I turned my head to look at Kat for the first time since I’d seen her in the line. I thought about the conversation on the porch, when she grinned at me. I thought about how she reacted when I’d told her about the legend of Snowbird. And I already knew I was going to hate myself for what I was about to say, because she didn’t deserve this. “I think it’s obvious if you’re wanted here or not.”
“Daemon!” My sister’s eyes filled with tears, and now it was official. I was irrevocably a dick. “He’s not being serious.”
“Are you being serious, Daemon?” Ash twisted toward me.
My gaze held Kat’s, and I clamped down on every confusing and contradictory thought I was having. She needed to leave before something shitty happened. “Actually, I was being serious. You’re not wanted here.”
Kat opened her mouth, but she didn’t say anything. Her cheeks had been pink—the way I liked them—but the color faded quickly. Anger and embarrassment filled her gray eyes. They glistened under the harsh lights of the cafeteria. A sharp pierce sliced through my chest, and I had to look away—because I had put that look in her eyes. Clenching my jaw, I focused over Ash’s shoulder on that stupid mascot again.
In that moment, I wanted to punch myself in the face.
“Run along,” Ash said.
A few snickers sounded and anger whipped through me, heating my skin. It was ridiculous that I was pissed over other people laughing when I’d already embarrassed her and hurt her more than anyone.
Silence fell over the table, and relief was imminent. She had to be leaving now. There was no way—
Cold, wet, and sloppy stuff plopped on the top of my head. I froze, aware enough not to open my mouth unless I wanted to eat…spaghetti? Did she…? Sauce-covered noodles slid down my face, landing on my shoulder. One hung off my ear, smacking me against the neck.
Holy shit. I was dumbfounded as I slowly turned to look at her. Part of me was actually…amazed.
Ash leaped from my lap, shrieking as she shoved her hands out. “You… You…”
I plucked one of the noodles off my ear and dropped it on the table as I peered up at Kat from underneath my lashes. The laugh came up before I could stop it. Good for her.
Ash lowered her hands. “I will end you.”
My humor vanished. Jumping up, I threw an arm around Ash’s waist. “Calm down. I mean it. Calm down.”
She pulled against me. “I swear to all the stars and suns, I will destroy you.”
“What does that mean?” Kat balled her hands, glaring at the taller girl like she wasn’t afraid of her one bit, and she should’ve been. Ash’s skin was scorching hot, vibrating just beneath the surface. At that moment, I really started to doubt she wouldn’t do something stupid and reveal us in public. “Are you watching too many cartoons again?”
Matthew stalked over to our table, his eyes connecting with mine for a moment. I’d hear about this later. “I believe that’s enough,” he said.
Knowing not to argue with Matthew, Ash sat down in her own seat and grabbed a fistful of napkins. She tried to clean up the mess, but it was pointless. I almost laughed again when she started stabbing at her shirt. Sitting down, I knocked a clump of noodles off my shoulder.
“I think you should find another place to eat,” Matthew said to Katy, voice low enough that only the people at our table could hear. “Do so now.”
Looking up, I watched Kat grab her book bag. She hesitated, and then she nodded as if in a daze. Turning stiffly, she stalked from the cafeteria. My gaze followed her the whole way out, and she kept her head held high.
Matthew turned from the table, probably off to do some damage control. I wiped the back of my hand down my sticky cheek, unable to stop myself from laughing softly.
Ash smacked me again. “It’s not funny!” She stood, hands shaking. “I can’t believe you think that was funny.”
“It was.” I shrugged, grabbing my water bottle. Not like we didn’t deserve it. Looking down the table, I found my sister staring at me. “Dee…”
Tears built in her eyes as she stood. “I can’t believe you did that.”
“What did you expect?” Andrew demanded.
She shot him a death glare and then turned those eyes on me. “You suck. You really freaking suck, Daemon.”
I opened my mouth, but what could I say? I did suck. I’d acted like an ass, and it wasn’t like I could defend that. Dee had to understand that it was for the best, but when I closed my eyes, I saw the hurt in Kat’s eyes and I wasn’t so sure I’d done the right thing…at least the right thing by her.
Chapter 13
Dee was giving me the cold freeze. Not that I was surprised. I deserved it after what had gone down during lunch, but getting chewed out was better than the baleful stare sent in my direction as I headed out to patrol.
There was no way I was getting the spaghetti sauce out of my shirt.
I headed out into the dusk, crossed the backyard, and entered the woods. I waited until I was several feet into the dense forest before I started running—and not that human version of it. I picked up speed, dissolving into a form made of only light, racing over the fallen trees and boulders, moving farther and farther away from home. The feeling of running in my true form was like lightning—powerful and fast and exhilarating. It required incredible focus, too, or else I could end up running straight through a tree. I’d done that once and was still picking the bark out of my skin a week later.
You’re not wanted here .