Kindled (Page 43)

“Devon, you need to calm down,” Annabelle said softly.

He took a step into the room. “Who took her?”

“Devon…”

“Who Annabelle!?” he bellowed so loudly that the windows shook.

Annabelle jumped slightly, pushing Chris back as she moved away. “That is what we need to figure out,” she said softly. “But I believe it was The Commission.”

Chris glanced sharply at her. He didn’t want to be associated with anything, or anyone, that may have had something to do with Cassie’s disappearance. Unfortunately The Commission was something that he could be associated with. Devon was irrational right now; he might very well blame Chris for Cassie’s disappearance. “How long ago?”

“Devon look, we need to figure this out. If you could just calm down, we may be able to trace her location. Her blood is inside of you.” Chris glanced sharply at Annabelle, shock riveted him. Cassie had allowed Devon to feed from her? He didn’t know why he was so surprised; it made sense for them to want that connection after all. He just hadn’t suspected that it had happened already. “I know you have fed from her. I can smell it, and sense it, in the power radiating from you.

“That power is also making you even more irrational now. You just need to calm down,” Annabelle continued softly, her tone conveyed a reasoning that didn’t appear to be reaching Devon.

Another blur caught Chris’s attention moments before fresh footsteps hit the porch. Liam appeared behind Devon, his silver eyes instantly latched upon Annabelle. Though Chris had been afraid to move even an inch, Liam strode swiftly past Devon as he hurried to Annabelle’s side. Chris could sense their longing for each other, but they did not touch as Liam reached her side.

“We, all of us, we can find her Devon,” Annabelle continued gently. “With all of our gifts…”

“Before they hurt her?” Devon growled. “Can we find her before they hurt her?”

Annabelle glanced sharply back at Chris, her eyes caring but fearful. “We can find her. If she is still alive, we can find her. And she is alive, right Devon?”

Chris could read the truth in the softening of Devon’s features. Relief flowed through Chris; his shoulders slumped as joy suffused him. Cassie was alive. His best friend had not been lost, yet. There was still time to get her back. Hopefully before she was hurt too badly, or Devon went completely insane.

Headlights filtered over the windows, tires crunched in the snow. Doors opened and slammed, running footsteps sounded over the driveway and then up the steps. Melissa and Luther burst through the door, skidding to a halt when Devon turned rage fueled eyes on them. Luther shoved Melissa back a step, Liam moved instinctively closer to them.

“Devon please come in and sit down,” Annabelle coaxed. “Please.”

Devon didn’t move. He remained standing like an opposing avenger sent straight from the depths of hell. Chris only prayed he would not turn that wrath upon them, though he still appeared very close to doing so. “No,” he growled. “Tell me what happened here.”

Annabelle looked helplessly around. “At least let me turn on some lights. Let us get comfortable, so we can try to formulate a game plan.”

Devon remained unmoving, his face hard, his eyes on fire. Annabelle moved slowly away, hedging toward the light switch by Devon. Liam bristled slightly beside Chris, but didn’t move to go after her as she neared Devon. The lights flared on, causing everyone to blink in surprise. “What happened?” Liam inquired, glancing around the living room.

Chris slowly took in the room, noting the rope on the floor by the chair where he had been tied. He glanced at the bowl of soup he had eaten shortly before utter blackness had claimed him. A bowl of soup that Dani had made for him.

“Dani happened,” he muttered in horror, Annabelle’s words completely sinking in for the first time. He hadn’t known what to make of her statement earlier, but now, with nausea twisting through his belly, he completely understood what she had been trying to say. “Dani did this.”

“Yes,” Melissa said flatly. Disgust, anger, and frustration darkened her face. “Yes she did.”

Chris frowned at her, sensing more behind her words. “You had a vision?”

Melissa nodded briskly. “Too late though, they’re almost always too late!” she spat.

“But what exactly did she do?” Chris demanded, his frustration getting the best of him. “I was playing the video game, and next thing I know I was waking up tied to a freaking chair! And why? Why did she do this?”

“I think there was something in your soup,” Annabelle answered. “Some kind of drug, you were out cold when I got down here.”

“And where were you?” Liam asked quietly, the tension in his voice belying his soft tone.

Annabelle ducked her head slightly; her long lashes fell to cover her eyes. “Upstairs,” she admitted. “Dani came into my room, and we were talking. She was saying that she was scared, confused,” Annabelle’s delicate forehead furrowed as she tried to recall the conversation. “I remember giving her a hug, and then nothing. I was tied to my bed when I woke up, the hair on my arms still slightly singed.”

“She electrocuted you,” Liam growled.

Chris took a small step away from him, not liking the anger rapidly building inside him either. They already had one very pissed off vampire to deal with, they didn’t need another one. Annabelle nodded. “I believe so.”

Liam let out a low growl. Annabelle went to him, taking hold of his hand as she turned toward Melissa. “What did your vision show you?”

Melissa shot an anxious look at Devon, who was watching her intently, his eyes cold and furious. Chris was certain that Devon had already heard the answer to this, but was not going to stop her from the retelling. “Dani tasered Cassie. I saw her go down, and then four men came out to retrieve her.”

Devon swore furiously, spinning on his heel he paced anxiously away. Melissa and Luther took that as their chance to slip by him and join the others in the living room. “The men?” Chris asked softly.

“Were out in the daytime, they were human. I am almost positive they were part of The Commission.”

Devon swore again, his pacing becoming more agitated. “Why would Dani do this?” Chris asked softly.

“I don’t know,” Luther answered. “Maybe it has something to do with her brother, but I don’t know. We have no idea what happened to her, or what she did, before we met her.”