CHAPTER 2
"Bout time for what?" Chris sucked at his chocolate shake as he lifted a dark blond eyebrow quizzically at Melissa.
"Oh, uh, it's about time to go," Melissa answered absently. She neatly wiped her hands before tossing her napkin aside.
Cassie spun in her seat. She had to get as far away from here, and him, as possible. "Yes, it is," she eagerly agreed.
Leaping to her feet, she ignored the surprised looks Melissa and Chris shot her. She hastily grabbed her tray and tossed the plates haphazardly onto it. "Hey!" Chris cried as she grabbed his few remaining fries and threw them onto the heap.
"It's late, we have to go." Her voice trembled and to her utter surprise, and horror, so did her hands.
What was the matter with her? She didn't know this man; she didn't know that he meant anything to her. She simply knew he affected her on a physical level, so why was she acting like a loon? Why was she so certain he was going to drastically change her life?
She had no way of knowing for sure, but something inside of her, something instinctual and primal was screaming at her he would, and that was something she wasn't about to allow to happen.
Her life had already been turned upside down once; she couldn't go through it again, she didn't think she was strong enough to survive it a second time. Just four short years ago she had been a perfectly happy thirteen year old girl. Now she was a Hunter, spending far too much time in cemeteries, and killing vampires. Vampires for crying out loud! They were something she had once thought of as a myth, something made up for movies and books in order to entertain people, or scare them.
No, she absolutely did not want her life to change again. She had just gotten it straightened out, just gotten it to the point where she could accept her heritage, even if she didn't like it. She had craved a change, something different, but not this, not this big, and not him.
"Cassie…"
"I'm tired," she interrupted Melissa sharply. "I want to go home."
Melissa's questioning onyx eyes gleamed, but she bit into her lower lip as she refrained from saying anything more. Cassie's heart beat a staccato as she hurried to the trashcan. "My fries," Chris mourned morosely.
"I'll buy you two orders next time!" she shouted, immediately feeling guilty for her cross retort. Chris's eyes widened but he didn't say anything more. Apparently he'd decided sacrificing his fries was far better than arguing with her further.
Though Cassie tried to ignore it, she could feel the stranger's eyes burning into her with every step she took. Her hands were shaking; her heart pounded loudly in her ears, and her throat was so dry she could barely swallow.
She couldn't deal with this, not right now. The strange sensations pounding through her were causing her composure to unravel. Something was going to happen, and he was going to be the cause of it. She didn't know if that something was going to be good or bad though, she couldn't sort through her thoughts, not with all these different emotions rioting through her.
"What put you in a pissy mood all of a sudden?" Chris mumbled.
Cassie shot him a dark look as she started to push him in the opposite direction of the man. She didn't trust herself to look back and see if he was still standing there or not. She was fearful she would freeze like a deer in the headlights if she looked at him again. "I just want to go home."
"Well, you're going in the wrong direction!" Chris protested as he tried to twist away from her shoving hands.
Cassie looked helplessly at Melissa, hoping for some assistance, but Melissa wasn't looking at her. Her attention was riveted upon the spot where Cassie had last seen the man. Melissa glanced back at Cassie, her eyes narrowed as she took in Cassie's frantic expression.
Chris was shaking his head in disgust when he pulled away from her. "Women," he muttered. "I'll never understand them."
Cassie helplessly stared after him as he stalked a few feet away, heading in the direction of the man still half hidden in the shadows of the building. Chris turned back to them and tapped his foot impatiently as he folded his arms over his broad chest. "Are you coming or not?" he demanded irritably, obviously still aggravated with her for being so snippy and throwing away his fries.
Cassie glanced pleadingly at Melissa but her attention was still focused on the strange man. Cassie wanted to hide behind her, but she found herself unable to move. She could still feel his heavy gaze, pinning her to the spot where she stood, burning into her soul. Melissa turned back to her; a half smile curved her full mouth.
"Come on Cassie, it's getting late," she said, her voice irritatingly cheerful.
Cassie stared helplessly at her. She desperately wished she could go back in time and insist they'd never come to B's and S's tonight. She wished for many, many things, but none of them were going to come true within the next minute. Even if they did come true, she had the unsettling feeling he still would have found her.
That realization did nothing to ease the knot of anxiety crushing her chest.
