Movement to the right caught her attention. Annabelle emerged from the woods, gliding gracefully across the snow even though it was almost up to her knees. Her hair shimmered in the light of the moon as she moved, a small smile played over her mouth. She was not as beautiful as Isla had been, not in the seductive mysterious sense anyway, but she was delicate, and pretty, and so very open and loving that it was impossible not to like her.
Though she didn’t like it, Cassie fully understood why Devon had thought he was in love with her.
“Couldn’t sleep?” Annabelle inquired as she strode silently up the porch steps.
“No,” Melissa answered.
Annabelle stomped her feet, shaking the snow from her boots. Her gaze was questioning as she glanced over the three of them, her cheeks red from the cold. She had a glow about her that Cassie recognized as a sign of having fed well. “Where are Dani and Luther?”
“Dani’s sleeping, I think. And Luther, well…” Melissa shrugged as she shoved her hands in her pockets. “He hasn’t left his books for more than a cat nap and a pee break since we got here.”
Cassie glanced over at Melissa. They had all spent a lot of time buried amongst the musty books that Luther had brought with him, but Luther had been nearly inseparable from the pile. As the pile grew smaller, so did their hopes of finding any answers.
“Hmm,” Annabelle said softly.
“Want some coffee?” Chris asked.
Annabelle shook her head, her long curls bounced around her shoulders. “No, not right now, thank you though.”
Cassie nodded, her hands tightened around her cup as she turned back to the quiet night. “Devon and Liam are ok.”
Annabelle grinned at her, bouncing slightly as she clapped her mittens together. “Of course they are I would know if something happened to Liam.”
They all gazed questioningly at her as she continued to clap her hands. “What?” Chris asked, his chair hitting the floor of the porch as he dropped his legs down.
Annabelle continued to smile brightly. “We share blood; we’re connected in that way. I would know if that connection was severed.”
A small chill ran through Cassie as she thought over Annabelle’s words. “So you would know if something happened to Devon also,” she said softly.
Annabelle’s eyes were kind and understanding as she turned to Cassie. Cassie hated that look in her eyes, hated the pity she saw there. She wanted to turn away, but she found herself unable to do so. “It has been a very long time, my blood connection with Devon is much thinner and weaker now, but yes, I think I would know.”
Cassie nodded as she wrapped her arms around herself. The loneliness inside her grew in leaps and bounds. She could feel tears burning her eyes and she tried hard to bat them back. Normally she wouldn’t be this emotional, but she had been uncomfortable in her own skin for the past week. She hated this feeling, hated being lost and vulnerable and self conscious. Hated feeling out of sorts and wretched.
Her fingers twitched on her sleeves, she hugged herself tighter. “You would know also,” Annabelle said softly.
Cassie shook her head, trying hard not to shed the tears swimming in her eyes. “We don’t have that kind of connection,” she whispered.
Annabelle frowned as she shook back her bouncing curls. “No, yours is even deeper. You would know Cassie, believe me.”
Cassie managed a small nod, but she didn’t feel reassured. She felt completely empty. The door opened again as Luther stepped onto the porch. His eyes were bloodshot and weary, his hair a disheveled mess. “Break time?” Melissa asked softly.
Luther nodded as he pulled off his glasses and cleaned them on the edge of his shirt. “Have you heard from Devon?”
Cassie frowned thoughtfully; a small surge of hope flipped her heart over. “Yes, why have you learned something?”
Luther shook his head as he slipped his glasses back on. “No. I was simply wondering if The Commission may have appeared in town yet.”
“He hasn’t said anything about them, but then again, he hasn’t really seen anyone. Not even Julian.”
Luther stared thoughtfully into the distance, his eyebrows furrowed. “I’m going to need to go back tomorrow to gather some more books.”
Cassie’s heart lurched in excitement, her pulse picked rapidly up. “I’ll go with you,” she blurted, the thought of seeing Devon easing some of the torment in her body.
Luther shook his head no, his eyes caring but hard as they met hers. “Absolutely not Cassie,” he said firmly.
“But you’ll need help!”
“Melissa can come with me.”
Cassie glanced wildly between them, anger and frustration boiled through her. “I can go!” she retorted fiercely.
Luther shook his head firmly. “No Cassie, if The Commission happens to show up I don’t want them to see you. As of now they may know of you, but they have no idea what you look like.”
“But they aren’t there!” she protested vehemently, not willing to lose her chance to see Devon.
“We don’t know that Cassie, they could be hiding. They could also arrive at any time. You need to stay hidden.”
Cassie opened her mouth to protest and then snapped it closed. It would be pointless; he wouldn’t allow her to go. If she insisted upon it, he would stay here and they needed more books. No matter how useless the books seemed right now, it was the only source of hope she had in these lonely mountains. They were one of the few things keeping her from going completely insane.
Her heart lurched as tears burned her eyes again. “Ok,” she reluctantly agreed. “Will you see Devon?”
“Yes.”
Despite her best intentions a tear slid free. She wiped it hastily away, knowing that if she wasn’t careful she would turn into a sobbing mess. She wanted to see him desperately, to touch him, to know that he was safe. Her phone vibrated again, she pulled it swiftly out to find Devon’s reassuring message that he was still safe and everything was well. More tears slid free.
“Cassie.” She looked up as Melissa wrapped her arm around her shoulder, enfolding her in the blanket. “It will be over soon.”
“I know.”
“Come on let’s go inside, it’s getting chilly out here. Plus, I think we need a distraction, maybe a game of cards or Scrabble,” Annabelle said, a false cheeriness in her voice.
Chris snorted as he launched to his feet. “Or how about I just kick all your asses on Wii?”