He winked at her. "Hello gorgeous," he purred.
She remained immobile as he took a few more steps forward. How was this possible? Zane had the ability to astral project, but she didn't think he would be able to control dreams in this way. Was she somehow doing this? Did she somehow create this world with Devon's power, and bring Zane here by accident?
"What have you done?" she whispered.
His eyes sparked with merriment. "Oh this one wasn't me freaky eyes."
The bark bit under her nails as her fingers dug into the tree. "I see," she murmured.
"Do you see Cassandra? Do you really? I'm sure you know the meaning behind your name." Cassie watched him like a mouse watched a cat as he moved through the woods. He didn't come any closer to her though as he weaved in and out of the trees. "The story of it."
"Yes." She was well aware of the story of Troy.
He stopped moving and turned toward her. His cat that ate the canary grin made her yearn to drive a fist right into his pretty boy face. "Poor, doomed, Princess Cassandra."
The way he purred the word princess let her know that he was somehow aware of the fact that it was how Julian often referred to her. Cassie's skin started to crawl, she didn't know where he was going with all of this, but it felt like he was spinning a web in order to entangle her. "Cassandra could foretell the future, but no one would believe what she had to say. Did Melissa ever have that problem?"
"Did Matthew?" Cassie retorted.
Zane shook the snow from his head as he began to weave through the trees once more. Cassie's uneasiness grew as she watched him. He was planning something, he was tormenting her for some reason that she couldn't foresee. Then again, maybe that was his point, that she couldn't foresee what it was he had in store for her.
That thought did little to ease the cold encasing her body.
"I bet you always believe Melissa, that you never doubt her visions, even when they don't come true." He'd circled back before her again, but this time he was holding a tree branch in his hand. He tapped it against his open palm as he studied her. "Just as I have always believed what Matthew has told me about his visions, even when they do go wrong, or don't come to fruition."
She remained silent and wary as he circled her like a shark. "I bet that when you go back and tell them about this, they will find it difficult to believe, but that they will believe you," he continued.
He began to tap his hand a little faster with the tree branch as he stopped circling. Cassie eyed the foot long, two inch wide piece of wood. She dimly recalled it was rumored that if a person died in their sleep than they died in real life. She didn't know if that was Zane's intentions here, but she had no weapons, and she wasn't sure her abilities would work or if she should use them. She wasn't ready to reveal to Zane what she may be capable of.
"They will," she agreed.
His fangs flashed in the light. "Of course they will. You aren't doomed in the same way as that Cassandra, but you are doomed princess. Your whole race is."
Cassie became aware of a new set of eyes watching her from the shadows. She kept one eye on Zane as she searched the forest. "Unless, of course, you choose to join my side."
Cassie spotted a smaller shadow within the woods, its head poked out as it watched the two of them from behind a rock. "You know that is never going to happen."
"Not willingly, no. Matthew had told me some interesting things about you Cassandra. He couldn't see it all of course. No one can ever know everything, right?"
"Of course," Cassie agreed.
Just what had Matthew revealed to Zane about her? The stranger darted out from behind the rock and slithered through the trees. "Of course there are those that have more power than they should," Zane continued. "And we must find other weapons out there to help us keep them in check, to help us protect ourselves. Right princess?"
Cassie didn't answer him as the stranger approached. She wouldn't have been less surprised if an alien dropped out of the sky before her than she was to see the little boy emerge from the shadows. "Weapons we can twist and shape the way that we require them to be shaped."
Her confusion mounted as the boy stopped thirty feet away from Zane and studied her with large, remorseful eyes. There was something about the boy that drew her in, something that she recognized and sympathized with. "What is going on Zane?" she choked out.
"You're not the only one with power. You're not the only Hunter." Cassie turned back to the boy as realization trickled through her. Cassie had never wanted to wake up so bad in her life, but she didn't know how to escape, didn't know the magical words that would free her from this place. She had created this world, and she was finally beginning to understand why, but now she felt as if she was stuck in quicksand. "It's a war princess, and from what Matthew has told me, it is a war for your soul."
