Ashes

by Erica Stevens

  “Why?” She felt like a parrot, but it seemed to be the only word she could get out.

  “Because Julian wants to destroy anything good and right in the world, he hates it all. And he hates the fact that I have turned against my nature. He wants me to be the way that I once was.”

  Cassie shuddered. “Like him?” Melissa asked quietly.

  Devon hesitated briefly. “Worse,” he said flatly.

  A thick silence descended upon the room. Though the answer was blunt, Cassie sensed the regret, sorrow, and pain behind the word. “Why did you change?” she asked softly.

  “That’s a long story.”

  Cassie wasn’t so sure if it was a long story, or if he simply didn’t want to talk about it. Either way, she wasn’t going to push him. She already had enough information to digest without having more heaped onto her. “Well that’s all fine and good, but we’re not leaving,” Cassie said firmly. Devon’s eyes were hard and fierce, anger flashed through them as he turned toward her, a muscle twitched in his jaw. “You won’t change my mind, or theirs, so don’t argue with us.”

  The muscle twitched even more, she could hear his teeth grinding. “We cannot change what we are, or what has been,” she couldn’t help but add, her eyes narrowing pointedly as she reiterated his words. She had to accept him for what he was, and he had to do the same with her. “You just have to accept it, as we have.”

  Muscle twitching violently, he turned slowly away from her. His shoulders were set stiffly, his hands fisted at his sides so tightly that his knuckles had turned white. She had aggravated him immensely, she knew that, but she felt no remorse for it. They would not run from this, or any other problems that arose. They had to stay; it was their duty, hell it was in their blood. It was who they were, who they were born to be.

  Luther shook his head, resting his arm on the mantle as he pulled his glasses off, cleaning them once more. It was his habit to clean them whenever he was irritated, or needed time to think. It was probably a little of both at the moment. “Tell him what the two of you can do.” Luther stared at Chris and Melissa as he slid his glasses back on. They exchanged weary glances once more, still hesitant to reveal their secrets.

  CHAPTER 4

  “If the three of you insist upon staying then Devon will need to know of your abilities in order to utilize them in the best ways possible.” Luther’s voice was tinged with aggravation as he stared hard at them.

  Devon knew very well the annoyance the man was feeling. It was taking every ounce of self-control he had not to grab hold of Cassie and forcefully remove her from this house, and this town. If it weren’t for the fact that she would hate him, and possibly never forgive him for it, he would. His hands clenched tighter at the thought of anything bad happening to her. When he saw Julian again, he was going to rip him limb from limb for what he had done to her earlier.

  He glanced down at her, fighting his baser, more animalistic urges. Not only was he battling with himself not to remove her from this town, but he was also fighting the fierce urge to taste her once more, possess her. Her blood had been the sweetest nectar he had ever experienced. He had never even dreamed of anything tasting so delicious or possessing so much power. The memory of it was enticing, luring, and delectable. It was everything that the beautiful woman sitting stiffly beside him was.

  At the moment he didn’t know if he wanted to force her to leave, or taste her more. No, he did not simply want to taste her he wanted to change her, possess her. He wanted to make her immortal, he wanted to keep her safe, keep her with him, and alive, for eternity. As a Hunter she was far too vulnerable to the dangers and hurts of the world. She was far too susceptible to death. A shudder ran up his spine, his eyes closed briefly as a surge of bloodlust rippled through him.

  Being around her was a constant battle with his darker, more twisted side. But it also brought out the best of him, drawing him into a light he had never expected to find, completing him in a way that he had never thought possible. Her love and unwavering faith in him, even after the events of the night, were far more than he deserved from his life, and something that he had never expected to find. Now that he had her though, he was not letting her go. When it came down to it, he would do anything to keep her with him, and safe. Even if it meant that he had to drag her from this town and risk earning her wrath.

