Oblivion

by Jennifer L. Armentrout

  Stepping back, I summoned the Source one last time and lifted my hand. Trees lifted off the road and rolled to the sides, clearing a path, and then we made our way back to the car. It roared to life as soon as I turned the key. I glanced over at Kat. She was shaking in the seat. “Are you okay? Hurt in any way?”

  “I’m okay. It’s just…a lot, you know?”

  A lot? I coughed out a laugh, but there was no humor to it. I hit the steering, frustrated. “I should’ve known there would be more coming.” I should’ve been more prepared. “They travel in fours. Dammit!”

  “There were only three of them,” she said.

  “Yeah, ’cuz I killed the first one.” Leaning back, I pulled out my cell. I needed to call Dee. The others needed to be warned that there was still one more out there, and since three of his brothers had just been killed, he was going to be seeking some nasty revenge.

  Kat concerned me.

  What she had just witnessed would bring a grown man to his knees in terror and shock. But she was quiet as I called Dee and then Matthew, and remained so on the trip home. Whenever I glanced over at her, I’d see a tremor make its way through her, but she wasn’t freaking out.

  Kat blew me away.

  This human girl was strong, with a core made out of steel. She was holding it together. Not only that, she had most definitely saved my life. I was man enough to admit that. If she hadn’t intervened when she did, I don’t know if I would’ve broken Baruck’s hold. I owed her my life. I could’ve died out on that road, and there would be two Arum and not one gunning for my family—for Kat.

  Because she was lit up like the moon again.

  The houses were dark when I pulled into the driveway. Turning off the engine, I looked over at Kat as I opened the car door. The overhead light was triggered, casting a soft light against her pale cheeks. She didn’t move. “Kat?”

  Blinking slowly, she turned her cheek toward me. “Yes?”

  Asking if she was okay seemed stupid. My gaze dropped to her hand. She was still holding the obsidian blade. I reached over, gently easing it out of her grasp. Her eyes rose to mine. “I want you to stay the night at our place,” I said. “You’re traced again, and even though I doubt the Arum will find his way here, I’d rather be safe than sorry.”

  Her lips parted. “But if I’m traced, isn’t it more of a risk that I’m in the house with you—with Dee.”

  My jaw tightened. “If an Arum tracks you to your house, we’re right next door. It’s virtually the same. Plus Dee is with Matthew and Adam right now. Andrew is there, too.”

  “But it’s not,” she reasoned quietly. “If he—if it—comes after me, then at least you—”

  “I want you in my house,” I cut in, ignoring her logic. “Okay?”

  Kat stared at me for a long moment and then nodded. She climbed out, and I followed her into her house. Once the foyer light flipped on, I realized she was missing a shoe and her knees were a scratched, dirty mess. All of her was. I opened my mouth to say something, anything, but she limped ahead, pulling herself upstairs.

  My eyes drifted shut as my hand tightened around the leather binding on the obsidian. My shoulders sagged with fatigue.

  When I had talked to Matthew, he asked if Kat had seen what had gone down. There was no way I could lie or hide the truth. I’d answered with a yes.

  “We’re going to have to talk about this later,” he’d replied.

  And I knew later was going to come real quick.

  Opening my eyes, I saw Kat appear at the top of the steps, carrying a tote. She was still dressed in her ruined gown, my jacket swallowing her. Exhaustion clung to her every step, and she walked as if she was ready to sit down and take a nap.

  Kat had saved my life.

  No matter what Matthew or the Thompsons ended up thinking or saying, I was going to have her back. She had mine.

  I met her halfway, taking the tote from her, and then after she locked up, we headed over to my house.

  “I told my mom I was staying with Dee,” she said, clearing her throat. “I called when I was upstairs.”

  “Cool.” I opened the front door, and a rush of cold air greeted us. Kat shivered. “Sorry. We keep it pretty cold at night.”

  “I remembered,” she murmured, glancing at the stairs leading to the second floor. The skin across her cheekbones was drawn and pale. “It’s okay.”

  Once we were in the guest room, Kat groaned as she peered into the tote. “I’m such an idiot. I brought regular clothes with me. Nothing to sleep in. I’m going to have to go back over.”

  “I’ll find you something. Just give me a second.” I went to Dee’s room and grabbed a pair of bottoms and an old shirt, knowing she wouldn’t mind. When I returned, Kat had shrugged off my jacket and laid it across the dresser. She held the front of the dress together as I placed the borrowed clothes on the bed.

  Again, I wanted to say something to her, but nothing of any value came to mind. Kat gathered up the clothes and shuffled into the bathroom in the hallway. I went into my room, took a shower in the bathroom attached, and then quickly changed into a pair of sweats and a T-shirt. I checked my phone, scrolling through the texts from Dee and then Andrew, who had heard about what happened via Adam. Dee was coming back home, as soon as they found Ash. Matthew would make sure of it.

  I found myself back in the hallway, near the bathroom. The water was turned off, and as I stood there, I thought I heard her laugh. It wasn’t a happy laugh. Concern ratcheted up.

