Текст книги "Oblivion"

Автор книги: Jennifer L. Armentrout

сообщить о нарушении

Текущая страница: 12 (всего у книги 51 страниц)

“Alien powers?” she asked.

Water sluiced off my skin as I leaned over the edge of the rock, motioning her forward. “Come in, it’s a little warmer now.”

She didn’t look like she believed me when she placed her foot in. Her body jerked as she glanced up at me, her eyes wide. “Any other cool talents?” she asked as she waded over to the rocks.

“I can make it so that you can’t even see me.”

When she reached the side of the rocks, she placed her hand in mine. I pulled her up easily, and once she gained her footing, I let go and scooted back, giving her room.

She shivered as she sat on the sunbaked rock. “How can you do things without me seeing?”

Leaning back on my elbows, I stretched out my legs. “We’re made of light. We can manipulate the different spectra around us, using them. It’s like we’re fracturing the light, if that makes any sense.”

“Not really.”

“You’ve seen me turn into my natural state, right?” When she nodded, I went on. “And I sort of vibrate until I break apart into tiny particles of light. Well, I can selectively eliminate the light, which allows us to be transparent.”

She tucked her knees against her chest. “That’s kind of amazing, Daemon.”

I smiled as I folded my arms behind my head and lay back. “I know you have questions. Ask them.”

Kat slowly shook her head. “Do you guys believe in God?”

“He seems like a cool guy.”

She blinked. “Did you guys have a god?”

“I remember there was something like a church, but that’s all. The Elders don’t talk about any religion,” I explained.

“What do you mean by ‘elders’?”

“The same thing you’d mean. An old person.”

She scrunched her nose.

That made me grin. “Next question?”

“Why are you such an ass?”

I laughed under my breath. “Everyone has to excel at something, right?”

“Well, you’re doing a great job.”

Closing my eyes, I welcomed the sun soaking into me. “You do dislike me, don’t you?”

Kat didn’t respond right off. “I don’t dislike you, Daemon. You’re hard to…like. It’s hard to figure you out.”

“So are you,” I admitted and then decided to rock this whole honesty thing. “You’ve accepted the impossible. You’re kind to my sister and to me—even though I admit I’ve been a jerk to you. You could’ve run right out of the house yesterday and told the world about us, but you didn’t. And you don’t put up with any of my crap.” I laughed. “I like that about you.”

“You like me?”

“Next question?” I said smoothly.

Kat leaned in closer. “Are you guys allowed to date people—humans?”

I shrugged one shoulder as I glanced over at her. “‘Allowed’ is a strange word. Does it happen? Yes. Is it advised? No. So we can, but what would be the point? Not like we can have a lasting relationship when we have to hide what we are.”

She appeared to consider that. “So, you guys are like us in other, uh, departments?”

I sat up, arching a brow. “Come again?”

Her cheeks flushed in the sunlight. “You know, like sex? I mean, you guys are all glowy and stuff. I don’t see how certain stuff would work.”

Like sex?

She was legit asking me if we could have sex?

The question made me want to laugh. It also made me want other things that had to do with what she was thinking, and the fact that I physically responded that way so quickly was a bit disconcerting.

It was also interesting.

And I was also an idiot.

My lips curled up in a half smile and before I could really think about what I was doing, I moved, rolling her onto her back before she could blink an eye. She sucked in a soft breath. I hovered over her, my wet hair falling forward as I braced my weight on my hands. A droplet of water sneaked free, landing on her cheek. She didn’t even notice it.

“Are you asking if I’m attracted to human girls?” I lowered myself, and our bodies met in all the areas that counted. With our wet clothes, it felt like there was barely anything between our skin. She was amazingly soft under me, and I could feel her shallow breaths. As close as we were, I saw the way her eyes dilated. I shifted my hips just the slightest and I felt her gasp in every part of me. “Or are you asking if I’m attracted to you?”

Our eyes met and held. Silence stretched out between us, and I knew she had her answer.

And I also knew I needed to get off her before I engaged in total dumbassery.