  Eventually his feelings would cause problems between them. Somewhere along the way their relationship would come to a dangerous head, and he would have to make a decision she may end up hating him for. But now was not that time, and he was not willing to dwell on such unpleasantness. Now was a time for strategizing, and learning as much as he could about the people around him. If they had abilities that would aid him in his hunt for Julian, then he would use them in every way he could.

  He would do whatever it took to keep her safe.

  Melissa licked her lips nervously, Chris still looked doubtful. “I have premonitions,” Melissa said softly. “Some are inconsequential, foolish, and vague. Others, well, others are awful, detailed, and almost consuming. They don’t always come true though, like tonight.” Her glance slid pointedly to Cassie, her onyx eyes were hurt and wounded. Though he had exceptional sight, even he could barely tell the difference between the black of Melissa’s pupil and the near black of her iris. The effect was startling, especially against her smooth olive complexion and raven hair. “Devon’s intervention tonight stopped my premonition from coming true, but I didn’t see him in it. I only saw Cassie, wounded, bleeding, dead.”

  Cassie gasped loudly, the color drained from her face, as her astonishing violet blue eyes widened in surprise. The light of the room flickered off of the bright violet flecks in her questioning, fearful eyes. “You saw my death?” she choked out.

  Devon stiffened, anger and fear coiling through him. Melissa nodded slowly, her gaze darting to the wall behind Cassie. “Yes, it was awful. Awful.” Melissa shuddered as she wrapped her slender arms around herself; she took a deep breath to steady herself. Chris draped an arm around Melissa’s shoulders, pulling her gently against his side. “I never want to see anything like that again, but unfortunately, I don’t have a choice.”

  “I have no control over my premonitions, when they come, or what they are.” Though horror still filled her gaze, there was a steel rod of strength running through her. “I had a premonition a couple years ago of your arrival Devon. I knew that you would come for Cassie, and that you would change things. Make her whole again, so to speak.”

  Cassie’s face flooded with color as she turned away from the eyes that swung toward her. “I’ve seen nothing else of you though. I had no idea what you were, or when you would come, I didn’t even know what you would look like, but I have been waiting.” Melissa sighed, her dark head bowed slightly. “Somehow, maybe because of what you are, you keep us blocked out. I don’t know why that one premonition of you slipped through, but I have a feeling that no more will come.”

  Devon frowned as he puzzled over Melissa’s statement. He knew why she didn’t receive visions about him, but he didn’t understand why she had even gotten that one. Melissa’s gaze was questioning, her dark eyes eager. She wanted to know why she saw nothing about him, but he wasn’t ready to spill yet. At least not until he knew more about them first.

  Though premonitions were a handy thing to have for a lot of things, they would not help him. Not now. She would have no visions about Julian either, maybe some of his actions, but not Julian. “And you?” he asked Chris quietly, ignoring the crestfallen look on Melissa’s face. He liked the girl, he didn’t want to keep her in the dark, but he wanted to hear everything they had to say before he laid all of his cards on the table.

  Chris shifted slightly. He was still not completely relaxed, tension hummed through him, but at least he didn’t look as if he were going to attack anymore. “I can read people.”

  “And?” Devon asked quietly.

  Chris’s eyes narrowed slightly. “I know what they are when I meet t
hem. Good, bad, indifferent to life. I know what they are inside. I know what they are feeling,” he said defiantly.

  Devon chose to ignore his tone, tired of bickering with the kid. It wasn’t getting either of them anywhere, and it was upsetting Cassie. “And what am I inside?” he asked quietly.

  Chris shook his head. “I don’t know,” he admitted slowly. “I never really picked anything up from you. There was always a sort of blank surrounding you, except for when it came to Cassie.”

  Devon frowned fiercely; his gaze darted back to Cassie. She sat stiffly upon the couch, her hand clenched tightly on the throw pillow she had retrieved; her golden hair shielded most of her delicate features from him. “What did you sense then?” Devon asked softly.

  Chris shifted again. It was apparent that he did not want to divulge everything either. Then, with a small shrug, he seemed to decide that it was not all that important anyway. “I could sense how much you cared for her, how much she meant to you.”

