Devon's senses were on high alert as they continued to rapidly make their way forward. He wouldn't allow anything bad to happen to Cassie again while they were down here. He wouldn't allow anything bad to happen to her ever again; he would die first. Anger coursed through him as he recalled the sterile little cell she’d been held captive in, imprisoned in, tortured in. He hated to think about the misery these people had caused her. That Dani had caused her.

He had to fight the urge to rip her traitorous throat out as they turned another corner. He knew it wasn't entirely Dani that had his killer instincts so aroused, or what had been done to Cassie, but also the harsh scent of death in the air. It was both enticing and repulsive. The demon in him was thrilled by the mayhem and destruction that had gone on here. The man was completely repulsed by it.

He pulled Cassie closer and drew on the strength she always brought to him as he tried to suppress the thrumming bloodlust inside him. He could still smell something off in her blood, and knew now it was more than just the drugs they had pumped into her, but also Julian's blood inside of her. Devon searched past the strange scent inside her to find her own deliciously sweet smell flowing just beneath the surface. Her body was already beginning to filter out the remnants within her.

Julian stopped suddenly, his hands fisted as he glared into another room. Devon was certain they had come across Julian's cell, but when Cassie began to tremble too he knew it was something more. The color drained from Chris's face as he turned toward Cassie, sympathy was etched onto his youthful features.

Devon tried to block Cassie's view of the room as he stepped forward to peer into the darkness. He noticed the table first with the straps hanging off the bottom, side, and top of it. Straps that were extremely thick and painful looking, and had been used to keep Julian and Cassie pinned to that table.

Then he noticed the thing hanging from the ceiling like some twisted electronic snake with electrodes dangling from a thick metal rod. Devon had never seen anything like it before, but it looked to be some sort of an electrical conductor designed to send a vast amount of electricity into a person, or vampire. Designed to send a vast amount of electricity into Cassie.

When he'd fed from her, he had glimpsed part of what she'd gone through in here, seen some of her suffering. He had understood the depth and purity of her feelings for Julian, understood her trust and love of him, even though she hadn't. He had seen so many things, but he had never truly seen the full amount of torture they had put her through. Never fully glimpsed the torment she had suffered at the hands of these monsters.

He would kill them for it. He would destroy every one of the people who had harmed her in here. His rage escalated higher as he glared at Dani. Seeming to sense his murderous thoughts, Cassie touched his arm. She had lost all color in her face, and she was shaking like a leaf, but she was still seeking to comfort him. Her eyes were haunted, her lips nearly as pale as her skin as she pulled his hand away from her mouth. He moved to block the smell from her again, but she shook her head at him. He could sense her composure slipping, if he touched her he would be her undoing. He dropped his arm back to his side as Cassie's gaze clashed with Dani's.

"Keep going Julian," Devon ordered. Julian's gaze was also focused on Dani, his eyes a deadly shade of red. His lips pulled back from his fangs. "Go Julian."

Devon stared at him relentlessly as he willed him to continue. There was a good possibility Dani wouldn't make it out alive, or that Devon and Julian would end up fighting in order to purge some of the emotions running through them. "Don't Julian," Cassie whispered shakily.

Devon moved closer to her as Julian's gaze spun in her direction. Devon was prepared to destroy Julian if he attacked Cassie, though he was no longer certain he wanted Julian dead. They had once been best friends; brutal killers yes, but also friends.

Yet Julian had somehow managed to move on from that monster, as Devon himself had. Julian had learned to care about Cassie enough to keep her sane and hopeful in a world of desolation and torture. Julian had come to care about someone more than he cared about himself, something Devon never would have thought Julian capable of. Though Devon hated that Julian fancied himself in love with Cassie, he was also grateful to Julian for everything he had done for her.

Julian closed his eyes and nodded briskly to Cassie before spinning on his heel and heading back down the hallway. Cassie kept her gaze focused on Chris as they followed noiselessly behind. Dani took a stumbling step into Chris as they turned another corner. Devon knew they had finally come upon some of the carnage they had smelled. Cassie straightened her shoulders as Chris pushed Dani roughly forward again.

Cassie seized hold of his hand as they turned the corner. Devon steadied himself as exhilaration and revulsion tore through him in equal waves. Blood splattered the walls; mutilated bodies littered the floor. Though he had committed some awful atrocities in his life, he'd never seen the destruction of the human body quite like this before.

Cassie's hand trembled in his as her lower lip began to quiver. She needed his protection and comfort right now; she could never know about the excitement tingling through him. She would be repulsed by him if she did, and he never wanted that to happen. "Don't look."

She closed her eyes as he helped to guide her through the mutilated bodies. The metallic scent of the blood was enticing as it aroused his thirst. Though Cassie helped him to keep control of himself, Julian was on his own. Julian had only had a few small rats today, and he didn't have Cassie in his arms to help keep him grounded.

