Текст книги "Opal"

Автор книги: Jennifer L. Armentrout

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Текущая страница: 17 (всего у книги 21 страниц)

Ah, no, she couldn’t.

Finding dresses didn’t take very long. Ash went with one that barely covered her ass, and I found a really great red dress I just knew Daemon would go gaga for. Afterward, we headed to Smoke Hole Diner.

Going out to eat with Lesa felt good, and Dee being there was like the proverbial icing on the cake. Ash? I wasn’t so sure about that part.

I ordered a hamburger while Ash and Dee ordered practically everything on the menu. Lesa went with a grilled cheese sandwich and something I found entirely gross. “I don’t know why you drink cold coffee. You can just get regular coffee and let it grow cold.”

“So not the same,” Dee answered as the waitress put our sodas down. “Tell them, Ash.”

The blonde Luxen peered up from ridiculously long eyelashes. “Chilled coffee is more sophisticated.”

I made a face. “I’ll be uncivilized with my warm coffee.”

“Why doesn’t that surprise me?” Ash arched a brow and then turned her attention back to her cellphone.

Sticking my tongue at her, I smothered a giggle when Lesa elbowed me. “I still think I should’ve gotten the transparent wings for my dress.”

Dee smiled. “They were cute.”

I nodded, thinking Daemon would’ve loved them.

Lesa tugged her curls out of her face. “You guys are lucky you found dresses on this short notice.”

Since her and Chad had made plans to go like ordinary people months ago, she had gotten her dress from some shop in Virginia. She had gone mostly along for the ride.

As conversation picked up and Dee started talking about her dress, I sat back against the booth. Sadness trickled through me, followed by bittersweet memories. I thought I’d known Carissa, but I really hadn’t. Had she known a Luxen? Or had she been picked up by Daedalus and used? Months had passed and there had been no answers; the only reminder was the piece of opal I had discovered under my bed.

Some days I’d felt nothing but anger, but today, I let it slip off my shoulders with a deep breath. What had become of Carissa couldn’t tarnish her memory forever.

Ash smiled. “I’m thinking my dress will be a hit.”

Lesa sighed. “I don’t know why you don’t just go naked. That little black dress you found is little and nothing else.”

“Don’t tempt her,” Dee said, grinning as our food was delivered to the table.

“Naked?” Ash scuffed. “These goods aren’t showed off for free.”

“Surprising,” Lesa muttered under her breath.

It was my turn to elbow her.

“So, are you going to the prom with anyone?” Lesa asked, ignoring me as she waved her grilled cheese sandwich at Dee. “Or are you going solo?”

Dee shrugged one shoulder. “I wasn’t going to go, you know, because of

Adam, but it’s my last year, so

I wanted to go.” There was a pause as she pushed her chicken tender around her basket. “I’m going with Andrew.”

I almost choked on my bun. Lesa gaped. We stared at her.

Her brows rose. “What?”

“You’re not

like, going out with Andrew, are you?” Lesa’s cheeks flamed-Lesa’s . “I mean, if you are, cool and what not.”

Dee laughed. “No-God, no. That would be way too weird for the both of us. We’re friends.”

“Andrew’s a douche,” Lesa said what I was thinking.

Ash snorted. “Andrew has taste. Of course you would think he’s a douche.”

“Andrew has changed a lot. He was there for me and vice versa.” And Dee was right. Andrew had simmered down a bit. Everyone had changed. “We’re just going as friends.”

Thank God, because even though I didn’t want to judge, Dee hooking up with Adam’s brother would be way too weird. And then Ash dropped the bomb of all bombs as I munched on a thick french fry. “I have a date,” she said.

I think I might’ve developed a hearing problem. “With who?”

One delicate eyebrow arched. “No one you would know.”

“Is he

” I caught myself. “Is he from around here?”

Dee bit down on her lip. “He’s a freshman at Frostburg. She met him at the mall in Cumberland a few weeks back.”

But that didn’t answer the question burning to be asked. Was he human? Dee must’ve read what I was dying to know in my eyes, because she nodded and grinned.

