I turned my head, smiling. “Me, too.”
His hand slid across my back, curving around my waist. I liked this—whatever this was. It seemed natural to be close to a guy, to be flirting, having fun. Kissing. It all felt easy. We stayed like that after Carissa drifted away, and then it was time for him to leave.
I walked him to the door, his arm still around my waist. “We still on for dinner?” he asked.
“You bet. I’m actually—” My back was to the stairs, but I still knew the second he came down. The air changed, grew heavier and warm. The nape of my neck tingled.
Blake frowned. “You’re actually…what?”
My heart sped up. “I’m…I’m looking forward to it.”
He started to smile, and then he glanced up. His eyes widened slightly, and I knew Daemon was there. I didn’t want to turn around, but it seemed unnatural not to.
And it was like being struck by lightning. I hated his effect on me, but at the same time it thrilled me. Nothing was easy about it.
Daemon was dressed casually compared to the rest of us but still looked better than any guy in the room. He had on a pair of old, distressed blue jeans and a shirt that bore some long-forgotten band name. He absently tucked a strand of dark hair behind his left ear and flashed a wolfish grin at something someone said. Those magnetic eyes shimmered under the dim light of the candles. This was the first time I’d really seen Daemon around anyone other than his family or a friend or two outside of school.
Daemon had this effect on others, no matter their gender. It was obvious that people wanted to be around him, but at the same time, it seemed like they were afraid to come too close. They were drawn to him, like I was, whether they liked it or not. People approached but stopped just a few feet from him. But the whole time, he had his eyes fixed on me.
In that second, I completely forgot the boy with his hand on my waist.
Daemon stopped in front of us. “Hey there…”
Blake’s hand pressed into me as he leaned around. “I don’t think we got the chance to introduce ourselves the other night at the diner. My name is Blake Saunders.” He offered his free hand.
Daemon glanced at Blake’s hand before returning his gaze to me. “I know who you are.”
Oh, geez. I twisted toward Blake. “This is Daemon Black.”
His smile faltered. “Yeah, I know who he is, too.”
Laughing under his breath, Daemon straightened. At his full height, he was a good head taller than Blake. “It’s always nice to meet another fan.”
Yeah, Blake had no idea what to say to that. He shook his head slightly and faced me. “Well, I need to get going.”
I smiled. “All right. Thanks for…everything.”
He smiled a little as he leaned in, wrapping his arms loosely around me. Acutely aware of Daemon’s intense stare, I placed my hands on Blake’s back and leaned up, pressing my lips against his smooth cheek.
Daemon cleared his throat.
Blake laughed softly in my ear. “I’ll call you. Behave.”
“Always,” I said, letting go.
With one last grin tossed in Daemon’s direction, Blake sauntered out the door. Had to give it to the boy, he held his own—sort of—against Daemon.
I faced him, scowling as I started fiddling with the obsidian around my neck. “You know, you couldn’t have been much more of a jerk if you tried.”
He arched a brow. “Thought I told you not to hang out with him?”
“Thought I explained that just because you say I can’t doesn’t mean I won’t.”
“You did?” His gaze followed the obsidian, and then he lowered his head. “You look really nice tonight, Kitten.”
My stomach hollowed. Must ignore—must ignore. “I think Dee has her hands full, but she did a great job decorating the house.”
“Don’t let her fool you into believing she did all of this herself. She recruited me from the moment I got home.”
“Oh.” Surprise shot through me. I couldn’t picture Daemon stringing paper lanterns without lighting them on fire and then throwing them. “You both did a great job.”
Daemon’s gaze dipped again, and I shivered under his intense scrutiny. Why, oh why, did Blake need to bail early, leaving me behind with Daemon? “Where did you get this dress?” he asked.
“Your sister,” I told him blandly.
He frowned, looking half disgusted. “I don’t even know what to say about that.”
“Say about what, babe?”
