Ashes (Book 2 The Kindred Series) (15 page)

“Who is Luther?” Dani
inquired.

“Our Guardian,” Melissa
answered.

Dani’s eyes widened in surprise, hope
sprang forth in them. “You have a Guardian?” she asked
eagerly.

“Yes,” Cassie answered, her ire over
Devon’s injuries fading in the face of Dani’s hope. “He’s a good
man.”

“Maybe this time we’ll even listen to
him,” Chris said softly, looking slightly chagrined as he kicked
his shoe in the dirt.

“Would be helpful,” Devon
muttered.

He stepped around her, his hand
remaining tight in hers as he glanced over the field, studying the
dark night as he searched for Julian once more. A startled gasp of
horror escaped her; her hand flew to her mouth as she saw the
gaping, jagged wounds crisscrossing his back. Blood stained the
back of his shirt, causing it to cling to the torn edges of his
skin. Nausea boiled up in her throat, her stomach somersaulted
violently.

She recalled the jolt that had pushed
them to their knees. Hatred boiled through her as she realized that
Julian had done this to him. Devon had taken the blow meant for
her; a blow that would have flayed her open, possibly even killed
her. He had sacrificed himself in order to save her. Her heart
swelled and ached, her love for him grew. She hadn’t thought it was
possible to love him even more, she knew now that it was. It filled
her completely, nearly bursting from her as it surged up in
powerful waves that pulsed through her veins, warming her to the
tips of her toes.

“Your back,” she whispered.

He glanced at her, his eyes bright in
the light of the full moon. “It’s fine.” She reached toward him,
needing to comfort him, needing to touch him in order to try and
ease the pain she knew he had to be in. Seizing hold of her hand,
he subtly shook his head. “It’s ok,” he said softly. “It will heal
soon.”

Tears slid slowly down her cheeks. She
hated his pain, hated the need that still radiated from him, the
hunger that blazed from his eyes. He had been wounded badly, lost a
lot of blood, and although his face was completely healed and his
back was well on its way, it was obvious that the battle had
drained him. The burns still marring his skin had not helped his
energy level either.

Sensing her distress, he pulled her a
step closer and wrapped his arm around her waist as he kissed her
forehead gently. “I’ll be fine,” he assured her again. “I barely
felt a thing.”

She knew that he lied, but she didn’t
push him further, he would never admit his pain and he would do
anything to keep her protected from it. Resting her head on his
chest, she simply savored in the comfort of his body. Savored in
the love that enveloped her like a warm cocoon.

Dani was watching them in amazement,
her eyes flickering back and forth questioningly. “I know, it’s
confusing,” Chris said softly, turning away from them as he dropped
an arm casually around her shoulders. “But he really is one of the
good guys, strange as that sounds. So, we’ve found another Hunter,
there are four of us now.”

“Five,” Melissa corrected. “Dani’s
brother. We’ll definitely give Julian a run for his money now. It’s
amazing that you live here also and we never even knew what you
were.”

Dani looked shyly away. “We just moved
here at the beginning of the year.”

“Well that works for us!” Chris said
jovially. “Especially with that little zapping gift you have. He
may be one of the good guys but that was pretty impressive.” He
shot a grin over his shoulder at Devon who glowered back at him.
Cassie shook her head, rolling her eyes at Chris.

Dani looked uncomfortable, and out of
sorts. “It’s not all it’s cracked up to be,” she mumbled.
“Especially when you can’t control it.”

Cassie sensed more behind the words, a
deep sadness. Her heart went out to the younger girl. Cassie didn’t
know the story of Dani’s life, what she had been through, but she
imagined that it had not been good.

CHAPTER 10

Dani’s brother, Joey, paced restlessly
back and forth in the confines of his small living room. He was
wearing the already bare carpet even thinner as he spun on his heel
and paced back across the room. His whipcord lean body was as taut
as a bowstring; his dark auburn hair was in disarray from running
his fingers through it. He was older, at twenty four, and probably
one of the oldest Hunter’s still alive.

