Opal (20 page)

“It’s beautiful,” Daemon corrected. “But you better be careful not to do that in front of people.” When I nodded, he walked over to his brother, clapping him on his back. “Why don’t we call it quits? Both of you are good to go, and I’m starving.”

A thrill of pride sparked inside me until I remembered how important tonight would be. I couldn’t be the weakest link. “You guys go ahead and head back. I’m going to do some more runs.”

“You sure?”

“Yep. I want to run circles around you.”

“Never going to happen, Kitten.” He swaggered up to me and kissed my cheek. “You might as well give it up.”

I pushed at his chest playfully. “One of these days you’re going to eat crow.”

“I doubt any of us will be around to see that.” Dawson grinned at his brother.

My heart stopped when I saw the two of them joking, and I forced my expression to remain the same, although I saw Daemon falter a little. Unaware of the importance of the exchange, Dawson knocked his hair back again and started toward the house.

“Race you, brother,” Dawson called.

Go
, I mouthed at Daemon.

He sent me a quick smile and then trotted up to his brother. “You know you’re going to lose.”

“Probably, but hey, it’s good for your ego, right?”

Like he needed help with that, but I smiled and felt all warm and fuzzy as they joked and then took off. I waited a few minutes, cleared my thoughts, and then jogged back toward the house. At normal speed, it took about five minutes if I was adding correctly. Once at the tree line, I spun around and got ready. Feeling the Source snap loose, I launched forward.

Two minutes.

I did it again and timed it.

A minute and thirty seconds the second trip back. I did it again and again, until my muscles burned along with my lungs and the five-minute jog took me fifty seconds. I didn’t think I could get any better than that.

And the funny thing was that even though my muscles were shaky, they didn’t hurt. Like I’d been running this way for years, and I pretty much ran from the front of the bookstore to the new release section and that was all.

Stretching, I watched the sun filter through the trees and bounce off the partially frozen creek. Spring wasn’t too far away. I pushed at my hair, tucked it over one shoulder. That was, if we all made it out of Mount Weather tonight.

“I was wrong. You really don’t need practice.”

I whirled at the sound of Blake’s voice. Standing several feet away, he leaned against a thick tree, hands in his pockets. Unease and discord balled in my stomach.

“What are you doing here?” I demanded, keeping my voice even.

Blake shrugged. “Watching.”

“Yeah, that’s not creepy or anything.”

He smiled tightly. “I probably should have thought of a better way of phrasing that. I was watching you all run. You guys are good—you’re great. Daedalus would love to have you on board.”

The ball in my stomach grew. “Is that a threat?”

“No.” He blinked, cheeks flushing. “God, no, I just meant that you’re that good. You’re what they want in a hybrid.”

“Like you?”

His gaze dropped to the ground. “Yeah, like me.”

This was awkward and breathing the same air as Blake irritated me. Normally, I didn’t hold grudges, but I made an exception with him. I started heading back to the house.

“Are you worried about tonight?”

“I don’t want to talk to you.”

He was beside me quickly. “Why not?”

Why not? Seriously?
Why not?
That question enraged me. Without thinking, I snapped around and slammed my fist into his solar plexus. Air expelled from him in a rush and giddy satisfaction planted a smile on my face.

“God!” he grunted, doubling over. “What is up with you chicks hitting me?”

“You deserve much worse than that.” I pivoted around before I hit him again and restarted my trek back. “Why don’t I want to talk to you? Why don’t we ask Adam?”

“Okay.” He caught up with me, rubbing his stomach. “You’re right. But I’ve said I’m sorry.”

“Sorry doesn’t fix things like this.” I took a breath, squinting at the harsh glare of the sun cutting through the branches. I couldn’t believe I was having this conversation.

“I’m trying to make up for it.”

I laughed at the ridiculous notion that he could make up for all that he had done. Ever since the night Adam died, a part of me understood capital punishment and why it was created. Maybe not a life for a life, but I got the whole life-in-prison thing.

I stopped. “Why are you really here right now? You know Daemon is probably going to be ticked off, and he hits harder than Dee or me.”

“I wanted to talk to you.” His gaze tipped upward. “And there was a time that you used to like talking to me.”

Yeah, before he turned out to be the devil incarnate, he was a pretty cool guy. “I hate you,” I said, and I meant it. The level of animosity that I felt for this boy was a chart topper.

Blake flinched but didn’t look away. Wind roared through the trees, whipping my hair around my face and causing his to stand straight up. “I never wanted you to hate me.”

I barked out a short laugh and started walking again. “You suck at the whole not-making-me-hate-you part.”

