Ashes (Book 2 The Kindred Series) by Erica Stevens Page B

it had only been a couple of hours since
she had completely regained control of herself.
    It had taken another hour to convince
Chris and Melissa that she was fine, and to go home. They had been
reluctant to leave, but she didn’t want them here when Devon
arrived. She needed to speak with him alone. Turning on her heel,
she paced restlessly back to the other side of the room. She felt
as wound up as a yo-yo.
    She glanced at the clock on her
nightstand, dismayed to realize that it was almost ten o’clock.
Where was he? What would she do if he didn’t come tonight? Terror
tore through her at the thought. Her chest constricted, making it
difficult for her to breathe.
    It had happened so swiftly, her love
for him had been rapid and all consuming. She wanted to be
frightened by it; she should be frightened by it, but she wasn’t.
To be this dependent on someone else was something that she had
never wanted. Loving someone this much left her vulnerable to all
of the hurt and cruelty that she knew resided everywhere in the
world. But it was too late, she was helplessly in love with him,
lost to him, and she could not lose him. She would do anything to
keep that from happening.
    All of her pent up, nervous energy,
deflated from her as fear consumed her. She slid limply to the
floor, dragging her legs up against her chest and hugging them
tight as she dropped her chin on top of them.

    ***

    Devon released the last fox he’d
caught. He watched it stagger away, trying to regain its balance
from the loss of blood it had sustained. Though he tried to keep
the animals alive when he fed from them, the first two foxes, three
rabbits, and one coyote he had captured had not survived. He had
been too unstable, and full of bloodlust, when he had seized hold
of them. He barely even remembered draining them dry, but he
clearly recalled their limp bodies left brokenly on the forest
floor.
    And he was ashamed.
    Though it was far better that it was
animals, and not Cassie he was draining dry because he had been
that close today. A shudder ran through him as he recalled exactly
how close he had been to ravishing her in every way, and not caring
who watched. He could not allow that to happen again. He could not
be that unstable around her again. It would not end
well.
    But when she had run her tongue across
his teeth, showing no fear of him as her excitement blazed forth,
he had nearly unraveled completely. He shuddered, the memory
rousing his bloodlust and desire once more. She was far too
innocent to know what she was doing to him, but she was going to be
his undoing.
    Their relationship had come to a
crossroads much faster than he had expected. Rising slowly, he
wiped the dirt from his jeans, watching as the fox disappeared. He
had glutted himself tonight, stuffing himself to the point of near
bursting in the hopes that it would keep him from desiring her
blood as fiercely. He didn’t think it would work.
    His head fell back as he stared up at
the thick canopies of oaks and maples. Dropping his head back down,
he used all of his senses to search the dark night. He could feel
nothing out there except for a deer, and a pack of coyotes. Julian
was being quiet, staying low.
    It was very uncharacteristic. Once
Julian made his presence known, he liked to keep it known. The fact
that he was staying quiet was more than a little unsettling. He was
planning something, and Devon didn’t like it. He had to find him,
and soon. As long as Julian was out there, Cassie was in
danger.
    Turning away, he blended swiftly into
the woods, bracing himself for what was about to come. He raced to
Cassie’s house, moving swiftly through the thick forest, easily
dodging any obstacles in his way. Reaching her house, he stopped at
the edge of the forest to study the graceful Cape house before him.
The weathered grey shingles, and light blue shutters, were bright
in the light of the full moon.
    Cassie’s room was dark, but the TV was
flashing in the window pane. He knew