Devon began to worry Julian might not make it back out of this. There was only so much a vampire could take, and Julian had only recently stopped killing. Julian may even go back to killing when all of this was over, and Cassie was at Devon's side. Devon couldn't blame Julian if he did; Devon knew he would instantly return to killing if he ever lost her completely.

Devon wouldn't blame Julian for returning to that lifestyle; he couldn't take the chance of him cracking in here. He would hurt people if he did, he could hurt Cassie if he did. Devon moved to place Cassie a little behind him. He hadn't liked the idea of her in the back, but she couldn't be close to Julian right now, and he intended to get Chris out of the way if it became necessary. Dani was on her own.

They moved into another hall, this one just as littered with bodies but housing even more destruction. Devon assumed it was the hall where the uprising had started. Doors littered the floor, shattered glass cracked and splintered beneath their feet. They picked their way carefully through the debris to avoid the deadly shards of wood and metal crowding the floor.

"How much further?" Julian demanded.

"Not much," Dani answered shakily.

They came across more destruction in another hall before slipping into a hall strangely empty of all debris. "Here," Dani said.

She pulled a set of keys from her pocket. Her hands trembled as she tried to slide the key into the hole. Dani nervously jumped back as the keys slipped from her fingers and clattered upon the floor. She glanced at the group before bending and scooping them back up. She grappled to find the right one and get it in the hole again.

Julian cursed violently and snatched the keys from her hand when his patience finally ran out. He shoved himself in front of her and slipped the key into the hole. "Wait!" Chris shouted as his face lost all color and he lurched for Julian.

It was too late though, Julian had already thrust the door open. Devon seized hold of Cassie and shoved her behind him as a booming shot echoed down the hall. Julian fell back; shock and pain twisted his features as blood bloomed where the bullet had torn across his shoulder. Devon grabbed Julian and shoved him to the floor as another shot rang out. It bounced down the hallway in a zinging rush that shattered concrete and deafened him.

"Crap!" Chris yelled as he ducked out of the way of another shot.

He released Julian as Julian rolled away from the door. Devon rushed back to where Chris and Cassie lay upon the floor, their hands over their heads in a vain attempt to protect themselves. Crawling on top of Cassie, he used his body to keep her blocked from anymore ricocheting shots. Pulling her head beneath him, he held her against his chest when another shot fired. Chris ducked lower as it ripped past his head and shattered the wall inches from his ear.

Cassie cried out and burrowed closer against him. The urge to destroy whoever was in that room surged through him. Another shot was fired, he grunted loudly as it sliced across his calf in a fiery blaze. Cassie's breath was warm against his neck, her fingers clawed at him. "Are you ok?" she demanded harshly. "Devon are you ok? Julian was shot, is he ok?"

"Fine, I'm fine. Julian will be fine." He ignored the sting in his leg as he tried to push Cassie out of the way of fire. "Move!" he hissed to Chris. Chris stayed low as he crab crawled toward one of the open doors and disappeared through it. "Cassie, follow Chris."

"I can't leave you."

"You have to! Now go!"

He withdrew from the top of her and kept his body up to protect her as she scrambled after Chris. The minute she entered the room, her head poked back out and her violet blue eyes latched onto him. "Get back!" he commanded as another shot rang out.

Cassie ducked away as it shattered off of the wall. Fury boiled through him as he crossed the hall and scrambled back toward the door. Julian was sitting against the wall on the other side of the door. His lips were twisted into a scowl; his fangs fully elongated as his eyes blazed red fire.

Devon knew exactly how he felt, if he got his hands on whoever was in that room he would kill them, and he wouldn't have a problem doing it. Devon pushed Dani out of his way as he made it back to the door. She curled up against the wall, her knees hugged to her chest as her eyes rolled. Another shot rang through the hallway and sizzled around the corner.

"Stop!" Dani screamed hysterically and threw her hands over her ears. "Stop!"

Silence followed her shrill cry. "Dani?"

Devon spun on her. She wasn't looking at him though; she was staring at the door with her mouth parted and tears in her eyes. "Joey?" she choked out.

Devon turned as the young man stepped out of the room. Julian sprang up and seized hold of Joey's neck. He slammed Joey against the wall with a loud bang that shook the door in its frame. Joey's eyes bulged out of his head as Julian squeezed on his throat. "I'll rip you to shreds," Julian promised.

"No!" Dani screamed at the same time another shot boomed out of the room.

"Son of a bitch!" Devon snarled, tired of being shot at.

He dashed past the door to join Julian on the other side. Another shot resounded through the hall. "Devon!" Cassie screamed.

"Stay in there!" he shouted at her.

Julian glanced at him as he choked the air from Joey with no remorse. "How are we getting that bastard out?"

Though the shots wouldn't kill them, not unless they had their heads blown off, they could incapacitate them enough for someone to kill them, and the bullets still hurt like the devil. Devon nodded toward Joey. "We can use him as bait."

