Kindled (Page 59)

Cassie’s head snapped up, her fatigue was forgotten in the face of his words. Her heart thumped loudly, her breath was labored as she tried to think of some way to comfort him, some way to sort through the tumult of emotions tearing through her. He turned toward her slowly, the vulnerable expression on his face caused tears to bloom in her eyes once more.

“Julian…”

He shook his head; his blond hair fell across his forehead as he offered a tremulous smile. “It is ok princess, I understand.”

She was glad that he understood, because she didn’t anymore. She dropped her head to the window, taking comfort when he rested his head against hers once more. Tears rolled silently down her face, she bit on her bottom lip to contain her sobs. She loved Devon, she knew that, but the idea of causing Julian pain was tearing her to shreds inside. He was her savior, her friend, and she was growing to love and need him more and more with every passing moment.

***

“Where the hell are we?” Chris inquired, stifling a yawn as he slowly roused from the backseat.

Devon glanced down at the GPS. “Cedarville.”

“And where is Cedarville?”

“Upstate New York.”

Chris was silent for a moment as he studied the dark woods surrounding them. Moonlight filtered over the skeletal trees, it cast light across the snow covered hills and mountains. They had been steadily rising in elevation for the past twenty minutes. “So we’re in the boonies,” Chris said softly.

“Yeah,” Devon muttered, glancing toward the woods at his side. He hadn’t seen Annabelle and Liam in awhile, but he knew they were out there somewhere, keeping pace with the slow moving vehicle. Liam was hunting for any animal that may have seen something, and still remembered it. They had been searching New York for over a day now, and Devon was trying hard not to give up hope that they would find her. That the trail had not grown completely cold. But since crossing the border yesterday, they had found no new leads.

He shuddered at the thought, his hands gripped tight to the steering wheel as he fought not to rip it free. “Have you heard from them?” Chris asked quietly, climbing over the middle to slide into the passenger seat. Melissa and Luther were still sleeping in the far back of the Escalade.

“No.”

Chris sat silently, his gaze focused on the dark forest, his eyebrows furrowed tightly together. Devon could tell he was trying to pick up Cassie’s presence, and having no luck at it. “Maybe the trail ends here because she’s somewhere near here,” Chris muttered after a few moments.

Devon wished it was that simple, but he didn’t believe so. In his heart he feared that they had lost her for good. Pulling out his phone, he checked the screen but there were no new messages. He slid it back into his pocket before he could snap it in half. “Pull over Devon,” Chris said softly.

His head snapped toward him. “You sense something?”

Chris shook his head. “I have to piss.”

“Oh.”

Devon pulled over to the side of the road for him. He waited impatiently, his hands tapping against the steering wheel as Chris disappeared into the night. Devon frowned as he studied the oddly silent woods, nothing stirred within them. It was too quiet out there, something was not right. Chris appeared by the passenger door again, his eyes troubled.

“Something’s not right in this town.” Devon nodded his agreement as he continued to study the forest. “We actually might be in the right area,” Chris said softly.

Devon tried not to get his hopes up, tried not to let his heart soar at the thought, but he could not stop the spurt of excitement and need that shot through him. He turned his attention to the night, listening for any sound, but it remained eerily silent. “This quiet usually means vampires,” he said softly. “Get back in the car Chris.”

“Wait, what?”

“Get in the car!” Devon ordered sharply. He flung his door open and stepped swiftly into the chilly night. He studied the woods intently, searching for anything out there, but he could only sense Annabelle and Liam moving steadily closer to the vehicle.

The back window opened and Melissa stuck her head out. “What’s going on?”

Devon shook his head, moving slowly toward the back of the SUV. He shot Chris a dark look as he appeared on the other end of the vehicle. “I told you to get back inside,” he growled.

Chris shook his head; his gaze darted over the forest once more. “I don’t sense anything out there,” Chris said softly. “Absolutely nothing.”

Liam and Annabelle appeared at the edge of the woods, moving swiftly forward. Annabelle’s gaze darted constantly over her surroundings while Liam’s gaze was focused behind them. “What is this place?” Annabelle asked softly.

“Cedarville,” Chris said flatly.

Devon glowered at him. “This place is strange. There’s something off about it. We need to leave here,” Annabelle whispered.

“I don’t sense any other vampires though,” Liam mumbled. “And for the past two miles there have been very few animals. None of them could help us.”

Devon’s chest clenched at the thought that they had run out of leads. That this could very well be the end of the trail, and there was no Cassie here. He couldn’t concentrate on that thought, he would snap if he did. There was something off about this place, something not right at all, and he had to stay focused on that. He had to keep hold of the hope that whatever was wrong here would somehow lead him to Cassie. “We need to go into town.”

“For what?” Chris asked in surprise.

Devon glanced quickly at him. “Because we need to find out what is going on here.”

“But what about Cassie…” Chris’s voice trailed off as his eyes darted to the forest. “You think she’s here?”

Devon’s jaw clenched tightly as he managed a brief nod. He didn’t know what to think, but this place was strange, and it was where their trail ended. It was the only hope that they had. The only hope he had. “Are you going to ride with us, or stick to the woods?” Devon asked Annabelle and Liam.

“I’d like to stay in the woods, see if I can find something,” Liam answered. “There has to be some more wildlife out there. Somewhere.”

Devon nodded as he hurried toward the front of the vehicle, eager to get into town and see what it had to offer. To see what secrets it could be hiding. “What’s going on?” Luther inquired the moment they were back inside.