Cassie played with the applesauce on her plate, absentmindedly swirling it with the end of her spoon. She couldn't get the lonely image of her grandmother out of her head, or shake her overwhelming sense of foreboding. Devon took hold of her hand, his touch soothing some of her tension.

Looking up at him, she managed a wan smile as she met his troubled gaze. "What's wrong?"

She frowned as she ran her finger over his skin, savoring the feel of him. His circulation had to be poor for him to be this chilled. Shrugging it off, she managed a quick smile for him. "Nothing, just not hungry."

He didn't seem to buy it as he stared at her. "Are you sure?"

"Yes." She studied him carefully for a moment as the questions from earlier returned to her. "Where do you live?"

Quirking an eyebrow, a small smile flitted across his full lips. "Is that what has you so distracted?"

Cassie shrugged absently. "I just realized I don't know much about you."

Something flickered in his eyes. She couldn't be sure what it had been, but for a moment she thought it was fear. But why would her question cause him fear? "Well, we will have to remedy that," he told her. "My place is in Oyster Hills."

Cassie blinked in surprise; she didn't know much about Oyster Hills, except that it was highly upscale. "Wow. What do your parents do?"

His jaw clenched as a muscle jumped in his cheek. "They're dead."

Cassie gasped with dismay. "I'm so sorry; I know how awful that is."

He shrugged absently as his finger stroked her hand. "It was a long time ago."

"But the hole never heals," she whispered.

His distant gaze was tender as it came back to hers. "I suppose not."

"Do you mind me asking what happened?" she inquired.

He hesitated for a moment before shrugging. "They were killed."

Though she was curious, she decided against pressing further. She knew how much it could upset someone; how the wound never completely healed. No matter how much time passed. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to pry."

He smiled as he kissed her hand. "Anything you want to know, just ask."

Leaning closer to him, she was surprised to realize she'd completely forgotten about the noise and confusion of the cafeteria. He had a way about him that made it easy to shut out the rest of the world. He made it impossible to focus on anything, except him. She rested her head on his shoulder and inhaled his scent.

Closing her eyes, she allowed herself to drift into him. "Would you like to see my place today?"

She glanced up at him, grinning cheerfully as she nodded. "I would."

His eyes twinkled merrily as he dropped a chaste kiss upon her forehead. The memory of the passionate kiss they'd shared last night came rushing back. What would happen if they went to his place alone? Though the thought did cause some fear, she couldn't stop her pulse from racing with excitement.

A commotion drew her eyes to the center of the cafeteria. Marcy had grabbed a chair and was pulling it into the middle of the room. Mrs. Kindel shook her head, but didn't stop her as Marcy brought forth a microphone from somewhere and climbed onto the chair.

"Hello, testing." Everyone in the room winced as the microphone squealed loudly. "Ok, I have some announcements to make," Marcy continued when the noise died down.

Cassie glanced at Melissa, who smiled back at her with a superior grin and a quick wink. Groaning inwardly, she slid down in her chair in the hope she could somehow be overlooked. Devon studied Marcy like she was some sort of strange bug.

"What's this about?" he asked.

"Homecoming nominations."

Uncertainty swirled in his eyes. Cassie stared questioningly at him, but he didn't say anything more. For a second, she could have sworn he hadn't known what she was talking about. But that couldn't be possible, no matter how small a school he had come from, they would still have homecoming, wouldn't they?

He leaned back as a mask of indifference slipped over his face. Cassie's heartbeat picked up as their eyes locked forcefully. All of her doubts vanished as his thumb stroking over her skin caused her body to heat everywhere. She could not wait to be alone with him later.

"Now, when I call your name please come up here. Thanks. Nominees for homecoming king are Mark Young, Hector Rodriguez, Jack Wells, Chris Tempen…."

Cassie clapped loudly as Marcy called off Chris's name. Chris's fair skin turned red as he stood to a raucous chorus of cheers and whistles. He bowed and waved as if he were royalty as he made his way to the other guys. Marcy frowned disapprovingly and her voice broke off as the cheers continued.

"Ok, settle down!" Marcy called into the microphone. She waited impatiently, her foot tapping, and her arms folded across her chest as the applause died down. Marcy rolled her eyes, but as she glanced down at the piece of paper in her hand, a sly smile played across her lips. "The final nominee is Devon Knight."

Cassie's mouth dropped as mostly female cries of delight, and loud clapping, sounded throughout the room. Devon remained in his chair, a blank expression on his face, but a hard gleam in his eyes. This was not his thing, not at all, and it was more than obvious he didn't like it. She wasn't entirely sure he even knew what it meant.

Then he pushed the chair back, slid elegantly from it and rose gracefully. He glanced down at Cassie, warmth momentarily melting the ice in his eyes. The cheers grew louder, the higher pitch of the girl's voices reverberated in the large cafeteria as he moved to join Chris and the others. Though some of the boys clapped, including Chris, most didn't.

