Kindled (Book 3 The Kindred Series) by Erica Stevens Page A

that he didn’t understand, that he couldn’t know the pain the lights could cause , but it did little to eas e the anger wracking through Devon . He turned back to Cassie. Her head was bowed, her eyes barely open to the harsh glare that pounded off of the gym floor.
       “Damn it!” he hissed, futility and frustration tearing through him. “Damn it!”
   Chris stared questioningly at him as Devon turned away . He grabb ed one of the gloves from the bench and stormed into the outfield, to tak e his position in left. Marcy moved into center, Chris beside her, and Kara on the other side of him. Folding his arms over his chest, Devon waited impatiently for the game to commence.
       They moved swiftly through the first inning, and the second. Devon thought his team was winning, but he couldn’t be sure. The only sport he had ever been interested in was hunting, a nd he had excelled at it.
       Switching again, Devon was in the outfield once more as Melissa came up to the plate . The ball cracked off the bat with a resounding thud that echoed throughout. Devon ran for it, pulling up short as Marcy collided with him . W rapping her arms around h is waist , she laughed loud ly as she clung to him . Chris retrieved the ball, throwing it in time to stop Melissa at second.
       Devon tried to extricate himself from Marcy’s arms, but she was laughing happily, her leaf green eyes twinkling merrily as she grabbed his ass . “I’m sorry,” she said brightly, her arms tightening briefly.
       Devon scowled at Marcy , grabbing hold of her petite shoulders he pulled her forcefully away from him . She continued to grin up at him for a moment before turning on her heel and sashaying away. Chris was staring at him with wide eyes. Then, Chris’s shoulders stiffened , his face turned ashen a nd he turned slowly toward Cassie. She stood at the plate, the bat resting loosely on her shoulders, her eyes narrowed against the light as she focused on Devon .
       He could feel the anger radiating from her, the hate . T he sense of betrayal. But there was something more. There was a shaking inside of her, a whirl of confusion that shivered through the bond that connected them , that would always connect them . A shattering of spiri t radiated from her, leaving Devon motionless. Chris turned deathly white, his mouth part ed slightly. A shiver of foreboding crept through Devon; judging by Chris’s reaction to her this was not going to be good. Devon wanted to go to Cassie , to hold her, to feel her . T o get h er the hell out of there before she exploded, which he was certain she was about to do.
       She blinked, her attention once more return ed to the game. Her eyes were narrowed, squint ed against the glare. He could feel the hurt that the light caused her, but beneath it he could feel the hurt in her soul, the anguish , the rage . She connected with the ball, a solid crushing blow that sent it soaring over their head s , before it crash ed against the back wall with a resounding thud that echoed through out the gym. It was a blow that no normal human could have delivered to the ball , let alone a girl. No one moved to retrieve the ball as it bounced over the floor before rolling under the bleachers with a soft clinking sound that was exceptionally loud in the still room .
       Cassie stood unmoving , the bat dangl ing loosely from her fingertips. The clatter of the bat hitting the ground snapped everyone’s attention back to her. She didn’t run the bases, she didn’t move. She simply stood there, looking lost and confused , and heartbroken . “Freak! ” Mark’s hiss was soft, but it reached Devon’s ears.
       Cassie turned slowly toward him; she stood stiffly, her shoulders back, he r eyes narrowed. “Yes, yes I am, ” she agreed softly .
       Walking away from the plate, she grabbed her sunglasses before striding out of t he gym. The teacher didn’t bother to stop her as she remained standing in shocked silence