Jennifer L. Armentrout

“I've always avoided confrontation in the past, but this guy was flipping my bitch switch like nothing else.”

“Air punched out of my lungs. I held her tight, and I knew right then I would burn down the whole universe for her if I had to. I would do anything to keep her safe. Kill. Heal. Die. Anything. Because she was my everything.”

“Tomorrow or next week wasn't guaranteed. Not that it ever was, but for us, things really weren't looking in our favor. There really was only one now, and I wanted to seize the moment and live in it.”

“It had insta-love, the bane of my existence. Girl sees boy and falls in love. Immediately. Soul mate, breath stealing, toes curling, love after one conversation. Boy pushes girl away for some paranormal reason or another. Girl still loves boy. Boy finally admits love.”

“Daemon’s gaze dipped again, and I shivered under his intensescrutiny. Why, oh why, did Blake need to bail early, leaving me behindwith Daemon? “Where did you get this dress?” he asked.“Your sister,” I told him blandly.He frowned, looking half disgusted. “I don’t even know what to sayabout that.”

“You okay with all of this?" I whispered to Daemon.He shrugged. "Not like I can stop her."I knew he could if he wanted, which meant he didn't have a problem with it. "Cookie?" he offered, holding a cookie full of chocolate chips.Upset tummy or not, there was no way I could refuse that. "Sure."His lips tipped up one side and he leaned toward me, his mouth inches from mine. "Come and get it."Come and get...? Daemon placed half the cookie between those full, totally kissable lips.Oh, holy alien babies everywhere...My mouth dropped open. Several of the girls at the table made sounds that had me wondering if they were turning into puddles under the table, but I couldn't bring myself to check out what they really were doing.That cookie—those lips—were right there. Heat swept over my cheeks. I could feel the eyes of everyone on else, and Daemon... dear God, Daemon arched his brows, daring me. Dee gagged. "I think I'm going to hurl."Mortified, I wanted to crawl into a hole. What did he think I was going to do? Take the cookie from his mouth like something straight out of an R rated version of Lady and the Tramp? Heck, I kind of wanted to and I wasn't sure what that said about me.Daemon reached up and took the cookie. There was a gleam to his eyes, as if he just won some battle. "Times up, Kitten."I stared at him.Breaking the cookie into two, he handed me the larger piece. I snatched it away, half tempted to throw it back in his face, but it was... it was chocolate chip. So I ate it and loved it.”

“You are a terrible liar. You do want this. Just as badly as I do.”My mouth opened, but no words came out. “You want this as badly as you want to go to ALA this winter.”Now my jaw was on the floor. “You don’t even know what ALA is!”“American Library Association midwinter event,” he said, grinning proudly. “Saw you obsessing over it on your blog before you got sick. I’m pretty sure you said you’d give up your firstborn child to go.”Yeah, I kind of did say that.Daemon eyes flashed. “Anyway, back to the whole you wanting me part.”I shook my head, dumbfounded.“You do want me.”Taking a deep breath, I struggled with my temper… and my amusement. “You are way too confident.”“I’m confident enough to wager a bet.”“You can’t be serious.”He grinned. “I bet that by New Year’s Day, you will have admitted that you’re madly, deeply, and irrevocably—”“Wow. Want to throw another adverb out there?” My cheeks were burning.“How about irresistibly?”I rolled my eyes and muttered, “I’m surprised you know what an adverb is.”“Stop distracting me, Kitten. Back to my bet—by New Year’s Day, you’ll have admitted that you’re madly, deeply, irrevocably, and irresistibly in love with me.”Stunned, I choked on my laugh.“And that you dream about me.” He released my arm and folded his, cocking an eyebrow. “I bet you’ll even admit that. Probably even show me your notebook with my name circled in hearts—”“Oh, for the love of God…”Daemon winked. “It’s on.”

“Both of my hands were on his chest. They had a mind of their own. I claimed no responsibility for them.Daemon kissed like he was a man starving for water, taking long, breathless drafts. When his hands slid...under my shirt, it was as though he reached deep inside me, warming every cell, filling evry dark space within me. Touching him, kissing him, was like having a fever all over again. I was on fire. My body burned. The world burned. Sparks flew. Against his mouth, I moaned.”

“I don’t think we got the chance to introduce ourselves the other night at the diner. My name is Blake Saunders.” He offered his free hand.Daemon glanced at Blake’s hand before returning his gaze to me. “I know who you are.”Oh, geez. I twisted toward Blake. “This is Daemon Black.”His smile faltered. “Yeah, I know who he is, too.”Laughing under his breath, Daemon straightened. At his full height, he was a good head taller than Blake. “It’s always nice to meet another fan.”Yeah, Blake had no idea what to say to that.”

