As much as he loved her, he had to admit that she was starting to frighten him a little too. He was becoming increasingly concerned that the person standing before him wasn't the same person that had died here not even half an hour ago. When this was over he feared he would realize that he really had lost her, and that this miracle he'd been granted would be cruelly ripped away from him when she turned on them all.
"Honey, I don't know what you think you're doing, or what you think you might be capable of, but no matter how freaky your eyes are I can still snap you like a twig," Zane sneered.
Confusion was evident on her delicate features as her gaze darted to Devon. "My eyes?"
He nodded as he studied her carefully. "They're a little different." That was the understatement of the year, but he was trying not to upset her anymore than he had to.
Her frown deepened, her fingers flitted up to the corner of her right eye. "I see," she murmured as her hand fell away. Her attention returned to Zane as a small smile flitted across her face. "Bring it."
Zane and Devon both bristled over her challenge. Zane took offense to it, while Devon had the urge to throw himself in front of her to shield her from Zane's imminent attack. However, before either of them could react, Cassie dashed to the side faster than he'd ever seen her move. She grabbed hold of Adon, who remained as unmoving as a scarecrow within Devon's control.
Devon opened up his mouth to shout a warning to Cassie as Zane separated himself. Using his ability of astral projection Zane created two identical versions of himself, each one capable of fighting just as well as the original. Devon burst into motion, rushing toward one of them as Cassie spun away from Adon as gracefully as a woodland faerie.
Zane's projection missed grabbing hold of her. "Robert!" Zane shouted.
Cassie spun toward his brother, beckoning him with her hands to come forward. "Care to try again Robert?" she taunted.
"Cassie!" Devon and Julian yelled at the same time.
Even though she wasn't mortal anymore Devon was beginning to realize that she was still going to be the death of him. Dying had done nothing to curb her recklessness. He tried to grasp hold of her, to keep her out of Robert's way, but before he could get to her, Robert heaved a boulder from the ground mere feet from Cassie. She was fast, but not fast enough to completely dodge it.
"No!" Chris yelled.
The boulder clipped her shoulder and shoved her back. Turning to the side, she maneuvered easily out of the way of another boulder as she threw her hands out. Devon stumbled back as fire shot from her palms. It blasted across the open space, lighting the remains of the asphalt as a trail of flames blazed over the ground.
He could only stare at her in astonishment. His gaze shot to Adon, the only other person he had ever met with pyrokenesis. That highly deadly ability was the reason he'd chosen to take control of Adon in the first place.
Robert screamed and fell back as the fire caught at the edge of his pants and began to rapidly lick its way up. Bernard swung his coat off as Robert fell to the ground and rolled frantically in an attempt to smother the flames. Bernard wrapped him within the coat and beat out the flames. Robert's screams stopped, the night became eerily hushed as all eyes focused upon Cassie once more.
"Devon has Adon and Anastasia, he can make them stand here until the sun comes out and destroys them, or he can turn them against you. I'm sure that Anastasia feels quite strong now that she has been soaking up all the misery and pain from everyone."
Devon's head shot toward Anastasia and then back to Cassie. How did she know about Anastasia's ability to draw strength, and feed off of emotions? Just how many abilities did Cassie possess now, and was she going to be able to keep control of that strength enough to not let it rule her?
Power went to people's heads, he was well aware of that fact.
Robert was sitting up now, his face twisted into a sneer as his hands fisted. Scraps of his pants stuck to his blistered legs. Devon pulled Cassie out of the way and enfolded his body over hers to shield her from the rock Robert heaved at them. It smashed into his back and pushed him forward. Julian jumped over them and deflected the next rock that was thrown at them.
Cassie's head was bowed beneath him; her golden hair tumbled over her face and shoulders. He felt the brief press of her lips against his neck as she spoke. "I'm ok," she breathed. "We have to fight them together Devon. I'm ok."
Though the last thing he felt like doing was releasing her, not when he'd just gotten her back, he knew that he had to. He unfolded from her and reluctantly released her. She turned toward him, those strange eyes aglow in the dim light, but there was something else in them now. A new fire, a new light. Her hand was tender as she stroked his face. Devon's heart melted, he grasped hold of her hand and clung to her. He was desperate not to lose this connection, not to lose this human side of her once more.
