Devon's muscles had stiffened hours ago, his legs were cramped, and his back sore from the uncomfortable chair. Luther had left as the sun broke over the horizon, taking Chris and Melissa with him to check on Marcy. They hadn't been gone long, but he knew they would be returning soon. Cassie's grandmother sat across from him, her hand on Cassie's arm. She kept most of her attention focused on Cassie, but she would glance at him every once in a while. Sometimes her eyes were the color of the sky, at other times they were a deep, distant brown. He didn't know what brought on the change, but it was fascinating to watch.

Cassie's grandmother hadn't spoken since she'd arrived; Devon knew she had something to say to him though. He was nervous the deceptively delicate looking woman would tell him to stay away from her granddaughter, and that was something he couldn't do. Finally, she turned to him; her eyes a clear blue once more. "Thank you," she murmured.

Devon's hands clenched on the arms of the chair. "For what?"

She swallowed heavily. "For saving her, she's all I have." Tears shimmered in her eyes before she quickly turned back to Cassie. "Thank you."

Devon's back cracked as he leaned forward. "Cassie's parents were killed during the attack?"

She lifted a dainty strawberry blond eyebrow as she studied him. "Is that what your kind calls it? The attack?"

Devon nodded as he studied her. She didn't seem to hate him, but there was a hesitance about her she hadn't displayed in his presence before. "What do you call it?"

"The Slaughter." Her voice was cold and distant. Pain emphasized the lines around her mouth. "We call it The Slaughter."

He could understand why they would call it that. Before most of the Elders went into hiding, they had decided to gather as many vampire's as possible in order to destroy the Hunter line, and secure their own safety. Fortunately for him, fate had seen fit to spare Cassie's life, and bring her into his. "I see," he murmured.

"Do you?"

He stared at her before rising and moving to stand beside the bed. Behind her closed lids, Cassie's eyes moved as unconsciousness held her deep within its grip. A soft healthy color was beginning to return to her face and chest. He wanted her awake and speaking; he had to know if she would hate him now that she knew what he was.

"You also saved her life then." His gaze returned to her grandmother as he tried to distract himself from his thoughts.

Her head was quirked as she studied him. "Yes, I kept her safe, hidden, and protected."

"Thank you."

A small smile curled the corner of her full mouth. "You really care about my granddaughter, don't you?" She sounded completely mystified, and he knew exactly how she felt. How could he have not known what Cassie was? What they all were?

Love was truly blind, or at least the people in it were, he realized.

The image of her standing at the side of the clearing with her hand clenched around a stake was burned permanently into his mind. She hadn't been astonished to see him there, not as much as he'd been seeing her standing there. She seemed to have figured out what he was, but he hadn't been able to put all of the pieces of the puzzle together until then.

The woman he loved, and cherished, was also his sworn enemy. The woman who had brought him back to life had also been created to end it. He still couldn't quite understand it all, and the twisted irony of it was not lost upon him.

Devon met her inquisitive gaze. "Yes," he admitted honestly. "More than I ever thought possible."

Her delicate forehead furrowed as she turned back to Cassie. "I don't understand any of this."

"We are not all monsters."

Her gaze shot back to his. "No, I suppose not. I'm just going to have to figure out how to process that astonishing bit of information."

His hand rubbed Cassie's arm as he relished in the feel of her satiny skin. Turning away, he paced back and forth as he tried to lose some of the restless energy clinging to him. Still acutely attuned to the beat of her heart, he felt when it picked up, when she stirred. He froze instantly; his mouth went dry as he waited for his fate to be handed to him.

Her grandmother rose and leaned eagerly over her granddaughter. "Cassie, Cassie can you hear me?"

He could see her lids lift, but he was unable to see the brilliant color of her eyes. "Grandma?"

The sound of her voice was the sweetest thing he'd ever heard. "Yes, dear, I'm here. It's ok; you're going to be just fine."

Cassie's hand grasped hold of her grandmother as the woman bent over to give her a hug before pulling away. "Devon? Where's Devon?"

Her grandmother glanced anxiously at him before taking a small step back. "Here, I'm right here."

He was surprised to find he could barely get the words past the constriction in his chest and throat. He took a guarded step toward her, eager to see her again, eager to feel her again, but terrified of what she would say. Stopping at her side, his body froze as her eyes clashed with his. The startling azure of them was vivid, and the pure amethyst flecks speckled throughout shone in the harsh illumination of the room.

"Devon," she breathed as tears filled her eyes and spilled down her delicate cheeks.

"Shh, don't cry love." Bending over her, he tenderly wiped the tears from her skin. "Don't cry."

"I thought you were that… that thing and I planned to kill you."

He had already suspected as much. He felt he should be angered, or feel betrayed by it, he wasn't. Their kind knew nothing about the vampires who didn't feed on humans; they knew nothing about the ones who had shunned human blood. All she'd known was a monster was hunting her community, killing people, and somehow she'd managed to figure out what he was. She had no way of knowing he wasn't a murderer anymore.

