"This is the center of town?" Melissa inquired, disbelief evident in her tone of voice.

Devon stared at the small buildings as they drove past at a snail's pace. There was a tiny post office with two mailboxes out front, a barber shop, tailor, dry cleaner, a bank, and a rather large general store he suspected passed as their grocery store too. He turned down a side road and passed by a Catholic church, a synagogue, and a Lutheran church. The road spilt at the end and headed toward the woods and side roads or back toward the center of town.

Though a few cars lined the roadsides, they were all in parking spaces. They hadn't been abandoned but placed there by their owners. Even the homes they drove by still had cars waiting expectantly in their driveway, just hoping their owners would come out and take them for one final spin. Devon knew that wasn't going to happen.

"Go back," Chris said.

Devon tried to get a sense of the place as he tried to figure out if there were still people living within the small array of homes. "Do you sense anything?" he asked Chris.

Chris's hand clenched on the back of Devon's seat as he leaned forward. "No, nothing. But just because there appears to be no one left in these homes, doesn't mean there still aren't people in homes elsewhere in the town."

"Go further down there," Luther instructed as he pointed ahead of Devon.

He kept to the left and headed down a small road lined with woods, but speckled with antique stores, a couple of bookstores, another dark gas station, and one log cabin that sold honey. "There's a school about a mile down, but I don't think that will do us any good," Luther stated as he watched the GPS. "We're going to have to find a place to stay soon."

Devon made another left toward the main strip. "We can return to the hotel; I don't think they would go back there after exhausting their prey, but I don't know for sure. Daylight will offer us no protection either, some Halflings can go out during the day; they are still part human after all."

Melissa shuddered and shook her head as she wrapped her arms around herself. "Absolutely not, I am not going back to the hotel. That room was awful, just awful."

"Maybe we can find a house to hole up in," Liam suggested.

"You mean one of the homes where the people have either disappeared, or are splattered all over the walls?" Melissa demanded.

"We have to stay somewhere," Liam responded as the voice of reason. "And we all have to eat eventually."

Melissa's dark eyes scanned the night as she bit on her bottom lip. It was apparent she didn't like the idea of staying in this town, but there was no way Devon was leaving it. Though he had no proof Cassie was here, it was the closest they had come to finding anything since she'd disappeared. None of them wanted to be in this godforsaken town, but they wouldn't leave it until he knew what was going on.

Devon drove through the main street again. "Did Halflings kill all of these people?" Chris inquired.

Devon shook his head as he gripped the wheel tighter. "No, they couldn't have. There would have to be at least a hundred of them to kill all of these people before the neighbors noticed. I don't know what is going on here, but no one would be crazy enough to allow that many Halflings to roam the earth." Though he said the words, he wasn't completely convinced of them.

"Do you think something else happened to them?" Melissa inquired.

"There's no way to know right now," Annabelle answered.

"If I start trying to eat your brains, you have my permission to cut my head off," Chris said.

"Excuse me?" Liam blurted.

"You know the zombie movies where no one ever knows how, but all the people start to go crazy and try to eat everyone's brains," Chris explained patiently.

Liam stared back at him, his nearly silver eyes questioning and thoughtful. His shaggy brown hair fell in disarray around his handsome face as he shook his head. "That is why I don't watch TV."

"Seriously?" Chris looked as if he believed the zombie story more than Liam's statement.

"Really," Liam stated. "I prefer to read. Remember, I was born in a time before electronics."

"You drive this big Caddy with a GPS and every new technological device in it, but you don't watch TV?"

Liam shrugged again; Chris glanced toward Annabelle who lifted her dainty shoulders in response. Her normally lively sea green eyes were dull and flat, exhaustion and stress had taken their toll on her. "I like the Caddy and technology," she told Chris. "Liam still prefers horseback."

Chris chuckled as he slapped Liam on the back. "Oh man, I have so many great things to show you! Once this mess is over, I'm gonna introduce you to the fantastic world of the twenty-first century!"

"Yes, and until then, can we leave the TV talk till later," Devon said.

