it. In a couple of seconds, I was really going to regret this. “But I want to do this right.”
She started to smile. “I doubt you could do this wrong.”
Ha. “Yeah, I’m not talking about that. That I will do perfectly, but I want to…” Break out the subscription to the Hallmark Channel and the Lifetime Movie Network. “I want us to have what normal couples have.”
Kat looked like she was going to cry again. I’d probably be crying soon, but for a totally different reason.
I cupped her cheek, exhaling roughly. “And the last thing I want to do is stop, but I want to take you out—go on a date or something.” I sounded like an idiot. “I don’t want what we’re about to do to be overshadowed by everything else.”
I think I might have blushed. Damn me.
Calling on every ounce of self-control I had, I did the unthinkable and lifted off her, easing down on my side. I wrapped an arm around her waist and tugged her close. I brushed my lips across her temple. “Okay?”
Kat tipped her head back, meeting my stare. Her throat worked on her next words. “I think I might love you.”
Air punched out of my lungs. I held her tight, and I knew right then I would burn down the whole universe for her if I had to. I would do anything to keep her safe. Kill. Heal. Die. Anything. Because she was my everything.
And I wanted to tell her so, but I didn’t want to tempt the universe. Bad things happened to the people I loved.
I kissed her cheek. “Told you.”
Kat stared at me.
I chuckled, and although it didn’t seem possible, I moved closer. “My bet—I won. I told you that you’d tell me you loved me on New Year’s Day.”
Looping her arms around my neck, she shook my head. “No. You lost.”
I frowned. “How do you figure?”
“Look at the time.” She tipped her chin toward the clock on the wall. “It’s past midnight. It’s January second. You lost.”
For several moments I stared at the clock, wishing it into a black hole, but then my gaze found hers and I smiled—really smiled. “No. I didn’t lose. I still won.”
Chapter 28
It was six in the morning, and I sat on Kat’s bed, listening to the shower running in the bathroom and mentally listing all the reasons why it wasn’t a good idea to join her.
I couldn’t come up with one.
But I managed to keep my ass planted on the bed while she got ready for school. We’d spent the entire night together, talking and sleeping in each other’s arms. Despite everything, it had been the best night in a long time. In forever. That didn’t mean I wasn’t thinking about my sister or Adam. That didn’t mean everything was perfect. The moment I let my thoughts wander, they didn’t go to a good place.
I’d checked in with Dee before I headed over to Kat’s house. She wasn’t awake, but I’d talked to Andrew. It hadn’t been an easy call. Not when we talked about how we were going to explain Adam’s death. Publicly for the humans, it would be a car accident. To the nearby Luxen colony and the DOD, if the latter didn’t already know the truth, it would be an Arum attack.
The next couple of days—weeks—were going to be rough.
Kat stepped out of the steamy bathroom, wrapped in a fluffy towel with a robe over the top. She didn’t look surprised to see me even though I hadn’t told her I was sneaking over. Obviously she felt me the moment I got into the house.
She walked over to where I sat. “What are you doing?”
I patted the spot beside me, and she sat on her knees, facing me. “We need to stick close together over the next couple of weeks. I wouldn’t be surprised if the DOD shows. We’re safer together.”
“Is that the only reason?”
A lazy grin pulled at my lips as I reached over, tugging lightly on the belt of her robe. “Not the only reason. Probably the smartest, but definitely not the most pressing.”
Kat smiled slightly as she shook her head. Circling an arm around her waist, I tugged her into my lap. I kissed her forehead. “What are you thinking?”
She tucked her face into my neck. “A lot of things. Do…do you think it’s wrong to be happy right now?”
My arms tightened as I frowned down at her. “Well, I wouldn’t send out a mass text message or anything.” I paused, getting what she meant. “And I’m not entirely happy. I don’t think I’ve really come to terms with everything. Adam was…” I trailed off, throat working.
“I liked him,” she whispered. “I don’t expect Dee to ever forgive me, but I want to see her. I need to make sure she’s okay.”
“She’ll forgive you. She needs time.” I kissed her temple. “Dee knew you tried to warn her off. She called me when you told her to leave, and I told her and Adam to stay out of there, but they parked the car down the street and came back. They made that choice, and I know she’d do it again.”
Her voice hoarsened. “There are so many things I wouldn’t do again.”
“I know.” I placed two fingers under her chin, tipping her head back so our eyes met. “We can’t focus on that now. It’s not going to do any good.”
She stretched up, kissing my lips. “I want to see Dee after school.”
“What are you doing for lunch?”
“Other than eating? Nothing.”
“Good. We’re skipping.”
