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Devon searched the cafeteria as he made his way through the thick crowd with Melissa leading the way. "No matter what, bring your own lunch on Thursdays, the spaghetti is awful," she told him in between the vast amount of "hello's" she received, and returned.
He turned his attention back to her as she stopped before him and her dark eyes searched his face. She was a nice enough girl, but the intense way she studied him was more than a little unsettling. He had the strange feeling she saw more of him than he would like her to. Her head tilted, her exotically slanted eyes narrowed as a small smile flitted over her full mouth.
"Thanks for the warning."
She grinned as she shrugged a dainty shoulder, and made her way back through the crowd. "The seniors sit in the back of the cafeteria when it's too crappy to sit outside."
Devon barely paid attention to her as his eyes returned to the mob of students. He could sense her somewhere amongst the crowd; he could smell her marvelous aroma. He hadn't seen Cassie since this morning, when she had fled the classroom in an obvious panic. It wasn't the reaction he'd hoped for from her, but at least he knew she felt something too. He just wasn't sure what.
The crowd suddenly opened to reveal her. She was sitting at a table, an apple held casually in her hand as she stared up at the boy standing at her side. The boy was tall and muscular, his brown hair curled at the collar of his shirt, he leaned forward to rest his hands on the table. She shook her head at him and placed the apple down. Devon didn't like the aggravation he sensed from her; it was more than apparent she was annoyed by the boy.
"Who is that with your friend?" Devon inquired, trying to sound as casual as possible.
Melissa glanced toward the table. "Mark Young. He's been chasing Cassie since middle school; unfortunately he doesn't take a hint."
Devon folded his arms over his chest as Cassie shook her head at Mark. He already had enough competition in the form of Cassie's boyfriend for her attention; he didn't require anymore. "And her boyfriend doesn't do anything about it?" Though he tried, he was unable to keep the aggravation from his voice.
Melissa frowned at him as her dark eyebrows drew together over her petite nose. "Cassie doesn't have a boyfriend."
Devon's gaze returned to the table as the tall blond he'd seen her with last night appeared. He nodded briefly to Mark before sliding into the seat next to Cassie. Leaning toward her, he grabbed a handful of fries from her plate. Devon would have sworn the two of them were together. Hell, the boy had crawled through her bedroom window last night, and he hadn't come back out.
A surprising jolt of anger and jealousy twisted his gut. He’d never experienced jealousy before. It was an emotion that until now, had been utterly foreign to him. For most of his existence he'd always taken whatever he wanted, whenever he wanted it. He didn't like the feeling of helplessness filling him, and anger was an emotion he couldn't allow himself to experience. Anger made him unstable, and for him, instability could be lethal for those around him.
Devon took a deep breath as he tried to steady the pendulum of emotions swinging through him. He was beginning to realize this was a giant mistake. He never should have come here; he shouldn't have placed himself in closer proximity to her. She helped to fill the void in his soul, but she also served to unhinge all of the grueling work he'd done to keep himself under firm restraint.
He couldn't allow that to happen, he couldn't risk losing control of himself and hurting someone, possibly even her. He would rather destroy himself than see her harmed in anyway, least of all by his own hand.
Though he knew he should leave, he couldn't bring himself to move. He was entranced by her as a cheeky grin spread over her full lips and she shoved playfully against the blond sitting beside her. Their ease and obvious affection for each other made it difficult to believe they weren't together.
"Then who is that boy beside her?" His voice was tense as he grated the words through clenched teeth.
Melissa glanced toward the table; a lively smile lit her exotic face. "Oh, that's just Chris." He glanced at her in confusion. "They've been friends since they were born, more like siblings actually."
A startling sense of relief flooded him as he glanced back at the table. Their blond heads were bent close together as they talked. Mark, completely forgotten, shook his head and turned away. "Come on, let's get you some lunch."
He glanced back at Melissa, not surprised to see her shrewd eyes on him. He shook his head, not at all interested in the mounds of human food. There was only thing he hungered to taste in this cafeteria. "I'm not hungry."
She nodded and led him over to the table. Chris looked up at him first, his sapphire colored eyes widened as he stopped speaking. Cassie's shoulders stiffened, her back straightened as she seemed to brace herself. Very deliberately, she turned toward him and her eyes clashed with his.
The full force of her gaze rattled him, shaking him to the very marrow of his bones as he once again felt an odd little skip in the deadened area of his heart. She had the most beautiful eyes he'd ever seen. They were a pristine azure blue with flecks of pure, deep purple speckled throughout. In all of his many years, he'd never seen eyes like hers.
"Cassie, Chris, this is Devon."
"We were in homeroom too Melissa," Chris reminded her. "Nice to meet you."
Devon had to force himself to tear his gaze away from Cassie as Chris thrust his hand out. He took hold of it, noting the thick calluses on Chris's palm as they shook firmly. Chris's eyes darkened subtly, his hand tightened around Devon's as his gaze became piercing. His face hardened and the smile slipped away. Melissa took a small step forward as she grasped Chris's shoulder.
