Kindled (Book 3 The Kindred Series) (21 page)

  
Luther was still distraught over the boy, who thankfully had not sustained enough blood loss to warrant a hospital, but whose parents had been frantic with worry when they ha
d been called.
Isla’s body had been swiftly disposed of, hidden in the woods in a clearing where the sun would hit it first thing, turning it to cinder.
Devon was s
urprised to find himself at full strength, if still not slightly beyond what he was used to
feeling
. Especially after having
to exert his will over
Cassie and the boy, but Cassie’s blood in his veins had kept him stronger than he would have been at any other point in time.

   An uneasy feeling settled over
Devon
as he watched
Dani
. She was too antsy, especially for someone that didn
’
t know the full details of what had occurred outside. She glanced quickly away from him, her eyes darting over the room as she began to pace swiftly back and forth.

   Chris slipped into the loveseat, his
right
hand jerk
ed
on the armrest. He scowled down at the offending extremity, slapping hold of it with his other hand. “How long are the effects going to last?” he muttered miserably.

   “Probably till tomorrow,” Luther answered absently.

   Chris’s scowl deepened as he looked disgustedly at Luther. “Wonderful.”

   Melissa fisted her hands, jerking
slightly her eyes narrow
ed
angrily as she tried to keep herself still. She was fighting a losing battle. “Are you going to tell us what happened out there?” she demanded through clenched teeth.

   Luther glanced at him; Devon gave him a brief nod. Luther
knew more about what was going on than he did.
Sighing softly, Luther paced over to the fireplace mantel
and
rest
ed
his arm
on top of it
. “A few weeks ago Devon came to me with some doubts and worries.” Cassie glanced sharply up at him, her delicate forehead furrowed
questioningly
. “I agreed that there were some things that we needed to look into.”
   “What kind of doubts?” Cassie asked softly.

   Devon sighed softly, hating to do this to her, but knowing that it had to be done. “I
had some question
s about you.”

   Her eyes widened
in surprise, her small hands fist
ed
in her lap. “I don’t understand,” she whispered.

   “Devon had some questions about the Hunter line, specifically questions about
Hunters with your abilities,” Luther qualified.

   “I don’t have any abilities.”
   “But you do. I have told you this many times, your
highly enhanced
speed, hearing, sight, and strength are all abilities.”

   “Ok fine,” Cassie relented.
“But why would there be any questions about that?”
   “Because,” Devon said softly. “
Your
abilities are so very close to
mine, and to other vampire’s
.”
   Cassie jolted slightly, but her face was still marred with confusion. Chris and Melissa looked just as
baffled
; Dani still radiated a strange terror. “
All of us have enhanced speed, hearing, and sight
,
so w
hat the hell are you saying?” Chris demanded, not at all in the mood to be patient.

   “The day that Cassie’s grandmother died, Cassie was so angry at me, so infuriated that when she turned on me, her eyes flashed red.” Cassie stiffened against him. “That was when I wen
t to Luther with
,
”
Devon explained.
   “Why didn’t you tell me?” she whispered.

   “You weren’t exactly talking to me at the time.”
She turned away, her head bowing slightly as her fingers picked at
the
blanket.

  
“We decided to do some research,” Luther said softly. “
We began to l
ook
for
information about
the Hunter’s that had been like Cassie. There was very little
information
to find
though
as there ha
s
n
’
t been any in the past three hundred years. I decided to go to some of my Guardian friends
for help
. One of them had a book that was of great interest to me, and
that helped to answer some questions, but
also
raised more.”
  
Luther broke off, frowning thoughtfully as he thought over his next words.
“Please stop speaking in riddles and just te
ll us what the hell is going on,
” Cassie demanded.

   Luther
shifted;
looking slightly uncomfortable
as he wearily met her gaze
. “T
he last Hunter like you
,
that was actually recorded
,
came along three hundred years ago.
Her name was Gertrude, and during
a large battle Gertrude became so enraged and blood thirsty that she began to change into a vampire.”

   Cassie’s eyes widened,
her gaze
dart
ed
frantically between Devon and Luther. Devon remained perfectly still, terrified that she would turn against him as soon as this was all over. “Wait, wait.” Chris held up a hand. “Are you saying that this woman actually became a
vampire
?”

   Luther sighed softly as he shook his head. “No. She began the change, but was unable to
complete it. She didn
’
t have enough vampire blood in her to
make
the change
successfully.
She was caught in between.”
   Cassie’s mouth dropped, her eyes widened in horror
as
her hands clench
ed
tight upon the blanket in her lap. “She became one of those
things
, those monsters that get stuck in between?” she croaked out.

   “Yes,” Devon said softly, wishing that he could take her terror from her but knowing that he couldn
’
t.