“Going to see Dee, right?”
I grinned at her. “Yeah, but first, there are things I want to do, and we don’t have nearly enough time for that now.”
She arched a brow. “Are you going to try to squeeze in dinner and a movie then?”
“Kitten, your mind is a terrible and dirty place. I was thinking we could go for a stroll or something.”
“Tease,” she murmured and started to stand, but I held her there.
My eyes locked on hers. “Say it.”
“Say what?”
“Tell me what you told me earlier.”
I felt her heart speed up in her chest and she leaned in, brushing her nose across mine, and said, “I love you.”
Slipping my hand behind her head, I pulled her in for a kiss that made me really want to bring her down to the bed and forget all about school and everything else. “That’s all I ever need to hear.”
“Those three words?” she asked.
“Always those three words.”
Sitting in class was the last place I wanted to be on a normal day, but it was nearly killing me to be here. I wanted to be home with Dee. There wasn’t much I could do for her. Words were never good for grief, but I hated that I couldn’t be there for her. I also wanted to be with Kat. She was in the same building as me, but it wasn’t the same. I wanted her close by and not just because, well, I wanted her near me. I figured if the DOD were going to make a move, they’d do so fast, and I wanted to keep an eye on her.
I had no idea what the shape was that the teacher drew on the chalkboard. The only thing I really saw was how amazing Kat had looked in my bed—how amazing she had felt and tasted. I could still feel her without even trying. It was insane. Mind-blowing.
Stretching my legs out, I still couldn’t believe I’d stopped.
Do it the right way? Man, I was going to need a training bra soon.
But stopping had felt right. We’d gone through a lot of crap and emotions. Honestly, I didn’t want our first time to be marred by grief and leftover anger. Might not have felt like those things would’ve clouded our first time, and maybe they wouldn’t have, but I hadn’t wanted to risk it.
When class finally ended, I made it out into the hallway and pulled my cell out of my pocket. I frowned as I stepped around a cluster of classmates. There was a missed text from Kat that had come in around forty minutes ago. Annoyed that I missed it, I clicked on the text.
Mom N accident. Going 2 hospital.
I came to a complete stop, stomach sinking. God, what else was going to happen?
Where did her Mom work last night? I racked my brain for an answer. Winchester. Roads were
still slick in many areas and covered in snow in others. Stepping out of the hallway traffic, I quickly called Kat.
It rang and rang. No answer.
Leaving a short message, I fought the urge to rush out of the school and find Kat. The problem was I didn’t know what hospital she would’ve gone to. It could be anywhere between here and Winchester. I’d have to wait until she got back to me.
Patience was a virtue I didn’t believe in.
Before I headed into my next class, I checked in on Dee. She was as expected. Not good. Sitting through history class was a test in true control. When lunch arrived and I still hadn’t heard from Kat after trying her again and sending a text, I couldn’t stay at the school any longer.
On the way out, I tried her once more. Still no answer, and a sense of unease built in my gut like pools of acid. Cell service was spotty anywhere in town and the whole way into Virginia, but she would’ve made it to Winchester by now and Kat…she would’ve returned my calls, especially after everything that had gone down. Her going radio silent was not normal.
I stopped over at the Thompsons’ house before going home. Sorrow clung to the walls like mold. Spending time with them, I found myself at a loss when it came to what I could say or do. A rare moment in my life, but death was a void that even I couldn’t fully understand. Here one moment and gone the next. Death was that quick. There’d be a private funeral within the community. Adam’s body would be cremated, as was the tradition, and then there’d be nothing.
There was already nothing but memories.
Heavy with those thoughts, I headed to our empty house, where I paced back and forth like a lunatic. Several hours had passed, and with no word from Kat, I started to feel desperate. What if her mom had passed away and she was too distraught to call? What if she had gotten into an accident on the way to the hospital? Her car was still in the driveway next door, so that meant Mr. Michaels most likely picked her up.
Immediately I thought about the link between Will and Bethany. He was her uncle—her sick uncle, but the DOD had no doubt been watching Bethany and Dawson like they’d been watching Kat and me. No one needed to turn them over. The DOD had probably seen everything that had gone down.
Just like they had with Kat and me.
I was halfway to where I left my phone on the coffee table, about to start calling every hospital I could think of, when it rang. There was a dip in my stomach as I shot through the room, picking it up.
“Kat?” I answered.
There was a stretch of silence and then, “No. This isn’t Kat.”
Concern exploded. “Mr. Michaels? Where’s Kat? Is she okay? What—?”
“She’s not…really okay, Daemon.”