  “Are you okay in there?” I said to the closed door.

  There was a pause and then, “Yeah.”

  I hesitated and then wheeled around, walking into the guest bedroom. I sat on the edge of the bed. Kat could probably use some space right now, but I… Shit. I reached up, rubbing the center of my chest, where the Arum had got me. I didn’t want her to be alone right now.

  I didn’t want to be alone right now.

  A few minutes passed and Kat walked in, and I lifted my gaze. Her hair was damp, darkening the shoulders of the gray shirt I’d found. Shadows had formed under her eyes, and she was still too pale, but she was so…so not plain. Not average. Not like anyone I’d ever known. Realizing that was like taking a direct hit from an Arum. I didn’t know what to do with it.

  Kat stopped a few feet from the bed. “Are you okay?”

  I nodded, lowering my hand, sort of shocked that she was asking about my well-being. “Whenever we use our powers like that, it’s like…losing a part of ourselves. It takes a bit to recharge. I’ll be fine.” I paused. “I’m sorry you had to go through any of this. I didn’t say thank you. You should’ve run, Kat. They would’ve…killed you without thinking twice. But you saved my life. Thank you.”

  Her mouth opened and then closed as she rubbed her arms. It seemed to take her a moment to respond. “Will you stay with me tonight?” She then added in a rush, “I’m not coming on to you. You don’t have to, but—”

  “I know.” I felt the same way. I just wanted to hold her, reassure myself we were both okay. I stood, and it felt like my stomach dropped to my feet. “Just let me check the house again, and I’ll be right back.”

  Before I left the room, she was already in the bed, and when I glanced back at her, she had the covers tugged up to her chin and was staring at the ceiling. A small smile pulled at my lips as I made quick work of double-checking the doors. Then I grabbed my phone out of my room. Dee would be home soon, and if I was smart, I could’ve just told Kat that. Sit up with her and wait until a more appropriate bedmate appeared, but that’s not what I did.

  I returned to the guest bedroom and got a little stuck in the doorway when I saw her in the bed again. She should be in my bed. As soon as that mess of a thought entered my head, I pushed it right back out, blaming the night’s drama. Shutting the door behind me, I went to the large bay windows overlooking the front yard.

  Kat scooted over to the edge of the bed as I walked around to the other side, and I hid my smile. You’d thi
nk we were sharing a tiny bed based on how far she moved over. I climbed in beside her, leaving the comforter at my waist. My temperature ran way higher than hers.

  Neither of us spoke.

  Both of us lay there, side by side, staring at the ceiling. If anyone said a year ago I’d be lying in a bed with a human girl like this, I would’ve told them to get off drugs.

  Biting down on my lip, I turned my head toward hers. A handful of seconds passed before she looked over at me. I grinned at her.

  Kat laughed, and yeah, I liked that sound. “This…this is so awkward.”

  My grin spread. “It is, isn’t it?”

  “Yes.” She giggled.

  It sounded crazy to laugh after everything, but my laughter joined hers. This was ridiculous. Everything. Ninety percent of the time we lived to annoy the crap out of each other. I knew that went both ways, but I’d saved her life in the past. She saved mine tonight. And here we were, sharing a bed for no real reason. At least on my side, the shit was funny.

  And Kat was…there were no words.

  I reached over, catching the tiny tears that had coursed down her cheeks. They weren’t sad tears. Our eyes locked as I lowered my hand. “What you did back there? It was sort of amazing,” I murmured.

  One side of her lips twitched up. “Right back atcha. Are you sure you’re not injured?”

  I grinned. “No. I’m fine, thanks to you.” Shifting away from her, I turned off the lamp on the nightstand the good ol’-fashioned way—the human way.

  The room was plunged into darkness. “Am I glowing?” she asked.

  Well, duh. She’d gotten a dose in the field and I’d lit that street up with the Source like a carnival. “Like a Christmas tree.”

  “Not just the star?”

  I rolled onto my side, close enough to her that my hand brushed her arm. “No. You’re super bright. It’s kind of like looking at the sun.”

  She held up her hand, and that was cute. “It’s going to be hard for you to sleep then.”

  “Actually, it’s kind of comforting. It reminds me of my own people.”

  “The whole obsidian thing?” She looked over at me. “You never told me about that.”

  “I didn’t think it would be necessary. Or at least I’d hoped it wouldn’t be.”

  “Can it hurt you?”

  “No. And before you ask what can, we don’t make a habit of telling humans what can kill us,” I replied evenly. “Not even the DOD knows what’s deadly to us. But the obsidian negates the Arum’s strengths. Just like the beta quartz in the Rocks throws off a lot of the energy we put off, but with obsidian, all it takes is a piercing and…well, you know. It’s the whole light thing, the way obsidian fractures it.”

  “Are all crystals harmful to the Arum?”

