Kindred

by Erica Stevens

  Somehow, she didn’t know how, but her pen was no longer in her hand, her hand was no longer clenched, and it was no longer upon her desk. Her hand was now in the middle of the aisle, reaching toward him.

  She blinked, snapping out of the brief trance that had enshrouded her. Her face flamed red, heat burned down the back of her neck as the realization of what she had been doing crashed over her. He did not grin at her, did not look at all disgusted by her strange behavior as he leaned even closer.

  She wanted nothing more than to reach toward him again, to feel him, but she could not bring herself to make such a forward gesture once more. She could not believe she had done it in the first place. It was not within her to make the first move, especially not with someone that she didn’t even know, and who now probably thought that she was crazy. The few boys she had dated had always approached her first.

  The loud ringing of the bell caused her to jump in surprise; she knocked her forgotten pen to the ground. Cassie groaned, disgusted with herself, and the entire situation. She needed to get her act together before she completely lost it. She couldn’t continue to let some stranger disturb her life in such a way. She couldn’t afford to be so badly distracted, so completely out of whack with her reality. People would get hurt if she was.

  She shoved her book into her bag and bent over to retrieve her lost pen. But it was no longer where it had fallen upon the ground. Instead, it was held in a long fingered, strong hand that she recognized instantly. Her gaze traveled slowly from the hand, to the man now kneeling before her. His bright eyes clashed with hers. There was a fierce need radiating from him that caused her toes to curl, at the same time that fear tore through her. There would be no going back after this. If she took that pen from him, if she touched him, she knew that nothing would ever be the same again.

  She could not move; she was frozen in place like a deer trapped in the headlights. A small smile curved the corner of his hard mouth; a twinkle of amusement lit his eyes. Anger spurted through her in the face of the challenge he seemed to radiate, he was daring her to take the pen back. Taking a deep breath, Cassie steeled herself. She was probably overreacting anyway, nothing was going to happen.

  Though she knew she was lying to herself, she also knew that she could not simply leave this room, and him, with her pen.

  Reaching slowly across, her heart hammered in eager anticipation as her fingers curled around the top of the pen, mere centimeters from where his fingers stopped. Though they were not touching, electricity shot through her, stunning her, leaving her breathless and shaken. Vivid images of the dream sizzled through her. He did not release the pen to her. He did not move as the smile slipped from his face and his eyes burned with the consuming need she had seen in him before.

  And then he moved.

  His fingers slid slightly up the pen, breaching the small gap between them. Cassie inhaled sharply, something inside of her locked into place, it froze her muscles and kept her immobile. The world disappeared as everything in it became him, became them. They were joining, their molecules blending and twining together in a sensuous dance that was soothing and beautiful. Everything suddenly made sense, everything became right. All of the loss, and ache, and loneliness did not hurt as much as his touch became the balm that soothed it all.

  The dream last night had been wonderful and beautiful, but the reality was far better than anything she could have ever imagined. In that moment, she knew she had found her home in him. This was where she belonged, where she would always belong. Her life would never be the same, but she was no longer frightened by the realization. She was exhilarated by it. Everything would be ok now that he was a part of her.

  His eyes darkened, his fingers tightened around hers as he clung to her; a tremor shook his powerful frame. A tremor that melted her heart and made her ache to reach out and caress his cheek. She longed to soothe the fear and confusion radiating from him. It did not make her feel better that he seemed just as mystified as she was by all this. No, it only made her wish to get closer to him, to ease the pain in him, to soothe the torment she sensed deep inside him.

  She did not know where his torment and anguish came from, but she suspected it ran even deeper and further than her own. And somehow she knew that she could help him with his pain, just as he helped with hers. She could feel the strength running through him, the tight control he exerted over himself. She completely understood his feelings as they were the same ones rattling her too.

  He released her suddenly, the loss of contact leaving her shaken and hollow inside. Leaving her broken and lost once more, but the feelings of hurt and confusion were not as consuming or as unbearable as before. He had healed something inside her, somehow his touch had put back some of the pieces of her broken soul.

  For a moment he hesitated, his eyes burned into hers as something dark shifted behind his intense gaze. A small smile flitted across his hard mouth. He rose swiftly, with a grace that was breathtaking and stunning. Staring down at her, he was unable to suppress the small tremor racing through him, a tremor that warmed her heart. It was apparent that she affected and rattled him just as much as he shook her, and he hadn’t even had the same wonderful dream that she had experienced last night. He reached his hand slowly out to her, a hopeful expression on his face that tugged at her heart.

  She stared at his hand, her heart hammering fiercely as she took note of the perfection of his strong fingers. Heaving her bag onto her shoulder, she took a deep breath as she decided to throw her life over to fate. There was no stopping fate after all, and she was surprised to realize that she no longer wanted to. Sliding her hand into his, she clasped tightly hold of it, surprised to note the slightly cooler feel of his skin. She didn’t have long to contemplate that thought though as the strange sense of comfort and peace descended over her once more, wrapping her within the warm cocoon of strength and power that he exuded.