I reached out, planting my hand on the wall, legs suddenly weak. That off-kilter sensation was the same thing I felt before the officers had told me about Dawson. I knew Kat had to be alive, but…
“Daemon?”
I took a deep breath. “What happened to her?”
“Nothing irreversible at this point.”
Wait. What? I pushed off the wall, my whole world centering on what Mr. Michaels was saying. “What do you mean by that, Will?”
There was a pause. “Kat is okay. Sort of. Well, she’s definitely not having a lot of fun right now.”
Fury rose like a heat wave. My fingers curled around the cell, grinding the plastic and metal. I didn’t know why he’d done something to Kat. I didn’t care. All I knew was that I would kill him for this. “You son—”
“Now, let’s not waste time. You can fix this, Daemon. Are you listening? You don’t want to miss this.”
“Oh, I’m listening. I’m also taking notes.”
Mr. Michaels laughed drily. “Come to the warehouse. You know exactly which one—and Daemon? I’d hurry if I were you.”
The bastard hung up before I could respond. For a second, I stood there staring at the phone. Shit. Shit. Shit. My skin tingled, and I felt myself lose control of my human form. Tossing the phone aside, I shot toward the door and was halfway down the driveway before I spun back around, heading for the SUV. I didn’t know what was going on with Kat or if she was hurt and how badly. I would need to take the car, which would slow me down.
I broke about ten different speed laws as I raced out of town, toward the warehouse where those two officers had cornered Kat. I called Matthew, who was with Dee and the Thompsons, telling him what happened. They wanted to help, but I told them to go to our house and stay there, just in case…well, just in case shit went real bad.
My mind was blank during the drive. I couldn’t let myself think about anything. I had to keep my cool. I couldn’t let my head go down that road—the one where she was hurt—because after Blake and Adam, I wasn’t sure how I’d deal.
I’d probably lose my shit and expose my entire race.
The sky was a deep blue and cloudless as I pulled into the back of the warehouse. Parking Dolly, I flew out of the car and around the building. The first door I came to was unlocked, which had me on high alert.
Dim lighting in the ceiling cast yellow light over a metal desk and chairs. The stale smell of cigarettes lingered, but there was nothing else. From memory, I darted to the right and up the stairs. There was no time to prepare myself, to really even think about what might be waiting for me. I hit the second-floor landing and pushed the double doors open. The door slammed off cement walls.
What I saw almost brought me to my knees.
Disregarding where Will stood, my eyes locked on Kat. She was in a cage—a fucking cage. Like some kind of rabid animal, chained up. So many emotions rushed me I almost lost complete hold of my human form. Rage and desperation warred with just a flicker of relief. There was Kat. She was in one piece—
Kat made the slightest movement toward me, and her body spasmed. Her mouth dropped open in a silent scream.
Cold fear whipped through me as I shot forward and gripped the bars. Sharp red-hot pain lanced my palms, and I jerked back. “What is this?” I glanced down at my palms and then at where the metal circled her wrists. I was going to be sick, for the first time in my life.
“Onyx mixed with ruby and hematite,” Will answered. “A nice combination that doesn’t sit well with the Luxen or hybrids.”
I looked at Will. “I will kill you.”
“No, I don’t think you will.” Will moved a few steps back, though. “Onyx covers every entrance to this building, so I know you can’t pull in any power or use the light. I also have the keys to that cage and those handcuffs. And only I can touch any part of that.”
“Maybe not now, but I will,” I growled low in my throat. “You can believe that.”
That was a promise I would keep.
“And you can believe that I’ll be ready for that day.” Will arched an eyebrow at Kat. “She’s been in there for a while. I think you understand what that means. Shall we move this along?”
Turning away from him, I approached the other side of the pen and knelt. Kat turned her head toward me. Pressure clamped down on my chest. Dear God, seeing her like this ripped me into shreds. “I’m going to get you out of there, Kitten. I swear to you.”
“As sweet as your declaration is, the only way you’ll get her out of there is to do as I say, and we only have”—he checked his Rolex—“about thirty minutes before the next round of officers arrives, and while I have every intention of letting you both go, they won’t.”
I lifted my head, seconds from planting my fist in his face. “What do you want?”
“I want you to mutate me.”
I stared at Will, wondering if he’d lost his damn mind. I laughed. “Are you insane?”
Will’s eyes narrowed. “I don’t need to explain everything to you. She knows. She can fill you in. I want you to change me.” He reached over the cage, wrapping his fingers around the bundle of chains. “I want to become what she is.”
“I can’t just twitch my nose and make it happen.”
“I know how it works.” He sne
ered. “I have to be wounded. You have to heal me, and the rest I can take care of.”