Everyone within the vehicle became silent as he drove down another road, discovering the small firehouse and police station. They passed an ice cream stand, boarded up for the winter, and a tiny movie theatre with no showings listed. Though they passed a few more houses, Devon still couldn't pick up any hint of human life.

"Go back to town Devon. The General Store will probably be the best place for us to hole up for a bit. It should have supplies, and maybe even some weapons," Luther said.

Melissa's dark hair spilled around her as she hugged her knees to her chest. Chris rested a hand on her arm as he sought to give her comfort. Though she hadn't seen the inside of the manager's office with his broken, bloodied body, the vision she'd received of it had shaken her greatly. "Can't we just stay in the car?" she whispered.

"Melissa, we need a place where we can relax, move about, eat, go to the bathroom, maybe even sleep," Annabelle said quietly. "And we can't keep the car running all day, we don't know if we can get gas out of the station pumps."

"We can siphon it out of other cars."

Annabelle leaned forward to grasp hold of Melissa's arm. "We'll stay in the car for now," she conceded. "But we can't stay in it forever, and we have to stay in this town for at least another day. There may be survivors out there that need our help, and we have to know what is going on here."

Melissa chewed on her bottom lip before nodding. Her shoulders went back as resolve settled over her pretty features. "Ok."

Devon wound his way back through town. "I'm not so sure I want to know what is going on here," Chris mumbled.

Devon agreed, but he wasn't leaving this town until he knew for sure Cassie wasn’t somehow caught up in the oddity that was this town. Chris suddenly bolted upright, his hand slammed down on the back of Devon's seat. "Stop the car! Stop the car!"

"What is it?" Melissa cried as Devon slammed on the brakes and jolted everyone forward.

"Is it Cassie?" Devon demanded.

"No." Chris's voice was tinged with an odd sense of disbelief. Devon's hope plummeted; he had to fight the urge to rip the wheel free of the car. "It's Julian."

Devon's mouth dropped as Chris's words sank in. "What?" Annabelle gasped in disbelief. "Are you sure?"

Chris's forehead furrowed in confusion as he frowned. "I'm sure it's him, but it's different. He feels different."

"What do you mean?" Devon growled.

It made no sense, what could Julian possibly be doing here? Though Devon didn't trust him, he knew Julian wouldn't have created the monsters running loose here. Julian knew better than that; he knew what kind of havoc and death such creatures could render. Julian loved mayhem and murder more than most, but even he wouldn't take the risk of having the vampire population exposed to the outer world and terrified humans who would only choose to destroy their race.

Chris shook his head again; he rubbed the bridge of his nose as he tried to sort through the emotions Julian was emitting. "I don't know Devon. It is Julian, I'm certain of it, but he's not the same. He's not as angry or something, he's not as… he's not as…" Chris broke off, at a loss for words as he stared at Devon helplessly. "He's not as filled with hatred."

Devon frowned over Chris's odd statement. What was going on here? "How far is he from here?"

Chris stared out at the dark road, and then pointed ahead of him. "Ahead of us somewhere, not far, I don't think."

"You don't think?" Devon grated.

"Devon, just drive," Annabelle said. "We'll find him."

Excitement thrummed over Devon's skin and electrified his body. His knuckles were white upon the steering wheel as he started forward once more. Hope filled him; anticipation consumed him. They had been looking for Cassie, and had somehow managed to stumble upon the one person who could truly help them find her. He didn't linger on thoughts of what Julian could possibly be doing here; he only thought about finding him.

"Dani," Chris whispered.

"Excuse me?" Anger narrowed Melissa's onyx eyes as she whipped around to face Chris.

"Dani is with him," Chris said distantly.

The world turned into a fiery haze of red that blurred Devon's vision. Dani and Julian were together! Had Julian helped Dani and The Commission, take Cassie from him? If he had, Devon was going to rip Julian limb from limb. Luther leaned away from him; his eyes were wide as his mouth parted. Chris seized hold of his shoulder and clenched down. "You have to calm down Devon; I can't feel them over your emotions," he said in a choked voice.

