Page 35

“I don’t know. He didn’t seem crazy.”
“Trying to beat the crap out of a girl isn’t crazy enough for you?” I asked, shaking my head. “I’m curious what you think is crazy.”
Her frown deepened. “That’s not what I meant.”
“Then what did you mean?” I twisted toward her, careful not to jar her arm. “He was a random lunatic, but you’re going to make it bigger than it is, aren’t you?”
Kat drew in a sharp breath. “I’m not making this anything. Daemon, that wasn’t a normal lunatic.”
Frustration thinned my patience. The thing was, she was right. There had been nothing normal about the “man” who had attacked her, but I couldn’t let her know that. I needed her to drop this. “Oh, you’re an expert on crazy people now?”
“A month with you and I feel I have a master’s degree in the subject.” She glared at me as she scooted away. She swayed a little.
“You okay?” I touched her good arm. “Kat?”
She shook my hand off, good and angry. “Yeah, I’m okay.”
I looked away, tense. She didn’t need my shit right now. Obviously she wasn’t up for a throw-down between us, and I was actually, legitimately worried about her. She looked worn the hell out, but I had to shut this down. “I know you’re probably messed up after what happened last night, but don’t make this into something it’s not.”
“Daemon—”
“I don’t want Dee worried that there is an idiot out there attacking girls.” My jaw hardened and my voice turned icy. “Do you understand me?”
Her lower lip trembled, and seeing that was like taking a kick to the gut. Yeah, I was an ass. I sucked at empathy and sympathy. The whole assimilation into human society the DOD had forced us into really hadn’t worked out that well for me, but that didn’t mean I enjoyed kicking someone when she was down.
I started to get up, but when I lifted my gaze from her mouth, our gazes locked. In that moment, I wished I had the ability to change someone’s thoughts. That was also probably terrible, but I would remove the memory of the assault. Not just to protect what we were and my family, but to also erase those shadows that lingered in her gray eyes. What happened last night was going to haunt her for a long time, I could tell.
From the recliner, Dee yawned loudly, obnoxiously so.
Kat jerked back, looking over at my sister, who apparently had been awake for a while.
“Good morning!” She chirped like a bird and all but slammed her feet onto the floor. “Have you guys been awake long?”
I sighed heavily. “No, Dee, we just woke up and were talking. You were snoring so loudly we couldn’t stay asleep any longer.”
She snorted like a little pink pig. “I doubt that. Katy, are you feeling…okay this morning?”
“Yeah, I’m a little sore and stiff, but overall okay.”
Dee’s smile was forced as she reached up, pushing the disheveled waves of hair out of her face.
“I think I’m going to make you breakfast.” Without waiting for an answer, she sprang onto her feet and bolted into the kitchen. Doors opened. Pots clanged off one another.
I sighed again.
“Okay,” Kat murmured.
Standing, I lifted my arms and stretched, loosening the taut muscles. More pots banged around in the kitchen. Knowing what I had to do, I lowered my arms and faced Kat. “I care more about my sister than I do anything in this universe. I’d do anything for her, to make sure she’s happy and she’s safe. Please don’t worry her with crazy stories.”
Kat flinched as pain splashed across her face, and I knew that glimpse of hurt had nothing to do with her physical injuries but everything to do with the coldness radiating from my words. “You’re a dick, but I won’t say anything to her,” she said, her voice barely above a whisper. “Okay? Happy?”
Happy? Our gazes held once more, and I spoke the truth. “Not really. Not at all.”
Chapter 10
Kat could no longer be trusted with the whole staying home thing, so when we called a little impromptu meeting of the Luxen kind Thursday night, we did it at our house just to make sure Kat didn’t roam off into a snake pit or something.
Dee had spent Wednesday with her, and I continued my creeper status that night by keeping watch over Kat’s house. At least I did it from my front porch this time.
Darkness had fallen when the Thompsons and Matthew arrived, everyone piling into the living room. All the lights next door were off, but I knew Kat’s mom was home. I was hoping that meant there was little to no trouble Kat could get herself into.
Talking to the Thompsons about Kat was the last thing I wanted to do. Damn. Throwing myself repeatedly off the top of Spruce Knob would be more fun, because this was going to go over like a pile of shit-covered bricks.
I stood in the center of the room, arms folded across my chest, bracing myself. Dee was perched on the edge of a recliner, her hands folded in her lap. Adam was leaning against its arm, and the tense pull of his expression told me he knew why he was here.
Ash was sitting on the couch beside Andrew. Her blonde hair brushed her shoulders as she tipped her head to the side, sighing loudly. My lips twisted into a wry grin. She had no problem letting people know when she was bored or unhappy. Matthew sat on the arm of the couch, back stiff and shoulders straight.
“So what’s going on?” Andrew asked, glancing up from the cell in his hand. “The last time we were called together like this, someone died.”