Текст книги "Oblivion"

Автор книги: Jennifer L. Armentrout

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Текущая страница: 8 (всего у книги 51 страниц)

Chapter 10

Kat could no longer be trusted with the whole staying home thing, so when we called a little impromptu meeting of the Luxen kind Thursday night, we did it at our house just to make sure Kat didn’t roam off into a snake pit or something.

Dee had spent Wednesday with her, and I continued my creeper status that night by keeping watch over Kat’s house. At least I did it from my front porch this time.

Darkness had fallen when the Thompsons and Matthew arrived, everyone piling into the living room. All the lights next door were off, but I knew Kat’s mom was home. I was hoping that meant there was little to no trouble Kat could get herself into.

Talking to the Thompsons about Kat was the last thing I wanted to do. Damn. Throwing myself repeatedly off the top of Spruce Knob would be more fun, because this was going to go over like a pile of shit-covered bricks.

I stood in the center of the room, arms folded across my chest, bracing myself. Dee was perched on the edge of a recliner, her hands folded in her lap. Adam was leaning against its arm, and the tense pull of his expression told me he knew why he was here.

Ash was sitting on the couch beside Andrew. Her blonde hair brushed her shoulders as she tipped her head to the side, sighing loudly. My lips twisted into a wry grin. She had no problem letting people know when she was bored or unhappy. Matthew sat on the arm of the couch, back stiff and shoulders straight.

“So what’s going on?” Andrew asked, glancing up from the cell in his hand. “The last time we were called together like this, someone died.”

My eyes narrowed. Of course, he was talking about Dawson. Not cool.

Ash turned her head to him, blonde brows arched. “Really?”

One shoulder rose. “And?”

Adam sighed. “We need to work on improving your sensitivity later, brother.”

“Whatever,” muttered Andrew, glancing back at his phone. His finger scrolled across the screen.

Matthew gave a little shake of his head. “What did you want to discuss, Daemon?”

He knew about Kat and he also knew where this conversation was heading, but he was wrangling the convo back to the point at hand. Had to give him props for that. “There is a girl named Kat—”

“Who is incredibly awesome,” Dee interjected. “And super nice and smart and—”

“She moved in next door.” I cut her off, because frankly none of that mattered. Andrew’s fingers stilled over the screen and he looked up, his mouth opening. I went on. “I don’t know why the DOD allowed that. Yesterday I had my normal check-in with Vaughn and Lane. I asked them, and Vaughn was the one to answer, giving some lame reason about the government not wanting the house to sit empty for so long. That it was too suspicious.”

Ash’s gaze sharpened. “Why didn’t you tell us about her sooner?”

“Didn’t see the point at the time.” A muscle along my jaw began to tick, because the look on Ash’s face pretty much summed up the amount of BS associated with that statement. “We’re talking about it now.”

She looked over at Dee. “And let me guess. You’re her new best friend?”

Dee met her stare. “So what if I am?”

“I really shouldn’t have to explain all the problems with that,” Ash retorted. “And I’m sure Daemon has pointed out every one of them.”

I had.

“Katy and I are friends,” Dee replied, leaning forward in the chair. Beside her, Adam tensed. “That’s not going to change, and I’m not going to sit here and let you give me crap about it. It is what it is.”

Ash turned wide blue eyes on me. “Daemon—?”

“You heard her.” I grinned when Ash’s hands curled into fists. Her head was about to spin. “I’ve been keeping an eye on Kat, getting to know her so we know what we’re dealing with.”

Andrew snickered. “I bet you have.”

I drew in a deep breath and let it out slowly. Didn’t work. “You got something to say, bud?”

He raised a shoulder. “I just think ‘keeping an eye on her’ is code for something else.”

“Keeping an eye on her means exactly what it is,” Matthew explained, sending Andrew a look of warning. “The fact that the DOD allowed humans to move next door is suspicious. Daemon is smart by trying to gauge if she or her mother is a risk.”

Dee frowned. “Are you trying to say that she could somehow be planted there by the DOD?”