Devon tried to calm himself, but the fiery storm building inside him was shaking him to the very core of his being. He had to compose himself; he had to get a hold of his emotions. They had to find Julian. It may be the only chance they had of finding Cassie, and he couldn't risk losing it. He shuddered as he tried to keep himself from completely unraveling, but he had never suspected Julian may be in on all of this too. That Julian may have helped Dani in taking Cassie away from him, that Julian may have hurt her.

"Stop!"

The shout, issued from Melissa, caused him to slam the brakes on again. He jerked against the steering wheel as Luther bounced against the dash. Liam cursed loudly as he shoved himself off the back of the passenger seat.

"Look!" Melissa leaned forward and thrust a finger at the woods. "I know I saw something. There!"

Devon strained to see through the woods on his left, and then he saw it. The headlights illuminated a flash of red eyes as one of the Halflings scurried into some thick underbrush and scurried out of view once more. "It's coming for us." There was a small hitch in her voice.

"Yes," Devon agreed. He was spoiling for a fight, spoiling to get rid of some of the rage and confusion coursing through him. But there was no time for it right now. Not when they were this close to finally getting some answers.

He was shifting into drive when a flurry of motion about a hundred feet up and to the right, caught his attention. He turned toward it as three figures burst out of the woods. They stumbled up an embankment before staggering onto the road. Devon's mouth dropped, his chest constricted as they turned toward the vehicle.

Cassie's golden hair shimmered as vibrantly as the sun in the splash of the car's beams. It was the balm he'd been seeking; the miracle he’d been searching for. The sight of her instantly calmed the furious monster raging inside of him. It brought back the warmth and joy he'd been missing for the past couple of weeks.

The scrubs she wore were torn, bloodied, and wet from the snow covered branches of the forest. Her bare feet were bloodied and raw looking, but she was still the most magnificent thing he'd ever seen.

She stared at them unblinkingly; her red eyes vibrant against the white pallor of her face. The red eyes terrified him most. Had he lost her? Was she gone? Had she become one of the things that had devastated this town? And just what was she doing with Julian and Dani?

Her mouth parted as she took a startled step away from the vehicle. Julian was the first to react as he began to forcefully pull her toward the other side of the road. Devon's eyes latched onto their entwined hands as Cassie scurried after Julian with Dani close behind. It was the spectacle of those hands that drove him into action. He would not lose her like this, and he wasn't going to let her disappear again.

He couldn't survive it if he lost her again.

Throwing the door of the SUV open he plunged into the cold. "Cassie!" he bellowed as they slipped down the hillside of the road and back into the woods.

Cassie stumbled as Julian pulled her onward after she'd stopped abruptly. Her head whipped toward him, her hair billowed around her as the wind caught hold of it. Her eyes met his and tears bloomed within their vivid ruby depths. Even from their distance, and above the howl of the wind, he heard her pant his name.

"Devon!" she broke free of Julian's hold. Using her hands, she scrambled through the shifting rocks that skittered under her feet as she pulled herself up the embankment. "Devon!"

He was still too astonished by her sudden arrival to move. Her reddened eyes suggested she was something different, someone else, but her reaction to him was what he would have expected from his Cassie. The one who had loved him wholeheartedly and never would have been holding hands with Julian. Her voice rang with pure joy, her face lit with the radiance of love as she reached the road.

He didn't know what was going on, and he didn't care. Releasing the car door, he raced toward her, needing to hold her and touch her again. "Cassie look out!"

It was Julian's shout that alerted him to the threat he had forgotten about in his astonishment at seeing her. The blur moved from the woods and emerged just feet from her as it raced across the road. It was hunched over as it used its hands and feet like an ape to run.

Cassie's mouth dropped as it barreled toward her. "Cassie!" Devon shouted. The thing was closer to her than he was, closer than Julian, who had raced out of the woods after her. Devon was startled by the strange certainty filling him that Julian would protect her from the thing.

Cassie darted to the side as the thing launched itself at her; its clawed hands outstretched with deadly intent. Twisting to the side, she seized the creature by the collar of the tattered shirt it wore, though the thing was clearly nothing close to resembling human anymore. She spun to the side as she flung it away from her. Devon was startled by the strength and speed she displayed, but his surprise didn't slow him as the creature rebounded to its feet. It screamed as it raced back at her. She was braced for the attack, but Devon raced past her and seized hold of the creature before it got to her.