“Well, it was probably the fever. You were burning up.” My eyes snapped back to his. “You touched me?”“Yes, I touched you…and you weren’t wearing a lot of clothes.” The smug stretch of his lips spread. “And you were soaked …in a white T-shirt. Nice look. Very nice.” Heat crept over my cheeks. “The lake…it wasn’t a dream?” Daemon shook his head.“Oh my God, so I did go swimming in the lake?” He pushed off the desk and took one step forward, which put him in the same breathing space as me… if he actually needed to breathe. “You did. Not something I expected to see on Monday night, but I'm not complaining. I saw a lot.”“Shut up,” I hissed.“Don’t be embarrassed.” He reached out, tugging on the sleeve of my cardigan. I smacked his hand away. “It’s not like I haven’t seen the upper part before, and I didn’t get a real good look down—“I came off the desk swinging. My knuckles only brushed his face before he caught my hand. Wowzer, he was fast. Daemon pulled me up against his chest and lowered his head, eyes snapping with restrained anger. “Don’t hit, kitten. It’s not nice.”

“Because I know.” Daemon appeared in front of me, eyes narrowed. He thumped his hand off his chest, directly above his heart. "Because I know what I feel in here. And I'm not the type of person to run from anything, no matter how hard it is. I'd rather face-plant against a brick wall than live for the rest of my life wondering what could’ve been. And you know what? I don’t think you were the type to run either. Maybe I was wrong”

“What are we going to do kitten?”My toes curled at the deep octave of his voice. "I don’t know."“I have a few ideas.”I cracked a grin. “I'm sure you do.”“Wanna hear about them? Although, I'm much better at the show part rather than the tell.”“Somehow, I believe you.”“If you didn’t, I could always give you a teaser.” He paused, and I could hear the smile in his voice. “You bookish people love teasers, don’t you?”

“I scooted out of the laundry room and skipped down the hallway, arms flaying around my head like one of the hot pink puppets from the movie Labyrinth. “A scent and a sound, I’m lost and I’m found. And I’m hungry like the wolf. Something on a line, it’s discord and rhyme—whatever, whatever, la la la—Mouth is alive, all running inside, and I’m hungry like the—” Warmth spread down my neck.“It’s actually, ‘I howl and I whine. I’m after you,’ and not blah or whatever.”Startled by the deep voice, I shrieked and whipped around. My foot slipped on a section of well-cleaned wood and my butt smacked on the floor.“Holy crap,” I gasped, clutching my chest. “I think I’m having a heart attack.”“And I think you broke your butt.” Laughter filled Daemon’s voice.I remained sprawled across the narrow hallway, trying to catch my breath. “What the hell? Do you just walk into people’s houses?”“And listen to girls absolutely destroy a song in a matter of seconds? Well, yes, I make a habit out of it. Actually, I knocked several times, but I heard your…singing, and your door was unlocked.” He shrugged. “So I just let myself in.”“I can see that.” I stood, wincing. “Oh, man, maybe I did break my butt.”“I hope not. I’m kind of partial to your butt.” He flashed a smile. “Your face is pretty red. You sure you didn’t smack that on the way down?”I groaned. “I hate you.”

“Taking pity on me, Carissa kept her voice low. “You were calling out for Daemon.”I dropped my face in my hands and moaned. “Oh, God.”Lesa giggled. “It was kind of cute.”A minute before the tardy bell rang, I felt an all-too-familiar warmth on my neck and glanced up. Daemon swaggered into class. Textbook-less as usual. He had a notebook, but I don’t think he ever wrote anything in it. I was beginning to suspect our math teacher was an alien, because how else would Daemon get away with not doing a damn thing in class? He passed by without so much as a look.I twisted around in my chair. “I need to talk to you.”He slid into his desk chair. “Okay.”“In private,” I whispered.His expression didn’t change as he leaned back in his chair. “Meet me in the library at lunch. No one really goes in there. You know, with all those books and stuff.”

“He was lounging in a cubicle beside an outdated computer, hands shoved into the pockets of his faded jeans. A wavy lock of hair covered his forehead, brushing against thick lashes. His lips curled into a half smile. “I was wondering if you were ever going to find me.” He made no move to clear up any space in the tiny 6x6 hole.I dropped my bag outside the walls and hopped up on the desk opposite him. “Embarrassed someone would see you and think you’re capable of reading?”“I do have a reputation to maintain.”“And what a lovely reputation that is.”He stretched out his legs so that his feet were under mine. “So what did you want to talk about”—his voice lowered to a deep, sexy whisper—“in private?”I shivered—and it had nothing to do with the temperature. “Not what you’re hoping.”Daemon gave me a sexy smirk.”

