Ashes (Book 2 The Kindred Series) by Erica Stevens

before focusing his attention on
Mark.
    Cassie reached out, stroking Devon’s
arm, trying to reach him through the thick cloud of fury that
suffused him. His eyes flickered to her, burning hotly. She was
momentarily frightened of him, frightened by what he might do. She
had never seen him like this, wild, frenzied, so very close to
killing. Cassie’s breath caught in her chest, but she did not move
away from him. She would not abandon him now, this was her Devon.
No matter what, good or bad, she loved him with every ounce of her
being. She just had to reach him, to stop him from doing something
awful in front of so many witnesses. She had to stop him from doing
something that he would regret.
    “Devon please, just let him go. It’s
ok.”
    His eyes flickered briefly, light
coming momentarily back into them before the darkness descended
over him once more. He turned slowly back to Mark, who looked truly
petrified as he gaped down at the hand clenching his arm. Cassie
glanced pleadingly at Chris, but he remained silent, stony as he
glared at Mark. She felt hopeless, lost.
    There was no one to help her now, no
one to stop Devon if he snapped completely. Devon took a step
closer to Mark, pulling his arm against his chest. Terror tore
through Cassie. He was going to kill Mark.
    Abandoning all caution, she threw
herself forward, instinctively knowing that Devon would not hurt
her. Shoving her way in between them, she stood on tiptoe to grasp
hold of Devon’s cheeks and swiftly bring his mouth down to hers.
Shock slammed into him, stiffening him against her. She stood
awkwardly, her lips pressed against his compressed, hard mouth as
she waited breathlessly to see what he would do. His body remained
unmoving for a moment more, and then everything changed.
    Cassie had only wanted to divert his
attention from Mark, to keep Devon from hurting him. She had not
expected that all of the frenzy he had been feeling toward Mark
would be diverted to her. His hardness melted away, he released
Mark as his arms clamped tightly around her. He lifted her off the
ground, pressing her flush against him.
    Fear trickled briefly through her; she
had never felt him this wild, this savage. He clenched the back of
her head, his fingers threaded through the bottom of the loose
twist in her hair. His mouth was firm against hers, desperate,
fierce. Though she was certain that he would never hurt her, she
also realized that he was highly unstable right now, barely in
control of himself. His mouth opened against hers, his tongue
plummeted in.
    A small moan escaped Cassie. She forgot
all her doubts and concerns as she melted against him. Heat
suffused her, pooling through her entire being, warming her
everywhere. Her heart hammered in her chest, she fit perfectly
against him. Her hands clenched tight at his neck, she wanted to
bury herself in the security and bliss that he provided her. The
entire world, and the awful events of the day, disappeared as she
became completely focused on him.
    He was her everything, he was the one
thing that could make her whole, complete. He worked the knot out
of her hair, letting it free to flow down her back. His tongue
stroked over her mouth, tasting her, savoring her. He was hard
against her, the muscles in his arms rigid, yet she could feel a
small tremor working through him as his kiss deepened, becoming
almost bruising in its intensity. She did not utter a complaint,
did not make a sound. She knew that he needed this, that he needed
her.
    She just hadn’t realized how
much.
    A shiver of fear raced through her as
his teeth hardened and lengthened. She could feel them against her
bottom lip, fierce, needy. Deadly. Though she was scared, and more
than a little over her head, she could not stop the thrill of
excitement that raced through her.
    Curiosity, and an overwhelming urge
that she could not deny, took hold of her. Gently, lightly, she
flicked her tongue over the tips of his engorged teeth. Devon
shuddered; his hands