More tears spilled free; they came so fast he couldn't keep up with wiping them away. "Cassie…"

"I wanted to kill you, and you saved my life." She seized hold of his hand with surprising strength. "I should have known you weren't a monster, I should have trusted you. You would never do anything to hurt me. Please forgive me."

He felt as if he'd been punched as he stared at her. He'd been concerned she wouldn't forgive him, and instead she was pleading for his forgiveness. Gathering her in his arms, he cradled her as he relished the feel of her. "There is nothing to forgive Cassie. I was worried you wouldn't forgive me."

Her body trembled in his arms. "For what?" she mumbled.

"For what I am."

Her tears wet his skin as she buried her face in his neck. "You are an amazing man Devon."

His gut twisted as his grip on her tightened. That was the worst part about all of this, he wasn't a man, and at one time he'd been a brutal monster. He didn't know what he'd done to deserve her, but he would spend the rest of his life doing everything he could to earn her love. His hand slid into her hair and eased through the tangles that marred its golden beauty.

Never in his life had he felt anything as magnificent as she was, and he knew nothing would ever compare to her. He rocked her as her tears gradually subsided. Her eyes were reddened from her tears as she pulled back from him. He wiped the tears from her cheeks, hating the sight of them. She deserved only happiness and warmth, but unfortunately fate had cast them into roles where darkness was their main reality.

She stared at him with awe filled eyes as she searched his face. The tips of her lengthy lashes shimmered with water. He was unable to resist the tempting lure of her as he bent down and pressed a kiss to her rosebud mouth.

His skin heated, his body tightened as the feel of her burned into him. Hunger for her coursed through him, but he kept it under control. Pulling away reluctantly, he stroked her face once more before turning to meet the newcomers in the room.

Luther, Chris, and Melissa stood just inside the doorway. Chris's jaw hung ajar, Luther's face was an impassive mask, and Melissa's cheeks had become the color of Santa's suit. Rising from the bed, he kept hold of Cassie's hand as he stood beside her. He'd nearly lost her and he wasn't about to let her go anytime soon.

Cassie wiped the remaining tears from her face as she shyly smiled at them. "Hi guys."

Melissa was the first to recover her usual aplomb. "It's so good to see you awake!"

She shot Devon a confused look as she moved to Cassie's grandmother's side. She bent to hug Cassie, careful of the wires and tubes running from her. "It's good to be awake."

Chris's sapphire eyes were dark and brooding as he joined Melissa. Awkwardly, he bent to hug Cassie, but his gaze never left Devon's. Devon hated the idea of another man touching her, even if it was Chris, but he remained immobile as they embraced.

"What happened?" Chris asked.

Cassie quickly glanced at Devon, her hand clenching his as she recounted the awful events of the night. Devon became more and more incensed as he sensed her rising distress. Though he'd only tasted a few drops of her blood, they'd been enough to forge a stronger connection between them. He could sense her emotions more clearly, and though he couldn't read her thoughts, he could almost feel them pounding against the edges of his mind.

When she was done they all turned to stare questioningly at him. Luther finally broke the silence. "I think we have a lot to discuss."

"After Cassie is feeling well enough to go home, we can talk," he assured him.

"I feel fine now," Cassie interjected forcefully.

She'd only been awake for a little bit, but her color had already returned. He was surprised to realize the severe blood loss had been traumatic, but she appeared as if nothing had happened. Her intense sleep seemed to have completely repaired the injuries she'd sustained. It was amazing.

"You have to rest," her grandmother insisted.

"I'm fine Grandma, really. I heal fast."

"Apparently," Devon muttered as his thumb slid over her skin.

"Cassie…" Luther uttered her name in disbelief.

"I'm fine Luther, really. I feel much better; I just want to get out of here, now. I don't like hospitals."

"You've never been in one," her grandmother said.

"And now it's time to go."

Tossing aside her blankets, she swung her legs out of the bed. Devon was startled by the graceful movement and the speed with which she'd done it. She stood before him for a moment before her legs began to wobble. He grabbed hold of her and swung her into his arms as if she weighed no more than a feather. He was once again reminded of how fragile she was as she stared up at him. The beast crawled through him, rippling just beneath the surface as the compulsion to make her immortal reared back to life.

Seeming to sense his tension, Cassie rested her hand on his cheek in order to soothe the monster within him once more. He held her closer, refusing to let go of her. "I want to go home," she told him.

Whatever she asked for, no matter how absurd or difficult, he would give it to her. "I'll get the doctor."

Devon reluctantly placed her back down on the bed. "Devon…"

Luther's voice broke off at the silencing look Devon shot him. Cassie was his now. They just needed to realize that. It was one thing he did know for certain, one day he would possess her completely. One day she would belong to him, for eternity.