Taking more effort than it should have, I rolled off her. When I spoke, there was no mistaking the change in my voice. “Next question.”

Kat didn’t sit up. “You could’ve just told me, you know?” She turned her head toward me. “You didn’t have to show me.”

True dat.

“And what fun would there be in telling you?” I turned my head toward her. “Next question, Kitten?”

“Why do you call me that?”

“You remind me of a little fuzzy kitten, all claws and no bite.”

Her lips twitched. “Okay, that makes no sense.”

I shrugged.

A moment passed. “Do you think there are more Arum around?”

That was a tough one. I tipped my head back, studying her to determine how real she wanted me to get. “They are always around.”

“And they’re hunting you?” Her voice dropped.

I flipped my gaze to the sky. “It’s the only thing they care about. Without our powers, they are like…humans, but vicious and immoral. They’re into ultimate destruction and whatever.”

“Have you…fought a lot of them?”

“Yep.” I rolled onto my side, facing her. “I’ve lost count of how many I’ve faced and killed. And with you lit up like you are, more will come.”

Her gaze momentarily lifted. “Then why did you stop the truck?”

“Would you have preferred I let it pancake you?” I asked, referencing what she had said that night.

“Why did you?” she persisted.

I clenched my jaw. “Honestly?”

“Yes.”

“Will it get me bonus points?” I asked softly.

Her chest rose with a deep breath, and then she lifted her hand. She brushed back the strand of hair that had fallen across my forehead. Her fingers grazed my skin, and I stilled, closed my eyes briefly. Such a soft, innocent touch, but it hit me hard.

“Depends on how you answer the question,” she said.

When I opened my eyes, her features were tinged in white. She pulled her hand back, exhaling softly. I eased onto my back, my arm against hers. “Next question?”

Kat folded her hands together over her stomach, and she didn’t pull away. “Why does using your powers leave a trace?”

Much safer ground. “Humans are like glow-in-the-dark T-shirts to us. When we use our abilities around you, you can’t help but absorb our light. Eventually, the glow will fade, but the more we do, the more energy we use, the brighter the trace. Dee blurring out doesn’t leave much of anything. The truck incident and when I scared the bear, that leaves a visible mark. Something more powerful, like healing someone, leaves a longer trace. A faint one, nothing big so I’m told, but it lingers longer for some reason.

“I should’ve been more careful around you,” I continued. “When I scared the bear, I used a blast of light, which is kind of like a laser. It left a large enough trace on you for the Arum to see you.”

“You mean the night I was attacked?” Her voice was hoarse.

“Yes.” I scrubbed my hand down my face. “Arum don’t come here a lot, because they don’t think any Luxen are here. The beta quartz in the Rocks throws off our energy signature, hides us. That’s one of the reasons why there are a lot of us here. But there must have been one coming through. He saw your trace and knew there had to be one of us nearby. It was my fault.”

“It wasn’t your fault. You weren’t the one who attacked me.”

“But I basically led him to you,” I pointed out.

As my words sank in, she paled. Fear filled her gaze. I hated that, and like earlier, I was concerned with how much of this information she could handle.

“Where is he now? Is he still around?” she asked. “Is he going to come back? What—”

Reaching between us, I found her hand and squeezed gently. “Kitten, calm down. You’re going to have a heart attack.”

Her lips parted slowly. “I’m not going to have a heart attack.”

“Are you sure?” Her hand felt warm and small inside mine.

“Yes.” That earned me another epic eye roll.

“He isn’t a problem anymore,” I explained.

She turned her head more fully toward me. “You…you killed him?”

“Yeah, I kind of did.” I wasn’t trying to scare her, but she needed to know I would kill anyone who threatened my family…and now her.

“You kind of did? I didn’t know there was any ‘kind of’ in killing someone.”

“Okay, yes, I did kill him.” I heard the startled catch in her breath. “We’re enemies, Kitten. He would’ve killed me and my family after absorbing our abilities if I didn’t stop him. Not only that, he would’ve brought more here. Others like us would’ve been in danger. You would’ve been in danger.”