This time, Marcy didn't urge everyone to settle down as she smiled brilliantly. Resentment filled Cassie as she took note of all the girls ravenously staring at Devon. Marcy was the worst offender, as her crush on Chris had switched to Devon. She knew Devon didn't desire any of them, but she still didn't like that they all wanted him. Not one of them gave a damn he was already with her.

"It's ok," Melissa said as she leaned forward to be heard over the commotion.

"I know."

"Then why are you glaring at every girl in this room like you're going to hit them?" she inquired.

"Maybe not every girl."

"Just Marcy?" Cassie couldn't stop the laugh that escaped her as she shook her head at Melissa's teasing.

She tried to catch Devon's eye, but he didn't look at her again as he studied the other boys. Jack and Hector were playfully pushing each other; Mark was wearing a goofy grin and flexing his muscles. Chris was standing quietly, his arms folded over his chest, but he was beaming from ear to ear as he winked at the girls closest to him. Devon looked only seventeen or eighteen but he seemed vastly older and out of place amongst them.

"Now the nominees for homecoming queen," Marcy continued when the noise finally died down. "They are Amanda Jenkins, Sharon Crosby, Kelly Standish, Cassandra Fairmont…" Loud cheers and whistles erupted around the room as she rose, but unlike Devon, her appreciative audience was mostly male.

Cassie's cheeks erupted with a hot flush as she slipped from the table. She tried to keep her shoulders straight as she hurried to stand beside Kelly. The dark, angry looks from most of the girls, and the leering stares from the boys, followed her across the room. She could feel the mixed emotions coming from the kids around her and it made her skin crawl. Trying to keep as collected as she could, she kept her face expressionless, but inwardly she was a seething mass of turmoil.

Marcy tapped impatiently at the microphone to get everyone's attention as the caterwauling died down to only a few whistles and shouts. Devon's jaw clenched as he briefly met Cassie's gaze. "And finally," Marcy continued. "Myself."

There was more applause, but it was not as enthusiastic, and Marcy was unable to hide her annoyance. "Here are your nominees for king and queen, voting will begin in two weeks. Everyone, consider your candidates carefully, and vote on the people you think deserve it most. Thank you all."

Marcy dismounted from her chair, eagerly accepting the congratulations she received as she made her way through the crowd. Cassie wished she could be as thrilled as Marcy, but she'd never wanted popularity and the attention that came with it. Unfortunately she'd been launched into the role during her freshman year, when puberty set in.

It had taken her awhile to learn how to deal with the sudden influx of interest. Over the years she'd gotten better with it, but she still didn't like being in the spotlight. She most certainly didn't want to be swamped by a bunch of people trying to congratulate her. She wasn't surprised most of them were boys.

Devon was also surrounded by a group of people, most of them girls, but a few of the guys shook his hand. He looked highly uncomfortable as Ariel Drake grasped hold of his hand and nearly fell over him as she leaned close. Cassie fought back a smile of amusement as he gave Ariel a wan smile while discreetly trying to free his hand from her death grip. He finally succeeded, but Janet and Jenna Howe immediately pounced on him. Cassie would have to rescue him if he was ever going to get free from the swarm of girls. By the look on his face, he was in desperate need of rescuing.

Mark Johnson stepped in front of her and blocked her attempt at getting to Devon. Fighting back the urge to groan and roll her eyes, Cassie met his dark, stormy gaze. "Hello Cassandra, I've been trying to get you alone for the past few days, but you're always busy."

Cassie glanced back at Devon, but now he was encircled by Linda Drake, Helen Potts, and Marcy, who had reappeared. "I'm sorry Mark…"

She tried to move around him, but he sidestepped to block her path. She frowned up at him, aggravated by the interruption. "I just wanted to congratulate you Cassandra." Mark always called her by her full name; she suspected it was because he thought it would separate him from everyone else in her life. It didn't. His eyes sparked as his gaze ran over her appreciatively. Unable to stop herself, she took an involuntary step back. She hated the way his leering always made her feel as if he could see right through her clothes. "Maybe you'll be my queen."

As much as the idea made her stomach turn, Cassie managed a brief nod. "Maybe."

She tried to sidestep him again, but once more he blocked her path. Aggravation level quickly rising, Cassie folded her arms firmly over her chest as she glared at him. "I was thinking maybe we could go to B's and S's tonight." Cassie was already shaking her head, but he continued on. "Maybe catch a movie."

"No Mark, I'm sorry."

He continued to block her path when she tried to escape him. This time however, there was no amusement, or appreciation for her, in his eyes. Cassie was stunned by the hostility she saw looking back at her. "Is this because you've become the new guy's toy?"

"I'm nobody's toy, Mark!" she retorted.

"Slut then?"

Cassie recoiled as if she'd been slapped. She'd never been verbally attacked like this before, nor had she ever been called that horrible word. She took a step back, but he followed her. His eyes burned as he bore down on her, his mouth pursed, and his large shoulders set rigidly. She wasn't worried about her physical safety, she didn't think he would do anything here and she was stronger than he was. If she could fight off a vampire, she could fight off an incensed teenage boy, but it was the last thing she wanted to do in a crowded cafeteria.

