Devon grabbed Cassie before she hit the floor. The constriction in her chest made it almost impossible for her to breathe. He grabbed hold of her face and held it within his grasp. "Breathe," he told her. "Just breathe."

Air seared into her lungs and burned all the way down to the hollow pit of her stomach. Her breath shuddered out of her, but Devon kept her somewhat grounded. She gulped down another harsh breath and let it out in a hitching sob that threatened to shatter her.

Her father! This man, this cruel bastard who had so easily tortured her, was her father! It couldn't be; her father was dead. Her father had been a good man! At least she had convinced herself he was a decent man when she’d daydreamed about what he'd been like over the years. Her grandmother had always told her he was a good man, that he had loved her mother, and Cassie, dearly.

But apparently she had been wrong. Her father had brought her here. Her father had been the one in charge as they had tortured and drugged her. Her father hated her!

Her fingers curled around Devon's wrists as she tried to gain strength from him. Devon loved her, her friends loved her, and that was all that mattered she tried to remind herself. She had never known her father, and although this man claimed to be him, he was not. This man was a stranger, a monster. This man may have helped to create her, but he hadn't made her the person she was. He was nothing to her. Yet she still felt as if someone had slammed her in the chest with a baseball bat.

Devon pulled her close to kiss her. "Are you ok?"

Cassie managed a nod as she tried to steady the shaking in her body. He held her against him as he turned back to her father. There was absolute hatred etched into the man's features, his blue eyes were unremorseful. Cassie couldn't bring herself to look at him anymore. Turning away, she focused her attention on Chris who was watching her with confusion and sympathy evident in his sapphire gaze.

Releasing Dani, Chris came over and pulled her from Devon's arms. Devon reluctantly released her to Chris before focusing on her father again. Julian remained unmoving, his hands fisted, and his entire body ramrod straight as fire burned in his eyes. Dani's eyes flitted between Cassie and the stranger who was her father. Even Joey looked astounded by the revelation.

"I didn't know," Dani blurted. "I swear I didn't know Cassie."

Julian scowled maliciously at her father as he stormed past him and shoved into a door at the back of the room. The door crashed open and swung wildly back and forth on its hinges. "Here!" he shouted back to them.

Cassie hugged Chris against her. Devon grabbed her father by the arm and roughly hauled him into the other room. The man stumbled as he tried to keep up with Devon's furious strides. Joey remained unmoving on the floor as he stared up at them.

"I really didn't know," Dani whispered again.

Cassie reluctantly pulled away from Chris and moved woodenly to the door they had disappeared through. She pushed it open and did a double take as she took in the wooden boxes piled from floor to ceiling against two walls. Devon and Julian weren't in the room but there was another door across from her.

Cold air hit her as soon as she pushed it open. She pulled her hands into the sleeves of her baggy coat as she shivered. Devon and Julian glanced up from where they stood by a set of cooler doors. Inside the coolers were bags of blood lined up in rows from floor to ceiling. Both Devon and Julian's eyes were like molten lava as they gleamed in the dim illumination of the room.

Though she could feel her father's gaze upon her, she didn't turn to him. "I'll get one of the boxes," Devon said as he hurried toward her.

"Is it drugged?" Devon's forehead furrowed as he stared at her questioningly. "The blood. The food they fed us in here was drugged before. Is it drugged now?"

Devon's jaw clenched as his nostrils flared. Julian cursed loudly; the door of the cooler slammed against the other one as he flung it open. He snatched a bag out roughly. Glowering at her father, he ripped the top easily off of it. He inhaled deeply before nodding briskly to Devon. "It's good," he muttered. "They must have drugged it right before they brought it to us."

They all turned toward Cassie's father, but he remained immobile, his face as cold as stone. "Drugs are probably stronger that way," Cassie muttered.

Julian shrugged and downed the contents of the bag before tossing it aside. Devon slipped his arm through hers and led her into the other room. Squeezing her arm, he released her to grab hold of one of the stacked boxes. Cassie watched in amazement as he ripped off the top, which had been nailed on, as if it were nothing. He dropped it to the floor, turned the box over and dumped its contents on the ground. Cassie took a small step back as stakes clattered across the floor and skittered about her feet.

Chris, drawn by the noise, poked his head into the room. His nose wrinkled as he studied the stakes. "Hope they have better weapons than those," he muttered before ducking out again.

