Dani's brother, Joey, was wearing the already bare carpet even thinner as he spun on his heel and paced back across the room. His whipcord lean body was as taut as a bowstring and his dark auburn hair was in disarray from running his fingers through it. He was older, at twenty-four he was probably one of the oldest Hunter's still alive.

Melissa and Chris watched him suspiciously, thrown off by the resentment and tension radiating from him. Joey's gaze focused on the open doorway, where Devon was leaning casually against the frame with his legs crossed at the ankles. Though he appeared relaxed, tension hummed through Devon and undermined his casual posture. Joey frowned at him, his scathing gaze raked over all of them before he returned to pacing.

Joey refused to invite Devon in and none of them could really talk with the apartment door open. "Why don't we go to my house," Cassie suggested.

Joey shot her a look before shaking his head. "I'm not going anywhere that thing can go inside of!"

Cassie's skin prickled against the assault on Devon. "Devon is on our side," Luther said, not for the first time, as he shot Cassie a warning look.

"None of them are on our side. I don't think any of you are on our side!"

"It's true Joey," Dani murmured.

His lip curled in a sneer as he stared at his sister. "Have you forgotten what they did to our family? To mom and dad and Rachael."

"Rachael?" Luther inquired.

"She was our sister. They," he thrust a finger viciously at Devon, who lifted an eyebrow, but otherwise showed no reaction to the hatred directed at him. "Murdered her."

Nausea rolled through Cassie as revulsion washed over her. It so easily could have been her or Chris, and it would have been if Chris's dad hadn't been gifted with premonitions also. She glanced at Devon, but his face was a stoic mask. She craved his comfort, but she sensed he'd shut down from the accusations, and the brutal reminder of what he'd once been.

He may not have been part of The Slaughter, but at one point in his prolonged life he'd been a killer. She didn't know how many he'd killed, she wasn't sure if he knew. She didn't like to think about the past, she only wanted to focus on the present where he was good and loving, and hers.

"I barely got Dani out of there alive," Joey said. Dani was staring at her sneakers again with her hands folded behind her back. "And I was only eleven. Do you know what it's like to try and keep your sister alive when you're only eleven years old and living on the streets?" he demanded.

No one spoke. Cassie couldn't find words to offer him. Though she and Melissa had lost their parents, and Chris his father, they'd all been lucky enough to have someone there to take care of them after. Luther had fled with Melissa, Cassie's grandmother and Chris's mother had taken them to safety. Although Chris's mother had retreated into a world of alcohol and drugs, Cassie's grandmother had been there to nurture and love him as they grew.

To live on the streets, struggling to survive while trying to raise a baby was something she couldn't begin to fathom. Her heart went out to him, and she began to understand why his hatred was so entrenched. "That must have been awful," she said.

Joey's gaze slid to her, his eyes blazed with hatred. Devon's casual stance was forgotten as he stepped away from the doorway. "Awful doesn't begin to describe it!" Joey barked. "You know nothing of what I went through."

"We all had a difficult time of it." Chris was trying to defuse the situation though he looked almost as agitated as Devon.

Joey snorted as he tugged at his hair and ran his hand through it once more. "It must have been really awful for you with your homes, and your families."

"Joey," Dani said, looking embarrassed and discomfited by her brother's attitude. "They lost their families too."

"Not all of them!" Joey's gaze disdainfully raked Chris before turning on Cassie. A low growl emitted from Devon, his hands fisted at his sides as he glared at Joey. "I told you, animals," he sneered at Devon.

"Cassie come here," Devon ordered forcefully.

She bristled at his commanding tone, but she sensed he was near his breaking point. Though he couldn't enter the apartment, she was frightened he would tear the building down if she didn't get further away from Joey. Glancing anxiously back and forth between him and Joey, she was uncertain what she should do. She didn't like the idea of alienating Joey any further, they might need him, but she didn't want Devon's control tested anymore than it already was.

She glanced helplessly at Luther, seeking some sort of guidance from the man who'd been very much like a father to her over the past four years. He gave a subtle nod toward Devon, though his eyes didn't leave Joey as he continued to pace restlessly. For the first time she noticed Chris had been moving protectively closer to Melissa and Luther.

It was Chris's reaction that bothered her most. He didn't trust Joey.

"Cassie," Devon said again.

Joey glared at her as she moved away from the back of the old couch and edged her way toward the door. The moment she was partly past the frame, Devon seized hold of her hand and pulled her outside. She gave him a disgruntled look he chose to ignore as he pushed her behind him.

"Devon," she said angrily, not at all pleased with being relegated to the back.

He didn't look at her, nor did he move. Cassie nudged him as she stepped around his back. He slammed his hand into the doorframe as his eyes briefly flared ruby red. "No!"

