Devon’s scowl deepened as he rose swiftly to his feet, his body shook with frustration and anger. Cassie’s eyes widened, fear boiled through her as she glanced rapidly between the two of them. Julian still appeared casual, but beneath his calm exterior she sensed a rising tension inside of him. They were both spoiling for a fight.
“Stop it,” Cassie warned, stepping between the two of them. She was growing impatient with their bickering and constant baiting of one another. Devon was the first one to back down, turning away from them as the microwave beeped loudly. Cassie’s mouth watered as he pulled the plate out, his eyes latching back on Julian as he handed it to her. Cassie eagerly seized hold of the plate, choosing to ignore them for the time being.
“We found a storage area,” Julian informed them. “In the cellar.”
Cassie blew on her steaming pizza. She was very tempted to start eating it now, and to hell with the burnt mouth, but Julian’s words enticed her almost as much as the pizza did. “There’s a cellar?” she inquired, in between blowing on her overheated meal.
“Yes, come on.”
Cassie glanced at Devon before following Julian from the room and toward the back of the store. A large mat had been pulled back to reveal the wooden planks of the floor. In the middle of the planks was an open trap door with a single metal ring at the end of it. Everyone was gathered around the trapdoor, peering into the darkness below.
Cassie forgot about her pizza as she stepped next to Chris. The harsh scent of mildew wafted up, but nothing stirred within the dark. “I don’t sense anything down there,” Chris said softly.
“I don’t smell any humans,” Liam added. “There are rats though.”
Cassie’s nose wrinkled at the thought, her stomach rolled and dropped. She didn’t mind most animals, but rats that weren’t in a cage bothered her. “Well then, let’s go down.”
Julian pulled out a flashlight and flicked it on. Light pooled from it, splashing down a set of steep wooden stairs. Turning, Cassie placed her pizza on a shelf, more curious about what was beneath than her food. She followed Chris down, using the thin wooden rail as her guide, and praying that the stairs would hold their weight as they shook beneath her, feeling more wobbly than supportive.
The basement floor was hard packed dirt; the scent of mildew was stronger down here. Cassie covered her nose against the harsh smell as her stomach turned over. Julian played the flashlight around the room. The beam bounced off the old rock walls, a beaten down oil heater, and pallets loaded down with more feed. Sitting on top of the bags of feed were half a dozen rats, they paused only briefly in their eating to stare at them through the beam of light. Their eyes were bright red, their noses twitched as their tails thumped softly against the bags of grain. They squeaked their displeasure, a few of them disappearing into the dark while the braver ones refused to give up their meal.
Cassie took an involuntary step back from them. “Guess that’s dinner,” Julian said softly, turning the beam away from them. Cassie groaned in disgust, her stomach twisted even harder at the thought. Julian glanced back at her, his eyes bright in the flash of light. “Sorry princess, but it’s true.”
Cassie shot him a dark look, he merely grinned annoying back at her. Devon took hold of her hand, squeezing it gently as he pulled her a step closer to him. “There’s nothing that we can use down here,” Chris said.
“And it’s creeping me out,” Melissa muttered.
Melissa turned and hurried back up the steps, nearly bolting through the open door. Cassie was just as eager to follow her. She stepped back into the store, eagerly gulping down the fresh air. Luther glanced over from his position by the window, his glasses flashing in the small bit of sunlight that filtered through the thick curtains that had been drawn against the day.
“Anything?” he asked softly.
Cassie shook her head as she hurried back to her pizza. The rats had grossed her out, but they hadn’t diminished her appetite. The others eventually filed back out, filtering slowly throughout the store. Though she sensed their exhaustion, she knew that their curiosity about what had been done to them was far stronger. She licked the lingering remnants of spaghetti sauce from her fingers, trying to stall for some more time. She was not ready to get into the details of her ordeal, not ready to relive the nightmare that she and Julian had endured. It was inevitable though, they wanted and deserved answers, and she would rather get it done sooner rather than later. Turning to face them, she braced herself for the onslaught of their questions.
Devon stood stiffly by her side, his shoulder brushing against hers as she moved. He seized hold of her hand, squeezing it gently for reassurance. Chris had taken up position on the other side of the door. Though he stared out at the street, Cassie knew his attention was focused on her. Liam and Annabelle were standing close together, Liam’s arms wrapped around Annabelle’s waist as he held her against his chest. Melissa and Luther watched her questioningly; Melissa’s onyx eyes sad and caring. Dani was sitting with her back against the counter, her head bent, and her red streaked hair falling forward. She looked even more uncomfortable than Cassie felt.
“Are you ready to tell us what happened?” Devon inquired softly.
Cassie swallowed heavily, her gaze darting nervously around the room again. They all stared at her inquisitively, except for Julian, who was scowling at the floor with his arms folded over his chest. Julian lifted his head slowly, meeting her panicked gaze briefly before giving her a small nod of encouragement. She took strength in his steady, calming presence, knowing that she would need his help if she was going to get through this.
Licking her lips nervously, Cassie decided to just plunge in. She quickly filled them in on her capture and imprisonment. She didn’t talk about the torture she had experienced in there. She kept everything simple and short. She couldn’t look at them as she spoke, but remained focused on the ground until she finished, hating the anticipatory silence that filled the room when she was done.
“What did they do to you in there Cassie?” Chris asked gently, his gaze keen and inquisitive. Though his strange looks were not as common as they had been, every once in awhile she would catch him staring at her oddly.
