She finished off the slice. “You’re amazing.”
I raised a brow as I tossed the strawberry back in the canister and rooted around for another. “I know it didn’t take you this long to realize that.”
“No. I’ve always known it,” she said. “Maybe not in the beginning…”
I peeked up. “My awesomeness is all about the stealth.”
“Is it?”
“Uh-huh.” I grinned, closing the bowl and placing the rest of the food back in the cooler. Tossing her a soda, I cleaned everything up. “I can’t show all my dynamic sides at once.”
“Of course not. Where’s the mystery in that?”
The temps had dropped a little, so I picked up a throw blanket. I draped it over her shoulders as I sat beside her. “There is none.”
“Thank you.” She pulled the material close.
“I think the general public would be shocked to know how deep your sweetness runs.”
Stretching out, I rested on my side. “They can never know.”
Grinning, she leaned forward and kissed my lips. “I’ll take the secret to my grave.”
“Good.” I patted the spot next to me. “We can go back whenever you want.”
“I don’t want to leave.”
“Then get your happy little hybrid butt over here.”
Kat laughed as she scooted over and lay down beside me. I moved the pillow so it was under her head. “I had fun at the dance, but this…this was way better.”
I played with one of her fat curls, twining the hair around my finger. “I’m glad. I wanted tonight to be special.”
“It is.” She idly flicked a button on my dress shirt. “Best senior prom ever.”
Chuckling, I let go of the curl. “It’s your only senior prom.”
“Still…” She tipped her head back and smiled at me. “So I looked over the applications to the University of Colorado. Even mentioned it to my mom.”
Pleased to hear that, we talked about the college until well after midnight. It was late, and the temps had definitely dropped again, but neither of us wanted to leave yet.
“Are you worried about tomorrow at all?” she asked, running the tips of her fingers along the curve of my jaw.
Her fingers drifted close to my lips, and I kissed them. “I’m worried—but I’d be insane not to be—but not about what you think.”
“What then?” She slid her hand down my neck, over my shirt.
I shifted closer. “I worry that Beth won’t be like Dawson remembered.”
“Me, too.”
“I know he can handle it, though.” Because I was getting jealous, I slipped my hand under the blanket. “I just want the best for him. He deserves it.”
“He does.” Her chest rose sharply as I followed the curve of her waist and hip. “I hope she’s okay—that everyone is okay, even Chris.”
I nodded as I gently eased her onto her back, smoothing my hand over the skirt of her dress, all the way down to her knee. “Something else is bothering you.”
There was a moment of hesitation. “I don’t want anything to happen to you.” Her voice cracked. “I don’t want anything to happen to anyone.”
“Shh.” I kissed her, wanting to wipe away that fear. “Nothing will happen to me or anyone.”
Kat’s hands fisted in my shirt, holding me close. “What happens if we do succeed tomorrow night?”
“You mean when we do?” I settled over her. “We go back to school on Monday—boring, I know. Then we hopefully pass our classes, which we will. Then we graduate. And then we have all summer…”
“Daedalus will come looking for Beth and Chris.”
“And they won’t find them.” I kissed her temple and then the curve of her brow. “That is, if they get close enough.”
“Daemon…”
“It’ll be okay. Don’t worry.” It had to be. I would make sure of it, one way or another. “Let’s not think about tomorrow. Let’s not think about next week or the next night. It’s just us right now and nothing else.”
Kat’s heart rate kicked up. Her eyes drifted shut, and her arms tightened around me. The distant call of some nighttime bird echoed around us as the small, slow kisses became longer and faster.
Our clothing shifted. Our hands followed familiar paths. Flames crackled from the fire as we stripped away everything between us and we moved together, a tangle of limbs and blankets. Kat shuddering in my arms was one of the most shattering experiences, and hours later, as she and I stared up at the dark blue sky, watching the stars blink out, one by one.
Just like the minutes and hours was ticking by, fading away into forever, counting down until there was just Mount Weather and us.
Succeed or fail.
Chapter 24
Time sped up, and before any of us knew it, we needed to get to Mount Weather. Kat had spent the morning with her mom, and I’d monopolized her afternoon. I’d given her the opal I’d fashioned into a necklace, slipping it around her neck. She’d wanted me to wear it, but that wasn’t going down.