Chris shook his head; his eyes flitted away from Devon to Melissa. Pulling his hand away from Devon's, Chris turned toward Cassie with a slight crease between his brows. Devon stared at them in bewildered confusion, unable to understand what had just happened. For a second, he could have sworn Chris had looked inside him, seen something there, and apparently didn't like what he saw.
Chris slid back in his seat, still frowning as he stared at his tray of food. Devon shook his crazy thoughts off, he didn't care what Chris thought of him. She was the only one who mattered. Cassie was still staring at him, her head tilted to the side as she watched him with wary eyes. She didn't extend a hand, didn't move as he slid into the seat across from her.
Well, he thought wryly, at least she wasn't bolting like a rabbit again. Melissa dropped her lunch on the table; she dug into her cotton bag as she hummed cheerfully to herself. She seemed happily oblivious to the tension thrumming through them all.
"Are you going to eat that?"
Cassie blinked in surprise, looking away from Devon as Chris leaned over her to point at her brownie. She shook her head, her gaze focused on the table as she pushed her tray toward him. Devon watched her for a few moments more, oddly fascinated by the way the light played over her delicate features.
She was stunningly beautiful, but it was not lust drawing him to her like a moth to a flame. He wanted even more to be near her, and make sure she was safe. These protective, tender emotions were new to him, and a little disconcerting, but he found he enjoyed them just the same.
More students rambled over to them and dropped their trays down. "Man did you see the Sox game last night?" one of the newer arrivals asked Chris.
"Yeah," Chris mumbled. "Jason, this is Devon."
Jason was well built; his letterman's jacket was stretched taut over his broad shoulders. Hazel eyes glanced inquisitively at Devon as he gave a brief nod. "Hey," he greeted absently.
"Hi."
"And this is Kara, Susan, Billy, and David," Melissa continued, pointing out the four other new people who had joined them.
The boys nodded to him, the girls stared with open admiration. He could hear the increase of the girl's heartbeats; sense their excitement as their blood pulsed more rapidly through their veins. His hunger perked, but drawing on his rigid self-control, he buried
it once more. He wasn't sure how much longer he would be able to keep doing that. Eventually the thirst would take over, and it would be necessary for him to feed. He hoped he would be able to make it through the rest of this strenuous day first.
"Where are you from?" Susan crossed her hands before her as she leaned forward.
Devon lifted an eyebrow as he fought a smile. He was from everywhere, but he was sure they wouldn't appreciate that answer. "New York," he lied easily.
"Oh really, you don't have an accent. You must hate having to move to this small, nowhere town after such a big place!"
Melissa and Cassie both sighed heavily, briefly drawing his attention back to them. Cassie's gaze was still focused on her tray, but he could sense her disquiet. "I'm from upstate New York, a town smaller than this one, so it's actually an improvement."
"Why did you move here?"
Devon shrugged, he didn't like to lie, but most of his existence was based on one giant lie. "Change of scenery."
"I hope you're not a Yankee's fan," Jason muttered.
"I don't really follow sports."
Cassie's eyes twinkled with amusement as she glanced up at him. "That's great. Maybe I could show you around tonight or something. You know, show you where all the hotspots are," Susan continued eagerly.
"What hotspots?" Billy retorted irritably.
Susan glared at him. "There are a few."
"B's and S's?"
"The Lookout and Standish beach," she retorted impatiently.
"Whoopee."
Susan glared at Billy briefly before focusing her attention back on Devon. "Anyway, if you would like, I'll take you around and show you everything."
Billy and David shook their heads in disgust; they turned their attention away from Susan as they started talking about football. "Thank you, but I think I'm all set."
Susan's pretty face fell in disappointment. "Well, if you change your mind let me know."
He gave her a brisk nod before focusing on Cassie once more. She was watching him silently, her eyes steady and calm as he met her gaze. His heart seemed to lurch again, for a moment he felt it beating forcefully in his chest, and then it was dead once more. Whatever the strange connection between him and this girl was, he didn't think he would ever understand it, much less get used to it.
He couldn't take his eyes away from her as she lowered her gaze, once again focusing on the table as she dropped her half eaten apple on the tray. The loud ringing of the bell caused everyone to lurch to their feet like Pavlov's dogs. Devon raised an eyebrow at the sign of automatic obedience, but he found himself following suit.
Her eyes met his again, her hands clenching her tray. There was a sad acceptance in her gaze he didn't understand, a look of resignation that touched something deep inside him. He longed to ease the aching loneliness he sensed in her.
Melissa was before him again, amusement radiating from her as she glanced knowingly at Cassie. "What's your next class?" He tore his attention away from Cassie, slipping the well worn schedule from his pocket as he handed it to Melissa. "Oh good, Cassie and I have American history now too."
Cassie paled visibly as her eyes shot away from them. For a moment it seemed she was going to bolt from the room again. Then, her focus came back to him and a steely resolve descended over her as she nodded briskly. Turning abruptly, she hurried to the nearest trash can and dumped her mostly untouched lunch.
Kindred (Book 1 The Kindred Series) Page 9
