Oblivion

by Jennifer L. Armentrout

  her speak. “Something—”

  “Huge,” Lesa said.

  “Small.” Carissa’s eyes narrowed at her friend. “Just something with a few people.”

  Excitement poured off Dee. “Our parents are going to be out of town that Friday, so it works out perfectly.”

  Kat glanced at me, and I winked while wondering exactly when this said party was going to happen.

  “That’s so cool that your parents are letting you have a party at your house,” Carissa said.

  That caught my attention.

  “Mine would stroke out if I even suggested something like that,” she continued.

  Dee shrugged one shoulder as she avoided my gaze. “Our parents are pretty cool.”

  Yeah, as in “our parents are long since dead.” Taking a huge bite out of my sub, I decided to see where Dee was going with this conversation. So far our house was going to be the party spot. Interesting. It took quite a bit of effort to not ask Dee, right in front of everyone, why she thought this was a grand idea.

  Kat was quiet as Dee and their friends discussed this party that was apparently taking place on a Friday a few weeks from now. I was doubtful that it was going to remain small.

  “You okay with all of this?” Kat whispered to me.

  Honestly? Hell no. But whatever. I shrugged. “Not like I can stop her.”

  She eyed me as disbelief crept into her features, and I didn’t blame her for that. A handful of months ago, I would’ve shut down this conversation in a nanosecond. Why I wasn’t doing it now I wasn’t sure. Actually I was.

  By then, the trace would be off Kat, and she’d have no reason to put up with me being attached to her hip. Having a party meant Kat would be in my house. I liked that.

  I pulled out a cookie full of chocolate chips. “Cookie?”

  She glanced at my hand, and the tip of her pink tongue sneaked out, wetting her lower lip. “Sure.”

  Partly because I wanted to get a rise out of Kat, I lifted the cookie higher. Admittedly more controlled by the other half of me that was ridiculously affected by everything she did, I leaned toward her. “Come and get it.” I placed half the cookie in my mouth, leaving the other half there for her taking.

  Delicate brown brows furrowed together as she stared at me, but the confusion quickly gave way to understanding. Her lips parted as a fire swept across her cheeks. I arched a brow, waiting for her—daring her.

  Dee choked. “I think I’m going to hurl.”

  She made no move to take the cookie, but she didn’t punch me in the stomach, so I considered this a win…of some sort. I took the cookie. “Time’s up, Kitten.”

  Kat still stared at me.

  Highly amused with myself, I broke the cookie in half and handed over the large piece. Kat snatched it with slim fingers. All but shoving the cookie in her mouth, her brows were pinched and eyes a stormy gray. A laugh rushed its way up my throat, cutting off when I caught my sister gawking at me.

  I shot her a bland look.

  She returned said look with her widened eyes.

  Popping the piece of cookie in my mouth, I glanced over at Kat. She was fiddling with the chain around her neck, the one connected to the piece of obsidian I’d given her. Amusement evaporated at the very blunt reminder that a very real danger still existed as long as Kat was still traced.

  I needed to get it off her.

  Now.

  Kat had gone to the post office after school. Again. I wanted to shake her when we finally got back to the house, but then she’d drop yet another massive armful of packages and I’d never hear the end of that.

  Moving fast once outside my SUV, I beat her to the porch and ended up having to wait for her to make her way from her car to the steps. I leaned against the railing at the top, arching a brow as she shuffled on up, at the speed of a three-legged turtle.

  “You didn’t come straight home after school,” I pointed out.

  She dug her keys out of her bag with her free hand. “Obviously I had to go to the post office.” Opening the door, she dropped the pile on the table inside the foyer.

  “Your mail could’ve waited.” I followed her into the kitchen. “What is it? Just books?”

  Heading to the fridge, she grabbed a bottle of OJ from the fridge. “Yeah, it was just books.”

  I stared at her back. “I know there probably aren’t any Arum around right now, but you can never be too careful, and you have a trace on you that will lead them right to our doorsteps. Right now, that’s more important than your books.”

  Shooting me a dark look over her shoulder, she placed the bottle on the counter and grabbed a glass out of the cabinet. “Drink?”

  I sighed. “Sure. Milk?”

  She gestured at the fridge. “Help yourself.”

  “You offered. You’re not going to get it for me?”

  “I offered orange juice,” she replied, taking her glass to the table. “You picked milk. And keep it down. My mom’s asleep.”

