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

coolers.
Wide double doors opened into a large back room that was packed
nearly to the ceiling with bags of animal feed. There was food for
dogs and cats, but most of it consisted of cow and horse feed, with
a stack of grain in the back for chickens, goats, and
sheep.
    “Everything you could possibly need in
one little store,” Liam said softly.
    Cassie walked over to the back wall.
The room was held up by stilts, the backyard sloped down a steep
rock and dirt hill. Staring out the window, she wasn’t surprised to
find a mixture of tractors, mowers, trailers, and other assorted
equipment in the back. There were also a few chicken coops and dog
pens. Nausea twisted through her stomach, bile rose up her throat
at the sight of the carnage of the animals that had once lived
within those pens. They had been violently slaughtered and strewn
about. Closing her eyes against the disgusting site, she turned
stiffly away.
    Devon came forward, resting his hands
gently on her shoulders as he pulled her away. Julian walked past
her to look out the window, shaking his head as his lip curled in
disgust. “Disgusting, vile creatures,” he muttered. “There is one
thing that we don’t have in this little store.”
    “Blood,” Cassie answered for
him.
    “Yes.”
    They were silent, the three living dead
staring at each other for a long, tense moment. Cassie shifted
uncomfortably acutely aware of the fact that she was the only
morsel in front of them. “Well, let’s gather some supplies and get
out of here,” she said softly.
    “No go. We’re going to be here for
awhile.” Julian pointed out the window to the small ray of light
breaking over the horizon. “Not all of us are lucky enough to
withstand its rays.”
    Cassie winced at the reminder of what
had been done to Julian while they had been prisoners. Their
captors had exposed him to long periods of UV light to see if he
could withstand it, like Devon could. Unfortunately, he couldn’t,
and Cassie could still see the lingering remnant of a burn at the
edge of his platinum blond hair. “Aren’t we?” Devon inquired in a
low growl, his hands tightening briefly on Cassie’s
shoulders.
    Cassie shot Devon a fierce look. He
could not know what had happened to Julian in there, but there was
no need to instigate him. Julian quirked an eyebrow in amusement,
though it did little to cover the tension thrumming through him. “I
may have been on this earth for a long time, but that is one trick
that even I have not managed to master. Let’s get the
others.”
    He turned away, gliding gracefully back
down the aisles. Cassie moved to follow him but Devon held her
back. She glanced questioningly at him. His face was intense, his
eyes hard. “Cassie I don’t know what has happened to you, or to
Julian, over the past couple of weeks. I don’t know why the three
of you are together.” He broke off for a moment, studying her
intently. Cassie knew that he wanted an explanation, but she was
not ready to give him one yet. She was not ready to relive that
horror right now. He sighed softly; his hands briefly stroked her
arms. “I know you feel that we can trust him, but…”
    “I do trust him,” she interrupted
fiercely. “I know it’s asking a lot of you Devon, but you must
trust me on this. Julian will not do anything to hurt
me.”
    A strange look crossed his face, a
flicker of hurt and worry flashed through his eyes. Her hands
tightened upon him, she wished that she could make him understand,
but there wasn’t time for that right now. “Ok, fine” he relented.
“If you trust him around your friends then I will also.”
    Cassie nodded, wishing she could
explain everything to him, but knowing that words could never truly
make him understand. “I do Devon. I trust him
completely.”
    His eyes widened in surprise, his hands
tightened briefly on her. She knew that she was confusing him, knew
that he didn’t understand, and that he was wounded, but she could
not help it. There was