Cassie agreed as she stared at the wooden weapons. She was hoping to find something that wouldn't require them to get so close to the Halflings roaming the town. Devon opened the door to the room with all the blood and threw in the box and lid. His body hummed with tension as he turned back to her. "Let's see what we have in here, hopefully it is better than stakes."

Cassie glanced at the hundred or so boxes piled within the room. They were of all shapes and sizes, but she was a little nervous they might all contain the same thing. Grasping hold of one of the boxes, she tugged at the top but was unable to pull it off. Devon reached around her, the muscles in his forearms bulged as he ripped the lid off with apparent ease.

Her mouth parted, her heart hammered with excitement as she glanced up at him. Even in this god awful situation, he still managed to entice her. His gaze returned to hers, his eyes once again became the vivid emerald color she cherished. His finger stroked over her jawbone as he bent to kiss her. Cassie lost herself to the touch and feel of him as he held her within his warm embrace.

A disgusted sound tore her away from the bliss his kiss brought to her. Cassie turned to find her father standing in the doorway with his hands fisted at his sides. Loathing and revulsion blazed from him and pounded against her. Devon turned her away from the man's glare.

Julian appeared in the doorway with a box propped under his arm. He remorselessly shoved her father forward as he glared at the smaller man. "Move," he ordered gruffly. He propped the door open with the box so they could keep an eye on the three of them, and Chris. "Let's get what we can out of these boxes and get out of here."

Cassie reluctantly pulled out of Devon's arms as she turned her attention back to the boxes.

* * *

Cassie hefted the box of weapons onto her hip. Aside from stakes, the room had held more crossbows, a long bow, more guns, and a nifty little thing that appeared to be a flame thrower when assembled. She braced herself as Julian pulled the door open. He peered into the hallway and searched it quickly before nodding briskly. He stepped into the hall and was followed closely by Dani, Joey, and her father. Devon's hand encircled hers as he stepped into the hall next.

Covering her mouth and nose with her shirt, Cassie followed them out the door. She closed her eyes before they returned to the hallway with all of the carnage. Devon led her through the mutilated bodies. They turned another corner, but Cassie kept her eyes shut against seeing her cell and the room where they had electrocuted her again.

She shuddered at the reminder it was her own father who had ordered such a thing done. "Almost there," Devon assured her.

The hair on Cassie's neck stood up and her whole body erupted in a tingling chill. She stopped so suddenly, she jerked Devon back and caused Chris to slam into her. Her eyes flew open as she rapidly searched the deserted hallway. "Cassie?" Devon inquired.

She held her hand up to quiet him as she strained to hear whatever it was that was watching them, and there was something watching them. She could feel it out there, creeping steadily closer, hunting them from the shadows of the compound.

She glanced at Chris. "There is something here," Cassie said.

"There is," Chris agreed.

Devon stepped closer to her. "Where is it?"

Chris shook his head. "I don't know."

Devon used his body to move her toward the others. "Move carefully."

Cassie was braced for the imminent attack as they continued down the hall. Her body hummed with adrenaline, her fingers trembled on the box she was prepared to drop at a moment's notice. Her edginess grew as they turned another corner; she knew the closer they got to freedom, the more likely the attack would be.

A loud clatter overhead caused her to jump. The box slipped from her grasp as Devon pinned her against the wall with his body. Everyone braced themselves for the battle, but the hall remained eerily still. "We have to get out of here," Julian said.

"They're stalking us," Devon muttered.

"They?" Cassie asked in a choked whisper.

His black hair fell across his forehead; his emerald eyes were relentless as he scanned the ceiling and hallway. "Yes."

A shiver ran down Cassie's back. "Devon we have to move," Cassie whispered.

He bent to retrieve her box and moved away from her cautiously. Cassie took her box back from him as he bent to retrieve his own. "Let's go," Julian ordered gruffly.

Cassie pulled her crossbow from her back and grasped it with one hand as she juggled the box under her arm. "You should give us some weapons," Joey said in a choked whisper.

"Forget it," Julian grumbled.

"You're going to need our help against them. We have a right to protect ourselves in here."

"You have no rights as far as I'm concerned!" Julian barked.

Joey stared at him in startled disbelief; Dani steadily moved forward, her head bowed in resignation. "Monsters," her father muttered.

"I think you're the monster," Cassie retorted. "You're the one who created this mess. You're the reason we're being stalked right now. You're why we're all here."

