“It’s funny that you think anything is going to work or last with you and Dawson.” He laughed again, the sound cold and grating. “So what? You know our secret. Congrats. Here’s a cookie. But you know what? All it takes is one
She gasped. “You wouldn’t…?”
He pushed off the car and stepped back. “Yeah, even I’m not that much of an ass. Dawson pisses me off, but I’d never do that to him. But if we know, then the rest will know eventually, Bethany. And they barely have any bonds with us.” He rocked back on his heels. “You guys keep this up, one or both of you is going to end up hurt.”
In a blink of an eye, he was gone. Bethany slowly turned around, seeing the empty parking lot. In a daze, she climbed into the car. Her cell phone went off, the screen flashing Dawson’s name.
“Hey,” she croaked.
“You okay?”
Her immediate instinct was to tell him what had happened, but God knew he’d flip out. So she forced herself to pretend she was calm. “How was the meeting?”
As Dawson gave her a brief rundown, she drove home, her hands shaking the entire way.
…
It was close to eight when Dawson got off the phone with Bethany. He roamed his bedroom, restless. Something had been off about her. He’d asked to the point of annoyance if she was okay. Each time she said yes, but he sensed something.
Half an hour later, his phone rang. Hoping it was Bethany, he snatched it off his bed, but frowned when he looked at the caller ID. “Adam?”
“Hey, got a sec?”
He sat. “Sure.”
There was a pause. “Man, I hate to tell you this, but Andrew came home earlier, and I heard him talking to Ash.”
Unease built inside Dawson. “About what?”
“Apparently, he ran into your girl. I think he may have said some crap to her,” Adam said, sighing. “I just thought I’d let you know.”
Dawson was on his feet without realizing, struggling not to slip into his true form and fry his phone. Again. So angry he could barely speak, he thanked Adam for the heads up and dialed Beth. It took a few tries to get her to ’fess up, and when he did, he saw red.
Andrew had basically threatened her.
Dawson reassured Bethany everything was cool, but when he hung up the phone, he didn’t even bother grabbing his car keys.
He was about to go apeshit.
Flipping into his true form, he went out the front door and to the woods, taking the back way to the Thompsons’ house. They lived on the other side of Petersburg, which was a whopping dozen or so miles that took him about thirty seconds to cross. He stopped at the paved driveway, an unheard-of luxury for homes this far off the beaten track.
Dawson had always hated the Thompson house. It was out in the middle of nowhere, as big as a goddamned mansion, and had the warmth of a mausoleum.
Adam answered the door, cringing when he saw Dawson’s harsh expression. “Uh, this isn’t going to be a happy visit, is it?”
“Are your nosy, pain-in-my-ass siblings still home?”
Adam nodded and stepped aside. “They’re in the movie room.”
Knowing the way, he slid past Adam and stalked through the massive foyer, the dining room no one in his or her right mind used, and into a den. Adam was right behind him, not saying a word.
Dawson waved his hand, opening the door to the theater. Light spilled into the dark room, casting yellowish light between the recliners. They were watching an old episode of
Andrew turned around, scowling when he saw Dawson. “Unless you’ve come to apologize for being such an ass to me, I don’t want any of what you’re selling.”
His sister held a nail file over her fingers. “Somehow I doubt that’s why he’s here, Andy.”
“Yeah, you’d be correct on that.” Dawson’s hands formed fists at his sides. “I want you two to listen, because I swear this will be the last time I say this. I want both of you to leave Bethany alone. Don’t talk to her. Don’t approach her. Hell, don’t even consider thinking about her.”
Andrew raised himself fluidly, his blue eyes starting to glow like diamonds. “Or what?”
The back of Dawson’s neck started to burn. Screw the whole telling him part. He shed his human form in an instant and shot down the narrow aisle, slamming into a still-human Andrew. Over the roar in his ears, he heard Ash’s surprised shriek. The force of his impact took them both all the way to the screen and when they hit, it ripped right over the dickhead’s face.
Wrapping his hand around Andrew’s throat, he rose off the ground, dragging the struggling boy with him. Andrew had switched forms, but he couldn’t break Dawson’s hold. Dawson took him all the way to the vaulted ceiling, pinning him there.
“Dawson!” Ash yelled from below. “What are you doing? Stop! Do something, Adam!”
Adam’s laugh followed. “Someone needed to put Andrew in his place. I always figured it would be Daemon. Who knew.”
Energy crackled up Dawson’s arm. He was this close to letting it go and knocking Andrew into next week. The flare of his light caused Andrew to shrink away from him.
Andrew hesitated, but then he nodded.
Andrew hit the floor of the theater, flipping into his human form. He lifted his head, shooting Dawson a murderous look, but amazingly, he kept his mouth shut.
Coming back down to the floor, he turned on Ash.
Her mouth dropped open. “Why?”
Turning from a stunned Ash to Adam, he took a deep breath. “Sorry, man. You’re cool.”
Adam shrugged. “Don’t worry. We’re totally cool.”
Dawson nodded and headed toward the den. “I’ll see my way out.”
The thing is, every Luxen feared Daemon’s notorious temper. His brother was like a lit fuse, ready to explode at any minute, but what they didn’t know was that it was another thing Dawson shared with Daemon. When push came to shove, and it involved someone he cared about, he could be just as mean.
Chapter 16
After that, Adam and Ash backed off, way off. And things…ah, they were great. School was almost out, and he and Bethany honestly couldn’t get enough of each other. Daemon said he was whipped a few days ago, but Dawson didn’t care. Thinking about her brought a smile to his face. And being with her completed him in a way he’d
