Devon grasped hold of Cassie's face as she panted rapidly and her eyes became that alien shade of red. Her face remained slack, her eyes dull and glazed, but whatever she'd seen had enticed and aroused the demon inside of her. "What Cassie? What is here?"

She blinked and her eyes focused upon him. "Vampires, they're coming."

The hair on his arms stood up. "The Elders?"

"No, I didn't sense that kind of power. They're out back; they'll find someone to kill if they come in here." He pulled her against him and sheltered her against his side so no one could see the bright color of her eyes. He parted the sea of bodies between him and the door the band had arrived through.

A sense of urgency filled him as a woman began to sing a haunting melody that caused Cassie to shudder in response. He was passing the stage just as the backdoor opened. He would never get there in time, not with trying to keep Cassie sheltered from the crowd.

"Julian!" Devon bellowed above the noise of the country song.

Julian nearly blurred as he moved past them. There were a few surprised looks from the people around them, but there was nothing Devon could do about it right now. All he could do was hope they chalked what they saw tonight up to the alcohol tomorrow. Julian barged through the door and knocked the vampire back before it could enter the building. A surprised shout escaped the vamp, but the sound was quickly cut off by the slamming of the metal door as they disappeared outside.

"Julian!" Cassie cried.

Devon pushed in the metal bar as he flung the door open. He didn't want Cassie out here, but he couldn't leave her amongst the crowd when he didn't know how stable she was. Cold air rushed over them as they stumbled into the night. He was a little surprised to find themselves in a dimly lit parking lot.

"There!" Chris thrust his finger toward the left.

Devon spotted Julian amongst a clutter of cars, fighting with two vampires. "Stay here!" he ordered Cassie.

He released her and rushed across the parking lot to help Julian. He jumped on top of an old Ford and raced across the hood before flinging himself onto one of them. The young male vampire grunted as Devon fell with it onto the pavement. Clutching the back of its head, he smashed its face into the ground. Though he didn't like to admit it, he enjoyed the sickening crunch of bone, and the reassuring splatter of blood.

Jumping back to his feet, he was just in time to watch Julian smash the much younger vampire's chest in and rip out its heart. It stood in wide eyed surprise for a moment before crumpling to the ground. Devon's shoulders shook as he strived to keep himself under control. The bloodlust was running high, and thrumming wildly through his system as he met Julian's reddened eyes.

"There was another one," Julian growled.

A sense of impending doom settled over him. "Where?"

Julian didn't have to nod, didn't have to show him where, Devon already knew. He turned back toward where he had left Cassie, Chris, and Melissa but they were gone. "Son of a bitch!" Devon exploded.

He ignored the blaring alarms of the cars as he dashed across their hoods in pursuit of his increasingly frustrating mate.

* * *

"This way!"

"Cassie slow down! Wait! Cassie wait!" Melissa yelled after her.

Cassie couldn't wait though; she couldn't allow the vampire in front of her to get away. They may be her kind now, but she was also a Hunter and she wasn't going to allow any innocents to die tonight. She dodged the cars that skidded to a halt with their horns blaring as she sprinted across the street. One of the bumpers clipped her leg and she fell against the car. She rested her hand upon the hood as she tried to right herself after the impact.

"Cassie!" Melissa screamed.

She shoved herself off the hood and fled across the road. Angry shouts rang out from the drivers as she cleared the last lane and fled into the woods behind the vampire. He was faster than she had expected, but she was gaining on him. Leaping forward, Cassie snagged hold of the back of his shirt. The material gave way with a tearing that sounded like a gunshot in the still air. The vamp nearly tore free of her, but she had managed to give it a strong enough tug it was knocked off balance. Cassie grabbed its shoulders and spun it around.

The creature snarled as it lunged at her with hooked fingers and razor sharp fangs. Something within her surged to the forefront, something looking to be sated, and there was only one way to sate it. Without thinking, Cassie leapt forward and jerked the vampire’s head to the side as she dove at him. There was a flicker of fright in the creature's eyes, but she didn't acknowledge it as she sank her fangs in.

The vampire howled as it clawed at her arms in an attempt to dislodge her. Cassie stuck to it as they fell backward onto the forest floor. The blood was astonishing, so much better than the bags Devon had been giving her. It tasted delicious and powerful as it flowed into her and warmed her to the very center of her soul. It satisfied a primitive urge she'd been struggling for years to keep buried. It was the most magnificent feeling in the world to finally let it free, to finally let the monster bury the scared, frightened girl who had been living within her for the past four years. She wasn't scared of what she was and what she would become. It didn't matter anymore as the blood eased the ferocious clamoring of the beast.

The creature's movements became weaker as its struggle against her lessened. Cassie sat back and wiped the blood from her mouth as she studied the creature before her. It wasn't dead, but there certainly wasn't much life left to it as she lifted a stick from the ground and drove it through its deadened heart.

She thrilled at the power still coursing rapidly through her, and then the reality of the situation slammed over her. The horror was back, the terror, and confusion. Except now it was tenfold because she had just killed a person. Well, maybe not a person, but she had killed something by draining its blood, its very essence into her. And she had relished it.

Who was she now? What was she?

* * *

Devon moved faster than he'd ever thought possible as he followed her scent, and the bond connecting them. Julian tried to keep up with him as they raced through the forest, but he was lagging behind.

They caught up to Melissa and Chris and bypassed them. He burst through a copse of trees and skidded to a halt as he came across the immobile body of the vampire. Its eyes were open; two trails of blood ran down its neck from the bite inflicted upon it. His body thrummed at the sight of the body and the implications of those two marks.

He spotted Cassie sitting in the shadows, half hidden by trees and low growing brush. Her legs were drawn up against her chest; her arms wrapped around them as she watched him. Her golden hair was in tumbled disarray, dirt streaked her delicate features, and her full lips were tinted a darker shade of red. Her inhuman eyes were brilliant, the pulsating power radiating from her caused his stomach to lurch violently.

He dropped before her, but before he could reach for her, she flung herself into his arms. Devon enveloped her as she buried her face in his neck. Her tears wet his skin and slid down to dampen the collar of his shirt. His hand cradled her head as he sought to give her comfort when he knew there was little to be found. She choked on the force of her sobs as her hands dug fervently into him. He spun her quickly away when Julian emerged from the trees.

Julian took in the scene and frowned ferociously as his lips compressed into a flat line. Julian whirled to face Chris and Melissa in an attempt to block them from seeing the body, but it was already too late. Melissa gasped and reeled back. Chris became as still as a statue as he looked around for something else to focus on.

Cassie wiggled against him as she seemed to try and escape the clearing by disappearing into him. "Shh, shh." He rubbed her hair as he tried to calm her. "It's ok. It was only a vampire."

A low groan escaped her as she burrowed lower against him. If she hadn't been immortal, he would have become concerned about her health. He kept her face pressed against his neck so she wouldn't see their fear. He ignored the troubled looks of Chris and Melissa as he focused on Julian. "You know what to do."

Julian nodded briskly. "I do."

There was an unasked question in his gaze, a question Devon couldn't answer. Julian knew he had to take care of the bodies, but Devon had no idea how to take care of Cassie right now.