Oblivion

by Jennifer L. Armentrout

  didn’t deserve this. “I think it’s obvious if you’re wanted here or not.”

  “Daemon!” My sister’s eyes filled with tears, and now it was official. I was irrevocably a dick. “He’s not being serious.”

  “Are you being serious, Daemon?” Ash twisted toward me.

  My gaze held Kat’s, and I clamped down on every confusing and contradictory thought I was having. She needed to leave before something shitty happened. “Actually, I was being serious. You’re not wanted here.”

  Kat opened her mouth, but she didn’t say anything. Her cheeks had been pink—the way I liked them—but the color faded quickly. Anger and embarrassment filled her gray eyes. They glistened under the harsh lights of the cafeteria. A sharp pierce sliced through my chest, and I had to look away—because I had put that look in her eyes. Clenching my jaw, I focused over Ash’s shoulder on that stupid mascot again.

  In that moment, I wanted to punch myself in the face.

  “Run along,” Ash said.

  A few snickers sounded and anger whipped through me, heating my skin. It was ridiculous that I was pissed over other people laughing when I’d already embarrassed her and hurt her more than anyone.

  Silence fell over the table, and relief was imminent. She had to be leaving now. There was no way—

  Cold, wet, and sloppy stuff plopped on the top of my head. I froze, aware enough not to open my mouth unless I wanted to eat…spaghetti? Did she…? Sauce-covered noodles slid down my face, landing on my shoulder. One hung off my ear, smacking me against the neck.

  Holy shit. I was dumbfounded as I slowly turned to look at her. Part of me was actually…amazed.

  Ash leaped from my lap, shrieking as she shoved her hands out. “You… You…”

  I plucked one of the noodles off my ear and dropped it on the table as I peered up at Kat from underneath my lashes. The laugh came up before I could stop it. Good for her.

  Ash lowered her hands. “I will end you.”

  My humor vanished. Jumping up, I threw an arm around Ash’s waist. “Calm down. I mean it. Calm down.”

  She pulled against me. “I swear to all the stars and suns, I will destroy you.”

  “What does that mean?” Kat balled her hands, glaring at the taller girl like she wasn’t afraid of her one bit, and she should’ve been. Ash’s skin was scorching hot, vibrating just beneath the surface. At that moment, I really started to doubt she wouldn’t do something stupid and reveal us in public. “Are you watching too many cartoons again?”

  Matthew stalked over to our table, his eyes connecting with mine for a moment. I’d hear about this later. “I believe that’s enough,” he said.

  Knowing not to argue with Matthew, Ash sat down in her own seat and grabbed a fistful of napkins. She tried to clean up the mess, but it was pointless. I almost laughed again when she started stabbing at her shirt. Sitting down, I knocked a clump of noodles off my shoulder.

  “I think you should find another place to eat,” Matthew said to Katy, voice low enough that only the people at our table could hear. “Do so now.”

  Looking up, I watched Kat grab her book bag. She hesitated, and then she nodded as if in a daze. Turning stiffly, she stalked from the cafeteria. My gaze followed her the whole way out, and she kept her head held high.

  Matthew turned from the table, probably off to do some damage control. I wiped the back of my hand down my sticky cheek, unable to stop myself from laughing softly.

  Ash smacked me again. “It’s not funny!” She stood, hands shaking. “I can’t believe you think that was funny.”

  “It was.” I shrugged, grabbing my water bottle. Not like we didn’t deserve it. Looking down the table, I found my sister staring at me. “Dee…”

  Tears built in her eyes as she stood. “I can’t believe you did that.”

  “What did you expect?” Andrew demanded.

  She shot him a death glare and then turned those eyes on me. “You suck. You really freaking suck, Daemon.”

  I opened my mouth, but what could I say? I did suck. I’d acted like an ass, and it wasn’t like I could defend that. Dee had to understand that it was for the best, but when I closed my eyes, I saw the hurt in Kat’s eyes and I wasn’t so sure I’d done the right thing…at least the right thing by her.

  Chapter 13

  Dee was giving me the cold freeze. Not that I was surprised. I deserved it after what had gone down during lunch, but getting chewed out was better than the baleful stare sent in my direction as I headed out to patrol.

  There was no way I was getting the spaghetti sauce out of my shirt.