“What about the truck? I’m glowing brighter now,” she said. “Will there be another?”

When there was one Arum, there were usually three more. Maybe we’d get lucky this time. “Hopefully there are none nearby. If not, the traces on you should fade. You’ll be safe.”

“And if not?”

“Then I’ll kill them, too.” And that was the truth. “For a while, you’re going to need to stay around me, until the trace fades.”

“Dee said something like that.” She bit down on her lip. “So you don’t want me to stay away from you guys anymore?”

“It doesn’t matter what I want.” I glanced down at our hands. It struck me then that I’d been tracing the alphabet on her hand. I had no idea. “But if I had my way, you wouldn’t be anywhere near us.”

Kat yanked her hand free. “Gee, don’t be honest or anything.”

“You don’t understand,” I said. I was determined that she understand the danger not staying away from us originally had put us all in. I didn’t want to be cruel, but she had to know what was at stake. “Right now, you can lead an Arum right to my sister. And I have to protect her. She’s all I have left. And I have to protect the others here. I’m the strongest. That is what I do. And while you’re carrying the trace on you, I don’t want you going anywhere with Dee if I’m not with you.”

Sitting up, she turned toward the shore. “I think it’s time I head back.”

Aw hell, she really wasn’t getting it. When she started to stand, I caught her arm. Her skin immediately warmed under my palm. “Right now, you can’t be out there by yourself. I need to be with you until the trace fades.”

“I don’t need you to play babysitter.” Her jaw jutted out stubbornly. “I’ll stay away from Dee until it fades.”

“You’re still not getting it.” God, I wanted to shake her. “If an Arum gets a hold of you, they aren’t going to kill you. The one at the library—he was playing with you. He was going to get you to the point that you’d beg for your life and then force you to take him back to one of us.”

“Daemon—”

“You don’t have a choice. Right now, you’re a huge risk. You are a danger to my sister. I will not let anything happen to her.”

Anger flushed her face. “And then after the trace fades? Then what?”

“I prefer that you’d stay the hell away from all of us, but I doubt that’s going to happen. And my sister does care for you.” I let go of her elbow and leaned back, beyond frustrated. “As long as you don’t end up with another trace, then I don’t have a problem with you being friends with her.”

Her hands balled into fists. “I’m so grateful to have your approval.”

I forced a smile. How much more clearly did I need to put it out there for her? She was in danger and she was a risk. This…this wasn’t personal. “I’ve already lost one sibling because of how he felt for a human. I’m not going to lose another.”

“You’re talking about your brother and Bethany,” she stated.

“My brother fell in love with a human…and now they’re both dead.”

Chapter 16

Sometimes Kat was as open as a picture book. Everything she thought and felt plainly visible on her face. I watched as the irritation eased away, replaced by sympathy I wasn’t comfortable seeing.

“What happened?” she asked quietly.

Part of me wanted to ignore the question. To say something ignorant and distract her, but there was another half of me that wanted to…to talk about it, to really talk about it. That part won out. “Dawson met Bethany, and I swear to you, it was like love at first sight. Everything for him became about her. Matthew—Mr. Garrison—warned him. I warned him that it wasn’t going to work. There was no way we can have a relationship with a human.”

I stared over her shoulder, at the tree line. “You don’t know how hard it is, Kat. We have to hide what we are all the time, and even among our own kind, we have to be careful. There are many rules. The DOD and Luxen don’t like the idea of us messing with humans. It’s as if they think we’re animals, beneath them.”

“But you’re not animals,” she said, a bit fiercely. It was kind of cute watching her come to my defense for once, even though I probably didn’t deserve it.

“Do you know any time we apply for something, it’s tracked by the DOD?” I shook my head, disgusted. “Driver’s license, they know. If we apply for college, they see it. Marriage license to a human? Forget it. We even have a registration we have to go through if we want to move.”

