“Very funny, vampire,” Ben responded sarcastically. “It doesn’t matter to me why you’re out here. It only matters that you don’t remain out here.”
Malik relaxed slightly but kept his fangs at the ready. “Who beat her?” He could barely speak the words aloud.
“Beat her? What are you talking about, demon? If this is a trick, I swear I—”
“It’s no trick. She has markings on her back. At least a dozen scars.”
The familiar’s face paled slightly. “I know not of her scars, but rest assured I will get to the bottom of it. Now tell me, why are you here again?”
Malik ignored Ben’s question and demanded an answer of his own. “Why didn’t you tell her of our earlier meet-and-greet on her lawn?”
“I had my reasons.”
“What reasons might that be? Perhaps you were avoiding having to explain your own purpose for being here? Does she know what you are?”
“She knows,” Ben snarled, taking a step closer. “Let me make something clear to you, bloodsucker. Cassie has been through enough in the past few months to last her a lifetime. I will not stand back and allow her to be hurt by the likes of you. Now be gone from here before I rip out your black heart and feed it to her cat.”
“I am not going anywhere, familiar. Not until I get what I came here for.”
“And what might that be?”
“Her,” Malik hissed, jerking his head toward Cassie’s bedroom window.
“Over my dead body,” Ben spat through a row of jagged teeth.
“Are you two planning on fighting out here on the lawn?”
Malik and Ben pivoted in time to see a man emerge from the shadows, wearing nothing but black, glossy hair and a frown.
“What the hell?” Ben leapt forward, preventing the newcomer from advancing any closer.
Mr. Naked stopped, both hands extended out from his sides. “Easy, boys. I mean you no ill will. My name is Kyle, otherwise known as Psycho.”
“You’re Cassie’s cat?” Ben appeared as stunned as Malik felt. “But I would have sensed you if you were a familiar.”
Kyle merely nodded, keeping his gaze trained on Malik as he spoke to Ben. “I was given to Cassandra years ago by the Murphy sisters to protect her from Harvey.” He shifted his gaze to Ben. “The spell surrounding me allows me to move about undetected, even from my own kind.”
Malik heard only one word. Harvey. “Who the hell is Harvey, and why would Cassie need protection from him?”
“He is her stepfather,” Kyle responded, taking a small step forward. “A dangerous coward that, in my opinion, needs to be put down.”
“Why does Cassie need protection from her stepfather?” Malik ground out between gritted teeth. But it all became clear as he stood there, staring into Kyle’s eerily green eyes.
The anxiety she experienced, the lights constantly burning in her home at night, her fear of the dark, and the loaded gun she kept within reach at all times when home alone. Malik took a deep breath, steeling himself for the answer to the question he had to ask next. “What did her stepfather do to her?”
“Maybe you should ask Cassie.”
“He’s asking you,” Ben snarled, closing the distance between him and the other familiar. “What happened to Cassandra?”
Kyle raised an eyebrow. “You know you can catch flies quicker with honey than with shit, Ben Whatley.”
He returned his focus to Malik. “From what I have gathered over the years, he did unspeakable things to Cassie from her eleventh birthday until she left home at seventeen, after drugging him and escaping with only the clothes on her back. He eventually caught up with her and beat her badly, breaking some of her ribs in the process.”
Rage slammed into Malik with a force of a thousand insane vampires. His fangs descended to a length that made talking almost impossible. “Where does he reside?”
Kyle ran a hand down his face. “Before you run off to remove the man’s head, please consider the consequences of your actions.”
“You think I give a shit about consequences? He raped Cassandra,” Malik nearly shouted.
“Keep your voice down. She’s just beyond that wall.” Kyle nodded toward the side of the house.
Ben’s hand was suddenly around the other familiar’s throat. “He asked you a bloody question. Where does the piece of crap live?”
“Remove your hands, giant.” Kyle growled, staring into Ben’s eyes. “And I will forgive your petulant actions for Cassandra’s sake. This once.”
