“Oh, yeah.” Carissa nodded. “They were googley-eyed in class on Friday. It was pretty steamy, the whole ‘I’mscrewing you with my eyes’ thing they had going on.” I choked on my drink. “That was not what we were doing. We were talking!”

“A fine shiver coursed over my skin. “Seth?” “Yeah?” “You were in my dream.” One amber-colored eye opened. “Please tell me we were naked.” I rolled my eyes. “You’re such a perv.” He sighed mournfully as he wiggled closer. “I’ll take that as a no.” “You’d be correct.” Unable to fall back to sleep, I started chewing on my lip. So many worries surfaced at once that my brain spun.”

“She rolled her eyes. "Then what happened?"Rubbing his temples, he glanced at the door. "Bethany and I were making out and something happened that never happened before."Dee leaned back. A look of supreme disgust clouded her pretty face. "Uh, yuck if this is about any kind of premat-""Oh my God, shut and listen, okay?" He dragged a hand through his hair. "we were making out, and I lost my hold on my human form. I lit up like a freaking Christmas tree.”

“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.”

“Ah, i just know. That's my talent, if you were wondering. I just know things." She rolled her eyes, but she was grinning. "What a unique talent""I know. I amaze myself”

“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.”

“We were enemies to the core, more so now than ever, but my loss was his. When I suffered, he suffered. It was the way we were built, and even the death that he had indirectly caused couldn't breach that or shatter what lay between us.Nothing could.”