Kindled (Page 56)

Cassie continued to grin at him. “You know, you’re not so bad when you’re in here. And you have a nice laugh.”

He chuckled softly, resting his forehead against the glass as he stared down at her. “I don’t remember the last time I laughed,” he admitted. “And you had better be careful, it almost sounds like you’re flirting with me princess.”

Her mouth parted in surprise, and then a burst of laughter escaped her. “Hardly,” she retorted.

“Come on, admit it, you find me a little appealing.”

Cassie shook her head at him, unable to stop herself from laughing. She did find him a little appealing; in fact she was actually beginning to like him a little. Even if she didn’t trust him not to drain her dry the moment he got the chance. “Well, you’re not as repulsive as these people at least.”

His grin widened, revealing all of his perfect white teeth. “That’s good to know, at least I’m moving up on your list.”

“You are.”

She rested her head against the glass again, wishing that Devon was with her, to comfort her, to take her away from here. Closing her eyes, she pictured his face in vivid detail. She could clearly recall the smell of him, the feel of him. She could almost taste him again, feel his lips against hers. For a brief moment it was as if he were there, as if she could actually touch him.

And then it was gone, and she was left alone in her small cell with no one to comfort or touch her. Cassie sighed softly, fighting back the tears that burned her eyes. “Don’t fall apart on me princess, you’re tougher than that.”

Cassie bit her bottom lip, trying hard to suppress the sobs that wanted to shake her. Tears rolled down her face as her breath hitched painfully out of her. Sobs tore from her; she hugged herself tighter, fervently wishing that she was anywhere but here. “Hey,” Julian said harshly. “Look at me.”

She turned toward him, blinking rapidly against the tears streaming down her face. His hand was pressed against the glass, his face hard. “Put your hand on mine.”

She stared blankly back at him for a moment before lifting her hand and pressing it against the glass. Though they were not touching, the gesture still helped to sooth the ragged pain and misery inside of her. She missed being touched with kindness, missed the simple beauty of knowing she had her friends, and Devon, to rely on. She missed Chris (if Chris was even still alive, but that was something that she couldn’t allow herself to think about, otherwise she would lose complete control of her emotions) and Melissa and Luther. She missed their comfort, support, and unwavering love. She had none of that here. She had nothing here.

Except for Julian.

She lifted her gaze to his as she inhaled a shuddering breath. He was watching her intently, his bright eyes glowing with a strange sort of light. “Now listen to me. We are going to get through this. We are going to get out of here, but you have got to keep it together. If you break down in here, they win. You don’t want that, do you?” Cassie shook her head. “Good, so stay calm princess and we will get through this.”

Cassie swallowed heavily, blinking back her tears as she nodded. “Yes.”

“Alright then. Why don’t you tell me a little about yourself?”

She frowned at him as she settled back on her bed; it seemed like such an odd request coming from him. She kept her hand pressed against his on the glass unable to break the small connection to someone else it gave her. “I thought you knew it all already,” she said softly. “You have touched me, and you have given me a good beat down before.”

He grinned at her. “You gave as well as you got,” he reminded her. “I know a lot about you, but I’d rather hear it coming from you.”

She watched him for a moment, trying to assimilate this man with the monster she had known, with the killer that had hunted her town, and killed so many innocents. Confusion twisted through her as she shook her head. Where was the monster that had tried to destroy her? He most certainly wasn’t here with her now. This person was completely different, this person was someone that she didn’t know, but was truly beginning to trust and like.

Cassie shuddered at the odd realization, her hand tightened momentarily on the glass as she stared into his beautiful, sad, compassionate eyes. She was fascinated by him, captivated by this stranger across from her. This stranger who was becoming her friend. Julian was the only person she had to count on right now, and she needed him. She wouldn’t survive this without him.

“What would you like to know?” she asked softly.

He grinned at her. “Why don’t you tell me about your tree house?”

She couldn’t help but smile back at him as she settled in for the long night. He leaned against the glass, his hand still pressed against hers. For a moment she could almost feel the warmth of his hand against hers, the comfort of his touch. Slowly, fondly, she told him about the tree house she and Chris had spent painstaking weeks building when they were ten years old. Only to have it fall apart on them a day after they finished it.

CHAPTER 18

It was the talks that got her through the next few days. Every night she would curl up on her bed, place her hand against the glass and talk with Julian. She told him stories of her childhood, stories he probably already knew, but patiently listened to anyway. They would talk until the drugs kicked in and she drifted into a nightmare filled sleep that was nearly impossible to wake from. They would talk until her throat hurt, and she was sure that he was sick of listening to her. And the more that she talked, and the more that he listened, the closer she began to feel to him. The closer they became.

The men came for her every day, and although she didn’t have to endure more electrical shocks, they came up with other forms of torture. At one point she was locked into a windowless room with a set of strobe lights. It had been a pain filled torment that had been brutal against her sensitive eyes. She had left the room with a massive headache, and had been unable to see for a good hour afterward.

They gave her three more of the same shots; each one had the same effect on her. The strange discoloration would take hold, but by morning it would be gone. She didn’t have another freak out, but she wasn’t sure she could take much more of it. She held out hope that Devon would find her, that he would rescue her, but it was getting harder and harder to keep her spirits up.

Julian did not give up hope though. His spirits didn’t diminish. He kept her sane when it was getting harder and harder to keep her sanity. He was determined that they would escape, determined that she would be the one to get them out. The only problem was that he couldn’t think of how she was going to do it. He only knew that she would.