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It literally hurt deep inside not being able to poston Wednesday, but I still had several weeks before h Dee would let me borrow her corabbed the can of soda out of Dee’s fridge and went back into the living room

Aliens could sure eat a lot of food

"Do you wantat the last slice with such longing that I was beginning to think that she and Adam needed to re-evaluate their relationship

I shook e and frankly, I wasn’t hungry Eating while Dee and Ada tedious and uncomfortable Dee didn’t think I noticed, and Ada another question about what happened that night with Baruck

As far as everyone knew, Daemon had killed Baruck and I hadn’t been injured as badly as Dee had thought Somehow Daemon had convinced her that I was just stunned I peeked at them

But it had been ain

Surprisingly, the thought didn’t fill me with the same amount of dread and sickness as it initially did Over the last couple of days, I’d co with my actions It was a level of shaky acceptance that et

It was either hio

Everyone was still staring Lovely

Dee sat down next to me and took a sip of her soda Convinced or not, Dee knew soand sookay?" If I had a dollar for every time she asked that question, I’d have a new laptop already It wasn’t like I didn’t knoas lucky to be alive, and I should be suffering from post-traumatic stress, but I did feel fine I never felt physically better, to be honest I felt like I could go out and run a marathon or climb a mountain I didn’t want to look into the reason for that too closely

Enough things had already successfully freakedat me expectantly I couldn’t rehtly "We ondering how you were handling things? If you are worried about there being more Arum"

"Oh, do you think there will be?" I immediately responded

"No," Adam reassured me Ever since the battle with Baruck, he actually started talking to s Ash and Andreere a different story "We don’t think so"

I shifted uncomfortably andI could sit here with the

"I thought you said Daemon would be back soon?" Adam settled in the recliner

Dee’s eyes shifted from Adam to me

"Daemon should be here any

I’d asked Dee several tione, but she never answeredher

The two of the in a feeeks I zoned out, like I’d been doing for the last three days It was strange I couldn’t concentrate I felt off, like I wasa part of me

Warmth slipped over my skin, like a war if anyone else noticed what I’d felt They were still talking I shifted on the couch as the feeling increased

Dee’s front door opened, and ht in my throat

Within seconds, Daemon entered the room

His hair was a tousleda word, he dropped onto the couch, his heavy lashes hiding his eyes, but I could feel his stare

"Where have you been?" I asked in a voice that sounded shrill to my own ears

Silence fell while two more sets of beautifully odd eyes settled onlike an idiot I folded my hands and kept my eyes pinned to them What a way to draw attention to myself

"Well hello, honey, I’ve been out boozing and whoring I know, my priorities are pretty off"

My lips thinned at his sarcastic response

"Dick," I roaned "Daemon, don’t be a jerk"

"Yes, Mo the whole damn state to make sure there aren’t any Arum that we’re not aware of," Dae a weird ache within me at the same time I wanted to thump him upside the head

Adaht? Because we told Katy she didn’t have anything to worry about"

His eyes left le one"

Dee hooted happily and clapped her hands

She turned toto worry about Everything is over"

I s to Daemon about his trip, but it was hard to pay attention I closed my eyes Every cell inroom but on a different level

"Katy? Are you even here, right now?"

"I think so" I forced a suys been driving her crazy?" Dae her with a million questions?"

"Never!" cried Dee Then she laughed

"Okay Maybe"

"Figured," Daes

Unable to stop myself, I turned toward him

Our eyes locked The air between us seemed to stretch with heat and electricity The last ti And I had no idea where that left us

Dee shifted next to ry, Adahed "You’re worse than I ao to Sed around ave Daemon a peck on the cheek "Glad you’re back I’ve missed you" Daemon smiled up at his sister "Missed you, too" When the door shut behind Dee and Ada really okay?" I asked

"For the ers over my cheek

Daemon sucked in a sharp breath "Hell"

"What?"

He sat up and scooted closer, his leg pressing againstfor you"

Not what I was expecting "Is it going to blow up inback, he chuckled and reached into the front pocket of his jeans He pulled out a small leather pouch and handed it toand carefully elanced up, and when he smiled, I felt my heart turn over It was a piece of obsidian about three inches long, polished and shaped into a pendant

The glass was shiny black It seeainstfro over the top of the pendent The other edge was sharpened into a fine point

"Believe it or not," Dae as small as that can actually pierce Aruets really hot you’ll know an Arum is nearby even if you don’t see one" He carefully 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 whenwell, for the most part" Shocked, I pulledhim hook the necklace around my neck Once it was clasped, I faced hi"

"It’s not a big deal Has anyone asked you about your trace?"

I shookto see one because of all the fighting" Daeht now The sucker has got to fade or we’ll be back to square one"

A slow heat built inside ood kind "And what is square one, exactly?"

"You know, us beingstuck together until the daaze flickered away

Stuck together? My fingers dug intoaround each other is being stuck together?"