  Shaking my head, I pushed away from the doorframe and helped myself to a glass of milk. I brought it back to the table, sitting next to her. She’d pulled her hair up when she got into her car after school, and with all that dark hair pulled back, there was no mistaking the faint ruddy flush to her cheeks. My eyes narrowed on her. What was she thinking about right now?

  She carefully rolled the glass between her palms. “Can I ask you a question?”

  “Depends,” I replied smoothly.

  “Do you…feel anything around me?”

  “Other than what I felt this morning when I saw how good you looked in those jeans?”

  “Daemon.” She sighed. “I’m being serious.”

  “The back of my neck gets all warm and tingly.” I traced a circle on the table with my finger. “Is that what you’re talking about?”

  She peeked over at me, and the corners of my lips tipped up slightly. “Yeah, you feel it, too?”

  “Whenever we’re near.”

  “It doesn’t bother you?”

  “Does it bother you?” I asked, serious. She didn’t answer as she stared at her drink, and I wasn’t sure if that was a good or bad thing. I took a sip of my milk. “It could be a…side effect of the healing.” I paused, thinking of how flushed she looked. “Are you feeling well?”

  “Why?”

  “You look like crap.” Which was only partly true.

  She glanced at me. “I think I’m coming down with something.”

  I frowned as I stared at her. “What’s wrong with you?”

  “I don’t know. I probably got alien cooties.”

  I snorted. “Doubtful. I can’t afford for you to be sick. We need to get you outside and try to work your trace off. Until then, you’re a—”

  “If you say I’m a weakness, I will hurt you.” Anger flooded her voice. “I think I proved that I’m not, especially when I led Baruck away from your house and I killed him. Just because I’m human doesn’t mean I’m weak.”

  My brows flew up as I sat back in my chair. “I was going to say that until then, you’re at risk.”

  “Oh.” She grinned faintly. “Well, then, I’m still not weak.”

  Something about her impassioned rant got to me. I quickly moved out of the chair and knelt down beside her so I was looking up at her. “I know you’re not weak. You’ve proven yourself. And what you did this weekend, tapping into our powers? I still can’t figure out how that happened, but you’re not weak. Ever.”

  Kat stared down at me, the lines of her face softening.

  I fought a smile as I stood. “Now I need you to prove you’re not weak. Get off your butt and let’s work off some of that trace.”

  She groaned. “Daemon, I’m really not feeling well.”

  “Kat…”

  “And I’m not saying that to be difficult. I feel like hurling.”

  I folded my arms, not missing how her eyes tracked the way my shirt stretched over my shoulders. “It’s not safe for you to be running around when you
look like a damn lighthouse. As long as you carry the trace, you can’t do anything. Go anywhere.”

  She pushed up from the table. “I’ll get changed.”

  Taking a step back, I stared at her in surprise. “Caving in so easily?”

  “Caving in?” She laughed drily. “I just want you out of my face.”

  I chuckled deeply. “Keep telling yourself that, Kitten.”

  “Keep using your ego steroids.”

  A burn started under my skin as she walked toward the doorway. I moved faster than she could see, blocking her exit. Her eyes narrowed and then flared as I prowled toward her. She backed up, placing her hands on the kitchen table behind her.

  “What?” Kat demanded.

  There wasn’t an ounce of fear in her steely gray eyes as I placed my hands on her hips. The moment I touched her, the hard glint in her gaze gave way to something else. She warmed as I bent my head, brushing my lips against her chin. Kat gasped at the contact and swayed toward me.

  Dropping my hands, I stepped back. Our gazes met. “Yeah, not my ego, Kitten. Go get ready.”

  Her jaw jutted out and then she stomped past me, flipping me off on the way. I laughed and then listened to her climb the steps, plodding the whole way up, completely past caring about the fact that her mom was home, likely asleep.

  I turned back to the table, picking up the two glasses. I washed them out and then placed them in the dishwasher, the small niggle of unease growing in the pit of my stomach. Was she really sick? Or being difficult despite what she claimed? Because that girl lived to make things difficult with me. I didn’t get the whole sickness thing. I mean, I understood humans going through colds, flus, and worse, but it was a foreign concept to our kind. We didn’t get sick. Ever.

  About five minutes later, Kat returned to the kitchen, dressed in loose nylon pants and a long-sleeved thermal. She looked sort of…adorable as she stalked past me and went out the front door.

  Kitten had her hackles up.

  She was halfway off the porch when I stepped outside, quietly closing the door behind us. “You sure you can do this?” I asked.

  Halting on the steps, she twisted around. “I didn’t think you were really giving me an option in there.”

