She turned toward him, her startling eyes widened, her rosebud mouth parted. Relief filled her as she leapt gracefully to her feet. “Devon.”
Her soft whisper washed over him, as did her vast relief and aching hurt. She came slowly toward him as if afraid she would scare him away. Hoping to ease some of her fears, he slid gracefully through the window. Tears bloomed in her eyes, but she bat them rapidly back as she watched him, her uncertainty palpable.
“Are you ok?” He could only manage a brisk nod, finding it difficult to think in her presence. “I’m sorry.” She shook her head, looking lost. “I didn’t know what else to do; I thought you were going to kill him.”
Devon clearly recalled that scene in the cafeteria, the rage that had suffused him, the need to destroy the person hurting her. He also recalled her kiss, her taste, her sweetness. She was the only one that could have gotten through to him at that time. He didn’t like the way she had put herself in danger though, stepping between a vampire and its prey was even worse than stepping between a charging bull and its target. But she was right; he would have killed Mark if she hadn’t intervened.
She had been lucky that he had not turned his rage on her. But then again, in a way he had. The uncontrollable rage had turned into uncontrollable passion instead. Devon shuddered to think about what he could have done to her, how he could have hurt her and not even realized it until he had been well sated on her.
“I was.” She blinked in surprise at his flat words. “You stopped me from hurting him, but you can’t put yourself in danger like that again.”
“Danger?” she asked in surprise.
He nodded briskly. “Yes. Never step between a vampire and their prey. You could get hurt.”
She frowned fiercely at him, her elegant eyebrows drawing sharply together. “No matter what you might think, I know that you would never hurt me Devon.”
She had more faith in him than he did, but then again, she did not know the thoughts that ran through his mind. The things that he wanted to do to her. With her. If she knew any of it, she would not have so much faith in him; in fact she would probably run screaming in fear. Her faith was misplaced, she did not know that, but he did.
She took a step closer, but he held up his hand, warding her off even though it killed him. All he wanted was her gentle, soothing touch. “Cassie, we need to talk.”
Her frown deepened, terror flashed through her eyes.
CHAPTER 7
Cassie’s heart beat rapidly in her tight chest. It took everything she had to keep breathing. Devon studied her, his eyes yearning, yet distant. She shifted slightly, bracing herself for the worst, knowing that something bad was coming. He didn’t even want her to touch him. She could smell, and feel, the vast amounts of blood that he had consumed, the power that coursed through him now. He had drunk so much that she actually picked up on the metallic scent of it for the first time.
And he had done it so that he could prepare himself to come and see her. That did not sit well with her, nor did it bode well. Anxiety clenched fiercely at her, her knees began to tremble slightly. She knew that she was not going to like what he had to say. She needed to sit before she fell down.
Sliding limply down, she perched uneasily on the edge of her bed, her hands clenched tightly in her lap. “What is it?” she asked quietly, her voice strangled and tight.
His emerald eyes were bright in the darkened room. He was half hidden in the shadows that seemed to caress and enshroud his hard, toned body. Though the night was a little chilly, he wore only a t-shirt that clung to his muscles, emphasizing his washboard abs and firm chest. Despite her fear, Cassie was still mesmerized and thrilled by him.
Swallowing heavily she forced her mind away from her wandering thoughts. His eyes sparked, a bright gleam came into them as he seemed to pick up on the direction of her thoughts. Then he shook his head, clearly trying to bring himself back to their conversation.
An owl hooted outside, its soft cry loud in the still night. The crickets had retreated, the loss of their soft chirrups leaving the night oddly empty. He shifted slightly, the shadows moving over him, caressing him. For the first time she realized how much he truly belonged to the night, and the darkness. For the first time she saw just how different they were.
Tears burned the backs of her eyes again, but she refused to shed them. Not yet anyway. She still did not know where this was going.
He moved slowly forward, his eyes intent upon her as he stopped just feet away. Though the distance between them was small, it suddenly felt like a vast chasm to her. There would be no breeching it with a simple word or touch. And she knew that it was her fault it existed at all.
“I want you Cassie.” Her mouth went dry, her heart hammered so loudly she was certain that he could hear it. Excitement sprang forth, spreading rapidly through her whole body, burning through her veins. “But I can’t control myself around you.”
She swallowed again, afraid she would choke on the lump that was lodged in her throat. “Yes you can,” she whispered.
He sighed softly, leaning slightly back on his heels as his gaze darted briefly toward the ceiling. Shaking his head, his black hair fell forward across his sculpted face. “Yes, somewhat,” he admitted slowly. “But not enough, and everyday gets harder for me. Looking at you, smelling you, having tasted your blood, all of it is a fierce temptation that is getting harder and harder to resist. Every day, every second, I want more.”
She was barely able to breathe, let alone find any words for him. She wanted to be with him, terribly, but she was not ready for that step yet. She knew that was crazy, she wanted to spend the rest of her life with him, but she wasn’t ready for what he wanted. Not yet anyway. And there was still so much she didn’t know about him, like just exactly how many women there had been over the past seven hundred years.
On second thought, she wasn’t so sure she wanted to know that at all. It was far too intimidating and scary for her to think about. Not to mention there was already a lot on her plate without adding another heaping to it.
“I’m not ready for that yet,” she whispered, feeling awkward and so very young and stupid as she issued the words. She was an idiot, so inexperienced compared to him. Heat crept through her cheeks as he stared at her; she hated the almost pitying look in his eyes. Clasping her hands tightly, her gaze darted to the window, unable to meet his stare any longer.
“I know that Cassie,” he said gently. “And I will never push you into doing anything that you are not ready for, but it’s more than just sex. I want all of you.” Despite her intentions not to, her eyes darted back to him, her forehead furrowed in confusion. “I want your blood also. I want to taste you and feel you and have you fill me.”