“Can they do that?” Shock flooded her voice

I laughed drily. “This is your planet, not ours. You even said it. And they keep us in place by funding our lives. We have random check-ins, so we can’t hide or anything. Once they know we’re here, that’s it. And that’s not all. We’re expected to find another Luxen and to stay there.”

Her gaze sharpened. “That doesn’t seem fair.”

“It’s not.” I sat up, draping my arms over my bent knees. “It’s easy to feel human. I know I’m not, but I want the same things that all humans want—” What was I saying to her? I cleared my throat as my jaw worked. “Anyway, something happened between Dawson and Bethany. I don’t know what. He never said. They went out hiking one Saturday and he came back late, his clothing torn and covered with blood. They were closer than ever. If Matt and the Thompsons didn’t have their suspicions before, they did then. That following weekend, Dawson and Bethany went out to the movies. They never came back.”

Kat closed her eyes.

“The DOD found him the next day in Moorefield, his body dumped in a field like garbage. I didn’t get to say good-bye. They took his body before I could even see him, because of the risk of exposure. When we die or get hurt, we resort back to our true form.”

Her voice was soft when she spoke. “Are you sure he’s…dead then, if you’ve never seen his body?”

“I know an Arum got him. Drained him of his abilities and killed him. If he were still alive, he would’ve found a way to contact us. Both his and Bethany’s bodies were taken away before anyone could see. Her parents will never know what happened to her. And all we know is that he had to have done something that left a trace on her, enabling the Arum to find him. That’s the only way. They can’t sense us here. He had to have done something major.”

“I’m sorry,” she whispered. “I know there’s nothing I can say. I’m just so sorry.”

Lifting my chin, I gazed up at the sky. The weight of losing Dawson was like a hundred-pound ball of lead settling in my stomach. It hurt. Still hurt like it was yesterday. Still woke up some nights and found myself in his bedroom, wishing I could just see him one more time.

“I…I miss the idiot,” I said raggedly.

Kat didn’t say anything, but she leaned over, wrapping her arms around me. I stiffened out of surprise. She didn’t seem to notice, because she squeezed me tight, and then she let go, pulling away.

I stared at her, shocked to my very core. After the things I said to her a handful of minutes ago, she did this? Hugged me?

She lowered her gaze to her hands. “I miss my dad, too. It doesn’t get any easier.”

The breath I let out was harsh. “Dee said he was sick but not what was wrong with him. I’m sorry…for your loss. Sickness isn’t something we’re accustomed to. What was it?”

“It was brain cancer. It started off with just headaches. You know? He’d get these terrible headaches and then he started having vision problems. When that happened, he went in for testing and he had cancer.” She glanced up at the sky, her brows knitting together. “It seemed like it happened so fast after that, but I guess, in a way it hadn’t been. I got time with him before he…”

“Before what?” I watched her, unable to do anything but that.

Her smile was sad. “He changed toward the end. The tumor affected things. That…that was hard, you know?” Shaking her head, she lowered her chin. “But I have all the memories of the good times, like when we worked out in the garden together or went to the bookstore. Every Saturday morning we did the garden thing. And then every Sunday afternoon, since I could remember, we went to the bookstore.”

I was beginning to see why she loved gardening and reading so much. It kept her close to her father. We’d both suffered so much loss. “Dawson and I…we used to go hiking together all the time. Dee’s really never been big on that.”

She grinned a little. “I can’t really picture her climbing a mountain.”

I chuckled at that. “Agreed.”

As daylight turned to dusk, and stars started to fill the sky, we…we just talked. I told her about the first time Dawson morphed into someone else and got stuck. She talked to me about how her friendships fell apart after her father got sick. I found it interesting that she took the blame for that. We talked until the air took on a chill, and it was time for us to head back.

Truth be told, I really didn’t want to return to reality. I enjoyed this. Kat. Me. Talking. Never thought I would, but I did. I really did.

Comfortable silence surrounded us as we walked back to our houses. There was a light on in the living room of Kat’s house, so her voice was low when she turned to me. “What happens now?”

I didn’t answer.