She shook her head, unable to look at Chris again for fear she would start crying, and never stop. She didn’t want him to know of her suffering, didn’t want any of them to know about it. She wanted to keep them safe from it, sheltered and protected. She didn’t want Chris to know how much she had changed, how much she had been hurt, or the physical and mental torment that she and Julian had endured. He was too good to have to bear that burden with her.
They all were.
She turned away from Chris, ignoring his question as she focused on Dani. “Why did you turn on us?” she asked quietly, unable to keep the hurt from her voice. She had brought Dani into her home, thought of her like a sister, and she had betrayed them all.
Dani glanced up at her; her gold flecked eyes were red and swollen from lack of sleep. The hostility within the room notched up a level as everyone focused their attention on her. “I didn’t want to,” she whispered miserably. “But…” she shook her head, her voice trailing off as a sob broke from her.
“My brother went to The Commission after he left town, he told them about you, all of you.” Her gaze lingered briefly on Devon before turning toward Julian. Julian glowered back at her, his hands fisted, his shoulders ramrod straight. Dani turned quickly away from the hatred and malevolence in Julian’s gaze. “He was my brother; I had to help him when The Commission sent him back.”
They all stood silently, staring at her expectantly, but she didn’t continue. “There’s more to that story!” Julian spat, taking a fierce step forward.
Dani winced as she bit on her bottom lip. “Easy Julian,” Devon warned in a low growl.
Julian glared at him for a moment before turning his attention back to Dani. “Either tell the truth, or I will get it from you. All I have to do is touch you, sort through the memories and pick out the ones I want. For the most part it can be painless, and the person need never know that I was there. But I vow that what I will do to you, will be anything but painless.”
Dani gaped at him in horror; her eyes flew wildly around the room. Though Cassie wanted to feel pity for her, there was none. She couldn’t summon the strength for forgiveness and mercy, not for Dani. “I’ll destroy you if I get into your mind,” Julian growled. “I’ll make what they did to us in that place look like it was a day in the park!”
“Julian,” Annabelle hissed, reaching for his arm in an attempt to calm him.
Julian shook her off, taking another step toward Dani. “This bitch put us in that hell hole, and one way or another she is going to tell us why!”
“Julian,” Cassie said softly. Though he had shaken Annabelle off, he didn’t shrug off her grasp as she seized gently hold of his arm. His reddened eyes slowly turned back to their electrifying blue as his gaze met hers. “It’s ok.”
He stepped back nodding slowly, though he still hummed with anger. Devon’s hand tightened on Cassie’s, his eyes questioning as he studied her. He wanted to know what had happened in there, wanted to know what had been done to them, and just how close her bond with Julian was. He wanted more answers than Cassie had already given him. She just wasn’t ready to give them to him yet, if ever. She turned away from him, stepping in between Julian and Dani before Julian did grab hold of her. Cassie felt no forgiveness toward Dani, no sympathy, but Julian would hurt her, and they may need Dani later on. Her other friends would be safe around Julian, but Dani was fair game.
“Why did The Commission send your brother, and you, after us? Why would they even come after us?” Cassie inquired.
Dani glanced wearily up at her, the tips of her lashes were wet with unshed tears. For a moment Cassie was afraid that Dani wouldn’t speak, and that they would need Julian to drag the answers from her, but she finally did. “Because of you.”
Cassie blinked in surprise at Dani’s soft words. Her gaze flew toward Devon as he stiffened angrily, a low growl emanating from him. The hair on the back of her neck stood on end, the resentment in the room notched up to a whole new level. Cassie glanced between him and Julian, whose eyes were a bright red again. She was growing fearful that between Devon and Julian she may not be able to keep Dani safe, and alive. She held a hand up, warding Devon back as she focused her attention on Dani.
“What do you mean?” she asked softly.
Dani glanced wearily at the hostile group surrounding her. Using the counter, she rose slowly to her feet. She looked braced for an attack. Cassie’s eyes widened at the girl’s behavior, her heart trip hammered with the knowledge that she was not going to like what Dani had to say. “When we were younger Joey and I came to this town. Before our Guardian was killed in The Slaughter, he told Joey about this town, and to come here if something ever happened. The Commission took us in, kept us with them after The Slaughter, and helped us to survive until we were ready to go out on our own. They also taught us about our heritage.”
Cassie stared at her, a growing feeling of unease and queasiness moved through her body. They were just beginning to scratch the surface of Dani’s betrayal, and already Cassie wasn’t sure she wanted to hear anymore. Dani had lied to them from the beginning; she and Joey had led them all to believe that they had been completely on their own after The Slaughter. That no one had helped them as they had struggled to survive on the streets. Cassie didn’t know why Dani had kept this a secret, but she was certain she wasn’t going to like the reasons behind it.
“Why did you lie to us about your childhood?” Melissa asked softly.
Dani licked her lips, shifting nervously as her gaze settled on the door. She looked as if she wanted to bolt. “When The Commission eventually sent us out in search of other Hunters and Guardians they told us not to let them know about this town. At least not until they knew if we could trust them. There was no way of knowing how The Slaughter had affected people, and how they now felt about The Commission. They never suspected anything like what we discovered with you and Devon; no one ever thought a Hunter and a vampire would fall in love. It was unthinkable. Unheard of.
“I never thought it was wrong,” Dani breathed. “I thought your relationship was special, different; good.”
Her eyes darted over the two of them, before glancing briefly at Julian. His lip curled into a snarl, his eyes darkened as he glowered at her. Cassie was irritated by the confusion and doubt she sensed from Dani, but then again Dani had witnessed Julian kissing her. And though Cassie knew what that kiss had meant Dani had no way of knowing. “It is,” Cassie said softly.
