Oblivion

by Jennifer L. Armentrout

  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.

  Sh
e 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