Read Online Kindled (Book 3 The Kindred Series) by Erica Stevens - Free Book Online

he spotted her amongst the rows of granite . She was kneeling before the grave, oblivious to the snow coated ground against her bare skin. A small moan of despair escaped him as her anguish washed over him , poured through him, suffus ed him within her pain . He slowed, not wanting to rush up on her, knowing that he had to approach her slowly. Walking silently up behind her, he simply stood back, waiting for her to need him, or to tell him to go. Which he would not do. He was not going to leave her out here in the cold, and he didn’t think he could handle being pushed away again.
       She kept her head bowed; her golden hair f e ll forward to shield her beautiful face. One of h er hands w as clenched upon her thigh , the other re sted against the name on the grave as she leaned slightly forward. Her sun glasses rested be side the grave , tossed precariously aside . A subtle stiffening of her shoulders told him that she was well aware of his presence , but she did not tell him to leave , and he di d not feel anger coming from her . He glanced briefly at the stone as she lovingly stroked her grandmother’s name , Lillian Rose Callahan .
       “Someone left her flowers,” Cassie whispered, her voice choked and broken .
       He glanced at the roses and lily’s that rested against the stone, some of them had gone past, but most were new. He had left a bouquet just yesterday. “Yes,” he said softly.
       A shudder raced through her, shaking her slender frame. Though she had to be freezing, he knew he r shiver had nothing to do with the cold. Her hand slid away from the stone, falling limply t o her thigh. “I haven’t been here.”
      H e didn ’ t know what to say , so he remained silent, frightened that she would turn him away again if he did speak . She turned toward him, her violet blue eyes bright with unshed tears, her skin pale. Her full lower lip trembled slightly, making her appear far younger and achingly vulnerable. His hands twitched to hold her, to comfort her. It had been so long and he needed her so badly, but she had to come to him . S he had to want him again .
       “It’s my fault,” she whispered. “It’s my fault that she’s dead.”
        A shattering radiated from her. A soul renderin g devastation that ripped through her, pulsing out in waves that pierced deep into his soul. Her anguish was consuming, heart wrenching, overwhelming in its force. It staggered him. She bent her head, and for the first time since her grandmother had been killed, she began to cry.
       Heavy, fierce sobs shook through her. Her arms crossed over her chest as she rock ed back and forth, seeking to comfort herself in some way. Devon wanted to stay away, wanted to give her the time she needed to grieve . However, he could not stand to see her in so much pain and not do anything about it.
       In two long strides, he was at her side, kneeling in the snow beside her. Though he was frightened that she would turn him away again, he reached out and wrapp ed his arms around her . She came to him, sobbing loudly, hardly able to breathe as her small hands curled into his shirt. Wrapping his hand around her head he held her tight to him .
       Rocking her slowly, he simply clung to her as she cried, kissing her head gently, burying his nose in the wonderful scent of her hair. Holding her again, he was a ble to feel the full extent of he r weight los s . Her spine was hard beneath his hand, her shoulders sharp against his chest.
       He closed his eyes against the pain filling him as he gather ed her closer. He w ant ed to cry from the intensity of her grief , and the force of the relief that filled him at being able to hold her again. Pulling her into his lap, he bent over her, trying to give her comfort and warmth as she trembled and shook against him. Her tears seeped into his shirt, soaking the front of it. Despite his relief at holding her again worry for her safety , and health , began to fill him . She had