He didn't answer right away, just continued to gaze down at me. Then his lips parted, and his croaking voice formed precise, unassuming words. “You are so beautiful, Kate.”
I didn't know how to react at first. The words were unexpected, so out of place… I said the only thing that came to mind. “I think your brain was damaged.”
A horribly thin smile twisted his lips. “I love you,” he whispered calmly, his forehead tipping toward mine.
Before our noses could brush, I cringed back. “I have morning breath,” I informed him.
“I don't think I care,” he breathed, still coming closer despite my leaning away.
I moved my hand from his face to his chest, holding him back in his slow but maddening advance. “Trust me—one whiff and you'd care. A lot.”
His neck bent, and I couldn't back up any more without slipping off the bed. But instead of moving to put his lips on my mouth, he set them to my forehead.
It was amazing how much that small, seemingly unexciting kiss left me reeling.
His easy lilting voice was a measured murmur. “You've packed pretty much everything else—what about a toothbrush?”
My eyes were closed—I couldn't seem to keep them open when his lips were on my skin. “Yeah, I did. But we need to concentrate on getting to Vegas.”
He sighed deeply and pulled back slightly. I opened my eyes to watch him regard me with something like regret on his face. “This is definitely the worst side effect.”
“Huh?” I questioned, completely lost.
He leveled a stern look at me, though I knew from his aura and his shining eyes that he was teasing. Mostly. “I collapse a couple times, and now my girlfriend's afraid to kiss me.”
I rolled my eyes, a part of me uneasy with his joking, the greater portion of me loving this flirtatious side that had been missing for far too long. “I am not afraid of kissing you. I'm afraid—”
“I admit your lips are overpowering,” he said, breaking through my explanation. “But I promise I won't faint.” He actually winked, and I had to really work to keep my expression firm.
“I'm not afraid of hurting you,” I lied. “I'm afraid of scaring you off with my morning breath. There's a big difference.”
“Either way, you refuse to kiss me. So what's the notable difference?”
“You're hopeless.”
“You say that a lot,” he mused. “But you never actually give up on me. I wonder why that is.”
I moved quickly, placing my lips against his before he could really react—or breathe, I hoped—and then I settled back against the pillow, a smirk on my face. “It's because I love you,” I said.
I didn't expect that small kiss to affect him so much, but he swallowed hard before forcing a tremulous smile. “And how I love you.” He shifted his weight around me; the arm that had been resting over my stomach moved up until he pushed his hand into the bed, in the narrow space between my arm and my body. And then his mouth descended, and he was tentatively brushing his lips against mine.
He kissed me so tenderly, and yet so deeply. I knew his arms were weak, but he was able to support himself while he tried to convey his love and appreciation. It was one of the most meaningful kisses we'd ever shared, and though our bodies were barely touching, I felt warm all over.
In a perfect world, we would have kept right on kissing all morning. But Patrick was pulling back already, a light in his clear blue eyes that hadn't been there for days. He smiled widely, and his whispering voice was punctuated by a discreet, rippling laugh that wanted to break free.
“You really do have bad breath, Kate.”
I slapped his arm playfully, and that was all it took to set off his low chuckling. He pulled away from me, sitting up on his side of the bed while thrusting a hand through his messy hair.
I sat up a second later, and I couldn't keep myself from speaking the words. “You seem… different. More like you.”
He looked at me over his shoulder, his feet already on the floor. “I feel a little better. Maybe my body knows it's nearing the end, either way…”
I didn't want the conversation to get serious, even though I knew it would have to eventually. Still, I wasn't sure what to say—how to comfort him.
He shrugged. “Or maybe your morning breath scared the virus away. You were breathing on me all night, after all…”
I grunted. “Real mature, Patrick.”
