"Where could he be?" Devon demanded.

Chris took a hasty step away from him. "Devon, I don't think he's in this area anymore," Annabelle said nervously. "You haven't been able to find him, Chris can't sense him, and Melissa has had no premonitions. We need another plan."

He was such a crazily swinging pendulum of emotions lately that even he was surprised he hadn't cracked. It had been three days; she had been missing for three days! Three days in which they could have done anything to her.

He shuddered as he battled not to lose his temper again as he had yesterday. He tried not to think about the rampage he'd gone on yesterday, the destruction he'd done to the trees that had been in his way. If he had gotten his hands on something alive, he would have ripped it to shreds whether it had been animal or human.

"What though?" he grated.

Annabelle stared at him helplessly. Liam and Luther had made their way into Vermont, but they weren't having much luck either. He hadn't said it, but Devon knew Liam was concerned the trail was growing cold. "I don't know," she whispered.

Devon nearly bellowed in rage as he slammed his fist into a large oak. The tree shuddered, and its empty branches creaked loudly as it swayed. He could feel the demon in him trying to take over and bury the man. He was greatly afraid he was going to lose the battle, and himself, in the process. He would never be able to find Cassie if he did.

"What do we do?" he asked hopelessly. He had to find her, and he had to do so before he completely lost himself.

"We find another way, maybe there is another one like Julian out there," Melissa said as her gaze warily focused on the oak he had just punched.

"How do we find them?" Chris asked.

"Luther might know," Annabelle replied. "There may be a Hunter out there who has Julian's ability."

"And we're supposed to trust them to help us?" Chris retorted.

"Chris," Melissa cautioned.

Chris shook his head at her as he studied the night surrounding them. An owl hooted in the distance, its mournful sound set Devon's teeth on edge. He paced restlessly away from the tree as he tugged anxiously at his hair. He couldn't take much more of this, his insides felt like something was clawing them to shreds, his skin was on fire, and every muscle of his body was twisted.

There was only one thing, one person, who could help to alleviate the agony in him, and he had no idea where she was, or how to find her. He had sent her away to keep her safe, and instead he had put her right in the path of danger. He never should have left her side; he never should have let her out of his sight. This was his fault, and Cassie was the one paying for it.

When he found her, if he found her, he would never make that mistake again. He looked helplessly back at the rest of them, he needed their help. He couldn't think straight, he needed them to do it for him. "Are you still unable to reach out with your mind?" Annabelle asked him.

At one time he'd been able to brush against her mind with his, but now he was unable to locate her or feel her. "The distance is too great, and I... I am..."

"Too unstable," Annabelle finished when he couldn't.

"Yes," he growled.

She paced amongst the trees as she tried to work things out. She appeared diminutive and sweet, but Annabelle had a spine of steel and a razor-sharp mind. "I think we should join Liam and Luther. We may be able to help them; Melissa might have a premonition. Hopefully," she added. "And Chris may be able to sense something. Maybe if we all join together again we can find her, and if we get close enough to her, you may be able to connect with her again."

Devon remained mute as he stared fixedly at the three of them. Melissa and Annabelle stood proudly, defiantly. Chris looked completely lost and helpless. Devon felt his insides twist more as fresh torment surged through his gut. Fire burned his veins. It wasn't much of a plan, they all knew that, but it was all they had left. He couldn't admit defeat, because if he did it would be over for him and Cassie. He could quite possibly destroy every one of these people, his friends, if he didn't find her. He would definitely find a way to destroy himself, even if it meant staying in the sun for days on end until his body couldn't take it and he finally burned.

"Let's go."

Devon turned and disappeared into the woods as he rapidly ran toward Cassie's house. He didn't wait for the others; he had to burn off some of his excess energy and ire. He raced through the trees, easily dodging the branches and bushes threatening to catch hold of him.

He broke free of the woods and dashed across Cassie's backyard. Pulling out his phone, he hit Luther's number as he slammed into the kitchen. "Anything?" he demanded the minute Luther picked up.

"No," Luther reluctantly admitted.

Devon glanced up as Annabelle came through the back door, and stomped her boots off, as she blew on her hands. Devon's lip curled in a sneer, he hated the pity he felt radiating from her. Turning away, his hand tightened on the phone as he pressed it closer to his ear. "We're coming to join you."

"Excuse me?" Luther asked in surprise.

"We're coming to join you. We're leaving as soon as possible; meet you in Vermont by morning."

Luther was thoughtful for a moment. "All of you?"

"Yes."

Devon heard the rustle of his glasses as Luther slid them off. "We can't leave the town unprotected."

The front door opened and closed, Melissa and Chris appeared in the dining room doorway. "It won't be unprotected, Julian isn't here anymore. I don't know why he moved on, but he has. The Commission won't come here; they already have what they coveted. If other vampires do arrive, they will move on once they realize there are no Hunters here anymore. We're coming up there. Now."

"Wait Devon, slow down." Luther said quickly. "Are you sure Julian isn't there?"

"I'm sure," Devon stated.

"The town..."

"Will be fine," Devon interrupted. "This is the only hope we have. We must find her. Are there Hunters out there who possess Julian's ability?"

"I wouldn't know where to start looking," Luther admitted. "The few Hunters who are still accounted for don't have the same ability as Julian. If there are others out there, I don't know where they are."

Devon slammed his hand into the wall with enough force to shake the bracings behind the plastering. "Then this is the only hope we have. I'll call you to find out where you are when we hit the border."

Devon hung up before Luther could say anymore. Rage raced up and down his spine. No one moved for a moment, and then Annabelle strode forward and grasped hold of his arm. "Devon, if this doesn't work we should talk about what will happen."

His gaze landed on his reflection in the window. His eyes were the same murderous red color they'd been ever since Melissa's vision. A color he knew would not vanish until he had Cassie in his arms again. A color he knew meant he was standing on a very thin precipice, one that was about to give way.

"I know what will happen," he told her.

"And what is that?" she asked.

"I'll die, and you will have to help make sure it happens."

Annabelle's sea green eyes swam with tears. He'd never understood how she could forgive him for what he'd done to her, but she had, and she actually cared for him. It would have been better if she'd hated him for his cruelty and selfishness. He would only hurt her again if he lost complete control. He touched her hand to offer her some comfort, but he knew it was little.

"It's ok," he assured her. "It's what I will want."

Tears slid down her face as she nodded. "I understand."

Devon slid his arm away from Annabelle and turned on his heel as he left the room.