Kindled (Book 3 The Kindred Series) by Erica Stevens

had slept in bits and spurts but nothing solid, and it was always plagued and restless . “I’ve slept here and there,” she admitted softly.
       His eyes flickered with that brief flash of worry again. Cassie frowned, surprised by the distress that came from him. “ Y ou need to sleep.”
       Cassie shook her head. “The nightmares,” she whispered, frightened by the horrifying images that haunted her sleep. Nightmares about what her grandmother’s last moments must have been like , how frightened she must have been , and how painful they must have been .
       “I’ll keep the nightmares at bay.”
       Cassie’s eyes filled with tears, she reached out to gently stroke hi m , loving the feel of his hard cheek beneath her palm. She managed a tremulous smile, not wanting to hurt his feelings, but doubtful that he could actually keep them away. She nodded though, knowing that all he wanted was to take care of her and make sure that she was well.
       “Yes.”
       He took hold of her hands, helping her to her feet. Cassie was surprised by the relief that filled her as she climbed onto her bed, curling beneath the comforters he draped over her. The pillow felt like heaven, the sheets were deliciously soft against her skin. Devon closed the door and turned off the light, moments later he was crawling into bed beside her . Cassie cuddled against him as he pulled her tight to him.
       He felt wonderful against her, his strong arms wrapped tight around her. She had forgotten just how right it felt to have him curled up against her, making her feel safe and loved. Her eyes began to drift close, the tranquility that settled over her lulled her swiftly to sleep.
     
     
     
     
     
     
    CHAPTER 6
     
     
       Cassie woke slowly, blinking against the rays that filtered through the blinds o f her windows. She frowned as she studied those rays, momentarily puzzled by them. It had been so long since she had not watched the sun rise. She didn’t recall falling asleep, but she must have, and apparently she had slept through the entire night. Without nightmares.
       Devon’s arm was wrapped tightly around her, his hard body pressed against her back. She did not feel completely rested , but she definitely felt better . She was also at peace for the first time in so very long. Tears of relief and grief choked her, falling slowly down her cheeks to wet her pillow . Devon’s arm tightened around her, drawing her closer as he nuzzled her hair gently.
       “Don’t cry love.”
       His words only made her cry harder. He kissed her cheek gently, wiping away her tears with the pad of his thumb. Cassie rolled over to face him; burying her face in his shoulder as she wrapped her arms around him. He held her gent ly as she cried.
       Slowly her tears subsided. Though she was beginning to fear that they would never completely subside, at least not for a little while. Not until she truly grieved for her grandmother, something she had not allowed herself to do for the past two weeks. Though, she doubted she would be given much time to grieve, at least not if Isla and Julian had anything to do with it. Pulling slowly back from him, she looked up into Devon’ s much loved face. His jaw was tight, a muscle twitch ed in his cheek. His eyes were hard, flat; distant.
       It was a look she knew well.
       “You need to feed,” she said softly.
       He managed a brief nod, looking as if he were in pain. Being this close to her was torture for him, especially when he had gone a long while without feeding. And he had been so busy taking care of her last night that he had not taken care of himself. As she studied him, a thought occurred to her . A consuming need began to build rapidly inside of her.
       “What about me?”
       He blinked in surprise, recoiling slightly . “Cassie…”
       “You can feed from me Devon.”
       “No!” he said sharply, recoiling even further from her, but she could see the rapidly