She nudged my leg with hers, gaining my attention. “Are you feeling okay?”
If I had a dollar for every time she asked that question, I’d have a new laptop already. It wasn’t like I didn’t know I was lucky to be alive, and I should be suffering from post-traumatic stress, but I did feel fine. I never felt physically better, to be honest. I felt like I could go out and run a marathon or climb a mountain. I didn’t want to look into the reason for that too closely. Enough things had already successfully freaked me out.
Someone cleared his throat, jarring me out of my thoughts. I looked up to see Dee and Adam staring at me expectantly. I couldn’t remember what they wanted. “What?”
Dee smiled a little too brightly. “We were wondering how you were handling things? If you are worried about there being more Arum.”
“Oh, do you think there will be?” I immediately responded.
“No,” Adam reassured me. Ever since the battle with Baruck, he actually started talking to me. It was a nice change in things. Ash and Andrew were a different story. “We don’t think so.”
I shifted uncomfortably and my skin itched. I wasn’t sure how long I could sit here with them staring at me at me like I was an experiment gone wrong.
“I thought you said Daemon would be back soon?” Adam settled in the recliner.
Dee’s eyes shifted from Adam to me. “Daemon should be here any minute.”
I hadn’t seen Daemon since that morning. I’d asked Dee several times where he had gone, but she never answered me. Eventually, I gave up pestering her.
The two of them started talking, making plans for Thanksgiving break coming in a few weeks. I zoned out, like I’d been doing for the last three days. It was strange. I couldn’t concentrate. I felt off, like I was missing a part of me.
Warmth slipped over my skin, like a warm breeze. It came out of nowhere. I looked up, seeing if anyone else noticed what I’d felt. They were still talking. I shifted on the couch as the feeling increased.
Dee’s front door opened, and my breath caught in my throat.
Within seconds, Daemon entered the room. His hair was a tousled mess and there were shadows under his eyes. Without saying a word, he dropped onto the couch, his heavy lashes hiding his eyes, but I could feel his stare.
“Where have you been?” I asked in a voice that sounded shrill to my own ears.
Silence fell while two more sets of beautifully odd eyes settled on me. I felt my cheeks turn hot and I leaned back, feeling like an idiot. I folded my hands and kept my eyes pinned to them. What a way to draw attention to myself.
“Well hello, honey, I’ve been out boozing and whoring. I know, my priorities are pretty off.”
My lips thinned at his sarcastic response. “Dick,” I muttered.
Dee groaned. “Daemon, don’t be a jerk.”
“Yes, Mommy. I’ve been with another group, searching the whole damn state to make sure there aren’t any Arum that we’re not aware of,” Daemon said, his deep voice soothing a weird ache within me at the same time I wanted to thump him upside the head.
Adam leaned forward. “There aren’t any, right? Because we told Katy she didn’t have anything to worry about.”
His eyes left me briefly. “We haven’t seen a single one.”
Dee hooted happily and clapped her hands. She turned to me, her smile genuine this time. “See, nothing to worry about. Everything is over.”
I smiled back at her. “That is a relief.”
I heard Adam talking to Daemon about his trip, but it was hard to pay attention. I closed my eyes. Every cell in my body was aware of him, like that day in my living room but on a different level.
“Katy? Are you even here, right now?”
“I think so.” I forced a smile for Dee’s sake.
“Have you guys been driving her crazy?” Daemon asked, sighing. “Bombarding her with a million questions?”
“Never!” cried Dee. Then she laughed. “Okay. Maybe.”
“Figured,” Daemon muttered, stretching out his long legs.
Unable to stop myself, I turned toward him. Our eyes locked. The air between us seemed to stretch with heat and electricity. The last time I’d seen him, we’d been kissing. And I had no idea where that left us.
Dee shifted next to me, clearing her throat. “I’m still hungry, Adam.”
He laughed. “You’re worse than I am.”
“True.” Dee hopped to her feet. “Let’s go to Smoke Hole. I think they are having homemade meatloaf.” She edged around me, leaned down, and gave Daemon a peck on the cheek. “Glad you’re back. I’ve missed you.” Daemon smiled up at his sister. “Missed you, too.”
When the door shut behind Dee and Adam, I let out the breath I’d been holding. “Is everything really okay?” I asked.
“For the most part.” He reached out with one hand, running his fingers over my cheek. Daemon sucked in a sharp breath. “Hell.”
“What?”
He sat up and scooted closer, his leg pressing against mine. “I have something for you.”
Not what I was expecting. “Is it going to blow up in my face?”
Leaning back, he chuckled and reached into the front pocket of his jeans. He pulled out a small leather pouch and handed it to me.
Curious, I pulled on the little string and carefully emptied the pouch into my palm. I glanced up, and when he smiled, I felt my heart turn over. It was a piece of obsidian about three inches long, polished and shaped into a pendant. The glass was shiny black. It seemed to hum against my skin, cool to the touch. The silver chain it hung from was delicate, spiraling over the top of the pendent. The other edge was sharpened into a fine point.