“I know.” He fell in step beside me. “And I know I can’t change that. I’m not even sure I would if I had a chance to do it again.”
I cut him a hateful glare. “At least you’re honest, right? Whatever.”

He shoved his hands into his jeans. “You would do the same if you were in my shoes—if that was Daemon you needed to protect.”

A shiver tiptoed down my spine as my jaw locked into place.

“You would,” he insisted quietly. “You would do just as I did. And that’s what bothers you more than anything. We’re more alike than you want to admit.”

“We’re nothing alike!” My stomach seized up, though, because deep down, like I’d told Daemon before, I was a lot like Blake. Knowing that didn’t mean I was going to give him the pleasure of admitting it, especially since what he’d done had changed me.

My hands curled into fists as I stomped over branches and shrubs. “You’re a monster, Blake. A real live, breathing monster—I don’t want to be that.”

He didn’t say anything for a moment. “You’re not a monster.”

My jaw ached from how hard I was grinding my teeth.

“You’re like me, Katy, you really are, but you’re better than me.” There was a pause and then he said, “I’ve liked you from the moment we met. Even though I knew it was stupid to like you, I do.”

Dumbstruck, I stopped and looked at him. “What?”

The tips of his cheeks burned red. “I like you, Katy. A lot. And I know you hate me, and you love Daemon. I get that, but I just wanted to get that out there in case the shit hits the fan tonight. Not that it will, but you know… Whatever.”

I couldn’t even process what he was saying. There was no way. I turned and started back to the house that was now in sight, shaking my head. He liked me.
A lot.
That’s why he betrayed my friends and me. Killed Adam and then returned to blackmail us. A hysterical laugh formed in my throat and once I started laughing, I couldn’t stop.

“Thanks,” he muttered. “I put it out there, and you laugh at me.”

“You should be glad I’m laughing. Because the other option is hitting you again, which is still up—”

Blake slammed into my back, throwing me to the ground. Air flew from my lungs in a rush and his weight immediately primed my body for a fight.

“Don’t,” he whispered in my ear, his hands wrapping around my upper arms. “We have company—and not the good kind.”

Chapter 21

My heart leaped into my throat. As I managed to lift my head, I expected to see a fleet of DOD officers converging on us.

I saw nothing.

“What are you talking about?” I asked in a hushed voice. “I don’t see—”

“Quiet.”

I bristled but remained quiet. After a few seconds, though, I was convinced he was just getting a cheap thrill or something. “If you don’t get off me, I’m going to really hurt—”

And then I saw what he was talking about. Creeping along the side of my house was a man in a black suit. Something about his appearance looked familiar, and then I remembered where I’d seen him before.

He had been with Nancy Husher the day the DOD showed up, while Daemon and I had been at the field where we’d fought Baruck.

Officer Lane.

Then I saw his Expedition parked farther down the street.

I swallowed thickly. “What is he doing here?”

“I don’t know.” Blake’s breath was warm against my cheek, and I gritted my teeth. “But he’s obviously looking for something.”
A second or so later, movement at Daemon’s house caught my eyes. The front door opened, and Daemon stepped outside. To the human eye, he vanished from the front porch and reappeared in my driveway, a few feet from Officer Lane. But he just moved so quickly that he couldn’t be tracked.

“Is there something I can help you with, Lane?” His voice carried over the distance, even and without emotion.

Surprised by his sudden appearance, Lane took a step back and pressed his hand to his chest. “Daemon, God, I hate when you do that.”

Daemon didn’t smile and whatever the Officer saw in Daemon’s eyes got him straight down to business. “I’m doing an investigation.”

“Okay.”

Lane reached into the breast pocket of his suit and pulled out a small notebook, flipping it open. His jacket got stuck on his gun holster. I wasn’t sure if it was on purpose or not. “Officer Brian Vaughn has been missing since before New Year’s. I’m checking all possible leads.”

“Crap,” I muttered.

Daemon folded his arms. “Why would I know what happened to him or care?”

“When was the last time you saw him?”

“I haven’t seen him since the day you guys showed up to do your check-in and you all wanted to eat at the disgusting Chinese buffet,” Daemon responded, his voice so convincing that I almost believed him. “I still haven’t recovered from that.”

Lane gave a reluctant grin. “Yes, the food was terrible.” He scribbled something down and then slid his notebook back into his pocket. “So you haven’t seen Vaughn at all?”

“Nope,” he said.

The other man nodded. “I know you two weren’t big fans of each other. I didn’t figure he’d make any unauthorized visits, but we have to check every avenue at this point.”