His hand constricted around its throat as he slammed it onto the roadway and smashed its head off the asphalt. It howled as it squirmed beneath Devon and clawed at his hand. Disgust curved his upper lip as he crushed the creature's windpipe with a sickening pop.

The squeals and grunts were silenced, but the monster continued to fight to break free. He glanced up at Cassie, horrified to find her watching as he gradually decapitated the pathetic thing. Julian arrived at her side and grasped hold of Cassie's shoulders to spin her away.

"Julian don't!" she protested as she tried to wiggle out of his grasp. Julian held her firm though, refusing to let her turn back around, something Devon was infinitely grateful for. "Let me go!"

Julian's gaze was insolent and cold as he remained focused on Devon. Fresh wrath tore through Devon as he took note of Julian's hands resting so comfortably, possessively, upon her. He twisted the creature's head to the side and savagely yanked it back. Its head gave way with a sickening crunch and a horrendous tearing sound.

Devon tossed the head aside as he leapt to his feet. Julian stared back at him with his chin tilted proudly and a sneer curving his upper lip. Devon took a step toward them, prepared to kill Julian if it came down to it. Julian's eyes warmed as he glanced at Cassie, squeezed her shoulder, and reluctantly released her.

Then, Cassie turned toward him. She stared up at him, her eyes searching, as tears simmered in her ruby colored eyes. Her lower lip trembled when she stretched a shaky hand toward him, seemingly afraid he might disappear. He knew exactly how she felt. This was far too dreamlike to be real, far too unexpected after the weeks of uncertainty and terror. He was scared if he touched her she would vanish like smoke and all of this would prove to be some sort of torturous dream. He didn't think he could take that if it happened.

Yet, he couldn't stop himself; he had to touch her. He had to know if she was real. Unable to take one more second of their separation, he seized hold of her shaking fingers. Relief and awe pooled through him; the knot in his chest eased as he savored the silken, solid feel of her skin. Her fingers clenched upon him, her nails dug into his skin, but he didn't care. He didn't care about anything now that he’d found her again and was touching her again. A small sob escaped her as he pulled her forward a step.

"Cassie," he breathed her name reverently.

Wrapping his arms around her, he pulled her against him. Awe filled him as his hand threaded through her tangled hair. She was so warm, and alive, and in his arms again where she belonged, where she would always belong. He fought back the tears of relief threatening to fall. More tears escaped her as her small fingers dug into his back. She was the most magnificent thing he had ever felt. Closing his eyes, he buried his face in her silky hair.

"Cassie," he groaned as her sobs increased and she tried to burrow closer to him.

"I was beginning to fear I would never see you again!" she cried, her slender frame shaking with the force of her tears.

He pulled back to simply look at her again, but the minute he saw her cherished face, he knew he couldn't stop himself. He cupped her face and wiped the tears from her cheeks as he bent his head to hers. A small moan of pleasure escaped her as he took ardent possession of her mouth.

Her arms wrapped around his neck, her fingers entangled in his hair as she melded against him. He had never forgotten how right it felt to take her in his arms, but the memories of their last touch paled in comparison to actually holding her again. Her tongue entwined eagerly with his as he tasted her in deep, forceful thrusts that made his body thrum with passion. He lifted her up, crushing her against him as he cradled the back of her head and savored everything about her.

He wanted more of her, needed more of her. He'd nearly lost her; he'd been without her for so long he was on the brink of losing complete control now that he had her again. He was closer to completely snapping and changing her than he'd ever been before. If he changed her, he would never have to part from her again. He would be able to find her anywhere, and she would be immortal, safe from death, and far stronger than she was now. Abruptly he pulled away from her. His head dropped into the hollow of her neck as he struggled to keep his riotously swaying emotions, and body, under control.

He didn't care they were standing in a road, in the middle of nowhere. He didn't care that at his back was the man who had once been his best friend, but was now his greatest enemy. He didn't even care there was an unknown amount of monsters in the woods around them. All he cared about was holding her, touching her, possessing her. All he craved was to taste her again, to savor her blood, and to feel her in every possible way.