  I headed out into the dusk, crossed the backyard, and entered the woods. I waited until I was several feet into the dense forest before I started running—and not that human version of it. I picked up speed, dissolving into a form made of only light, racing over the fallen trees and boulders, moving farther and farther away from home. The feeling of running in my true form was like lightning—powerful and fast and exhilarating. It required incredible focus, too, or else I could end up running straight through a tree. I’d done that once and was still picking the bark out of my skin a week later.

  You’re not wanted here.

  Hell. As the unwanted thought broke my concentration, I skidded to a stop several miles in, kicking up loose soil and pebbles.

  Closing my eyes, I settled back into my human form and stretched my arms above my head. Loosening my muscles, I emptied my thoughts. It was harder this time. Then, a handful of seconds later, I shed my human form. White light tinged in red flickered over the shadowed tree trunks and grass.

  Freedom washed over me again.

  I moved forward, seeing the world around me in crystal clarity. Heat rolled off me, and I was careful not to linger in one area too long. I moved silently through the woods¸ covering miles in minutes. Soon I was near town, where I’d most likely pick up on an Arum.

  Combing the county, I couldn’t help but think of the time Dawson had been out here. It had been during the winter, right before Bethany had shown up and it all went to hell. He’d found an Arum and had almost been taken out by it.

  Dawson would’ve been drained dry of everything that made us what we were if I hadn’t shown up. I hadn’t been there when it really counted, though. Saving his life before didn’t mean shit when he ended up losing it in the end.

  I stayed out until it was late, slipping back into my human form just before I left the woods and returning home well after midnight. Instead of heading in through the back door, I walked around the front and glanced up at the house beside mine.

  The bedroom light was on.

  Kat was up late.

  She probably had her nose stuck in a book, living in a pretend fantasy world while I was actually out there living in the real fantasy world.

  There couldn’t be two more different people.

  People?

  I laughed, but it was dry and lacked humor. We weren’t even of the same damn species, and yet in that moment, while I walked up the porch steps, knowing she was awake, I felt closer to her than I had to anyone in a very long time.

  God, that was a huge problem.

  I needed to seriously end this. I needed to get her to stay away from Dee, and I needed to stay away from her.

  I knew what I had to do.

  Stepping off the porch the next morning on the way to school, I stopped as I heard the engine of Kat’s car groaning as it turned over without starting up. The sound was familiar. Battery was dead. Knowing her, she probably left a light on or something.

  The hood popped as she unlocked it from the inside. Kat threw open the driver’s door and walked around to the front of her car. The faded denim jeans she was wearing should be illegal.

  Reaching down to wrap her fingers around the edges, she tensed and then looked over in my direction.

  Smirking, I lifted my hand and wiggled my fingers at her.

  Her eyes narrowed. “What?”

  “Nothing.”

&
nbsp; She stared at me a moment longer and then turned back to her car, lifting the hood and hooking it into place. Then she stepped back, put her hands on her hips and stared at the engine.

  My grin spread.

  She reached into the engine and wiggled wires like that was going to do something beneficial, her ponytail bouncing with the effort. Sort of cute. Desperate. But cute. She then clasped her fingers around the hood and leaned in. The cast on her arm was a huge freaking eyesore.

  Of course my gaze zeroed right in on a certain asset of hers.

  I managed to pull my gaze away before I gave myself a damn eyestrain. Walking toward my car, I opened the passenger door and tossed my books on the seat. I closed the door and then walked across the small patch of grass and onto her driveway.

  Kat stiffened but ignored me as I walked up the side of the car. “I don’t think wiggling wires is going to help.”

  Letting go of the hood, she glared in my direction with stormy eyes. “Are you a mechanic or something? A special hidden car talent I know nothing about?”

  I laughed under my breath. “You actually don’t know anything about me.”

  Her lips pursed. “I count that as a blessing.”

  “I bet you do,” I murmured as I stepped closer to the front of her car, forcing her to take a step back.

  She sighed. “Hello. I was standing there.”

  I winked at her. “You’re not standing there anymore.” Using my body to shield what I was doing, I ran the tips of my fingers along the battery, sending a jolt of high-powered energy into it. “Anyway, can you try turning it on one more time?”

  “Why?”

  “Because.”

  “It’s not going to work.”

  Turning to her, I smiled tightly. “Just try it, Kitten.”

  Her cheeks flushed. “Don’t call me that.”

  “I wouldn’t call you that if you were sitting in your car, turning it on,” I replied reasonably.

  “Oh my God,” she griped and then pivoted. She stomped around to the driver’s side. “Whatever.”