  Devon’s frown deepened. Bowing his head, he began to rub the bridge of his nose, trying to puzzle through what they were telling him. They shouldn’t have been able to get anything off of him. But where Cassie was involved, they were somehow able to pick things up. She was staring up at him, her astonishing eyes wide and questioning as she studied him.

  “What’s wrong?” she asked softly.

  He shook his head, dropping his hand to take hold of hers once more. “And what can you do?” he asked softly.

  Her frown deepened, a strange flicker passed through her eyes. “Nothing. I have no abilities.”

  Shock coursed through him. She possessed the most powerful blood he had ever tasted. From just a few precious drops he was stronger, faster, his senses sharper. He felt like he could conquer the world. She had to possess some abilities, her blood was too impressive and wonderful not to.

  It made no sense.

  A wounded look crossed her features; he could feel her starting to withdraw from him. “Are you sure about that?” he inquired, unable to believe it was true.

  She gave him a dark look. “Yes, I’m sure,” she said flatly.

  “Cassie is an outstanding fighter,” Luther interjected quickly. “Maybe the best to ever come out of the Hunter line.”

  She quirked an eyebrow as she studied her Guardian. “Being able to kill well is not a gift, or ability.”

  Luther’s gaze was sad and sympathetic, but his jaw was set in determination. “It is. It’s just a different one than what Chris and Melissa have.”

  “Killing, being fast and strong with enhanced senses is a natural ability of all Hunter’s, not just me.”

  Luther sighed softly as he gave a brief nod. “True.”

  She turned back to Devon, a strange hopelessness in her usually bright eyes. “I’ve seen what Chris and Melissa go through though. I’m glad I don’t have to deal with the burdens that they do.”

  Devon nodded slowly, his mind spinning as he tried to place all the pieces of the puzzle together. She had no abilities but she was powerful, he could feel that, he had tasted it. But no matter the power he could sense pouring out of her now, he had not been able to detect it until her blood had been spilled. Somehow he had been unable to perceive what any of them were until he had been slapped in the face with it.

  Though, he suspected that he had been too blinded by his feelings for Cassie to realize that they were Hunter’s. He had not wanted to see the truth, for if he had, he never would have gotten the chance to know her. To love her. The thought was shocking, he had never loved before, and yet the realization was not a surprise.

  He had loved her since the first moment he’d seen her, he suspected that he had loved her before he’d even met her. If Melissa had received a premonition of him, then it was quite possible that he had been destined to find her, and although he had never believed in that kind of thing before, it felt right in this situation. It felt right with Cassie.

  No, he had not wanted to see the truth about them, even though all the evidence had been laid out before him. It would have been rather easy to put it all together, he had simply chosen not to.

  “Why can’t we read you?” Melissa blurted unable to bite her tongue any longer.

  Devon couldn’t help but smile as he shook his head at her. “My power, and abilities, keeps you blocked.”

  Melissa frowned at him, her eyes narrowing fiercely. She apparently felt that he was not answering her question. “What do you mean?” Cassie asked softly, her delicate eyebrows furrowed in confusion.

  He couldn’t help but smile down at her, loving her puzzled expression. “My powers are much stronger than any of the vampires that you have come across. I have learned to keep people blocked out, especially Hunter’s. It’s an ability that has helped to keep me alive for a long time.”

  “But I had a premonition of you!” Melissa insisted. “I saw you!”

  Devon’s gaze darted to Cassie. “I don’t understand exactly how it all works, but I have a feeling your premonition probably had more to do with Cassie than me.”

  “With me?” Cassie inquired.

  “When it comes to you, my guard is down more; my humanity is stronger and more intense.” Cassie’s eyes softened, she relaxed slightly as she gazed silently up at him.

  “But that vision was two years ago,” Melissa said softly.

  Cassie’s mouth dropped, she blinked in surprise as she spun toward Melissa. “Two years!?” she squeaked. “You kept this from me for two years!?”

