Nothing like being prepared.
Smiling to myself, I pivoted around and hustled back to where Dawson waited.
“What’s up with the shit-eating grin of yours?” he asked.
“Nothing.”
He shot me a look that said he knew better. “You need anything else?” When I shook my head, he started away and then paused. “Rolland wants you at the conference today?”
My free hand on the doorknob, I nodded. “He wants Kat there, too.”
Dawson frowned.
“We need to be prepared for anything,” I told him.
Drawing in a deep breath, he nodded, and I watched him retreat down the hall. Easing into the room, I was surprised to see Kat sitting up in bed. Hair air-dried, it tumbled down in messy waves, then fell over her shoulders and down her arms.
“Is everything okay?” She rubbed her eyes with balled fists.
“Yeah. Found you some clothes.” For a moment, I just stared at her as she lowered her hands, tossed off the covers, and stood. My heart thumped.
Sometimes—and it happened at random moments—I was blown away by the fact that she was mine and I was hers. This was one of those times.
I offered the stolen clothes. “For you,” I added, like a complete idiot.
A tired smile appeared on her face as she took the clothes from me. “Thank you.”
I watched her shuffle past me and disappear into the bathroom, and I stood there as the water came on. It was still way too early and she could’ve slept more, but being the selfish ass I could be, I was happy she was awake.
Sucked I wasn’t getting to watch her change clothes, though. That would’ve really given me the picker upper I needed. But then the door opened, and I was still standing in the middle of the room as she stepped out.
Lucky me, the pants I’d given her hadn’t really fit.
They were about a size too small, hugging her shapely ass like a glove, and that made me a very happy man.
Kat caught my stare and rolled her eyes. “Thank God these pants are stretchy.”
“I’m having inappropriately timed thoughts right about now,” I told her.
She crossed her arms under her chest, drawing my attention to another place on her body I might be a wee bit fascinated with. “I’m not really surprised.”
“Just thought I’d let you know.”
As she walked past me and bent at the waist to place the shoes on the floor, I really got an eyeful, and I stopped thinking. Maybe I was exhausted and I didn’t care about getting my priorities straight while the quietness of dawn seeped in. Maybe it was the dress I saw in the closet or all the junk in the drawer. Maybe when it all came down to it, I was a dude and had sex on the brain no matter the situation. Either way, I stopped thinking, and that was a common problem of mine whenever I was around her.
I reached out, snagging her right off the floor, lifting her up with one arm around her waist. A startled sound escaped her lips as I hauled her against my chest, digging my hand through her hair as I pressed my mouth against hers.
I kissed her deeply, taking everything I could into me—her taste, her tongue, and every soft sound she made against my mouth. In the back of my head, I knew this wasn’t something I should be doing. Hell, we should be plotting and all that crap, but screw it.
Like always, I wanted her.
Setting her down on her feet, I traced a path of tiny kisses to that small earlobe of hers as I slipped my fingers under the hem of the sweater. Her skin was warm, soft as spun silk. I pulled back, lifting the sweater over her head, dropping it on the floor.
I blazed a new trail down her throat, kissing each of those little yellow daisies, lingering on some more than others. Then, I turned her around, and the air stilled in my lungs.
The scars.
A low, inhuman-sounding thing rose from my throat.
“Daemon?” She glanced over her shoulder.
I swallowed. “I . . . It’s okay.”
But it wasn’t okay.
I hated seeing the scars, even though they were nothing more than a faint pink with smoothed edges, but they would always be a reminder of the pain she suffered and the helplessness I had felt. Bad times.
Touching her shoulders lightly, I lowered my mouth to just below her shoulder blades and placed a reverent kiss against each of the scars, wishing I could somehow wipe them away, erase the memory of the whole damn thing. Closing my eyes, I moved my mouth to the base of her neck and made myself a promise I would do terrible things to keep.
There would not be another scar on her body.
Not one.
With shaking fingers, I unhooked the tiny clasps and slipped the straps of her bra down her arms. She sucked in a breath as I straightened and eased the length of my body against hers.
Reaching around her, I flicked the tiny pearl button on her pants as I caught her earlobe between my teeth. I loved the little piece of flesh and the sound she made that set my blood afire.
“I can’t help myself when I’m around you,” I whispered in her ear. “But I think that’s something you already know.”
The back of her head rested against my chest as I slid my hands up. She bit down on her swollen lower lip. I felt my pulse in every part of my body and I wanted to slow everything down, worship every inch of her, but lust and love were riding me hard.