  Now I sort of felt like an ass, because, well, I was an ass. I walked to the steps. “Look, Kat, if you’re really not feeling well, I’m not—”

  “I’m okay,” she said, turning away and hurrying down the steps.

  Watching her for a few seconds, I cursed under my breath and then joined her in the driveway. We started off with a light jog, and I figured once she was warmed up and I was sure she wasn’t going to keel over on me, we’d pick up the pace.

  But we only made it to the end of the access road leading to our houses before Kat stopped suddenly, planting her hands on her hips.

  Slowing down, I stopped and faced her. “Hey…”

  Shaking her head, she dipped her chin. Her shoulders rose high as she dragged in a deep breath. A moment passed. I stepped toward her.

  “I…need to go home,” she said quietly.

  Before I could respond, she pivoted around and started power walking up the road. I called out to her, but she didn’t answer. Concerned, I followed her back to the house.

  “Kat!”

  “I’m done for the day,” she said, running up the porch steps. She threw open the front door. I started up the steps after her, really worried now, but she turned on me, holding up her hand. “I’m fine. Please. I just n-need to get in here. Please just leave me alone.”

  I drew up short, pressure slamming into my chest. Please just leave me alone. Those words were a plea, a sincere plea, and they hit me square in the stomach. I didn’t stop her when she rushed inside, barely stopping to close the door behind her.

  I didn’t go after her.

  Chapter 3

  I frowned as I reached the top of the stairs, and Dee’s bedroom door opened. Out came Adam, his blond hair sticking up in every direction like someone had run her fingers—

  Oh hell no, I could not allow my mind to go there.

  “Hey, man,” he said, looking at everything but me in the hallway as I passed him.

  I was worried about Kat, but I also wasn’t thrilled with what was obviously going down in Dee’s bedroom. She was my sister. It was required that I not be okay with that. “You heading home, Adam?”

  He stared at my sneakers. “Yeah. Uh, I think Andrew is, um, going to—”

  “I really don’t need an explanation.” I folded my arms and didn’t beat around the bush. “What are you doing with my sister?”

  “What am I doing?” Adam stopped, lifting his hand to his chest and rubbing his palm along the wrinkled front of his shirt. “I’m being with her.”

  I felt the Source ripple across my skin and tint my vision diamond white. “You want to clarify that, bud?”

  Adam had the common sense to just ignore that. “You know I really care about her, right?” His voice dropped low. “I’m not just messing with her. I would never do that, and that has nothing to do with the fact that you’d kill me if I was.”

  “I would,” I agreed.

  He shook his head, lowering his hand to his side. “I wouldn’t do that to her. I wouldn’t hurt her. I…I really care about Dee.”

  There was no mistaking the seriousness in his tone. He wasn’t playing me. Truth was, Adam wasn’t like that—like Andrew…or like me.

  Correction. Like how I used to be, emphasis on the past tense, and boy, was that one hell of a wake-up call. I nodded and started back down the hall.

  Adam stopped me. “I mean it, Daemon, you can trust me with her…with her heart.”

  Looking over my shoulder, I met his steady gaze. “I know.”

  He stood there for a moment, nodded, and then headed out. I almost made it to my bedroom before Dee’s door creaked open and she stuck her head out. I sighed, preparing for a major rant about staying out of her life.

  “Hey,” she called out.

  Stepping back from my door, I faced her, surprised to find her smiling instead of glaring at me. “Hey?”

  She walked out into the hall, the hem of her dress swinging around her knees as she clasped her hands behind her back. “You love me.”

  “Uh.” I glanced around the otherwise empty hall. “Yeah.”

  Tilting her head to the side, several curls snuck loose from the knot. “You were making sure Adam cared about me.”

  I arched a brow.

  “You’re a good brother,” she said.

  “Yeah…” I winked. “Older brother.”

  Dee laughed as she walked up to me. Stretching up on the tip of her toes, she pressed a kiss to my cheek. “Thank you.”

  I started to ask for what, but I figured it out. Slowly. I shook my head at her and then went into my room. I wasn’t entirely surprised when Dee followed me in. “Do you know why you’re also an awesome older brother?” she asked.

  Moving toward the bed, I waved my hand. The towel from the morning shower flew off the bed, straight toward the open door leading to the bathroom. “Because I’m awesome in general.”

  “Nope.” She hopped up so she was sitting on the edge of the desk. “You haven’t yelled at me about the party Friday night.”

  I sat on the bed, eyeing her as I kicked off my shoes. “It would’ve been nice to have a heads-up about it.”