“Everything?” When I nodded, the rosy color in her cheeks disappeared, and she quickly scuttled out of my lap. She settled beside me, her gaze straight ahead. Several moments passed, and she took a deep breath. “I’m…glad you’re here, but I wish you weren’t.”
“I know.” I didn’t take offense to that statement.
She tucked her hair back. “Daemon, I…”
I placed two fingers under her chin and tilted her face back to mine. “I know,” I said again, searching her eyes. “I saw some of the stuff, and they told me about—”
“I don’t want to talk about that,” she said quickly, sliding her hands over her bent knees.
Concern rose inside me, but I forced a smile. “Okay. That’s okay.” I slid my arm back around her shoulders, tugging her closer. There was no resistance. She melted into my side, curling her fingers into my shirt. I kissed her forehead. I kept my voice low. “I’m going to get us out of this.”
Her hand balled around my shirt as she lifted her head. “How?” she whispered.
I leaned over, pressing close to her ear. “Trust me. I’m sure they’re watching us, and I don’t want to give them any reason to separate us right now.”
She nodded in understanding, but her mouth grew tense. “Have you seen what they’ve been doing here?”
I shook my head, and she took a deep breath. In hushed tones, she told me about the sick humans they were treating, the Luxen and the hybrids. As we talked, we stretched out on the bed, facing each other. I could tell she was skating over a lot of stuff. For one thing, she didn’t talk about anything she’d been doing or how she got those bruises. I figured it had to do with Blake and that was why she was mum on the topic, but she did mention a little girl named Lori who was dying from cancer. A pinched look appeared when she talked about her. Kat hadn’t smiled once. The knowledge nagged at me, threatening to ruin the reunion.
“They said that there are bad Luxen out there,” she said. “That it’s why they have me here, to learn how to fight against them.”
“What?”
She tensed. “They said that there were thousands of Luxen who wanted to harm humans and that more would be coming. I’m guessing they didn’t say anything like that to you?”
“No.” I almost laughed, but then I remembered what Ethan had said. There was no way that could’ve had anything to do with what she was saying. Or could it? “They told me they want more hybrids.” A troubled look crossed her face, and I wished I hadn’t said that. “What kind of cancer does Lori have?” I asked, running my hand up her arm. I hadn’t stopped touching her. Not once since I’d entered the room.
The tips of her fingers were resting on my chin, and we were as close as we could be that would seem appropriate, considering we had eyes on us. “Same kind of cancer my dad had.”
I squeezed her hand. “I’m sorry.”
Her fingers followed the curve of my jaw. “I only saw her once, but she’s not doing too well. They’re giving her some kind of treatment they’re getting from the Luxen and hybrids. They call it LH-11.”
“LH-11?”
She nodded and then frowned. “What?”
Holy crap, that was what Luc wanted. Which begged the question, what the hell did Luc want with a serum that Daedalus was using on sick humans? Her frown deepened, and I bridged the insignificant space between us, keeping my voice low. “I’ll tell you later.”
Understanding flared, and she brought her leg up a little so it rested against mine. My breath caught, and a different kind of awareness crept into Kat’s eyes. She bit down on her lower lip, and I fought back a groan.
That pretty color edged into her cheeks again, so not helping the situation. I brought my hand up her arm, senses flaring as she shivered. “You know what I’d give for some privacy right about now?”
Her lashes lowered. “You’re terrible.”
“I am.”
Her expression clouded over. “I feel like there’s a big clock hanging over us right now, like we’re running out of time.”
We probably were. “Don’t think about it.”
“It’s kind of hard not to.”
There was a pause, and I cupped her cheek, smoothing my thumb over the delicate bone. Several moments passed.
“Did you see my mom at all?”
“No.” I wanted to tell her why, and tell her more, but divulging any information at this point was a risk. I had an idea, though. I could take my true form and talk to her that way, but I doubted the powers that be would appreciate that. I wasn’t willing to risk it at this moment. “But Dee has been keeping an eye on her.”
Kat kept her eyes closed. “I miss my mom,” she whispered, and my heart cracked. “I really miss her.”
I didn’t know what to say, and what could I say? I’m sorry wouldn’t cut it. So as I searched for a distraction, I let myself get reacquainted with the angles of her face, the graceful column of her neck, and the slope of her shoulders. “Tell me something I don’t know.”
Several moments passed before she spoke. “I’ve always wanted a Mogwai.”
“What?”
Kat’s lashes still fanned her cheeks, but she was finally smiling, and some of the pressure eased off my chest. “You’ve seen Gremlins, right? Remember Gizmo?” When I nodded, she laughed. The sound was hoarse, as if she hadn’t laughed in a while. Which I figured she hadn’t. “Mom let me watch it when I was a kid, and I was obsessed with Gizmo. I wanted one more than I wanted anything in the world. I even promised Mom that I wouldn’t feed it after midnight or get it wet.”