I had no idea what happened now.

I spent most of Sunday listening to Dee and Kat talk about books and how book boyfriends were universally better than real boyfriends while they sat in the living room. And since I was a guy, maybe not human, I really wanted to disagree with that statement, but once they started listing the attributes of some of these dudes in the books Kat carried around with her, there was no way anyone could compete with that.

I felt like I needed to warn Adam or something.

Matthew was having a cookout on Labor Day, which Kat had found hilarious that aliens were celebrating Labor Day…up until Dee was leaving. For a multitude of obvious reasons, Kat couldn’t go with Dee. She tried not to show it, but the smile she wore while she sat on our front porch didn’t reach her gray eyes.

“I don’t have to go over there,” Dee said, sensing what I did. “I can stay—”

Kat opened her mouth, but I jumped in. “You’ve gone every year. You have to go this year or it’s going to look strange.”

She worried on her lower lip as she glanced at Kat. “Are you going to be okay here?”

“Why wouldn’t she be?” I demanded, folding my arms.

Kat shot me a glare.

“Her mom has to work today, so she’s spending the day alone,” Dee answered before Kat could reply.

I cocked a brow. “How is that different from any other day?”

Kat’s lips pursed.

“Don’t be a jerk.” Dee’s eyes narrowed. “It’s different, because today is a holiday.”

Kat opened her mouth again.

“It’s Labor Day,” I pointed out drily. “It’s not like it’s Thanksgiving or Christmas. I’m not even sure it’s a real holiday.”

“Oh, it’s real. It’s on calendars and stuff,” Dee insisted. “It’s a holiday.”

I rolled my eyes. “It’s a stupid holiday. Kat is—”

“Is right here, in case you all forgot that.” Kat stood, dusting off the back of her jeans. She shot me a baleful glare before turning to Dee. “I’ll be okay. Daemon, and God knows I hate saying this, is right. It’s just Labor Day. It’s no big deal. Adam is going to be there, right?”

Dee nodded while I eyed Kat.

She smiled again. “Go have fun with him.”

By the time my sister finally got her butt in her car and left, I had been prepared to Hail Mary throw her all the way to Matthew’s house. I wasn’t sure I’d make it, but I was willing to try.

As Dee’s tires crunched over the gravel, Kat moseyed on past me, and my gaze tracked her, riveted by the way her hips swayed. Did she realize how she walked? Jesus.

“Where are you going?” I asked, lashes lowered.

She stopped on the porch steps. “Um, going next door.”

“Huh,” I murmured, leaning against the side of the house.

Her lips turned down at the corners. “Aren’t you going to the cookout?”

I shook my head. “That’s never been my thing.”

“Really? A cookout has to be a ‘thing’ to do?” she challenged.

“Whether it’s my thing or not, it’s kind of irrelevant. Someone needs to be here with you.”

Those full lips dipped into a scowl. “I don’t need a babysitter—”

“Yeah, you kind of do.”

Kat faced me, and it became obvious that she was ready to fully engage. It took a Herculean effort not to smile. After yesterday, the time spent at the lake, something shifted between us. A connection I wasn’t sure how to handle had been forged.

“I do not need a babysitter, Daemon.” Her hand closed over the railing. “I’m just going over to my house and I’m—”

“Going to read a book?”

Fire was seconds away from shooting out of her eyes. Maybe even her mouth, too. “What if I am? There’s nothing wrong with reading.”

“I didn’t say that there was.” I smiled.

“Whatever.” She pivoted and stomped down the steps.

I should’ve let her go. As long as she stayed here, when I was around, she would be safe, and the bonus was Dee wasn’t with her. But as I watched her stalk toward her house—her empty house—I cursed under my breath and pushed off from where I was standing.

“Hey,” I called out, unfolding my arms.

Kat kept walking.

Sighing, I shot off the deck. She didn’t see me, not until I appeared in front of her. Jerking back, her hand flew to her chest. “Holy crap,” she gasped. “A warning would be nice.”

