Kindred (Book 1 The Kindred Series) (19 page)

   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
fr
o
z
e
her muscles and kep
t
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.
A
ll of the loss, and ache, and loneliness
did not
hurt
as much
as his touch
became the
balm
that sooth
ed
it
all
.

  
The dream last night had been wonderful and beautiful, but the reality was far better than anything she could have ever imagined.
I
n 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
f
rightened by
the realization
.
She was
exhilarated
by it.
Everything would be ok now
that
he w
as
a part of her
.

   His eyes darkened, his fingers tighten
ed
around hers as he clung to her
;
a tremor sh
oo
k his powerful frame.
A tremor that melted her heart
and
ma
de
her ache to reach out and caress his cheek
.
She
longed
to
sooth
e
the fear and confusion
radiat
ing
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 torm
ent
she sensed
deep
in
side
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 r
un
n
ing
through him, the tight control he exerted over himself.
She completely understood
his
feelings
as they were the same ones
rattling her
to
o.

  
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 h
is touch
had
put back some of the pieces
of her
broken
soul
.

   F
or a moment
he hesitated
, his eyes burn
ed
into hers
as
something dark shift
ed
behind
his intense gaze
.
A small smile flitted across his hard mouth.
He rose swiftly, with a grace that was breathtaking
and stunning
.
S
tar
ing
down at her,
he was unable to suppress the
small tremor rac
ing 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.
H
e 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
not
e of
the perfection of his
strong
fingers. Heaving her bag onto her shoulder,
she took a deep breath as
she
decided to
thr
o
w her
life
over to fate. There was no stopping
fate
after all, and
she was surprised to realize that she no longer
want
ed
to. S
lid
ing
her hand into his,
she
clasp
ed
tightly
hold
of
it
, surprised to note the
slightly co
o
l
er
feel of his
skin
.
She didn’t have long to contemplate that though
t though
as t
he 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. Alt
hough
,
given that she was not entirely human,
she was probably
stronger and
far
more
cap
able
of
protect
ing
him
.
Thoug
h
, 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 sen
t
a shiver of delight down her spine
and
caus
ed
goose
bumps to break out on her hypersensitive skin.

   The last thing she wanted was
to
go to another class, but she
could not
w
alk out
of school with him
,
like
she longed to do.
However, she was pretty sure that she could
n’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
glanc
ed
questioningly at the two of them as they took their seats.
No one from their class remained.
Cassie sighed heavily, knowing
wh
at
she had to do, but wishing that she didn’t. “I have
A
natomy and
P
hysiology now.”

  
“L
ead 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
pull
ed
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
eye
brows 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
a
re held in classrooms,
”
she said softly.

  
“Library.”

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

   He glanced up at her;
a small smile curv
ed
his
full
mouth. Cassie felt her heart melt, her toes curl
ed
at the s
ight 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 tighten
ed
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
.
I
t felt right, and she realized that if
she
had been the one to say it
to him
, she would have meant it
.

  
I
t would have been true.

   T
heir 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 sunbur
n.
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
.
B
ut 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 consum
ing
her.