Oblivion

by Jennifer L. Armentrout

  how these things work. I keep it a secret until the perfect moment.”

  She sighed. “You’re no fun.”

  “And we’re probably going to break this chair.”

  Snorting, she squirmed out of my lap. “I should probably head—” Her words were cut off when she squealed as I picked her up, carrying her to the bed.

  I dumped her on it.

  Kat squeaked like a little toy. “Oh, you’re so gonna get it.”

  “I hope so.” Climbing over her, I prowled up her length and planted my hands on either side of her head. “You’re going to stay the night with me.”

  She placed her hands on my chest. “I just need to get back next door before my mom wakes up.”

  “Doable.”

  Kat lifted her head, but before our lips met, I asked, “You were thinking about Sunday night, weren’t you? That’s why you’re awake.”

  She bit down on her lower lip. “Yeah, I was. Kind of hard not to.”

  Understandable. We were down to days, and I knew it was wearing on everyone’s mind, including mine. But I didn’t want to spend the next handful of days worrying about Sunday. I wanted to live them.

  I wanted to live these days with Kat.

  And tonight, I didn’t want her thinking about anything but us. Lowering my mouth to hers, I kissed her softly, smiling when her fingers found their way into my hair. I made sure she didn’t spend a second more worrying about Sunday.

  Chapter 23

  When I first saw Kat in her prom dress, I was more than willing to skip the whole damn dance so I could have her all to myself. And while I normally had no problem acting on my selfishness, Kat deserved this night.

  Ms. Swartz had clutched her camera in her hand like it was going to run away from her while I’d waited for Kat in their living room. She’d come down the stairs, absolutely gorgeous in the red gown.

  Damn.

  Red really was my favorite color.

  Lips painted to match her dress had parted as she’d eyed me. I didn’t wear tuxedos often, but when I did, I made them look damn good.

  But she had looked beautiful, and as her mom had taken a thousand pictures of us, I couldn’t stop staring at her. I’d spent every moment of the dance staring at her, and when she’d said she was ready to go, I couldn’t get her out of there fast enough.

  The moment we got inside my car, Kat stared at me expectedly, and I cast a long, knowing glance in her direction. “You’re dying to know, aren’t you?”

  “Yes.” She nodded eagerly. “You should tell me.”

  Kat really had no idea what I had planned for her tonight, and I wanted to keep it that way. Thank God the weather was nice. A little cool, but no rain. It made what I wanted to do perfect.

  I managed to keep her in the dark on the drive back home. Parking the car in the driveway, I turned to her. “Stay in the car, okay?”

  Looking entirely suspicious and excited, she nodded. I grinned as I stepped out of the car and hit record-breaking speeds as I raced down to the lake.

  Covered with a canvas, the cooler was where I left in. On top of it were several thick blankets and pillows. Waving my hand, I spread them out around the branches piled inside a stone circle. The blankets spread out, along with the pillows, forming a comfortable nest.

  Placing my hand on one of the branches, I summoned the Source. Sparks flew, igniting the dried-out branches. Flames swirled down their crooked lengths. Thin wisps of smoke billowed up.

  Done, I headed back to where Kat waited in the car. I walked up to the passenger side and opened the door, extending my hand. “Ready?”

  Kat gave me her hand. “So my surprise…?”

  “You’ll see.”

  Hand in hand, we started walking toward the lake, and when we crossed the street that had basically exposed what we were to Kat, I couldn’t help but wonder what it would’ve been like if Kat hadn’t walked out in front of that truck. She would definitely be safer, and my brother wouldn’t be here with us. So much stuff would be different, and I wasn’t sure if the pros outweighed the cons.

  “Do you think you can walk in those heels?” I asked, realizing the wickedly sexy shoes she was wearing couldn’t be easy to walk in.

  She squeezed my hand. “Yeah, I’ll be fine.”

  I took it slow, and when we entered the heavy woods, I lifted my free hand and let white light crackle over my knuckles, lighting our path over the uneven ground. Man, I hoped she didn’t think this was corny and stupid. Okay. It was a little corny, but when we stepped out of the last of the trees and I could see the moonlight reflected off the still lake, the look on Kat’s face said I had made the right decision.

  “Surprise,” I said, stepping ahead, my back to the fire. “I thought this would be better than a party or whatever. And you like the lake. So do I.”

  Kat pressed her hand to her chest as she blinked rapidly. “It’s perfect, Daemon. Oh my God, it’s wonderful.” “Really?” I cleared my throat, relieved. “You really like it?”