“Understandable.” Daemon’s gaze landed on the trees we were hidden behind. “Why were you checking out the neighbor’s house?”

“I was checking out all the houses,” he replied. “You still friends with the girl we saw you with?”

Oh, no.

Daemon said nothing, but even from my prone position, I could see the way his eyes narrowed on the Officer.

Lane laughed. “Daemon, when are you ever going to loosen up?” He clapped him on the shoulder as he headed past him. “I don’t care who you…spend your time with. I’m just doing my job.”

Daemon followed the Officer’s movements, twisting toward him. “So, if I decided to exclusively date humans and settle down with one, you wouldn’t report me?”

“As long as I don’t see undeniable evidence, I don’t care. This is just a job with a good retirement, and I hope to make it to that point.” He started for his vehicle but stopped, facing Daemon. “There’s a difference between evidence and my gut. For example, my gut told me that your brother was in a serious relationship with the human he disappeared with, but there wasn’t any evidence.”

And of course, we knew how the DOD found out about Beth and Dawson: Will. But was this guy insinuating that he knew nothing about Dawson?

Daemon leaned against Lane’s SUV. “Did you see my brother’s body when they found him?”

A tense moment followed, and Lane lowered his chin. “I wasn’t there when they said they found his body along with the girl’s. I was only told what happened. I’m just an Officer.” He raised his head. “And I haven’t been told any differently. I’m nothing in the big scheme of things, but I’m not blind.”

I held my breath. I felt Blake do the same.

“What are you saying?” Daemon asked.

Lane smiled tightly. “I know who’s in your house, Daemon. I know that I was lied to—a lot of us have been lied to and have no idea what’s really going on. We just have jobs. We do them, and we keep our heads down.”

Daemon nodded. “And you’re keeping your head down now?”

“I was told to check on Vaughn’s possible whereabouts and that was about it.” He motioned at his car door, and Daemon stepped away from it. “I know not to address anything unless told so. I really want that retirement plan.” He climbed in, closing the car door. “You take care.”

Daemon moved back. “See you around, Lane.”

Tires wheeled and kicked up gravel as the Expedition pulled back onto the road, puffing out exhaust.

What the heck just happened? Better yet, why was Blake still on top of me?

Throwing my elbow back, it connected with his stomach and a grunt followed. “Get off me.”

He rolled to his feet, eyes sparkling. “You like to hit.”

I scrambled up, glaring. “You need to get out of here. Right now, we don’t need to deal with you.”

“Good point.” He backed off, his grin fading. “See you later tonight.”

“Whatever,” I muttered, turning back to where Daemon was walking up the driveway. I trotted out of the woods and over to his side. “Is everything okay?”

Daemon nodded. “Did you hear any of that?”

“Yeah, I was heading back when I saw him.” I figured if Daemon didn’t know about Blake being all Creepy McCreepsters before we raided Mount Weather, it was a good thing. “Do you believe him?”

“I don’t know.” He dropped his arm over my shoulders, steering me toward his house. “Lane has always been a decent guy, but this doesn’t sit well with me.”

I wrapped an arm around his waist and leaned into him. “Which part?”

“All of it—this whole scenario,” he said, sitting down on the step one from the top. He tugged me into his lap, keeping his arms around me. “The fact that the DOD—even Lane—knows damn well that Dawson’s back, and that they have to realize we know they lied. And they’re doing nothing.” He closed his eyes as I pressed my cheek to his. “And what we’re doing tonight—it can work, but it’s so insane. Part of me wonders if they already know we’re coming.”

Smoothing my thumb along his jaw, I pressed a kiss against his cheek, wishing there was something I could do. “Do you think we’re walking into a trap?”

“I think we’ve been inside the trap the entire time and we’re just waiting for it to spring closed.” He captured my dirty hand in his and held on.

A breath shuddered through me. “And we’re going to still do this?”

The determined set of his shoulders was answer enough. “You don’t have to.”

“Neither do you,” I reasoned softly. “But we both are.”

Daemon tilted his head back, eyes meeting mine. “That we are.”

We weren’t doing this because we had a death wish or that we were stupid, but because there were two lives at stake, probably more, that were worth as much as ours. Perhaps this whole endeavor was sacrificial, but if we didn’t go through with it, we’d lose Beth, Chris, and Dawson. Blake was an acceptable loss.

A tendril of panic seized my chest, though. I was scared—frightened out of my mind. Who wouldn’t be? But I’d gotten us to this point and now it was bigger than me, bigger than my fear.

Drawing in a shaky breath, I dipped my head and kissed his lips. “I think I’m going to spend some time with my mom before we leave.” My throat felt thick. “She should be awake soon.”