Truth was, time wasn’t on our side. I’d make time later. Damn, I would make so much time, we’d need a straight three months of alone, one-on-one quality time.
Once I had her facing me, I picked her up and sat her on the bed as I took her mouth in a deep, scorching kiss that left me unsteady on my feet. When I pulled back, I could see the burning white glow in her eyes and I knew, just like our heartbeats, that her eyes mirrored mine. I peeled off the damn tight white pants and nearly lost it right there. Glancing up at her, I raised my brows in question.
“What?” She flushed the prettiest shade of pink. “You didn’t bring me any undies. And honestly, I’m not wearing anyone else’s.”
My hands slid up her calves. “I have absolutely no problem with that. Whatsoever. Like, ever. And ever. Forever. You get me?”
A soft laugh parted her lips. “I think I get your point.”
“Are you sure?” I kissed the spot behind her knee, grinning when her leg jerked. “Because I could make it a rule.”
“I don’t think that’s necessary.”
I chuckled as I pushed back from the bed and shucked off my clothes faster than I ever had. Her gaze dropped, and she gasped as her eyes brightened. A ridiculous amount of pride brought a smile to my lips. “You like?”
Her lashes lifted. “What do you think?”
“I think you like a lot.”
With a deep breath, her chest rose. “But we don’t have any protection, and considering I about passed out when I realized Beth was pregnant, I think we really need that.”
“Got it.” Snagging up my jeans, I pulled out one of the foil wrappers. Oddly enough, though, as I glanced over at her, seeing her on the bed, waiting for me, only me, I almost forgot how to put one on.
That would’ve been awkward.
“Oh my God,” she said, laying her head back against the bed. Amused exasperation colored her tone, but she looked like a damn goddess positioned like that. “It’s like you have a special skill when it comes to finding condoms. Seriously. They must just fall out of the sky whenever you’re around.”
I winked as I tore the edge of the wrapper with my teeth. “I have the skills that count, Kitten.”
She grinned, and that sexy, heavily hooded gaze of hers worked me right to the edge. I climbed over her, bypassing parts I was so going to take a lot of time on later, over and over again. I opened my mouth, probably to say something outrageously smug and overtly sexual, but whatever I was about to say was lost.
Kat reached up and cupped my jaw, bringing me down for a kiss that wrecked me from the inside out in the most perfect way. Amazed, absolutely blown away by how a sing
le word, a look or a touch, or just a sweet kiss from her could put me right in my place, completely humbled by her.
Then, there really was no talking and no thinking. My mouth was everywhere. Our hands on the move. I found she was ready, and I blasted beyond that moment the second we kissed. We moved together, our hands joined tightly as I lifted up and stared into gray eyes speckled with white light.
I fell in love all over again.
Flickering light played over the walls as our hearts pounded together in tandem. She held on tight, wrapping her legs around me, drawing me in, and I swallowed her cry with a kiss as a shattering whirl of sensation powered down my spine.
I don’t know how much time passed, but while I held her close, wrapping every part of my body around hers so there wasn’t even an inch between us, I finally closed my eyes. And despite all the shit going down around us, I found peace.
8
{ Katy }
I kept my lips sealed tight as the Luxen male—the same one who’d shown up in the bathroom to check on Daemon the night before—led me away from the vehicle Daemon and Dawson piled into along with their sister.
Police surrounded the fleet of cars, and while that seemed like a normal thing during a war or alien invasion, every officer I saw who wasn’t wearing sunglasses was rocking Luxen eyes.
Of course.
When I realized the dark-haired Luxen was steering me toward the tinted-out black limo, tight knots formed in the pit of my stomach. I dared a quick glance down the line of cars and saw Daemon stopped beside a Hummer. The look on his face told me he was seconds from dropping the act and rectifying the car assignments, and that would be bad, very bad.
I gave a little shake of my head and then hurried toward the waiting car’s open door. The pressure against the center of my back from the dark-haired Luxen was not on the gentle side, and I all but toppled onto the leather seat. He climbed in beside me as I straightened myself, pushing strands of hair out of my face.
Sitting across from me was Rolland and the bitch, Sadi, whose cheek was completely unblemished. Damn Luxen and their ability to heal. I’d love to see my mark on her face instead of the syrupy-sweet smile directed at me.
The door closed, and I felt like it was a coffin shutting on me.
Rolland sat with one knee hooked over the other, hands folded in his lap like a perfect politician in a navy suit. Beside him, Sadi was dressed like she had been the day before, pinstripe skirt suit, hair in a neat twist. They looked perfect in a creepy plastic way.