"No!" Joey cried as Julian's smile widened.

"Wait! No! You can't!" Dani protested.

Cassie's head popped back out of the room, and Chris's appeared above hers. He felt no remorse about killing any of the people who had kept her here, especially if it would keep her safe in the end. He just couldn't do it in front of her though.

"Get back!" he shouted. She lingered in the doorway as she watched them. "Get her back Chris!"

Chris nodded before grasping hold of Cassie's shoulders and pulling her away. Devon waited to make sure she didn't come out again before he turned to Julian. Excitement rushed through Devon as memories of the way he'd once been, of the things he and Julian had done together, pounded through him. Bloodlust and the demon surged forth, eager to break free of the cage Devon had locked it away in for over a hundred years.

A sardonic smile curved Julian's mouth. "Welcome back."

Devon would love to destroy every human around him, and savor the slaughter, but he couldn't allow the beast out. He wasn't sure he could control it without getting Cassie involved, and he couldn't do that again. No matter how much he yearned to, he could not kill Joey with her here. "Give me his shirt," he ordered.

Julian stared at him before his gaze slid toward Cassie. Disappointment was evident in the slump of his shoulders. Julian smashed Joey against the wall and released him to rip the shirt off of him. He tossed the shirt to Devon, who snagged hold of it. "If anything happens to me…"

"I'll make sure she gets out of here," Julian promised. Devon studied him curiously, unable to understand this person beside him. Julian had been brutal and almost as bad as he himself had once been. But now Julian was completely different, and Devon knew it was because of Cassie.

"Julian," he said gruffly.

"She doesn't desire me Devon," he said. "But I'll keep her safe."

Devon glanced down the hall, not at all surprised to find Chris and Cassie peering into the hall again. "Stay there," he ordered briskly. She opened her mouth to protest. "I mean it."

Devon turned away and wadded up Joey's shirt and threw it in front of the door. Bracing himself, he bolted through the doorway a split second after the shot rang out. The older man holding the gun took a startled step back as Devon rushed him. He took another step back and raised the gun as he attempted to fire it again. He didn't have time to squeeze the trigger before Devon seized hold of the gun and ripped it out of the man's hands. The man cried out as two of his fingers snapped.

Throwing the gun aside, Devon thrust his elbow into his windpipe. He carried the man into the wall, and slammed him against it. The man made a gurgling noise as he kicked against him. "Devon!" Cassie screamed. "Devon!"

He caught a flurry of motion as she came skidding around the corner. She barely caught her balance when her feet slipped out from under her, but she quickly righted herself. Anger spurted through him as he shook his head; he should have known she wouldn't stay where she was told. "I'm ok," he assured her.

She nodded briefly before turning her attention to the man he held. She stood perfectly still for a minute, and then everything changed. Her mouth closed, her eyes blazed a ferocious shade of red as her beautiful features hardened like stone. "You!" she accused.

The hairs on the back of his neck stood on end as he turned toward the man he held. The man's blue eyes rolled as his face became a florid shade of red. Devon dug his arm in more harshly. Judging by Cassie's reaction to him, this was the man who had hurt her the most.

And Devon hated him for it.

A venomous curse shot Devon's head around. Julian's hand was still wrapped around Joey's throat, but his eyes were focused upon the man Devon held. A sneer twisted his mouth, his fangs cut into his lower lip. He brutally shoved Joey away from him and bounced the young man off of the wall. Devon was certain Julian was going to charge at them, but he remained where he was.

Chris held onto Dani's arm as he pulled her into the room. "You could have killed me!" Dani yelled at the man.

The stranger scuffled within Devon's grasp as the air began to whistle in and out of him. Though Devon would have preferred to crush his windpipe, he eased his grip on him. He was sure they would need him for some answers. The man choked and sputtered as Devon stepped away. He took hold of Cassie's hand and pulled her behind him as the stranger stumbled forward.

Cassie stepped away from his back. "Who are you?" she demanded.

The man held his bruised throat as he labored for air. He glanced around the room as he searched for an escape route that didn't exist. "You had better start talking," Devon snarled.

"You should close the door," he said in a hoarse whisper. "There are still a few of them running around out there."

Chris closed the door and slid the lock into place. "Who are you?" Cassie demanded again.

The man's eyes lit upon her and hatred bloomed in them. Devon growled low in his throat and moved to block her from the man's loathsome stare. "I haven't killed in over a century, but I won't hesitate to rip out your throat if you look at her like that again!" he spat. "Now, who are you?"

"Derek," he answered. "My name is Derek."

Cassie inhaled sharply as her hand clenched around his. He could hear the quickening beat of her heart as she pressed closer to him. Her breath came rapidly in and out, her chest rose and fell against him as the stranger pinned her with his hate filled gaze.

"Her father."