  “No, just this type. I guess it has something to do with the heating and cooling. Matthew explained it to me once. Honestly, I wasn’t paying attention. I know it can kill them. We carry it whenever we go out, usually hidden. Dee carries one in her purse.”

  She shuddered. “I can’t believe I killed someone.”

  “You didn’t kill someone. You killed an alien—an evil being that would’ve killed you without thinking twice. That was going to kill me.” I absently rubbed at my chest. “You saved my life, Kitten.”

  Kat didn’t respond, and I knew it was going to be hard for her to understand.

  “You were like Snowbird,” I said after a few moments.

  “How do you figure?” she asked.

  I smiled slightly. “You could’ve left me there and run, like I said. But instead you came back and you helped me. You didn’t have to.”

  “I…I couldn’t leave you there.” The next breath she took was audible. “It wouldn’t have been right. And I would’ve never been able to forgive myself.”

  “I know.” I stifled a yawn. “Get some sleep, Kitten.”

  She was quiet for all of five seconds. “But what if the last one comes back?” I paused, realizing a new fear. “Dee’s with Mr. Garrison. He knows I was with you when they attacked. What if he turns me in? What if the DOD—”

  “Shh,” I murmured, finding her hand with mine. I ran my fingers over the top of hers. “He won’t come back, not yet. And I won’t let Matthew turn you over.”

  “But—”

  “Kat, I won’t let him. Okay? I promise you. I won’t let anything happen to you.”

  This time it was her soft inhale that I heard, and I knew my promise was bold and it was a big deal, but it was one I wouldn’t break.

  Chapter 21

  I wasn’t sure if I was dreaming, but if I was, I didn’t want to wake up. The scent of peach and vanilla teased me, invaded me.

  Kat.

  Only she smelled that wonderful, of summer and all the things I could want and never have. The length of her body was pressed against mine, with her hand resting on my stomach. The steady rise and fall of her chest became my entire world, and in this dream—because it had to be a dream—I felt my own chest matching her breaths.

  Every cell in my body sparked and burned. If I were awake, I’d surely take on my true form. My body was on fire.

  Just a dream, but it felt real.

  I couldn’t resist sliding my leg over hers, burrowing my head between her neck and shoulder, and inhaling deeply. Divine. Perfect. Human. Breathing became more difficult than I’d ever imagined. Lust swirled through me, heady and consuming. I tasted her skin—a slight brush of my lips, a flick of my tongue. She felt perfect underneath me, soft in all the places I was hard.

  Moving over her, against her, I loved the sound she made—a soft, wholly feminine murmur that scorched every piece of me. “You’re perfect for me,” I whispered in my own language.

  She stirred under me, and I dreamed her responding, wanting me instead of hating me.

  I pressed down, sliding my hand under her shirt. Her skin felt like satin underneath my fingertips. Precious. Prized. If she were mine, I’d cherish every inch of her. And I wanted to. Now. My hand crept up, up, up. Her skin was so smooth, so soft.

  Kat gasped.

  The dreamy cloud dissipated with the sound I felt all the way through me. Every muscle locked up. Very slowly, I pried my eyes open. Her slender, graceful neck sloped before me. A section of skin was pink from the stubble on my jaw…

  The clock on the wall ticked.

  Shit.

  I’d felt her up, in my sleep.

  I lifted my head and stared down at her. Kat watched me, her eyes a smoky, wonderful gray and questioning. Double shit.

  “Good morning?” she said, her voice still rough with sleep.

  Using my arm, I pushed up and even then, knowing that none of it had been a dream, I couldn’t look away from her, didn’t want to. An infinite need was there, in her, in me. Demanding that I kneel to it, and I wanted to—dammit, did I ever want to.

  The only thing that got to me, that cleared the layers of lust and idealistic stupidity out of my head, was the trace shimmering around her. She looked like the brightest star.

  She was in danger. She was a danger to us.

  With one last look, I shot across the room with inhuman speed, slamming the door behind me. Every step away from that room, from that bed, was painful and stiff. Rounding the corner, I almost ran into my sister.

  Dee studied me, eyes narrowed.

  “Shut up,” I muttered, heading past her.

  “I didn’t say anything, jerk-face.” Amusement betrayed her words.

  “Don’t say anything,” I warned.

  Once inside my bedroom, I quickly changed into a pair of sweats and slipped on my sneakers. Running into my sister cooled most of me down, but there was a raw edge to my nerves, and I needed to be out of this house, away from her.

  Not even bothering to change my shirt, I picked up speed, shooting through the house and out the front door. The moment my sneaks touched the porch, I took off and darted into the woods in a burst of speed. Overhead skies were gray and bleak. Drizzle p
elted my face like a thousand tiny needles. I welcomed it, pushing and pushing until I was deep in the woods. Then I shed my human skin, taking my true form as I shot among the trees, moving until I was nothing more than a streak of light.

  I wanted that—I wanted Kat.

  That wasn’t an entirely new thought or realization. From the moment I saw those legs, I’d pictured said legs wrapped around me,