Devon watched helplessly as Cassie escaped the cafeteria with Melissa quickly following behind. He turned toward Chris, who looked almost green as he gazed back at him. Devon completely tuned Marcy and her group out as he moved toward Chris.

"That didn't go as I'd hoped," Chris mumbled. Devon's deadened heart twisted with guilt at the hurt he’d just caused Cassie. Yet, he couldn't stop the small amount of hope flickering through him. She had been jealous, she had been incensed. Perhaps she did still care.

"At least there was some reaction," Devon said as he tried to bury the hope rolling through him. He couldn't take having his heart stampeded all over again. Once this whole mess with Isla and Julian was over, he didn't know what he was going to do. He would have to face the fact he'd lost the only person he'd ever loved, and he wasn't sure he could handle that. At least he had Julian and Isla to focus his anger on now, and once he got a hold of them he was going to make them pay for every miserable thing they had ever done.

Especially hurting Cassie.

"She was infuriated! It's what she always is now, but it was stronger and harsher. It was deadly Devon, almost inhuman," Chris mumbled, his voice distant and thoughtful. "Not what I had hoped for at all."

Devon hated the desolate look in Chris's eyes and the words he had just uttered. The word inhuman sent a shudder down his spine. Maybe Chris was beginning to pick up on the thing Devon feared most.

He took note of Chris's half eaten lunch and the notably missing plate of food where Cassie had been sitting. "When was the last time she ate?" he inquired.

Chris shrugged. "I don't know."

Devon's frown intensified as unease gnawed at his gut. She was going to completely collapse if she didn't start taking better care of herself. Longing filled him, he yearned to be the one taking care of her, comforting her, and making sure she was safe and healthy. "Are you going after her?"

Chris sighed as he ran his hand through his hair. "Yeah."

"Give me a call if you need me, for anything."

"I will."

Devon felt helpless and vulnerable as he watched Chris go. Marcy approached from across the cafeteria. Before she could make it to him, Devon lost himself amongst the crush of bodies. He'd had enough of school today.

* * *

Cassie slammed her fists into the punching bag, pummeling it with repeated violence. Chris grunted with the force of the blows, but kept a firm hold on the bag. She tried to release all of her frustration on the bag, tried to purge the fury eating at her, but try as she might she couldn't shake it.

The more she hit the bag, the madder she got. A shout of frustration escaped her as she spun, and delivered a rapid roundhouse to the center of the bag. The force of the blow shoved the bag back a good four feet. Chris grunted and lost his hold on the bag as he was knocked into the garage wall. Cassie gulped in large quantities of air as her shoulders heaved.

Chris rubbed his ribs as he stepped away from the wall. "Sorry," Cassie muttered as she turned away from him. She pulled her bandana free to let her hair spill down her back. Stalking like a caged tiger to the door, she stopped to stare into the kitchen. Luther was on the phone, his glasses in hand as he restlessly paced back and forth while listening to the other person.

Cassie strained to hear what the other person was saying. She was unable to make out the other voice through the cell phone, but Luther seemed disturbed by what he was hearing. Her attention peaked as Luther mentioned Hunters from the past. The conversation confused her, what did Hunters who were dead and gone matter? Luther glanced up and spotted her in the doorway. "I have to go," he said abruptly and hung up.

Cassie frowned as he easily moved around the chairs in the dining room toward her. "All done training?" he inquired.

Cassie glanced behind her; Chris was still rubbing his ribs, Melissa and Dani were eyeing her warily. It was obvious they wanted nothing more to do with training with her. "Apparently," she muttered. "Who was on the phone?"

Luther glanced at the three of them before landing on Chris. "You ok?"

Cassie was irritated by the avoidance of her question. She was about to push her Guardian further when Chris responded. "Yes, I'm fine."

"When can we go back in the field?" Cassie demanded as she decided to drop the phone conversation in favor of the one she really required the answer to.

"I don't think you're ready for that Cass," Luther told her.

"I'm in the best condition of my life," she retorted.

"I don't think you're mentally ready for it," he amended.

Cassie spun on her heel and stormed into the center of the garage. "I am perfectly capable of fighting!"

"I don't think you are."

Cassie glared at him as she grabbed her black hoodie and slipped it on. Pulling the hood up, she folded her arms over her chest as she began to tap her foot impatiently. "I'll be fine out there. I would like to go out tomorrow night."

"Cassie..."

"I'm going out tomorrow night!" she snarled. "You can follow me or not, it's up to you, but I'm not sitting on my ass anymore! I'm going out and I am going to find them."

She didn't plan to listen to any more of their arguments. Taking the side door she exited the garage, eager to be alone for a moment, but she knew someone would catch up with her soon. She momentarily contemplated leaving the sidewalk and main road, she was eager to get at Julian and Isla, but she couldn't bring herself to do that to Chris, Melissa, and Luther. They would be worried sick and they would follow her. Quite possibly to their deaths, and she couldn't handle having any more deaths staining her hands right now. No, if Isla and Julian came for her, it would have to be here, before anyone could catch up to her.