“We don’t know,” Matthew simply said, and while he had a good point, I didn’t think that was the case. More like his general paranoia talking. “Anything is possible, is all I am saying.”

My sister’s frustration was evident in the stubborn line of her jaw. “Katy is not some kind of government spy.”

“Well, if she was, we’d be screwed, since I traced her last week.” I dropped that bomb, and everyone but Dee reacted as expected. There were curses. Matthew nearly had the Luxen version of a stroke. Ash looked downright murderous.

Adam sat down on the arm of Dee’s chair. “How did that happen?”

“There was a bear. It was charging her.” I left out the fact we’d gone on a walk, since no one really needed to know that. “I used the Source to scare the animal off. Kat didn’t see me do it. She thought it was lightning.” I paused. “I didn’t have any other option.”

“Yeah, you did.” Andrew frowned as he placed his cell on the coffee table. “You could’ve just let the bear eat her ass. Problem solved.”

Ash nodded her agreement.

I didn’t even bother responding to that. “The point is, she was traced, and the DOD isn’t banging down our doors and locking us in cages. Vaughn and Lane acted yesterday like nothing had changed, but I thought you all should know what happened.”

“We should have known about this girl when she first moved in,” Ash said, voice thinned with anger.

Dee rolled her eyes. “It wasn’t your business.”

“It’s all of our business,” Andrew corrected. “The Elders aren’t cool with us living outside the colony as it is. After what happened with Dawson, we have to be careful. In other words, don’t run around tracing humans, dickhead.”

I slowly lifted my hand and flipped him off.

Andrew smirked as he leaned back against the couch, shaking his head. “This is just unbelievable. First it’s Dawson and—”

“Don’t finish that sentence, Andrew. For real,” I warned, my chin dipping down. “I’m not Dawson. This isn’t the same thing.”

When Andrew opened his mouth, his brother wisely stepped in. “Shut it, Andrew. I really don’t want to end the night picking you off the floor.”

It was my turn to smirk.

Matthew eyed me closely. “Is that all?”

I shook my head as I kept an eye on Andrew. “No. Kat was attacked by an Arum Tuesday night.”

“Damn,” Matthew muttered, running a hand through his cropped brown hair. “I… Is she okay?”

Surprise flicked through me. I hadn’t expected Matthew to care. “Yes. She’s okay.” The memory of her struggling to get air into her bruised throat surfaced. “She’s going to be okay. I killed the Arum, and she doesn’t know what it was. She thinks it was a mugger.”

Ash stood fluidly and moved to the window overlooking the porch. She didn’t say anything, but she was antsy and that was never a good thing.

“The trace is still on her. It should fade in a couple of days, but we need to be on the lookout for the other Arum.”

The conversation steered toward patrolling and how Matthew was going to notify the Elders that we had confirmation of Arum in the vicinity. We needed to train some new recruits to help with the doubled patrols, which was my, Adam, and Andrew’s job. Yay us. It wasn’t long before everything cycled back to Kat and what we were going to do about it.

“I’m handling it with her,” I said, pretty much over this conversation.

Andrew looked like he wanted to say something smart, but one look from his brother shut him up. It was Dee who ended up bringing our little meet-and-greet to a screeching halt. “Why don’t we just tell her the truth?” she asked.

I stared at her, unsure I had heard correctly.

Matthew stood, turning to Dee. “You cannot be serious.”

“Why not?” Dee raised her hands, her expression earnest. “She’s a good person, and she’s logical. She’s not going to freak out or call the media. Frankly, who would believe her? She’ll understand. Trust me.”

“Dee,” Adam said quietly, kneeling beside her. “You can’t tell her what we are.”

Anger flashed across her face, deepening the hue of her eyes. “I’m telling you, Adam, she can be—”

“Okay, Dee. Let’s say she can be trusted and that she doesn’t tell anyone,” I said, meeting my sister’s gaze. “She takes this shit to her grave, but that’s not the only problem. You might trust her. That doesn’t mean everyone in this room does.”

