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

   “And if she doesn’t
?”

   “Are you always so pessimistic?” Devon
couldn’t help but
smile at him as he shook his head. “I can’t let myself think like that. I just can’t. It means that I’ve lost her too, and right now I can’t deal with that. So yes, I have to believe that Cassie will come back to us, you should too.”
   Devon ran his hand through his hair, nodding slowly as he mulled over Chris’s words. He was
right;
Chris had to have
hope
that Cassie
would
c
o
me back to him.
However,
Devon knew
it
was better if he didn
’
t.
He could not allow himself to have such hope, not when he knew that
Cassie’s decision was probably
for the best. In the long run they could not be together, and there was a good possibility that he
w
ould end up hurting her
,
no matter what Chris believed
. No, Chris needed his hope, but Devon couldn
’
t share it. He couldn
’
t crush it either.

   “Why didn’t she want to join you?” Chris asked softly.

  
Devon shrugged absently. “Her parents
,
and now her grandmother
,
have
all
been killed by
vampires
. She was bred to hate what we are
.
Y
ou were
all created to destroy my kind
.”

   “Yes, but she doesn’t have to be
a murderer
like them.
”
   “I know
that
,
and so does she, but it
’
s still frightening
to her
.
Plus, s
he would also have to give up the sunlight, the warmth and wonder of its rays.”
   Chris was silent for a moment. “Eventually she could return to it though.”
   “Maybe, but she would have to spend hundreds of years in the dark with no guarantee that she could ever go back into
the
light.
Just because two of us have been able to do it does not mean that others will be successful.
”

   Chris nodded
as he
plac
ed
his coffee cup down. “That would be awful for her, but I’m sure she would adjust.”
   “There will be no need for her too.”
   Chris smirked at him as he shook his head. “Man you’re depressing.”

   Devon grinned back at him. “
There’s nothing more depressing then being dead, which
I am.”
    

  
Chris laughed as he nodded his agreement.
The soft patter of footsteps turned both their heads toward the door. Chris’s mother was shuffling through it, her hand rest
ed
on the door
frame as she steadied herself
, the ice in her glass of
scotch
rattl
ed
as she moved. “Christopher, what are you doing here? I thought you would be staying with
Cassie, and
your
people.”

   Chris stiffened;
his feet plopp
ed
loudly o
n
the floor. “
Luther and Melissa are with her.
I
thought it best if I returned home
.”

   “Oh,
this
is your home now. You never
act like it. In fact it’s more like a stopping ground where you keep your clothes.”

   “Mom…”

   “I have company,” she interrupted sharply.

   “Of course you do,” Chris mumbled.
  

   “What did you just say!?” she demanded, her voice taking on a near hysterical edge.

  
“Nothing mom.”

   “Don’t you talk to me like
that!
I gave you life, I created you! I took care of you even after I discovered
what abominations
you and your bastard of a father
were
!
”

   Devon sat in stunned silence. Chris
’s
face color
ed
in shame
, his eyes darted briefly to Devon
as
his head bow
ed
down. His look
in Devon’s direction
caught his mother’s attention
as she finally realized that Chris was not alone
. She turned toward Devon, her eyes widen
ed
in surprise
as
the
furious
,
alcohol induced glaze slipp
ed
swiftly from them. Disgust twisted through Devon as lust bloomed heavily from her.

   “You didn’t tell me you had a friend here,” she hissed to Chris.

   Chris’s jaw locked tight, his eyes narrowed as his nostrils flared slightly.
She might well be one of the most repulsive women Devon had ever come across as she sauntered slightly forward, swaying her hips invitingly. “You didn’t give me a chance,” Chris said softly.

   She chose to ignore him as her gaze remained pinned on Devon. “What’s your friend’s name?”

   Chris glanced apologetically back at him
, shame colored his fair cheeks
. “This is Devon.”
   “Hello Devon,” she purred, thrusting her hand out. He chose to ignore it.

   “
Cassie’s
boyfriend,” Chris added pointedly.

   Her eyes widened slightly, she licked her lips as her eyes
raked over Devon
once more
. “Whoever would have thought it fr
om little Cassie.” Devon’s ire
spiked up a level, his hand
s
clenched the
arms of the
chair. “I’m sure you’ve taught her a thing or two. I could teach you more.”

   Revulsion and anger curdled through Devon’s stomach
.
Chris launched to his feet
, his chair skidd
ed
back a few feet
. “That’s enough!” he
snapped.
“Don’t you have a
stranger
to ent
ertain?”