  “I love it.” She laughed, the sound lilting and heady. “I really love this.”

  I smiled.

  Kat launched herself at me, wrapping her arms and legs around me. She kissed my forehead and then each of my cheeks. “You really love it. I’m glad.”

  I walked us over to the blankets and then placed her down. We kicked off our shoes and settled in. Kat tucked her legs under her. “What’s in the cooler?”

  “Ah, the good stuff.” I moved to the cooler and knelt down, cracking it open. I pulled out two wineglasses. “Wine cooler—strawberry. Your favorite.”

  The skin around her eyes crinkled as she laughed. “Oh my God.”

  I poured each of us a glass and handed hers over.

  “What else?” She leaned over, peering inside. She made a little squeak as I pulled out a canister and peeled the lid off, revealing chocolate-covered strawberries. “Did you make them?”

  “Ha. No.”

  “Uh…did Dee make them?” she asked.

  I laughed, because Dee would’ve burned down the house if she had tried to melt chocolate without burning it. “I ordered them from the candy shop in time. Try one?”

  Kat plucked one up. “They are so good.”

  “There’s more.” I pulled out a plastic container full of sliced cheese and crackers. “Also premade from the store, because I am not a cook or whatever.”

  Unveiling the cucumber sandwiches and veggie pizza next, we dug in as we sat on the blankets facing each other.

  “When did you do all of this?” She asked for another slice of veggie pizza.

  Picking up a strawberry, I thought it was kind of small. A wimpy strawberry. “I had the stuff in the cooler down here and the blankets wrapped in canvas. All I did when we got back was come down here real quick, spread the stuff out, and start the fire.”

  She finished off the slice. “You’re amazing.”

  I raised a brow as I tossed the strawberry back in the canister and rooted around for another. “I know it didn’t take you this long to realize that.”

  “No. I’ve always known it,” she said. “Maybe not in the beginning…”

  I peeked up. “My awesomeness is all about the stealth.”

  “Is it?”

  “Uh-huh.” I grinned, closing the bowl and placing the rest of the food back in the cooler. Tossing her a soda, I cleaned everything up. “I can’t show all my dynamic sides at once.”

  “Of course not. Where’s the mystery in that?”

  The temps had dropped a little, so I picked up a throw blanket. I draped it over her shoulders as I sat beside her. “There is none.”

  “Thank you.” She pulled the material close.

  “I think the general public would be shocked to know how deep your sweetness runs.”

  Stretching out, I rested on my side. “They can never know.”

  Grinning, she leaned forward and kissed my lips. “I’ll take the secret to my grave.”

  “Good.” I pat
ted the spot next to me. “We can go back whenever you want.”

  “I don’t want to leave.”

  “Then get your happy little hybrid butt over here.”

  Kat laughed as she scooted over and lay down beside me. I moved the pillow so it was under her head. “I had fun at the dance, but this…this was way better.”

  I played with one of her fat curls, twining the hair around my finger. “I’m glad. I wanted tonight to be special.”

  “It is.” She idly flicked a button on my dress shirt. “Best senior prom ever.”

  Chuckling, I let go of the curl. “It’s your only senior prom.”

  “Still…” She tipped her head back and smiled at me. “So I looked over the applications to the University of Colorado. Even mentioned it to my mom.”

  Pleased to hear that, we talked about the college until well after midnight. It was late, and the temps had definitely dropped again, but neither of us wanted to leave yet.

  “Are you worried about tomorrow at all?” she asked, running the tips of her fingers along the curve of my jaw.

  Her fingers drifted close to my lips, and I kissed them. “I’m worried—but I’d be insane not to be—but not about what you think.”

  “What then?” She slid her hand down my neck, over my shirt.

  I shifted closer. “I worry that Beth won’t be like Dawson remembered.”

  “Me, too.”

  “I know he can handle it, though.” Because I was getting jealous, I slipped my hand under the blanket. “I just want the best for him. He deserves it.”

  “He does.” Her chest rose sharply as I followed the curve of her waist and hip. “I hope she’s okay—that everyone is okay, even Chris.”

  I nodded as I gently eased her onto her back, smoothing my hand over the skirt of her dress, all the way down to her knee. “Something else is bothering you.”

  There was a moment of hesitation. “I don’t want anything to happen to you.” Her voice cracked. “I don’t want anything to happen to anyone.”