“Namely me,” Andrew commented.

“And what do you think will happen if the Elders find out about Kat knowing the truth?” I persisted, hoping to reason with Dee on a different level. Ash finally faced us again, her expression blank as she watched us. “Or what do you think the government will do? They don’t know her. They have no reason to trust her. She’ll disappear. Hello. Bethany, anyone?”

Dee sucked in a sharp, audible breath at the reminder of our brother’s human girlfriend who “disappeared” along with him last year.

“You don’t want to put her in that position, do you?” I asked. “Because that’s what you’re also risking by telling her the truth.”

For a moment, she held my gaze but then lowered it. She shook her head. “No. I wouldn’t want to risk that.”

A little bit of relief coursed through me. At least I didn’t have to worry about her telling Kat the truth.

Ash folded her slender arms across her chest. “I can’t believe you.”

Dee glanced up. “What?”

“You have no problem risking our safety, but you worry about hers? Like we mean absolutely nothing?”

“That’s not what I feel or what I’ve said,” Dee argued as she glanced back and forth between us. “We can take care of ourselves. And Katy wouldn’t throw us in front of a bus. That’s all I was trying to say.”

I didn’t step in as they continued to argue, because Dee needed to wise up. She needed to hear what Ash was saying. Not that it really changed anything. I trusted that Dee wouldn’t tell Kat the truth, but she wouldn’t stay away from her.

I walked the Thompsons out while Matthew remained inside, talking to Dee. Probably lecturing her, so there was a good chance I was going to be out here a while. Standing on the porch, I watched Adam and Andrew cross the lawn toward their car. The latter was eyeing Kat’s house like he wanted to nuke it.

Andrew might be a problem.

“Daemon?”

Twisting around, I found Ash standing there. “Hey.”

“I’m sorry about being such a bitch to your sister in there.”

I grinned. “No you’re not.”

She glanced up and to the right, and then laughed. “Okay. You’re right. I’m not. She needed to hear it.” Two car doors shut. The brothers were waiting for her. “But I’m surprised. I never thought you’d be the one to mess up.”

“Well, if I was perfect all the time, no one else would have a chance.”

Ash arched a brow and ignored what I said. “How exactly have you been keeping an eye on her?”

Warning bells started going off. I knew what she was getting at, but what the hell? Ash and I had broken up a while ago. Sure, we messed around like exes do from time to time, but she knew the score and even set the rules. “Not sure what you mean by that question?”

Her smile was sugary sweet and sharp as glass. “I think you know exactly what I mean.” There was a pause, and I pictured her sharpening her fangs on my bones. “You haven’t come around in a couple of weeks. I’m betting if I asked Dee when that girl moved in, it’s going to fall around that same time. What do you have to say about that?”

Laughing under my breath, I looked away, my gaze narrowing on the car. “What do I have to say about that? Well, if it were actually your business when it came to what I do, which it’s not, I’d have to say you are way off the mark when it comes to why I haven’t been around. The reasoning hasn’t changed. You know that.”

She appeared to mull that over. “Yeah, you don’t see us long-term, but that’s never stopped us from spending some one-on-one time together.”

“She has nothing to do with that.”

Ash stopped at the top of the porch steps, half turned away. She wasn’t smiling anymore as she looked over her shoulder at me. Challenge burned in her cobalt gaze.

A challenge I had no intention of meeting.

“Prove it,” she said.

I stared at the two Luxen males who rarely ventured out of the colony. They weren’t very much older than me, but they stood in front of me like two fresh recruits about to enter the marines.

“We’re r-ready to begin patrolling,” one said, looking everywhere but at my eyes. Yeah, I was going to have to do a hard pass on this guy being ready.

Beside me, Adam chuckled as he eyed the two guys. “An Arum would eat you alive, spit you back out, and then suck you down like a smoothie.”

The other Luxen blanched, and I thought he might hurl.

I sighed.