I almost dropped my soda.

Holy country roads take me home, because this was an alternate reality if Ash was going to prom with a human-a subpar, ordinary old human.

Ash rolled cerulean eyes. “I don’t know why you guys are staring at me like you’re on the wrong side of special.” She popped another fry into her mouth. “I would never go to the prom alone. For example-”

“Ash,” Dee said, eyes narrowing.

“I went with Daemon to the prom last year,” she went on, and my stomach twisted into knots, which was made worse by the secretive smile that graced her full lips. “That was a night I’ll never forget.”

I wanted to punch her.

Taking a deep breath, I forced a smile. “Funny because Daemon hasn’t mentioned that night.”

Ash’s eyes flashed in warning. “He isn’t the kiss and tell type, dear.”

My smile turned brittle. “ That I know.”

She got my message and that conversation was thankfully dropped and Dee started talking about some TV show she was watching, which somehow sparked another argument between Ash and Lesa over who was the hottest guy on the show. I’m pretty sure those two would argue over the color of the sky.

I took Lesa’s side.

In the car ride back, Lesa turned to me. “So, are you and Daemon getting a hotel room or anything?”

“Uh, no. Do people really do that?”

Lesa leaned back and laughed. “Yes. Chad and I are getting one at Fort Hill.”

In the front passenger seat, Ash snickered.

“What are you doing, Ash?” Lesa asked, her eyes sharpening. “Planning to stay at prom and beat up the prom queen?”

Ash laughed in her seat but said nothing.

“Anyway,” Lesa drawled. “You and Daemon haven’t done it yet, right? Prom-”

“Hey!” Dee shrieked, startling us. “I’m sitting here, remember? I don’t want to hear about this.”

“Neither do I,” Ash muttered.

Oblivious to them, Lesa stared and waited. There was no way I was answering that question. If I lied and said yes, I’d scar Dee for life and if I told the truth, I was sure Ash would go into a detailed synopsis of their past sexual activities.

Finally Lesa dropped it, but it was all I thought about thanks to her. I sighed, staring out the window. It wasn’t like we weren’t ready. I guess. I mean, how do you know you’re really ready? I don’t think anyone seriously does. Sex wasn’t something you could plan. It either happened or it didn’t.

Getting a hotel room with the expectation of having sex? Hotels were so

so skeevy.

Part of me wondered if I’d been living in a cave or something, but I hadn’t. At school, in-between classes, I’d heard other girls talking about the things they hoped and planned to happen after prom. I’d heard guys talking, too. But I had my mind on other things, I supposed.

And who was I to judge? A few days ago I’d really believed the reason Daemon wanted to come over to my house afterschool was to

do it. But heck, at the rate we were going, we’d be fifty before anything like that happened.

Pushing the whole subject out of my mind by the time we got home, I said goodbye to Lesa and even Ash. I couldn’t wait until I saw this human college boy.

Dee and I were left alone.

She started toward her house while I stood there like an idiot, unsure of what to say. But she stopped and then turned around. Her lashes were lowered as she fidgeted with the edges of her hair. “I had fun today. I’m glad you came.”

“Me, too.”

She shifted her weight. “Daemon’s going to love that dress.”

“You think?” I lifted up the garment bag.

“It is red.” She smiled, taking a step back. “Maybe before prom we can get together and get ready

like with Homecoming?”

“I’d love that.” My smile spread so fast I bet I looked a little crazy.

She nodded, and I wanted to run up and hug her, but I wasn’t sure if we were there yet. With a little wave, she spun around and headed up her porch. For a moment, I stood there with my dress and let out a happy sigh.

This was progress. Maybe things would never be like they were, but this was really good.

Heading inside, I hugged my dress bag close and kicked the door shut. Mom had already left for work, so as I took my dress upstairs and hung it on my closet door. I wondered what I was going to make myself for dinner.

Pulling out my cell phone, I sent Daemon a quick text. What R U doing?

He responded a few moments later. With Andrew & Matthew, getting dinner. Want smthing?

