“What in the hell was that?” he demanded.
I didn’t say anything as I paced in front of the lockers. Blood pumped through me. I was itching for a fight, for something to work out all the frustration pounding through me.
“You went after one of your own.” Matthew spoke low as he planted a hand on my shoulder, stopping me. “After Andrew of all people. What has gotten into you?”
Kat had gotten into me.
And I had been scared when I couldn’t get Kat to open her eyes and I was scared right now, because she hadn’t woken up. Those words didn’t come out as I stared at Matt. Not exactly. “He said he hoped we got lucky and Kat never woke up.”
Matthew blinked slowly, his hand spasming on my shoulder. “This is over her?”
Looking away, I shook my head as my jaw worked. He didn’t get it. None of them did. Things had changed.
“I thought we agreed that you would take care of this with Kat.”
I met his stare. “I don’t know what you think we agreed on.”
Surprise flared in his bright blue eyes. “You said—”
“It doesn’t matter what I said, Matthew. Things have changed.” I stepped back, out of his grasp. “I…I care about her, and that’s all you need to know. That’s all any of them need to know.”
Shock gave way to trepidation and then dawning understanding. Blood drained from Matthew’s face, but I turned away from him. I started walking down the hall, having no idea where I was going, but anywhere other than here was a better choice.
“Daemon,” Matthew called out, but I kept going.
The cell phone in my pocket vibrated. I reached in and pulled it out. The text was from Dee, and it was only two words. The two best words in the history of mankind.
Kat’s awake.
Chapter 5
Kat came home from the hospital on Thursday. Dee had gathered up all her missed assignments and spent the better part of Thursday evening with her. From what I gathered from my sister, Kat was feeling fine. She didn’t act sick or look it. None of this was from firsthand observation.
I stayed away Thursday.
I wasn’t even sure why. Maybe it was because I didn’t trust myself if I did see her. Okay. That was probably it, because there was a good chance I would be all over her in a second, touching her, feeling her. Making sure that she was alive and well. That would be too much for her.
It would be too much for me.
Dee said Kat was coming back to school this morning—Friday—and as I walked toward trig class, my heart was pounding like a steel drum and the back of my neck was warm. Tingling. Kat was here.
I walked into class, and my gaze found her without even trying. Seeing her sitting there talking to Lesa and Carissa was like taking a punch to the chest to restart the heart. And she looked more than fine. Kat looked beautiful. Dark-chocolate-colored hair fell over her shoulders, thick and shiny. The centers of her cheeks were flushed in a pretty, healthy way. She was smiling, and goddamn, she was beautiful.
I wanted to walk right up to her, yank her to her feet and against me. I wanted to feel her warm breath on my skin and taste her lips. Maybe I should’ve gone and seen her last night, but I had no idea my reaction to her was going to be so damn intense.
Walking became a little difficult at that point. Doing what I wanted wouldn’t be entirely appropriate, and I was also a bit distracted by a very important observation. Strangely, there was no trace around her.
Kat twisted around in her seat, facing me. “I need to talk to you.”
“Okay,” I said.
“In private,” she whispered.
Perfect. Because what I had in mind required privacy. “Meet me in the library at lunch. No one really goes in there. You know, with all those books and stuff.”
She wrinkled her nose at me, and I fought a smile as she flipped back to the front of class. Relieved that Kat was here and she was normal, I picked up my pen and tipped my desk forward. I poked her in the back.
“Yes?” she whispered.
I grinned. “You look a lot better than the last time I saw you.”
“Thanks.”
My gaze glided over her, and I spoke low so only she could hear. “Know what? You’re not glowing.”
Shock splashed across her face. “Like, at all?”
I shook my head.
Kat stared at me a moment longer and then slowly turned back around. Class started and I righted my desk, sitting back in my chair. A huge amount of relief was currently lifting some of the weight off my chest, but my mind kept going back to Kat’s absent trace. Was it the fever?
Or was it something else?
Instead of heading for the cafeteria like I normally would, I bypassed the noisy room and kept walking down the hall. A few students were milling through the wide hallway, and as I hung a right, I nearly plowed into some dude I’d never seen before.