  I arched a brow as she all but threw herself into the car and turned the ignition. The battery sparked to life and the engine turned over, starting the car. Too bad the hood blocked the windshield, because I would’ve paid good money to see her face. That being said, I really didn’t have time for this crap. This was not part of “the plan” I’d devised last night to push her even further away.

  I sighed and lowered the bar, closed the hood, and locked it into place.

  Kat was staring out the windshield, lips parted.

  “See you at school.” I paused, unable to resist adding, “Kitten.”

  I grinned as I heard her shriek.

  When I moseyed on into trig later that morning, the first thing I noticed was that her hair was down where it had been up earlier that morning, and the fact that I noticed the change didn’t even register on the screwed-up scale. I liked her hair down. It was long and a little wild-looking, like her hair was constantly in a state of rebellion.

  I really needed to stop thinking of her hair as if it had a personality.

  Kat was whispering with the two girls—Carissa, and the curly-haired one was Lesa. Yeah, those were their names. Their mouths clamped shut, all three of them, the moment they saw me.

  Interesting.

  Kat bit down on her lip as she sank into her chair.

  Even more interesting.

  I made my way past her and the girls, taking my seat right behind Kat. Carissa spun around, facing the front, while Lesa kept peeking over her shoulder.

  Hmm.

  I had a plan when it came to dealing with Kat. I needed to stick to said plan.

  Pulling the pen out of my notebook, I poked Kat in the back. She stiffened, but didn’t turn around, so I poked her again, this time with a little more effort. She whipped around, her long dark hair flying out around her. “What?”

  I smiled at the irritation in her tone. Behind her, I could see that everyone was watching us. They were probably worried she was going to whip out another plate of food, maybe syrupy pancakes this time, and dump it on my head.

  Tipping my chin down, I lowered my gaze. “You owe me a new shirt.”

  Her jaw came unhinged.

  “Come to find out,” I continued, voice low, “spaghetti sauce doesn’t always come out of clothes.”

  Kat’s pink lips parted. “I’m sure you have enough shirts.”

  “I do, but that was my favorite.”

  “You have a favorite shirt?” Her nose wrinkled. Cute.

  Dammit. Not cute.

  “And I also think you ruined Ash’s favorite shirt, too,” I pointed out.

  She tilted her head to the side. “Well, I’m sure you were there to comfort her during such a traumatic situation.”

  “I’m not sure she’ll recover,” I replied drily.

  Kat rolled her eyes and then started to turn around.

  The plan—stick to the plan. “You owe me. Again.”

  The warning bell rang as she stared at me. “I don’t owe you anything.”

  Tipping the desk down, I leaned in. Scant inches separated our mouths. “I have to disagree.” And then, because apparently I sucked at keeping to the plan, I said, “You’re nothing like I expected.”

  Her gaze dropped to my mouth. “What did you expect?”

  A hundred things that she wasn’t. “You and I have to talk.”

  “We have nothing to talk about.”

  I watched her lips form those words, and then I lifted my eyes to hers. “Yes. We do. Tonight.”

  The tip of Kat’s tongue darted out, wetting her upper lip. Holy crap, that got me in a lot of areas. My fingers tightened around the edge of the desk. She nodded and then turned around slowly. Satisfaction flooded me, and I smiled tightly.

  And then noticed the teacher and the class were staring at us. Oh well. I lowered my desk back onto all four legs. Someone cleared their throat. The teacher began calling names. I lifted my fingers, one by one off the edge of the desk.

  As plain as day, the edge of the desk was sunken along eight different areas. Melted, as if it been too close to an extreme heat. Without even testing it out, I knew the indents would match my fingers.

  After school, I ended up getting waylaid by Matthew. He’d wanted to know how I was handling the situation between Ash and Kat. He was actually worried that Ash would do something to harm Kat and potentially expose us.

  I wasn’t so sure about that.

  If Kat had dumped food on Ash somewhere more private, yeah, there would’ve been a good chance that Ash would’ve tried to fry her. And Ash had the potential to make Kat’s life a living hell at school, but I liked to think that she realized Dee wouldn’t stand for it.

  I wouldn’t stand for it.

  What went down in the cafeteria, though, reinforced the likelihood of bad stuff going down the more Kat was around us. She’d already been targeted by an Arum, and that could—that would—happen again. It wasn’t necessarily Kat’s fault. Actually, it wasn’t her fault at all. She didn’t understand the dynamics or what