I glanced at the bag, recalling how flirty the dress was. Feeling naughty, I texted him: You .

The response was lightning quick, and I laughed. Really? And then, Of course, I alrdy knew that . And before I could respond, my phone rang. It was Daemon.

I answered, grinning like an idiot. “Hey.”

“I wish I were home,” he said, and a car honked. “I can be there in seconds.”

Heading down the steps, I stopped and leaned against the wall. “No. You rarely get guy time. Stay with them.”

“I don’t need guy time. I need Kitten time.”

My face flushed. “Well, you can get Kitten time when you come home.”

He grumbled and then, “Did you get a dress?”

“Yes.”

“Will I like it?”

I smiled and then rolled my eyes when I realized I was twirling my hair. “It’s red, so I think so.”

“Hot damn.” Someone yelled his name-sounded like Andrew-and he sighed. “Okay. I’m going back in. Want me to pick you up anything? Andrew, Dawson, and I are going to Smoke Hole.”

I thought about the hamburger I just ate. I’d be hungry later. “Do they have chicken fried steak?”

“Yes.”

“With homemade gravy?” I inquired, starting back down the steps.

Daemon’s laugh was husky. “The best gravy around.”

“Perfect. I want that.”

He promised to bring me home a hungry man’s portion and then hung up. I went into the living room first and dropped my cell on the coffee table. Then I swiped up one of the books I’d gotten this past week for review and headed to the kitchen for something to drink.

Flipping over the book, I read the blurb and had to slow down because I almost walked into a wall. Laughing at myself, I stepped through the doorway and looked up.

Will sat at the kitchen table.

Armentrout, Jennifer L.

Opal ( A Lux Novel)

Chapter 32

The book slipped from my lifeless fingers, falling to the floor. The smack reverberated inside me, all around me. I sucked in a breath but it got stuck around my heart pounding off my ribs.

My eyes had to be deceiving me. He couldn’t be here. And he couldn’t look the way he did. It was Will

It was but it wasn’t . Something was dreadfully wrong with the man.

Will sat hunched over the table with his back to the fridge. The last time I’d seen him, his dark brown hair had been thick and wavy, with a hint of gray at the temples. Patches of his skull shone under a thin layer of mousy hair now.

Will

Will had been a handsome man, but this man who sat before me had aged dramatically. His skin was sallow and drawn tight across his face. No fat or form whatsoever, and he reminded me of the skeleton decorations used to scare children at Halloween. Some sort of rash affected his forehead, looking like a blotch of raspberries. His lips were incredibly thin, as were his arms and his shoulders.

Only his eyes were what I remembered. Pale blue, full of strength and determination, they fixed on mine. Something else sharpened them. Resolve? Hatred? I wasn’t sure, but what shone deep in them was more frightening than staring down a horde of Arum.

Will let out a dry, painful-sounding laugh. “I’m a sight for sore eyes, aren’t I?”

I didn’t know what to do or say. As scary as hell as it was that he was here, he was in no shape to do a thing to me. That gave me a little confidence.

He sat back against the chair; the movement looked like it hurt and winded him.

“What happened to you?” I asked.

Will stared back a long moment before sliding a hand over the table. “You’re smarter than that, Katy. It’s obvious. The mutation didn’t hold.”

That I got, but it didn’t explain why he looked like the crypt keeper.

“I did plan on coming back here after a few weeks. I knew the sickness would be rough-I knew I needed time to get control of it. Then I’d come and we’d be one big, happy family.”

I choked. “There would be no way I’d let that happen.”

“Your mother wanted that.”

My hands curled into fists.

“It seemed to hold at first.” A cough racked his frail body and I almost expected him to topple over. “Weeks went by and the things I could do

” A weak, brittle smile split his dry lips. “Moving objects with a wave of my hand, running miles without breaking a sweat

I felt better than I ever had. Everything had fallen into place just like I planned, just like I paid for.”

My horrified gaze flickered over his sunken chest. “Then what happened to you?”