No matter how much she didn't care to, she had to face this. Whatever this was. She had never run from anything before, and she wasn't about to start now. No, she was not a coward, but she was shaking like a leaf.
Taking a deep breath, she straightened her shoulders, and faked a bravery she didn't feel as she fell into step beside Melissa. Melissa's gaze was steady upon her, but she didn't ask any questions. Chris moved beside them, a dark look in his eyes as he continued to shoot Cassie disgruntled looks. For someone so good at reading people, he was being frustratingly insensitive to her emotions right now. Clenching her hands into fists, her nails dug into her palms as they moved toward the corner of the building.
Though she tried to fight it, her gaze was drawn to him like a magnet to metal. He reminded her of a black panther, hiding in the shadows, stalking her as his prey. Like a black hole, she couldn't help but be pulled into his stare, trapped by his gaze. Slowly, just as before, she could feel the hollowness inside her begin to fill and become whole again.
Suddenly she couldn't remember why she'd fought so hard against this unbelievable need to be near him. For some strange reason she was certain he wouldn't deny her, that he would eagerly accept her into his arms.
There was just enough light coming from the restaurant to silhouette his striking features. He was magnificent, his face all hard lines and sharp angles. His strong jaw and firm mouth were clenched together, a muscle twitched in his cheek as his emerald eyes blazed into hers. His wavy black hair was wind tossed and disheveled as it fell around his chiseled face. The boyishness of his tussled hair added an almost vulnerable air to him. His muscles flexed beneath his jacket and the body hugging t-shirt he wore.
"Hey," Chris greeted the outsider with a nod, his head slightly tilting to the side as he studied the man curiously, apparently trying to get a read on him.
The man nodded back at Chris, but his gaze never left hers. Cassie had to force herself not to reach out and touch him or run her fingers through his thick hair. Her body was alive with electricity; the urge to touch this man was almost overwhelming.
For a moment she thought he was going to touch her as he shifted again and moved his body within centimeters of hers. Though the two of them didn't make physical contact, she could still feel the warmth of his skin against hers. Instinctively, she knew that to touch him would be the most exquisite thing she would ever experience.
She’d never imagined she would ever feel like this about someone. She’d never thought it possible to be this lost, and found, all at once. He had found her, and he wasn't going to let her go. The certainties of her thoughts were frightening.
"Cassie! Cassie!"
The call of her name was like a bucket of ice water thrown onto her as the strange spell shattered around her. Snapping her head around, her gaze focused on Marcy. For the first time, Cassie was actually thankful for Marcy's obsessive, overeager ways. She needed a reprieve from the stranger in order to gather her wits again, and calm the turbulent beat of her heart.
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sp; Marcy thrust a piece of paper at her as she came to an abrupt halt in front of Cassie. Her leaf green eyes were enthusiastic as she grinned, her pretty face aglow in the light coming from the restaurant. "My cell number, call me later so we can go over some ideas."
Cassie stared at the paper, unable to fully form a coherent response. She managed a brief nod as she shoved it into her pocket. "Hey Marcy," Chris greeted.
Marcy turned five shades of red, a bashful smile spread across her lips as she ducked her head. Chris's grin grew as he folded his arms over his chest and rocked back on his heels. Melissa rolled her eyes as she lightly shoved him sideways. "You can flirt some other time," she muttered so that Marcy couldn't hear.
"Tomorrow," Marcy said before hurrying away.
Cassie glanced briefly back at the man, not surprised to find his gaze still focused on her. She thought she should be unnerved, or a little frightened by his intense scrutiny, but she wasn't. She found herself unable to move for a moment, but Chris tugged her forward, his displeasure with her still apparent. The man quirked a dark eyebrow at her, but other than that he remained completely still.
She allowed herself to be pulled away, not because she wished to leave, or flee from this outsider anymore. No, she allowed herself to be pulled forward simply because she didn't know what else to do. She couldn't stand there gaping at the man like a complete idiot all night.
She shot a quick glance back at him, not surprised to find he had turned to watch them leave. The hungry gleam in his emerald eyes sent a shiver down her spine. He looked like he would like to devour her, and she would willingly be his next meal.
That just confused and flustered her more. She shouldn't yearn for this, but she did.
Kindred (Book 1 The Kindred Series) Page 4