Cassie blinked in surprise, she'd seen his eyes red before, but it had never been directed at her. Though she knew he would never harm her, he could hurt someone else if he lost control. Swallowing heavily, Cassie rested a hand on his arm as she sought to ease some of his tension. "I'm not going back in," she kept her voice low so Joey couldn't hear her.

He relaxed and his hand fell away from the frame, but he didn't allow her to go any further past him. Joey was glaring at her as if she were a distasteful thing that was better off dead. Despite her intention to stand her ground, Cassie found herself taking a small step back from the loathing blasting against her.

The corded muscles of Devon's arms stood out distinctly as his hands fisted. His back was ramrod straight, and the jagged tears in his shirt revealed that his vicious cuts had completely healed. Cassie found herself fascinated by his amazing healing abilities. She was a little unnerved by the acute reminder he was anything but human.

"I think you should all leave," Joey said briskly.

"Joey!" Dani cried as she leapt off the couch. "They're like us! We've found others. That's what we've been searching and hoping for. You can't send them away."

"They are not like us Dani, they're traitors."

Dani pleadingly glanced around the room before her eyes landed on her big brother. "No, they aren't! No, Cassie came after me to help me. She was frightened for me and she was trying to save me! If they hadn't come, I would have died. The real monster is still out there!"

He shook his head, his jaw set, and his eyes pitiless. "I will have nothing to do with people who have aligned themselves with our enemy."

Dani seized hold of his arm. "He saved her Joey!" she cried as she jabbed a finger at Devon. "He put himself in between her and that thing out there. He put his own life at risk to save her!"

Joey threw her hand off. "I don't care," he snarled. "They both should have died."

"Don't you ever say anything like that again!" Devon bellowed. He took an aggressive step forward, only to be blocked by an invisible wall of air.

Cassie grabbed hold of his arm and squeezed as she tried to calm him. Glancing back at her, he relaxed visibly, but it wouldn't take much for him to lose it. "I told you, nothing but animals," Joey spat.

"No, you're wrong Joey, you're wrong." Tears streamed down Dani's face as she hopelessly stared at her brother.

Cassie's heart ached for Dani, the girl was desperate to find acceptance, a family, anything. Cassie longed to go to her and comfort her, but she knew it would be the worst thing she could do. Devon would go crazy if she wasn't near him, and Joey wouldn't react kindly to her presence in his home again.

"That's enough Dani!" he snapped. "All of you get out of my house."

"Let's go," Luther said as he nudged Melissa toward the door. "I'm sorry we’ve troubled you. You’re safe here, if you change your mind about joining us."

Joey's look of abhorrence was enough to let Cassie know that was never going to happen. "My sister and I will have nothing to do with you. Ever!" Tears continued to stream down Dani's face as she stared helplessly at them. "We will be leaving this town."

"No!" Dani cried. Cassie's heart lurched, she took a step forward but Devon shot her a look that froze her in her place. "I don't want to leave!"

"Too bad," Joey retorted.

Devon pushed Cassie back a step when Chris, Melissa, and Luther stepped through the doorway. "We will be sad to see you go, but if you feel it’s best…" Luther started.

"It is." Joey stalked across the room as they stepped out of the apartment. Cassie jumped in surprise as the door forcefully slammed shut. The echo of it reverberated throughout the dingy hall of the apartment building.

"Well, he was pleasant, we should invite him over for tea and crumpets sometime," Chris quipped as he rolled his eyes and shoved his hands into his pockets.

"Not funny," Luther reprimanded. "We could have used their aid, especially Dani's. A Grounder." He shook his head in amazement as he ran his fingers through his disordered hair. "Maybe he will come around."

"No," Chris said firmly. "He won't be coming around. He radiated hatred and revulsion for us; there were waves of it coming out of him." He shuddered as he huddled deeper into his coat. "He is set in his opinion, and he will stick to it."

Cassie was disheartened by Chris's assessment but she wasn't surprised by it. She took hold of Devon's hand and massaged the knuckles of his fingers as she tried to calm the anger still radiating from him. "Let's get you home," he said. "Luther can explain about your powers there."

Chris and Cassie groaned, not at all looking forward to a lecture from Luther. "Maybe we should just wait till tomorrow; it's been a long day…"

"It's about time you learned at least a little about your heritage." Luther shot Chris a stern look that dared him to continue protesting. "It will help in your fight against Julian. It will also aid in your understanding of where your abilities come from."

"I have none," Cassie reminded him but she didn't hold out much hope that would get her out of this.

"You do have abilities a human doesn't possess," Devon reminded her. "You should know where those come from."

Her nose wrinkled as she realized she'd lost the battle.