His left arm twitched. “The mutation didn’t hold, but that doesn’t mean it didn’t change me on a cellular level. Something I’d wanted to prevent ended up being

propelled by the mutation. My cancer,” he said, lip curling. “My cancer was in remission. The statistics of a complete recovery were high, but when the mutation faded, this

” He waved a weak hand around himself. “This happened.”

I blinked, stunned. “Your cancer came back?”

“With a vengeance,” he said, laughing that terrible, fragile laugh. “There’s nothing that can be done. My blood is like a toxin. My organs are failing at an abnormal rate. Apparently, the whole theory of cancer being linked to DNA may have some basis to it.”

Each word he spoke seemed to exhaust him and there was no doubt he was one step, maybe two, away from death. Reluctant sympathy flooded me. How crappy was it that everything he’d done to secure his health had ultimately led to his death?

I shook my head. Irony was such a witch. “If you had just left everything alone, you’d be fine.”

His eyes met mine. “You want to rub that in?”

“No.” And I really didn’t. If anything, I was sickened by this. “It’s just sad, really sad.”

He stiffened. “I don’t want your pity.”

Okay. I crossed my arms. “Then what do you want?”

“I want revenge.”

My brows shot up. “For what? You brought this on yourself.”

“I did everything right!” He slammed his fist down on the table, rattling it and surprising me. Well, he was stronger than he looked. “I did everything right. It was him-Daemon. He didn’t do what he was supposed to.”

“He healed you like you wanted.”

“Yes! He healed me! And that gave me a temporary mutation.” Another fit of coughing stole his words. “He

he didn’t mutate me. What he did

was he gave himself what he wanted and enough time for him to think he got away with it.”

I stared at him. “The whole healing and mutation thing isn’t an exact science.”

“You’re correct. The DOD has dedicated entire organizations to discovering how a successful hybrid is created.” No big announcement there. “But Daemon is the strongest. There was no reason why it wouldn’t have held.”

“There’s no way of knowing what would’ve happened.”

“Don’t pretend that you don’t know,” he spat. “That punk knew what he was doing. I saw it in his eyes. I just didn’t know what it meant then.”

I looked away and then faced him. “There has to be a true want behind the healing for it to work. Anything else won’t do the job

or at least that’s what we’ve learned.”

“That’s mystical BS.”

“Is it?” My gaze drifted over him. Yeah, I was being a bitch, but he locked me in a cage, tortured me, and had slept with my mom to get what he wanted. I felt sympathy for the guy, but in a twisted way, he’d gotten what he deserved. “Sure doesn’t seem that way.”

“You’re so cocky, Katy. The last I saw of you, you were screaming your head off.” He smiled again, his head wobbling on his neck.

And there went my sympathy. “What do you want, Will?”

“I told you.” He stood awkwardly, swaying to the left of the table. “I want revenge.”

I arched a brow. “Not sure how you’re going to pull that off.”

He placed one hand on the counter, supporting himself. “This is your fault-Daemon’s fault. I made a deal. I held up my end of the bargain.”

“Dawson wasn’t where you said he was.”

“No. I had him released from the office building.” His smug smile came off as a grimace. “I had to give myself more time to get away. I knew Daemon would come after me.”

“No. He wouldn’t have, because he really didn’t know if it worked or not. If so

” I stopped.

“We’d be joined, and there’d be nothing he could do?” he supplied. “That’s what I hoped.”

I watched him place a hand on his bony hip, all at once grateful that Mom would never see him like this. Will would remind her of Dad. Part of me felt like I should help Will sit down or something.

He bared yellow teeth. “But you two are joined, right? One life split into two. One of you dies, so does the other.”

I snapped to attention. My stomach lurched.

He caught my reaction. “If I had to pick what I’d want to accomplish here, it would be to make him suffer, to live on without the thing he cherishes most, but

he’s not going to die instantaneously, right? He’ll know-and those seconds of him knowing

”

His intentions sunk in slowly. A buzzing filled my ears and my mouth dried. He wanted to kill us. With what? His evil-eye power?

Will pulled a gun out from underneath his loose shirt.