With a slight shove, Ben released the familiar’s neck. “Start talking.”
“Not here. Follow me.” Within seconds, a cat stood in the place where Kyle had just been. The feline made a soft sound before turning and trotting off into the woods.
Chapter Thirteen
Cassandra blew out a frustrated breath and glanced at the clock, thankful that she had the next two days off from work. Hopefully, Malik would want to see her again. Which she doubted after the way she’d reacted to his attempted kiss.
She threw back the covers and stood, eyeing the bottle of anxiety pills on her night stand.
Perhaps a nice, long bubble bath would help her sleep. Anything to forego the feeling she’d be left with after taking the medication.
Snatching up the shotgun next to the bed, she meandered off down the hall to the bathroom and turned on the water before pouring in some bath salts to help her relax.
She stripped out of her gown, rolled up a towel to rest her head on, and stepped into the tub. A sigh escaped her as she sank down into the steamy haven of rapidly forming bubbles.
Why did she have to be so screwed up? She could be with Malik at this very moment, lying in his arms. If only she were normal. But she wasn’t normal, she thought with a pang of guilt, and she’d be wise to stay away from him before he realized how soiled she truly was.
She’d take loneliness over pity any day. It had been difficult enough for her to handle the Murphy sisters’ knowledge of her abuse. And even they didn’t know the extent of what had gone on behind the closed doors of Cassandra’s home.
Cassie wasn’t sure how long she laid in the bath before realizing the water had turned cool. She pulled the plug, stepped out, and dried off.
The sight of her nude body in the mirror caught her attention. She studied the dips and curves along her waistline, her breasts, and the juncture between her thighs with a feeling of disgust. Maybe if she’d been different, Harvey wouldn’t have developed an unwanted interest in her.
If only her breasts had been smaller, her hips narrower, or perhaps if she’d been born a male. If only…
Cassie shook off her thoughts, donned her gown, picked up the shotgun, and padded barefoot to the kitchen.
After pouring a healthy dose of wine, she made her way back to the bedroom to watch a little television. Anything to take her mind off Malik and her dilapidated past.
* * * *
Cassie awoke to a rooster crowing in the distance. She slowly opened her eyes, squinting at the sun beaming through the sides of the blinds in bright disarray.
She groaned and turned on her side to face the clock. It’s almost noon?
With a speed born from always running late, she jumped from the bed and scrambled to the closet before realizing she had the day off.
Thoughts of the previous night plagued her mind as she dressed in a pair of shorts and a pink tank top.
Memories of flirting with Malik during their game of pool entered her mind. What had possessed her to act in such a manner? She’d never been so outgoing with a man before. Not even Justin.
Something about Malik made her feel safe and secure, as if he would never harm her or make demands that she couldn’t follow through on.
Then why did she turn from his attempted kiss in the parking lot? Maybe her fear stemmed more from her growing feelings for him than the kiss itself?
Pulling her hair back into a ponytail, she grabbed her sneakers and sat on the edge of the bed to put th
em on.
If she were honest with herself, she would admit to being more afraid of Malik learning the truth about her, the truth she hid behind smiles and laughter…her emotional damage.
Cassandra Blanchard had died long ago in that trailer on Rock Hill Road, her innocence taken along with her soul. She’d been left a shell of her former self, and it had taken years to accept the fact that she would never again be whole.
She’d somehow found the will to go on with life and make the best of her situation with help from her best friends, Carly and Logan, although she’d never confided in either of them about her past. She wouldn’t have been able to bear the shame or the look of pity in their eyes.
After brushing her teeth and grabbing a doughnut stick from the kitchen, she jumped in her car and backed out of the drive with the thought of seeing Grayson’s precious face foremost in her mind.
Cassie spent the ten-minute drive to Logan and Carly’s reflecting on her future. Since having a family of her own was out of the question, she’d considered moving to a town where no one knew of her or her family, starting a new life, and possibly going to college for a degree in nursing. She would love nothing more than to focus all of her energy on the healing of others and maybe find a way to heal herself.