Love briefly shimmered within her gaze as her hand curled around his, and then another rock was heaved at them. Her eyes darkened as rage took over. "Cassie," he whispered.
She shifted her gaze and focused her anger entirely on Robert and the rest of The Elders. "I will destroy them."
Devon reached for her again, but she'd already moved away from him. Zane had regrouped himself; his arms were folded over his chest as he studied Cassie. Devon recognized that look and he bristled as Zane perused her with a keen interest and lust that hadn't been there before.
He stepped forward to block her from Zane's rapt attention. "She is not Anastasia," Devon snarled.
Zane's mouth quirked in amusement but his gaze didn't leave Cassie. "But she will be a fine replacement."
Cassie broke into loud laughter as her eyes scanned over Zane with utter disdain. "You couldn't handle me," she told him.
Zane's eyes sparked with annoyance, he shifted slightly, but no one heedlessly rushed forward. He was interested in Cassie, but he wasn't reckless, or foolish. None of them were. In fact, most of them looked as if they would prefer to retreat. Robert, having regained his footing, appeared to be the only one eager to renew the fight as he glowered at Cassie.
"I do not wish to destroy such a masterpiece, but I will if I have to," Zane purred.
Cassie's mouth curved into a cruel smile as her head tilted to the side. "I already told you, bring it."
Devon stifled a groan. "Cassie," Julian cautioned.
Her gaze didn't even flicker to him as she remained fixated on Zane. For the first time, Zane didn't appear fearless. As the oldest, Zane had always fancied himself indestructible, but he'd never come up against anything like Cassie. The fact that Zane didn't know what to make of her was starting to rattle him.
Zane turned toward Robert, who was still scowling. The burns on his legs had already begun to heal but his clothes were charred and his hair was singed at the edges. Robert's eyes were a malignant red as they returned to Devon. "Do it," Zane commanded.
Before anyone could react, Robert leapt forward and cleared the hole within the asphalt in a single, flawless bound. Cassie and Devon lunged forward to stop him but they were too late as Robert seized hold of Adon and twisted his neck abruptly to the side. The crack of vertebrae shattering rent the air. Under Devon's control, Adon had never had a chance to react to Robert's rapid and brutal attack.
Dani and Annabelle gasped loudly as they scrambled to get out of the way. Cassie got to Robert before Devon could, but it was already too late as Robert finished ripping Adon's head from his body.
Cassie recoiled in revulsion; her hand flew to her mouth as she took a staggering step away from the vicious assault. For the first time, Devon realized that he hadn't lost her as her humanity blazed to life in the face of such brutality. Devon snagged hold of his brother as Robert carelessly tossed Adon's head away. A sadistic grin spread over Robert's face as he turned toward Devon and braced himself for his attack.
The battle was renewed as everyone burst into motion. Satisfaction filled Devon as he smashed a fist into his brother's face. Robert's punch connecte
d with Devon's cheek. A loud grunt escaped Devon, but he managed to keep hold of his brother. Robert swung at him again, but Devon seized Robert's fist and met his gaze straight on. Though he'd never thought he'd be the one to destroy his brother, he now felt that it was only right, only fair.
He felt the demon surge forth again as the keen edge of bloodlust took him over once more. It wasn't like before though, he wasn't buried beneath the raging demon. Not as long as Cassie was by his side again. Even if she was different, it didn't matter. She was back, and she was alive, and that was all that mattered to him.
Robert's face twisted into a leering grin. "I've waited years for this little brother," he hissed.
Devon smiled back at him. "So have I."
CHAPTER 5
Cassie dodged Zane's lunging grab and laughed tauntingly as he grunted in frustration. His cool demeanor slipped away as his face twisted into a sneer. Though Zane was quickly losing his patience, he was wise enough not to rush at her again.
He tilted his head to the side, his reddened eyes narrowed as he examined her. Cassie stared back at him, waiting to see what he was going to do, but Zane remained unmoving. "A fine addition," he murmured.