“Rising up, I kissed Daemon's cheek. "No one trusts him, but you can't threaten him every five seconds.""Yes, I can.”

“¿Qué pasó con ese tipo? Actúo como si me odiara o algo.""No te odia, solo no confía en ti""¿Confiar qué? ¿Tu virtud?”

“Warmth slid through my veins as my body tensed in a welcomed, delicious way. My eyes fluttered shut as his lips brushed mine once and then twice, as if he was getting reacquainted with the feel of them. The slight, barely there touch was nerve racking. Cam shifted his weight onto his left arm and with his other hand, he spread his fingers along my cheek. He placed a kiss to the corner of my lips and the other side before sliding his hand back around the nape of my neck. His lips moved along my jaw, trailing a fiery path to my ear. A shiver danced along my skin, eliciting a deep, husky chuckle from him. His lips pressed against the sensitive spot under my ear, and a moan crawled up my throat. “Goodnight, Avery.” And then he kissed me—kissed me like he’d had right before he’d left the night of our date. Kissed me like he was a man starving for oxygen and I was the only air he needed to breathe. The hand around my neck held me there, raised up on my elbows as his mouth devoured mine. And that was the only word I could use to accurately explained how he kissed me. Cam devoured me.”

“Daemon always looks hot!!!Stretching into the aisle, I went to drop the note back on Carissa’s desk. Before it could leave my fingertips, it was snatched from my hand. Son of a donkey butt! My mouth dropped open and my cheeks burned. Twisting around in my seat, I glared at Daemon.He held the note close to his chest and grinned. “Passing notes is bad,” he murmured.”

“With my name on her lips and with barely anything separating us, I felt the last of my control slipping. Whitish-red light radiated off of me, bathing Kat in the warm glow. There was nowhere that my hands didn’t explore, and the way her body arched into the slightest touch, I was awed and consumed. Kissing her and drawing her deep inside me, I never wanted this to end. She was perfect to me. She was mine, and I wanted her more than I wanted anything in my life.”

“You're right. This is a lot. I faced him. I thought that you were normal. And you're not. You're telling me that I have the DOD gunning for me. That if I ever decide to leave this place, I'm going to be a Snack Pack for an Arum. And better yet, I am going to lose complete control over whatever powers I have and wipe out a family of four, then be put down! All I wanted to do today was eat some god damn fries and be normal!”

“Some things are best left...unknown, you know? People search for answers and they don’t always like what they get. Sometimes the truth is worse than the lie.”

“This was a bad idea,” I whispered.“It was probably the smartest idea you’ve ever had.”I rubbed my palms on my hips. “It’s going to take a lot morethan Thanksgiving dinner and a Christmas tree to get laid.”“Damn. There goes my whole plan.”

“Daemon had not stayed.My smile slipped from my face.He was standing by the window, his back to me. “I got bored.”“I wasn’t even gone five minutes.”“I have a short attention span.”

“I’m going to get changed,” I said.“Need help?”“Wow. You’re so chivalrous, Daemon.”His smile widened, flashing deep dimples. “Well, the experiencewould be mutually beneficial. I promise.”

“—Daemon Black —respondió por mí—. Soy el chico que le quita el sueño por las noches y con el que fantasea. Soy el chico con el que está completamente obsesionada.”

“—¿Pero sabes en qué pensé todo el día de ayer? ¿Durante la noche? ¿El único pensamiento del que no pude escapar, sin importar cuán enojado estoy contigo?—No, —susurré.—Que soy afortunado, porque la persona que no puedo sacar de mi cabeza, la persona que significa más para mí de lo que puedo soportar, aún está viva.”

“Oh. Wow.''What?'He held my hand up between us. 'Look.'I squinted at my hands. 'I don't see anything.' Sighing, he flipped my hand over, and my jaw hit the ground. A faint blue line marked the center of my palm with a smaller line through it. It would've looked like a cross, except the horizontal line was slanted.'Oh. My. Gods.' I jerked my hand away, scrambling back. 'I have a rune on my hand. It's an Apollyon rune, isn't it.'Seth rested his hands on his knees. 'I think so. I have one like that.''But why is it still there? Why is it there at all?' I flipped my palm over several times, shook it, but the faint blue tattoo was still there. 'You can see it, right? Like right now, you can see it?''Yes. It hasn't faded.' Seth leaned forward, catching my hand. 'Stop shaking it like it's a damn Etch-A-Sketch. That doesn't make them disappear.”

“Modesty is for saints and losers. I'm neither.”