CHAPTER 15
Cassie panted rapidly for air that she didn't require as she shot upright in bed. Her head spun, she couldn't form a coherent thought as she continued to try and draw air into her lungs. Her hand and knee smacked off the nightstand as she threw herself out of the bed. She couldn't stop wheezing as she crawled away from the bed. "Cassie!"
Light blazed into the room, she heard the creek of the bed as Devon launched to his feet. He raced around the bed, dropped to the floor before her and seized hold of her hands. "You're freezing!" His eyes were glittering garnet pools as they narrowed upon her. "What happened?"
Cassie tried to convince herself that it would be ok if she could just settle down. She labored to keep from purging herself of the snakes slithering through her belly. She wasn't even sure she could vomit anymore.
"Cassie, what happened!?"
She shook her head as she tried to gather her wits. She was shaking like a leaf and it wasn't just from the dream but also the cold that continued to permeate her bones. "Zane," she finally managed to get out.
Devon leapt to his feet and spun to face the room. His lips curled back to reveal his fangs as he backed closer to her. Cassie shook her head, but he couldn't see her. "Where?" he demanded.
Cassie wrapped her hand around his bare leg. "Not here Devon," she whispered. "It was a dream. A nightmare." She shuddered violently, her hand tightened on his leg as she sought some sort of stability in the tumultuous sea that rocked her world. Though his shoulders slumped, he still didn't take his attention away from the room. "Devon please."
His eyes were still a vibrant red, but the fury had eased from his features as he once more focused upon her. She grasped hold of his hand and pulled it against her chest. "It was awful. I don't know how he did it. I think I did it. I think I brought him into my nightmare with your power, but it was almost like a premonition. The children Devon, he's going for the children. He plans to turn them into vampires and have them join his side." She leaned closer to him as she took comfort in the security his presence gave her. "I can't even..."
A loud banging on the door snapped their heads around. "Open up!" Julian commanded. "What's going on!?"
"Is everything ok!?" Luther shouted.
Devon released her hand and rose to her feet. "Hold on!" he yelled as Julian's incessant pounding on the door began to rattle it within its frame.
He pushed the chair out of the way and opened the front door to Julian's loud knocking. "What is going on!?" Julian demanded. "We could hear the commotion from three rooms away!"
Annabelle, Liam, and Joey followed Julian into the room. "We don't know," Devon told him.
"What do you mean you don't know!?" Julian froze as his eyes landed upon Cassie. His face went slack, but his icy gaze leisurely slid over her body. Cassie took a small step back. He hadn't looked at her like that since he'd accepted the fact that she was Devon's. The hungry look in his eyes made her feel as if she were the prey he was going to devour as a muscle jumped in his cheek. Heat flared through her face as she became acutely aware of the fact that all she wore was a baggy t-shirt that didn't quite reach her knees.
Devon stepped swiftl
y between them, his hands were fisted and his shoulders thrown back as he nudged her toward the bathroom door. The corded muscles in his back and arms stood sharply out against his glistening skin. "Get dressed," he grated through clenched teeth.
She swallowed heavily and quickly nodded before she dashed into the room. Devon grabbed her jeans off the floor and thrust them at her before closing the door. She was only gone for a minute, but everyone else had arrived when she reemerged. Julian kept his attention focused on the floor as Cassie sat on the bed.
"What happened?" Melissa inquired.
"Nightmare. An awful, awful nightmare." Devon's eyes were emerald once more, but his mouth was pursed so firmly that the color had drained from his lips. His attention was still riveted upon Julian; it wouldn't take much for him to go after Julian right now. Cassie swallowed heavily as she turned her attention back to Melissa but kept herself braced to interfere if it became necessary. "Have you ever had prophetic dreams?"
Melissa walked over and sat on the other side of the bed. "Yes, I've had dreams that have come true before. Do you think that's what you had tonight?"