A fine sheen of sweat covered my palms as I glanced at the window, wondering how fast I could summon the Source and bust out a window if I needed to make a hasty escape.
“You’re probably wondering why you’re riding with us,” Rolland stated.
I shifted my gaze back to his, meeting the startling azure eyes. There wasn’t an ounce of humanity in that cold stare. “I am.”
A slow smile pulled at his lips. “I’m curious about your kind, Katy Swartz, about you and Daemon. He feels such a strong physical connection with you. What do you feel for him?”
The limo started to move, and I figured it was probably best that I was as honest as I could be with Rolland. None of us really knew how much information he actually had about us, what Dee or the brothers might have inadvertently shared with him.
“I feel a strong connection with him,” I said, and thinking of how he’d been this morning, that so wasn’t a lie.
“You were fighting him last night, though.” Rolland nodded at the quiet Luxen beside me. “Why was that?”
“I didn’t like how he treated me in the office.” That was also the truth.
“You love him,” Sadi added, and the way she said it made it sound like loving someone was tantamount to walking in front of a bus.
Taking a deep breath, I nodded. “I do.”
“And do you think he loves you?” Rolland straightened his tie.
“I did, but . . .” I forced tears to my eyes, which wasn’t hard considering the way he’d acted before I knew what was going on. It still burned like a sting from a hornet. “But I don’t know anymore. The things he said and . . . and how he acted afterward.” I added in a shudder for show. Someone hand me an Oscar. “I don’t know anything anymore.”
There was a moment of silence, and then Rolland laughed deeply.
That wasn’t what I was expecting.
“You’re cute,” he said finally.
Uh.
He chuckled again. “You sit there, so demure and so small, but you made Sadi bleed a handful of hours ago.”
Sadi scowled, and her look promised retribution. My hands clenched in my lap, and I so wanted to scream bring it at her. Better yet, I wanted to launch myself across the space and wrap my hands around her thin neck.
“You stood before me and tapped into the Source so easily, and yet you sit across from me like a timid little creature,” he continued as he leaned back, stretching his legs out until his calf was pressed against mine.
I stiffened.
His smile spread. “I just wanted to point that out to you.”
The limo jarred over a pothole, jostling me against the silent Luxen. Right now, I felt like a mouse that was being stalked by a cat. A very large and very hungry cat. My heart pounded in my chest. Perhaps I shouldn’t be mentally writing my Oscar acceptance speech. “Okay.”
“I want to know more about the Origin who was with you in the store,” he ordered. “Who is he?”
I didn’t respond.
Shaking his head with a humored smile, he glanced at the Luxen beside me. Before I could take a breath, a hand encased my throat, fingers digging into my skin and cutting off air. A jolt of panic zipped up my sternum as my eyes widened. I’d taken my last breath before I’d even realized it.
Rolland leaned forward, placing both his hands on my knees. “I want this to be easy and not messy. All you have to do is answer my questions.”
I clawed at the Luxen’s hand, but he started to shift, and the heat seared my skin, the light blinding me.
“And if you want to keep Daemon alive, you better value your life,” he said in a tone that sounded like we were discussing what to have for dinner. “Okay?”
I nodded as best I could.
The Luxen let go and his light receded. Sitting back into the seat beside me, he readjusted his sleeves calmly. Rolland didn’t move. Still leaning forward, his hands curled around my knees, forcing a wave of disgust over me.
“Who was he?”
I hated what I was about to do, but it wasn’t just me I had to consider. Even though I was protecting Daemon by saving my own neck, I knew I could potentially be tossing Archer and Lord knows who else under the bus.
“His name is Archer. I don’t know his last name or if he even has one.” My skin crawled.
“And how did you come into contact with him?” Rolland asked. When he leaned back, Sadi shifted from the seat next to him to the one beside me.
Every muscle in my body locked up as her hand replaced his. “Don’t lie, Katy.” She leaned in, her mouth near my ear. “We know more than you think.”
“Because you’ve been here this whole time?” I asked.
She laughed softly. “Well, aren’t you the astute one?” Her sharp nails seemed to dig through the thin material of my pants. “Come on, don’t be shy.”
I drew in a short breath. “I met him in Daedalus.”
“And what would that be?” Rolland asked.
As much as I wanted to shift away from Sadi, I remained where I was sitting. “They are a group within the government that has worked at assimilating the Luxen. They watch over them, keep tabs on them—”
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