Oblivion

Stepping aside, Kat let me take over. I ran the knife under the hot water and then chopped through the cake easily. “See? Perfect.”

She grabbed two plates and placed them on the counter. “Do you want something to drink?”

“Milk is always good if you’ve got some.”

Getting the milk, she poured two tall glasses, which surprised me, because usually she made me get everything. She grabbed the silverware and motioned toward the living room.

“You don’t want to eat in here?” I asked.

“No. I don’t like eating at the di

Grabbing my plate and cup, I followed her out into the living room. She sat on one end of the couch and I on the other. As I shoved my fork into the cake, I spotted roses. I cleared my throat. “Nice roses. Brad?”

“Blake.” She shrugged. “Yeah, they’re nice, aren’t they?”

“Whatever,” I grumbled. “So why are you spending tonight by yourself? It’s your birthday.”

The corners of her lips turned down. “My mom had to work, and I just didn’t feel like doing anything. It’s not as bad as it sounds. I’ve spent many of them by myself.”

“I guess you probably would have preferred I hadn’t stopped by then, huh?” I stabbed the cake until I forced the ice cream away from the cookie part. I took a bite. “I really did come to apologize for last night.”

She set the plate on the coffee table and tucked her legs under her. “Daemon—”

“Wait.” I held up my fork. “Okay?”

Kat snapped her mouth shut.

My gaze flipped to my plate. “Nothing happened between Ash and me last night. She was just…messing with you. And I know that’s hard to believe, but I’m sorry if it…hurt you.” I drew in a deep breath. “Contrary to what you think about me, I don’t jump from girl to girl. I do like you, so I wouldn’t mess around with Ash. And I haven’t. Ash and I haven’t done anything for months, before you even came around. Things are complicated between Ash and me. We’ve known each other since we came here. Everyone expects us to be together. Especially the Elders, since we’re ‘coming of age.’ Time to start making babies.” I shuddered.

“Even Ash expects us to be together,” I went on, stabbing the cake again. “And all of this? I know it’s hurting her. I never wanted to do that.” I paused, and having spoken that out loud, I knew it was true. Ash may act like it didn’t bother her, but I knew it did. “I never wanted to hurt you, either. And I’ve done both of those things.” I felt heat seep across my cheeks, but I continued, because all of this needed to be said. “I can’t be with her the way she wants—the way she deserves. Anyway, I wanted to apologize for last night.”

There wasn’t a moment of hesitation.

“So do I,” she said. “I shouldn’t have snapped at you like I did. I guess the whole window thing freaked me out.”

“What you did last night with the windows. Well, that was one hell of a display of power that you have no control of.” I glanced at her. “I’ve been thinking about it. And I keep thinking of Dawson and Bethany. That evening they returned from hiking, and he was covered in blood. I think she may have gotten hurt.”

“And he healed her?”

“Yep. I don’t know more.” It was easier saying it out loud now. “They…they died a couple of days later. I guess it’s like two photons splitting, separate but the same. That explains how we can sense each other. I don’t know. It’s a theory.”

“Do you think whatever is happening with me will stop?”

I ate the last of the cake and then placed my plate on the coffee table. “We may get lucky. What you’re doing might fade over time, but you need to be careful. No pressure, but it’s a threat to all of us. I’m not trying to be…cruel. It’s the truth.”

“No, I understand. I could expose you all. I’ve almost done it several times.”

I leaned against the couch, tossing my arm along the back. “I’m checking around to see if anyone has heard of this happening. I have to be careful, though. Too many questions will give way to suspicion.”

She fingered the necklace as I turned to the television and smiled. An eighties hair band played, screaming about losing love. “After seeing your dance skills earlier, you would have blended right in with the eighties.”

“Can we not mention that again?” she muttered.

I gri

“You’re a douche.”

I laughed. “Did you know I had a purple Mohawk?”

“What?” She giggled as she cocked her head to the side. “When?”

“Yep, purple and black. It was before we moved here. We were living in New York. I guess I went through this phase. Pierced nose and all.”

She busted out laughing, and I tossed a throw pillow at her. She placed it in her lap. “You were a skater boy, huh?”

“Something like that. Matthew was with us. He became our guardian of sorts. He had no idea what to do with me.”

“But Matthew—he’s not that much older.”

“He’s older than he looks. He’s around thirty-eight.”

“Wow. He’s aging well.”

I nodded. “He arrived at the same time we did, in the same area. I guess he thought he was responsible for us, being the oldest out of everyone.”

“Where did you guys…?” She winced. “Where did you all land?”

Reaching over, I picked a piece of lint off her shirt. “We landed near Skaros.”

“Skaros?” She wrinkled her nose. “Uh, is that even on Earth?”

“Yes. It’s actually a small island near Greece. It’s known for this rocky region where a castle once stood. I’d like to go back one day. It’s kind of like our birthplace, I guess.”

“How many of you landed there?”

“A couple dozen, or at least that’s what Matthew has told us. I don’t remember anything from the begi

“How did all of that go?” she asked, her expression open and curious.

It was weird talking about this stuff. It was something none of us really went into, but I imagined that Dawson had done it with Beth. “Not very well, Kitten. We didn’t know that humans were aware of us. All we did know was there were Arum around, but the DOD came as a huge surprise to us. Apparently they knew about us from the moment we got here. They rounded up hundreds who had arrived in America.”

She clutched the pillow to her chest. “What did they do with you guys?”

“They kept us in a facility out in New Mexico.”

“No shit.” Her eyes went wide. “Is Area 51 the real deal? Wow. I thought the whole Area 51 thing had been around a while.”

“My family and friends arrived fifteen years ago, but that doesn’t mean the Luxen didn’t come before that.” I laughed at her expression. “Anyway, they kept us there for the first five years. They—the DOD—had been assimilating the Luxen for years. We learned a lot about humans during that time, and when we were…deemed ready to fully assimilate, they let us go. Usually with an older Luxen who could take care of us. Since Matthew had a relationship with us, we were placed with him.”

Her brow wrinkled. “But you guys would’ve been only ten years old. Did you live with Matthew until recently?”

“Believe it or not, we mature differently than humans. At ten I could’ve gone to college. We develop a lot faster, our brains and whatnot. I’m actually smarter than I act.” I gri

“But what about people asking questions—looking for your parents?”

“There’s always an older Luxen we can pass off for our parent, or we can morph into an older version. The morphing thing we try to avoid because of the trace.”

Shaking her head, she settled back against the couch and appeared to be letting everything sink in. “Do you want me to leave?”