Helping prepare these two asshats on how to patrol for Arum and not get killed in the process was not how I wanted to spend my afternoon.

Especially when Kat was with Dee, and even though I’d asked Dee to make sure they stayed home, since Kat was virtually a glow stick, I knew that my sister ultimately did whatever she wanted.

As did Kat.

But stepping in and making sure members of the colony were able to help with the doubling of patrols would keep them both alive, so I was going to have to deal. And really, it wasn’t that bad if I was being honest with myself. I got to be in my true form, and damn, that was like stripping off clothes on a too-hot day. There was nothing like the wind glancing off your essence when you hit speeds that broke the sound barrier. Superman had nothing on a Luxen.

Just thinking about it got my heart pumping.

“This is boring,” muttered Andrew.

I smirked.

It had also been damn amusing to drag Adam and Andrew along to help out. Neither wanted to be there. Adam stayed relatively quiet as we ran the newbies around the whole damn mountain, pushing them to run harder and faster. Andrew bitched the entire time. No big surprise there.

The one who looked like he was going to puke stepped forward. I think his name was Mitchell. Maybe Mikey. I was going to go with Mitchell. “I know we’re not as strong or fast as any of you, but we are ready.”

“Yeah, you’re about ready to die,” Andrew replied, snorting.

I shot him a warning look. “Way to be motivational.”

He flipped me off. “Whatever.”

Stepping forward, I clapped my hand on Maybe Mitchell’s shoulder. “It’s not just about being fast and strong. It’s about focusing and preparing for the worst. It’s about outsmarting the enemy and anticipating their next move.”

“But being fast and strong helps,” Andrew chimed in, and I thought maybe I should’ve left his ass back at the house. “Like I’m stronger than Daemon.”

“What?” I dropped my hand and turned around, arching a brow. “Are you on drugs?”

“High on life, man.” He winked. “And I’m totally stronger than you.”

I chuckled. “If you sincerely believe that, then you are high.”

“Huh.” Andrew shot Adam a look as he swaggered up to me. I watched him snatch up a small rock. “You see that tree over there?” He pointed at an ancient oak several yards away. “I bet I can throw this rock right through the middle.”

“And you think I can’t?”

“I know you can’t.” Andrew turned to Maybe Mitchell and his nameless buddy. “What do you think, guys?”

They looked nervous, not wanting to answer.

“I bet Andrew can do it,” Adam said, shoving his hands into the pockets of his jeans. “And I bet you can’t.”

They were out of their damn minds. “You’re going to make me embarrass you.”

“I’ll take that risk.” Andrew tossed the rock up and caught it. “It’s a bet, then?”

Why the hell not? I nodded and waved my hand toward the distant tree. “By all means.”

“Perfect.” Andrew took several steps back and squinted at the huge oak. A second later, he slipped into his true form and let the rock fly.

He didn’t throw that rock like a human would. Using the Source, he turned it into a damn missile. It flew through the air faster than the eye could track. Bark splintered when the rock made contact and embedded deep.

Maybe Mitchell let out an exclamation of wonder.

Andrew grinned as he faced me. “Beat that.”

I snorted as I picked up a rock that was smaller than my palm. “Easy. And I can do it without even switching forms.”

“You know what Dee was telling me the other day?” Adam asked as I stepped back. “It’s real interesting.”

Ignoring him, I lifted my right arm. The two tools from the colony exchanged looks. The Source rippled down my arm.

Adam continued. “She was saying that Katy ran into Simon, that footballer at school, at the store and thought they made a cute couple. She thinks he’ll ask Katy out, too, and you know what happens after a date with that Romeo jock… Someone will be getting—”

I looked at him sharply as I let go of the rock. Adam better not be suggesting what I was pretty sure he was. The only thing Simon looked good with was my fist, sure as hell not Kat.

The twist of Adam’s lips told me he was lying. Kat hadn’t run into that dumbass.

Glancing back at the tree, I cursed. That tiny moment of distraction cost me and screwed up my aim. The rock had zoomed past the tree, missing it by a mile. Dammit.