The Sanders’ ranch came into view a moment later. Cassie pulled up next to Logan’s truck and switched off the engine, laughing as Logan’s pair of wolves, Kojak and Alabama, danced around next to her door in anticipation of head rubs.
“Hey, you two,” Cassie cooed, giving them equal amounts of attention as she climbed out and made her way to the porch.
Logan met her at the door. “Well, look what the wolves drug up.”
“More like licked up. I can probably skip showering today altogether.”
“Down, Kojak,” Logan gently scolded the bigger animal before stepping back to allow Cassie to enter.
“Carly’s in the nursery feeding Grayson. Go on in. I’m making lunch if you’d like to eat with us.”
Cassie shut the door and trailed off toward the hall. “Thank you, but I’ll pass. I have some things to do in town today. Figured I would grab a bite before doing some grocery shopping.”
“Suit yourself, but it’s lasagna.”
“Damn it, Logan. You know that’s my weakness.”
“I do.”
“Fine. I’ll stay.”
Cassie stepped into the hallway and entered the first door on the left. Her breath caught as her gaze traveled around the pale blue room. “Oh, Carls, it’s beautiful. When did you finish it?”
Carly looked up from her position of nursing the baby. “Logan did most of the work. He had it ready when he picked us up from the hospital.”
Cassandra padded over to stand next to the rocking chair Carly occupied. Her throat clogged with emotion. “That is the most amazing thing, watching you feed him. Is it painful?”
“A little, but the nurse that discharged us explained that it would be temporary. Oh, Cass…I can’t begin to tell you what it feels like to finally have him here.”
Tears filled Cassie’s eyes as she watched her best friend bond with her newborn son. “I always knew you’d make a good mother.”
“As will you,” Carly replied, a suspicious moisture in her own eyes.
Cassie’s heart twisted. How could she tell Carly that she would never hold a child of her own? Never know that bond, never feel that unconditional love? “Yeah, maybe so. May I hold him when he’s done eating?”
“Of course. He’s been falling asleep for the past few minutes anyway. Here, you can burp him.”
Carly stood and handed the tiny infant to Cassie. “Put him up on your shoulder like…that. See, you’re a natural.”
An overwhelming feeling of love washed through Cassandra as she cradled Grayson against her body and gently patted him on the back. She softly kissed the top of his tiny head. “He’s precious, Carls, and smells so good.”
“There’s nothing like the love of a baby. It still astounds me that Logan and I created him together. Life is perfect now.”
“No one deserves it more than you, Carly. No one.”
Chapter Fourteen
Malik paced his hotel room, anticipating Ben’s arrival. After the meeting in the woods with two familiars, Malik was even more determined to get back to Cassie’s side.
According to Kyle, Cassandra’s stepfather, Harvey, had been hurting her since childhood. The piece of crap had beat on her mother for so long Vivian didn’t have the strength or courage to prevent him from going after her only daughter.
Malik would kill Harvey; he’d slowly let the man know the torment and pain he’d inflicted on others before taking his last breath.
Malik moved to the window with a snarl. The sun had set over thirty minutes ago, but there was no sign of Ben. Where the hell could he be? he wondered for the hundredth time.
A knock sounded, pulling Malik out of his murderous musings. He blurred to the door and jerked it open. “You’re late.”
“And you’re a bloodsucking fiend from beyond the grave. Besides, Sarina is sick, I had to tend to her.” Ben stepped over the threshold, and Malik shut the door behind him.
“And Sarina is?”
“None of your business, demon. Let’s get on with it.”
“I’ve been doing some thinking while waiting on you to arrive.”
“Well, go on.”
“I don’t care if we make it look like an accident, as long as he dies slowly. And by my hand.”
