In that moment, I wanted to punch myself in the face.

“Run along,” Ash said.

A few snickers sounded and anger whipped through me, heating my skin. It was ridiculous that I was pissed over other people laughing when I’d already embarrassed her and hurt her more than anyone.

Silence fell over the table, and relief was imminent. She had to be leaving now. There was no way—

Cold, wet, and sloppy stuff plopped on the top of my head. I froze, aware enough not to open my mouth unless I wanted to eat…spaghetti? Did she…? Sauce-covered noodles slid down my face, landing on my shoulder. One hung off my ear, smacking me against the neck.

Holy shit. I was dumbfounded as I slowly turned to look at her. Part of me was actually…amazed.

Ash leaped from my lap, shrieking as she shoved her hands out. “You… You…”

I plucked one of the noodles off my ear and dropped it on the table as I peered up at Kat from underneath my lashes. The laugh came up before I could stop it. Good for her.

Ash lowered her hands. “I will end you.”

My humor vanished. Jumping up, I threw an arm around Ash’s waist. “Calm down. I mean it. Calm down.”

She pulled against me. “I swear to all the stars and suns, I will destroy you.”

“What does that mean?” Kat balled her hands, glaring at the taller girl like she wasn’t afraid of her one bit, and she should’ve been. Ash’s skin was scorching hot, vibrating just beneath the surface. At that moment, I really started to doubt she wouldn’t do something stupid and reveal us in public. “Are you watching too many cartoons again?”

Matthew stalked over to our table, his eyes connecting with mine for a moment. I’d hear about this later. “I believe that’s enough,” he said.

Knowing not to argue with Matthew, Ash sat down in her own seat and grabbed a fistful of napkins. She tried to clean up the mess, but it was pointless. I almost laughed again when she started stabbing at her shirt. Sitting down, I knocked a clump of noodles off my shoulder.

“I think you should find another place to eat,” Matthew said to Katy, voice low enough that only the people at our table could hear. “Do so now.”

Looking up, I watched Kat grab her book bag. She hesitated, and then she nodded as if in a daze. Turning stiffly, she stalked from the cafeteria. My gaze followed her the whole way out, and she kept her head held high.

Matthew turned from the table, probably off to do some damage control. I wiped the back of my hand down my sticky cheek, unable to stop myself from laughing softly.

Ash smacked me again. “It’s not funny!” She stood, hands shaking. “I can’t believe you think that was funny.”

“It was.” I shrugged, grabbing my water bottle. Not like we didn’t deserve it. Looking down the table, I found my sister staring at me. “Dee…”

Tears built in her eyes as she stood. “I can’t believe you did that.”

“What did you expect?” Andrew demanded.

She shot him a death glare and then turned those eyes on me. “You suck. You really freaking suck, Daemon.”

I opened my mouth, but what could I say? I did suck. I’d acted like an ass, and it wasn’t like I could defend that. Dee had to understand that it was for the best, but when I closed my eyes, I saw the hurt in Kat’s eyes and I wasn’t so sure I’d done the right thing…at least the right thing by her.

Chapter 13

Dee was giving me the cold freeze. Not that I was surprised. I deserved it after what had gone down during lunch, but getting chewed out was better than the baleful stare sent in my direction as I headed out to patrol.

There was no way I was getting the spaghetti sauce out of my shirt.

I headed out into the dusk, crossed the backyard, and entered the woods. I waited until I was several feet into the dense forest before I started running—and not that human version of it. I picked up speed, dissolving into a form made of only light, racing over the fallen trees and boulders, moving farther and farther away from home. The feeling of running in my true form was like lightning—powerful and fast and exhilarating. It required incredible focus, too, or else I could end up running straight through a tree. I’d done that once and was still picking the bark out of my skin a week later.

You’re not wanted here.

Hell. As the unwanted thought broke my concentration, I skidded to a stop several miles in, kicking up loose soil and pebbles.

Closing my eyes, I settled back into my human form and stretched my arms above my head. Loosening my muscles, I emptied my thoughts. It was harder this time. Then, a handful of seconds later, I shed my human form. White light tinged in red flickered over the shadowed tree trunks and grass.

Freedom washed over me again.

I moved forward, seeing the world around me in crystal clarity. Heat rolled off me, and I was careful not to linger in one area too long. I moved silently through the woods¸ covering miles in minutes. Soon I was near town, where I’d most likely pick up on an Arum.

Combing the county, I couldn’t help but think of the time Dawson had been out here. It had been during the winter, right before Bethany had shown up and it all went to hell. He’d found an Arum and had almost been taken out by it.

Dawson would’ve been drained dry of everything that made us what we were if I hadn’t shown up. I hadn’t been there when it really counted, though. Saving his life before didn’t mean shit when he ended up losing it in the end.

I stayed out until it was late, slipping back into my human form just before I left the woods and returning home well after midnight. Instead of heading in through the back door, I walked around the front and glanced up at the house beside mine.

The bedroom light was on.

Kat was up late.

She probably had her nose stuck in a book, living in a pretend fantasy world while I was actually out there living in the real fantasy world.

There couldn’t be two more different people.

People?

I laughed, but it was dry and lacked humor. We weren’t even of the same damn species, and yet in that moment, while I walked up the porch steps, knowing she was awake, I felt closer to her than I had to anyone in a very long time.

God, that was a huge problem.

I needed to seriously end this. I needed to get her to stay away from Dee, and I needed to stay away from her.

I knew what I had to do.

Stepping off the porch the next morning on the way to school, I stopped as I heard the engine of Kat’s car groaning as it turned over without starting up. The sound was familiar. Battery was dead. Knowing her, she probably left a light on or something.

The hood popped as she unlocked it from the inside. Kat threw open the driver’s door and walked around to the front of her car. The faded denim jeans she was wearing should be illegal.

Reaching down to wrap her fingers around the edges, she tensed and then looked over in my direction.

Smirking, I lifted my hand and wiggled my fingers at her.

Her eyes narrowed. “What?”

“Nothing.”

She stared at me a moment longer and then turned back to her car, lifting the hood and hooking it into place. Then she stepped back, put her hands on her hips and stared at the engine.

My grin spread.

She reached into the engine and wiggled wires like that was going to do something beneficial, her ponytail bouncing with the effort. Sort of cute. Desperate. But cute. She then clasped her fingers around the hood and leaned in. The cast on her arm was a huge freaking eyesore.