Most likely was another trap.
Energy pulsed out of my hands and rippled across the railing, heating the metal.
“Daemon…” Kat placed her hand on my back.
Hanging my head, I worked my jaw. “I want to kill him.”
“I know.” Coming from behind, she wrapped her arms around me. “I’m totally on board with that idea, but…he has it set up that if anything happens to him, Nancy is notified about the mutation.”
“Of course he does,” I muttered, turning around in her embrace. Her book bag lay forgotten by the door. We had only a few minutes before lunch was over. I worked at calming myself down as I brushed her hair back. “You really are okay?”
“I’m the last person you need to worry about right now.”
“You’re the first person I always worry about.” Folding my arms around her waist, I lifted her so she was standing on my boots. I held her tight in my arms. “This…this is a mess.”
Kat didn’t respond for a long moment, and then she lifted her chin, her gaze meeting mine. “It is, but we’re…we’re in this together. Always.”
I dropped my mouth to her forehead. “Always.”
Sitting through the afternoon classes about drove me out of my skin, but with Dawson just coming back, if we all bailed on school, that would just force more attention on us. I spent the entire time trying to figure out what we could do, and every option I landed on was damned if you do, damned if you don’t.
Instead of driving my car home, I rode home in Kat’s after I asked Dee to take my car back with Dawson. Kat thought I’d caught a ride to school with Dee, and knowing her, if she knew I was leaving my car in my sister’s hands, she would probably insist that she’d be fine on her own.
Kat could take care of herself, but it made me feel a whole hell of a lot better to be within ass-kicking length of her. We used the time to talk about what we were going to do about Blake.
“We have two options: work with him or kill him,” I said.
Her eyes widened. “And you’d be the one to do that? Not right. It shouldn’t always be you. You’re not the only Luxen who can fight.”
“I know, but I can’t expect someone else to carry that burden,” I told her. “And I’m not trying to start another argument over whether or not you’d make a good Wonder Woman, but I’d never expect you or my siblings to do that, either. I know you would have done it to…defend yourself and us, Kat, but I don’t want that kind of guilt on your shoulders. Okay?”
She nodded, her fingers sliding over the steering wheel. “I could handle it…if I had to.”
I didn’t like that sound of that.
Stopped at a streetlight, I reached over and placed a hand on her cheek. She took her eyes off the road for a moment. I smiled at her and said the first thing that came to mind, the freaking truth. “You burn bright, to me at least, and I know you could handle it, but the last thing I want is your light to be tainted by something so dark.”
Tears filled her eyes, and then she gave me a watery smile. We didn’t talk about the messed-up shit the rest of the way, because we were going to be spending all evening knee-deep in this crap.
We beat everyone back to the house. Kat lingered in the living room, pacing back and forth while I grabbed a bottle of water. I placed it on the end table next to the couch I sat on. I waited until Kat made another pass in front of me and I leaned out, snagging her around the waist.
I drew her into my lap and pulled her down so her head was resting on my shoulder. “You know what we have to do.”
She wrapped her arms around my neck. “Kill Blake.”
I choked on my laugh. “No, Kitten. We’re not going to kill him.”
“We’re not?”
I pulled back, because she actually sounded surprised. “We’re going to have to do what he wants.”
“But…but…but…”
Grinning, I slid my hands down her arms, stopping at her elbows. “Use your words, Kitten.”
“But we can’t trust him. This is most likely a trap!”
“We’re kind of damned if we do and damned if we don’t.” I shifted, dragging my hands along her lower back. “But I’ve given it thought.”
“What? The whole ten minutes it took us to get home?”
“I think it’s cute that you call my house home.” I liked her responding flush. “By the way, it is my house. My name is on the deed.”
“Daemon,” she said, sighing. “Nice to know, but it’s not important right now.”
“True, but it’s good knowledge to have, but anyway, since you went totally off topic there—”
“What? You’re the one—”
“I know my brother. Dawson’s going to go to Blake if we don’t agree,” I told her. “It’s what I would do if our positions were reversed. And we know Blake better than he does.”
“I don’t know about this, Daemon.”
I shrugged. “I’m not going to let him turn you over.”
She frowned. “He’ll turn you over, too, and what about your family? Bringing Blake into the fold is going to be dangerous…and stupid.”
“The risk outweighs the possible consequences.”
“I’m shocked,” she admitted, dropping her arms to her lap. “You didn’t want me training with Blake because you didn’t trust him and that was before we knew he was a killer.”
“But now we’re both going into this knowing what he’s capable of. Our eyes are open.”
“That makes no sense.”
It didn’t really matter if it made sense or not, because we really had no choice. Car doors closed outside, catching Kat’s attention. She glanced at the window. “The only reason you’re going to work with him is for Dawson and me. That’s probably not the wisest decision you’ve made.”
“Maybe not.” I clasped her cheeks, drawing her attention back to me. I kissed her deeply, keeping us connected until she moaned into my mouth. Then I dumped her on the cushion next to me and stood. “But my mind’s made up. Be prepared. This meeting isn’t going to go well.”
As expected, the meeting went as well as rolling around naked in a pit of fire ants would.
Matthew looked like he was two seconds from drowning himself in a bottle of liquor. Dee, Ash, and Andrew wanted to find Blake and murder him slowly and in a very bloodthirsty way. Admittedly, it was disturbing seeing Dee as fired up as she was. Adam’s death had hardened her, just like it had me when we thought Dawson had died.
And Dawson was ready to say screw it all and invite Blake right into the house.
But Dee…damn, she was undeterred, even when Ash and Andrew, who’d lost their brother, seemed to realize the predicament we were in.
“Then we find out who he’s talked to or working with and take care of them!”
My mouth dropped open. “Are you serious?”
“Yes!”
I turned away, unable to look at her. This wasn’t my sister.
Dawson leaned forward on the couch. “Is your need for vengeance more important than finding and stopping what they’re doing to Beth?”
When I glanced back at her, she stood there, staring at Dawson with a grim, determined look on her face.
“Because, little sister, let me tell you that what Adam went through pales in comparison to what she’s experiencing. The things I’ve seen…” Dawson trailed off and his gaze lowered as he shook his head. “If you doubt what I say, then ask Katy. She’s had a taste of some of their methods, and she can still barely talk from screaming.”
The blood drained from her face as she glanced at Kat. They still hadn’t really talked, but Dee knew what had happened to Kat when Will had hold of her. Dee looked away far too quickly, and based on the shit she was spouting earlier at Kat, it was obvious that she still blamed Kat for Adam.
“You ask a lot,” Dee said, her voice hoarse. Her lower lip trembled as her shoulders slumped. Her tear-filled gaze swept the room, then she turned and walked out the door.