She was shaking by the time she was done talking and tears burned her eyes. Her father stared coldly back at her, hatred evident in his twisted features. She had so often dreamed about what her father had been like, and that he had miraculously survived The Slaughter, but this man was nothing like what she had pictured. This man was an atrocity who had been twisted by hate and violence, a cruel stranger she wished had never come back into her life.

"You might want to stop looking at her like that," Devon cautioned. "You're not getting a weapon, and if it wasn't for your DNA, you wouldn't have made it out of that room."

Her father turned abruptly away from them. "Devon," Cassie said.

He shook his head to silence her protest. She knew he was telling the truth; it was simply that Derek was her father that had allowed him to make it this far. Devon wouldn't hesitate to kill him though, especially if he felt it would help keep her safe. Cassie thought she should be more upset by the notion, but right now she couldn't bring herself to care. Even if he was her father, she didn't know the man, and a very big part of her hated him right now.

Devon nudged her in front of him again to shield her from anything that might attack from the back. Cassie wanted to protest, she didn't want him in peril, but arguing would be futile. He wouldn't back down when her safety was involved. "I meant what I said. Stay close to me Cassie, they'll attack soon."

Though she couldn't hear the creatures, she knew they were shuffling through the shadows as they relentlessly stalked their progress. "Almost there." The hope was evident in Dani's voice.

Cassie was desperate to inhale air that didn't reek of the dead, to see something outside of this horrid place, and be free of the monsters hunting them. She held her breath as Julian pulled one of the double doors cautiously open. He poked his head out and inspected the stairwell before beckoning them forward. He disappeared through the door and held it open for everyone else to follow. Cassie was almost through when she saw it coming. It leapt easily down the hall in graceful strides that rapidly ate up the distance between them. Cassie threw her box through the door and grabbing hold of Chris she spun him off of Devon as she shoved him out of the hallway. Devon and Chris tripped over each other as they fell through the doorway.

She barely had time to register it was the most ungraceful fall she'd ever seen Devon take. She only had a split second to swing up her crossbow, and no time to aim before pulling the trigger. The arrow slammed into the things shoulder, jerking him back, but barely slowing its rapid pace, and most certainly not stopping it. She didn't have time to grab another arrow and reload the weapon before the thing was upon her. Grasping the crossbow in two hands, she slammed it into the creature’s chin and knocked its head back as it seized hold of her.

Devon bellowed her name and shoved past Chris as he scrambled to get to her. Cassie lifted the crossbow again and smashed it against the monsters face. Its/his cheekbone caved beneath the blow to leave a brutal wound that would have left a human helpless and would have staggered a vampire, but did nothing to ward off this monster.

Its hands dug into her skin, leaving bruises across her arms as it tried to get closer. Its teeth snapped eagerly as it attempted to mutilate and destroy her. She could smell its fetid breath and the lingering stench of death engulfed her. Panic swamped Cassie, this thing was crazed, irrational, and driven only by its goal of seeing her dead. She jerked the crossbow down and shoved it into its chest in an attempt to further block its attack.

Teeth snapped inches from her cheek; she turned her head to avoid it as she tried to hold it away from her face. A loud roar enveloped her. Devon grabbed hold of the thing by the back of the neck and flung it off of her with one mighty heave. Cassie staggered forward and nearly fell as the weight quickly disappeared.

The monster screamed as Devon grasped hold of her and shoved her toward the double doors. "Go!"

Chris grabbed for her, but she shook him off. She was unwilling to leave Devon alone with the creature. She turned as another creature came barreling out of the darkness. It leapt over its downed friend and crashed into Devon. Cassie gasped as the woman slashed her tapered fingernails down his side. Blood flowed forth as his shirt and flesh was ravaged.

Cassie raced toward him as he grabbed hold of the woman's throat. He pulled her off of him and held her at arm's length. The woman spit as she swung at Devon. Cassie's heart leapt into her throat; her fingers trembled as she fought to pull another arrow free.

She loaded it into the crossbow and took aim at the man who had regained his feet and was coming back at them. Pulling the trigger, Cassie took satisfaction as the bolt slammed into his chest and knocked him ass over tea kettle down the hall. It writhed upon the ground, clawing at its chest as its breath heaved in and out in a rattling whistle.

