I wasn't going to be a bystander anymore, which meant not caving to Daemon. Not when his reasons for wanting me were so lame they made a top ten list. "No. Sorry. You have spent months being the biggest jerk to me. You don't get to decide to like me one day and think I will forget all of that. I want someone to care for me like my dad cared for my mom. And you aren't him."
"How can you know?" His eyes flashed, turning them into brilliant jewels.
Shaking my head, I turned toward the back door. Daemon appeared in front of it, blocking my exit. "God, I hate when you do that!" He didn't laugh or smile like he normally would. His eyes were wide and bright, consuming. "You can't keep pretending that you don't want to be with me."
I could - I would try, even though deep down, I did want to be with him. But I wanted him to want me, not because we were stuck together or because somehow we were connected. I'd always liked the glimpses of the real him. That Daemon I could be with - I could love. But that Daemon never stayed around long, pushed out by his never-ending duty to his family and race. Saddened by that, I pressed my lips together.
"I'm not pretending," I said.
His eyes searched mine. "You're lying."
"Daemon."
He placed his hands on my hips and tugged me forward carefully. His breath stirred the hair around my temple. "If I wanted to be with..." he started, his hands tightening. "If I wanted to be with you, you'd make it hard wouldn't you?" I lifted my head. "You don't want to be with me." His lips twitched into a smile. "I'm thinking I kind of do."
Parts of my body liked that. My chest swelled. Insides knotted. "Thinking and kind of aren't the same thing as knowing."
"No, it's not, but it's something." His lashes lowered, shielding his eyes. "Isn't it?"
I thought of the love my mom and dad had again. I pulled away, shaking my head. "It's not enough."
Daemon's eyes met mine and he sighed.
"You are going to make this hard." I didn't say anything. My heart was thumping as I sidestepped him and headed for the front door.
"Kat?"
Drawing in a deep breath, I faced him.
"What?"
A smile parted his lips. "You do realize I love a challenge?"
I laughed under my breath and turned back to the front door, giving him a one-fingered salute. "So do I, Daemon. So do I." Bonus scenes from Daemon's point of view...
Keep reading!
Acknowledgements Ob sidian wouldn't even be a glimmer in my eyes without Liz Pelletier. Simply put, you're the best. Seriously. Funny how one email can turn into this crazy idea within minutes, hours...and then days - wait, hours? And you're like an editing ninja. Thank you.
Thank you to the wonderful, awesomely awesome team at Entangled Publishing. Heather Howland - I love the buns atop your head in your Twitter avatar. Have I told you that before?
Thank you to Suzanne Johnson for turning my manuscript into a lovely Christmas tree during copyedits, Heidi Stryker - a huge thanks to you for being the first intern to read Ob sidian and think, "Wow, this doesn't suck." A shout out to my publicist Lewis Pollak - thank you for handling everything that you do.
To my agent Kevan Lyon - you are a dream come true. Special thanks to agents Rebecca Mancini and Stephanie Johnson. Whenever I hear your names, I get all warm and fuzzy inside.
To my family and friends, thank you for not
disowning me when I don't answer your calls or pay attention when you're talking. I know I get lost in my head from time to time, so thank you for being patient.
Lesa Rodrigues and Cindy Thomas - you guys kept me sane while writing Ob sidian. To Carissa Thomas for liking to mess around with pictures of hot guys and make my blog all steamy, thank you.
Julie Fedderson - you're the best crit partner and cheerleader in the world.
And a huge, GIGANTIC thanks to all the book bloggers out there who helped reveal the cover of Ob sidian and spread the word. I heart each and every one of you.
Jennifer ll. Armentrout lives in West Virginia. All the rumors you've heard about her state aren't true. Well, mostly. When she's not hard at work writing, she spends her time reading, working out, watching zombie movies, and pretending to