He kissed me back, his lips lingering. The touch was part yearning with a hint of desperation and acceptance. If things went badly tonight, there really hadn’t been enough time for us. Maybe there’d never be enough time, though.

Finally, he said in a rough, raw voice, “That’s a good idea, Kitten.”

…

When the time came to pile into Daemon’s SUV and start the drive to the Blue Ridge Mountains, the mood was strained. And for once, it really had nothing to do with Blake’s presence.

There were outbursts of laughter and curses, but everyone was on pins and needles.

Ash was getting into the passenger seat of Matthew’s vehicle. She was decked out in all black—black tights, black sneakers, and a skintight black turtleneck. She looked like a ninja. Next to her, Dee was in pink. Apparently Dee had gotten the memo about staying in the vehicle. Unless Ash planned to blend in with the seat cushions, I wasn’t sure why she was dressed that way.

Other than the fact she looked insanely hot.

On the other hand, I wore dark sweats and a black thermal that no longer fit Daemon. It must’ve been from his preteen years, because it wouldn’t even fit over his head now, and I looked like I was going to the gym.

I was a total fail next to Ash, but Daemon said something about me wearing his clothes that sent blood rushing to every part of my body and I didn’t care if I looked like a hunchback next to her.

Dawson and Blake were riding with us, the rest with Matthew. As we pulled out of the driveway, my eyes were glued to my house until it faded out of sight. The few hours I had spent with Mom had been great…really great.

The first thirty minutes of the trip wasn’t bad. Blake stayed quiet, but when he started talking, things went downhill from there. A few times I thought Daemon was going to stop the vehicle and throttle him.

I didn’t think Dawson or I would’ve stopped him.

Dawson shifted, dropping his head into his hand. “Do you ever stop talking?”

“When I’m sleeping,” Blake replied.

“And when you’re dead,” Daemon threw back. “You’ll stop talking when you’re dead.”

Blake’s lips thinned. “Point taken.”

“Good.” Daemon focused on the road. “Try shutting up for a while.”

I hid my smile as I twisted around. “What are you going to do when you see Beth?”

Awe crept across Dawson’s features, and he shook his head slowly. “Oh, man, I don’t know. Breathe—I’ll finally be able to breathe.”

Moved to tears, I gave him a watery smile. “I’m sure she’ll feel the same way.” At least, I hoped so. The last time I had seen Beth, she wasn’t all there in the head. But if I knew anything about Dawson, I knew he could handle it, because he loved her—he had my mom and dad’s kind of love.

Out of the corner of my eyes, I saw Daemon’s lips tip up at the corners. Something deep in my chest fluttered.

Sucking in a soft breath, I focused on Blake. The side of his head was against the window as he stared out into the dark night. “What about you?”

His gaze slid to mine. For several seconds, he didn’t answer. “We’ll leave here and head west. And the first thing we’re going to do is go surfing. He really used to dig the sea.”

I turned around, staring at my hands. Sometimes it was hard to hate without feeling sorry. And I did feel sorry for his friend. I even felt sorry for Blake. “That’s…that’s good.”

None of us spoke after that, and at first, the mood was somber and heavy with memories and probably a thousand what ifs and a dozen scenarios of what tonight would be like for Dawson and Blake, but as we passed Winchester and crossed over the river and could see the darker shades of the Blue Ridge up ahead, the mood shifted.

The boys were tense, throwing off testosterone in buckets. Antsy and ready to just do this, I glanced at the time. Twenty till nine.

“How much longer?” Dawson asked.

“We’ve got time.”

The SUV slipped into a lower gear as we started up the mountain. Behind us, Matthew followed closely. He knew the directions. The access road was supposedly about a half a mile before the main entrance. Daemon had typed it into his GPS, but it pretty much spewed the request back out.

A cell phone dinged and Blake pulled out his cell. “It’s from Luc. He wants to make sure we’re on schedule.”

“We are,” Daemon answered.

His brother popped between the front seats. “Are we sure?”

Daemon rolled his eyes. “Yes. I’m sure.”

“Just checking,” Dawson grumbled, sitting back.

Now Blake was between the seats. “All right, Luc’s ready to do this. He wanted to remind us we’ve only got fifteen minutes. Anything goes wrong, we get out and try again later.”

“I don’t want to try again later,” Dawson protested. “Once we get in, we’ve got to keep going.”

Blake frowned. “I want to get them out just as badly as you, man, but we have a limited gap of time. That’s all.”

“We stick to the plan.” Daemon’s gaze met his brother’s in the window. “That’s it, Dawson. I’m not losing you again.”