he'd just caught her hook, line, and sinker. "Of course it was."

They arrived at her class much faster than she would have liked. "I'll see you soon." He seemed to try and memorize every detail of her as he scanned her face.

Cassie didn't fully trust herself to speak. Part of her felt like crying, which was completely crazy, she would see him again soon. She hoped. He took a step closer, and for a second she was certain he would kiss her. She held her breath in anticipation, her entire body clamored for the feel of his lips against hers.

Instead, he squeezed her hand briefly and released it quickly. Cassie felt the loss of his touch as acutely as a knife to her heart. She couldn't move as he slipped away and disappeared into the crowd.