Daemon stiffened. Tearing my gaze from him, my eyes locked with Ash’s. Holding my stare, she smiled sweetly and wrapped a thin arm around his narrow waist. She leaned into him, as if she were all too familiar with the lines of his body. And she was. They’d been dating on and off for a while.
Oh, this was fabulous. He’d just given Blake the stink eye and now Ash was leeched to his side. And God, I didn’t like that at all. Irony was such a bitch.
“That’s a cute dress. It’s Dee’s, right?” Ash asked. “I think she got it when we went shopping together, but it usually looks looser on her.”
Oh, that felt like a jellyfish sting. An unreasonable emotion crept up my spine the longer she stood there, in her skintight sweater dress that ended an inch below her butt. “I think you forgot some jeans or the bottom part of your dress.”
Ash smirked, but then turned her attention back to Daemon. “Babe, you rushed off so fast. I had to search the entire upstairs for you. Why don’t we go back to your room and finish what we started?”
The punched-in-the-gut feeling nearly doubled me over. I had no idea where it was coming from or why I felt that way. It wasn’t reasonable. I didn’t like Daemon—I didn’t. He could make out with the Pope for all I cared, and I’d just kissed Blake. But that hot feeling was there, stealing through my veins.
Daemon stepped out of Ash’s embrace while scratching a spot above his heart. He caught my eyes, and I raised my brows expectantly. He wanted to be with me? Yeah, seemed like it…in between whatever he was doing with Ash.
I turned away before I said something that would embarrass me later. Dee’s high-pitched giggle followed my steps. Daemon spoke, but it was lost in the crowd of people. Needing air and distance, I stepped out onto the crowded front porch.
I couldn’t figure out what was going on. There was no way I was jealous. That so wasn’t what I was feeling. And I had a date coming up with a hot, normal human boy. There was no way I cared that Daemon and Ash were doing whatever.
Then it struck me as I headed down the steps. Oh my God, I did care. I cared—I cared that he’d been upstairs with Ash doing things that…I couldn’t even wrap my brain around without wanting to do physical damage. My head spun. Images of Ash kissing him sucked the air out of my lungs. What was wrong with me?
Dazed, I started walking. At some point, I kicked off my heels and tossed them aside. I kept walking, my feet bare against the cold grass and gravel. I didn’t stop until I stood beside the empty house at the end of the road. Taking several gulps of fresh, clean air, I tried to get control of my overexposed emotions. Part of me knew what I was feeling was ridiculous, but it still seemed like the world had stopped spinning. I felt like I wanted to explode and everything was hot and cold at the same time.
My breath shuddered in my chest. I squeezed my eyes shut and swore. What I was feeling wasn’t right. The last time I’d been this jealous was when all the bloggers went to a book conference last year and Mom wouldn’t let me go. Hell, this was worse. I wanted to scream. I wanted to run back in there and pull out every strand of Ash’s hair. Jealousy I had no right to coursed through my veins, blinding any rational thought trying to tell me I was being stupid. But my blood was boiling. My palms were sweaty and they felt foreign and cold. My entire body was shaking.
I stood there, lost in my swirling emotions and messed-up thoughts until I heard the sound of feet crunching over grass. The figure moved out of the dark shadows and a stretch of moonlight bounced off a gold and blue w
atch.
Simon.
My stomach sunk all the way to my toes. What in the hell was he doing here? Had Dee invited him? I hadn’t told her what had happened between us, but there was no doubt she had heard the rumors.
“Katy, is that you?” He staggered to the side and leaned against the house. Fully visible, he had a swollen-shut eye that was an ugly shade of violet. Bruises marred his jaw. A lip was split.
I gaped. “What happened to your face?”
Simon lifted a flask to his mouth. “Your boyfriend happened to my face.”
“Who?”
He took a drink, wincing. “Daemon Black.”
“He’s not my boyfriend.”
“Whatever.” Simon inched closer. “I came here to talk…to you. You’ve got to call him off.”
My eyes widened. When Daemon said he’d take care of the problem, he hadn’t been screwing around. Part of me felt bad for the dude, but it was overshadowed by the fact he and his friends had half the school calling me a skank.