"It was more." Slowly, hesitatingly she told them of her strange dream and how realistic it had been; how cold she had been upon waking.
"I've never had anything like that happen before," Melissa told her.
"I have, once." Devon gave a brief bow of his head in response to her unasked question. She gave only brief details of the dream she had shared with Devon before they were ever even together. She didn't miss the look Julian shot Devon when she told about how Devon's power had ensnared them both in a dream that had also been extremely realistic too.
"So both of your abilities were working as one," Luther tapped his mouth as he paced restlessly. "But why did you seek out Zane?"
"Because I had to know what Zane planned," she whispered.
"And what's that?" Melissa inquired.
"To find the children, to turn them into vampires."
She could have heard a pin drop in the ensuing hush that followed her statement. "What!?" Luther nearly shouted.
"Zane intends to recruit them. He thinks they may be like me and that he'll be able to keep control of them if he is the one that turns them."
There was a series of collective inhalations around the room as the implication of her words sank in. Julian cursed loudly and spun on his heel as he stormed over to the door. "He would be able to control them if he decides to keep hold of their mind through the change, and after," Devon said.
"That's possible?" Chris inquired.
"Yes. We can keep another vampire if we so choose to during the change. We can make them mindless creations that live to do nothing but serve our will."
Chris made a small sound as his gaze slid to Julian. Cassie couldn't look at Julian as he stopped before the window and stared out at the lightening night. He could have done that to her, he could have kept her for himself but he had set her free all the while knowing that he would be letting her go for good. Cassie longed to hug him and ease the loneliness she sensed within him, but it wasn't what he wanted from her and it would only make things worse.
Luther took a deep breath, pulled his glasses off and began to clean them on his shirt. "That sounds like a hideous fate," Melissa muttered as she seized hold of Cassie's hand.
"We have to stop him, we have to get to those children before he does," Dani said.
"Way to state the obvious," Julian muttered.
"There is no way to know what the transition would do to them." Tears swam in Annabelle's sea green eyes as she moved further into the room. "Cassie has come through it well but that doesn't mean every Hunter would, especially a child. I don't even know if a child has been turned before."
Devon shook his head, Julian's muscles rippled as he seized hold of the top of the windowsill. "No one would be foolish enough to do something like that," Devon said.
"Patrick said the children they experimented on were crazed and uncontrollable. They all had to be destroyed and they weren't even full vampires. I imagine a full one would be absolutely terrifying," Cassie muttered.
"They probably wouldn't have any control over their powers but if Zane kept control of their minds..." Julian's voice trailed off, his muscles flexed and bunched as he released the windowsill and finally turned to face her. "Even then I'm not sure they could be completely controllable. He could literally be releasing Hell on earth if he succeeds in doing this. Especially, if the little rug rats end up with Cassie's seemingly omnipotent ability."
She felt as if she'd just eaten the foulest tasting food as her stomach twisted. "I don't think that would happen," Luther said.
"Why not?" Liam demanded.
"Cassie had no powers to start with so she was already an oddity amongst the Hunter line. You factor in the DNA changes she underwent while they were experimenting on her, and the fact two Elders and a Hunter brought her back, and you end up with a vampire that has never been seen before. The children will be stronger than most new vampires, and I believe their powers will be incredibly heightened, but they won't be Cassie. At least I hope not," he muttered as an aside.
A shiver slid down her spine but she forced herself back to her feet. They didn't have much time before the sun was up and she planned to leave as soon as possible. "We have to stop him," Melissa said. "Turning the Hunter's to his side, that's even worse than The Slaughter, so much worse."
Chris folded his arms over his chest and leaned against the wall. "He's wiping out the line by making them his. I bet he wishes he'd thought about that instead of slaughtering our families all those years ago."
"Chris!" Melissa hissed.
"It's true," he replied defensively.