Adam laughed as he elbowed his brother. “See, guys, focus actually is as important as strength.”

I lifted my hand and flipped them off. Both burst into laughter, and I rolled my eyes as I bent, picking up another rock. This one was about the size of my hand. I turned to them. “I’m not going to miss this time, and I won’t be aiming for the trees.”

My threat made them laugh all the harder. I scowled as I turned away. At least the two asshats from the colony weren’t laughing. They looked scared. A heartbeat passed and then I spun, throwing the rock.

Adam darted to the left, narrowly avoided taking a direct hit. “What the hell?” he shouted, eyes narrowed. “You could’ve messed up this gorgeous face.”

Tipping my head back, it was now my turn to laugh. “I think you need to look in the mirror if you think that’s gorgeous.”

“Ha,” Andrew said, grinning.

“We’re identical.” Adam shook his head at his twin. “He’s insulting both of us, you idiot.”

Grinning, I wiped my hands on my jeans, but the humor quickly faded as realization set in, slamming into me with the force of a speeding bullet. The mere mention of Kat’s name had distracted me, pulled away my focus. This time it was just a stupid bet, but what if it had been something more serious, like if an Arum had been around?

People could die.

Closing my eyes, I swore under my breath. This thing with Kat…it was getting ridiculous, and it was unacceptable.

Completely unacceptable.

Chapter 11

I saw Kat on and off over the next couple of days, usually when I was heading out to my car, and each time, the trace was getting fainter and fainter—thank God.

Whenever she saw me, she seemed to want to speak to me. She would stop or head in my direction, but we didn’t talk. Mainly because I wasn’t having that. I needed to keep an eye on her to make sure another Arum didn’t snatch her up or endanger her, but there needed to be distance between us. That day at training had proven how just the mention of her name could put everyone at risk. She made me weak.

So, obviously, that was the only reason I’d gone to Smoke Hole Diner on Sunday afternoon. The trace on Kat had been pale, like a flickering candle creating a whitish glow, so there had been no stopping Dee. From what I’d gathered, she’d dragged Kat into town, loaded her up with school supplies, and then introduced her to Smoke Hole Diner.

I followed them. I wasn’t taking any more chances.

Dee had appeared surprised by my presence and Kat had been… Well, she had been annoyed that I had provoked her, and then she had tried to thank me. That was the last thing she needed to do, since the cast on her arm and the bruises on her face would’ve never happened if I hadn’t taken her for a walk that day.

My time at the diner had been short-lived. I’d also been followed. By Ash, who for some reason had been under the impression that we were supposed to meet there. Guess I missed that memo. None of that had turned out well. The moment Ash realized Kat was that Katy, I ended up having to drag her fired-up butt out of the diner and had spent the better part of Sunday talking Ash off the ledge.

Ash was still pissed on Monday, according to Andrew.

Needless to say, I wasn’t in the greatest mood when I left my house early Tuesday evening and went for a run in the nearby woods. I stayed out there in the muggy August weather until sweat slicked my skin and I’d burned off as much energy as possible.

On the way back, I decided I could go for a gallon of ice cream. I doubted there was any in the house. The moment ice cream was brought in, Dee consumed it like she was starving.

Jogging up the driveway, I slowed as the houses came into view. My gaze went straight to Kat’s house. The porch wasn’t empty. I reached into my pocket and pulled out my phone, tapping the screen to turn off the music blaring through the earbuds.

Kat was sitting on the swing, her head bowed and her features pinched. In her hands was a thick hardcover book. A light breeze tossed into her face a strand of her hair that wasn’t clipped back. She absently knocked it out of her way. The sun hadn’t set yet, but the light was waning and it was still as humid as a bath in hell. Reading couldn’t be easy in those conditions, but she was oblivious to the world as I wrapped the headphones cord around my phone.

She had no idea I was even there. I could easily slip into my house unnoticed. She was safe out here. The trace was barely visible now, having faded even more in the hours since I’d last seen her. There was no reason for me to stop or hang around outside. Distance. There needed to be an ocean’s worth of distance between us.

