Inferno (Book 4 The Kindred Series) Read Online Free PDF Page A

keep her safe, and she would also do the same for
him.
    Even if the person she had to keep him
safe from was Devon.
    Cassie squeezed Devon’s hand again,
seeking reassurance as she leaned her head against his chest to
savor in the scent of him. His hand entangled in her hair, crushing
her to him with a desperation that left her breathless, and on the
verge of tears. She ached for the loss and confusion and terror
that he had gone through. Ached for the turmoil and confusion she
sensed boiling through him. He bent his head to her, his lips
pressed gently against her forehead, her cheek, before finally
resting against her neck.
    She felt the rapid increase of his
tension, felt the hunger that surged through him. Cassie closed her
eyes; her body tingled with excitement as she felt the hot press of
his teeth against her skin. She wished fervently that they were not
here, that they were not ensnared in this unending horror. She
wished that they were alone so that she could truly enjoy his
presence, his love, his strength.
    Wished that they were alone so she
could reassure Devon that it was him she was in love
with.
    Cassie’s eyes flew open as the vehicle
came to a stop. Her hands tightened upon him as a fresh wave of
panic threatened to consume her. She needed to be strong now, she
had to be strong. Taking a deep breath, she pulled slowly away. He
kept hold of her hand as she rose up to look at the large red
general store. “Why are we here?” Dani inquired, her eyes darting
nervously around the deserted street.
    “Supplies,” Luther answered
briskly.
    “Julian and I will go in
first.”
    Cassie’s hand tightened around Devon’s
as her eyes flew wildly to him. They had just found each other
again; she wasn’t ready to part with him yet. “I’m coming with
you,” she said forcefully.
    “Cassie…”
    She shook her head, brushing aside the
strands of hair that fell across her eyes. “No, I’m coming with
you.”
    Devon glanced wearily at the store then
back at her. “She’ll be fine; she’s been through far worse than
this. Now let’s get going, the sun is coming up,” Julian said
briskly. “Luther open the back door.”
    Luther sat in stunned silence for a
moment, Devon’s hand tightened on hers as they all slowly turned
their attention back to her. Cassie found herself staring defiantly
back at them, her eyes narrowed, her chin tilted up. She knew she
was not the Cassie that had been taken from them, that she had
changed, but she was getting really tired of their strange,
questioning looks. She may be tougher now, but at heart she was
still the same person. Well, mostly, there were a few changes that
were frightening and unsettling. Changes she wasn’t sure she would
ever understand. She wasn’t even sure that she wanted
to.
    Luther sighed softly before leaning
forward to push the button inside of the glove box, popping open
the back door. Julian slid out the back and slammed the door behind
him. Devon hesitated for a moment longer, but Cassie continued to
cling to his hand, unwilling to let go. “Ok,” he relented after a
moment.
    “I’m coming too,” Liam said, shoving
open the door and plunging into the brisk predawn air.
    Cassie shivered in response. When they
had fled their prison, she had been too hyped up on adrenaline and
fear to really feel the cold, but now that she was safe with Devon
again, the cold air seemed to pierce her to her bones. Devon slid
out of the car, helping her out behind him. Cassie winced as her
brutalized bare feet hit the ground. It was another thing she
hadn’t felt until now, but her feet were bruised, cut, and
bleeding. She glanced absently down, noting that she had somehow
lost the nail on her pinky toe. She shuddered in disgust, looking
quickly away from the bloodied mess of her feet.
    “Are you ok?” Devon demanded, anger
blazing from his eyes as he looked down at her wounded
feet.
    She managed a wan smile as she nodded.
“I heal fast, remember?”
    He glanced