   “A
re you saying that
I
could do the same?
”

   “Yes.”
Devon winced at the horrified, pain filled look that filled her eyes.
Chris and Melissa gasped
loudly;
Dani
remained unmoving,
her eyes wide with
fear
. “That is what happened outside; it’s also how you were able to defeat Isla. Your powers increased when your fury became so intense
that it allowed your vampire
DNA
to take hold of you
.”

  
The room became so silent that he could hear the subtle crackling of the power lines outside. Cassie remained as unmoving as a block of ice on his lap,
her skin as pale as a ghost. Her eyes
flickered slightly;
hopelessness fill
ed
them as she slowly absorbed everything that she was hearing.

  
“This woman, Gertrude, what happened to her?” she inquired in a tight, strangled voice.

   “Unfortunately
,
she had to be destroyed. She could not be allowed to survive,” Luther said softly.

  
Chris’s breath exploded from him in a rush as he leapt to his feet. He ran his hand angrily through his hair, tugging at the
slightly singed
shaggy blond strands as he cursed viciously.
“
Are you kidding me?” Melissa demanded sharply. “That’s bull! I don’t even understand why all of this would happen; we were all created the same way!”

  
Luther glanced wearily around the room
, looking defeated as he pulled his glasses off to clean them.
“I’m not one hundred percent certain, but I believe that when a Hunter
has
an ability the vampire blood in them is
more dispersed
in order
to help fuel the gift th
e
Hunter possesses
. When a Hunter doesn
’
t have a gift, the vampire blood in them is more concentrated and intense. They are stronger, faster, with better senses. More like a vampire themselves.”

   They sat in stunned silence
, Cassie
remained unmoving
. “Are you saying that I am going to turn into one of those things that get stuck in the middle?” she asked after a few minutes.

   Luther heaved another large sigh. “It’s impossible to tell Cassie, but it could happen.”

   Devon heard the increased beat of her heart, felt the chill that washed over her skin. She turned slowly back to him, her eyes tumultuous and lost. He wished there was something he could do to ease the torment radiating from her, but there was nothing. All he could do was
be
here for her, and try to comfort her.

   “I… I don’t understand, what does all this mean? Am I a danger? Am I going to turn into one of these things at a moment’s notice? Or will it take something more, like Isla telling me that she killed my grandmother?”

   Devon stiffened, his hands tighten
ed
on her. “
Isla
killed your grandmother?” he asked sharply.

   Cassie nodded, licking her lips nervously. “Yes, she told me that tonight. That was when…” she broke off
,
her voice failing her for a few moments. “That was when I lost control, when the rage took over. It was awful.”

  
He rubbed her back gently, wishing that he could soothe her hurt, but knowing that there was nothing he could do to take this away from her.
He
’
d never considered the fact that Isla had been the one that killed
her
grandmother; they had all just assumed it
was
Julian. Anger boiled through him, but he kept
it hidden from her, not wanting
to upset her any further.

   “But I don’t understand,” Cassie mused softly. “Wouldn’t I still be weaker than a vampire? I mean I am not fully one of them, I’m stuck in the middle so wouldn’t they still be able to beat me?
Shouldn’t Isla have still
won
?
”

   This was the one thing that Devon had been hoping Cassie wouldn’t wonder about. The one thing he had hoped to keep from her. He met Luther’s gaze, but he knew that Luther would not be the one to explain this. “No Cassie,”
Devon said gently, continuing to rub her back, but knowing it would do little to comfort her soon. “You would think so, but the things that get stuck in the middle, they’re mind
less.
A vampire may be more powerful, but they still have a survival instinct, these things…” he trailed off, simply because this was the part that he didn
’
t want to think about. “These things do not. All they want is the kill; all they experience is the bloodlust.
They care nothing for their own lives
,
all they want is to destroy and massacre
.
”

   Cassie gaped at him, her beautiful eyes lost and wounded as confusion swam through them. Then horror filled her face, the color drain
ed
swiftly out of
it
. For a moment he thought she was going to fall over. His hands on her tightened as he tried to keep her with him, tried
to keep her from withdrawing from him again.

   “Cassie…”

   “I’m a monster,” she breathed.

   “No…”

   She jerked away from him suddenly
and
launch
ed
to her feet with a grace and speed that was startling. He tried to reach for her again, but she had already moved beyond his
grasp
as she paced to the doorway
. Her hands were shaking, her skin so white now that he could see the small blue veins running through her porcelain
complexion
. Her lips had turned nearly as white as the rest of her.

   “
I
really
am
a monster,” she whispered.

   “Cassie no…”
   Chris cut off as she turned toward him; her lips pursed tight, her eyes flat and cold. “I’m not even like
you
guys,” she said flatly. “I’m nothing. I’m a walking danger to this planet…”
   “That is not true!” Luther cut in sharply. “There were other Hunters like you before Gertrude
,
who never had any problems.
Gertrude was a one in a million chance, the rest were fine.”