Oh, yeah, that would do it.

“You can’t be serious,” I said, shaking my head.

“I’m as serious as they come.” He took a breath, and his chest rattled a death sound. “And then I’m going to sit here and wait for your pretty mom to come home. She’s going to see your dead body first and then she’ll see the business end of my gun.”

My heart tripped up. Ice water slipped over my skin. The buzzing roared now. Like a switch being thrown inside me, something else took over. It wasn’t timid, gullible Katy who followed him into a car. It wasn’t the one who stood in the kitchen seconds ago feeling sorry for him.

This was the girl who stood before Vaughn and watched the life seep out of him.

Maybe later I would be bothered by how quickly the change came over me. How easy it was for me to go from the girl who’d just bought her prom dress and flirted with her boyfriend to this stranger who now occupied my body, ready to do anything to protect those I loved.

But right now, I didn’t care.

“You’re not going to hurt Daemon. You’re not going to hurt me,” I said. “And you are sure as hell not going to hurt my mother.”

Will lifted the gun. The metal looked too heavy for his feeble hand. “What are you going to do, Katy?”

“What do you think?” I took a bold step forward, my brain and mouth propelled by this stranger. “Come on, Will, you’re smart enough to figure it out on your own.”

“You don’t have it in you.”

Calmness settled over me, and I felt my lips spread into a smile. “You don’t know what I’m capable of.”

Up until then, I hadn’t known what I was capable of, not truly, but seeing Will, staring down the barrel of that gun, I knew exactly what I was capable of. And as wrong as it may be, I was okay with what I was going to have to do.

Completely accepting of it.

There was a part of me that was scared of how easy that acceptance was and I wanted to cling to the old Katy, because she would’ve had a problem with this. She would’ve been sickened by this and the words I was saying.

“You do look a little ill, Will. You might want to get checked out. Oh, wait.” I widened my eyes innocently. “You can’t go to a regular doctor because even though the mutation obviously didn’t stick, I’m sure it changed you and you can’t go to the DOD, because that would be like suicide.”

The hand around the gun trembled. “You think you’re so smart and brave, don’t you, little girl?”

I shrugged. “Perhaps, but I do know I’m completely healthy. What about you, Will?”

“Shut up,” he hissed.

Stepping next to the kitchen table, I eyed the gun. If I could distract him, then I could take him out. I really didn’t want to test the whole stopping-a-bullet theory.

“Just think of all that money you paid, and it didn’t even work out in the end,” I said. “And you’ve lost everything-your career, your money, my mom, and your health. Karma’s a tool, isn’t it?”

“You stupid bitch.” Spittle flew from between his chapped lips. “I’m going to kill you, and you’ll die knowing that your precious freak will be dead, too. And then I’m going to sit here and wait for your mother to come home.”

My humanity clicked off. I was so done with this.

Will smiled. “Where’s your smart mouth now?”

My gaze dropped to the gun, and I felt the Source soar over my skin. My fingers splayed, their tips already tingling. Drawing in the power, I focused on the gun. His hand shook again. The muzzle of the gun swayed to the left. The trigger finger twitched.

Will’s throat spasmed as he swallowed. “What

What are you doing?”

I lifted my gaze, and I smiled.

His bloodshot eyes widened. “You-”

I waved my hand to the left and several things happened next. There was a popping sound, like a cork being pulled from a champagne bottle, but the sound and everything else was lost in the roar of electricity that flowed outward and then the gun flew from his hand.

It was like a bolt of lightning-pure and raw.

The stream of whitish-red light arced across the room, slamming into Will’s chest. Maybe-maybe if he wasn’t so ill, it wouldn’t have done much, but the man was weak and I wasn’t.

He flew backward, bouncing off the wall next to the fridge, his head flopping on his neck like a rag doll. He made no sound as he hit the floor in a boneless heap. That was it-it was over. No more wondering about Will or where he was, what he was doing. This part of our lives was closed.

My house is like the killing fields , I thought.

