“Yeah, you’re about ready to die,” Andrew replied, snorting.

I shot him a warning look. “Way to be motivational.”

He flipped me off. “Whatever.”

Stepping forward, I clapped my hand on Maybe Mitchell’s shoulder. “It’s not just about being fast and strong. It’s about focusing and preparing for the worst. It’s about outsmarting the enemy and anticipating their next move.”

“But being fast and strong helps,” Andrew chimed in, and I thought maybe I should’ve left his ass back at the house. “Like I’m stronger than Daemon.”

“What?” I dropped my hand and turned around, arching a brow. “Are you on drugs?”

“High on life, man.” He winked. “And I’m totally stronger than you.”

I chuckled. “If you sincerely believe that, then you are high.”

“Huh.” Andrew shot Adam a look as he swaggered up to me. I watched him snatch up a small rock. “You see that tree over there?” He pointed at an ancient oak several yards away. “I bet I can throw this rock right through the middle.”

“And you think I can’t?”

“I know you can’t.” Andrew turned to Maybe Mitchell and his nameless buddy. “What do you think, guys?”

They looked nervous, not wanting to answer.

“I bet Andrew can do it,” Adam said, shoving his hands into the pockets of his jeans. “And I bet you can’t.”

They were out of their damn minds. “You’re going to make me embarrass you.”

“I’ll take that risk.” Andrew tossed the rock up and caught it. “It’s a bet, then?”

Why the hell not? I nodded and waved my hand toward the distant tree. “By all means.”

“Perfect.” Andrew took several steps back and squinted at the huge oak. A second later, he slipped into his true form and let the rock fly.

He didn’t throw that rock like a human would. Using the Source, he turned it into a damn missile. It flew through the air faster than the eye could track. Bark splintered when the rock made contact and embedded deep.

Maybe Mitchell let out an exclamation of wonder.

Andrew grinned as he faced me. “Beat that.”

I snorted as I picked up a rock that was smaller than my palm. “Easy. And I can do it without even switching forms.”

“You know what Dee was telling me the other day?” Adam asked as I stepped back. “It’s real interesting.”

Ignoring him, I lifted my right arm. The two tools from the colony exchanged looks. The Source rippled down my arm.

Adam continued. “She was saying that Katy ran into Simon, that footballer at school, at the store and thought they made a cute couple. She thinks he’ll ask Katy out, too, and you know what happens after a date with that Romeo jock… Someone will be getting—”

I looked at him sharply as I let go of the rock. Adam better not be suggesting what I was pretty sure he was. The only thing Simon looked good with was my fist, sure as hell not Kat.

The twist of Adam’s lips told me he was lying. Kat hadn’t run into that dumbass.

Glancing back at the tree, I cursed. That tiny moment of distraction cost me and screwed up my aim. The rock had zoomed past the tree, missing it by a mile. Dammit.

Adam laughed as he elbowed his brother. “See, guys, focus actually is as important as strength.”

I lifted my hand and flipped them off. Both burst into laughter, and I rolled my eyes as I bent, picking up another rock. This one was about the size of my hand. I turned to them. “I’m not going to miss this time, and I won’t be aiming for the trees.”

My threat made them laugh all the harder. I scowled as I turned away. At least the two asshats from the colony weren’t laughing. They looked scared. A heartbeat passed and then I spun, throwing the rock.

Adam darted to the left, narrowly avoided taking a direct hit. “What the hell?” he shouted, eyes narrowed. “You could’ve messed up this gorgeous face.”

Tipping my head back, it was now my turn to laugh. “I think you need to look in the mirror if you think that’s gorgeous.”

“Ha,” Andrew said, grinning.

“We’re identical.” Adam shook his head at his twin. “He’s insulting both of us, you idiot.”

Grinning, I wiped my hands on my jeans, but the humor quickly faded as realization set in, slamming into me with the force of a speeding bullet. The mere mention of Kat’s name had distracted me, pulled away my focus. This time it was just a stupid bet, but what if it had been something more serious, like if an Arum had been around?

People could die.

Closing my eyes, I swore under my breath. This thing with Kat…it was getting ridiculous, and it was unacceptable.

Completely unacceptable.

Chapter 11

I saw Kat on and off over the next couple of days, usually when I was heading out to my car, and each time, the trace was getting fainter and fainter—thank God.

Whenever she saw me, she seemed to want to speak to me. She would stop or head in my direction, but we didn’t talk. Mainly because I wasn’t having that. I needed to keep an eye on her to make sure another Arum didn’t snatch her up or endanger her, but there needed to be distance between us. That day at training had proven how just the mention of her name could put everyone at risk. She made me weak.

So, obviously, that was the only reason I’d gone to Smoke Hole Diner on Sunday afternoon. The trace on Kat had been pale, like a flickering candle creating a whitish glow, so there had been no stopping Dee. From what I’d gathered, she’d dragged Kat into town, loaded her up with school supplies, and then introduced her to Smoke Hole Diner.

I followed them. I wasn’t taking any more chances.

Dee had appeared surprised by my presence and Kat had been… Well, she had been annoyed that I had provoked her, and then she had tried to thank me. That was the last thing she needed to do, since the cast on her arm and the bruises on her face would’ve never happened if I hadn’t taken her for a walk that day.

My time at the diner had been short-lived. I’d also been followed. By Ash, who for some reason had been under the impression that we were supposed to meet there. Guess I missed that memo. None of that had turned out well. The moment Ash realized Kat was that Katy, I ended up having to drag her fired-up butt out of the diner and had spent the better part of Sunday talking Ash off the ledge.

Ash was still pissed on Monday, according to Andrew.

Needless to say, I wasn’t in the greatest mood when I left my house early Tuesday evening and went for a run in the nearby woods. I stayed out there in the muggy August weather until sweat slicked my skin and I’d burned off as much energy as possible.

On the way back, I decided I could go for a gallon of ice cream. I doubted there was any in the house. The moment ice cream was brought in, Dee consumed it like she was starving.

Jogging up the driveway, I slowed as the houses came into view. My gaze went straight to Kat’s house. The porch wasn’t empty. I reached into my pocket and pulled out my phone, tapping the screen to turn off the music blaring through the earbuds.

Kat was sitting on the swing, her head bowed and her features pinched. In her hands was a thick hardcover book. A light breeze tossed into her face a strand of her hair that wasn’t clipped back. She absently knocked it out of her way. The sun hadn’t set yet, but the light was waning and it was still as humid as a bath in hell. Reading couldn’t be easy in those conditions, but she was oblivious to the world as I wrapped the headphones cord around my phone.

She had no idea I was even there. I could easily slip into my house unnoticed. She was safe out here. The trace was barely visible now, having faded even more in the hours since I’d last seen her. There was no reason for me to stop or hang around outside. Distance. There needed to be an ocean’s worth of distance between us.