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.”

My eyes narrowed. Of course, he was talking about Dawson. Not cool.

Ash turned her head to him, blonde brows arched. “Really?”

One shoulder rose. “And?”

Adam sighed. “We need to work on improving your sensitivity later, brother.”

“Whatever,” muttered Andrew, glancing back at his phone. His finger scrolled across the screen.

Matthew gave a little shake of his head. “What did you want to discuss, Daemon?”

He knew about Kat and he also knew where this conversation was heading, but he was wrangling the convo back to the point at hand. Had to give him props for that. “There is a girl named Kat—”

“Who is incredibly awesome,” Dee interjected. “And super nice and smart and—”

“She moved in next door.” I cut her off, because frankly none of that mattered. Andrew’s fingers stilled over the screen and he looked up, his mouth opening. I went on. “I don’t know why the DOD allowed that. Yesterday I had my normal check-in with Vaughn and Lane. I asked them, and Vaughn was the one to answer, giving some lame reason about the government not wanting the house to sit empty for so long. That it was too suspicious.”

Ash’s gaze sharpened. “Why didn’t you tell us about her sooner?”

“Didn’t see the point at the time.” A muscle along my jaw began to tick, because the look on Ash’s face pretty much summed up the amount of BS associated with that statement. “We’re talking about it now.”

She looked over at Dee. “And let me guess. You’re her new best friend?”

Dee met her stare. “So what if I am?”

“I really shouldn’t have to explain all the problems with that,” Ash retorted. “And I’m sure Daemon has pointed out every one of them.”

I had.

“Katy and I are friends,” Dee replied, leaning forward in the chair. Beside her, Adam tensed. “That’s not going to change, and I’m not going to sit here and let you give me crap about it. It is what it is.”

Ash turned wide blue eyes on me. “Daemon—?”

“You heard her.” I grinned when Ash’s hands curled into fists. Her head was about to spin. “I’ve been keeping an eye on Kat, getting to know her so we know what we’re dealing with.”

Andrew snickered. “I bet you have.”

I drew in a deep breath and let it out slowly. Didn’t work. “You got something to say, bud?”

He raised a shoulder. “I just think ‘keeping an eye on her’ is code for something else.”

“Keeping an eye on her means exactly what it is,” Matthew explained, sending Andrew a look of warning. “The fact that the DOD allowed humans to move next door is suspicious. Daemon is smart by trying to gauge if she or her mother is a risk.”

Dee frowned. “Are you trying to say that she could somehow be planted there by the DOD?”

“We don’t know,” Matthew simply said, and while he had a good point, I didn’t think that was the case. More like his general paranoia talking. “Anything is possible, is all I am saying.”

My sister’s frustration was evident in the stubborn line of her jaw. “Katy is not some kind of government spy.”

“Well, if she was, we’d be screwed, since I traced her last week.” I dropped that bomb, and everyone but Dee reacted as expected. There were curses. Matthew nearly had the Luxen version of a stroke. Ash looked downright murderous.

Adam sat down on the arm of Dee’s chair. “How did that happen?”

“There was a bear. It was charging her.” I left out the fact we’d gone on a walk, since no one really needed to know that. “I used the Source to scare the animal off. Kat didn’t see me do it. She thought it was lightning.” I paused. “I didn’t have any other option.”

“Yeah, you did.” Andrew frowned as he placed his cell on the coffee table. “You could’ve just let the bear eat her ass. Problem solved.”

Ash nodded her agreement.

I didn’t even bother responding to that. “The point is, she was traced, and the DOD isn’t banging down our doors and locking us in cages. Vaughn and Lane acted yesterday like nothing had changed, but I thought you all should know what happened.”

“We should have known about this girl when she first moved in,” Ash said, voice thinned with anger.

Dee rolled her eyes. “It wasn’t your business.”

“It’s all of our business,” Andrew corrected. “The Elders aren’t cool with us living outside the colony as it is. After what happened with Dawson, we have to be careful. In other words, don’t run around tracing humans, dickhead.”

I slowly lifted my hand and flipped him off.

Andrew smirked as he leaned back against the couch, shaking his head. “This is just unbelievable. First it’s Dawson and—”

“Don’t finish that sentence, Andrew. For real,” I warned, my chin dipping down. “I’m not Dawson. This isn’t the same thing.”

When Andrew opened his mouth, his brother wisely stepped in. “Shut it, Andrew. I really don’t want to end the night picking you off the floor.”