I exhaled and something-I don’t know, something went wrong. Air was stuck in my throat, in my lungs, but when I dragged in a breath, there was this burning pain I hadn’t noticed before. But as the Source receded back into me, the burning grew across my chest, spread over my stomach.

I looked down.

A red inkblot had formed on the pale blue shirt and it spread

larger and larger, an irregular circle that bled.

I pressed my hands against the circle-it was damp, warm, and sticky. Blood. It was blood-my blood. My head swam.

“Daemon,” I whispered.

Armentrout, Jennifer L.

Opal ( A Lux Novel)

Chapter 33

I don’t remember falling, but I was staring at the ceiling, trying to keep my hands pressed to the gunshot wound, because I’d seen people do that on TV, but I couldn’t feel my hands, so I wasn’t sure if they were there or by my sides.

My face was wet.

I was going to die in minutes, maybe sooner, and I’d failed Daemon and my mom. Failed them, because Daemon would die, too, and my mom-oh, God, my mom would come home to find this. She wouldn’t survive this, not after Dad.

A shudder rolled through my body and my chest labored for breath. I didn’t want to die alone on the cold, hard floor. I didn’t want to die at all. I blinked and when I reopened my eyes, the ceiling was fuzzy.

Nothing really hurt, though. Books got that right. There was a point where there was so much pain I couldn’t process it or I was beyond it. Probably beyond it

The front door opened and a familiar voice called out, “Katy? Where are you? Something’s wrong with Daemon

”

My lips worked, but there was no sound. I tried again. “Dee?”

Footsteps crept closer and then, “Oh my God

oh my God.”

Dee was suddenly in my line of sight, her face fuzzy around the edges. “Katy-holy crap, Katy

hold on.” She moved my bloodstained hands away and placed hers over the wound as she looked up, seeing Will crumpled beside the fridge. “God

”

I worked to get out one word. “Daemon

”

She blinked rapidly, her form fading out for a second and then her face was in front of mine, her eyes glowing like diamonds, and I couldn’t look away. Her eyes, her words, consumed me. “Andrew is bringing him over. He’s okay. He’s going to be okay, because you’re going to be okay. Got that?”

I coughed out a response and something wet and warm covered my lips. It had to be bad-blood-because Dee’s face paled even more as she placed both of her hands over the wound and closed her eyes.

My lids seemed way too heavy and the sudden warmth radiating from hers ebbed and flowed through me. Her shape faded out and she was in her true form-bright and lustrous like an angel-and I thought if I were to die, then at least I saw something as beautiful as this before the end.

But I had to hang on, because it wasn’t just my life that hung in the balance. It was Daemon’s. So I forced my eyes open, kept them trained on Dee, watching as her light flickered over the walls, bathing the room. If she healed me, would we be linked? The three of us? I couldn’t wrap my head around that. And it wouldn’t be fair to Dee.

And then there were voices. I recognized Andrew’s and Dawson’s. There was a thud beside my head and then he was there, his beautiful face pale and strained. I’d never seen him so pale, and if I concentrated, I could feel his heart laboring like mine. His hands were shaking as they touched my cheeks, smooth under my parted lips.

“Daemon

”

“Shh,” he said, smiling. “Don’t talk. It’s okay. Everything is okay.”

He turned to his sister, gently pulling her stained hands back. “You can stop now.”

She must’ve responded directly to him, because Daemon shook his hand. “We can’t risk you doing this. You have to stop.”

Someone, it sounded like Andrew, said, “Man, you’re too weak to do this.” And then I realized it was him, and he was on my other side. I think he held my hand. I may’ve been hallucinating, though, because I saw two Daemons.

Wait. The second one was Dawson. He was holding Daemon, keeping him in an upright position. Daemon never needed help. He was the strongest-is the strongest. Panic blossomed.

“Let Dee do this,” Andrew urged.

Daemon shook his head and after what seemed like forever, Dee pulled back and took on her human form. She scrambled out of the way, arms shaking.

“He’s crazy,” she said. “He’s absolutely crazy.”