She raced toward Devon as Julian burst back into the hall and overtook her in his rush to get to Devon's side. Devon seized hold of the woman's head and twisted it violently around with a sickening crack that made Cassie's stomach lurch. He shoved the disfigured creature away from him and slammed his fist into the back of its twisted head. The woman, no, the thing staggered forward a few steps before falling to her knees. Cassie felt as if she was watching a grotesque movie as the woman's head lulled around on her broken neck, but she didn't die.

Cassie took a staggering step backward and stumbled into the door. "Get out of here!" Devon bellowed at her.

Disgust twisted Julian's features as he watched the creature blindly crawl around. Chris grabbed hold of her arm to pull her free of the hallway. Chris's eyes bulged from his head as he gawked at the creature. Julian and Devon remained unmoving for a moment, before bursting into action again.

Julian spun toward Cassie and shoved her through the double doors so roughly she fell over Chris and both of them staggered into the stairs. Cassie's palms and knees screamed in protest as she landed roughly on the concrete steps. Dani was still in the hallway, but Cassie's father and Joey had taken the distraction as an opportunity to flee.

Cassie spotted them two flights above. Cursing loudly, Cassie untangled herself from Chris as Devon and Julian burst into the stairwell. "Give me the keys!" Julian demanded of Dani.

Her hands shook as she tossed him the keys that fell a few feet short. They clattered to the floor as the woman slammed into the door, and then something else slammed into it. Dani screamed as Devon threw himself against the door to hold it closed as the creatures screamed and howled on the other side. "We have to stop them!" Cassie cried as she bounced back to her feet.

Cassie leapt onto the stairs as Devon and Julian strained to keep the doors closed against the monsters inside. Dani grabbed the keys and rushed over to help them get the doors locked again. Forgoing the weapons and supplies they had gathered, Cassie raced up the stairs. She took them two at a time as she sprinted to catch up with her father and Joey.

She couldn't let the two of them get free to reign down more terror on some other unsuspecting town and its inhabitants. They couldn't get away without some type of punishment, and they had to explain what they had done to these creatures, and how many there really were.

"Cassie!" Devon bellowed after her.

She ignored him as she pushed herself faster up the stairs. She had to stop them before they got to the top; they could easily disappear into the darkened hallways, and then out into the night if she didn't. Joey's head appeared over the side of the banister; his eyes widened when he spotted her just a flight beneath them now.

"Hurry!" Joey cried.

She poured on the speed as she gathered her vast reserves of power. Her father was at the mangled door when she hit the top of the stairs. "No!" she cried and fury propelled her across the landing as if she had wings. She pulled him backward and pushed him into Joey and the wall. She fell against the one good door as she tried to catch her breath. Her father's furious eyes blazed into hers. He grabbed hold of her and tried to pull her away, but she shoved him off refusing to let him near the door again. "You will not get away that easy."

"You have no right!"

"I have every right!" She smacked his hand away when he grabbed for her again. "You have no right to be free! Look at what you have done here, the atrocity you’ve created. This world is far better without you roaming it!"

"You have no right to judge me you traitorous bitch!" he spat. "You've turned against your own kind. You're an abomination, a monstrosity, a nothing!"

Before she could say anything more, he slapped her with the full force of his might. Cassie's hand flew to her cheek as her head was knocked to the side. Tears flooded her eyes, but she rapidly blinked them back as she gazed hatefully at the stranger across from her.

Cassie straightened away from the door. "Think what you will about me, I don't care because you are nothing to me also. But you will not leave here, and you will not be set free in this world again. This nothing will make damn sure of that!"

Devon leapt out of the stairwell and skidded to a halt at the top of the stairs. His eyes were the color of fire as he raked Joey and her father with a scathing glare. "Are you ok?" he demanded.

Cassie nodded; she knew the red mark on her cheek could easily be explained by the attack below. She had no doubt Devon would kill her father if he learned the man had just slapped her. "Are they locked in?" she asked.

"Yes, but I don't know for how long. We have to get out of here." His eyes latched onto her reddened cheek. "What happened?" he demanded.

Julian, Dani, and Chris arrived on the landing with their arms laden full of boxes. "That thing down there," she muttered, unable to look at him as she uttered the lie. "Let's help them."

Devon tried to stop her, but she dodged his grasp as she hurried forward to take two boxes from Dani. She could feel Devon's gaze burrowing into her back, but she didn't look at him again. "Cowards," Dani hissed at Joey and Derek.

"Most definitely," Cassie agreed.