I shoved my hands into the pockets of my jeans. “I called out.”

“And I ignored you!” Lowering her hand, she drew in a deep breath. “What do you want?”

“Not to be ignored.”

Her head tilted to the side. “Really?”

My lips twitched. “Yes.”

She shook her head as a warm breeze tossed loose strands across her face. “For some reason, I don’t think that’s the case.”

“Maybe not.” I stepped toward her, slowly this time. “I have some cow meat in the fridge. We could make hamburgers.”

“Cow meat?” Kat caught the strand of hair and tucked in behind her ear. “That…is a gross way of saying hamburger meat.”

“It is, isn’t it?” I started past her, bumping her arm with my elbow. “We can have our own little cookout. I’ve got a grill.”

Kat stared straight ahead as I kept walking.

“Are you coming or not?”

Her back was to me, and for a long moment I thought she was going to ignore me, and well, that would be really awkward. Especially if I had to go back to her, throw her over my shoulder, and force her to eat my grilled cow meat, because I would do it. No one should eat cow alone, I’d decided. Plus, I really wasn’t going to analyze why I didn’t want to think of her spending the holiday alone.

Kat turned around, catching that piece of hair again and wrapping it behind her ear. “Do you have cheese?”

I arched a brow. “Uh. Yes.”

She folded her arms across her chest. “Swiss cheese?”

“Yeah, I think so.”

A second passed and then she smiled, flashing straight, white teeth. “Okay. Only if you make me a Swiss cheese hamburger and you don’t refer to it as cow meat.”

Dipping my chin, I felt the corners of my lips quirk up. “Deal.”

Dee ended up taking the fall for why Kat looked like she was lit up like the Vegas Strip. It had been her decision, and it had made sense, since I wasn’t sure anyone would’ve believed I’d make the same mistake twice.

As expected, Matt wasn’t thrilled about it. None of them were. I didn’t blame them.

And also, as expected, when I told Kat she had plans that evening, as in sticking around so I could keep an eye on her, she stated she had other plans. Everyone and the lamppost knew she didn’t have other plans.

Kat was just being stubborn.

After school on Tuesday, I followed Kat home. She’d gone to the post office first, which pissed me off. The girl looked like a lightbulb to the Arum. She knew that, and still moseyed her sweet behind to the post office to pick up an armful of packages.

Packages that contained books.

As if she needed more books.

When I had pointed that out to her in the parking lot, she stared at me like I’d kicked a small child into oncoming traffic and had stated quite firmly, “You can never have too many books.”

Then on the way home, she brake-checked me when I’d ridden up her bumper too close to get her to drive faster than I could walk. Didn’t she get that every minute out here we were exposed? I worried every day until I could get her home, next to me, where I could protect her.

I blew my horn at her several times. It was either that or ramming the back end of her busted-ass Camry.

It had taken forever to get to her house, and the moment I parked my SUV, I was the poster child for impatience. I got up and went to her driver’s side. Apparently, I had moved too fast.

“Jesus!” She rubbed her chest. “Would you please stop doing that?”

“Why?” I rested my arms on the open window. “You know about us now.”

“Yeah, but that doesn’t mean you can’t walk like a normal human being. What if my mom saw you?”

I grinned. “I’d charm her into believing she was seeing things.”

Opening the door, she barely waited for me to step back as she shoved past me. “I’m having dinner with my mom.”

I popped in front of her.

Kat squeaked and took a swing at me. “God! I think you like to do that to piss me off.”

“Who? Me?” I widened my eyes. “What time is dinner?”

“Six.” She stomped up the steps. “And you are not invited.”

“Like I want to eat dinner with you.”

She raised her hand, flipping me off.

I grinned. “You have until six thirty to be next door, or I’m coming after you.”

“Yeah. Yeah.”

Spinning around, I smiled as I headed over to my house, wondering if she realized she had left all those precious books in her car.

Dee showed up a little after four, but it wasn’t until it was close to the time when Kat was supposed to be here that she opened up the freezer and flipped out.