So of course I walked my ass right to her house.

Kat glanced up when I reached the steps to the porch, her gaze widening when she spotted me.

“Hey,” I said, sliding my phone in my pocket.

She didn’t immediately respond. Oh no, she was too busy checking me out, which pleased me to hell. Her gaze dropped, wandering over my bare chest and stomach. Her throat worked as she looked away, cheeks turning pink, and she tilted her head to the side and gave a little shake. “Hey.”

Leaning against the railing, I folded my arms. “You reading?”

Her hands tightened around the edges of the book. “You running?”

“Was,” I corrected.

“Funny,” she said, pulling the book to her chest. The cast on her arm stood out starkly. “I was reading.”

“Seems like you’re always reading.”

Her nose wrinkled. Cute. “How would you know?”

I lifted a shoulder. “I’m surprised Dee isn’t with you.”

“She’s with her…her boyfriend.” The corners of her lips slipped down. “You know, I had no idea she had a boyfriend until today. She never mentioned him before.”

That made me laugh. “That will do wonders for Adam’s self-esteem.”

“Right?” Her grin was a flash and it was fleeting. “It’s weird.”

“What is?”

She cuddled the book closer, like it was a security blanket. “I’ve spent all this time with Dee and I had no idea she was seeing someone. She never mentioned it. It’s just weird.”

“Then maybe you’re not as good of friends as you think.”

Her eyes narrowed as she cut me a look. “Wow. That was nice of you to say.”

I shrugged again. “Just pointing out the obvious.”

“How about you go point out the obvious elsewhere,” she snapped, lowering her book. “I’m busy.”

A grin appeared on my lips. The claws were out. “Reading does not equate to being busy, Kitten.”

The bow-shaped lips parted. “You did not just say that.”

My grin spread.

“That is… It’s sacrilegious.”

I chuckled as I unfolded my arms. “I don’t think that’s what that word means.”

“It is to book lovers all around the world!” Kat narrowed her eyes. “You don’t understand.”

“Nope.” I lifted myself up and sat on the railing.

She sighed. “And you are also not going anywhere.”

“Nope.”

Looking down at her book, she slowly pulled a bookmark out of the front and marked the page she’d been reading. Kat closed the book and lowered it to her lap. She stared at it like it would somehow make me disappear. Not likely.

“So…” I drew the word out, turning my head to hide my grin when she sighed loudly. “How’s your blog going? Still talking about cats or something?”

“Cats? I don’t talk about cats. I talk about books.”

I totally knew that. “Huh. I thought you spent all that time on the Internet talking about cats.”

“Whatever.”

“It makes sense.” I looked at her then.

Her gray eyes sparked. “I cannot wait to hear this explanation. And if you can’t tell, that was sarcasm.”

“I thought it sounded like excitement, but anyway, spending all day on the Internet talking about cats is kind of like preparing to become the crazy cat lady when you’re older.”

The skin around her mouth tightened. “I would throw this book at you, but I respect the book too much to do that.”

Tipping my head back, I laughed.

“Only you would find that funny.”

“It is funny.” Lowering my chin, I saw her fighting a grin. Our gazes collided and held. Silence stretched out between us, thickening the already sultry air.

“So.” She drew the word out this time, and I raised my brows as she looked away. “That girl who was at the diner. Ash? She was really…lovely.”

“Uh-huh.” Another feminine minefield. These girls were crafty as hell.

She pushed the swing with her toes. “You two are seeing each other?”

“We used to date.” I tilted my head, curious by the direction of the conversation. “And I’m sure Dee pointed out the fact that we used to date. She would’ve been all about clarifying that.”

Her cheeks darkened in color, and I knew I had been right. “Ash didn’t act like things were in the past.”

“That’s on her.”

Kat eyed me. “And that’s all you have to say?”

