Obsidian

Not looking up, I rooted around in the bowl. “You guys went out last night, right? Did he kiss you? Does he smell good?”

“Chad does smell good, actually. I think he wears a newer version of Old Spice. Not the kind my dad wears, because that would be gross.”

I laughed. We chatted for a little while then I left and headed home. Dee had the entire house decked out in carved pumpkins that hadn’t been there when I left earlier. She pulled me inside, a strange smell in the air.

“What is that?” I wrinkled my nose.

“I’m baking pumpkin seeds,” she exclaimed. “Have you tried them?”

I shook my head. “No. What do they taste like?”

“Like pumpkin.”

Of course she was actually baking them. The pale seeds were on a baking sheet, but it was her hands doing the baking and not the stove. Pumpkin guts were scattered all over the newspaper-covered table.

“I’m going to borrow your hands during the winter, when ice is caked on my windshield.”

Dee laughed. “I have no problem with that.”

Grinning, I shuffled over to the stack of movies on the counter. I scanned the spines, laughing. “Oh my God, Dee, these movies are awesome.”

“I thought you would like the combination of the Scream and Scary Movie series.” She moved her hands over the baking sheet. The seeds popped and jumped. Cinnamon filled the air. “We’ll leave the Halloween movies until later.” I glanced at the door. “Um, is Daemon here?”

“No.” She grabbed the sheet, dumping the seeds into a ball decorated in bats and skulls. “He’s out with the guys, seeing if they can get Baruck to show himself.”

Taking our snacks and movies into the living room, I thought about what she said. “Are they purposely trying to get him to show himself? Like they want to fight him?”

A DVD flew from the stack to her hand. She nodded. “Don’t worry. Daemon and Adam are checking around town. Matthew and Andrew are out in the country. They’ll be okay.”

Unease turned my stomach. “Are you sure?”

Dee smiled. “This isn’t the first time they’ve done something like this. They know what they’re doing. It’ll be okay.”

Sitting back against the couch, I tried not to worry. It was hard, especially since I’d seen the look in Baruck’s eyes. Dee settled in next to me, and I tried a few pumpkin seeds. Not bad. We’d made it through the first Scream movie when her cell rang.

Raising her hand, Dee flicked it and the cell flew off the table and landed in her hand. She answered with a roll of her eyes. “This better be good, Daemon, because—” Her eyes widened. She shot to her feet, her free hand clenching. “What do you mean?” My stomach turned to liquid as I watched her edge around the coffee table.

“Katy is with me, but her trace is barely noticeable!” Another pause and then her face paled. “Okay. Be careful. I love you.”

As soon as she tossed the phone to the recliner, I stood. “What’s happening?”

Dee faced me. “They spotted Baruck. He’s heading this way.”

Chapter 28

Of course that didn’t mean he was coming right here, but there was a chance — a big chance — that he was. Enough so that Dee prowled the length of the living room like a caged tiger. She wasn’t afraid, but ready to do battle.

“If Baruck comes here, can you fight him?” I asked.

Dee passed me a steely look. She was a totally different person, morphing into a badass warrior princess. How come I’d never seen this side of her? “I’m not as quick or as powerful as Daemon, but I’ll be able to hold my own until Daemon gets here.” My stomach dropped. Hold your own wasn’t enough. What if Daemon didn’t get here in time? Dee stopped in front of the window, her slim shoulders squared. It hit me all at once. Everything Daemon had been worried about was coming true. I was a weakness — a liability to Dee. I couldn’t — I wouldn’t let that happen.

“Is my trace strong enough that he’d see me inside your house?”

She paused. “Not really.”

“What about from the main road? The woods?”

There was a pause. “I don’t know, Katy, but I’ll stop him before he gets to you.”

“No. I have an idea.” I stepped forward, almost knocking over the stack of DVDs. “It’s kind of crazy, but it could work.”

Her eyes narrowed. “What?”

“If you make my trace stronger, I can definitely lead him away from here. Then he won’t come here and Daemon—”

“Absolutely not,” she said, whirling around. “Are you insane?”

“Maybe,” I said, biting my lip. “Look, it’s better than sitting here with me when I could very well lead him right back to your house! And then he’ll know where you guys live! What then? You won’t ever be safe. I need to lure them away from your home.”

“No.” Dee shook her head. “I can’t do that. I can fight—”

“There’s nothing else I can do! I can’t fight him and what if he escapes? What if he tells others where you live?” Daemon’s words came back to me. You would b e a weakness to me. Except I wouldn’t be his weakness, I’d be Dee’s. I couldn’t live with that. “And I’ll be a liability. Baruck will know that. You have to stay here. If Baruck finds us together, he’ll use me to destroy you. The best plan is for me to lure the Arum away and let the guys meet me in the field and take him down together.”

“Katy—”

“I’m not taking no for an answer! We don’t have much time.” I moved to the door, grabbing my keys and cell phone. “Light up. Do the crazy balls of light thing. That seems like it worked last time. I’ll head…I’ll head to where the field party was! Tell Daemon that’s where I’m going.” When she stood there, staring at me, I yelled, “Do it!”

“This is insane.” Dee shook her head, but she stepped back and started to blur out. A second later she was in her true form, a beautiful silhouette of light. This is insane, her voice whispered in my thoughts.

I’d stopped thinking. “Hurry.”

Two balls of crackling light formed in her outstretched arms. They shot around the room, blowing the lights and the TV, but ended up bouncing off the walls harmlessly. The fine hairs on my body stood as static filled the air.

“Am I glowing?” I asked.

Like the sun.

Well, that worked. Taking a deep breath, I nodded. “Call Daemon and tell him where I’m going.”

Be careful. Please. Her light began to fade.

“You, too.” I turned and raced out of the house toward my car before I could think twice about what I was doing.

Because this was absolutely insane — the craziest thing I’d ever done. Worse than giving a one-star review, scarier than asking for an interview with an author I’d give my firstborn to eat lunch with, more stupid than kissing Daemon.

But this was all I could do.

My hands were shaking when I shoved the key into the ignition and backed out of the driveway, narrowly missing Dee’s Volkswagen. I hit the gas, squealing out onto the main road. I was clenching the steering wheel like a granny, but driving like I was trying out for NASCAR.

I kept glancing in my rearview mirror as I flew down the highway, expecting to find Arum chasing after me.