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I think I needed a nap.
As soon as I hit the porch, a weird, warm shiver crawled along the base of my neck and I knew Kat was inside. I couldn’t explain how I did or why, but I knew it in my core.
Pushing open the living room door, I headed through the foyer and my eyes found Kat before anyone else. She was sitting on the couch, thick lashes lowered, hiding those gray eyes. Her hair was down, falling around her face, over her shoulders, and down her back.
I stopped there, incapable of moving, too quick for her to notice. Seeing her, well, it did things I hadn’t been ready to delve into before. Hell, I really didn’t even know at what point I had become ready.
Probably happened somewhere between when I thought she was dead and when she wasn’t.
I dropped onto the couch beside her, watching her. I knew she was aware of me on this intrinsic level. The faint blush creeping across her cheeks confirmed it.
“Where have you been?” she asked.
Silence fell as Dee and Adam turned to her. I arched a brow, fighting a laugh as the heat raced across her cheeks and down her throat. “Well hello, honey, I’ve been out boozing and whoring. I know my priorities are pretty off.”
Her lips thinned. “Dick.”
My sister groaned. “Daemon, don’t be a jerk.”
“Yes, Mommy. I’ve been with another group, searching the whole damn state to make sure there aren’t any Arum that we’re not aware of,” I said, offering a better explanation.
Adam leaned forward. “There aren’t any, right? Because we told Katy she didn’t have anything to worry about.”
My gaze flickered to him briefly. “We haven’t seen a single one.”
Dee hooted happily and clapped her hands. She turned to Kat, smiling. “See, nothing to worry about. Everything is over.”
Kat smiled. “That is a relief.”
I filled Adam in on the trip, leaving out most of the conversation with Ethan Smith, but the whole time my attention was more focused on Kat. Hyperaware of every small movement she made, every muscle that twitched and then relaxed, and every breath she took.
“Katy? Are you even here, right now?” Dee asked.
“I think so.” Kat smiled again, but something was off about it. My eyes narrowed.
“Have you guys been driving her crazy?” I sighed. “Bombarding her with a million questions?”
“Never!” cried Dee. Then she laughed. “Okay. Maybe.”
“Figured,” I muttered, stretching out my legs. A second later, I glanced at Kat. Our eyes locked. Tension filled the room, and I wondered what was going on behind those eyes.
Dee cleared her throat loudly. “I’m still hungry, Adam.”
He laughed. “You’re worse than I am.”
“True. Let’s go to Smoke Hole. I think they’re having homemade meatloaf.” Dee hopped to her feet and kissed my cheek. “Glad you’re back. I’ve missed you.”
I smiled up at her. “Missed you, too.”
When the door shut behind Dee and Adam, Kat turned to me. “Is everything really okay?”
The urge hit me right then. I wanted to hold her, because she must’ve been worried to ask that question, and it seemed like the right thing to do. Of course it was. How many times had I held Ash when she was upset? Or, in a different way, Dee, when she was upset?
“For the most part.” Before I knew what I was doing, I reached out with one hand, running my fingers over her cheek. A shock transferred to my fingertips, much like static, but so, so different. “Hell.”
“What?” Her eyes shot wide.
I sat up and scooted close enough that our legs touched, not ready to go into what I suspected had happened between us when I healed her. “I have something for you.”
Confusion flickered across her face. “Is it going to blow up in my face?”
I laughed as I reached into the front pocket of my jeans, pulling out the leather pouch. I handed it over to her, watching as she tugged on the little string and carefully turned the pouch upside down, like she was afraid a grenade would fall out. But when she saw the obsidian pendant, her lashes swept up and she was clearly surprised.
Pressure clamped down on my chest as I smiled. A different feeling, like when you’re about to get on a roller coaster. I really never felt that way before. “Believe it or not, even something as small as that can actually pierce Arum skin and kill them. When it gets really hot you’ll know an Arum is nearby even if you don’t see one.” I picked up the chain, holding the clasps. “It took me forever to find a piece like this since the blade turned to crap. I don’t want you to take this off, okay? At least when… Well, for the most part.”
The look of surprise hadn’t faded as she twisted around and pulled her hair out of the way. As soon as I got the tiny hook clasped, she faced me. An earnest pull to her expression had replaced the shock. “Thank you. I mean it, for everything.”
“It’s not a big deal. Has anyone asked you about your trace?”
She shook her head. “I think they’re expecting to see one because of all the fighting.”
I nodded, relieved that was one less thing to worry about for now. “Hell, you’re bright as a comet right now. The sucker has got to fade or we’ll be back to square one.”
Kat stared at me a moment, her eyes sharpening. “And what is square one, exactly?”
“You know, us being…stuck together until the damn trace fades.” Well, that kind of sounded like crap.
“After everything I’ve done, us being around each other is being stuck together?”