I scooted over. “I’m not letting you take my mom’s car.”
“Why not?” He inched over, grinning. A charming smile—the same he’d used on my mom the first time they’d met. “I’m a good driver.”
“That’s not the point.” I moved against the arm of the couch. “I can’t just let you take her car without me.”
He frowned. “You’re not getting involved in this.”
But I wanted to be involved in this, because it did involve me. I shook my head. “You want my mom’s car, then you get me along with it. It’s a two-for-one special.”
Daemon tipped his chin now, peering up through thick lashes. “Get you? Now that sounds way more interesting of a deal.”
My cheeks flushed. Daemon already had me, but he just didn’t know. “As in a partnership, Daemon.”
“Hmm.” Daemon flickered to the door. “Be ready after school tomorrow. Ditch Bartholomew by any means necessary. And do not speak a word of this to him. You and I will be playing spy alone.”
Chapter 23
Making up some lame excuse about having to spend time with my mom, I successfully ditched a very pouty Blake. Getting the keys from my mom wasn’t too difficult, either. She’d crashed from a double shift as soon as she got home, and I knew she wouldn’t be awake to notice her car was gone. We’d waited until darkness fell, which clocked in around five thirty.
Daemon met me outside and tried to take the keys. “Nope. My mom’s car means I’m driving.”
He glared at me but got into the passenger seat. His long legs were no match for the cramped seating. He looked like he’d outgrown the car. I laughed. Daemon scowled.
I turned on a rock station, and he changed it to an oldies station. Moorefield was only fifteen minutes away, but it would be the longest damn drive of my life.
“So how did you drop Butter-face?” he asked before we even pulled out of the driveway.
I shot him a dirty look. “I told him I have plans with my mom. It’s not like I spend every waking minute with Blake.”
Daemon snorted.
“What?” I glanced at him. He stared out the window, one hand on the oh-shit handle. As if my driving was that bad. “What?” I repeated. “You know what I’m doing with him. It’s not like we’re hanging out and watching movies.”
“Do I really know what you’re doing with him?” he asked softly.
My hands tightened on the wheel. “Yes.”
The muscle worked in his jaw, and then he turned, angling his body toward me the best he could given the limited space. “You know, your whole life doesn’t have to involve training with Bradley. You can take time off.”
“You could also join us. I liked it…when you helped out, when you were there,” I admitted, feeling my cheeks burn.
There was a pause. “You know my stance on that, but you need to stop avoiding Dee. She misses you. And that’s just messed up.”
Guilt chewed at me with small, razor-sharp teeth. “I’m sorry.”
“You’re sorry?” he said. “What for? For being a crappy friend?”
In a second, anger flashed through me, wild and hot like a fireball. “I’m not trying to be a crappy friend, Daemon. You know what I’m doing. You’re the one who told me to keep her out of this. Just tell Dee I’m sorry, okay?”
The familiar challenge was in his voice. “No.”
“Can we not talk?”
“And that would also be a no.”
But he didn’t say anything else while he gave me directions to the subdivision where Vaughn lived. I parked the car halfway between the suspected six houses, grateful that my mom tinted the windows of her car.
Then Daemon started in again. “How has your training been going?”
“If you got over yourself, you’d know.”
He smirked. “Are you still able to freeze things? Move objects around?” When I nodded, his eyes narrowed. “Have you had any unexpected outbursts of power?”
Besides the whole mini cyclone in my living room after seeing Bethany, I hadn’t. “No.”
“Then why are you still training? The whole purpose was for you to get control. You have.”
Wanting to bang my head against the steering wheel, I groaned. “That’s not the only reason, Daemon. And you know that.”
“Obviously I don’t,” he retorted, pushing back against his seat.
“God, I love how you’re all up in my personal business but don’t want to be involved in it.”
“I like talking about your personal business. It’s usually entertaining and always good for a laugh.”
“Well, I don’t,” I snapped.
Daemon sighed as he twisted in his seat and tried to get comfortable. “This car sucks.”
“It was your idea. I, on the other hand, think the car is a 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 stared out the windshield, caught between wanting to just be angry with him—because that was easy—and wanting to explain myself. So much bubbled up in me that nothing would come out.
He sighed. “You’re worn down. Dee’s worried. She won’t stop bugging me to check on you and see what’s wrong, since you won’t hang out with her anymore.”