We got ready calmly, not bothering to rush. We knew time was of the essence, but for some reason we seemed untouchable here. After all these stressful days, and the horrible trials of last night… It just felt good to be able to tease each other lightly. He was still hurting, his energy still depleted from last night—that was obvious—but he hid it well. He was trying to do the same thing I was—live in the moment. Forget everything that had brought us here, and disregard everything that we were going to have to face today.
I checked us out of the motel, and Patrick walked with me to the desk. Not that anyone else could see him. He stood directly at my side, leaning in to blow a tickling stream of air on my exposed neck. I wanted to smack him, but I couldn't very well do that in front of the clerk without looking like an idiot.
The parking lot was more crowded this morning than it had been in the evening, so I didn't dare hold his hand. We walked slowly together to the car, and when we'd almost reached it my phone started to vibrate.
Patrick and I both looked to my pocket, and I pulled the thin device out.
“It's Toni,” I whispered after seeing the display, not that anyone was close enough to pay any attention to a girl talking with herself.
“You should answer it,” Patrick suggested. “That way we can better coordinate our rescue.”
“Our rescue? The Demons wouldn't dare keep you a prisoner, would they?”
He shrugged a single shoulder, as if my question was immaterial. “I'm not leaving you there alone,” he said. He gestured to the phone with his chin. “Answer it.”
I let out a sigh—this went against my better instincts. I flipped it open. “Hey, Toni.”
There was a strained laugh. “Hey, Toni?” he repeated. “You can't pull a crazy stunt like this and start out by saying, ‘Hey, Toni.’ “
“Um… Sorry, Toni?”
“Better. You two, running off to Vegas… Freak dang, girl, haven't we had the talk about shotgun weddings?” His voice dimmed suddenly, and I could imagine him speaking to the entire car. “Yeah, I think she's okay. She doesn't sound very repentant, though.” He focused back on me. “How's Patrick? Is he tied up in the trunk?”
“Of course not.” We stopped at the passenger door, and I pulled out my keys with my free hand, passing them off to Patrick. “He's doing better this morning.”
“So… your grandpa wants to know where the heck you are. Actually, he didn't say heck. And I edited out a couple more bleeps. Man, you can tell the guy's been in some serious wars…”
“I don't think you guys need to know where we are,” I said cautiously. “You know where we're going. Isn't that enough?” Patrick had his door open, and he climbed inside and reached to unlock mine. I moved around the hood, the phone still pressed tightly to my ear while I shrugged out of my backpack.
“According to Jason—who calculated the best places to spend the night, plus your estimated travel time—you stopped for gas twice? That was your grandpa's guess—anyway, we pegged you to be somewhere between Flagstaff and Kingman. And since there's not a lot in between there and we didn't find you guys in Flagstaff…”
“Wow. You guys are pretty good.”
“Thanks,” he muttered sarcastically. To the rest of the car, “They're in Kingman.” Then back to me, “We'll be there in about an hour. Wait for us.”
I already had my door open, and I slung my bag inside before sinking into the seat behind the wheel. “I can't do that. We need to keep going.”
“Kate, do you want to give your grandfather a heart attack?”
“Who's with you?�
�
“The usual group. Me, your grandpa, Jack, Jason, and Lee.”
My eyes widened. “What!” I gasped. Patrick cast me a worried look. My eyes narrowed, and my voice turned extremely dangerous. “Toni, if you dragged my best friend into all this…”
“Whoa! Watch those accusations. You're the one that started all this… Besides, she threatened to hate me forever if I didn't let her come along. What was I supposed to do?”
“Tell her no!”
“A little late for that. So are you going to wait for us or not?”
“And let you drag me back? I don't think so.” I didn't even say good-bye—I just handed the phone off to Patrick, so I could start driving.
Patrick interrupted Toni's string of words. “Toni, it's me. How many are with you?” He listened to the short answer while I backed out of our parking spot, and then he was shaking his head. “That's not good enough. You're going to have to think of something else. You're just going to put yourselves in danger and get the humans killed… No, I'm fine. Don't worry about me… Yeah, I know. But I can't stop her. I've tried every logical argument… That's not a good idea—tell Jack… No. We'll have to think of something else.” He hesitated. “Hold on—I'll ask.”