"I am no one's addition," she told him.
"We shall see."
A surprised shout snapped her head around as Julian lunged forward and propelled Bernard into the ground. Elspet and Octavia had joined the battle, but Anastasia remained as still as a statue amidst the fray. Matthew also stood to the side, his hands enfolded, and his brown eyes intent as he watched the battle. A strange, small smile twisted his full mouth. Cassie was unnerved by his strange behavior and calm demeanor in the midst of the battle.
Elspet and Octavia dodged past Julian and Bernard and honed in on Melissa, Chris, and Dani. Wrath boiled hotly through Cassie as Octavia used her ability of telekinesis to lift a large boulder off the ground and heave it at Luther. It slammed off of his shoulder and spun him around before he fell to the ground.
For a moment it felt as if the roots of her hair had caught on fire as molten lava surged through her body. She glared at Zane as her hands fisted at her sides. His amusement was back; his honey eyes twinkled as he studied her. "Oh yes, a fine addition."
She was taken aback as she heard herself issue a violent snarl. She knew what she'd become, knew what she was now, but she wasn't used to it. She wasn't used to the hunger and power that now coursed through her body. And there was so very much power now. She could feel it in every cell, every nerve ending, and every synapse that still fired through her. She didn't know what her full capabilities were yet, but she did know that they were numerous.
Zane blurred as he came back at her again, but this time he split himself into three separate versions of himself. Cassie let the anger and power fuel her as she ducked one copy of Zane, and kicked out at the second. She had to discover the real version of Zane, but she'd lost him amongst the copies. She felt like a tourist trying to guess what shell the nut was under as two versions lunged at her. One's hand grabbed her by the hair and jerked her head brusquely back. She grabbed hold of his hands and used them to help lift herself as she kicked out at another Zane.
Power poured into her and warmed her from the tips of her toes to the top of her head. That had been the right Zane. An involuntary laugh escaped her. She clung to his hands as she closed her eyes and let her body absorb the fresh wave of energy that washed through her. She didn't know what had happened to her during the change but somehow she just knew that she could do this.
With her newfound abilities came a strange sort of knowledge about that power as she absorbed it. Concentrating on Zane's knowledge of how to make his astral projection work, Cassie split herself to create two other versions. A small gasp escaped as she felt her atoms separating and reforming into duplicates of herself. It was an amazing feeling and if she still had the ability to breathe, she would have been breathless.
Zane pulled her head further back, his finger trailed down the side of her neck as another version of herself tapped him upon the shoulder. He released her and took a staggering step back. A laugh escaped her as she knitted herself back into one whole person.
Zane took another staggering step away and roughly bumped into Anastasia. Though he tried to hide it, Cassie could see the apprehension in his eyes. "What are you?" he demanded.
Cassie tilted her head to the side as she eyed him. Good question, she didn't know what she was, but she did know that she didn't like the look in his eyes. She briefly recalled what he'd said about her eyes as terror slid through her body. At heart she felt almost exactly the same, but what if something was fundamentally wrong with her?
Her fingers fluttered back to the corners of her eyes but she couldn't feel any difference. She held her hands out before her as she turned them back and forth. They appeared no different either, but she knew somehow they were. They were no longer hands that only had the power to beat and maim and destroy. These hands held power, these hands could do things that her mortal hands hadn't been able to do.
Her gaze flitted over the now stilled crowd. The fight had stopped at Zane's words, at the trepidation they felt from the strongest vampire amongst them. They all turned curious eyes upon her. Devon was still holding his brother's arm as he watched her. Cassie could only helplessly stare back at him with her hands held out before her, and her body thrumming with the current of power that seemed to run through her now.
"What am I?" her words echoed Zane's but it was all she could think to ask. The uncertainty in Devon's gaze caused her stomach to drop. He had to know, Devon had to know what had become of her, what she was now. He had to know that she wasn't a monster, because right now she wasn't so sure. "Devon?" she breathed.