Daeed

"You knohat? Screw you, buddy

Because of me, Baruck didn’t find your sister

Because of what I did, I almost died You healed me That’s why I have a trace None of this is my fault"

"And it’s mine? Should I have left you to die?" His eyes burned now, like emerald pools

"Is that what you wanted?"

"That’s a stupid question! I don’t regret that you healedwith this hot and cold shit from you anymore"

"I do believe you protest too rin twisted his lips "So to convince themselves"

I took a deep breath and let it out slowly As much as it bothered me to say this, because there was a part of me that wanted him, I did "I think it would be best if you’d stay away from me"

"No can do"

"Any of the other Luxen can watch over me or whatever," I protested "It doesn’t have to be you"

His eyes met mine "You’reto you"

"You’re definitely so" My palms itched to have a close encounter of the bitch-slap kind with his face "I dislike you so very much"

"No You don’t"

"Okay We need to get this trace off me

Now"

A wicked smile played over his lips

"Maybe we can try ain See what that will do to this trace It seemed to work last time"

My body liked the idea I, however, did not

"Yeah, that’s not going to happen again"

"It was just a suggestion"

"One that will never Happen," I bit out each word deliberately "Again"

"Don’t act like you didn’t have as much fun - "

I shed, and I started to push off, but wait I pressed ainst his chest as I stared at hi " I was - nice chest and all - but that wasn’t the point His heart beat against htly accelerated

Thuainst my own chest Thump

Thump, thump Thump

I started to feel dizzy "Our

heartbeatsthey’re the sa now, completely synchronized "Oh my God, how is this possible?"

Daemon started to look pale "Oh crap" My lashes lifted Our eyes locked The air seemed to spark around us, filled with tension

Oh crap, indeed

He placed his hand over mine and squeezed

"But it’s not too bad Iand this whole heart thing proves we rinned "Could be worse"

"What could be worse exactly?" I asked, stunned

"Us being together" He shrugged "It could be worse"

Part of ht

"Wait a sec You think we should be together because of some kind of freaky alien o you were bitching about being stuck withI was pointing out that we are stuck together This is differentand you’re attracted to et back to that last statement in a second, but you want to be with me because you now feelforced?"

"I wouldn’t say forced exactly, butbut I like you"

I stared at him It was all too easy to recall what I’d overheard when he’d healed ht that maybe what he’d felt was real, but maybe it was the product of whatever the hell he’d done That

Daemon frowned "Oh no, I know that look

What are you thinking?"

"That this is the most ridiculous declaration of attraction I’ve ever heard," I said, standing

"That is so lame, Daemon You want to be with me because of whatever crazy stuff that had happened?" He rolled his eyes as he stood "We like each other We do It’s stupid that we keep denying it"

"Oh, this is co from the dude who left me on the couch topless?" I shook my head

"We don’t like each other"

"Okay I should probably apologize for that

I’m sorry" Daemon took a step forward "We were attracted to each other before I healed you

You can’t say that’s not true, because I’ve alwaysbeen attracted to you" I took a step back "Being attracted to me is as laether now"

"Oh, you know it’s more than that" He paused "I knew you would be trouble from the start, frohed dryly "That thought is definitely mutual, but that doesn’t excuse the split personality thing you’ve got going on"

"Well, I was kind of hoping it did, but obviously not" He flashed a quick grin "Kat, I know you’re attracted toattracted to you isn’t enough," I said

"We get along"

I gave him a bland look

Another flash of his teeth as his lips spread

"So in common," I protested

"We have more in common then you realize"

"Whatever"

Daeer "You know you want to"

The memory of the sweet kiss we’d shared in the field returned Frustrated, I snatched my hair back and focused "You don’t knohat I want You have no clue I want a guy ants to be with me because he actually wants to be

Not that he’s forced to be out of some kind of twisted sense of responsibility"

"Kat - "

"No!" I cut hi my hands into fists Come on, Kittycat, don’t b e a b ystander

I wasn’t going to be a bystander any to Dae me were so lame theythe biggest jerk to et to decide to like et all of that I want someone to care for me like my dad cared for my mom And you aren’t hi the my head, I turned toward the back door Dae h or sht, consu that you don’t want to be with h deep down, I did want to be with hiether or because solimpses of the real him That Daemon I could be with - I could love But that Dae duty to his faether

"I’," I said

His eyes searched "

"Daeed me forward carefully His breath stirred the hair around my tehtening "If I wanted to be with you, you’d make it hard wouldn’t you?" I lifted my head "You don’t want to be withI kind of do"

Parts of my body liked that My chest swelled Insides knotted "Thinking and kind of aren’t the sa"

"No, it’s not, but it’s so his eyes "Isn’t it?"

I thought of the loveh"

Daeoing toMy heart was thu as I sidestepped him and headed for the front door

"Kat?"

Drawing in a deep breath, I faced him