  He would keep her safe, keep her protected from the hurt and pain of the world; she knew that with every cell of her being. Although, given that she was not entirely human, she was probably stronger and far more capable of protecting him. Though, with him, she did not feel as if she were less than human, she did not feel abnormal and freaky. With him, she felt human and feminine and alive in ways that she had not felt in a very long time.

  “Where to?” he asked softly, his deep voice sent a shiver of delight down her spine and caused goose bumps to break out on her hypersensitive skin.

  The last thing she wanted was to go to another class, but she could not walk out of school with him, like she longed to do. However, she was pretty sure that she couldn’t sit through another minute without touching him, and feeling him. Especially not now, not when she knew how wonderful, and right, the feel of him truly was.

  Noise drifted to her, breaking through her turbulent, uncertain thoughts. She was surprised to find that the next class was already filtering in. Students glanced questioningly at the two of them as they took their seats. No one from their class remained. Cassie sighed heavily, knowing what she had to do, but wishing that she didn’t. “I have Anatomy and Physiology now.”

  “Lead the way.”

  Taking a deep breath, she forced herself to start moving, before she couldn’t. “What class do you have now?”

  He frowned slightly as he dug into the pocket of his jeans and pulled out his rumpled schedule. Though he had been in school for nearly a week, he apparently had not learned it yet. But then again, it did change every day. “Study hall.”

  The frown on his face surprised her; he almost looked confused as he stared at the paper, his dark eyebrows drawn tightly together. For a moment it appeared as if he didn’t know what study hall was, but that was impossible, every student knew what study hall was. Didn’t they? “That’s probably in the library, but some are held in classrooms,” she said softly.

  “Library.”

  “Do you want me to take you there?” she asked, certain that his confused expression was because he didn’t
know where to go.

  He glanced up at her; a small smile curved his full mouth. Cassie felt her heart melt, her toes curled at the sight of that heart stopping grin. He appeared so much younger, more approachable, and nowhere near as hard when he smiled like that. She had thought that he was gorgeous before, but now, smiling, he was magnificent. It took all she had not to reach out and stroke his face, not to bury herself against him, hold him tight and shut out the rest of the world. Something she knew that he would be able to help her do.

  “Trying to get rid of me already?” he inquired lightly.

  Cassie couldn’t stop herself from grinning back at him. “No,” she answered honestly. “I just don’t want you to get lost.”

  He shoved the schedule back in his pocket, his hand tightened around hers. “I’ve found you, how could I be lost?”

  Cassie blinked in surprise, staring breathlessly up at him as her heart lurched with wonderful joy. It was the sweetest thing anyone had ever said to her, and though it sounded like a pickup line, his tone rang with sincerity and truth. If anyone else had said that to her, she probably would have laughed at them and blown them off as corny. But this was different. This was not corny, it seemed genuine. It felt right, and she realized that if she had been the one to say it to him, she would have meant it.

  It would have been true.

  Their hands fit perfectly together; his was stronger and larger as it wrapped gently around hers. His touch was everything she had dreamed it would be, and more. His presence alone had helped to fill the holes inside her, but his physical touch was like aloe on sunburn. His touch made it so she could move a little more freely, and breathe easier than she had in years.

  She had never believed in love at first sight, never believed in soul mates. But maybe, somehow, her body and her spirit had known that he was out there, and it had been waiting and searching for him all along. And she had been completely miserable without him. But she didn’t feel misery now; she felt a joy so pure that she kept expecting to float off the ground with the lightheartedness consuming her.

  He was staring down at her, his emerald eyes stormy and intense. He was waiting for her to say something, waiting for her reaction. Cassie could not find words; she could only manage a simple, reassuring smile.

  The tension eased from him. His eyes crinkled with the bright smile that lit his wonderful face. Cassie couldn’t stop herself from grinning back at him. “I’ll be fine; the library was one of the first things Melissa showed me the other day.” He said easily, as if what he had just said to her had not left her as shaken as a baby’s rattle.

  Swallowing heavily, Cassie tried to calm the turmoil racing through her. If it had been just a pick up line, she did not want him to know that he had just caught her hook, line, and sinker. “Of course it was.”

  They reached her class far faster than she would have liked. Hesitating in the hall, she turned to him, reluctant to let go. “I’ll see you soon,” he said softly, his eyes rapidly scanning her face, seemingly trying to remember every detail of her.

  Cassie nodded, not fully trusting herself to speak. She half felt like crying, which was completely crazy, it wouldn’t be that long before she saw him again. She hoped. His hand tightened around hers, his skin burned into hers. He took a step closer, and for a moment Cassie was certain that he was going to kiss her. She held her breath in anticipation, her entire body clamored for the feel of his lips against hers.

  Instead, he squeezed her hand briefly and released it quickly. Cassie felt the loss of his touch as acutely as a knife to her heart. Her entire being ached for it again. She couldn’t move as he slipped away, disappearing into the remaining crowd.

  CHAPTER 9

  Devon folded his arms over his chest, leaning against the wall as he waited impatiently for the bell to ring. He had tried to sit through the whole study hall thing, but he didn’t understand what he was supposed to be doing, or why he even had the class. But then again, he didn’t understand any of this high school stuff. They were like rats in a maze, going through the same thing day after day.

