Opal

Blake’s drink. The second she was gone, Daemon leaned forward, his eyes starting to shine behind his lashes. “We gave you a chance and you came back here after you killed one of our own. You think I’m the only person you have to look over your shoulder and watch out for? You’re so wrong.”

A thread of fear finally showed in Blake’s churning eyes, but his voice was even. “The same goes for you, buddy.”

Daemon sat back, eyes hooded. “As long as we’re on the same page.”

“Back to Daedalus,” I said. “How do you know they’re watching Dawson?”

“I’ve been watching you guys, and I’ve seen them hanging around.” He leaned against the booth, folding his arms. “I don’t know how much work Will did to get him free, but I doubt he pulled the wool over anyone’s eyes. Dawson is free because they wanted him to be free.”

I glanced at Daemon. Blake’s suspicions mirrored our own, but that was another problem for another day, it seemed.

Blake’s gaze fell to his glass. “Here’s the deal. I know where they’re keeping Beth and Chris. I’ve never been there, but I know someone who has and can give us the security codes to get into the facility.”

“Hold up,” I said, shaking my head. “So you can’t really get us in. Someone else can?”

“Go figure.” Daemon chuckled. “Biff is virtually useless.”

Blake’s lips thinned. “I know what level and cell they’re being kept in, so without me, you’d just be running around the compound begging to be captured.”

“And my fist is begging to be in your face,” Daemon shot back.

I rolled my eyes. “Not only are you asking us to trust you but to trust someone else?”

“That someone else is just like us, Katy.” Blake dropped his elbows on the table, rocking his glass. “He’s a hybrid but has gotten out from under Daedalus. And as expected, he hates them and would love nothing more than to screw with them. He’s not going to lead us astray.”

Yeah, I wasn’t liking any of this. “And how does anyone get ‘out from under’ Daedalus?”

Blake’s smile lacked warmth. “They…disappear.”

Oh, well that sounded reassuring. I tucked my hair back on both sides, feeling cagey. “Okay, say we do this; how do you get in contact with him?”

“You won’t believe anything unless you’re there to witness it for yourselves.” And he was right about that. “I know where to find Luc.”

Daemon’s mouth curled. “His name is Luc?”

Blake nodded. “He’s not going to be reachable by cell or e-mail. He’s kind of paranoid about the government tapping cells and computers. We’ll have to go to him.”

“And where is that?” Daemon asked.

“Every Wednesday night he hangs at a club a few miles outside of Martinsburg,” Blake explained. “He’ll be there this Wednesday.”

Daemon laughed, and I wondered what the hell he found so funny. “The only clubs in that part of West Virginia are strip clubs.”

“You would think that.” Smugness crept over Blake’s expression. “But this is a different kind of club.” He glanced at me. “Females don’t show up in jeans and sweaters.”

I gave him a bland look as I plucked a fry from Daemon’s plate. “What do they show up in? Nothing?”

“The closest thing to nothing.” His smile was real now, causing the green in his eyes to sparkle, reminding me of the Blake I first met. “Bad for you. Yay for me.”

“You really want to die, don’t you?” Daemon said.

“Sometimes, I think so.” There was a pause, and his shoulders rolled. “Anyway, we go to him, he’ll get the codes, and then it’s on. We go in, you get what you want, and I get what I want. You guys will never see me again.”

“That’s pretty much the only thing you’ve said so far that I like.” Daemon’s sharp gaze landed on Blake. “The thing is, I’m having a hard time believing you. You say this hybrid is in Martinsburg, right? There isn’t any beta quartz near that place. How come he hasn’t become some Arum’s afternoon snack yet?”

A mysterious glimmer filled Blake’s eyes. “Luc can take care of himself.”

Something wasn’t right here. “And where’s the Luxen he’s tied to?”

“With him,” Blake said.

Well, that answered that question, but still, none of this sat well with me. Crap, this whole situation was looking dicey, but what choice did we have? We were already in deep. Might as well go in over our heads—sink or swim, as my dad would say.

“Look,” Blake said, fixing a steady stare on Daemon. “What happened with Adam—I never wanted that. And I’m sorry, but you of all people have to understand. You’d do anything for Katy.”

“I would.” A faint tremor coursed through Daemon. Static built, raising the tiny hairs on my body. “So, if for one moment I think you’re about to screw us, I won’t hesitate. You won’t get a third chance. And you haven’t seen what I’m fully capable of, boy.”

“Understood,” Blake murmured, his eyes downcast. “Are we on?”

The million-dollar question—were we really going to do this? Daemon’s heartbeat calmed, and I felt it in my own chest. His mind was made up. Not only would he do anything to keep me safe, he’d do anything for his brother.

Sink or swim.

I lifted my lashes and met Blake’s eyes. “We’re on.”

…

I spent the bulk of Sunday at Daemon’s house, watching a marathon of Ghost Investigators with the brothers while I waited for—er, stalked—Dee. She had to come home sometime. That’s what Daemon said.

It was almost dusk when she returned. I hopped up from the couch, startling Dawson, who had dozed off around hour four of things that go bump in the night.

“Is everything okay?” He was wide awake now.

Daemon scooted over, taking my spot. “Everything’s fine.”

His brother stared back for a long second and then refocused on the TV. Knowing what I wanted to do without even telling him, Daemon nodded.

Dee started for the stairs without saying a word. “Do you have a couple of minutes?” I asked.

“Not really,” she threw over her shoulder as she continued up the stairs.

I squared my shoulders and followed. “Well, if you only have a minute, then I’m taking up that minute.”

Stopping at the top of the stairs, she turned around. For a moment, I thought she might push me down the steps, which would totally derail my make-up plans. “All right,” she said, and then sighed as if she’d been asked to recite trig formulas. “We might as well get this over with.”

Not the way I wanted to start this conversation, but at least she was talking to me. I followed her into her bedroom. Like every time before, I was overwhelmed by the amount of pink. Pink walls. Pink bed coverings. Pink laptop. Pink throw carpet. Pink lampshades.

Dee moved to the window seat and sat, crossing her slender ankles. “What do you want, Katy?”

Mustering courage, I took up residency on the edge of her bed. All day, I had planned out this long speech, but suddenly, I just wanted to grovel at her feet. I wanted my best friend back. A look of impatience pinched her delicate features, and my stomach fell.

“I don’t know where to start,” I admitted quietly.

She drew in a heavy breath. “Maybe start with why you lied to me for months?”

I flinched, but I deserved that question. “The night in the clearing, when we fought Baruck, I don’t know what happened, but Daemon didn’t kill him.”

“You did?” She stared out the window, idly playing with a dark curl.

“Yeah…I connected with him—with you. We…we think it was because Daemon had healed me before. Somehow those healings had already blended us together.” Leftover fear from that night surfaced, coiling my insides tightly. “But I was hurt—really badly, I guess, and Daemon healed me after you left.”

Her shoulders tensed. “The first lie, right? He told me you were fine, and I was stupid for believing him. You looked…really bad. And afterward, when Daemon was gone, you didn’t act right. I should’ve known something was