Oblivion

Issues with Will had to be shoved aside, because after Kat’s mom left for work, we found ourselves standing at the lake, staring down on a glittering pile of onyx I’d buried.

All of us were there, and everyone knew what had happened the night before with Carissa. I knew that was why Dawson was keeping close to Kat.

Using a pair of thick leather gloves, I picked up a broken piece of onyx and turned to Blake. “This is your show.”

Blake took a deep breath and nodded. “I think the first thing to test out is if I do have a tolerance to onyx. If I do, then that gives us a starting point, right? At least then we know that we can build up a tolerance.”

I glanced down at the onyx and then shrugged. Shooting forward, I pressed the piece of onyx against Blake’s cheek.

Kat’s mouth dropped open while Matthew stepped back, uttering, “God.”

Dawson laughed under his breath.

Nothing happened, though.

Blake knocked the piece of onyx aside, his nostrils flared. “What the hell?”

Huh, that was disappointing. I was hoping to send him to the ground, withering in pain. I tossed the stone in the pile. “Well, apparently you have a tolerance to onyx, and here I was hoping you didn’t.”

Kat covered her mouth, stifling a giggle that still managed to escape.

“What if I didn’t have a tolerance to it?” Blake demanded, and I’m pretty sure my expression said I didn’t care. “Good God, I kind of wanted to prepare myself for that.”

“I know.” I smirked.

Matthew shook his head. “Okay, back on track, boys. How do you suggest doing this?”

Shooting me a dark look, Blake stalked over to the pile of onyx. “I suggest Daemon go first. We hold it to the skin until you drop. No longer.”

“Oh, dear Lord,” Kat muttered.

Whatever. I stripped off my gloves and held my arms out. “Bring it.”

Of course, Blake was jonesing for payback. Springing forward, he placed the onyx against my palm. Being prepared wouldn’t have changed a damn thing. It was like cupping fire and keeping your damn hand over the flame. Red-hot pain rippled over my hand and up my arm. A tremor rocked me and then the pain was whipping out, scattering cells, and it became—

Blake removed the piece of onyx.

I hit the ground, on my hands and knees. “Crap…”

Kat was at my side, touching my shoulders. “Are you okay?”

“He’s fine,” Blake said, placing the onyx on the ground. I looked up, seeing his right hand shake. “It started to burn. There must be a limit to my tolerance…”

Unsteady, I pushed to my feet. “I’m okay.” Turning, I saw my brother staring at Blake like he was seconds from tearing the hybrid apart with his bare hands. “I’m fine, Dawson.”

“How do we know this will work?” Matthew demanded. “Touching onyx is completely different from being sprayed all over with it.”

“I’ve walked out of those doors before and nothing happened. And it’s not like they’ve sprayed onyx in my face before,” Blake said. “This has to be it.”

“Okay.” Kat stepped forward. “Let’s do this.”

Locking my jaw down was the only way to stop myself from telling Kat not to do this. Wasn’t easy standing there and watching Blake slip on the gloves and pick up the piece of onyx. Instead of bringing the jagged shard of onyx to Kat, he went to Matthew. Within seconds, the older Luxen was on his knees, gasping for air. Then it was Dawson’s turn, and I forced myself not to look away or intervene when Blake placed the onyx against Dawson’s hand.

It took a little longer for it to affect him, which would make sense if Daedalus had been prepping Dawson with it. But then he, too, was on his knees. The curse words I let loose pinked the tips of Kat’s ears.

But then it was her turn.

Blake started toward her, but I couldn’t let him be the one to do it. He was not going to hurt her again. Swiping the other glove off the ground, I took the piece of onyx from him.

“No,” Kat said, stepping back. “I don’t want you to do this.”

“I’m not letting him do this.”

“Then let someone else do this. Please.” She looked away, but no one stepped forward. “This isn’t right.”

None of this was right, but I didn’t trust anyone else to do this. “It’s either me or no one.”

Her gaze sharpened and a moment passed. “Do it.”

Shit. A part of me was hoping she wouldn’t let me do it. Anger dug in as she met my gaze. “I hate this,” I said, my voice low.

“I do, too.” She took a deep breath. “Just do it.”

Once again, I wanted to look away, but I wouldn’t let myself. I was going to be here with her for this, but she lowered her gaze, and for that I was grateful. I didn’t want to stare into her eyes while I was handing her unimaginable pain. Hating everything about this, I placed the onyx against her hand.

A moment passed and then her brow creased. Her lashes slammed down, fa

Fuck.

Throwing the rock aside, I knelt down next to Kat. She shuddered. “All right…okay…not too bad.”

“Bull.” I hauled her to her feet. I couldn’t do this—watch her in pain every damn day to build up tolerance. My skin was crawling. “Kat—”

She tugged free, dragging in air. “Really, I’m okay. We need to keep going.”

Looking away, I counted to ten in my head, then fifty, and I made it to a hundred without it doing any good, because all of us went through the same process again. None of us were able to withstand the onyx any longer than the first time.

“It’s like getting hit with a Taser,” Matthew said, as he dropped a sheet of plywood over the onyx, then placed two heavy rocks on the board. It was late, and all of us were feeling the pain. “Not that I’ve ever been Tased, but I image that’s how it feels.”

We started to head back to the house, and I was a few steps in front of Kat. Blake was trailing her, and I was close enough to hear what he was saying.

“I’m sorry,” he said. “I liked Carissa. I wish…”

“If wishes were fishes, we’d all throw nets, right? Isn’t that what they say?” Bitterness sharpened Kat’s tone, and I hated hearing that.

“Yeah, that’s what they say.” Blake paused. “Things are go

“Why do you care?” she fired back. “You’re going to leave as soon as you get Chris. You’ll just be another one of those kids who vanished into thin air.”

“I would stay if I could. I can’t, though.”

I slowed down. That bastard was not staying. If I had to hog-tie him and this Luxen and ship them out to the West Coast in one big box, I would.

“I would stay,” I heard Blake say again. “I—”

That was it. Spi

Blood drained from his face as he stepped back. “Dude, I wasn’t doing anything. Overprotective, much?”

“I thought we had an understanding. You’re here because we don’t have a choice,” I reminded him. “You’re still alive because she is better than me. You’re not here to comfort her. Got that?”

Blake’s jaw popped as he stalked around us. “Whatever. I’ll see you guys later.”

“That was a little overprotective,” Kat said, peering up at me.

“I don’t like him touching you. I don’t like him even being in the same time zone as you. I don’t trust him.”

Stretching up, she kissed my cheek. “No one trusts him, but you can’t threaten him every five seconds.”

I snorted. “Yes, I can.”

Kat laughed as she stepped in, wrapping her arms around my waist. She rested her cheek against my chest, above my heart. My hands slid down her back, and we stood there for a few minutes. “Do you really want to do more days like this? An endless stretch of days filled with pain?”

“It serves as a pretty good distraction, and I need that right now.”