Oblivion

“Kat,” I called out.

She kept going, her back u

Cursing under my breath, I looked at Ash. “Really?”

Her smile was smug. “I told you I wasn’t going to help you.”

“That wasn’t necessary, and you know it.” I started after Kat and made it a few steps before I stopped. Twisting sideways, I grabbed the guy who was getting down to business with some chick on my couch. I yanked him up and spun him around. It was Do

“What the—?” Do

I shoved him back, sparing the girl a brief glance. “Not in here. Not ever. Got it?”

“Got it,” he replied.

Letting Do

“You think?” I frowned as I caught a glimpse of my sister. She was with Carissa and Lesa, but it was the way Adam was rubbing her arm that drew my attention.

Ash clasped her hands together in front of her. “But you did see what I saw, right? She kissed that guy—”

“On the cheek,” I growled.

“Like that’s a difference.” She wiggled her brows. “And he’s kind of hot.”

“Ash—”

“Okay, he’s really hot.”

Lesa passed us, ru

“Blake is also hot,” Ash chimed in, and I tilted my head to the side, staring at her. “Isn’t he, Carissa?”

Lesa frowned. “Yes, Blake is very hot, too. By the way,” she gestured at her chest with her red Solo cup, “I’m Lesa.”

Ash shrugged as she tugged on the hem of her dress. “Whatever.”

The human girl stared at Ash. “Okay. It’s not like we look alike. I’m white with an awesome touch of Hispanic, and Carissa is half black and half Asian. Kind of hard to get us confused.”

Well, Lesa had a point, and this just got real awkward, and Ash stared at her, apparently oblivious. “Anyway,” Lesa drew the word out. “Why are we talking about how good-looking Blake is? Not that I don’t mind chatting about that.”

“He was here with Kat.” Ash’s hand snapped out, and she plucked a fresh cup out of some random person’s grip. She eyed the contents. “She kissed him.”

“On the cheek,” I repeated.

Lesa snickered. “I would totally be kissing him someplace else.”

I looked at her.

“And you, too,” she added quickly, and I frowned. She giggled. “Well, if I didn’t have a boyfriend, that is.”

“Uh, that’s good to know.” My heart started pounding as if I’d just run a mile. Concern bloomed in my gut. “Have you seen Kat?”

Lesa sipped her drink. “She went outside to get some fresh air. Didn’t look too happy.”

“Hmm,” Ash murmured.

I was so going to duct tape her mouth shut. “Thanks,” I said to Lesa and then shot Ash a look that warned her not to follow.

It was Lesa this time who stopped me at the back door. She placed her hand on my upper arm, and when I glanced down at her, sincerity was etched into her expression. “God, she’s going to kill me for saying this,” she said. “But Katy does like you. She really does. Just remember that.”

The corner of my lips twitched. “I know.”

Cool night air washed over me. The door swung shut, muting some of the sounds. Walking off the deck, I cut between the houses. It didn’t look like she was at her place. Stopping near the porch, I sca

I glanced back at Kat’s house. Good thing her mom was working tonight.

Would her mom also be working for her birthday—tomorrow? From what I could gather, her mom usually worked Saturday nights. The idea of Kat spending her birthday alone didn’t sit well with me. But that wasn’t the issue at hand. Where in the world could she have—?

The distant sound of glass shattering stopped me. My eyes narrowed. A couple of car doors slammed shut, but the sound was farther away. I walked past the cars and about halfway down the driveway, the back of my neck starting to tingle.

Bingo.

Kat was near the empty house.

I cut over to the wooded area and then picked up speed, coming up around the back of the house. I slowed down as I spotted her walking back. Pushing a low-hanging branch aside, I stepped out of the woods. “What are you doing out here, Kat?”

Her shoulders were hunched. “I just blew up a bunch of windows.”

“What?” I moved closer. “You’re bleeding. What happened?” I paused. “Where are your shoes?”

She glanced down at her feet. “I took them off.”

I shot to her side, seeing tiny pieces of glass clinging to the sweater. I began picking them off.

“Kat, what happened?”

Lifting her head, she sucked in a sharp breath. “I was walking and I ran into Simon—”

“Did he do this to you?” My hands stilled, and I swear to all the stars in the sky, someone was going to be dead by the end of the night.

“No. No! I ran into him, and he was upset about you.” Her eyes met mine. “He said you beat him up?”

“Yeah, I did.” And I had a feeling I was going to do it again.

“Daemon, you can’t beat up guys because they talk bad about me.”

“Actually, I can.” Getting all the glass I could see, I lowered my hands to my sides. “He deserved it. I’m not going to lie. I did it because of what he was saying. It was bullshit. He knows what he did—what he tried to do—and to spin that around on you?” My hands curled into fists as my gaze flickered to the woods. “I’m not going to let some punk-ass human talk about you like that, especially him or his friends.”

“Wow,” she murmured. “I don’t think I’m supposed to say thank you, because that seems wrong, but, um, thanks.”

“Anyway, that’s not important. What happened?”

She drew in several deep breaths, and then it came out in a rush. “I just needed fresh air, so I came out here and I started walking. I don’t know. I was just angry and feeling…I just was so angry, and I’m frustrated, because I don’t know what is going on with me.” Her voice started to rise. “And the next thing I know, the window back there blew up, and I know it was me. I did that somehow, and Simon—oh my God, he was outside. I don’t even really know what he was doing. He was really drunk, but he saw me do it. I freaked out and another window shattered. I didn’t mean to do it on purpose. I really didn’t, Daemon. I—”

Chest aching, I wrapped my arms around her and tugged her against my chest. She didn’t resist, burrowing her face into me. I lowered my chin to the top of her head and held her tight. Her heart was pounding. So was mine, which explained why it had started doing that in the kitchen.

“I know you didn’t do it on purpose, Kitten.” I pressed my hand against her back, rubbing in a circle as my mind raced around yet another new problem. “Simon was drunk, so there’s a good chance he won’t even remember. And if he does, no one will believe him.”

“You think?” she whispered.

“Yes.” I pulled back, lowering my head so we were eye to eye. “People will think he’s crazy. No one will believe him, okay? And if he starts to talk, I’ll—”

“You’ll do nothing.” She tugged herself free, drawing in another heavy breath. “I think you’ve already scarred the boy for life.”

“Obviously not,” I muttered. “What were you thinking back there? You were upset. Why?”

Kat stared at me a moment and then spun around. She started walking back, through the woods.

And here we were, back to the silent treatment. I easily caught up with her. “Kat, talk to me.”

I held a branch out of the way for her. “I can make it back home without your help, thank you very much.”

“I would hope so,” I said drily. “It is right there.”

“Shouldn’t you be making out with Ash right now anyway?”

I nearly stopped walking as understanding hit me. “That’s what all of this is about?”