Cassie didn't want to think about the implications of Chris's words. She'd thought her life was ruined by The Slaughter, and that nothing worse could have happened. She realized now that she was wrong. Things could have been far worse; the world could have been a completely different and far more awful place.
If Zane had his way, it would be.
Cassie walked over to Devon and clasped his hand within hers. His emerald eyes were tender even though his face was as hard as granite. A muscle twitched in his cheek as his gaze turned toward the others. "We should leave now," she said forcefully.
"It will be ok princess, we'll get to them first," Julian assured her.
"Please don't call me princess anymore. Zane somehow knew about that, he called me princess."
Julian frowned as he tilted his head to study her. "How would he know about that?"
Cassie shrugged. "Matthew must have had a vision or maybe he overheard you say it. I don't know how he knew, but he did."
Julian scowled as his lip curled in a sneer. "We should get going," Annabelle murmured.
***
Devon watched the farmhouses and barns flash by in a blur of color, fields, fences, snow, and trees. Cassie was cuddled within his lap, encased in blankets against the tinted rays filtering through the windows. Though she said it didn't bother her, he wasn't willing to take any chances with her safety. There were already far too many things out there that aspired to tear them apart, never mind the burning rays of the sun.
She was sleeping soundly against him with her hand curled against his chest. Her sweeping lashes brushed against her pale cheeks. It was still weird not to feel her breathing against him, the solid thump of her heartbeat, or hear the rush of blood in her veins. She was as calm as a tranquil lake inside now, but he knew well how appearances could be deceiving.
He ran his fingers over her golden hair and brushed it back from her silken cheek. She was beautiful, perfect and so loving still. She was everything he'd ever desired, and more, and he was terrified he was going to lose her. She stirred as she burrowed closer to him. He couldn't stop the small smile that spread across his face as he watched her.
Devon untangled his finger from her hair and lifted his head. Julian was leaning against the window in the back, one leg propped up on the sea
t and his head against the window. His eyes were hooded in the dim light of the vehicle. Though, he was as still as stone, Devon could sense the turbulent tension in him. The look on Julian's face earlier would forever be etched into his memory. It had been more than just lust in his gaze, but also a deep yearning for her. Devon felt for him, had come to consider Julian his friend again, but he would kill him if Julian tried to take Cassie from him.
On the other side of the seat, Luther was snoring softly as he slept with his head against the window. Melissa was sleeping in the passenger seat while Chris steadily drove toward the border of Canada. "We should have separated Dani and Joey," Devon said.
"We can trust Dani," Chris informed him. "And Joey will grow to trust us more if we don't keep him separated from the only person he cares about."
"Can we now?" Julian drawled.
"Yes," Chris said forcefully. "There is no betrayal in her."
"No offense but you thought Dani was trustworthy before and yet Cassie still ended up in that laboratory with me," Julian told him.
Chris shot him a dirty look in the rearview, his knuckles turned white as he gripped the wheel. "I made sure to touch her before we left, just as you did. Did you see any animosity inside of her or him anymore?" Chris demanded.
A muscle twitched in Julian's cheek. "No," he reluctantly admitted. Julian may be trying not to kill humans anymore, but his thirst for Dani and Joey's blood had never been hidden.
Cassie stirred in his lap and he looked down to find her amethyst blue eyes watching him. He stroked her cheek as she relaxed against him, her lips parted as she leaned into his touch. He could sense her desire as she sought to get as close as possible to him. Devon tried to keep control of his rising hunger as he adjusted her on his lap. Her smile was wicked and knowing as she kissed his hand.
"The border is only five minutes away," Chris informed them.
Devon reluctantly pulled his attention away from Cassie. The highway sign flashed past moments before Chris pulled to the side of the road. Devon adjusted Cassie again and kissed her forehead before reluctantly releasing her. The wind blew his jacket back from him as he stepped out of the car. He glanced back at Liam's vehicle and waved to him before switching places with Chris. They were going to require his ability to get across the Canadian border.
Phoenix Rising Page 12
