There was the openingmy chance to tell him to go. No. You dont have to. I mean, Im not doing anything and if you have nothing to do, you can stay or whatever Or I needed to just shut up.
His eyes held mine a moment, and a swelling developed in my chest, threatening to consume me whole. His gaze moved to my shiny red laptop sitting on the coffee table. I see someone got something for her birthday.
I grinned. Yeah, Mom got it for me. Ive been without sincewell, since then.
He scratched his cheek.
Yeah, I didnt apologize for that, did I?
No. I sighed. Back to awkward conversation. And not only that, I was remembering just how Id lost my last laptop.
Daemon cleared his throat. Thats never happened before, the whole blowing-stuff-up part.
My cheeks heated as I stared at my laptop. Same here.
His gaze focused on the TV again. It happened with Dawson, in a way. It was how Bethany found out. There was a pause and I held my breath. He rarely talked about his brother. He was making out with her and lost control. Turned full Luxen while kissing her.
Yikes. That had to be
Awkward?
Yeah, awkward.
Silence fell between us, and I couldnt help but wonder if we were thinking the same thing. How it had felt to be kissingtouching. Skin uncomfortably hot, I searched for something safe to talk about. Dee said you guys had moved a lot. How many different places?
We stayed in New York for a while, then we moved to South Dakota. And if you think nothing goes on here, you havent lived in South Dakota. Then we moved to Colorado before coming here. I was always the one who provoked the change in scenery. Its like I was looking for something, but none of those places had it.
I bet New York was your favorite place.
Actually, its not. A bit of his teeth showed in his slight smile. Its here.
Surprised, I laughed. West Virginia?
Its not that bad. There are a lot of us here. More so than any other place. I have friends who I can be myself witha whole community, really. Thats important.
I can understand that. Clutching the pillow to my chest, I rested my head on it. Do you think Dee is happy here? She makes it sound like she cant leave. Like, ever.
Daemon shifted, bringing his legs onto the couch. Dee wants to pave her own way in life, and I cant blame her for that.
Paving her own way had ended up with her having sex with Adam. I wondered if she still had dreams of going to college overseas.
He stretched as if he were trying to rid himself of some sort of tension that had suddenly settled over him. I scooted away, giving him more room. If you havent noticed yet, there are more males than females. So the females are paired off very quickly and protected above all.
I made a face. Paired off and mated? I understand ityou guys need to reproduce. But Dee cant be forced to do that. Its not fair. You should control your own lives.
He glanced at me, deep shadows in his eyes. But we dont, Kitten.
I shook my head. Its not right.
Its not. Most Luxen dont push for anything different. Dawson did. He loved Bethany. Daemon exhaled raggedly. We were against it. And I thought he was stupid for falling for a human. No offense.
None taken.
It was hard for him. Our group was upset with him, but Dawsonhe was the strong one. Daemon smiled as he shook his head. He didnt cave, and if the colony had discovered the truth, I dont think they wouldve changed him.
Couldnt he have left with her, snuck past the DOD? Maybe thats what happened?
Dawson loved it here. He was big on hiking and outdoors. He was into the whole rustic-living thing. Daemon glanced at me. Hed never leave, especially without telling Dee or me. I know both of them are dead. He smiled again. You wouldve liked Dawson. Looked just like me but a much better guy. Not a douchebag, in other words.
A lump formed in my throat. Im sure I wouldve, but youre not bad.
He arched a brow.
Okay, youre prone to moments of great dickdom, but youre not bad. I paused, holding the pillow tight. Do you want to know what I honestly think?
Should I be worried?
I laughed. Theres a really nice guy under the jerk. Ive seen glimpses of him. So while I probably want to beat the crap out of you most of the time, I really dont think youre a bad guy. You have a lot of responsibility.
Daemon tilted his head back and chuckled. Well, I guess thats not too bad.
I shrugged. Can I ask you a question and you tell me the truth?
Always, he swore.
I reached around my neck and pulled at the dainty chain. The obsidian came into view, and I held it in my hand. The DOD is a bigger concern than the Arum, arent they?
His lips thinned, but he didnt lie. Yes.
I ran a finger over the wire twisted at the top of the crystal. What would they do if they knew I was moving things like you?
Theyd probably do the same thing theyd do to us if they knew. Daemon reached out and cupped my hand that held the obsidian. He laid his finger over mine, stopping my movements. Theyd lock you upor worse. But Im not going to let that happen.