Kat had gone to the post office after school. Again. I wanted to shake her when we finally got back to the house, but then she’d drop yet another massive armful of packages and I’d never hear the end of that.
Moving fast once outside my SUV, I beat her to the porch and ended up having to wait for her to make her way from her car to the steps. I leaned against the railing at the top, arching a brow as she shuffled on up, at the speed of a three-legged turtle.
“You didn’t come straight home after school,” I pointed out.
She dug her keys out of her bag with her free hand. “Obviously I had to go to the post office.” Opening the door, she dropped the pile on the table inside the foyer.
“Your mail could’ve waited.” I followed her into the kitchen. “What is it? Just books?”
Heading to the fridge, she grabbed a bottle of OJ from the fridge. “Yeah, it was just books.”
I stared at her back. “I know there probably aren’t any Arum around right now, but you can never be too careful, and you have a trace on you that will lead them right to our doorsteps. Right now, that’s more important than your books.”
Shooting me a dark look over her shoulder, she placed the bottle on the counter and grabbed a glass out of the cabinet. “Drink?”
I sighed. “Sure. Milk?”
She gestured at the fridge. “Help yourself.”
“You offered. You’re not going to get it for me?”
“I offered orange juice,” she replied, taking her glass to the table. “You picked milk. And keep it down. My mom’s asleep.”
Shaking my head, I pushed away from the doorframe and helped myself to a glass of milk. I brought it back to the table, sitting next to her. She’d pulled her hair up when she got into her car after school, and with all that dark hair pulled back, there was no mistaking the faint ruddy flush to her cheeks. My eyes narrowed on her. What was she thinking about right now?
She carefully rolled the glass between her palms. “Can I ask you a question?”
“Depends,” I replied smoothly.
“Do you…feel anything around me?”
“Other than what I felt this morning when I saw how good you looked in those jeans?”
“Daemon.” She sighed. “I’m being serious.”
“The back of my neck gets all warm and tingly.” I traced a circle on the table with my finger. “Is that what you’re talking about?”
She peeked over at me, and the corners of my lips tipped up slightly. “Yeah, you feel it, too?”
“Whenever we’re near.”
“It doesn’t bother you?”
“Does it bother you?” I asked, serious. She didn’t answer as she stared at her drink, and I wasn’t sure if that was a good or bad thing. I took a sip of my milk. “It could be a…side effect of the healing.” I paused, thinking of how flushed she looked. “Are you feeling well?”
“Why?”
“You look like crap.” Which was only partly true.
She glanced at me. “I think I’m coming down with something.”
I frowned as I stared at her. “What’s wrong with you?”
“I don’t know. I probably got alien cooties.”
I snorted. “Doubtful. I can’t afford for you to be sick. We need to get you outside and try to work your trace off. Until then, you’re a—”
“If you say I’m a weakness, I will hurt you.” Anger flooded her voice. “I think I proved that I’m not, especially when I led Baruck away from your house and I killed him. Just because I’m human doesn’t mean I’m weak.”
My brows flew up as I sat back in my chair. “I was going to say that until then, you’re at risk.”
“Oh.” She grinned faintly. “Well, then, I’m still not weak.”
Something about her impassioned rant got to me. I quickly moved out of the chair and knelt down beside her so I was looking up at her. “I know you’re not weak. You’ve proven yourself. And what you did this weekend, tapping into our powers? I still can’t figure out how that happened, but you’re not weak. Ever.”
Kat stared down at me, the lines of her face softening.
I fought a smile as I stood. “Now I need you to prove you’re not weak. Get off your butt and let’s work off some of that trace.”
She groaned. “Daemon, I’m really not feeling well.”
“Kat…”
“And I’m not saying that to be difficult. I feel like hurling.”
I folded my arms, not missing how her eyes tracked the way my shirt stretched over my shoulders. “It’s not safe for you to be running around when you look like a damn lighthouse. As long as you carry the trace, you can’t do anything. Go anywhere.”
She pushed up from the table. “I’ll get changed.”
Taking a step back, I stared at her in surprise. “Caving in so easily?”
“Caving in?” She laughed drily. “I just want you out of my face.”
I chuckled deeply. “Keep telling yourself that, Kitten.”