Once I was finished, we stared down at our snow angels. Hers was tiny compared to mine, and interestingly top heavy. Kat folded her arms around her waist. “Waiting for the epiphany to happen.”

“There isn’t one.” I curled my arm around her shoulder and leaned down, pressing a kiss against her cool cheek. “But it was fun, wasn’t it? Now…” I steered her back to the snowman. “Let’s finish with your snowman. It can’t be incomplete. Not with me here.”

Chapter 3

Matthew had gotten a glass repairman out to Kat’s house the moment the plows made it to our road. The bedroom window was repaired mere minutes before her mom came home from Winchester on Friday.

Since she hadn’t seen her daughter in days, I slipped out the back door and gave them time to themselves. Her mom’s timing worked out, because keeping track of Dawson and making sure he didn’t get himself captured was pretty damn time-consuming.

Dawson had left the house on foot Friday morning, and of course, I followed him. Using the woods to travel into town, he tried to lose me a couple of times. He roamed the town and the county for hours.

Hours.

He had a purpose, though. Patrolling. Except he wasn’t searching for Arum. Oh no, he was looking for signs of Beth. Maybe even the DOD. He got close to the office he’d been kept at, but backed off. I had a feeling if I hadn’t been right behind him, he would have raided the place.

The sun was setting behind Seneca when Dawson finally stopped moving for longer than a minute. We were deep in the forest a few miles from the colony. A fallen tree separated us, just a couple of feet, but it felt like there were miles between us, a damn continent.

Dawson’s posture was stiff. “I’m not going to stop looking for her.”

Shock clenched my chest. Yesterday had been the first time he’d really spoken to me. I wasn’t expecting him to actually talk. Hell, it robbed me of my ability to put syllables together.

“If it were Katy, you’d do the same thing. I know you would.” Dawson tipped his head back and his shaggy hair brushed the collar of his sweater. “And yet you expect me to just forget about Beth and do what? Move on?”

I shook my head. “I don’t expect you to forget about her.”

“Could’ve fooled me.” Slowly, he faced me with a haunted look on his gaunt face. Several moments passed. “Katy was in a cage, wasn’t she?”

My hands curled into fists. “Yes.”

“For a few hours, basically. Yet, her voice…it’s changed, and you know why.”

I did. I would never forget why she sounded raspy or why her voice cracked. The damage had been done from her screaming out in pain. My jaw locked down so hard I swore my teeth would crack.

“I wasn’t…” He swallowed. “Weeks. Maybe even months. That’s how long I was kept in a cage with onyx wrapped around my wrists and ankles.”

“Jesus,” I gritted out, wanting to rip every DOD officer apart.

The pupils of Dawson’s eyes glowed white. “They did the same to Beth. To others. They could be doing that to her now.”

The thought of it made me sick. “I’m not asking you to forget about her or what they could be doing to her. I’m asking you to be smart about it.”

“Would you be smart about it if it were Katy?” he volleyed back.

Anger flashed hot in me. “Stop bringing her into this, Dawson. I get what you’re saying loud and clear without it.”

He laughed drily.

I tamped down on the wrath building. “What…what did they do to you in there, Dawson?”

His eyes met mine. “What didn’t they do?”

Dawson wasn’t saying anything else after he dropped that horrifying bomb. What didn’t they do? A steady stream of horrid images kept me company on the way back to the house.

Once inside, Dawson didn’t speak to Dee or Andrew. He went straight to his bedroom. Dee was immediately at my side, worrying her lower lip. “What did he do today?”

“Nothing really,” I answered, walking into the kitchen. “Just out looking for Bethany. He didn’t try anything.” “Yet” hung in the air between us. The slim black cell phone sat on the counter, next to the plate I’d used this morning. Picking it up, I tapped on the screen. There was a missed text from Kat. Slipping it into my pocket, I pivoted around. “Can you make sure he eats something tonight?”

Dee nodded. “I can try.”

I passed a silent Andrew on the way out. The little Prius was in the driveway, behind Kat’s Camry. Her mom was still home. That didn’t deter me as I zipped up the porch steps and knocked.

A second later, the door flew open and Kat flung herself at me in a blur of arms and legs. Stumbling back a step as I caught her, I laughed deeply at her exuberant greeting. She clung to me, arms tight around my shoulders.

“Kitten,” I murmured. “You know how much I like it when you say hi this way.”

Her head was buried in the space between my neck and shoulder, and when she responded, I couldn’t make out a damn thing she said.

I lifted her clear off her feet. “You’ve been worried, haven’t you?”

“Mm-hmm.” Kat jerked back and wriggled free. She smacked my chest hard.

“Ouch!” I grinned as I rubbed my chest. “What’s that for?”

She folded her arms, keeping her voice low as she spoke. “Have you heard of a cell phone?”

I arched my brow. “Why, yes, it’s this small thing that has all these cool apps on it—”

“Then why didn’t you have it on you today?” she interrupted.

Lowering my head to hers, my lips brushed her cheek as I spoke. “Going in and out of my true form all day kind of kills the electronics.”

A moment passed. “You should’ve checked in, though. I thought…”

“You thought what?”

Drawing back, she gave me a look. I knew why she was concerned, and I hated that she’d spent even a minute worrying about me. Clasping her cheeks, I kissed her softly. “Kitten, nothing’s going to happen to me. I’m the last person you need to worry about.”

Her eyes closed. “See, that’s possibly the stupidest thing you’ve ever said.”

“For real?” I kissed the corner of her lips. “I say a lot of stupid things.”

“I know. So that’s saying something.” Her hands slid to my chest. “I’m not trying to act like one of those obsessive girlfriends, but things…things are different with us.”

She had a point. A very good one. “You’re right.”

Her eyes widened. “Come again?”

“You’re right. I should’ve checked in at some point. I’m sorry.”

Shock splashed over her pretty face. Jaw dropped over and everything. Damn, she was adorable.

“You’re speechless.” I chuckled. “I like that. And I also like you all feisty. Want to hit me again?”

She laughed. “You’re a—”

The door opened behind her and her mom appeared, clearing her throat. “I don’t know what it is with you two and porches, but come in, it’s freezing out there.”

Kat flushed fire-engine red, so I let her go and made my way into the house. “Did you get a new haircut, Ms. Swartz?”

Her mom lightly touched her hair. “I did. About a week ago.”

“Looks great,” I said, smiling as Kat frowned. “Shows off those wonderful earrings.”

Kat’s mom flushed, just like her daughter. “Thank you.”

I continued to chat up her mom while Kat rolled her eyes about a million and three times before grabbing my arm and pulling me toward the steps. “Okay, well, this has been nice…”

Ms. Swartz folded her arms. “Katy, what did I tell you about the bedroom?”

Dipping my chin to hide my smile, I watched her face burn even brighter. “Mom…” She tugged on my arm again.

Her mom raised her brows.