“Where is the ice cream?” Her voice was strained.

I leaned against the counter. “What ice cream?”

“What ice cream?” she repeated slowly, disbelief ringing in her voice. “The half a gallon of rocky road ice cream that was in the freezer yesterday!”

“Huh.”

“I can’t believe you ate all the ice cream, Daemon!”

“I didn’t eat all of it.”

“Oh, so it ate itself?” Dee’s shriek could burst eardrums. “Did the spoon eat it? Oh wait, I know. The carton ate it.”

“Actually, I think the freezer ate it,” I responded drily. Dee whipped around and threw the empty carton at me, turning the damn thing into a speeding baseball. It smacked off my arm, stinging. I caught it before it hit the floor. “Ouch. That wasn’t very nice.”

She glared at me as I tossed the carton in the trash. It was then that I heard someone in the living room. Turning around, I headed for the room. It was Kat. I glanced at the clock and my lips twitched. It was a couple of minutes after six thirty. Leaning against the frame of the door, I crossed my arms and waited for her to realize I was there.

When she saw me, all she did was stand there and…stare. Her gaze moved over me like she hadn’t seen me before, and I found that interesting. I raised a brow. “Kat?”

She looked away quickly. “Did you get hit by an ice cream carton?”

“Yes.”

“Damn. And I missed that.”

“I’m sure Dee would love to do a replay for you.”

Kat grinned at that.

“Oh, you think this is funny.” Dee burst into the living room, car keys in hand. “I should be making you go to the store and get me rocky road, but because I like Katy and value her well-being, I’m going to get it myself.”

Kat’s eyes widened. “Can’t Daemon go?”

I smiled at her.

“No. If the Arum comes around, he’s only going to see your trace.” Dee grabbed her purse. “You need to be with Daemon. He’s stronger than me.”

Kat sighed heavily, and if I had feelings, I’d be offended. “Can’t I go next door?”

“You do realize your trace can be seen from the outside?” I pushed out of the doorway. “It’s your funeral, though.”

“Daemon,” Dee snapped. “This is all your fault. My ice cream is not your ice cream.”

“Ice cream must be very important,” Kat murmured.

“It is my life.” Dee swung her purse at me but missed. “And you took it from me.”

I rolled my eyes. “Just get going and come right back.”

“Yes, sir!” She saluted me. “You guys want anything?”

Kat shook her head, and when Dee walked to the door, I shot over and gave her a quick one-armed hug. “Be careful.”

“As always.” She waved good-bye and darted out the door.

“Wow,” Kat said. “Remind me never to eat her ice cream.”

“If you do, even I wouldn’t be able to save you.” I flashed a grin at her. “So, Kitten, if I’m going to be your babysitter for the evening, what’s in it for me?”

Her eyes narrowed. “First off, I didn’t ask you to babysit me. And you made me come over here. And don’t call me Kitten.”

I laughed. “Aren’t you feisty tonight?”

“You ain’t seen nothing yet.”

Grinning, I walked into the kitchen. “I can believe that. Never a dull moment when you’re around.” I paused when I realized she was still standing in the middle of the living room. “Are you coming or not?”

“Going where?”

“I’m hungry.”

“Didn’t you just eat all of the ice cream?”

“Yeah, still hungry.”

“Good Lord, aliens can eat.”

I glanced over my shoulder, finding that she still hadn’t moved. “I have this strong inclination that I need to keep an eye on you. Where I go, you go.” I waited for her to move and when she didn’t, I winked at her. “Or I can forcibly move you.”

“All right,” she huffed and then stomped past me, plopping down at the kitchen table.

I grabbed a plate of leftover chicken from the fridge. “Want some?”

Kat shook her head and then rested her cheek on her hand as she watched me move around the kitchen. Whenever I glanced over at her, she had a thoughtful look on her face.

I brought my plate to the table and sat across from her. Yesterday, during the little impromptu cookout, we really hadn’t talked. Strangely, it hadn’t been an awkward silence between us. It had been…nice. “So how are you holding up?”