When Daemon slipped into his true form and placed his hands on me, there was only him then. The rest of the room slipped away. I didn’t want him to heal me if he was already weak, but I got why he didn’t want Dee to do it. Too risky, not knowing how or if it would link the three of us together.

Heat flowed through me and then I wasn’t really thinking. Daemon’s voice was in my thoughts, murmuring reassurances over and over again. I felt light, airy, and complete.

Daemon

I said his name over and over again. I don’t know why, but it was grounding to just hear his name.

And when I closed my eyes, they didn’t reopen. The renewing warmth was in every cell, easing through my veins, settling into my muscles and bones. Heat and safety pulled me under and the last thing I heard was Daemon’s voice.

You can let go now.

I did.

When I opened my eyes again, a candle somewhere in the room flickered and danced in the shadows. I couldn’t move my arms and I didn’t know where I was for a second, but as I dragged in a deep breath, an earthy scent surrounded me.

“Daemon?” My voice was hoarse, dry from panic.

The bed-I was in a bed-dipped and out of the darkness came Daemon. Half of his face was bathed in shadows. His eyes glowed like diamonds.

“I’m here,” he said. “Right beside you.”

I swallowed, keeping my gaze fixed on him. “I can’t move my arms.”

There was a deep, throaty chuckle and I thought it was terrible that he would laugh when my arms couldn’t move. “Here, let me fix that for you.”

Daemon’s hands felt around me, finding the edges of the blankets. He loosened them. “There you go.”

“Oh.” I wiggled my fingers and then slipped my arms out. A second later, I realized I was nude-completely nude under the blankets. Fire swept over my face and down my neck. Did we

? What the heck was I not remembering?

I clasped the edge of the blanket, wincing as skin pulled over my chest. “Why am I naked?”

Daemon stared back at me. One second passed and then two, three. “You don’t remember?”

It took a moment or so for my brain to process everything and when it did, I sat up and started to jerk the blanket away. Daemon stopped me with his hand. “You’re fine. There’s just a tiny mark-a scar, but it’s really faint,” he said, his large hand surrounding mine. “Honestly, I doubt anyone would notice it unless they were looking really close, and I’d be perturbed if anyone was looking that close.”

My mouth worked without sound. Around us, the candle threw shadows along the wall. It was Daemon’s bedroom, because my bed wasn’t nearly as comfortable or as big as his.

Will had come back. He had shot me-shot me right in the chest and I

I couldn’t finish that thought.

“Dee helped get you cleaned up. So did Ash.” His eyes searched my face. “They put you in the bed. I didn’t

help them.”

Ash saw me naked? Stupidly, out of everything, that made me want to crawl back under the covers. Man, I needed to get my priorities straight.

“Are you sure you’re okay?” He reached to touch me but stopped, his hand lingering an inch or so from my cheek.

I nodded. I’d been shot-shot in the chest. That thought was on repeat. I’d come close to death once before, when we’d fought Baruck, but to be shot was a whole different ballpark. It was going to take me a few moments to fully comprehend that, especially since it didn’t seem real.

“I shouldn’t be sitting up and talking to you,” I said dumbly, peering through my lashes. “This is

”

“I know. It’s a lot.” He touched me then, placing the tips of his fingers on my lips reverently. He let out a shaky breath. “It’s really a lot.”

I closed my eyes for a moment, soaking in the low hum and warmth his touch brought. “How did you know?”

“I felt short of breath all of a sudden,” he said, dropping his hand and inching closer. “And there was this red-hot feeling in my chest. My muscles wouldn’t work right. I knew something had happened. Luckily, Andrew and Dawson were able to get me outside without causing a scene. Sorry, no chicken fried steak.”

I didn’t think I’d ever eat again.

A smile appeared on his lips. “I’d never been so scared in my life. I had Dawson call Dee to check on you. I

was too weak to get here myself.”

I recalled how pale he’d looked and that Dawson had been supporting him. “How do you feel now?”

“Perfect.” He tilted his head to the side. “You?”

“I feel fine.” Only a dull soreness lingered, but it was nothing. “You saved my life-our lives.”