He turned to face me. “If Selena does intend to give me the antidote, do you know a timeline? When she'll do it?”
I shook my head, focusing on the traffic. “I'm not sure. She said once I've proven myself, they'll help you. Whatever that means.”
“Today, maybe?”
I nodded. “I think so. If they're going to do it at all. They're not exactly patient people, and you… She knows you don't have a lot of time—that's why she told me to bring you along.”
He bobbed his head slowly, before speaking to Toni again. “Whatever you're going to try, you should wait until this evening, if at all possible; just in case they're serious about the antidote… I understand Henry's concerns—believe me. But if the Guardians can get their hands on the antivirus, we might all stand a chance… No. I don't think so. We'll probably be there about…” He glanced at the clock on the stereo. “Ten. Call if you come up with something more concrete. If not… Yes, of course. And thanks, Toni. For everything.” He paused, then pulled the phone from his ear, putting it on speaker.
Suddenly Lee's voice filled the car. “Kate Bennett, you are the dumbest person I know! Why would you do something like this without enlisting me first?”
I spoke a little louder than normal, to be heard over the humming sounds of the car. “It looks like you enlisted yourself.”
“Yeah. But I'd rather be with you. I mean, what is this? Kidnapping?”
“He's pretty willing at the moment.”
“Yeah, after dragging him five hundred miles from his home. I mean seriously, what choice does he have now?”
“She's got a point,” Patrick mumbled.
I ignored him. “Lee, you have to promise me that you'll stay out of this, okay? Drive the getaway car or something, but just swear you won't go after any Demons.”
“What's that?” She pretended that our signal was breaking up. “Oh my Oreos, I can't hear you anymore! Here's your Grandpa.”
“Kate?” His voice was extra gruff. “Honey, are you all right?”
I sighed. “Yeah. I'm fine.”
“What the heck were you thinking? I don't care how brave you are, do you realize how insane you were to run off with him? And you better report that he's too weak to lift his hands, or you better have slept in separate rooms, young lady…”
“Um, Grandpa?” I blushed. “You're on speaker.”
“I don't care—let him hear. Patrick? I know she's your girlfriend, but she's your Seer too. Hands off during a mission, or you'll cloud your judgment—and hers.”
“Yes, sir,” Patrick said obediently, casting me a small smile. “I understand.”
“Good. Now Kate, I'm not going to lecture you anymore right now, because I need to say something else—it's more important, considering what you're about to go into… I love you. So does Grandma and Josie, and Jenna.”
It was suddenly hard for me to swallow. “What did you tell them?”
“The only thing I could. I told your Grandma you ran away, leaving a note with Lee. The twins, well… they think you and Lee left on an uncondoned road trip.”
“Not too far from the truth on that one.”
“No. Not really.” He blew out his breath. “I'm going to get you back, honey. Until then, I need you to promise that you'll do everything they say. Keep yourself safe, no matter what—I don't care what you have to do. Got it?”
“Yeah. And Grandpa… I love you. No matter what happens, please tell Grandma and the twins that I love them too.”
“You'll do that yourself—after your Grandma grounds you for a year.”
If that was the worst that would happen, I'd take it in a heartbeat.
But I was pretty sure that things weren't going to be that simple. They never were when you were dealing with Demons.
I'd been to Las Vegas once before, on a family vacation. The trip had been an interesting one, since both my parents thought gambling was not only dumb but also a sin. “Wasting your intelligence on something like that should be a crime,” my dad had said more than once. There were other things to do in Vegas, of course, but it was weird feeling as if we were the only ones in the city not gambling.