  He supposed education was a good thing; he simply had no use for it. Maybe if he was a human in this day and age he may have needed it, but he wasn’t. When he had been human, he’d had schooling because he had been a member of the aristocracy, and it had been expected of him. But even before he’d died, he’d seen no reason to continue with his education. Even as a human he had simply taken everything he wanted, with no regard for whom he hurt in the process. And when he’d died he’d become even worse, far far worse. It was not a fact he was proud of, it was just a fact that he had to live with, and try to atone for, every day of his lonely existence.

  An existence that somehow wasn’t as lonely whenever she was near.

  Now, staring at the empty hall, he wondered if he had missed out on something. His, had been a long existence. He’d thought that he had done everything there was to do; apparently he had forgotten one thing. He just wasn’t so sure that he wanted the experience, it was tiring. He did want her though. He wanted to see her and touch her, and he wanted to be near her, and she spent a good chunk of her time within this building.

  His dreams had been nothing compared to the reality of her, but he had known that they wouldn’t be. Her skin was even softer, warmer, and gentler. The feeling of rightness she brought to him was amazing. It was something he had never expected to experience in his life, but now that he had it, he was not going to let it go. Ever.

  Though he knew where his fierce possessiveness of her might be coming from, he was still unwilling to explore that possibility, or reality, yet. There was still a chance that he could walk away from her even if he didn’t want to. Her safety was number one as far as he was concerned, and she could never be truly safe with him in her life. He needed to be able to walk away, but if what he suspected was true, there was a good possibility that he may not be able to.

  He had meant what he’d said to her earlier, he was not lost when she was near. He was whole in a way that he had never been whole before, not even when he had been alive. When she was near, he did not feel adrift in a world where he was not welcome among humans, or vampires. She was an anchor in a world that was cold, uncaring, and cruel. If staying here, torturing himself in high school was the only way to be close to her then he was going to suffer through the classes like everyone else.

  He shifted slightly, the discomfort in his veins growing by the second. He should have fed before he came here today, but he hadn’t realized how hard it would be to keep control around her. She was a temptation that he couldn’t resist, not anymore; especially now that he had touched her. And now that he had felt her, he knew he would never stop touching her.

  The only problem was that the burning in his veins had kicked into hyper drive the minute his skin had brushed against hers. The sweet scent of her blood had slammed into him, causing his mouth to water and his body to burn with the fierce hunger that engulfed him. It had taken every bit of self restraint he had not to rip her against him and sink his teeth into her delicate white throat, draining the delicious blood that flowed through her veins.

  He had not touched a drop of human blood in a hundred and thirty seven years, and until that moment he had never felt the desire so fiercely, or so acutely. He had never had his control nearly shattered, never nearly snapped and drained a person simply from touching them. But as much as she unsettled him, and rattled his firm restraint, she had also calmed him in a strange way. His baser instincts were held at bay as her delicate fingers curled around his. Touching her had locked the demon inside him back in its cage; it had calmed his raging urge to drain the blood from her even more than it had enticed it. Whatever spell she had cast over him had him completely ensnared.

  Glancing at the clock on the wall, he shifted slightly, growing impatient to see her, growing completely impatient with the high school life. Over seven hundred years old and he was lurking in the hallways of adolescent teenagers, and all because of a girl
. Granted, she was an exceptional girl, and he was captivated by her, but never had he gone to such lengths for a woman before. He had never thought that he would either. And he was fairly certain that this was only the beginning of what he would do for her.

  The annoying bell rang suddenly, its sound was exceptionally sharp in his sensitive ears, but it was a welcome distraction from his disconcerting thoughts. Stepping away from the wall, his arms fell back to his sides as he eagerly waited for her to emerge from the class. Doors were flung open around him, chatter spilled into the halls as students emerged. He was barely aware of the humans as they filtered around him, the boys instinctively leaving a larger gap then they would with anyone else. The girls drifted closer, “accidentally” bumping into him, giggling flirtatiously as they openly admired him.

  He ignored them, his attention fixed upon the people filing out of Cassie’s class. He could smell her; feel the beat of her tiny, delicate heart. She appeared in the doorway, her mouth parting, her step faltering slightly as she caught sight of him. The small redhead that had been speaking to her broke off abruptly, her brown eyes widened in surprise.

  He did not think about it as he instinctively reached his hand out to Cassie, relief filled him as her fine boned fingers slid into his, locking tight. The beast inside of him quieted instantly. The burning in his veins lessened as her presence soothed the edgy rawness in him. He could not separate from her again. If he did, he would not make it through the rest of this day.

  Her smile was easy and bright as she stared up at him, the sight of her beautiful face calming him even further. “Um yeah, I’ll talk to you later Cass.”

  Cassie glanced at the redhead, giving her a brief nod before turning her full attention back to him. “You got here quick.”

  He shrugged, unable to tear his gaze away from her. “I don’t really see the point of study hall.”