"You know what you are Cassandra, you're just a tease. You're a twisted bitch who loves to play with people's emotions and wrap them around your little finger."

Cassie's mind searched for the words now failing her. Swallowing heavily, she tried to think of something that would somehow ease the tension of the situation. "I have never led you on Mark."

"You strut around here like you're better than all of us!" he barked.

Bile rose in Cassie's throat, her stomach turned and knotted. The words stung like a whip, but it was his cold fury that made her nauseous. She didn't know what was wrong with Mark, but she sensed he was rapidly losing control. She searched for some kind of help, but everyone was busy congratulating the nominees, or escaping for their next class. She couldn't see Devon anymore, Mark completely blocked him out.

She was on her own.

"Mark, I'm sorry, I…"

"You're a whore!"

Cassie's jaw dropped, her arms encircled her stomach as she worked to keep her lunch down. "Mark…"

"A no good whore," he growled. Cassie just barely dodged his beefy hand as he reached out to grab her. He was completely enraged; she had never seen someone get so angry so quickly and for the first time she was actually afraid of him. "Whore! Giving it away to everyone…"

Mark's feet came off the floor as he was yanked back and away from her. For a confounding moment she didn't know what had happened, and then she saw Devon as he shoved Mark against the wall and wrapped his hand around Mark's throat. His green eyes were dark and dangerous, his lithe body taut with anger.

"Don't you ever talk to her like that again!" he snarled. Mark coughed as his eyes bulged and he began to thrash in Devon's grasp. "Do you understand me?"

Mark nodded enthusiastically, coughing again as he labored to breathe. His fingers clawed at the hold Devon had on him, but Devon's grip didn't lessen. Devon was a little shorter than and not as broad as Mark, but it was obvious he would be capable of beating Mark in a fight.

"If you ever even talk to her again," Devon's voice was pitched so low Cassie had to strain to hear him. "I will make you pay for it, and this will look like it was a good time."

A chill swept down her spine at the threat, a threat she was certain he would make good on. Mark managed another brief nod, his eyes rolled as he glanced at Cassie. Devon shoved him back again and released him at the same time. Slumping forward, Mark rested his hands on his knees as he gasped for air. Devon took a step toward her, effectively putting his body between the two of them.

Cassie peered around Devon's back, too flabbergasted to fully comprehend everything that had just occurred. Mark's face was beet red from lack of oxygen. His shoulders were rigid, but he didn't look at either of them as he stormed into the crowd. Cassie's heart sunk as she took in the students still present to witness what had just happened. Though the cafeteria had emptied a lot, there were at least twenty of them still gathered about. It would only be a matter of time before this incident was all over the school. Oh well, she thought, she wouldn't have had the time to campaign for homecoming queen anyway.

Devon turned toward her, his eyes intense and dark as his jaw clenched. "Are you ok?" Cassie blinked at him in surprise, unable to get her malfunctioning brain to work correctly as she tried to focus her full attention on him. "Cassie, are you ok?"

He reached for her and pulled her a step closer to him. The touch she'd always found so soothing, now only served to confuse her further. What she had just seen, it couldn't have been possible, could it? She studied him as her mind spun. Could a human be that strong?

But what else could he be, but human?

"Who are you?" The words popped out in a choked whisper before she could stop them.

The hands on her arms tightened as his body stiffened. A look of resignation filled his eyes, Cassie had the sinking feeling she'd somehow managed to push him away from her with her question. "Did he hurt you?" he demanded.

Cassie shook her head as she tried to clear her foggy mind. "No," she managed to whisper.

His cold and distant gaze ran over her. "Let's get you to class."

This was not the Devon she knew. He was not the man who gazed at her warmly, and touched her reverently. This Devon was cold and distant, and she had caused this change in him. He'd been trying to protect her, and in her confusion she'd pushed him away. She may not know as much about him as she would like, but part of the fun in a relationship was supposed to be getting to know the other person. Wasn't it?

She glanced at where he'd pinned Mark against the wall and lifted him as if he weighed no more than a feather. The strength it had taken was amazing, startling. It was a strength she'd never seen in a human being before. She turned back to study him as her doubts began to snowball into full fledged panic.

Who was he? What was he?

He gently took hold of her arm, but she could feel the cold detachment in his touch. She turned to Melissa and Chris for help. Melissa's head was tilted curiously to the side. Chris gave Devon a brief nod of approval, one that Cassie instantly recognized as a "guy" thing. Chris didn't see anything wrong with what had just happened.

Cassie rolled her eyes at Chris. She would never understand men, and their vast amounts of testosterone. "Come on Cassie," Devon urged, though his tone was soothing she could still hear the tension in it.

She followed him out of the cafeteria, so lost in her own thoughts that at first she didn't notice the whispers and glances coming from those around them. Gradually, they penetrated her haze. Pride reared up to shove aside her confusion as she straightened her shoulders and tried to ignore the rapidly spreading gossip.