Phoenix Rising (Page 23)

Luther turned down another road and pulled in front of a hotel as he put the "borrowed" Lexus into park. It was a fancier car then any of them had been looking for, but it had the darkest windows they could find. Devon and Luther went inside to rent rooms, while Cassie, Melissa, and Chris waited in the quietly purring vehicle.

Julian, Liam, Annabelle, Dani, and Joey rode in the other vehicle. They pulled up beside them and Liam and Julian exited to go inside. Cassie found herself drawn into the rhythmic beat of the hearts of the people that walked by. She shook her head and quickly pulled herself away from them. Though she didn’t require it, she desperately needed fresh air.

"Cassie!" Chris hissed when she shoved the backdoor open and climbed into the cool night.

He jumped out of the passenger seat and leaned over the roof to glare at her. Cassie rolled her eyes and rubbed her arms as goose bumps broke out on them. She was a little surprised to find that even though she was dead, and cooler than a human, she still felt the chill almost as acutely as she always had. Life after death was most certainly strange, she decided.

"I’m not going anywhere," she told him. "Besides, I can take care of myself." He continued to glower at her, but at least he didn’t come charging around the car after her. Melissa slipped out of the back beside her. "It’s so peaceful here."

"We’ll find peace one day," Melissa assured her. "Well find those children, and we’ll deal with the Elders, and we’ll find peace somewhere too."

"Was that one of your visions?"

Melissa smiled feebly as she shook her head. "I wish. But look at how far we’ve come already. We found you, the Halflings have been dealt with, Patrick is dead, three of The Elders are even dead. It’s still going to be grueling but we can get through this. We’ve always been able to do anything together, and we’re already getting closer to the children."

She leaned against Melissa’s side, finding solace in her words. "You’re right."

Devon and Luther remerged from the office, followed by Julian and Liam. "We have rooms on the upper floor," Devon informed them.

Cassie nodded and tilted her head to the side to stare down the street. Loud laughter filled the night as a group of twenty-something’s ran down the road. It was all so surreal, a life that she would never have, never experience. Even if she was still human she never would have possessed the carefree exuberance they radiated.

For the first time, she found she didn’t mind, didn’t care that her life would be more precarious than others. In fact, she felt that she rather enjoyed it. Perhaps it was the vampire in her now, or maybe it was the fact that she had come to accept every lemon life had handed her and had decided to make lemonade with it.

"Would you like to explore a little?"

She glanced up at Devon and nodded as she slid her hand into his. "Will I be ok around…" her question trailed off as she glanced up and down the street.

"You’ll be fine, and it’s something you’re going to have to get used to. We’ll be with you if something goes wrong."

She swallowed heavily, but she couldn’t contain her excitement over the possibility of feeling normal again, if only for an hour or two. Dani, Joey, Luther, Annabelle, and Liam headed up toward the second floor to get some sleep. Joey had been a little more reasonable since Annabelle had saved his life. Both Chris and Julian sensed no ill intent within him, but even so he would be guarded tonight, and Devon kept hold of a part of his mind.

They leisurely moved down the streets and peered into the bars and restaurants. The smell of food filled the air, and though her nose twitched, her stomach didn’t rumble in response. Chris and Melissa’s did however. They slipped into a small tavern and searched for seats among the crush of people. The heat of the bodies, the thumping hearts, and the soft whoosh of blood pumping through all of the tempting veins surrounding her, made her feel as if she were in the path of an avalanche.

She took a small step back as she struggled against the confusion and sounds pouring over her. Though she’d fed well before they had left the motel this morning, she couldn’t ignore the rushing blood of so many hearts and so much blood. "It will be ok," Julian assured her as he rested his hand in the small of her back. She didn’t flinch away from his touch, it didn’t matter anymore his ability was already a part of her. "Just focus on Devon and I, we will help to get you through this."

She tried to focus on his scent and heat as his hand pressed more firmly against her. Devon had been pushed forward by the crowd and was the center of attention for the hostess. Cassie scowled as the woman smiled flirtatiously and Julian chuckled annoyingly. "Easy princess, you can’t eat the employees."

"Even if they deserve it?"

"Even then." Cassie tried to frown at him but she found herself unable to resist his easy smile.

The hostess and Devon led the way through the packed building. The dark wood paneling on the walls and the old wooden beams running across the ceiling were supposed to make it seem old fashioned, it simply felt claustrophobic to her. The illumination within the establishment was dim and the carpet had been in need of replacement years ago. The people within seemed to relish in the shadows though as they laughed and slung back drinks with the gusto of those just getting started for the night.

Devon led the way into a back room lined with booths and away from the raucous of the crowded bar area. Small lamps with colorful glass shades sat on the scarred wooden surface of the tables. Julian stepped aside to allow Devon to slide in next to her as the hostess placed the menus down and Julian grabbed a chair for the end of the table.

"How are you feeling?" Devon asked above the clamor of the dinner crowd.

Cassie pondered that before nodding slowly. Though it was a little overwhelming to be surrounded by this many people, and this much blood, she didn’t feel the onrushing wave of hunger that signaled she had to feed. "I’m good."

She glanced at the crush of bodies and began to take note of the other sights and sounds within the room. The potent scent of liquor and beer permeated the room, beneath that was the pleasant smell of food, especially buffalo tenders. Music drifted from the backroom to mingle with the sound of clinking pool balls and arcade games. She could even hear the faint whistle of dart feathers cutting through the air. It was amazing and she found herself thrilled to be back in public where she could see and watch what the people, where she could briefly experience their normal lives.

She had missed this far more than she’d even realized. Her thoughts drifted back to Cape Cod, and her childhood home. She hadn’t thought that she would be returning there again after being imprisoned by The Commission. As soon as this was over that was exactly where she was going to return. She had to see her grandmother’s house one last time, and make sure that the people within the town were safe before moving on to embrace her new life.