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“Dee’s not the problem,” Matthew informed me.
A muscle began to tick in my jaw, and then I laughed again for the third time. “I was thinking that it might be smart if Dee and I left. If we found another colony and moved there. Dee wouldn’t be happy with that, but…”
“That’s not what I want to hear, and I hope you’re not so…invested in this girl that leaving here—leaving us—is the only viable option. That means things have already gotten out of control, and that is not you.”
Was it the only option? If it was, then what did that say? I shook my head. “It’s not.”
Matthew clamped his hand on my shoulder and squeezed. “You are like a brother to me, Daemon. I trust you with my life, and I know you’re going to make this situation right. You’re going to help get that trace off as her as quick as possible, using whatever means necessary,” he said, his blue eyes sharpening. “You’re going to take care of this and none of us are going to have to worry about history repeating itself. We’re going to move on from this and take care of the Arum, and then everything…everything will be okay. Can you do that? For Dee? For all of us, but most importantly, for you and for her .”
“I’m not—”
“You don’t need to lie to me, Daemon, and I don’t even need you to confirm or deny what is beginning to start between you and Katy, but you know—you know more than anyone if you continue down this path, it’s not just your fate you’re sealing. It’s Katy’s fate also.” Matthew withdrew his hand, his expression somber. “You don’t want to be the reason she disappears or is killed. I know you don’t. So take care of this. Soon.”
Chapter 22
Matthew’s words haunted me throughout Saturday and into Sunday morning. Man, he’d nailed it all on the head, hadn’t he? Things were already getting out of control between Kat and me, and nothing had really happened between us. At least not physically, if I wasn’t counting yesterday morning, but there was something between us.
And neither of us liked it.
I did a lot of thinking, even when I went out on patrols Saturday night. Matthew had been right. I needed to get this trace off Kat as soon as possible, and then once I took care of the last Arum, things…things would be normal.
Things had to get back to normal.
Leaving really wasn’t an option, at least not right now, and the likelihood of the DOD approving something like that was slim to none. So I needed to take care of this. I couldn’t allow myself to think of anything else.
Dee was with Adam, and I figured now was no better time to start getting that trace off Kat. After all, she didn’t want to be at risk or a danger to anyone else. Before I left, I grabbed the piece of obsidian from my bedroom. Rain poured down as I darted across the lawn, moving fast enough that the sheets of chilly rain barely hit me. Her mom’s car was gone, as usual. I knocked on the door.
A few seconds passed before the door inched open, revealing a very…sleepy-looking Kat. She squinted up at me, brows knitted together. Her hair was a mess of waves, falling haphazardly over her shoulders. She was in pajamas and I was pretty sure she wasn’t wearing a—
“What’s up?” She broke the silence.
“Are you going to invite me in?”
Her lips formed a thin line as she stepped aside. I walked in, scanning the rooms. “What are you looking for?” she asked.
“Your mom’s not home, right?” Figured I’d better double check before we started getting down to business.
Kat shut the door. “Her car’s not outside.”
The claws were out today. “We need to work on fading your trace.”
“It’s pouring outside.” She stalked past me, grabbing the remote to turn off the TV. I beat her to it, flipping it off before she could hit the button. “Show-off,” she muttered.
“Been called worse.” I frowned as I faced her, finally getting a good look at what she was wearing. I laughed. “What are you wearing?”
Her cheeks burned bright. “Shut up.”
I laughed again. “What are they? Keebler elves?”
“No! They’re Santa’s elves. I love these pajama bottoms. My dad got them for me.”
My laugh faded off. “You wear them because they remind you of him?”
Kat nodded.
The green and pink bottoms were ridiculous looking, but I understood why she wore them. It made me think of something I remembered hearing the Elders say. “My people believe that when we pass on, our essence is what lights the stars in the universe. Seems stupid to believe in something like that, but when I look at the sky at night, I like to think that at least two of the stars out there are my parents. And one is Dawson.”
“That’s not stupid at all.” She paused as the hostility faded from her expression. “Maybe one of them is my dad.”
I looked at her and quickly looked away. “Well, anyway, the elves are sexy.”
She snorted. “Did you guys come up with another way to fade the trace?”
“Not really.”
“You’re planning on making me work out, aren’t you?”
“Yeah, that’s one of the ways of doing it.”
She plopped down on the couch. “Well, there isn’t much we can do today.”
I arched a brow. “You have a problem going out in the rain?”
“When it’s almost the end of October and cold, yes, I do.” She picked up a checkered afghan and placed it in her lap. “I’m not going out there and running today.”