“Look, Malik. I want him to suffer as much as you, if not more, but Cassie and I both are under suspicion for the disappearance of Doyle. Another body turns up missing that’s closely related to her, and it will bring too many questions surrounding her. We also have to bear in mind, her mother is mentally ill, and—”
“All the more reason to get rid of his ass,” Malik interrupted with a snarl.
“Listen to me, vampire. You don’t know what this family has been through. And not only family, but friends as well.”
“You think any of that matters to me? He hurt Cassandra, and he will die for it. Slowly and painfully.”
“I agree, but it must be planned out. Maybe a trip out of town. His car runs off a cliff. The body is too badly burned to determine the cause of death…or some shit like that.”
“It needs to be soon. She is terrified of him to the point where she sleeps with a shotgun next to her bed, and she leaves every light in the house on at night.”
“I realize that. Why do you think I didn’t mention to her about finding you slinking about her house the other night? I know she is afraid at night, but I figured it was due to what she’d recently been through with Doyle.”
“I appreciate your silence about my nightly visits, but I had to see her. And knowing that she’s terrified of the dark is killing me.”
“Trust me when I say it pisses me off too, but she’s not alone, Malik. She has Kyle, or Psycho as she knows him, watching over her at all times.”
A feeling of jealousy gripped Malik hard enough that his vision turned red. “Do you really think I will allow him to remain there?”
Ben took a step forward. “And tell Cassie what? I’m sorry your cat died along with your stepdad? Be reasonable, demon. He is there to protect her, not harm her.”
“He sees her unclothed, Ben. That is—“
“None of your concern. You’ve been on one date with her. You don’t own her, Malik.”
Malik gripped Ben’s shirt, slamming him into the wall behind him. “She is mine, familiar. Do not ever think to forget that.”
Ben didn’t fight back; only stood there staring back at Malik with a curiosity and understanding that cooled some of his anger.
“You love her.” It wasn’t a question and Malik knew it.
“Of course not. I only met her recently.” But he knew it for a lie the second it left his mouth. As impossible as it seemed, he had developed feelings for Cassie the moment he’d gazed at her picture in tha
t article months ago.
“Say what you will. The truth is in your eyes,” Ben gently added.
“Did you come here to discuss my love life or to help me figure out a way to dispose of that piece of shit Harvey?” Malik would deal with Kyle when Ben wasn’t around to interfere. An image of Kyle’s exotic features and well-endowed body floated through Malik’s mind, triggering a rapid fang incursion.
“I’ll work on figuring out a way of getting him out of town. Once I have the details of that, I will let you know. In the meantime, if you hurt Cassandra in any way, I will hunt you to the ends of this earth and cut out your black heart.”
Malik fought his jealousy once again. “Your threats leave one to wonder about your own motives when it comes to Cassandra.”
“She is like a daughter to me. I was Carly’s familiar until she married Logan Sanders, and Cassie is family to them. Therefore, she became my family as well.”
Malik’s quickly pushed his jealousy aside to deal with later. “How long have you known Logan Sanders?”
“Not long. Less than a year. Why the interest in Carly’s mate?”
“No reason. Just curious is all.”
“If you think there is an interest between Cassandra and Logan, you are sorely mistaken.”
Malik decided to let Ben think what he would. No one could know the reasons behind his trip to the southern state. “Good to know. Now if you’ll excuse me, I have things to attend to. I’ll be waiting to hear from you about Harvey.”
Ben nodded and strode toward the door. “Don’t make me regret not killing you.” With that, he left the room, closing the door behind him without a backward glance.
The big familiar was an anomaly to be sure, Malik decided as he gathered his phone, wallet, and watch. The fact that Ben had agreed to help Malik dispose of Harvey was strange in itself, but to assist a vampire at all… Well, that was another matter altogether.
He left his room and bypassed his car, blurring his way through the woods to Cassandra’s place. He’d be less likely to draw attention if he was on foot rather than risking someone hearing his vehicle’s engine.
Cassandra (Scruples Book 2) Page 6