  “Shh.” I kissed her, wanting to wipe away that fear. “Nothing will happen to me or anyone.”

  Kat’s hands fisted in my shirt, holding me close. “What happens if we do succeed tomorrow night?”

  “You mean when we do?” I settled over her. “We go back to school on Monday—boring, I know. Then we hopefully pass our classes, which we will. Then we graduate. And then we have all summer…”

  “Daedalus will come looking for Beth and Chris.”

  “And they won’t find them.” I kissed her temple and then the curve of her brow. “That is, if they get close enough.”

  “Daemon…”

  “It’ll be okay. Don’t worry.” It had to be. I would make sure of it, one way or another. “Let’s not think about tomorrow. Let’s not think about next week or the next night. It’s just us right now and nothing else.”

  Kat’s heart rate kicked up. Her eyes drifted shut, and her arms tightened around me. The distant call of some nighttime bird echoed around us as the small, slow kisses became longer and faster.

  Our clothing shifted. Our hands followed familiar paths. Flames crackled from the fire as we stripped away everything between us and we moved together, a tangle of limbs and blankets. Kat shuddering in my arms was one of the most shattering experiences, and hours later, as she and I stared up at the dark blue sky, watching the stars blink out, one by one.

  Just like the minutes and hours was ticking by, fading away into forever, counting down until there was just Mount Weather and us.

  Succeed or fail.

  Chapter 24

  Time sped up, and before any of us knew it, we needed to get to Mount Weather. Kat had spent the morning with her mom, and I’d monopolized her afternoon. I’d given her the opal I’d fashioned into a necklace, slipping it around her neck. She’d wanted me to wear it, but that wasn’t going down.

  We’d just lain together, both of us awake. Nothing like last night…or this morning, but I really couldn’t think about that at this moment.

  Right now, Kat was inside her house. She’d be out in minutes, along with Ash and Dee, because we needed to hit the road.

  “Andrew is staying behind this time, at the farm. He’ll be waiting with Ash and Dee,” Matthew explained. “But since he’s been working on and off with the onyx, he should be able to come in in case…”

  In case shit went bad, which was why I wanted to talk to them before we headed out. “I need a promise from each of you,” I said, meeting Matthew’s and Dawson’s gazes.

  Matthew sighed as he leaned against my SUV. “Why do I have a feeling I’m not going to like what you’re about to say?”

  “You’re not.” I folded my arms. “If things start to go bad there tonight, no matter what, I want both of you to promise me you will get Kat out of there.”

  The older Luxen’s brows flew up. “Daemon—”

  “I know you’re going to be focused on Bethany. I get that,” I said to Dawson. “But please, I’m begging both of you, if something happens, I want you focused on Kat. Not me.”

  My brother stared at me for a long moment, and then he nodded. “I feel ya.”

  I knew he did, because he got it.

  Matthew cursed under his breath as he looked away, eyeing the woods. “I’m not okay with this.”

  “Matt—”

  “Let me finish,” he said, flipping his crystalline gaze to mine. “I don’t like this—this whole idea that somehow I’ll have to pick between you and Katy. I don’t even want to think of that happening.”

  “Me neither,” I assured him. “And I don’t think that’s going to happen, but if shit starts to go bad, I want you to get her out of there. No matter what. I want to make sure we all have her back. She can hold her own, but I want…”

  “You want us to protect her.” Dawson clapped his hand on my shoulder. “We understand.” He looked over at Matthew. “And we will do that.”

  Placing his hands on his hips, he nodded after a moment. I exhaled roughly, relieved. “Thank you.”

  Matthew dipped his chin. “Please don’t thank us for this.”

  “None of this will probably be needed,” Dawson reasoned, running his hand through his hair.

  I hoped so. Turning to the porch, my chest clenched as Kat stepped out, dressed in black leggings and a matching shirt. She smiled when she saw me, her gray eyes lighting up.

  Damn, I really hoped so.

  We arrived at the farm at the base of the darken access road with a few minutes to spare. Like before, we’d taken two SUVs, and when we all climbed out, Blake got the text from Luc.

  Then it was go.

  We raced up the mountain again, nearing the gate, and I was the one who took out the guard this time. Tense, I approached the gate and entered the first code. Icarus. No problem. Racing across the lawn, we headed straight for the three doors.

  This was the first big one. Kat would make it through the doors because she had the opal—we believed—but the rest of us? There was no guarantee the training was going to work. Working with the onyx