Her fingers slid over his cheeks as she pulled him from her neck. Her supple lips teased his as she tried to ease the tension within him. She'd always known when the beast inside was on the verge of taking control, always known how to soothe him as she did so now. "I love you," she whispered. "So very much."

"I love you."

His body pulsed with excitement as she opened her eyes to his. They were the spectacular violet blue color he remembered and loved so dearly. "Your eyes aren't red anymore," he told her, baffled by the sudden change.

She grinned up at him as he wiped a few streaks of blood from her delicate cheeks. Even filthy and disheveled she was the most exquisite thing he'd ever seen. "Neither are yours."

It had been almost two weeks since his eyes had been normal, since he'd had enough control over himself to keep the demon inside securely locked away. Her presence made the man in him stronger than the demon constantly lurking just beneath the surface. Perhaps his presence helped to do the same thing for her. But why were her eyes red when she had still been in complete control of herself, and her body wasn't trying to turn into something else? What had been done to her? Where had she been? He could only hope she hadn't been changed beyond repair.

He didn't know what had been done to her, but from the looks of her now, she'd been put through the ringer. Anger spiked through him as he caught the scent of her blood. It wasn't the same sweet scent he remembered. There was something different about it, something tangy and wrong. And beneath it all, he could smell Julian.

He tried to control his emotions, tried to keep them hidden from her, but envy was eating at him. What had they done to her in there? What had they given her to cause her blood to smell so abnormal, and her eyes to change without losing control of herself? Why did he smell Julian on her? Was it because they had been together, or had something more been done?

His attention turned to Julian. His face was a mask of indifference, but Devon could sense the underlying tension and anguish running through him. Julian was trying to be stoic, but it was obvious that whatever had happened to them, Julian had also been changed by it.

Cassie's fingers drew his attention back to her as she stroked his cheeks. She smiled at him so beautifully that he forgot all about the strange scent clinging to her. All he could do was hope he could ease whatever torment she had been through, and that she could forgive him for losing her in the first place.

"We should probably get off the street," she murmured.

He couldn't help but grin at her as he pulled her close and kissed her nose. "Yes."

He wrapped his arms around her before stooping to effortlessly pick her up. She didn't make a sound as she entwined her arms around his neck and snuggled closer. Her breath was warm on his skin, her body fit perfectly against his as she buried her face in his neck.

Devon turned back to the group standing outside the SUV. Luther's arm was wrapped around Melissa as she wept silently. Liam and Annabelle were standing with their arms around each other. Chris had moved forward, his mouth hung open. Devon didn't like the confusion he saw on Chris's face. It only served to heighten his own doubts and concerns about Cassie and Julian and where they'd been.

Cassie lifted her head from his shoulder and blinked tiredly. He could feel the exhaustion radiating from her. "You are coming with us," she said to Julian.

Devon tensed, his hands tensed upon her. "Cassie…"

"He's coming with us Devon," she said forcefully. "He is my friend. I will not leave him here."

Devon couldn't stop the bolt of jealousy and confusion ripping through him. What had happened between them, and to them, for her to want Julian to stay with her? "I'm coming," Julian replied firmly.

Cassie may think they were "friends", but the look in Julian's eyes said he thought more, or at least yearned for more. Devon shifted her away from Julian. Then Julian looked up at him, and though Devon sensed jealousy in him, he didn't sense any malice. Not like there used to be.

"And her?" Devon inquired as he nodded at Dani.

Cassie's lip curled as she moved to look around him. "She's coming too, we're going to get some answers," Julian retorted bitterly.

Apprehension was evident in Dani's gold streaked hazel eyes as she studied all of them. Then she looked toward the woods and took a step closer to Julian. "I'm coming with you."

"You didn't have a choice," Julian assured her flatly.

"Be nice," Cassie told him. "She did get us out of there."

"She also helped to put us in there."

Cassie bit on her bottom lip as she nodded. "Can we go please?"

"Anything you desire," Devon assured her as he strode past the two of them.