The chilly air helped to cool her heated skin and temper. Tilting her head back she stared up at the clear night sky. She wanted to be comforted by the twinkling stars, and beautiful moon, but she wasn't, and she probably never would be again. There was no joy in the beauty of the world anymore. Anger filled her as she turned away from the sky; she resented that something she’d once loved now meant nothing to her. Like so many other things.

Moving briskly down the sidewalk, she kept herself attuned to the world around her as she searched for any sign of Julian and Isla. She huddled deeper into her sweatshirt and folded her hands inside the sleeves. A car rolled up beside her, its headlights flashed over the few inches of snow on the ground. She turned the corner and kicked miserably at the sidewalk, she was spoiling for a fight.

Another car rolled up and its brakes squealed to a halt beside her. Cassie braced herself for Chris's wrath as she turned. Her eyes widened as Devon thrust his door open and jumped out of his car. "What do you think you're doing?" he demanded as he stormed around the car toward her.

Cassie took a step back from the exasperation radiating from him. Her heart briefly melted as it thumped with excitement. Tingles erupted over her body; her skin crawled with its desperate compulsion to be touched by him. Her body had been denied the sensation of him for far too long. Now it was frantic to feel the relief and pleasure only he could bring to her. Her mouth went dry as she took an instinctive step toward him.

He strode toward her forcefully, and with the fluid grace only his kind could possess. Power radiated from him, his emerald eyes were afire, and his hair was tussled and disordered. Her anger at him, and the world, suddenly sapped out of her. Love for him surged forth as tears burned the backs of her eyes. She rapidly blinked the tears back as he stopped before her, his mouth parted as his eyes quickly scanned her face. He reached toward her, his elegant hand a life raft in the tumultuous seas constituting her life now.

Of its own volition, her hand rose to meet his. Time seemed to slow as they stretched across the short expanse separating their bodies. It would be better, everything would be better once she touched him again. She knew without a doubt, he was everything she needed, and more.

And then their fingers met. Tears clogged her throat as everything became right. He would keep her safe; he would protect her from the unhappiness and wrongs of the world. Astonishment filled her as she searched his gaze; the vast amount of love in his eyes shook her to the core. His fingers tightened around hers as he tugged her closer to him.

The hope in his eyes, the force of his yearning for her, engulfed her completely. She knew how he felt, because she felt it too. She needed him in order to be whole, in order to complete her. A desperate choking sound escaped her. It sounded forlorn and frantic, even to her ears.

"Cassie," he whispered.

She shuddered; her shoulders shook as tremors wracked through her. Helplessness filled his eyes as he pulled her forward another step. She almost went to him, almost buried herself against him and lost herself to him completely. Then brutal reality descended over her with the force of a tsunami.

His gaze became desperate with concern. "Cassie, no."

She released his hand and took a hasty step back. Her gaze focused on the house across the street. She couldn't look at him, not anymore. If she did she would lose complete control of herself and become a blubbering mess on the sidewalk. If she did, she wouldn't be able to exact her revenge on Isla and Julian, because she couldn't know hatred in Devon's arms. She could only know love and belonging.

He shoved his hands into the pockets of his jacket. "Where are you going?" he inquired.

"Home."

"You can't walk home alone."

She shot him a dark look as she tried to summon the emotions that had been fueling her anger for the past week. "I'm perfectly capable of taking care of myself," she informed him.

"You shouldn't be out alone. Let me take you home."

She shook her head as she tried to keep her tears bottled up. "No."

"Cassie, I am not going to let you walk home alone. Either let me take you home, or I'm going to follow you the whole way."

She glanced at the car purring at the curb. "I thought you would be with Marcy, or maybe Kara."

He winced. "Cassie..."

"You have to leave me alone Devon. I can't be near you anymore."

"Cassie, please..."

She lifted her gaze back to his. Drawing on her strength, she managed to retreat behind the wall of wrath that had been keeping her going since her grandmother's death. Chris's Mustang screeched to a halt behind Devon's car. He opened the door and climbed out but didn't approach them as he rested his hand on the roof. Standing in the wash of light, Chris's sandy hair was streaked with strands of red.

She turned back to Devon, she hated the wounded look in his eyes, but there was nothing she could do to ease it. "Leave me alone."

Her voice was alien to her. Taking a deep breath, she forced herself to walk toward Chris's car. Chris's shoulders sagged. She could feel Devon's gaze boring into her back as she arrived at the passenger side door. Chris lifted his head and glanced toward Devon. Cassie stiffened as she took in the wordless communication passing between them. Turning back to Devon, she frowned as she realized that although she wasn't with Devon, the two of them still talked with each other. She was fairly certain their main topic was probably her.

She glared at Chris. "Traitor," she spat as she flung the door open.

Chris's face colored before he ducked back inside the car. Cassie fought the urge not to look at Devon again, but against her will her eyes were drawn back to him. Her heart turned over as she found him still watching her. Unable to move, Cassie stared into his striking green eyes that now held a hint of sadness. She wished things could be different, but unfortunately they couldn't.

Turning away, she slid into the passenger seat and closed the door behind her. Chris hesitated before sliding the car into gear and pulled away from the curb. "Are you ok?"

"Fine." She kept her head down as they left Devon behind.