"A Phoenix." Cassie turned as Matthew glided toward her from the shadows. "A Phoenix rising from the ashes." She numbly stared back at him as he stopped before her. "A Phoenix," he whispered again. "Rising up to destroy us all."
Cassie recoiled from the strange man. "No, I..."
Before she could react, Matthew grabbed hold of her hands. Her cells absorbed his ability as eagerly as a plant absorbed sunshine. She tried to jerk her hands away from him, but he refused to relinquish her. Cassie's hands clenched upon him as Matthew's previous premonitions slammed into her head.
She bowed beneath the force of the visions that filled her, visions that ran so rapidly through her head that she could barely grasp hold of them. Her legs gave out and she fell to her knees. Tears filled her eyes as she saw herself as Matthew had seen her. A force unlike anything they had ever come across, and someone that could destroy them all. Someone that may very well lose control of everything she had awoken with.
Or she could become someone that could save them all, someone that could bring salvation to those in need if she didn't become corrupted, if she didn't become a vessel for evil. If she could keep control of the baser urges that craved more power, more blood, more death. Urges she could feel slithering beneath her skin even now.
"Let her go!" Devon roared.
Cassie lifted her head as Devon arrived at their side. His fangs were fully extended and his eyes a brilliant red as he reached for Matthew. "No," Cassie managed to whisper. "Devon, no." Devon turned toward her, but he kept hold of Matthew's arm. "It's ok, Devon. It's ok."
Though Devon's hold had to be hurting him, Matthew showed no signs of it as he continued to watch Cassie. "Absolute power corrupts absolutely," Matthew murmured. "It will be your choice which path you take, but tread carefully child for the path is treacherous."
A muffled sob escaped Cassie. Matthew was right; she didn't know what would become of her, which vision of herself she would become. Whether, she would become the monster that destroyed everything in its path, or the vampire that aided those in need of help. Everything was so uncertain, so unclear. The fact that Matthew had received two separate visions about her told her just how thin the precipice she stood upon was.
"Do you understand what you are?" Matthew inquired
.
Cassie swallowed heavily as her head bowed low again. She understood that she was still an oddity. As a Hunter she'd been abnormal because she had possessed no powers. As a vampire she was peculiar because she possessed more power than any of them had ever seen, and at such a young age. Power that she wasn't sure she could control, but knew that she somehow must.
"No, but I will," she told him.
Matthew's hands squeezed hers as he bent low to her. His mouth brushed against her ear and he whispered so low that she knew only she could hear him. "Savior."
Cassie lifted her head as a new vision swam into her head. This one didn't show her covered in blood, sadistic, and deadly. Nor did it show her amongst the lost children, surrounded by her friends and Devon. This one was more imminent. This one didn't come from Matthew, but swam out of her mind and took her over in the way that she had seen many visions take Melissa over.
"Move!" she breathed.
She roughly jerked Matthew forward. Devon, thrown off balance by her sharp tug, stumbled back as Robert and Zane lunged forward at the same time. Though she had pulled Matthew mostly out of the way, the knife that Zane wielded still caught him in the back. Matthew fell forward and toppled onto her as his back was sliced open from shoulder to mid spine. Cassie watched in horror as Zane bore down upon Matthew, determined to kill one of his own entourage in an attempt to silence him. Cassie shoved Matthew aside and rolled out of the way seconds before Zane drove the knife into the pavement where they'd been standing. The knife slammed into the road so hard that the blade shattered upon impact.
Zane's face twisted in fury, but he didn't come after Cassie again as he whirled away. Cassie lurched back to her feet. She was acutely aware of the fact that it was Matthew's power running through her. It was a handy power to have but it did little to help her against a group of Elder vampires that all had abilities that could physically manifest to destroy her.
Zane and Robert stood behind the giant hole that Robert had created to try and kill her, before he'd actually stabbed her. Cassie glanced down at her shredded, blood stained shirt. Uneasiness twisted in her stomach, her hands instinctively drifted to the place where she'd been stabbed. The place where her blood had run swiftly from her and her life had been extinguished. The cut was healed now, but she could clearly recall the feel of her life pouring from her and the distress that had engulfed her. She was consumed with what it had felt like to die.