She walked to the end of the room and rested her fingers against the wall. The rocks were cool and comforting against her burnt hand. She didn't have to turn to know that Devon was behind her, watching her. "We have to find her child," Cassie whispered.

"We will."

She turned toward him, marveling at the dazzling emerald color of his eyes in the dark. The shadows hugged his lithe body making him barely discernible from the blackness surrounding him. He held his arms out to her and enveloped her in his embrace as she moved into him. She savored in his scent of spices and power as she allowed herself to simply be here in this moment. No matter how bad everything was, he could always make her feel better.

His hand entwined within her hair and pulled her head back, his mouth was firm yet yielding as it seized hold of hers. Cassie lost herself to the touch and feel of him as he was able to make her almost forget about the awful events surrounding them, almost make her feel normal again. He lifted her off the ground and held her against him as he ravished her mouth with a ferocity that left her shaken and limp. She wasn't the only one that needed this with a desperation that bordered on insanity.

His fangs nipped at her lip, causing her to gasp in pleasure as her own fangs sprang forth in response. A whimper of delight and remorse escaped her as she cut into his lip and caused his blood to fill her mouth. It was as sweet as a peach and as tempting as the apple had been to Eve. Though she'd tasted it as a human, tasting it as a vampire was a heady experience that left her reeling with desire and thirst. She strained against the rising thirst surging through her and wiggled against him as she sought to break free.

His hand tightened in her hair as he pulled back from her. Though it was completely dark, Cassie could see blood glistening on his bottom lip. Her toes curled as her gaze latched onto that single, quivering drop. "Cassie," he breathed.

His eyes were dark and questioning, but they were also ravenous. Before he could pull away from her, she lifted her mouth to his and licked the blood from his lip. He shuddered against her, the muscles in his arms bulged as he tried to restrain himself. Then, his mouth yielded beneath the pressure of hers.

Cassie moaned as he pressed her against the wall. He pulled away, but didn't release her as he rained kisses across her throat and collarbone. There was a sudden, vibrant urgency pounding from him that left her shaking and barely able to support herself. His hands grasped hold of her face as he pulled her forward and buried her head in the hollow of his neck and shoulder. "Feed," he commanded in a harsh, ragged voice.

Cassie shuddered as longing and urgency filled her. She didn't know what she was doing though, didn't know how this worked and she was frightened she would injure him. That she would flounder and completely mess this up. She kissed him as she ran her teeth across the tender skin of his neck. He was immobile against her, as rigid and unyielding as a boulder.

Cassie paused; her fangs hovered above the vein in his neck. Instinct and yearning took over, she suddenly knew what to do, how to do it, and exactly what it was that he craved from her. Twining her fingers through his hair, she pulled him closer as she bit deep.

He groaned; his body bucked against hers as his tantalizing blood streamed into her mouth. It was the most magnificent, precious, fulfilling moment she'd ever experienced as his mind coalesced and blended with hers. His unconditional love for her poured from him, his satisfaction in her feeding from him was almost more than she could take as everything within him flowed into her. The bond between them had been special and unique when she'd still been a Hunter, but now, now it was a marvel that nearly shattered her.

There was nothing outside of this basement, nothing outside of them. The entire world ceased to exist as he ensnared her in a web of unadulterated love and awe.

***

"What happened to you?" Julian demanded.

Devon glanced down at his burnt jacket and the tattered remains of the front of his shirt. The burns on his skin had already healed. His hand tensed around Cassie's as she ducked her head and picked nervously at the front of her coat. "Sunlight," Cassie muttered.

Julian swore as he rolled his eyes. "Princess, sometimes I think you have a death wish."

Cassie frowned at him. Devon was trying not to smile at the consternation on her face, and the spark of fire that filled her eyes. "There were Halflings," she retorted.

"So you had to save the day by jumping into the sun to do what? Catch on fire and choke them with your ashes?"

Her frown deepened but she didn't respond to Julian's sarcastic inquiry. "Is everyone ok?" Luther asked quietly.

"Yes," Devon answered.

In fact he was better than ok. Her blood, her new more powerful blood coursed through him in pulsating waves that made him feel as if he could take on the world, including the remaining Halflings and Elders. "How many of them were there?" Liam asked.

"Four."

Liam was thoughtful as he glanced out the window. "From what we've learned from Patrick, and the bodies that were collected outside, plus what was killed before last night, there should only be two left."

"How do we find them?" Annabelle asked.

"They're getting desperate, they're starving, they may fall for another trap," Cassie said.

"They may be getting desperate but I don't think we'll be able to trick them again. I think the reason they have been more rational than normal Halflings is because they were a part of the Hunter line. They won't fall for anything again, not now that there are only two of them left," Luther said.

Julian folded his arms over his chest and rocked back on his heels. "They may not fall for anything, but there may also be something that they can't resist."

"What? Oh," Chris said as his eyes drifted toward the shadows of the store where Joey and Patrick were still tied to their chairs.

"Wait, we can trust my brother!" Dani gushed.

"I'm not sure I trust you." Julian's low growl caused Dani to take a step back and her hazel eyes to widen.

"No matter what, they aren't going to come back here. Did you find a place to stay?" Annabelle asked.

"The motel," Melissa answered.

"But..."

"It's better than the houses," Melissa interrupted Luther. "The homes that aren't empty and sad contain dead people. The motel is far better."

"Ok, fine, so the motel." Luther pulled his glasses off and cleaned them on his shirt. "It might actually work better to try and draw the last two out. We should get going though, we have the supplies ready."




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