him quickly seeped into my bones. It felt right, at that moment, to be nestled against him. I felt safe, and it reminded me of the heat that had come off his hand earlier.
I snuggled the good side of my face against the soft fabric of his T-shirt and thought his arm tightened around me, but that could've been the pills. By the time the car started, I was already drifting away, one thought colliding into the next without any coherence.
I wasn't sure if I was dreaming or not when I heard Dee speak, her voice sounding muted and far away. "I told her not go. I could still see it."
"I know." There was a pause. "Don't worry.
I'm not going to let anything happen this time. I swear."
Silence followed by more hushed whispers.
"You did something, didn't you?" she asked.
"It's stronger now."
"I didn't...mean to." Daemon shifted slightly, smoothing the hair off my face. "It just happened. Shit."
Several long moments passed, and I struggled to stay awake. But the events of the night were weighing too heavily on me, and finally I succumbed to the warmth of Daemon and the blissful silence.
...
When I opened my eyes again, daylight peeked through the heavily curtained living room, catching small particles of dust that hung in a lazy pattern over the peaceful head of Dee.
She was a few feet away, curled up on the recliner in a deep sleep. Her small hands were folded neatly under her cheek and lips slightly parted. She looked more like a china doll than a real person.
I smiled and immediately winced.
The spark of pain cleared the haze from my head and the fear from last night doused my veins in ice water. I lay there for several moments, taking deep, calming breaths as I tried to gain control of my spiraling emotions. I was alive - thanks to Daemon, who apparently was also my pillow.
My head was in his lap. One of his hands was resting on the curve of my hip. My heart sped up. He couldn't have been comfortable, sitting up all night.
Daemon stirred. "You okay, Kitten?"
"Daemon?" I whispered, trying to gain control of my spiraling emotions. "I...sorry. I didn't mean to sleep on you."
"It's okay." He helped me sit up. The room spun a little. "Are you okay?" he asked again.
"Yeah. You stayed here all night?"
"Yeah," was all he said.
I remembered Dee volunteering but not him.
Waking up with my head in his lap was the last thing I'd expected.
"Do you remember anything?" he asked quietly.
My chest squeezed tight. I nodded, expecting it to hurt more than it did. "I was attacked last night."
"Someone tried to mug you," he said.
No, that wasn't right. I remembered a man grabbing my purse, then falling down, but he hadn't wanted my money. "He wasn't trying to mug me."
"Kat - "
"No." I tried standing up, but his arm returned, forming a band of steel around me that I couldn't break. "He didn't want my money, Daemon. He wanted them." Daemon stiffened. "That doesn't make any sense."
"No shit." I frowned as I moved my arm and found that the splint was heavy. "But he kept asking about where they were and about a trace."
"The guy was insane," he said, voice low.
"You realize that, right? That he wasn't right in the head. That nothing he said means anything."
"I don't know. He didn't seem crazy."
"Trying to beat the crap out of a girl isn't crazy enough for you?" His brows rose. "I'm curious what you think is crazy."
"That's not what I meant."
"Then what did you mean?" He shifted, careful not to jar me, which kind of surprised me. "He was a random lunatic, but you're going to make it bigger than it is, aren't you?"
"I'm not making this anything." I took a steadying breath. "Daemon, that wasn't a normal lunatic."
"Oh, you're an expert in crazy people now?"
"A month with you and I feel I have a master's degree in the subject," I snapped.
Glaring at him, I scooted away. My head swam.
"You okay?" He reached out, placing a hand on my good arm. "Kat?"
I shook his hand off. "Yeah, I'm okay." Shoulders stiff, he stared straight ahead. "I know you're probably messed up after what happened last night, but don't make this into something it's not."
"Daemon - "
"I don't want Dee worried that there is an idiot out there attacking girls." His eyes were hard. Cold. "Do you understand me?" My lip trembled. Part of me wanted to cry.