“You’ve got to tell him I didn’t mean anything that night. I’m…sorry.” He lurched forward, dropping the flask. Jesus. Daemon must’ve put the fear of God in him. “You’ve got to tell him I set everyone straight.”
I stepped back as the wave of alcohol and desperation crashed into me. “Simon, I think you should sit down or something, because—”
“You’ve got to tell him.” He grabbed my arm with damp, beefy fingers. “People are starting to talk. I can’t…have that kind of shit being said about me. Tell him or else.”
The hairs on the back of my neck rose. Fury tore through me like a speeding bullet. I wouldn’t be pushed around or threatened. Not by Simon or anyone. “Or else what?”
“My dad’s a lawyer.” His hand tightened as he swayed. “He’ll—”
A couple of things happened next.
He pitched toward me, too close, and my heart sped up. A horrible cracking sound deafened my ears. Four of the five windows we stood next to trembled and then cracked. A large, jagged fracture streaked down the middle of each window, and then small ones spread out until the entire windows shuddered under the unseen force and exploded, sending shards of glass raining down on us.
Chapter 9
Simon yelped as he lurched from the falling glass. “What the hell?”
Struck by absolute horror, I stood motionless. Simon shook his arms and more glass fell away from his clothes. Little pieces slid through my hair, some falling out and others getting stuck in the tangled waves. My arm felt like someone pinched me, and I knew Dee’s dress was torn. The other window shuddered. I didn’t know how to control it. The pane continued to tremble violently. There was another loud crack.
Backing up, Simon glanced from the windows and then to me. His glassy eyes were wide. “You…”
I couldn’t catch my breath. There was a faint reddish-white glow creeping into my vision. The remaining window on the second floor vibrated.
Face pale, he stumbled over his own feet, falling to the ground. “You’re…you’re glowing. You—you freak!”
I was glowing? “No! It’s not me. I don’t know what’s happening, but it’s not me!”
He scrambled to his feet, and I took a step toward him. He threw up his hand and wobbled. “Stay away from me! Just stay away from me.”
Unable to do anything, I watched him stagger around the house. A car door opened and an engine roared to life. A distant part of my brain told me I needed to stop him, because he was obviously too drunk to drive.
But then the top window exploded.
Cringing, I shielded my face as glass rained down, pinging off the ground and me. My breath sawed in and out of my chest until the very last piece of glass landed. I stood there, mortified and frightened by what I’d done. Not only did I expose my freak-o abilities again, I’d almost turned Simon into a pincushion. Man, I was so screwed.
Minutes passed before I straightened and picked my way around the shattered glass, making my way into the heavy tree line. A fine sheen of cold sweat dotted my forehead and residual fear kept hitting me low in the stomach. What had I done? When my house came into sight, I felt the familiar tingle along my neck. Branches and leaves crunched, and I turned.
Daemon’s steps slowed as he spotted me. He pushed a low-hanging branch aside as he neared. “What are you doing out here, Kat?”
Several moments passed before I could speak. “I just blew up a bunch of windows.”
“What?” Daemon moved closer, eyes widening. “You’re bleeding. What happened?” He paused. “Where are your shoes?”
I glanced down at my feet. “I took them off.”
In the blink of an eye, Daemon was beside me, knocking off tiny pieces of glass. “Kat, what happened?”
Lifting my head, I sucked in a sharp breath. Full-blown panic squeezed my chest. “I was walking and I ran into Simon—”
“Did he do this to you?” His voice was so low it sent shivers through me.
“No. No! I ran into him, and he was upset about you.” I paused, my eyes searching his. “He said you beat him up?”
“Yeah, I did.” No apology in his voice.
“Daemon, you can’t beat up guys because they talk badly about me.”
“Actually, I can.” His hand clenched at his side. “He deserved it. I’m not going to lie. I did it because of what he was saying. It was bullshit.”
I had no idea what to say. Ha. Me. Speechless.