  Melissa nodded absently, drumming her fingers along the mantle, her expression thoughtful and distant. “Yeah, you wouldn’t have wanted to know anyway.” Cassie was still frowning fiercely, but she nodded her agreement as she settled back slightly. “Why would I receive that one two years ago, when you didn’t even know Cassie then?”

  Devon shrugged, shaking his head as he met Cassie’s startled gaze. “I don’t have all the answers. Maybe it was fate that I was supposed to meet her, maybe something happened two years ago that allowed a vision to slip through. I simply don’t know.”

  “What could have happened?”

  He grinned down at Cassie, brushing a strand of her golden hair gently off her face. Her eyes melted, warming as they filled with love. Love for him. His hand stilled on her cheek, he was lost to the beauty and wonder of her. It was not only her outer beauty that entranced him, but also the pure wonder of her soul. She was the strongest, most giving, and loving person that he had ever encountered, and he had encountered far more people than he would have liked in his long life. And far too many of them had not been good.

  She leaned into his touch, her silken cheek nestling against his cupped palm. Dark lashes curled against her cheeks as she closed her eyes, reveling in the feel of him. Devon had to force himself to recall the other people in the room, for he wanted nothing more than to take her upstairs and curl up with her, holding her tight as he kept her safe. But he could not do that, not now.

  “Like I said, I don’t have all the answers. There are many mysteries in life that are never explained.”

  Cassie’s eyes fluttered open, her long lashes brushed against the palm of his hand. A shiver of want raced down his spine, leaving his control and restraint shaken. The demon in him wanted nothing more than to drain every drop of her spectacular blood, and the man wanted nothing more than to know her in every possible way.

  He shuddered, struggling to retain control of himself. “It’s still very strange,” she said softly, her husky voice washing over him.

  “Yes,” he managed to grate out.

  “That’s also about the time that Cassie really started to withdraw,” Chris pondered.

  “Yes,” Melissa agreed, folding her arms over her chest, her eyebrows drawn tightly together.

  “Hey,” Cassie said sharply. “I’m right here.”

  Melissa focused on her, her frown intense. “I think I had a vision of Devon because I was afraid that we would lose you. I think I was granted that vision to ease
my fears about you, and your future. And it did help.”

  “Could have told me,” Chris mumbled.

  “I didn’t know what he was,” Melissa reminded him.

  “Yeah, I guess.”

  Cassie rolled her eyes, shaking her head at the two of them. “So what do we do about Julian?” she asked, though she tried hard, Devon could still hear the undercurrent of fear in her voice. His free hand clenched tight at the reminder of the brutality she had experienced last night. A brutality inflicted upon her by a monster he had helped to create, and would destroy.

  “We don’t do anything. If you insist upon staying then there is nothing that I can do about that, but you are to stay away from him.” Anger flashed through her violet blue eyes, she opened her mouth to protest, but he cut her swiftly off. “You cannot defeat him Cassie, he will kill you, and I cannot allow that to happen. I cannot lose you.”

  Her lush mouth parted slightly, the anger faded from her eyes. Biting her lower lip, she managed a small nod as she turned away from him. “The three of you are to stay by me from now on.”

  All of their eyes snapped to him again, he could feel the anger and defiance radiating from them. “What?” Chris barked.

  Devon met his hostile gaze, impressed by the courage the kid possessed. He hadn’t backed down once. “Julian will come after you, hard. If he catches you alone, or without me, you won’t have a shot of surviving.”

  Chris’s hands fisted, a muscle twitched in his cheek as he clenched his jaw tight. “He’s right,” Cassie’s grandmother said, probably hoping to ward off a fight. “You must stay safe; Devon can help protect you from him.”

  “The three of us…”

  “Are no match.” The older woman unraveled her legs and climbed gracefully to her feet. “Until this is taken care of, you will be safe, and you will stick by Devon. And there will be no arguments on the matter.”