Still, coming here once had given me an idea of the city's layout, and the map I'd found online did the rest. The Illusion Hotel and Casino wasn't any bigger than any of the other large casinos on the Strip, but it had more of an elegant look to it. Fewer flashing lights, more architectural detail. Like only the very rich and famous would even bother to step inside. The building was made of white stone that gleamed in the desert sun, and a huge fountain sprayed water almost as high as the tallest palm trees. Since I was concentrating on the road, I didn't give it an in-depth look at the moment. But even that one glimpse made me feel colder and decidedly smaller.
The map I'd printed took me right to the parking lot Selena had directed me to find. It was located behind the Illusion, and I knew as soon as we pulled inside that this was it. There was no turning back now.
Patrick was quieter than he had been this morning. But he hadn't gone through any serious pain, so that was good enough for me. He'd had one bloody nose, thirty miles back, but it hadn't lasted long. The joking mood we'd been fighting to keep had died at the gas station we'd stopped at about an hour ago, so we were both feeling pretty tense and subdued.
Once we were parked and the car was turned off, Patrick placed a last call to Toni and the others. It was fast, because there wasn't much to say. From what I gathered on Patrick's side of the conversation, no firm plans had been made yet. But they weren't going to abandon us—that was the only surety. Patrick gave them a general idea of where we'd parked, in case that could somehow help them, and then ended the call.
He moved to hand the phone to me, but I just shook my head. “They're going to take it away—might as well leave it in the glove box.”
He didn't argue. He stowed the phone away and took off his seat belt. I followed suit, but before I could reach for my door, he was reaching for my hand, gripping my fingers with surprising strength.
His eyes burned into mine, and his voice throbbed with intensity. “I'm not going to leave your side. Not for a second.”
I tried not to let him see how much that promise meant to me, because I didn't want him to see how worried I was. This was my brilliant plan, after all.
I gave him a simple but grateful smile and then twisted around and opened my door. I didn't dare speak and nothing was really left to say. It was time to do this.
I heard him stiffly remove himself from the car, and by the time my door was closed and I was walking around the back of the car to gain his side, I saw them.
More specifically, I saw her. Selena was impossible to miss, even though she had four threatening men walking around her—all Demons except
for one human, who I supposed was a Seer. He didn't look any less dangerous, though.
She was wearing an alluring dark-red evening gown, though it wasn't even noon yet. It stretched down to her manicured feet, revealing perfect toes and matching red stiletto heels. Her glowing brown skin was as exotic and beautiful as ever, especially her rounded shoulders and slender arms, which were left uncovered. Her luscious smile would have been inviting, if not for the coldness in her large, brown eyes. Her thick, chocolate hair billowed voluminously around her head, falling past her shoulders in large and generous curls. Her hips swayed while she walked, her long silk skirt skintight across that general area. It flared around her knees so the expensive material could shift and swell with every measured step.
I suddenly felt inadequate in my white top and faded blue jeans. My worn black Converses had never screamed this loudly, and my face cursed me for not even bothering with some mascara.
I reached Patrick's side and slipped my hands around one of his arms, but he was hardly paying attention to me. He was focused on the Demons, who were almost upon us.
Selena's makeup was as perfect as everything else about her. She applied it liberally, but it worked for her. Her eye shadow was mesmerizing, and her clear and unblemished skin made me want to avoid mirrors for the rest of my life. I knew she could read my thoughts, because her dark wet lips suddenly parted in a taunting smile, revealing her perfect white teeth.
Patrick took a strong step forward, pulling me along with him so we were standing at the hood of my car together.
When the Demons were only two cars away from us, Selena spoke, her voice husky without even trying. “Why, Patrick, you look simply awful. A little ill, are we? Your Seer isn't taking proper care of you.”
My skin prickled angrily, but I'd already told myself I wasn't going to take her bait.
Patrick seemed to have a similar goal, but his voice was a little too dark to be completely innocent. “Selena, the outfit's a little eccentric for the morning hours, don't you think?”
She gave him an enticing wink, her lips twisting seductively. “You should see the rest of my wardrobe, Patrick. This is anything but… eccentric.”
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