“Yeah.” I lifted a brow. “Why would I have to say anything else? Especially to you.” I was teasing her, but I was so bad at it, so out of practice, it totally came out dickish. I knew it, but this conversation was quickly turning into a train wreck I was powerless to stop watching.

Her shoulders stiffened and her expression turned impassive. “Why are you over here, Daemon?”

Damn. That was a good question. And one I’d been asking myself over and over since she first moved in.

She continued, her gray eyes cold. “Because if you’ve come over just to be ignorant, you can turn back around.”

I felt myself smile, and I was sure that confirmed just how twisted I was. “But I don’t want to turn back around.”

“Too bad,” she replied, sliding off the swing. “You know what, you can just sit out here and be a jackass with no audience. How about that?”

Kat started past me, and I pushed off the railing and was in front of her before she could even take a breath. Damn, I hadn’t meant to move so quickly. She jerked back, pressing the book to her chest. “Holy crap, how do you move so fast?”

“I don’t move that fast.” I looked down at her. She barely reached my chest, but her personality, her attitude, was so much taller. That piece of hair was loose again, brushing her cheek. “Are you still nervous about school?”

Her brows furrowed. “What?”

I decided to ask the question slowly. “Are. You. Still—”

“No. I heard you.” She shifted her weight to her other foot. “But why…why do you care? Why would you—?”

That piece of hair was getting to me, so I reached up and caught it between my fingers. The texture was soft as silk. Her breath caught, and my gaze flicked to Kat’s. Up close, those eyes were really amazing, a startling shade of gray, and the pupils were black and large. Carefully, so I didn’t brush the skin of her cheek, I tucked the piece of hair back behind her ear. The swelling in her eye really had gone down, and the skin had mostly healed from the night she’d been attacked, but the patch was pinker than the rest, as if her arm wasn’t enough of a reminder.

In a second, I saw her once more, lying on the road, not moving and absolutely helpless. My chest tightened painfully. I pushed the image aside, wondering when I would stop seeing it.

Kat appeared to be holding her breath. Her question cycled around my thoughts. Why do you care? I shouldn’t. I didn’t.

“Daemon?” she whispered.

The sound of my name, spoken without rancor, was a rarity, and it had an electrifying effect. Those pretty pink lips spoke my name perfectly. I wanted to know what my name tasted like on her lips and tongue. Had I thought about kissing her before? I must’ve, because the sudden need, the almost overwhelming desire to claim her mouth didn’t surprise me.

Would she let me kiss her?

Probably not.

Should I kiss her?

Probably not.

If I went ahead and did it, would it blow up in my face?

Yep.

I dropped my hand and took a step back. When I dragged in the next breath I really didn’t need, the scent of peaches and…and vanilla surrounded me.

I didn’t say anything as I turned around and walked off the porch. And Kat didn’t stop me. I didn’t look back, but I also didn’t hear a door close. I knew she was standing there, watching me.

And I also knew that there was a part of me that cared.

Later that night, long after Dee was home and asleep, I sat in bed with my laptop open. My finger drifted along the touch pad as I scrolled through the blog.

Katy’s Krazy Book Obsession.

I laughed under my breath.

Good name.

This wasn’t the first time I’d checked it out. The night Dee had returned from the colony, I’d been taking a look at it. Since then, Kat had added ten more reviews. How in the world had she read that many books in that short period of time? Plus she did these other things. Something called Teaser Tuesdays, which were really just a few lines from some book she was reading. There was In My Mailbox, where she filmed herself talking about the books she had either bought, borrowed, or received from a publisher.

I’d watched five of those damn videos.

And every time she picked up a book, her entire face transformed into a wide, brilliant smile, the kind I had yet to see in person and probably never would. She loved those books. No doubt about it.

I clicked on a sixth video, one that was filmed before she moved here, and was shocked to see a different Katy. She was the same, of course, but there was a light in her eyes that seemed to be out now. I wondered what had turned off Katy’s inner light. I swallowed. It was probably me, treating her like an asshole, interfering in her life and almost getting her killed.