   Her sapphire eyes narrowed fiercely. Devon
rose slowly, stepping
forward
he
rest
ed
his hand lightly on Chris’s shoulder. Chris fairly vibrated with anger, his shoulders were set, his jaw locked as he glared
at his mother.
His eyes smolder
ed
with ire and humiliation.
“I assure you that I am a far worse abomin
ation than your son,” Devon
informed her quietly
.

   Her eyes flickered, her
eye
brows dr
e
w sharply together.
She looked
confused for a moment, and then his words finally pierced her alcoholic stupor. She
took a step back, fear blaz
ed
off of her. “What do you mean?” she whispered.
She glanced wildly at Chris, her
heart thump
ed
loudly;
her terror
was
nearly palpable in the enclosed porch. Chris gave her a brief nod, confirming the fears and doubts rolling through her.

   “Why don’t you go back inside
now.
” Devon’s voice was low, urging. Though he didn
’
t use his power of mind control, the tone was compelling enough to make her step further away. Nodding rapidly, she spun
ungracefully
and hurried inside, glancing briefly over her shoulder before disappearing in the house.

   Chris’s shoulders
slumped;
he ran a hand wearily
through his hair. “Sorry
bout
that,” he muttered, looking defeated and beat.

   Devon shook his head, squeezing Chris’s shoulder briefly before releasing him. He turned back toward Cassie’s house. No wonder Chris had spent most of his nights there, escaping from the woman that was supposed to be his mother. “Lily’s death really hurt you to
o.
”

   Chris glanced at him, shrugging his broad shoulders. “She was a wonderful person.”
   Devon shoved his hands in his pockets. “Yes.”

   “Not to mention you and Cassie are killing me. I can’t keep her fury tuned out, and you wandering around like a kicked puppy
is
really starting to get on my nerves.” Devon quirked an eyebrow, not at all amused
to be
called a puppy. “The both of you are enough to drive a person crazy.”
   “And you can’t deal with your own grief.”

   “No
.”

   Devon turned back to the window, watching as the snow drifted slowly down. It was beginning to stick to the sidewalks and road
s
now.
From inside, music started to play.
Apparently Chris’s mother had decided to bury her fear in a party. Digging in his pockets
,
Devon tugged his keys free
,
slipping the key to his apartment off
he
hand
ed it
to Chris.

   “Stay at my place tonight.” Chris glanced
sharply at him; his eyes darted
down to the key in Devon’s hand.
“It’s quiet there, and maybe it’s far enough away that you can escape m
in
e and Cassie
’s emotions for the night
.”

   Chris shook his head. “I can’t leave
Cassie
.”
   “I’ll be here. She’ll be fine. You need to rest; you’re starting to look like hell.”

  
Issuing a sharp bark of laughter, Chris shook his head. “That’s the pot calling the kettle black.
” He took the key from Devon’s hand
looking
as if a weight had been lifted from him. “Don’t you
ever
tell her I did
this.
”
   Devon grinned at him. “I won’t.”

   “You’re going to stay outside all night?”

   “My car
’
s at the end of the road. I’ll be fine.”

  
Chris
nodded
and
shov
ed
the key into his pocket. “So, where do you live?”

CHAPTER
2

   As the first rays of
the
sun broke over the horizon, Devon parked his car next to Chris’s beat up Mustang. Compared to Devon’s
sleek new
Cha
llenger
, the
old
Mustang
looked even more wounded and decrepit. He stepped into the cold, shoving his hands in his pockets as he made his way toward the apartment building.

   Punching in his security code, he pulled the heavy glass door open, welcoming the blast of heat that hit him
, warming his frozen extremities
. He made his way slowly down the quiet hall.
Most people were
still asleep, though the scent of brewing coffee was beginning to fill the air. Pounding swiftly up the steps, he jogged to the third floor
and
turn
ed
down the hallway.

   Reaching his apartment, he pulled
out
the spare key he kept above the door
and
slipp
ed
it into the lock
. He was exhausted, all he wanted was a warm shower, and a few m
i
n
u
t
e
s
of sleep
before he had to drag himself
in
to the ridiculous institution of high school
once more
. Thrusting open the door, the first thing he noticed were the loud snores issuing from Chris. He
was
sprawled face down on the couch,
drooling
into
the pillow he had grabbed from the bedroom.