“It wasn't like there was an alien hiding under the table, moving crap around for fun.”

“Oh, I still want to strangle you. But I'm insane. You're crazy. Maybe that's why. We just make crazy together.”

“What are you doing out here, Kat?"Several moments passed before I could speak "I just blew up a bunch of windows.”

“Then he leaned forward and rested his cheek against mine. Hot tingles spread through me as his lips moved against my ear. "You should tell me to stop." I didn't say a word.”

“We need to do something about this now. There are things we can do.” My hand curled into fists. “Like what?” “Well, the jumping jacks for … an hour or so should do it” His gaze dropped. Something flickered in his eyes. “You may want to change first.” The urge to cover myself was strong, but I resisted. I wasn’t going to cower from him. “I’m not doing jumping jacks for an hour.” “Then you could run around the house, up and down the stairs.” He paused, his smug grin turning wicked as his eyes met mine. “We could always have sex. I hear that uses up a lot of energy.” My mouth dropped open.”

“We passed Dee’s empty bedroom. It looked like Pepto-Bismol threw up in there.”

“Kitten, your mind is a terrible and dirty place.”

“Kitten,” he growled roughly.I kissed him softly, sliding my hands into his silky locks, letting the pieces slide through my fingers. I tasted in him my own rising desire, my own need and heartache. Thrilling. Frightening. I pulled back.“Kitten,” he said again, voice strained. “You don’t get to do that and then stop. That’s not how it works.”I stared at him, my breath stalling in my lungs.“Not when you’re mine.” Daemon backed us up and slid down the wall, pulling me on his lap so I was straddling him. “And you’re mine.”

“Can I…?” There was a pause and my heart stuttered. “Can I just hold you? That’s all…that’s all I want.”

“If you fall and break something, I’m going to be irritated.”Daemon grabbed my arm as I started to slip.“Sorry, not all of us can be as awesome---“ I squealed as he slid an arm around my back and lifted be into his arms. Daemon zipped us up the driveway, wind and snow blowing at my face. He put me down, and I stumbled to the side, dizzy. “Could you give me a warning next time?”He grinned as he knocked on the door. “And miss that look on your face? Never.”Sometimes I seriously wanted to just punch him in the face, but it made me warm in all the right place to see this side of him again, too.“You’re insufferable.”“You like my kind of suffering.”

“Maybe they’re getting some bow-chicka-pow-wow.”I looked at him. “Ew.”He flashed his teeth. “She’s definitely not my type.” His gaze dropped to my lips, and parts of me quivered in response to the heat in his gaze. “But now I totally have that on my mind.”I was breathless. “You’re a dog.”“If you pet me, I’ll—““Don’t even finish that sentence,” I said, fighting a grin.”

“You know what I’ve been thinking?”Why I hadn’t crawled over the center console and into his lap yet? Because damn if I was wondering that very thing, but the car was way too small for those kind of Shenanigans.”

“This car sucks.”“It was your idea. I, on the other hand, think this car if perfect size. But that might be because I’m not the size of a mountain.”He snickered. “You’re the size of a little, itty bitty doll.”“If you say a vacant doll, I will hurt you.” I wound the necklace chain around my fingers. “Got that?”“Yes, ma’am.”

“I’m not going to do anything stupid. And even if what I plan is risky and insane, it’s a well-thought-out level of stupidity.”

“Sure. Whatever. She’s all yours.”Daemon grinned. “That she is.”My hand was twitching to connect with his face. “I am not yours.” A small part of me wanted his to deny my words, though.“Shush it,” he said, walking up to me.“How about I shush it right up you—““Kitten, your language is so unladylike.”

“Daemon was the pissy pink elephant in the room with a bad attitude.”

“Jesus.” Blake rubbed his throat. “You have anger management problems. Its like a disease.”“There’s a cure and it’s called kicking your ass.”

“Maybe on day I can be just as lazy as you and turn off lights without moving.”“That’s something to aspire to.”… “God, you’re so modest.”“Modesty is for saints and losers. I’m neither.”“Wow, Daemon, just wow.”

“It’s not me I’m worried about. If they think you blew a satellite out of orbit, they could see you as a threat.”“Of they could just think I’m that awesome.”

“I…I was just excited.”“Yeah, I’d say you were,” Dee said, grinning like an idiot.Daemon was staring at me like he’s just won the lottery. “I kind of like this level of excitement. Makes me think of—““Daemon!” both of us shouted.“What?” He grinned, tousling Dee’s hair. “I was only suggesting—““We know what you were suggesting.”

“His brows were lowered in concentration. Thick, sooty lashes hid his eyes.They lifted and his lips spread into a grin.I was in so much trouble.”