Melissa and Chris watched him wearily,
thrown off by the anger and tension radiating from him. Joey’s gaze
darted to the open doorway, where Devon was leaning casually
against the frame; his legs were crossed at the ankles as he idly
watched the man. Though he appeared relaxed, tension hummed through
Devon, undermining his casual posture. Joey frowned fiercely at
him, his scathing gaze raking over all of them before he returned
to pacing.

Joey refused to invite Devon in, hence
he was banished to the hallway, and none of them could really talk
with the door open. “Why don’t we go to my house,” Cassie suggested
softly.

Joey shot her a fierce look before
shaking his head. “I’m not going anywhere that thing can go
inside!” he retorted sharply.

Cassie’s eyes narrowed, her skin
prickled against the assault on Devon. “Devon is on our side,”
Luther said gently, and not for the first time, as he shot Cassie a
warning look.

“None of them are on our side. Hell I
don’t even think any of you are on our side!”

“It’s true Joey,” Dani said
softly.

His eyes narrowed fiercely. It was more
than obvious he felt betrayed by his sister. “Have you forgotten
what they did to our family? To mom and dad and
Rachael.”

“Rachael?” Luther inquired
softly.

Joey’s eyes darted to him, fury
radiated from every inch of his body. “She was our sister. They,”
he thrust a finger viciously at Devon, who lifted an eyebrow
slightly, but otherwise showed no reaction to the hatred directed
at him. “Murdered her.”

Cassie’s stomach twisted, nausea rolled
through her as disgust washed over her. It could so easily have
been her or Chris, and it would have been if Chris’s dad hadn’t
received premonitions also. She glanced briefly at Devon, but he
remained unmoving, his face a stoic mask. She wanted his comfort,
but she sensed that he had shut down, that he had withdrawn from
the accusations, and the brutal reminder of what he had once been.
Of what he had once done to people.

He may not have been part of The
Slaughter, but at one point in his long life he had killed and
tortured many people. How many, she did not know, she wasn’t even
sure if he knew. She just wanted to live in the present, where he
was good and loving, and hers. His gaze came slowly to her, his
eyes dark, cold, distant; his jaw clenched tightly.

“I barely got Dani out of there alive,”
Joey said more softly, his thoughts focused upon his bloody, horrid
past. Dani was staring at her sneakers once more, her hands folded
behind her back. “And I was only eleven. Do you know what it’s like
to try and keep your sister alive when you are only eleven years
old and living on the streets?” he demanded sharply.

No one spoke. Cassie could not find
words to offer him. Though she and Melissa had lost their parents,
and Chris his father, they had all been lucky enough to have
someone there to take care of them after. Luther had fled with
Melissa, Cassie’s grandmother and Chris’s mother had taken them to
safety. And although Chris’s mother had retreated into a world of
alcohol and drugs, Cassie’s grandmother had been there to nurture
and love him as they grew.

But to live on the streets, struggling
to survive, trying to raise a baby was something that she could not
even begin to fathom. It must have been horrifying and completely
terrifying. Her heart ached for him, and she began to understand
why his hatred was so entrenched. “That must have been awful,” she
said gently.

Joey’s fierce gaze snapped to her, his
eyes narrowed with hatred. Devon shifted, his casual stance
forgotten as he stepped away from the doorway. “Awful doesn’t begin
to describe it!” Joey snapped, fury radiating from every inch of
him. It was that anger that had Devon on the defensive, though
there was little he could do since he couldn’t enter the apartment.
“You know nothing of what I went through.”

“We all had a hard time of it.” Chris
was trying to defuse the situation though he looked almost as
agitated as Devon.

Joey snorted in disgust, tugging at his
hair as he ran his hand tensely through it once more. “It must have
been really hard for you with your homes, and your
families.”

“Joey,” Dani said softly, looking
embarrassed and discomfited by her brother’s attitude. “They lost
their families too.”

