Go, her voice urged. Get far away from here.
I went.
…
My hands were cold and shaking by the time I turned the ignition in my sedan. Snow was falling steadily, coating the streets. I needed to get home before I got stuck. I had bad tires, no match for more than an inch of snow. And I really didn’t want to break down out here. These were the things I was busy thinking about. I had to keep everything else at bay until I could get home and successfully freak out. Now I just needed to get there without running off the road and smacking into a tree.
Halfway to my house, two approaching headlights sped up in the other lane, going in the direction I’d just come from. As the car neared me, the back of my neck tingled. The SUV’s tires squealed as it spun around, rushing up behind me.
“Dammit,” I whispered, glancing at the dashboard. It was close to midnight.
Daemon tailed me the whole way home, repeatedly calling me. I ignored the calls, focusing on the ever-increasing lack of visibility due to the snow. The moment I parked in my driveway, he was at the side of my car, throwing open the door.
“Where in the hell were you coming back from?” he demanded.
I climbed out of the car. “Where were you going?”
He glared down at me. “I have a feeling it was the same place you were coming back from, but I’m telling myself that you can’t be that stupid.”
My look matched his as I stomped up my steps. “Well, since that’s where you were going, I guess that means you’re stupid, too.”
“You seriously went there, didn’t you?” He sounded incredulous as he followed me inside. “Please tell me that’s not where you were. That you were just out for a midnight drive.”
I shot him a bland look over my shoulder. “I went to Vaughn’s.”
Several moments went by as he stared at me. Flakes of snow melted, dampening the locks of hair clinging to his cheeks. “You’re insane.”
I tugged off my wet hoodie and tossed it aside. With only a tank top underneath, tiny bumps spread over my skin. “So are you.”
His full lips twisted into a grimace. “I can take care of myself, Kitten.”
“And I can, too.” I tugged my hair back. “I’m not helpless, Daemon.”
He stood still for a moment, and then a shudder rolled through his body. Next second he was in front of me, grasping my chilled cheeks. “I know you aren’t helpless, but there are things I would do that you won’t. Things I know you could never live with, but I can. What would you have done if someone saw you? What would I have done if you were captured or…”
Daemon didn’t finish, but I knew what he was getting at. I could’ve been captured tonight or worse, and he wasn’t worried about how the connection would have caused his own death. He was worried about me.
I don’t know why I did what I did next. Maybe it was everything that had happened tonight. Or maybe it was the tone of his voice—the fear behind his words. Too many emotions were building in me. I felt slippery inside, tipping in one direction and then the next.
I clasped his cheeks. They were warm, like always—a touch of sunlight. His skin was smooth and hummed under my hands. I leaned in, and he didn’t move…or breathe. Like, at all. Knowing that I could do that to him filled me with a heady rush of power. Closing my eyes, I brushed my lips over his.
“Kitten,” he growled roughly.
I kissed him softly, sliding my hands into his silky locks, letting the pieces slide through my fingers. I tasted in him my own rising desire, my own need and heartache. Thrilling. Frightening. I pulled back.
“Kitten,” he said again, voice strained. “You don’t get to do that and then stop. That’s not how it works.”
I stared at him, my breath stalling in my lungs.
“Not when you’re mine.” Daemon backed us up and slid down the wall, pulling me onto his lap so I was straddling him. “And you’re mine.”
I placed my hands on his shoulders as he brought my mouth to his. This kiss was lazy, exploratory…and sensual. For once, I wasn’t fighting the depth of my response. I welcomed it, thrived in the warmth rippling through me. I deepened the kiss. He made a sound in the back of his throat, and his arms wrapped around me, pinning me to him.
My fingers found the strands of hair curling at the back of his neck and dug in. I couldn’t get enough of him—never could. I couldn’t remember feeling this way about anyone else. I couldn’t remember being kissed like this by anyone else. I’m not sure how long we kissed, but it seemed like forever, and at the same time, it wasn’t long enough.
“Wait. Wait,” I breathed, pulling back slightly. I closed my eyes, dragging in a deep breath. “Important stuff.”
His hands dropped on my hips, pulling me down and against him. “This is important.”
“I know.” I gasped as his hands slid under the hem of my tank top, teasing the edges of my rib cage. “But this is really important. I found something in Vaughn’s house.”
Daemon stilled, opening his eyes. They were luminous. Beautiful. Mine. “You went inside Vaughn’s house?”
I nodded. “Yeah, I went into his house.”
“Are you a career criminal?” he asked quietly. When I shook my head, his lips turned down at the corners. “I’m curious how you got into his house, Kitten.”
Biting my lip, I prepared myself. “I unlocked the door.”
“With what…?”
“The same way you would.”