Devon was in the throes of a bloodlust so severe and destructive that attempting to stop him seemed futile. Even after he destroyed Robert, there was no way to know if Devon would stop, or if he even could stop. Not without Cassie, and there was no way to know if she would make the change in time to make any difference. No way to know if she would even come through the change with any resemblance to the person she had once been.

Devon tore the head off of one of the Halflings and used its body to ram another one that rushed at him. Annabelle winced and fell back a step as the thing broke in half. Devon was oblivious to the fact that his hair and clothes were caked with blood and his eyes were the same color. The Elders had fallen back beneath his savage advance, too astonished by it to react quite yet, but that wouldn't last much longer.

What could she possibly do to stop this?

Her gaze fell on Dani as the small girl peeped out from behind Luther. Dani! Of course!

Annabelle raced across the ground and leapt over the hole in the pavement. Liam grasped hold of her arms in order to reassure himself that she was ok. Annabelle understood his desperate need to touch her, but unfortunately she didn't have time for it right now.

"Dani, I need you to zap them, especially Devon."

Dani shook her head. "Devon told me to wait; he told me that they would turn on us and to save it for when the Halflings were dead!"

Annabelle grabbed hold of her arms and pulled her away from Luther as she shoved her toward the hole in the pavement. "I don't care what Devon told you," she retorted. "That is not Devon out there, do you understand me? I am telling you that you have to zap him, you must stop him!"

"Why on earth would you want me to do that?" Dani yelled back. "Robert killed her Annabelle! He killed her!"

Annabelle ground her teeth as she tried to keep hold of her patience. Dani didn't know what she knew, but she wished the girl would just do what she said, while she still could. "I know, but if you don't do something to stop him, he will die also. If you don't stop him then we are all dead. The Elders will come for us when they are done with him!"

Dani's eyes flitted back to the battle scene. The Elders seemed to be recovering now; Adon and Zane had taken up positions and were standing their ground instead of falling back. Octavia, Elspet, and Anastasia stood behind them, their eyes narrowed as they watched Devon. Robert was still backing up, but Bernard had edged toward the side in an attempt to circle around behind Devon. Matthew remained unmoving in the shadows with a serene expression on his face.

Panic tore through Annabelle; they didn't have much time left. Bernard was getting closer, Zane looked furious, and Anastasia was basking in the emotions she was sucking into her. Emotions she would twist within her and use to build her strength and increase her speed.

"Do it!" Annabelle's harsh command caused Dani to jump in surprise.

"Are you crazy?" Luther demanded. "She can't take them down. Let Devon destroy them."

Annabelle shook her head at Luther as she nudged Dani forward. "He can't beat them all, no matter how crazed he is. He must be stopped Luther. He must!"

Luther gaped at her as Melissa took a step forward. Her onyx eyes were questioning as she studied Annabelle. Beneath her feet, Annabelle began to feel the pulse of electricity that marked Dani's absorption of the power of the earth into her body. She took a step away and braced herself for any back flash that might be directed their way.

Dani released her power on a burst that left even Annabelle staggered. The shockwave ripped out of Dani and knocked the group of Elders back a few feet. Devon was shoved to his knees, but he wasn't completely thrown off balance. His head swiveled toward them, his nostrils flared as his red gaze burned into them. Annabelle's chest clenched as she realized she had underestimated just how far gone Devon truly was.

She grabbed hold of Dani's arm and pulled the girl with her as she took a few hasty steps back. They had succeeded in drawing his attention away from The Elders, but unfortunately they had directed it right to themselves. If the force of his stare was any indication, he wouldn't think twice before ripping them limb from limb.

"Oh," Annabelle breathed. "Oh, no."

"What have you done?" Dani moaned. "What did you have me do!?"

Annabelle remained unmoving as Devon turned toward them. He was worse than any avenging demon from Hell, worse than any nightmare Annabelle had ever had. He was going to destroy them all, and for the first time she realized that even Cassie may not be able to connect with him right now. "Annabelle," Liam grabbed hold of her arm and pulled her back. "We need to go. Now! He will kill us."

Annabelle shook him off; she refused to believe that Devon was completely gone, and she wouldn't leave him here to fend for himself. "No, we will not abandon him."

Liam's kind eyes reflected sadness by her stubborn defiance, but he couldn't know that their only salvation lay inside the store. She had to believe that Cassie would be able to reach Devon, she had to!

She could only hope that their salvation arrived before it was too late.

***

"Give me your arm."

"What?" Chris asked in surprise as he labored to keep Cassie's legs pinned beneath him.

"Give me your arm!" Julian commanded again.

Chris stared at him in disbelief, unsure he'd heard Julian right. Before he could answer though, Julian snatched hold of his arm with such speed that Chris barely saw him move. As quick as a snake, Julian bit into his wrist. Chris winced as a startled cry escaped him. "What are you doing!?" he demanded. Alarm tore through him as he tried, and failed, to rip his arm free of Julian's iron tight hold.

Julian gave him a look of disgust. "My blood calmed her before, and you know she'll require human blood to make the transition complete."

Chris continued to gawk at him, too aghast to move as Julian shoved his wrist into Cassie's mouth. He jumped in surprise as she bit deep. He opened his mouth to protest, but became immobile as Cassie's pleasure swamped him instantly.

He gaped at his friend, a person he had always relied on as she drank deeply from him. She wasn't a person, and never would be again. In fact, he didn't know what she was, or what she would become. Beneath her intense pleasure at the taste and feel of his blood, he could also sense a swirling well of power flowing through her and growing by the second. It was a power so intense that it robbed him of his breath, and any sense of reason.

Looking at her now he was acutely aware of the fact that she would never be his Cassie again. She was forever changed, and something else was rising up to take her place. Blood trickled from the corner of her mouth, but her struggles had ceased. She was peaceful now as she took from him something that he was willing to give.




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