“Not all of them!” Joey snapped out,
his gaze disdainfully raking Chris before turning on Cassie. A low
growl emitted from Devon, his hands fisted at his sides as he
glared fiercely at Joey. “I told you, animals,” he sneered in
disgust at Devon.

“Cassie come here,” Devon ordered
forcefully.

She wanted to bristle at his commanding
tone, but he was near his snapping point. Though he could not enter
the apartment, she was greatly afraid he would tear the building
down if she didn’t go to him. Glancing anxiously back and forth
between him and Joey, she was uncertain what she should do. She
didn’t want to alienate Joey any further, they would need him, but
she didn’t want Devon’s control tested anymore than it already was.
Devon was afraid that Joey would hurt her, and it frustrated him
that there was nothing he could do if Joey attacked one of them. He
hated feeling helpless, and she was the only one that could ease
that feeling, and reassure him that she was safe.

Confusion tore through her as she
glanced helplessly at Luther, seeking some sort of guidance from
the man who had been very much like a father to her. He gave a
subtle nod toward Devon, though his eyes did not leave Joey as he
continued to pace restlessly. For the first time she noticed that
Chris had been moving closer to Melissa and Luther, a distrusting
gleam shone in his eyes.

It was Chris’s reaction that upset her
most. He didn’t trust Joey.

“Cassie,” Devon growled
again.

Joey glared at her as she moved away
from the back of the old couch, edging her way toward the door. The
moment she was partly past the frame, Devon seized hold of her
hand, pulling her sharply outside. She gave him a disgruntled look
that he chose to ignore as he pushed her behind him.

“Devon,” she said angrily, not at all
liking being relegated to the back.

He didn’t even look at her, nor did he
move. Cassie nudged him as she stepped around his back. He put his
arm in front of her, slamming it against the doorframe as he shot
her a fierce look, his eyes briefly flaring a ruby red.
“No!”

Cassie blinked in surprise, she had
seen his eyes red before, but it had never been directed at her.
Though she knew he would never hurt her, he would hurt someone else
if he lost control. Swallowing heavily, Cassie rested a hand on his
arm, hoping to ease some of his tension. “I’m not going back in,”
she assured him, keeping her voice low so that Joey couldn’t hear
her.

He relaxed slightly, his hand falling
away from the frame, though he did not allow her to go any further
past him. Joey was glaring at her as if she were the worst form of
human life, a distasteful thing that he wanted to stomp. Despite
her intention to stand her ground, Cassie found herself taking a
small step back from the anger and hate blasting against
her.

Devon bristled, the corded muscles of
his arms stood out sharply as his hands fisted. His back was ramrod
straight, the jagged tears in his shirt revealed that though blood
still stained his back, the vicious wounds had completely healed.
Cassie found herself fascinated by his amazing, shocking, healing
abilities. Though, she was slightly unnerved by the sharp reminder
that he was anything but human.

“I think you should all leave,” Joey
said briskly.

“Joey!” Dani cried her distress obvious
as she leapt off the couch. “They’re like us! We’ve found others.
That’s what we’ve been searching for, hoping for. You can’t send
them away.”

“They are not like us Dani, they’re
traitors.”

Dani glanced wildly around the room
before her eyes landed pleadingly on her big brother. “No they
aren’t! No, Cassie came after me. She came after me to help me. She
was frightened for me; she was trying to save me! If they hadn’t
come, I would have died. The real monster is still out
there!”

He shook his head, his jaw set, and his
eyes hard. “I don’t want them here. I want nothing to do with
people that have aligned themselves with our enemy.”

Dani seized hold of his arm, frantic to
get through to him. “He saved her Joey!” she cried, jabbing a
finger at Devon. “He put himself in between her and that thing out
there. He put his own life in danger to save her!”

Joey threw her hand off, disgust
radiating from him. “I don’t care,” he snarled. “They both should
have died.”

“Don’t you ever say anything like that
again!” Devon bellowed, taking a fierce step forward, only to be
blocked by an invisible wall of air.