“He knows what he did—what he tried to do—and to spin that around on you?” Daemon eye’s flitted to the shadows seeping among the trees. “I’m not going to let some punk-ass human talk about you like that, especially him or his friends.”
“Wow,” I murmured, blinking rapidly. Sometimes I forgot how protective Daemon could be…or how downright scary. “I don’t think I’m supposed to say thank you, because that seems wrong, but, um, thanks.”
“Anyway, that’s not important. What happened?”
Taking several deep breaths, I let the words come out in a rush. When I was done, Daemon wrapped an arm around me, tugging me against his chest. I didn’t resist him, pressing my face into him and clutching his sides, feeling safer in his embrace than I did any place else. And I couldn’t blame the connection for that. Even before it was formed, his arms had always been a sanctuary of sorts.
“I know you didn’t do it on purpose, Kitten.” His hand pressed a soothing circle against my back. “Simon was drunk, so there’s a good chance he won’t even remember. And if he does, no one will believe him.”
Hope sparked. “You think?”
“Yes. People will think he’s crazy.” Daemon pulled back, lowering his head so we were eye level. “No one will believe him, okay? And if he starts to talk, I’ll—”
“You’ll do nothing.” I shimmied free, drawing a deep breath. “I think you’ve already scarred the boy for life.”
“Obviously not,” he muttered. “What were you thinking back there? You were upset. Why?”
Heat infused my cheeks, and I started walking toward my house.
Daemon let out a long, suffering sigh. He was right beside me. “Kat, talk to me.”
“I can make it back home without your help, thank you very much.”
He held a branch out of the way so I could pass under it. “I would hope so. It is right there.”
“Shouldn’t you be making out with Ash right now anyway?”
He stared at me like I’d grown two heads. I recognized my mistake immediately.
“That’s what all of this is about?”
“No. It had nothing to do with you—or her.”
“You’re jealous.” He sounded smug. “I’m so going to win this bet.”
I stomped forward. “Me? Jealous? You’ve lost your mind. I wasn’t the one trying to scare off Blake.”
He grabbed my arm, stopping me just as my porch came into sight. “Who cares about Ben?”
“Blake,” I corrected.
“Whatever. I thought you
didn’t like me?”
My hand curled in the air. There was no breaking his hold. “You’re right. I don’t like you.”
Anger flared in his eyes. “You’re lying—blushing cheeks and all.”
The worst case of verbal diarrhea happened. “You were kissing me a few days ago and now you were having fun with Ash? Is this what you normally do? Jump from one girl to the next?”
“No.” He dropped my arm. “That’s not what I do. I don’t.”
“Yeah, I hate to break it to you, but you are doing it.” And so had I. What was I doing? I couldn’t be mad at him when I had done the same thing, but I was. It was ridiculous. “God, I am being such a whiny girl. Just forget I said anything. You can do whatever you want and I don’t have any right—”
Daemon cursed, dropping my arm. “Okay. You have no idea what was going on between Ash and me. We were only talking. She was messing with you, Kat.”
“Whatever.” I whirled around, walking again. “I’m not jealous. I don’t care if you and Ash make alien babies together. I don’t care. And honestly, if it weren’t for this stupid connection, you wouldn’t even enjoy kissing me. You probably already don’t.”
Daemon was suddenly in front of me. I took an involuntary step back. “Do you think I didn’t enjoy kissing you? That I haven’t thought about it every second since then? And I know you have. Just admit it.”
In the pit of my stomach, tight coils thrummed. “What is the point of this?”
“Have you?”
“Oh, for crap’s sake, yes, I have. I do! Do you want me to write it down for you? Send you an e-mail or a text? Will that make you feel better?”
Daemon arched a brow. “You don’t need to be sarcastic.”
“And you don’t need to be here. Ash is waiting for you.”
He cocked his head to the side in exasperation. “Do you really think I’m going to go to her?”
“Uh, yeah, I do.”
“Kat.” He shook his head, his voice a soft denial.
“It doesn’t matter.” I took a deep breath. “Can we just forget this? Please?”
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